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. 2021 Apr;15(2):1007-1024.
doi: 10.1007/s11682-020-00308-4.

Neural Modulation in Approach-Avoidance Conflicts in Externalizing Psychopathology

Allison J Lake  1 , Peter R Finn  2 , Thomas W James  3   4   5
Affiliations

Neural Modulation in Approach-Avoidance Conflicts in Externalizing Psychopathology

Allison J Lake et al. Brain Imaging Behav. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Externalizing psychopathology (EXT) is characterized by poor decision-making in situations that involve simultaneous cues for approach and avoidance behavior (i.e. approach-avoidance conflicts). Previous studies of EXT have examined these deficits primarily using tasks involving decisions between positive reward and negative punishment, suggesting that EXT is characterized by a general bias towards high salience (e.g. temporally proximal or reward) cues relative to low salience (e.g. temporally distal or loss) cues. However, in order to better characterize decision-making in approach-avoidance conflicts, the present study utilized a novel task to examine neural activation in contexts involving both positive reward and negative punishment as well as positive punishment and negative reward by manipulating physical proximity of affective cues. Neuroimaging results indicated that EXT was associated with deficits related to cue prioritization based on salience, suggesting that failure to differentiate relevant from less relevant information contributes to poor decision-making among individuals with EXT.

Keywords: Decision making; Emotion; Externalizing psychopathology; Motivation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic of approach-avoidance task illustrating a negative-incongruent trial (a.) and positive-congruent trial (b.).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Activation in the (a). dACC from the interaction between salience (i.e. push vs. pull) and group in the left (b.) and right (c). hemisphere. Asterisks indicate significance at p < .05; crosses indicate trend-level significance.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Lateral, medial, and axial views of salience-associated (a.) activation (b.) and de-activation among all participants. Contrast examined (negative/pull + neutral/pull + positive/pull] > [negative/push + neutral/push + positive/push).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Lateral and medial views of (a.) regions activated and (b.) deactivated by the interaction between salience (i.e. push > pull) and group.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Activation in the left frontal pole (a.) and left amygdala (b.) from the interaction between salience and group.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Lateral and medial views of conflict-associated activation (a.) and de-activation (b.) among all participants. Contrast examined [negative/pull + positive/push] > [negative/push + positive/pull].
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Lateral and medial views of (a.) regions activated and (b.) deactivated by the interaction between task (i.e. conflict > congruent) and group.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Activation in the left paracingulate (a.) and left frontal pole (b.) from the interaction between conflict and group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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