Cardiac and electro-cortical concomitants of social feedback processing in women

This study provides a joint analysis of the cardiac and electro-cortical-early and late P3 and feedback-related negativity (FRN)-responses to social acceptance and rejection feedback. Twenty-five female participants performed on a social- and age-judgment control task, in which they received feedback with respect to their liking and age judgments, respectively. Consistent with previous reports, results revealed transient cardiac slowing to be selectively prolonged to unexpected social rejection feedback. Late P3 amplitude was more pronounced to unexpected relative to expected feedback. Both early and late P3 amplitudes were shown to be context dependent, in that they were more pronounced to social as compared with non-social feedback. FRN amplitudes were more pronounced to unexpected relative to expected feedback, irrespective of context and feedback valence. This pattern of findings indicates that social acceptance and rejection feedback have widespread effects on bodily state and brain function, which are modulated by prior expectancies

A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of reward-related brain activation: effects of age, pubertal stage, and reward sensitivity.

Neurobiological models suggest that adolescents are driven by an overactive ventral striatum (VS) response to rewards that may lead to an adolescent increase in risk-taking behavior. However, empirical studies showed mixed findings of adolescents' brain response to rewards. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationship between reward-related brain activation and risky decision-making. In addition, we examined effects of age, puberty, and individuals' reward sensitivity. We collected two datasets: Experiment 1 reports cross-sectional brain data from 75 participants (ages 10-25) who played a risky decision task. Experiment 2 presents a longitudinal extension in which a subset of these adolescents (n=33) was measured again 2years later. Results showed that (1) a reward-related network including VS and medial PFC was consistently activated over time, (2) the propensity to choose the risky option was related to increased reward-related activation in VS and medial PFC, and (3) longitudinal comparisons indicated that self-reported reward sensitivity was specifically related to VS activation over time. Together, these results advance our insights in the brain circuitry underlying reward processing across adolescence

A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of reward-related brain activation: effects of age, pubertal stage, and reward sensitivity.

Neurobiological models suggest that adolescents are driven by an overactive ventral striatum (VS) response to rewards that may lead to an adolescent increase in risk-taking behavior. However, empirical studies showed mixed findings of adolescents' brain response to rewards. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationship between reward-related brain activation and risky decision-making. In addition, we examined effects of age, puberty, and individuals' reward sensitivity. We collected two datasets: Experiment 1 reports cross-sectional brain data from 75 participants (ages 10-25) who played a risky decision task. Experiment 2 presents a longitudinal extension in which a subset of these adolescents (n=33) was measured again 2years later. Results showed that (1) a reward-related network including VS and medial PFC was consistently activated over time, (2) the propensity to choose the risky option was related to increased reward-related activation in VS and medial PFC, and (3) longitudinal comparisons indicated that self-reported reward sensitivity was specifically related to VS activation over time. Together, these results advance our insights in the brain circuitry underlying reward processing across adolescence

Feeding Problems in Patients with Noonan Syndrome: A Narrative Review

Noonan syndrome (NS) belongs to the group of Noonan syndrome spectrum disorders (NSSD), which is a group of phenotypically related conditions. Feeding problems are often present not only in infancy but also in childhood, and even beyond that period. We describe the different aspects of feeding problems using a (theoretical) concept proposed in 2019. More than 50% of infants with NS develop feeding problems, and up to half of these infants will be tube-dependent for some time. Although, in general, there is a major improvement between the age of 1 and 2 years, with only a minority still having feeding problems after the age of 2 years, as long as the feeding problems continue, the impact on the quality of life of both NS infants and their caregivers may be significant. Feeding problems in general improve faster in children with a pathogenic PTPN11 or SOS1 variant. The mechanism of the feeding problems is complex, and may be due to medical causes (gastroesophageal reflux disease and delayed gastric emptying, cardiac disease and infections), feeding-skill dysfunction, nutritional dysfunction with increased energy demand, or primary or secondary psychosocial dysfunction. Many of the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. The treatment of the feeding problems may be a medical challenge, especially when the feeding problems are accompanied by feeding-skill dysfunction and psychosocial dysfunction. This warrants a multidisciplinary intervention including psychology, nutrition, medicine, speech language pathology and occupational therapy

Childhood Emotional Maltreatment Severity Is Associated with Dorsal Medial Prefrontal Cortex Responsivity to Social Exclusion in Young Adults

<div><p>Children who have experienced chronic parental rejection and exclusion during childhood, as is the case in childhood emotional maltreatment, may become especially sensitive to social exclusion. This study investigated the neural and emotional responses to social exclusion (with the Cyberball task) in young adults reporting childhood emotional maltreatment. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated brain responses and self-reported distress to social exclusion in 46 young adult patients and healthy controls (mean age = 19.2±2.16) reporting low to extreme childhood emotional maltreatment. Consistent with prior studies, social exclusion was associated with activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex. In addition, severity of childhood emotional maltreatment was positively associated with increased dorsal medial prefrontal cortex responsivity to social exclusion. The dorsal medial prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in self-and other-referential processing, suggesting that the more individuals have been rejected and maltreated in childhood, the more self- and other- processing is elicited by social exclusion in adulthood. Negative self-referential thinking, in itself, enhances cognitive vulnerability for the development of psychiatric disorders. Therefore, our findings may underlie the emotional and behavioural difficulties that have been reported in adults reporting childhood emotional maltreatment.</p></div

Cardiac and electro-cortical concomitants of social feedback processing in women

This study provides a joint analysis of the cardiac and electro-cortical-early and late P3 and feedback-related negativity (FRN)-responses to social acceptance and rejection feedback. Twenty-five female participants performed on a social- and age-judgment control task, in which they received feedback with respect to their liking and age judgments, respectively. Consistent with previous reports, results revealed transient cardiac slowing to be selectively prolonged to unexpected social rejection feedback. Late P3 amplitude was more pronounced to unexpected relative to expected feedback. Both early and late P3 amplitudes were shown to be context dependent, in that they were more pronounced to social as compared with non-social feedback. FRN amplitudes were more pronounced to unexpected relative to expected feedback, irrespective of context and feedback valence. This pattern of findings indicates that social acceptance and rejection feedback have widespread effects on bodily state and brain function, which are modulated by prior expectancies

Clinical characteristics of the CEM group.

<p><i>Note</i>. SCID II data for 2 participants was missing.</p

Relationship dorsal mPFC and CEM severity.

<p>Relationship dorsal mPFC and CEM severity.</p

Brain responses to social exclusion (‘<i>No-ball exclusion game-Ball inclusion game’</i>) at y =

<p>–<b>51 (A), x = 3 (B). </b><i>Note</i>. The green blobs depict the posterior cingulate (circle), and ventral mPFC cluster (triangle) that were related to social exclusion (‘<i>No-ball exclusion game-Ball inclusion game’</i>) across participants. The violet blob (triangle) depicts the ventral mPFC that was activated in response to need threat at exclusion across participants. The red blob depicts the dorsal mPFC cluster that was related to CEM across participants.</p

Self-reported Mood and Need threat for the Control and CEM groups.

<p><i>Note</i>. Significant differences are indicated with an asterisk, whereas dotted lines depict non-significant differences. A high score on the Mood scale indicates high mood, whereas a high score on the Need Threat Scale indicates high need threat.</p