Hedonia and Eudaimonia: Associations with Academic Success, Wellbeing, and Neuropsychological Functioning

This study examined the relations between happiness and academic success and wellbeing in a diverse, urban college sample by viewing happiness through the lens of hedonia (seeking pleasure and relaxation) and eudaimonia (seeking meaning), and their neuropsychological correlates. Undergraduate students (n=76; 68.4% female; mean age [SD]=21.17 [3.12]) completed self-report measures of hedonia and eudaimonia, and depression, anxiety, and stress. They also completed objective measures of “cool” executive functioning (WAIS-IV Digit Span, Stroop Color-Word test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, and a Stop Signal task) and “hot” executive functioning (Iowa Gambling Task, Temporal Discounting Task). Semester GPA was collected from school records. Eudaimonia was significantly positively associated with GPA. Eudaimonia was also significantly negatively associated with depression, and individuals living the Full Life (high hedonia and high eudaimonia) had significantly lower depression compared to those living the Empty Life (low in both constructs). There were no significant correlations between “cool” executive functions and either hedonia or eudaimonia. Individuals living the Hedonic Life (high hedonia and low eudaimonia) were significantly more likely to prefer smaller more immediate rewards than those living the Eudaimonic Life (low in hedonia, high in eudaimonia). Additionally, there was a trend for individuals living the Full Life to make more risky decisions. Looking at both separate and combined effects of hedonia and eudaimonia might provide more nuanced insight into the relations between happiness and positive outcomes. Furthermore, affective decision-making offers promise for investigating the interaction between hedonic and eudaimonic processes, and how they exert an effect on positive outcomes

Executive Functioning Moderates Neural Mechanisms of Irritability During Reward Processing in Youth: Preliminary Findings

Rationale. Irritability is highly impairing and prevalent in pediatric psychopathology and typical development, yet underlying mechanisms and ameliorating factors are largely unknown. Irritability is associated with altered neural reward processing, including neural networks related to cognitive control, and better cognitive control has been hypothesized to mitigate irritability. To test this hypothesis, this study evaluated the relationship of executive functioning (EF; a measurable form of cognitive control) with irritability-related neural correlates of reward processing in youths with varying levels of irritability. Design. An archival dataset of 51 youths with a history of or at risk for mood disorders was used (age range = 9-19; mean age = 13.80 years, SD = 1.94). Irritability and EF were measured via the Affective Reactivity Index and the NIH Toolbox, respectively. Neural reward processing was measured via a monetary incentive delay task during fMRI acquisition: participants “hit” a target to obtain a potential reward. Neural activation across the entire brain, and ventral striatum (VS) and amygdala connectivity with the rest of the brain, were measured during reward anticipation and performance feedback. Multivariate general linear models, controlling for age, examined whether EF moderates the relationship between irritability and neural reward processing, separately for anticipation and performance feedback. Results. EF moderated irritability-related neural patterns during anticipation and performance feedback. In some brain areas/networks (VS-cuneus connectivity during anticipation; limbic activation and amygdala-temporal connectivity during performance feedback) differences were found regardless of task conditions: the combination of higher irritability and lower EF was associated with hyperactivation and hypoconnectivity, whereas the combination of higher irritability and higher EF was associated with the opposite pattern. In other areas/networks (cuneus activation during anticipation; frontal, limbic, temporal activation, and right VS-frontal connectivity during performance feedback), neural patterns depended on task condition and were generally opposite for higher irritability combined with lower EF versus higher irritability combined with higher EF. Conclusions and Implications. This study is a step toward understanding the interaction of top-down EF processes in pediatric irritability, which provides the necessary groundwork to build mechanistic interventions

Changes in neural reward processing following Amplification of Positivity treatment for depression and anxiety: Preliminary findings from a randomized waitlist controlled trial.

Positive valence system (PVS) deficits are increasingly recognized as important treatment targets for depression and anxiety. Emerging behavioral treatments designed to upregulate the PVS show initial promise; however, neural mechanisms underlying these approaches remain unknown. This study investigated neural reward-processing-related changes following Amplification of Positivity (AMP)-a treatment designed to enhance positive thinking, emotions and behaviors through positive activity interventions (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02330627). Individuals with depression and/or anxiety (N = 29) were randomized to 10 sessions of AMP (n = 16) or waitlist (WL; n = 13). Participants completed a monetary incentive delay task during fMRI at baseline and post-assessment. Hypothesis-driven region of interest (ventral striatum, insula, anterior cingulate) and exploratory whole-brain activation and connectivity analyses evaluated pre-to-post changes for AMP vs. WL when anticipating potential monetary gain or loss. No between-group brain activation changes emerged in regions of interest or whole-brain analyses. Increased neural connectivity from pre-to-post-treatment was observed in AMP vs. WL, including ventral striatum, anterior insula, and anterior cingulate connectivity with prefrontal, limbic, occipital and parietal regions-predominantly during loss anticipation. This preliminary study is the first to examine neural mechanisms of positive activity interventions in depression and anxiety and suggests that AMP may strengthen brain connectivity in reward processing, attention, and emotion regulation networks

What I see, what you say: How cross‐method variation sharpens characterization of irritability in early childhood

Abstract Objectives Identification of clinically significant irritability in preschool age is important to implement effective interventions. However, varying informant and measurement methods display distinct patterns. These patterns are associated with concurrent and future mental health concerns. Patterns across multi‐informant methods in early‐childhood irritability may have clinical utility, identifying risk for impaired psychosocial functioning. Methods Using data from the Multidimensional Assessment of Preschoolers Study (N = 425), latent profile analysis identified irritability patterns through the parent‐reported Multidimensional Assessment Profile Scales–Temper Loss (MAPS‐TL), parent‐reported interviewer‐rated Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA), and observer‐rated Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule (DB‐DOS). These profiles were characterized on protective factors, global functioning, and mental health syndromes, concurrently and at early school age and preadolescent follow‐up. Results Fit indices favored a five‐class model: Low All, High Observation with Examiner (high DB‐DOS Examiner Context), High All, High Parent Report (high MAPS‐TL/PAPA), and Very High Parent Report (very high MAPS‐TL/PAPA). Whereas Low All and High Observation with Examiner exhibited strong psychosocial functioning, remaining profiles showed impaired psychosocial functioning, with the Very High Parent Report group showing higher impairment at follow‐ups, ds = 0.37–1.25. Conclusions Multi‐informant measurements of irritability may have utility for clinical prediction, and future studies should test utility for diagnostic precision

Resting-State Connectivity Changes After Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation Training in Veterans With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Preliminary Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) can have lasting consequences on cognitive functioning and well-being. Goal-Oriented Attentional Self-Regulation (GOALS) training has been shown to improve attention and executive functioning, as well as emotional functioning, in veterans with chronic TBI. An ongoing clinical trial (NCT02920788) is further evaluating GOALS training, including underlying neural mechanisms of change. The present study aimed to examine training-induced neuroplasticity by resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes in GOALS versus active control. Veterans with a history of mTBI ≥6 months post-injury (N = 33) were randomly assigned to GOALS (n = 19) or an intensity-matched active control group (Brain Health Education [BHE] training; n = 14). GOALS consists of attention regulation and problem solving applied to individually defined, relevant goals through a combination of group, individual, and home practice sessions. Participants underwent multi-band resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and post-intervention. Exploratory 2 × 2 mixed analyses of variance identified pre-to-post changes in seed-based connectivity for GOALS versus BHE in five significant clusters. GOALS versus BHE demonstrated a significant increase in right lateral pre-frontal cortex connectivity with the right frontal pole and right middle temporal gyrus, as well as increased posterior cingulate connectivity with the pre-central gyrus. Rostral pre-frontal cortex connectivity with the right precuneus and the right frontal pole decreased in GOALS versus BHE. These GOALS-related changes in rsFC point to potential neural mechanisms underlying the intervention. This training-induced neuroplasticity may play a role in improved cognitive and emotional functioning post-GOALS