Diminished appetitive startle modulation following targeted inhibition of prefrontal cortex

René Hurlemann; Stephan Arndt; Thomas E. Schlaepfer; Juergen Reul; Wolfgang Maier; Dirk Scheele

doi:10.1038/srep08954

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Diminished appetitive startle modulation following targeted inhibition of prefrontal cortex

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Diminished appetitive startle modulation following targeted inhibition of prefrontal cortex

René Hurlemann, Stephan Arndt, Thomas E. Schlaepfer, Juergen Reul, Wolfgang Maier and Dirk Scheele

Scientific reports, Vol.5(1), p.No. 8954

03/10/2015

DOI: 10.1038/srep08954

PMID: 25752944

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Abstract

From an evolutionary perspective the startle eye-blink response forms an integral part of the human avoidance behavioral repertoire and is typically diminished by pleasant emotional states. In major depressive disorder (MDD) appetitive motivation is impaired, evident in a reduced interference of positive emotion with the startle response. Given the pivotal role of frontostriatal neurocircuitry in orchestrating appetitive motivation, we hypothesized that inhibitory transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) would reduce appetitive neuromodulation in a manner similar to MDD. Based on a pre-TMS functional MRI (fMRI) experiment we selected the left dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortices as target regions for subsequent sham-controlled inhibitory theta-burst TMS (TBS) in 40 healthy male volunteers. Consistent with our hypothesis, between-group comparisons revealed a TBS-induced inhibition of appetitive neuromodulation, manifest in a diminished startle response suppression by hedonic stimuli. Collectively, our results suggest that functional integrity of left dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex is critical for mediating a pleasure-induced down-regulation of avoidance responses which may protect the brain from a depressogenic preponderance of defensive stress.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Diminished appetitive startle modulation following targeted inhibition of prefrontal cortex
Creators: René Hurlemann - University of Bonn
Stephan Arndt - University of Bonn
Thomas E. Schlaepfer - Johns Hopkins Hospital
Juergen Reul - Beta Clinic, Bonn, Germany
Wolfgang Maier - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Dirk Scheele - University of Bonn
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Scientific reports, Vol.5(1), p.No. 8954
DOI: 10.1038/srep08954
PMID: 25752944
NLM abbreviation: Sci Rep
ISSN: 2045-2322
eISSN: 2045-2322
Grant note: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/501100008131) Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (http://data.elsevier.com/vocabulary/SciValFunders/100017331)
Language: English
Date published: 03/10/2015
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Biostatistics; Nursing; Injury Prevention Research Center
Record Identifier: 9985132076902771

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