A reverse translational approach to quantify approach-avoidance conflict in humans

Abstract

Animal approach-avoidance conflict paradigms have been used extensively to characterize effects of anxiolytic agents and probe neural circuitry related to anxiety. However, there are few behavioral approaches to measure conflict in human populations, limiting the translation of findings from animal conflict tasks to human clinical research. We developed a novel approachavoidance conflict (AAC) paradigm involving situations in which the same decision is associated with "reward" (points) and "punishment" (negative affective stimuli). The AAC task was completed by 95 young adults (56 female) with varying levels of self-reported trait anxiety. As expected, conflict-related approach behavior correlated with self-reported motivation to approach reward and avoid punishment and greater reward level increased approach behavior. Additionally, females exhibited less approach behavior than males. Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Physical subscale) scores related negatively to approach behavior for males, while Behavioral Activation Scale (BAS, Fun Seeking subscale) scores related positively to approach behavior for females. Results support the utility of the AAC task as a behavioral test that has strong reverse translational features. Findings indicate that approach drives and anxiety sensitivity may be important in determining conflict behavior for females and males respectively. The approach-avoidance Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript conflict task offers a novel, translational measure to probe neural systems underlying conflict behavior, motivational processes, and anxiety disorders.

A Corticostriatal Path Targeting Striosomes Controls Decision-Making under Conflict

“…Such control of approach-avoidance behavior has been intensively studied in experimental animals (Amemori and Graybiel, 2012; Miller, 1971) and also in humans, in whom disturbances of such decision-making have been used as a marker for anxiety disorders (Aupperle et al, 2011; Dickson and MacLeod, 2004). Such a linkage to emotional decision-making and its frailty in some neuropsychiatric disorders accords with much work pointing to the medial prefrontal cortex as having abnormal activity in disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (Fitzgerald et al, 2005), anxiety disorders (Pizzagalli, 2011) including post-traumatic stress disorder (Kasai et al, 2008), and addictive states (Goldstein et al, 2009).…”

Neural substrates of approach‐avoidance conflict decision‐making

“…Prior to scanning, subjects were trained on the AAC and completed three practice trials to ensure full understanding of the task. The AAC was conducted similar to previously described (Aupperle, et al, 2011) but with the addition of approach-reward trials. For each trial, participants were shown a runway with pictures on each side to represent two potential outcomes (Figure I).…”

“…We developed the approach-avoidance conflict (AAC) paradigm aimed at quantifying decision-making behavior during situations that involve conflicting outcomes that could motivate approach and/or avoidance behaviors (Aupperle, et al, 2011). We aim to add to the current approach-avoidance literature by examining decision-making behaviors during conflict – rather than focusing on trait motivations or approach versus avoidance learning.…”

“…In the current study, we administered the AAC task (Aupperle, et al, 2011) in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to further previous research related to approach-avoidance conflict. Specifically our goals were to help elucidate brain regions that (a) are specifically recruited during conflict (versus non-conflict) decision-making situations and (b) signal the level of potential reward during conflict situations (thus reflecting approach motivation).…”

Exploration of Counselor Self-Efficacy Across Academic Training

“…Such anxiety appears to be common among most anyone when approaching a novel situation, perhaps because of a tendency to appraise that novel situation as a threat (Gray & McNaughton, 2000). Additional evidence for this hypothesis is recent research showing an inverse relationship between self-efficacy and anxiety among university students (Ghaderi & Rangaiah, 2011) as well as research that ties anxiety directly to approach-avoidance conflicts (Aupperle, Sullivan, Melrose, Paulus, & Stein, 2011;Gannon, Roche, Kanter, Forsyth, & Linehan, 2011).…”