Latent variable analysis of positive and negative valence processing focused on symptom and behavioral units of analysis in mood and anxiety disorders

Abstract

Background Mood and anxiety disorders are highly heterogeneous and their underlying pathology is complex. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach seeks to establish dimensionally and neuroscience-based descriptions of psychopathology that may inform better classification and treatment approaches. The current investigation sought to determine the latent variables underlying positive and negative valence processing in terms of symptoms and behavioral units of analysis. Method As part of an ongoing study, individuals with mood and anxiety problems were recruited largely from primary care clinics at UCLA (n=62) and UCSD (n=58). These participants underwent a comprehensive symptomatic and behavioral assessment. An implicit approach avoidance task and a modified dot probe detection task were used to measure positive and negative valence processing. Results Principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified four symptom components, three behavioral components for the dot probe task, and two behavioral components for the implicit approach avoidance task. These components yielded two meta-components consisting of: negative valence symptoms, negative approach bias, and high sustained, selective attention; and positive valence symptoms, positive approach bias, and slow selective or sustained attention. The components did not differ between males and females, nor by age or medication status. Limitations The limitations are: (1) relatively small sample, (2) exploratory analysis strategy, (3) no test/re-test data, (4) no neural circuit analysis, and (5) limited reliability of behavioral data. Conclusions These preliminary data show that positive and negative valence processing domains load on independent dimensions. Taken together, multi-level assessment approaches combined with advanced statistical analyses may help to identify distinct positive and negative valence processes within a clinical population that cut across traditional diagnostic categories.

Can an Integrated Science Approach to Precision Medicine Research Improve Lithium Treatment in Bipolar Disorders?

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Changes in Positive and Negative Affect During Pharmacological Treatment and Cognitive Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Trials

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Testing whether implicit emotion regulation mediates the association between discrimination and symptoms of psychopathology in late childhood: An RDoC perspective

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