Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Effects on Resting State Functional Connectivity

Gonsalves, Meghan A.; Beck, Quincy; Fukuda, Andrew M.; Tirrell, Eric; Kokdere, Fatih; Kronenberg, Eugenia F.; Iadarola, Nicolas D.; Hagberg, Sean; Carpenter, Linda L.; Barredo, Jennifer

doi:10.1016/j.neurom.2021.10.007

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 96 publications

(95 reference statements)

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“…Nevertheless, the findings provide some preliminary support for further target engagement studies examining interoception pathways and anxiety/stress symptoms with MATT. Further supporting this conclusion are MRI data from this study showing that MATT was associated with acute and chronic connectivity increases in insula and posterior regions of the default mode network, respectively, particularly when there were decreases in stress and depression symptoms (17).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

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Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Feasibility, Clinical Outcomes, and Electroencephalography Biomarkers From an Open-Label Trial

et al. 2022

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BackgroundMost external peripheral nerve stimulation devices designed to alter mood states use electrical energy, but mechanical stimulation for activation of somatosensory pathways may be harnessed for potential therapeutic neuromodulation. A novel investigational device for Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy (MATT) was created to stimulate C-tactile fibers through gentle vibrations delivered by piezoelectric actuators on the bilateral mastoid processes.Methods22 adults with anxiety disorders and at least moderate anxiety symptom severity enrolled in an open-label pilot trial that involved MATT self-administration using a simple headset at home at least twice per day for 4 weeks. Resting EEG data were acquired before and after a baseline MATT session and again before the final MATT session. Self-report measures of mood and anxiety were collected at baseline, week 2, and week 4, while interoception was assessed pre- and post-treatment.ResultsAnxiety and depressive symptoms improved significantly from baseline to endpoint, and mindfulness was enhanced. EEG metrics confirmed an association between acute MATT stimulation and oscillatory power in alpha and theta bands; symptom changes correlated with changes in some metrics.ConclusionOpen-label data suggest MATT is a promising non-invasive therapeutic approach to anxiety disorders that warrants further development.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…Previous studies have reported power increases in the theta and alpha frequency bands as markers for enhanced mindfulness (16); these metrics were examined in our participants to evaluate the hypothesis that MATT exerts it actions through interoceptive pathways. fMRI data from this study is published separately (17).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Feasibility, Clinical Outcomes, and Electroencephalography Biomarkers From an Open-Label Trial

et al. 2022

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“…The clusters found within the cingulate and paracingulate and frontal areas may play an important role in the specific symptomatology of comorbid MDD and AD, contributing to the less favourable treatment outlook and higher impact on quality of life. The present study therefore contributes to a better understanding of this patient group, which is essential for targeted pharmacotherapy and more effective interventions, as underlined by several studies showing an effect of different types of psychotherapy on RSFC alterations both in MDD (Dunlop et al, 2023;Katayama et al, 2023;Pantazatos et al, 2020) and AD (Gonsalves et al, 2022;Yuan et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Specific alterations of resting-state functional connectivity in the triple network related to comorbid anxiety in major depressive disorder

Beckmann,

Gruber,

Seidenbecher

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The brain‘s default mode network (DMN) and the executive control network (ECN) switch engagement influenced by the ventral attention network (VAN). Alterations in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) within this so-called triple network have been demonstrated in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or anxiety disorders (AD). This study investigated alterations in the RSFC in patients with comorbid MDD and ADs to better understand the pathophysiology of this prevalent group of patients. Sixty-eight participants (52.9 % male, mean age 35.25 years), consisting of 25 patients with comorbid MDD and ADs (MDD+AD), 20 patients with MDD only (MDD-AD) and 23 healthy controls (HC) were investigated clinically and with 3T resting-state fMRI. RSFC utilizing a seed-based approach within the three networks belonging to the triple network was compared between the groups. Compared to HC, MDD+AD showed significantly reduced RSFC between the ECN and the VAN, the DMN and the VAN and within the ECN. No differences could be found for the MDD group compared to both other groups. Furthermore, symptom severity and medication status did not affect RSFC values. The results of this study show a distinct set of alterations of RSFC for patients with comorbid MDD and AD compared to healthy controls. This set of dysfunctions might be related to less adequate switching between the DMN and the ECN as well as poorer functioning of the ECN. This might contribute to additional difficulties engaging and utilizing consciously controlled emotional regulation strategies.

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“…The clusters found within the cingulate and paracingulate and frontal areas may play an important role in the specific symptomatology of comorbid MDD and AD, contributing to the less favourable treatment outlook and higher impact on quality of life than MDD alone. The present study, therefore, contributes to a better understanding of this patient group, which is essential for targeted pharmacotherapy and more effective interventions, as underlined by several studies showing an effect of different types of psychotherapy on RSFC alterations both in MDD (Dunlop et al, 2023;Katayama et al, 2023;Pantazatos et al, 2020) and AD (Gonsalves et al, 2022;Yuan et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Specific alterations of resting‐state functional connectivity in the triple network related to comorbid anxiety in major depressive disorder

Beckmann,

Gruber,

Seidenbecher

et al. 2024

Eur J of Neuroscience

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The brain's default mode network (DMN) and the executive control network (ECN) switch engagement are influenced by the ventral attention network (VAN). Alterations in resting‐state functional connectivity (RSFC) within this so‐called triple network have been demonstrated in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or anxiety disorders (ADs). This study investigated alterations in the RSFC in patients with comorbid MDD and ADs to better understand the pathophysiology of this prevalent group of patients. Sixty‐eight participants (52.9% male, mean age 35.3 years), consisting of 25 patients with comorbid MDD and ADs (MDD + AD), 20 patients with MDD only (MDD) and 23 healthy controls (HCs) were investigated clinically and with 3T resting‐state fMRI. RSFC utilizing a seed‐based approach within the three networks belonging to the triple network was compared between the groups. Compared with HC, MDD + AD showed significantly reduced RSFC between the ECN and the VAN, the DMN and the VAN and within the ECN. No differences could be found for the MDD group compared with both other groups. Furthermore, symptom severity and medication status did not affect RSFC values. The results of this study show a distinct set of alterations of RSFC for patients with comorbid MDD and AD compared with HCs. This set of dysfunctions might be related to less adequate switching between the DMN and the ECN as well as poorer functioning of the ECN. This might contribute to additional difficulties in engaging and utilizing consciously controlled emotional regulation strategies.

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Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Effects on Resting State Functional Connectivity

Cited by 5 publications

References 96 publications

Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Feasibility, Clinical Outcomes, and Electroencephalography Biomarkers From an Open-Label Trial

Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Feasibility, Clinical Outcomes, and Electroencephalography Biomarkers From an Open-Label Trial

Specific alterations of resting-state functional connectivity in the triple network related to comorbid anxiety in major depressive disorder

Specific alterations of resting‐state functional connectivity in the triple network related to comorbid anxiety in major depressive disorder

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