Dynamics of defensive behavior and memory in the face of stress and approaching social threat: A multi-method approach

面对压力和迫近的社会威胁时防御行为和记忆的动态：多种方法

• 批准号: 461960803
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Mathias Weymar
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Instituut voor Psychologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/461960803?language=en
• 关键词: Dynamics; defensive; behavior; memory; face

The defense cascade model is a transdiagnostic approach to study adaptive and maladaptive defensive behaviors (Fanselow, 1994; Lang et al., 1997). Originally derived from animal and recently also supported in human studies it has been shown that defensive behaviors systematically change with increasing proximity of a threat, depending on available response options such as escape. This change in defensive behaviors has been conceptualized in three defensive stages: pre-encounter defense (preemptive behavior, including unspecific vigilance when threat is likely but not detected), post-encounter defense (attentive freezing and threat-specific attention, when threat is detected) and circa strike (when threat is most imminent and requires escape behavior, flight-flight response). The central aim of the planned project is to extend this cascade of defensive responses, for the first time, to social threats in healthy individuals (proof of concept) and to investigate the communalities but also specifics of defensive response mobilization in individuals with symptoms of social anxiety. To identify different dynamic changes of defensive reactivity we will implement a novel social threat scenario (dynamically changing faces from neutral to angry expressions) with verbal devaluation (circa-strike) under different response options (uncontrollable threat vs. avoidance) using multiple peripheral physiological (startle reflex, heart rate, skin conductance) and brain measures (event-related potentials, ERPs; steady-state visual evoked potentials, ssVEPs). Moreover, because previous studies indicate that stress mediates freezing, avoidance behavior and memory, the project will also study the modulatory role of social stress on defensive behaviors, available response options and memory formation, all of which may be critical factors in the development and maintenance of social anxiety symptoms. The outcome of this project will not only give new insights into the adaptive dynamics of defensive behavior in response to approaching social threat but also give important implications for understanding defensive behaviors in social anxiety, which may also lead to better personalized treatment protocols (e.g., in order to reduce freezing and avoidance behavior).

防御级联模型是研究适应性和适应不良防御行为的转诊断方法（Fanselow，1994; Lang等人，1997年）。最初来自动物，最近也得到了人类研究的支持，研究表明，防御行为随着威胁的接近而系统地改变，这取决于可用的反应选项，如逃跑。这种防御行为的变化被概念化为三个防御阶段：遭遇前防御（先发制人的行为，包括威胁可能发生但未被检测到时的非特定警惕），遭遇后防御（检测到威胁时的专注冻结和威胁特定注意力）和大约罢工（当威胁最迫在眉睫时，需要逃跑行为，飞行-飞行反应）。该计划项目的中心目标是将这一系列防御反应首次扩展到健康个体的社会威胁（概念验证），并调查具有社交焦虑症状的个体的防御反应动员的社区性和具体性。为了识别防御反应的不同动态变化，我们将实现一个新的社会威胁场景（动态地将面部表情从中性变为愤怒表情）（circa-strike）在不同的响应选项下（无法控制的威胁与回避）使用多种外周生理（惊吓反射、心率、皮肤电导）和脑测量（事件相关电位，ERP;稳态视觉诱发电位，ssVEP）。此外，由于先前的研究表明，压力介导冻结，回避行为和记忆，该项目还将研究社会压力对防御行为，可用的反应选项和记忆形成的调节作用，所有这些都可能是社交焦虑症状发展和维持的关键因素。该项目的结果不仅将为防御行为在应对接近的社会威胁时的适应性动态提供新的见解，而且还将为理解社交焦虑中的防御行为提供重要的启示，这也可能导致更好的个性化治疗方案（例如，以减少冻结和回避行为）。