Dynamic belief updating under stress: context-dependency and temporal dynamics

背景：众所周知，压力对认知有重大影响，对精神病理学有重要影响。这些压力效应被认为是依赖于语境的，即压力似乎增强了对与正在进行的应激源直接相关的信息的认知加工，而它损害了对与应激源无关的信息的加工。尽管压力对学习和决策的影响已经得到了很好的证明，但作为统计学习的一个基本过程，压力如何以及通过什么机制影响动态信念更新，在很大程度上是未知的。目的：本项目旨在确定(I)应激是否改变动态信念更新，(Ii)这种应激效应是否与背景相关，(Iii)这种应激效应是由去甲肾上腺素或皮质醇驱动的，以及(Iv)哪些神经机制参与了应激对动态信念更新的影响。假设：我们预测与任务无关的压力会削弱动态信念更新，而与信念更新任务直接相关的压力则有相反的增强作用。我们进一步预测，去甲肾上腺素能觉醒在这些上下文相关的应激效应中发挥关键作用，调节皮质网络的重置，并促进向优先处理或应激源相关信息的显著网络的转变。皮质醇活动的延迟预计会削弱信念更新的能力。计划方法：为了检验这些假设，我们计划了两个复杂的实验。在这些实验中，参与者将在核磁共振扫描仪中完成动态信念更新任务(五彩纸屑大炮任务)时，接受压力或控制操作。关键是，虽然在实验1中应激源与任务无关，但在实验2中它将与信念更新任务直接相关。应激系统活动和阶段唤醒将通过斜视测量、主观测量、自主神经测量和内分泌测量来评估。预期影响：该项目将对急性应激对动态信念更新的调节以及其中涉及的机制产生新的见解。了解压力如何改变动态信念更新，可能会将健康参与者的与觉醒相关的信念更新改变与应激相关精神病理学中的异常信念更新联系起来。在下一步，这个项目的目标可能是调节压力导致的信念更新的变化，或者直接测试它们与压力相关障碍的相关性，如焦虑症或精神病。

Background: Stress is known to have a major impact on cognition, with critical implications for psychopathology. These stress effects are assumed to be context-dependent, i.e. stress appears to enhance the cognitive processing of information directly relevant to the ongoing stressor, while it impairs the processing of information irrelevant to the stressor. Although stress effects on learning and decision-making are well documented, how – and through which mechanisms – stress affects dynamic belief updating, as a fundamental process of statistical learning, is largely unknown. Aims: This project aims to determine (i) whether stress alters dynamic belief updating, (ii) whether such stress effects are context dependent, (iii) whether such stress effects are driven by noradrenergic arousal or cortisol, and (iv) which neural mechanisms are involved in putative stress effects on dynamic belief updating. Hypotheses: We predict that task-unrelated stress will impair dynamic belief updating, whereas there is an opposite, enhancing effect of stress that is directly linked to the belief updating task. We further predict that noradrenergic arousal plays a key role in these context-dependent stress effects, modulating a cortical network reset and promoting a shift towards a salience network that prioritizes the processing or stressor-relevant information. The delayed activity of cortisol is expected to impair the belief updating capacity. Planned methods: To test these hypotheses, we plan two complex experiments. In these experiments, participants will be exposed to a stress or control manipulation while they complete a dynamic belief updating task (Confetti-cannon task) in an MRI scanner. Critically, while the stressor will be task-unrelated in experiment 1, it will be directly linked to the belief updating task in experiment 2. Stress system activity and phasic arousal will be assessed via pupillometry, subjective, autonomic, and endocrine measurements. Expected impact: This project will yield novel insights into the modulation of dynamic belief updating by acute stress as well as the mechanisms involved herein. Understanding how stress alters dynamic belief updating may link arousal-related changes of belief updating in healthy participants to aberrant belief updating in stress-related psychopathology. In a next step, this project may aim to modulate the stress-induced changes in belief updating or to directly test their relevance in stress-related disorders, such as anxiety disorders or psychosis.