Neural mechanisms of avoidance learning and active coping via emotion regulation

描述(申请人提供)：避免潜在的负面结果是人类社会的一种常见做法。例如，一个人可能会早点开车去上班，以避免与高峰交通相关的负面后果和压力。在这种情况下，交通起到了负面增强剂的作用，引发了负面影响，强化了提前驾驶的作用。负面增强剂可以通过促使人们积极应对负面影响(例如，避免交通压力)来对行为产生有益的短期影响。然而，如果回避反应阻止个人直接应对应激事件，导致长期后果，如助长上瘾行为(例如，逃避工作截止日期和吸毒带来的压力)，那么它也可能变得不适应。这些反应很难消除，并可能成为习惯性反应，给个人和社会造成负担。因此，了解厌恶的结果如何影响人类的大脑和行为是当务之急。厌恶学习的非人类动物模型强调了纹状体回路在获得回避或应对反应中的作用(例如，Salamone，1994；LeDoux&Gorman，2001)。然而，关于1)人类的回避学习机制；2)依赖于更高级别的认知和控制的应对负面情绪的替代方法；以及3)先前存在的负面情绪状态或压力对积极应对策略的影响，人们知之甚少。这个应用程序的目标是研究负面强化如何影响人类的大脑和行为，作为了解人类如何学习应对可能以不适应方式影响决策的潜在负面结果(例如，为了缓解负面影响而滥用药物)的先导。拟议的研究将建立在动物情感学习的坚实和现有的研究基础上，该研究将纹状体和回避行为联系起来，首先：在人类中建立简单的负强化任务的行为和神经关联，模仿动物的研究；第二：检查积极应对负强化的替代方法，这些方法对人类更常见，例如高阶认知策略。最后，建议的研究将通过回避或情绪调节策略来检验预先存在的剧烈压力状态对积极应对的影响。这种方法允许一种翻译方法，也可以在未来的研究中进一步扩展到发展中(例如，青春期的回避学习)和临床环境(例如，在药物渴求期间通过情绪调节的积极应对机制)。 公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究将建立在动物情感学习的坚实和现有研究基础上，首先：在健康的人类大脑中建立模仿动物研究的简单负面强化任务的行为和神经相关性；其次：研究积极应对负面强化的替代方法，这些方法对人类更常见，如高阶认知策略。这种方法允许一种翻译方法，可用于理解负强化与药物滥用之间的关系，建立未来药物滥用人群的临床研究(例如，通过药物渴求期间的情绪调节来积极应对的机制)。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Avoiding potentially negative outcomes is a common practice in human society. For instance, a person may drive to work earlier to avoid the negative consequences and stress associated with rush-hour traffic. In such circumstances, the traffic acts as a negative reinforcer, eliciting negative affect and strengthening the action of driving earlier. Negative reinforcers can have beneficial short-term influences on behavior by prompting one to actively cope with negative affect (e.g. avoiding traffic stress). However, an avoidance response can also become maladaptive if it prevents an individual from directly addressing the stressful event, causing long-term consequences such as fostering an addictive behavior (e.g., avoiding work deadlines and stress with drug use). These responses are difficult to extinguish and can become habitual, creating a burden for the individual and society. Thus, it is imperative to understand how aversive outcomes influence human brain and behavior. Non-human animal models of aversive learning highlight the role of striatal circuits, commonly implicated in reinforcement learning, in the acquisition of avoidance or coping responses (e.g., Salamone, 1994; LeDoux & Gorman, 2001). Yet, less is known about 1) human mechanisms of avoidance learning; 2) alternative means of coping with negative affect that are dependent on higher-order cognition and control and; 3) the influence of a pre-existing negative emotional state or stress on active coping strategies. The goal of this application is to investigate how negative reinforcement influences human brain and behavior as a precursor to understanding how humans learn to cope with potential negative outcomes that can influence decision-making in maladaptive ways (e.g., drug abuse to alleviate negative affect). The proposed studies will build on a solid and existing research foundation on affective learning in animals, which links the striatum and avoidance behavior, by first: establishing in humans the behavior and neural correlates of simple negative reinforcement tasks modeled after animal research; and second: examining alternative means of active coping with negative reinforcement that are more common to humans, such as higher-order cognitive strategies. Finally, proposed studies will examine the influence of a pre-existing acutely stressful state on active coping through avoidance or emotion regulation strategies. This approach allows for a translational method that can also be further extended to developmental (e.g., avoidance learning during adolescence) and clinical settings (e.g., mechanisms of active coping via emotion regulation during drug craving) in future research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed studies will build on a solid and existing research foundation on affective learning in animals by first: establishing in healthy human brains the behavior and neural correlates of simple negative reinforcement tasks modeled after animal research; and second: examining alternative means of active coping with negative reinforcement that are more common to humans, such as higher-order cognitive strategies. This approach allows for a translational method that can be applied to understanding the relationship between negative reinforcement and substance abuse, setting up future clinical investigations in substance-abusing populations (e.g., mechanisms of active coping via emotion regulation during drug craving).