Neural mechanisms of avoidance learning and active coping via emotion regulation

描述（由申请人提供）：避免潜在的负面结果是人类社会的常见做法。例如，一个人可能会提前开车上班，以避免与高峰时段交通相关的负面后果和压力。在这种情况下，交通就像一个负向干扰器，引发了负面影响，加强了提前驾驶的行为。消极情绪可以通过促使人们积极科普消极情绪（例如避免交通压力）对行为产生有益的短期影响。然而，如果回避反应阻止个体直接应对压力事件，也可能变得适应不良，从而导致长期后果，例如培养成瘾行为（例如，避免工作最后期限和吸毒带来的压力）。这些反应很难消除，可能成为习惯，给个人和社会造成负担。因此，必须了解令人厌恶的结果如何影响人类的大脑和行为。厌恶学习的非人类动物模型强调了纹状体回路的作用，通常涉及强化学习，在获得回避或应对反应（例如，Salamone，1994; LeDoux & Gorman，2001）。然而，我们对以下三个方面知之甚少：1）人类的回避学习机制; 2）依赖于高阶认知和控制的应对负面情绪的替代手段; 3）预先存在的负面情绪状态或压力对积极应对策略的影响。本应用程序的目标是研究负强化如何影响人类大脑和行为，作为理解人类如何学习科普可能以适应不良方式影响决策的潜在负面结果（例如，药物滥用，以减轻负面影响）。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，将纹状体和回避行为联系起来，首先：在人类中建立以动物研究为模型的简单负强化任务的行为和神经相关性;其次：检查人类更常见的积极应对负强化的替代手段，例如高阶认知策略。最后，建议的研究将检查预先存在的急性应激状态的影响，通过回避或情绪调节策略的积极应对。这种方法允许还可以进一步扩展到发育（例如，青春期的回避学习）和临床环境（例如，药物渴求过程中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的研究基础上，首先：在健康的人类大脑中建立以动物研究为模型的简单负强化任务的行为和神经相关性;其次：检查人类更常见的积极应对负强化的替代手段，例如高阶认知策略。这种方法允许一种翻译方法，可以应用于理解负强化和药物滥用之间的关系，建立未来的药物滥用人群的临床研究（例如，药物渴求期间通过情绪调节的积极应对机制）。

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).