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普遍做法。例如，一个人可能会提前开车去上班，以避免高峰时间交通带来的负面后果和压力。在这种情况下，交通起到了负强化的作用，引发了消极的影响，加强了提前驾驶的行为。负强化因素可以通过促使一个人积极应对负面影响（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人直接应对压力事件，也会导致适应不良，造成长期后果，如培养成瘾行为（例如，逃避工作期限和吸毒压力）。这些反应很难消除，并可能成为习惯，给个人和社会带来负担。因此，了解厌恶结果如何影响人类大脑和行为是必要的。非人类动物厌恶学习模型强调纹状体回路在获得回避或应对反应中的作用，纹状体回路通常与强化学习有关（例如，Salamone, 1994; LeDoux & Gorman, 2001）。然而，关于1)人类回避学习的机制，我们所知甚少；2)依赖于高阶认知和控制的应对消极情绪的替代手段；3)已存在的消极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应对可能以不适应方式影响决策的潜在负面结果（例如，滥用药物以减轻负面影响）的先驱。我们提出的研究将建立在动物情感学习的坚实和现有的研究基础之上，该研究将纹状体和回避行为联系起来，首先：在动物研究模型中建立人类简单负强化任务的行为和神经相关性；第二：研究人类更常见的积极应对负强化的替代方法，比如高阶认知策略。最后，提出的研究将通过回避或情绪调节策略来研究预先存在的急性压力状态对积极应对的影响。这种方法允许一种转化方法，也可以在未来的研究中进一步扩展到发展（例如，青少年时期的回避学习）和临床环境（例如，在药物渴望期间通过情绪调节积极应对的机制）。

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.