Fear learning is thought to play an important role in panic disorder. Benign interoceptive sensations can become predictors (conditioned stimuli - CSs) of massive fear when experienced in the context of an initial panic attack... more
Fear learning is thought to play an important role in panic disorder. Benign interoceptive sensations can become predictors (conditioned stimuli - CSs) of massive fear when experienced in the context of an initial panic attack (unconditioned stimulus - US). The mere encounter of these CSs on a later moment can induce anxiety and fear, and precipitate a new panic attack. It has been suggested that fear learning to interoceptive cues would result in unpredictable panic. The present study aimed to investigate whether fear learning to an interoceptive CS is possible without declarative knowledge of the CS-US contingency. The CS consisted of mild breathlessness (or: dyspnea), the US was a suffocation experience. During acquisition, the experimental group received six presentations of mild breathlessness immediately followed by suffocation; for the control group both experiences were always separated by an intertrial interval. In the subsequent extinction phase, participants received six unreinforced presentations of the CS. Expectancy of the US was rated continuously and startle eyeblink electromyographic, skin conductance, and respiration were measured. Declarative knowledge of the CS-US relationship was also assessed with a post-experimental questionnaire. At the end of acquisition, both groups displayed the same levels of US expectancy and skin conductance in response to the CS, but the experimental group showed a fear potentiated startle eyeblink and a different respiratory response to the CS compared to the control group. Further analyses on a subgroup of CS-US unaware participants confirmed the presence of startle eyeblink conditioning in the experimental group but not in the control group. Our findings suggest that interoceptive fear learning is not dependent on declarative knowledge of the CS-US relationship. The present interoceptive fear conditioning paradigm may serve as an ecologically valid laboratory model for unexpected panic attacks.
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... American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 148161. Huey, SR, West, SG (1983). Hyperventilation: Its relation to symptom experience and to anxiety. ... Toronto: Huber. McNally, R. 1. (1990). Psychological approaches to panic disorder: A... more
... American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 148161. Huey, SR, West, SG (1983). Hyperventilation: Its relation to symptom experience and to anxiety. ... Toronto: Huber. McNally, R. 1. (1990). Psychological approaches to panic disorder: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 403417. ...
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Pensées et ressenti face à l’alimentation de 3 732 personnes de l’agglomération de dijon * * Étude réalisée avec l’aide financière, en 2003, du Programme National Nutrition et Santé (PNNS) de la Direction Générale de la Santé (DGS), et de l’Association AUTREMENT (9, rue de Metz, 21000 Dijon, autr...more
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The purpose of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic specificity of bodily symptoms and respiratory behavior at rest and after a hyperventilation provocation test (HVPT) in patients that were either grouped according to the... more
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic specificity of bodily symptoms and respiratory behavior at rest and after a hyperventilation provocation test (HVPT) in patients that were either grouped according to the DSM classification or diagnosed as suffering from hyperventilation syndrome. Nine hundred three anxiety and somatoform patients, showing symptoms supposedly caused by psychogenic hyperventilation, and 170 healthy subjects, were studied. Breathing pattern and end-tidal CO2 concentration were recorded during breathing at rest and following a HVPT. Subjective symptoms in daily life and after HVPT were measured. A principal-components analysis was performed on both the symptoms and breathing variables and their specificity levels were compared in the two classifications of patients. Some symptoms in daily life were grouped together with the same symptoms after the HVPT, other symptoms were not. This suggests that the HVPT elicited partly specific symptoms, and partly reproduced the symptoms experienced in daily life. Similar findings were observed with respect to the breathing variables. Patients with panic differed from other patients with anxiety disorders by an increased level of symptoms and a FETCO2 decline at rest. The HVPT may be informative for diagnosis because it provokes some of the typical somatic and psychological symptoms, and it identifies the breathing instability that is characteristic of both patients with HVS and with anxiety. The same symptoms and breathing variables characterized the patients, whatever their classification. Overall, the specificity of breathing variables is rather low.
Research Interests: Anxiety Disorders, Principal Component Analysis, Comparative Study, Humans, Male, and 13 morePanic Disorder, Hyperventilation, Respiration, Middle Aged, Psychosomatic, Rest, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Somatoform disorders, Anxiety Disorder, Healthy Subjects, Syndrome, and Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
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In two experiments, we used a Pavlovian differential conditioning procedure to induce craving for chocolate. As a result of repeated pairing with chocolate intake, initially neutral cues came to elicit an automatic approach tendency in a... more
In two experiments, we used a Pavlovian differential conditioning procedure to induce craving for chocolate. As a result of repeated pairing with chocolate intake, initially neutral cues came to elicit an automatic approach tendency in a speeded stimulus-response compatibility reaction time task. This automatic approach tendency, moreover, seemed to be sensitive to manipulations of extinction and renewal in the Pavlovian conditioning procedure. These findings corroborate and extend previous reports of automatic approach tendencies elicited by substance-relevant cues in addiction, while controlling for alternative accounts for such observations. Moreover, our data lend support to and extend learning models of cue-induced craving and addiction. Finally, we argue that the procedure we present here provides an ecologically valid behavioural tool that allows studying processes involved in cue-induced craving, addiction and relapse without relying on verbal report.
Research Interests: Psychology, Adolescent, Stimulus-Response Compatibility, Learning, Students, and 18 moreClassical Conditioning, Humans, Behaviour, Business and Management, Cues, Female, Candy, Male, Pavlovian conditioning, Reaction Time, Cacao, Extinction, Learning Model, Eating, Ecological Validity, Adult, Conditioning, and Behaviour Therapy
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Objective: Study of the links between breathing pattern, negative affectivity, and psychosomatic complaints at rest and following hyperventilation.Methods: In 819 patients with anxiety and somatoform disorders and 159 healthy subjects,... more
Objective: Study of the links between breathing pattern, negative affectivity, and psychosomatic complaints at rest and following hyperventilation.Methods: In 819 patients with anxiety and somatoform disorders and 159 healthy subjects, self-reported symptoms, breathing pattern, and end-tidal CO2 concentration (FetCO2) were recorded during rest and following a hyperventilation provocation test (HVPT). The relationship between disorder category, symptoms, age, and score of STAI-trait (as a measure of negative affectivity) on the one hand, and breathing pattern on the other was investigated, separately in men and women.Results: Anxiety disorders, and to a lesser extent, somatoform disorders, were characterized by breathing instability (progressive decrease of FetCO2 at rest during mouthpiece breathing, delayed recovery of FetCO2 following HVPT), the mean values of respiratory frequency, and FetCO2 being modulated by STAI-trait. After grouping the symptoms into independent factors, links were observed between symptoms and breathing pattern, independently from the presence of an anxiety or somatoform disorder.Conclusion: Some symptom factors appeared to be related to a lower FetCO2 during hyperventilation, others likely directly influenced the breathing pattern. Among those, mainly respiratory symptoms were accompanied by a reduction of FetCO2 at rest, with slower recovery of FetCO2 following HVPT. The latter was observed also in the presence of marked anxiety. In contrast, subjects complaining of dizziness, fainting, and paresthesias in daily life presented higher values of FetCO2 following HVPT, probably due to a voluntary braking of ventilation during HVPT.
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... However, in these studies the subjects perceive the letter stimuli in the context of an intentional set for actual execution of motor responses attached to letter stimuli, and this may have quite important effects (CW Eriksen... more
... However, in these studies the subjects perceive the letter stimuli in the context of an intentional set for actual execution of motor responses attached to letter stimuli, and this may have quite important effects (CW Eriksen & Schultz, 1979). Marcel's (1983) theory on the relation ...
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... Finally, the relationship was studied between evaluative conditioning and subjects' explicit knowledge of the stimulus relationships presented during the conditioning phase. In a differentialconditioning paradigm,... more
... Finally, the relationship was studied between evaluative conditioning and subjects' explicit knowledge of the stimulus relationships presented during the conditioning phase. In a differentialconditioning paradigm, subjects drank 12 CS+/US compound fluids and 12 CS− fluids. ...
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We examined the association among self-reported noncompliance and clinical status, symptomatology, functional activity, and psychological variables in asthma. Eighty-five asthmatics, who were hospitalized (H group), outpatients previously... more
We examined the association among self-reported noncompliance and clinical status, symptomatology, functional activity, and psychological variables in asthma. Eighty-five asthmatics, who were hospitalized (H group), outpatients previously hospitalized (OH group), or outpatients not previously hospitalized (O group) completed questionnaires. Compliance was assessed during a structured interview. The higher prevalence of self-reported noncompliance in H group and OH group, compared to O group, was not explained by differences in respiratory function. Self-reported noncompliance was related to symptoms and emotional distress associated with disease and treatment, but not to functional or emotional status. A patient subgroup that catalogued itself as noncompliant may also be at risk for hospitalization, and was characterized by emotional distress associated with disease and treatment.
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The pharmacokinetic properties of the antibacterial agent oxolinic acid and vetoquinol, the carbitol ester of oxolinic acid, were studied after intravenous (i.v.) and oral (p.o.) administration to 100-150 g cod, Gadus morhua L., held in... more
The pharmacokinetic properties of the antibacterial agent oxolinic acid and vetoquinol, the carbitol ester of oxolinic acid, were studied after intravenous (i.v.) and oral (p.o.) administration to 100-150 g cod, Gadus morhua L., held in sea water at 8 degrees C. Following i.v. injection, the plasma drug concentration-time profile showed two distinct phases. The distribution half-life (t1/2alpha) was estimated at 1.3 h, the elimination half-life (t1/2beta) as 84 h and the total body clearance (Cl(T)) as 0.047 L kg(-1) h(-1). The volume of distribution at steady state, Vd(ss) was calculated to be 5.5 L kg(-1), indicating good tissue penetration of oxolinic acid in cod. Following p.o. administration of oxolinic acid or vetoquinol, the peak plasma concentrations (C(max)) of oxolinic acid and the time to peak plasma concentrations (T(max) were estimated to be 1.2 and 2.5 microg mL(-1) and 24 and 12 h, respectively. The bioavailabilities of oxolinic acid following p.o. administration of oxolinic acid and vetoquinol were calculated to be 55 and 72%, respectively. The in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of oxolinic acid against three strains of Vibrio anguillarum isolated from diseased cod were 0.016 microg mL(-1) (HI-610), 0.250 microg mL(-1) (HI-618) and 0.250 microg mL(-1) (HI-A21). Based on a MIC value of 0.016 microg mmL(-1) a single p.o. administration of 25 mg kg(-1) of oxolinic acid maintains plasma levels in excess of 0.064 microg mL(-1), corresponding to four times the MIC-value, for approximately 12 days. The analogous value for a single p.o. dose of 25 mg kg(-1) of oxolinic acid administered as vetoquinol was 13 days.
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semenvatting Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of shortness of breath, wheezing, and cough. Negative Affectivity (NA) or Neuroticism has been linked with overperception of symptoms. Because these are broad... more
semenvatting Asthma is a chronic disease characterized by recurrent attacks of shortness of breath, wheezing, and cough. Negative Affectivity (NA) or Neuroticism has been linked with overperception of symptoms. Because these are broad concepts, they are hard to target in therapy. Identifying more specific factors – explaining more specific variance in symptom reporting – would facilitate targeting in cognitive interventions aimed at long-term improvement of the disease and illness behaviour. Within the field of pain – especially chronic pain – the influence of catastrophic thinking on vigilance, fear/avoidance and the long-term evolution of the clinical state has been identified. Catastrophic thinking may appear to be of similar influence within the field of asthma. We adapted the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS; Sullivan et al., 1995) to the situation of asthma, including a scale assessing catastrophic thinking during an exacerbation (exacerbation scale) and a scale assessing catastrophic thinking in general, when patients are not experiencing an exacerbation (general scale). We administered the Catastrophizing about Asthma Scale (CAS) to 94 patients with asthma. Principal component analysis revealed two factors that were identical to the two scales. Based on statistical considerations, three items were removed from the exacerbation scale. Internal consistency of the revised CAS was high (Cronbach’s alpha = .93) and the CAS showed good construct validity. Especially emotional symptoms showed strong relationships with catastrophic thinking during an exacerbation. The validity of the general scale was less supported. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Potentially life-threatening interoceptive sensations easily engage the behavioral defensive system. Resulting fear and anxiety toward interoceptive threat are functionally distinct states that are hypothesized to play a prominent role in... more
Potentially life-threatening interoceptive sensations easily engage the behavioral defensive system. Resulting fear and anxiety toward interoceptive threat are functionally distinct states that are hypothesized to play a prominent role in the etiology of panic disorder. The present study aimed to investigate whether fear- and anxiety-potentiated startle responses occur to predictable and unpredictable interoceptive threat, respectively. Therefore, we modified the NPU threat test (Schmitz & Grillon, ) and replaced the aversive electrocutaneous stimulus with an aversive interoceptive stimulus (a breathing occlusion, making it briefly impossible to breathe). Healthy participants (N = 48) underwent three instructed conditions. A visual cue signaled the occlusion in the predictable condition (P), whereas another cue was unrelated to the occurrence of the occlusion in the unpredictable condition (U). The safe condition (N) also had a visual cue, but no occlusion. Both fear- and anxiety-po...
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Motilin-induced phase III contractions have been identified as a hunger signal. These phase III contractions occur as part of the migrating motor complex (MMC), a contractility pattern of the gastrointestinal tract during fasting. The... more
Motilin-induced phase III contractions have been identified as a hunger signal. These phase III contractions occur as part of the migrating motor complex (MMC), a contractility pattern of the gastrointestinal tract during fasting. The mechanism involved in this association between subjective hunger feelings and gastrointestinal motility during the MMC is largely unknown, however, as is its ability to stimulate food intake. We sought to 1) investigate the occurrence of hunger peaks and their relation to phase III contractions, 2) evaluate whether this relation was cholinergically driven, and 3) assess the ability of the motilin receptor agonist erythromycin to induce food intake. An algorithm was developed to detect hunger peaks. The association with phase III contractions was studied in 14 healthy volunteers [50% men; age: 25 ± 2 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)): 23 ± 1]. The impact of pharmacologically induced phase III contractions on the occurrence of hunger peaks and the inv...
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... Perceptual and Perceptual-motor Fluency as a Basis for Affective Judgements: Individual Differences in Motor Memory Activation Scott R. Vrana Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA Omer Van den Bergh University of Leuven, Belgium ...
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Several observations suggest that respiratory phase (inhalation vs. exhalation) and post-inspiratory breath-holds could modulate pain and the nociceptive reflex. This experiment aimed to investigate the role of both mechanisms. Thirty-two... more
Several observations suggest that respiratory phase (inhalation vs. exhalation) and post-inspiratory breath-holds could modulate pain and the nociceptive reflex. This experiment aimed to investigate the role of both mechanisms. Thirty-two healthy participants received supra-threshold electrocutaneous stimulations to elicit both the Nociceptive Flexion Reflex (NFR) and pain, either during spontaneous inhalations or exhalations, or during three types of instructed breath-holds: following exhalation, at mid-inhalation and at full-capacity inhalation. Whether the electrocutaneous stimulus was applied during inhalation or exhalation did not affect the NFR or pain. Self-reported pain was reduced and the NFR was increased during breath-holding compared to spontaneous breathing. Whereas the type of breath-hold did not impact on self-reported pain, breath-holds at full-capacity inhalation and following exhalation were associated with a lower NFR amplitude compared to breath-holds at mid-inhalation. The present findings confirm that breath-holding can modulate pain (sensitivity) and suggest that both attentional distraction and changes in vagal activity may underlie the observed effects.
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Using the demand-control-support perspective on job stress, a Dutch translation of an adapted version of the Job Content Questionnaire (AJCQ) was administered to a large population (N= 3638) of Flemish workers in a variety of jobs,... more
Using the demand-control-support perspective on job stress, a Dutch translation of an adapted version of the Job Content Questionnaire (AJCQ) was administered to a large population (N= 3638) of Flemish workers in a variety of jobs, together with the General ...
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This article was downloaded by: [ ] On: 04 July 2011, At: 12:01 Publisher: Psychology Press Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,... more
This article was downloaded by: [ ] On: 04 July 2011, At: 12:01 Publisher: Psychology Press Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK ... Publication details, including ...
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PurposeIt was to construct a questionnaire in French on the thoughts and the feelings in the respect of the food in the general population. We also wished to detect some eating disorders.
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While cardiovascular measures have a long tradition of being used to determine operator load, responsiveness of the respiratory system to mental load has rarely been investigated. In this study, we assessed basic and variability measures... more
While cardiovascular measures have a long tradition of being used to determine operator load, responsiveness of the respiratory system to mental load has rarely been investigated. In this study, we assessed basic and variability measures of respiration rate (RR), partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (petCO2) as well as performance measures in 63 male pilot candidates during completion of a complex cognitive task and subsequent recovery. Mental load was associated with an increase in RR and a decrease in respiratory variability. A significant decrease was also found for petCO2. RR and respiratory variability showed partial and complete effects of recovery, respectively, whereas petCO2 did not return to baseline level. Overall, a good performance was related to a stronger reactivity in RR. Our findings suggest that respiratory parameters would be a useful supplement to common measures for the assessment of mental load in pilot selection. Practitioner Summary: Respiratory measures are a promising yet poorly investigated approach to monitor operator load. For pilot selection, we assessed respiration in response to multitasking in 63 candidates. Task-related changes as well as covariation with performance strongly support the consideration of respiratory parameters when evaluating reactivity to mental load.
Research Interests: Psychology and Ergonomics
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KULeuven. ...
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Background. Symptom reports in medical consults largely depend on retrospective memory but it is currently unclear whether and how memory processes contribute to symptom overreporting and medically unexplained symptoms. In this study we... more
Background. Symptom reports in medical consults largely depend on retrospective memory but it is currently unclear whether and how memory processes contribute to symptom overreporting and medically unexplained symptoms. In this study we investigated the role of sensory and affective processing styles (PS) on perception of and retrospective memory for dyspnea and pain in high (HSR) and low habitual symptom reporters (LSR). Methods. Healthy female students (N=45) varying in habitual symptom reporting participated in two experimental sessions, each comprising dyspnea and pain induction trials. Sensory and affective PS were manipulated in a counterbalanced order during the encoding phase of each session. Dyspnea and pain ratings were collected during the experiment and after 2 weeks. State negative affect (NA) and symptom measures were collected after every trial. Results. Affective PS led to increased state NA and elevated symptom ratings, and reduced these ratings on the subsequent se...
Retrospective symptom reports serve as an important source of information for clinical diagnosis, treatment choice and assessment of treatment effects. Previous research has shown that symptom reports, both concurrent and retrospective,... more
Retrospective symptom reports serve as an important source of information for clinical diagnosis, treatment choice and assessment of treatment effects. Previous research has shown that symptom reports, both concurrent and retrospective, are subject to various emotional and cognitive biases, leading to inaccurate (mostly exaggerated) symptom recall. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of attentional direction and focus on biased symptom reporting. Healthy participants (N=47) participated in one laboratory and three follow-up sessions. During the laboratory session, two cold pain induction trials were administered via a thermode. In one trial, participants focused attention internally (IF) on either sensory or affective components of the experience; in the other trial they were distracted from pain by a neutral video clip. Pain (pain on average, pain at the peak, and pain at the end of the trial) and affect ratings were collected after each trial, as well as during...
Samenvatting Gedragstherapie heeft zichzelf steeds gedefinieerd als een toegepaste psychologie die probeert experimenteel geverifieerde kennis uit de basisdisciplines van de wetenschappelijke psychologie toe te passen op pathologische... more
Samenvatting Gedragstherapie heeft zichzelf steeds gedefinieerd als een toegepaste psychologie die probeert experimenteel geverifieerde kennis uit de basisdisciplines van de wetenschappelijke psychologie toe te passen op pathologische fenomenen. Er wordt met trots verwezen naar de experimentele leerpsychologie die ‘harde’ wetmatigheden heeft blootgelegd over gedragsverandering bij mens en dier en er wordt enthousiast gebruik gemaakt van experimentele paradigma's uit de aandachts– en geheugenliteratuur om pathogene mechanismen bloot te leggen in angst en depressie.
Background / Purpose: Accuracy of memory for experimentally induced pain was investigated in high and low habitual symptom reporters. Main conclusion: Retrospective pain ratings are biased and tend to be overestimated. Distortions in... more
Background / Purpose: Accuracy of memory for experimentally induced pain was investigated in high and low habitual symptom reporters. Main conclusion: Retrospective pain ratings are biased and tend to be overestimated. Distortions in symptom memory may operate promptly.
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Behavioral management of asthma and other chronic conditions depends upon the accurate identification of environmental factors that trigger symptom onset. In this study, we developed a lab-based conditioning method to study category-based... more
Behavioral management of asthma and other chronic conditions depends upon the accurate identification of environmental factors that trigger symptom onset. In this study, we developed a lab-based conditioning method to study category-based acquisition and generalization of respiratory symptom triggers. During trigger acquisition, unique exemplars of two different categories were shown to a sample of healthy participants (n=48). CS+ exemplars were paired with CO2 inhalation on 50% of trials, while CS- exemplars were always paired with room air. Trigger categories differed in their conceptual similarity. In a generalization task, participants rated symptom expectancy for a set of triggers that included previously seen exemplars, novel exemplars, and exemplars from novel categories. Results show that participants acquired differential symptom expectancies based on category information, which generalized to novel CS+ exemplars and novel categories that shared similarity with the CS+ category. Greater similarity between CS+ and CS- categories increased differential effects for both old and novel exemplars of CS+ and CS- categories, and increased the proportion of novel CS+ exemplars that were remembered as being seen during acquisition. These findings suggest that a more narrowly defined contrast between triggers and nontriggers promotes category-based inference and could help to reduce uncertainty about potential triggers.