Disruptions of emotional information processing (e.g., attention to, memory for, and interpretation of emotional information) have been implicated in depression. The emerging field of affective neuroscience suggests there are distinct physiological correlates of emotional information processing styles. The proposed research integrates basic research on affective neuroscience with conclusions from cognitive-clinical research regarding depressive information processing to understand brain mechanisms associated with disruptions of emotional information processing in depression. The applicant, Dr. Greg Siegle, Ph.D., has examined information processing in depressive disorders for eight years, and has developed a computational neural network model that suggests a convergence of specific cognitive, environmental, and biological factors are associated with depression. Further training is necessary for the next step in this research, which involves clearly linking observed cognitive phenomena and model behaviors to underlying biological mechanisms. Short-term goals include using cognitive, physiological, and neuroimaging assessment to test predictions, generated using the model, regarding interactions of factors that could lead to distinct profiles of depressive emotional information processing. Long-term goals involve using this research to direct depressed individuals to focused treatments that target their particular cognitive and physiological profiles, thus improving speed and efficacy of depression interventions. The proposed research involves assessing depressed individuals' pupil dilation and brain activity (via functional magnetic resonance imaging; fMRI) during emotional information processing tasks to create profiles of emotional information processing disruptions in depression. Computational neural network modeling of interactions between relevant brain structures will be used to generate and refme hypotheses and experimental design throughout the study. This research will allow development and refinement of a formal theory of psychobiological mechanisms underlying individual differences in depressive information processing biases. It will lead to an R01 proposal involving understanding changes in brain activity associated with treatment for depression. Research will be conducted at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, a world center for research on the psychobiology of depression. Researchers who are expert in depression as well as the proposed assessment technologies will serve as mentors and preceptors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01MH064159-04
Application #
6879984
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BDCN-6 (01))
Program Officer
Chavez, Mark
Project Start
2002-05-15
Project End
2007-04-30
Budget Start
2005-05-01
Budget End
2006-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$137,778
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Martin, Elizabeth A; Siegle, Greg J; Steinhauer, Stuart R et al. (2018) Timing matters in elaborative processing of positive stimuli: Gamma band reactivity in schizophrenia compared to depression and healthy adults. Schizophr Res :
Siegle, Greg J; D'Andrea, Wendy; Jones, Neil et al. (2015) Prolonged physiological reactivity and loss: Association of pupillary reactivity with negative thinking and feelings. Int J Psychophysiol 98:310-320
Mandell, Darcy; Siegle, Greg J; Shutt, Luann et al. (2014) Neural substrates of trait ruminations in depression. J Abnorm Psychol 123:35-48
Lee, Kyung Hwa; Siegle, Greg J (2014) Different brain activity in response to emotional faces alone and augmented by contextual information. Psychophysiology 51:1147-57
Siegle, Greg J; Steinhauer, Stuart R; Friedman, Edward S et al. (2011) Remission prognosis for cognitive therapy for recurrent depression using the pupil: utility and neural correlates. Biol Psychiatry 69:726-33
Ichikawa, Naho; Siegle, Greg J; Jones, Neil P et al. (2011) Feeling bad about screwing up: emotion regulation and action monitoring in the anterior cingulate cortex. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 11:354-71
Jones, Neil P; Siegle, Greg J; Muelly, Emilie R et al. (2010) Poor performance on cognitive tasks in depression: Doing too much or not enough? Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 10:129-40
Siegle, Greg J; Condray, Ruth; Thase, Michael E et al. (2010) Sustained gamma-band EEG following negative words in depression and schizophrenia. Int J Psychophysiol 75:107-18
Zhou, Dongli; Thompson, Wesley K; Siegle, Greg (2009) MATLAB toolbox for functional connectivity. Neuroimage 47:1590-607
Franzen, Peter L; Buysse, Daniel J; Dahl, Ronald E et al. (2009) Sleep deprivation alters pupillary reactivity to emotional stimuli in healthy young adults. Biol Psychol 80:300-5

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