The candidate aspires to establish an independent program of research on the cognitive and affective mechanisms that underlie the emergence of anxiety among children and adolescents. This proposal focuses on deconstructing the cognitive, affective, and neural components of a central feature of anxiety: worry. Worry is a transdiagnostic phenomenon that is associated with significant impairment. It has been proposed that deficits in executive function (EF), specifically inhibition, might underlie severe worry, however empirical research in this area is extremely limited. Worry first appears in childhood and becomes more elaborated during adolescence, a developmental period featuring rapid maturation of the neural substrates of EF, but also increasing prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders featuring severe worry. Thus, adolescence is an important period during which to investigate this phenomenon. Studying the mechanisms of adolescent worry may inform causal models and translate into the development of novel interventions. The candidate possesses expertise in developmental psychopathology and sleep research, with growing experience using functional neuroimaging (fMRI) techniques. However, he requires additional training related to EF, developmental affective neuroscience, and advanced fMRI approaches to advance his program of research. Successful receipt of a K23 Career Development Award would provide training in three critical areas: 1) conceptual knowledge related to EF, the intersection of EF and affect, and measurement of target phenomena; 2) developmental affective neuroscience models of anxiety, particularly as they apply to the etiology of severe worry in adolescence; 3) fMRI methodology, including advanced analytic techniques and interpretation. These training aims fit well with the described research project, which investigates the EF and neural bases of adolescent worry, and are in perfect concert with the NIMH Strategic Plan objective (1:1) to investigate basic brain-behavior processes that underlie mental disorders. The proposed research project will employ a mixed community-clinical sample of adolescents with varying levels of worry. Methods will include neuropsychological testing of EF constructs, fMRI scanning during worry induction and worry suppression, and an exploratory condition involving temporary depletion of inhibitory capacity. Primary study aims are: (1) to investigate the interaction of inhibition deficits and negative affectivity on worry; (2) identify patterns of brain activity and connectivity during worry and its attempted suppression. An exploratory aim of this study is to investigate the effects of an inhibitory depletion manipulation on vulnerability to subsequent intrusive worry. This K23 award would allow the candidate to capitalize on his existing areas of expertise while cultivating new skills that will be critical inthe establishment of a dynamic research program targeting the cognitive, affective, and neurobiological bases of child and adolescent anxiety.
This proposal focuses on deconstructing the cognitive, affective, and neural components of a central feature of anxiety: worry. The training plan described in this project would address three critical areas: 1) conceptual knowledge related to EF, the intersection of EF and emotion, and measurement of target phenomena in the laboratory; 2) developmental affective neuroscience models of anxiety, particularly as they apply to the etiology of severe worry in adolescence; 3) fMRI methodology, including advanced analytic techniques and interpretation.
| Haraden, Dustin A; Mullin, Benjamin C; Hankin, Benjamin L (2017) The relationship between depression and chronotype: A longitudinal assessment during childhood and adolescence. Depress Anxiety 34:967-976 |
