̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Trevor Robbins

Reduced grey matter in frontal lobes linked to teenage smoking and nicotine addiction

fpjl2 — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:02:04 +0000

Levels of grey matter in two parts of the brain may be linked to a desire to start smoking during adolescence and the strengthening of nicotine addiction, a new study has shown.

A team of scientists, led by the universities of Cambridge and Warwick in the UK and Fudan ̽��ֱ�� in China, analysed brain imaging and behavioural data of over 800 young people at the ages of 14, 19 and 23.

They found that, on average, teenagers who started smoking by 14 years of age had markedly less grey matter in a section of the left frontal lobe linked to decision-making and rule-breaking.

Grey matter is the brain tissue that processes information, and contains all of the organ’s neurons. While brain development continues into adulthood, grey matter growth peaks before adolescence.

Low grey matter volume in the left side of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex may be an “inheritable biomarker” for nicotine addiction, say researchers – with implications for prevention and treatment.

In addition, the scientists found that the opposite, right part of the same brain region also had less grey matter in smokers.

Importantly, loss of grey matter in the right prefrontal cortex appears to speed up only after someone has started smoking. This region is linked to the seeking of sensations.

̽��ֱ��team argue that less grey matter in the left forebrain could lower cognitive function and lead to “disinhibition”: impulsive, rule-breaking behaviour arising from a limited ability to consider consequences. This may increase the chances of smoking at a young age.

Once a nicotine habit takes hold, grey matter in the right frontal lobe shrinks, which may weaken control over smoking by affecting 'hedonic motivation': the way pleasure is sought and managed. Excessive loss of grey matter in the right brain was also linked to binge drinking and marijuana use.

Taken together, the findings point to a damaged “neurobehavioural mechanism” that can lead to nicotine use starting early and becoming locked into long-term addiction, say researchers. ̽��ֱ��study used data from the IMAGEN project and is published in the journal Nature Communications.

“Smoking is perhaps the most common addictive behaviour in the world, and a leading cause of adult mortality,” said Prof Trevor Robbins, co-senior author from Cambridge’s Department of Psychology.

“ ̽��ֱ��initiation of a smoking habit is most likely to occur during adolescence. Any way of detecting an increased chance of this, so we can target interventions, could help save millions of lives.”

Annual deaths from cigarettes are expected to reach eight million worldwide by the end of the decade. Currently, one in five adult deaths each year are attributed to smoking in the US alone.

“In our study, reduced grey matter in the left prefrontal cortex is associated with increased rule-breaking behaviour as well as early smoking experiences. It could be that this rule-breaking leads to the violation of anti-smoking norms,” said Robbins.

Co-author Prof Barbara Sahakian from Cambridge’s Department of Psychiatry said: “ ̽��ֱ��ventromedial prefrontal cortex is a key region for dopamine, the brain’s pleasure chemical. As well as a role in rewarding experiences, dopamine has long been believed to affect self-control.

“Less grey matter across this brain region may limit cognitive function, leading to lower self-control and a propensity for risky behaviour, such as smoking.”

̽��ֱ��study used data gathered by the IMAGEN project from sites in four European countries: UK, Germany, France and Ireland. ̽��ֱ��researchers compared brain imaging data for those who had smoked by age 14 with those who had not, and repeated this for the same participants at ages 19 and 23.

Those with smoking experience by 14 years of age had significantly less grey matter in the left prefrontal cortex, on average. Additionally, those who started smoking by age 19 also had less grey matter in their left prefrontal cortex at 14, indicating a potential causal influence.

̽��ֱ��scientists also looked at the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Grey matter loss occurs in everyone as they age. However, those who smoked from age 14 as well as those smoking from age 19 both ended up with excessive grey matter loss in the right frontal lobe.

For the right prefrontal cortex, 19-year-old smokers who did not start during adolescence had similar grey matter levels at age 14 to those who never smoked at all. This suggests a rapid reduction in the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex only begins with the onset of smoking.

Data at age 23 showed that grey matter volume in the right prefrontal cortex shrank at a faster pace in those who continued to smoke, suggesting an influence of smoking itself on prefrontal function.

Researchers also analysed data from two questionnaires completed by participants to investigate the personality traits of novelty seeking and sensation seeking.

“Both questionnaires examine the pursuit of thrilling experiences, but they measure distinct behaviours,” said Robbins. “ ̽��ֱ��sensation seeking scale focuses on pleasurable experiences, while the novelty seeking questionnaire includes items on impulsiveness and rule-breaking.”

Less grey matter in the left prefrontal cortex was associated with novelty seeking, particularly disorderly and rule-breaking behaviour, while reduced grey matter volume in the right prefrontal cortex was linked to sensation seeking only.

Lead author Prof Tianye Jia from Fudan ̽��ֱ�� added: “Less grey matter in the left frontal lobes is linked to behaviours that increase the likelihood of smoking in adolescence.

“Smokers then experience excessive loss of grey matter in the right frontal lobes, which is linked to behaviours that reinforce substance use. This may provide a causal account of how smoking is initiated in young people, and how it turns into dependence.”

Reference:
Jia, Tianye; Xiang, Shintong et al. Association between vmPFC gray matter volume and smoking initiation in adolescents. Nature Communications; 15 Aug 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40079-2

Findings may demonstrate a brain and behavioural basis for how nicotine addiction is initiated and then takes hold in early life, say scientists.

Smoking is perhaps the most common addictive behaviour in the world, and a leading cause of adult mortality

Trevor Robbins

Young people smoking

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Chemical imbalance in the forebrain underpins compulsive behaviour and OCD

fpjl2 — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 15:47:51 +0000

Scientists at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge have used powerful new brain imaging techniques to reveal a neurochemical imbalance within regions of the frontal lobes in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

̽��ֱ��study shows that the balance between glutamate and GABA – two major neurotransmitter chemicals – is “disrupted” in OCD patients in two frontal regions of the brain.

Researchers also found that people who do not have OCD but are prone to habitual and compulsive behaviour have increased glutamate levels in one of these brain regions.

Neuroscientists behind the study say the findings will open up new avenues for treating OCD, a psychiatric disorder that affects up to 3% of Western populations and can be deeply disabling.

Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers measured levels of glutamate and GABA in regions of the cerebral cortex, the outermost and most highly developed part of the human brain.

Glutamate is an 'excitatory' neurochemical: it facilitates electrical impulses that fire neurons to send information around brain networks. GABA is an 'inhibitory' neurotransmitter that works in opposition to glutamate by dampening neural excitability, creating a balance.

OCD sufferers had higher levels of glutamate and lower levels of GABA in the anterior cingulate cortex, compared to people without OCD.

Additionally, the severity of OCD symptoms, along with the inclination towards habitual and compulsive behaviour, was related to higher glutamate levels in the supplementary motor region. This was found to be the case in OCD patients as well as in healthy participants with milder compulsive tendencies.

̽��ֱ��anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area are both centrally involved in deciding the balance between our conscious goals and more automatic habits. ̽��ֱ��research suggests that “compulsions arise from a dysregulated brain system for controlling habits” say scientists.

̽��ֱ��research is funded by the Wellcome Trust, and the latest findings are published today in the journal Nature Communications.

“Understanding obsessive-compulsive disorder is a central question for psychiatry. We have now shown definitive changes in these key neurotransmitters in OCD sufferers,” said senior author Prof Trevor Robbins from Cambridge’s Department of Psychology. “Excess glutamate and reduced GABA is disrupting the neural circuitry in key regions of the OCD brain.”

“Our findings are a major piece of the puzzle for understanding the mechanisms behind OCD. ̽��ֱ��results suggest new strategies for medication in OCD based on available drugs that regulate glutamate. In particular, drugs that inhibit presynaptic glutamate receptors,” said Robbins. A presynaptic receptor is the part of a nerve cell that controls release of neurotransmitter chemicals.

Severe OCD is a mental health disorder that causes untold misery for some sufferers. It can lead to loss of work and relationships, and social isolation. “Symptoms of intrusive thoughts and repetitive rituals can confine patients to their homes for months on end,” said Robbins. In extreme cases, the lack of control and sense of hopelessness caused by OCD can result in thoughts of suicide .

Current treatments for OCD are limited. While people with milder symptoms can benefit from some anti-depressants, for those with severe symptoms there are few options – often extreme – such as deep-brain stimulation and even neurosurgery to remove the anterior cingulate cortex entirely.

“Some treatments already target glutamate imbalance in a roundabout way,” said Dr Marjan Biria, study lead author, who conducted the work in Robbins’ Cambridge lab. “Now we have the evidence for why certain approaches seem to have some beneficial effects.”

̽��ֱ��Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre at Cambridge is home to one of only seven ultra-powerful 7-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) scanners in the UK. For the latest study, researchers scanned 31 clinically-diagnosed OCD sufferers, and 30 healthy volunteers as a control group.

“Standard MRS scanners can be quite crude, not picking up the glutamate signal very accurately. ̽��ֱ��7-Tesla machine allows us to separate the overlapping signals and measure glutamate and GABA more precisely,” said Biria.

In addition to scans, researchers conducted tests and questionnaires with all participants to gauge obsessive-compulsive and habitual tendencies. ̽��ֱ��test used a computer-based task to establish a link between an action and reward. ̽��ֱ��scientists then uncoupled this link and observed whether participants continued to respond as a measure of habit.

“We tested whether people were more prone to repeating the same responses, like a habit, or adapting their behaviour to better pursue goals,” said Robbins. “Compulsions and habits are not the same, but impaired regulation of habits can be the basis of compulsions and shift people away from their goal-directed behaviour."

“In the supplementary motor area, which is a likely controller of the habit system, even the more mildly repetitive behaviour of healthy volunteers was related to the glutamate-GABA ratio.”

However, only clinical OCD sufferers showed excess glutamate and reduced GABA in their anterior cingulate cortex.

̽��ֱ��researchers say that raised glutamate levels may prove to be a “biomarker” for OCD. This could guide new therapies, including medication but also non-invasive use of magnetic stimulation through the scalp, an approach which is showing some promise for treatment of OCD.

Reference: Biria, M et al. (2023) Cortical glutamate and GABA are related to compulsive behaviour in individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder and healthy controls. Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38695-z.

Neuroscientists say that the findings are a “major piece of the puzzle” in understanding OCD, and could open up new lines of treatment.

̽��ֱ��results suggest new strategies for medication in OCD based on available drugs that regulate glutamate

Trevor Robbins

Marjan Biria

Imaging of the Supplementary Motor Area (left) and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (right) from the study

Yes

A mental health revolution

cg605 — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 14:36:07 +0000

Cambridge-led computerised cognitive assessments transform early detection and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Marmoset study identifies brain region linking actions to their outcomes

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 15:00:00 +0000

̽��ֱ��study, published today in the journal Neuron, found that marmoset monkeys could no longer make an association between their behaviour and a particular outcome when a region of their brain called the anterior cingulate cortex was temporarily switched off.

This finding is important because the compulsive behaviours in OCD and addiction are thought to result from impairments in the 'goal-directed system' in the brain. In these conditions worrying, obsessions or compulsive behaviour such as drug seeking may reflect an alternative, habit-based system at work in the brain in which behaviours are not correctly linked with their outcomes.

It also sheds more light on how healthy people behave in a goal-directed way, which is needed to respond to changing environments and goals.

“We have identified the very specific region of the brain involved in goal-directed behaviour. When we temporarily turned this off, behaviour became more habitual - like when we go onto autopilot,” said Lisa Duan in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Psychology, first author of the report.

Marmosets were used because their brains share important similarities with human brains, and it is possible to manipulate specific regions of their brains to understand causal effects.

In the experiment, marmosets were first taught a goal-directed behaviour: by tapping a coloured cross when it appeared on a touchscreen, they were rewarded with their favourite juice to drink. But this connection between action and reward was randomly uncoupled so that they sometimes received the juice without having to respond to the image. They quickly detected this change and stopped responding to the image, because they saw they could get juice without doing anything.

Using drugs, the researchers temporarily switched off the anterior cingulate cortex including its connections with another brain region called the caudate nucleus. Repeating the experiment, they found when the connection between tapping the cross and receiving juice was randomly uncoupled, the marmosets did not change their behaviour but kept tapping the cross when it appeared.

Such habitual responding to the coloured cross was not observed when several other neighbouring regions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex - known to be important for other aspects of decision-making - were switched off. This shows the specificity of the anterior cingulate region for goal-directed behaviour.

A similar effect has been observed in computer-based tests on patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or addiction - when the relationship between an action and an outcome is uncoupled the patients continue to respond as though the connection is still there.

Previous evidence from patients suffering brain damage, and from brain imaging in healthy volunteers, shows that part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is involved in goal-directed behaviour. However, the prefrontal cortex is a complex structure with many regions, and it has not previously been possible to identify the specific part responsible for goal-directed behaviour from human studies alone.

“We think this is the first study to have established the specific brain circuitry that controls goal-directed behaviour in primates, whose brains are very similar to human brains,” said Professor Angela Roberts in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, joint senior author of the report.

“This is a first step towards identifying suitable molecular targets for future drug treatments, or other forms of therapy, for devastating mental health disorders such as OCD and addiction,” added Professor Trevor Robbins in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Psychology, joint senior author of the report.

This research was conducted in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, and was funded by Wellcome.

Reference

Duan, L.Y. et al. ‘Controlling one’s world: identification of sub-regions of primate PFC underlying goal-directed behaviour.’ Neuron, June 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.003

Researchers have discovered a specific brain region underlying ‘goal-directed behaviour’ – that is, when we consciously do something with a particular goal in mind, for example going to the shops to buy food.

This is a first step towards identifying suitable molecular targets for future drug treatments, or other forms of therapy, for devastating mental health disorders such as OCD and addiction.

Trevor Robbins

Marmoset

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� and Nanyang Technological ̽��ֱ��, Singapore establish new research centre to support lifelong learning

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 14:50:57 +0000

̽��ֱ��Centre for Lifelong Learning and Individualised Cognition (CLIC) is a collaboration between the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and the Nanyang Technological ̽��ֱ��, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and is funded by Singapore’s National Research Foundation.

Cultivating new skills is a lifelong process that requires cognitive flexibility, yet there is currently a gap in evidence-based training programmes that can effectively support and promote this way of learning throughout people’s lives.

Cognitive flexibility goes far beyond conventional IQ; it is the essential capacity for responding to the fluctuating events of the modern world. It underlies adaptive coping to change, and also the generation of innovative, creative thinking.

Trevor Robbins, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology in the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Department of Psychology and a senior academic advisor to the programme, said: "Understanding the psychological basis of cognitive flexibility and its basis in the brain will have enormous societal benefits, with educational, as well as clinical, impact.”

He added: “This novel and original collaborative programme by two leading Universities will enhance the science of learning by innovative interventions and methods, for training cognitive flexibility over the life span."

̽��ֱ��research programme will be led by Zoe Kourtzi, Professor of Experimental Psychology in Cambridge’s Department of Psychology. Involving researchers in psychology, neuroscience, linguistics and education, CLIC will explore cross-disciplinary ways to develop innovative research in the science of learning. ̽��ֱ��ultimate goal is to translate these research findings into an integrated model of learning that can be applied in the real world, improving cognitive flexibility across the life span.

Research will focus on four life stages - early years, adolescence, young adults and middle age - when flexible behaviour is critical for coping with changing circumstances. During these periods the brain undergoes neural changes such as early maturation, restructuring or resilience to decline, presenting important opportunities for intervention.

NTU Senior Vice President (Research), Professor Lam Khin Yong said: “ ̽��ֱ��cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers from NTU Singapore and Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� is expected to have wide-ranging impact on workers, as technology and globalisation change the nature of labour markets worldwide.”

He added: “ ̽��ֱ��ability to develop and master new skills at the workplace is becoming increasingly pressing globally. Singapore’s nationwide SkillsFuture programme, for example, gives opportunities for people to develop their fullest potential throughout life. Yet, we know that differences in individual cognitive functions can affect learning and performance. This is where research in the Science of Learning can play a key role in enhancing educational outcomes and practice. ̽��ֱ��new Centre will support the country’s drive in helping the workforce prepare for the digital economy, as businesses turn to automation.”

Annabel Chen, Co-Director of CLIC and Professor of Psychology and Director for the Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE) at NTU, Singapore, said: “This is an exciting development for research in the Science of Learning. We have been working closely with colleagues from Cambridge, and tapping into expertise across NTU, including the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Nanyang Business School, National Institute of Education, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and College of Engineering to develop the CLIC programme.”

She added: “This development complements the Science of Learning Initiative in the Centre of Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), launched by NTU in 2015. With this multidisciplinary effort and input from the Ministry of Education and SkillsFuture Singapore, we believe our programme will be able to provide insights and translatable solutions for the Future of Learning and Economy in Singapore and beyond.”

̽��ֱ��collaboration was brought together through the presence of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s first overseas research centre in Singapore, the Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore Ltd (CARES). CARES was established in 2013 under the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) – a collection of 15 joint research programmes between local universities and top overseas institutions funded by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF). ̽��ֱ��Centre hosts several research programmes, most of which involve NTU and focus on the decarbonisation of Singapore’s chemical industry.

̽��ֱ��new programme on the science of learning is a novel direction for CARES and CREATE, bringing together expertise from Cambridge and Singapore to investigate new ways of helping people prepare and adapt to the rapidly changing workplace.

A new research centre focused on improving support for lifelong learning and cognitive agility opened on 1 October 2020 in Singapore.

̽��ֱ��programme will enhance the science of learning by innovative interventions and methods, for training cognitive flexibility over the life span

Trevor Robbins

Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Coloured pencils

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‘Mental rigidity’ at the root of intense political partisanship on both left and right – study

fpjl2 — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 16:08:26 +0000

People who identify more intensely with a political tribe or ideology share an underlying psychological trait: low levels of cognitive flexibility, according to a new study.

This 'mental rigidity' makes it harder for people to change their ways of thinking or adapt to new environments, say researchers. Importantly, mental rigidity was found in those with the most fervent beliefs and affiliations on both the left and right of the political divide.

̽��ֱ��study of over 700 US citizens, conducted by scientists from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, is the largest – and first for over 20 years – to investigate whether the more politically 'extreme' have a certain 'type of mind' through the use of objective psychological testing.

̽��ֱ��findings suggest that the basic mental processes governing our ability to switch between different concepts and tasks are linked to the intensity with which we attach ourselves to political doctrines – regardless of the ideology.

“Relative to political moderates, participants who indicated extreme attachment to either the Democratic or Republican Party exhibited mental rigidity on multiple objective neuropsychological tests,” said Dr Leor Zmigrod, a Cambridge Gates Scholar and lead author of the study, now published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

“While political animosity often appears to be driven by emotion, we find that the way people unconsciously process neutral stimuli seems to play an important role in how they process ideological arguments.”

“Those with lower cognitive flexibility see the world in more black-and-white terms, and struggle with new and different perspectives. ̽��ֱ��more inflexible mind may be especially susceptible to the clarity, certainty, and safety frequently offered by strong loyalty to collective ideologies,” she said.

̽��ֱ��research is the latest in a series of studies from Zmigrod and her Cambridge colleagues, Dr Jason Rentfrow and Professor Trevor Robbins, on the relationship between ideology and cognitive flexibility.

Their previous work over the last 18 months has suggested that mental rigidity is linked to more extreme attitudes with regards to religiosity, nationalism, and a willingness to endorse violence and sacrifice one’s life for an ideological group.

For the latest study, the Cambridge team recruited 743 men and women of various ages and educational backgrounds from across the political spectrum through the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform.

Participants completed three psychological tests online: a word association game, a card-sorting test – where colours, shapes and numbers are matched according to shifting rules – and an exercise in which participants have a two-minute window to imagine possible uses for everyday objects.

“These are established and standardized cognitive tests which quantify how well individuals adapt to changing environments and how flexibly their minds process words and concepts,” said Zmigrod.

̽��ֱ��participants were also asked to score their feelings towards various divisive social and economic issues – from abortion and marriage to welfare – and the extent of 'overlap' between their personal identity and the US Republican and Democrat parties.

Zmigrod and colleagues found that 'partisan extremity' – the intensity of participants’ attachment to their favoured political party – was a strong predictor of rigidity in all three cognitive tests. They also found that self-described Independents displayed greater cognitive flexibility compared to both Democrats and Republicans.

Other cognitive traits, such as originality or fluency of thought, were not related to heightened political partisanship, which researchers argue suggests the unique contribution of cognitive inflexibility.

“In the context of today’s highly divided politics, it is important we work to understand the psychological underpinnings of dogmatism and strict ideological adherence,” said Zmigrod.

“ ̽��ֱ��aim of this research is not to draw false equivalences between different, and sometimes opposing, ideologies. We want to highlight the common psychological factors that shape how people come to hold extreme views and identities,” said Zmigrod.

“Past studies have shown that it is possible to cultivate cognitive flexibility through training and education. Our findings raise the question of whether heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies, and even develop antidotes to radicalization.”

“While the conservatism and liberalism of our beliefs may at times divide us, our capacity to think about the world flexibly and adaptively can unite us,” she added.

Latest research shows that reduced cognitive flexibility is associated with more 'extreme' beliefs and identities at both ends of the political spectrum. Researchers say that “heightening our cognitive flexibility might help build more tolerant societies”.

We want to highlight the common psychological factors that shape how people come to hold extreme views and identities

Leor Zmigrod

Adam Cohn

Arguing protestors

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Deep brain stimulation may significantly improve OCD symptoms, study suggests

cjb250 — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 13:00:59 +0000

OCD is characterised by unwanted intrusive thoughts and repetitive rituals and causes pronounced impairment in everyday life. In very severe cases, OCD patients are unable to leave their house or flat due to fears of contamination. This repetitive and compulsive behavior is associated with cognitive rigidity or an impairment in cognitive flexibility – an inability to adapt to new situations or new rules.

One treatment for this type of OCD is a form of cognitive behavior therapy called "exposure and response prevention", which involves instructing OCD patients to touch contaminated surfaces, such as a toilet, but to refrain from then washing their hands. OCD is also treated with medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Prozac. But as many as 40% of OCD patients fail to respond to treatment.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging treatment for severe OCD when all other treatments fail. In a study by researchers at ̽��ֱ�� College London and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, together with several other UK-based centres, six patients with treatment-resistant OCD entered a controlled double-blind trial of DBS.

̽��ֱ��study directly compared effects at two different brain locations – the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and ventral capsule (VC) – in the same patients. ̽��ֱ��two sites had both previously been identified as being important in OCD, but it had been unclear whether they were simply parts of the same brain network and if they worked on the same type of symptoms.

In an article published today in Biological Psychiatry, the researchers show that both sites were remarkably effective in reducing OCD symptoms, but on different aspects: VC stimulation improved mood, while STN stimulation improved cognitive flexibility.

These findings suggest that DBS at these two sites works on different brain circuits, one involving the medial prefrontal cortex and the other the lateral prefrontal cortex. This was also confirmed using brain imaging.

Lead author Professor Eileen Joyce from the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology says: “This is the first study to compare directly the effects of deep brain stimulation at two brain sites and has discovered important information about how the brain changes in severe OCD responsible for obsessions and compulsions, depressed mood and cognitive inflexibility might be alleviated.”

̽��ֱ��researchers assessed OCD symptoms and mood using standardised scales. Cognitive flexibility was assessed with the CANTAB IED test, invented by Professors Barbara Sahakian and Trevor Robbins from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. This test has been used previously by the Cambridge team to show that cognitive flexibility is a major deficit in patients with OCD and is related to the the lateral prefrontal cortex. ̽��ֱ��new research shows that OCD is also linked to medial prefrontal cortex abnormality.

"To our knowledge this is the first study with two sites which demonstrates that one site improves mood, while the other site improves cognitive flexibility, and that both sites reduce OCD symptoms,” says Professor Robbins.

"While DBS is only used when medication and specific psychological treatments have been tried and failed, for some patients it may provide them with the opportunity to regain well-being and quality of life,” adds Professor Sahakian.

One of the trial participants was first diagnosed at the age of 26 years with OCD but had symptoms since the age of seven. Prior to the trial, the participant had been ‘profoundly debilitated’ by OCD for 10 years and had been living continuously in psychiatric units for 6 years, receiving treatment from numerous specialist OCD services and specialists.

Following surgery, the patient said: “I didn’t feel anything for a few days but then… I felt inexplicably excited and happy with the great sense of looking forward to life. I recognised the feeling from 20 years before when I had been completely well.

“ ̽��ֱ��surgery has transformed my life. I am living completely independently and doing volunteer work.”

̽��ֱ��study was funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.

Reference
Tyagi, H et al. A randomised trial directly comparing ventral capsule and anteromedial sub thalamic nucleus stimulation in obsessive compulsive disorder: Clinical and Imaging evidence for dissociable effects. Biological Psychiatry; 7 March 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.01.017

̽��ֱ��debilitating behaviours and all-consuming thoughts, which affect people with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), could be significantly improved with targeted deep brain stimulation, according to new research published today.

Gentle07

Washing hands

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‘Cognitive flexibility’ associated with voting attitudes in EU Referendum, study finds

fpjl2 — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 19:01:53 +0000

A new study suggests that the way our brains process everyday information helps to shape our ideological beliefs and political decision-making – including attitudes towards the UK’s 2016 EU Referendum.

Scientists from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge combined objective cognitive tests with questionnaires designed to gauge social and political attitudes in a sample of over 300 UK citizens, to investigate the psychological underpinnings of nationalistic attitudes.

̽��ֱ��study examined differences in “cold cognition”: emotionally-neutral decision making based on attention and recall (as opposed to “hot cognition”, which is influenced by emotion).

Researchers measured the extent to which an individual displays a more “flexible” or more “persistent” cognitive style. Cognitive flexibility is characterised by adapting with greater ease to change, while cognitive persistence reflects a preference for stability through adherence to more defined information categories.

̽��ֱ��findings demonstrate that those who displayed higher cognitive flexibility were less likely to support authoritarian and nationalistic ideological stances. They were also more likely to support remaining in the EU as well as immigration and free movement of labour. Cognitive persistence was associated with more conservative and nationalistic attitudes, which in turn predicted support for leaving the EU.

̽��ֱ��research was conducted by scientists from the ̽��ֱ��’s Department of Psychology and is published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Voting is often thought to be an emotional decision. People describe ‘voting with their heart’ or having a gut reaction to particular politicians,” said Leor Zmigrod, lead researcher and Gates Cambridge Scholar.

“While emotion is clearly integral to political decision-making, our research suggests that non-emotional cognitive information processing styles, such as adaptability to change, also play a key role in shaping ideological behavior and identity.”

“By connecting the realm of cognition with that of ideology, we find that flexibility of thought may have far-reaching consequences for social and political attitudes,” she said.

All the study’s 332 participants were cognitively healthy adults who completed two classic evaluations of cognitive flexibility: a card-sorting task involving shifting categorisation by shape and colour, and a neutral word association task.

Participants also consented to providing responses to standardized questions on topics such as attitudes towards immigration and citizenship, and personal attachment to the UK. All data were anonymised and controlled for a number of factors including age and education.

With her Cambridge colleagues Dr Jason Rentfrow and Prof Trevor Robbins, Zmigrod constructed rigorous statistical models that revealed a tendency towards cognitive flexibility in the tests predicted ideological orientations that were less authoritarian, nationalistic, and conservative. This in turn predicted reduced support for Brexit.

“Our findings suggest that persistent adherence to a set of rules in a basic card-sorting game is associated with support for traditional social values and conservative political attitudes,” said Rentfrow.

̽��ֱ��researchers also found that participants who reported greater reliance on routines and traditions in their daily lives, and who strongly favored certainty over uncertainty, were more likely to prefer the traditionalism and perceived stability offered by nationalistic, authoritarian, and conservative ideologies. Increased dependence on daily routines was also related to greater support for Brexit and immigration control.

Participants were asked about their agreement with post-Referendum political attitudes. Those who supported the statement “a citizen of the world is a citizen of nowhere” and opposed the statement “the Government has a right to remain in the EU if the costs are too high” exhibited a tendency towards cognitive persistence.

“ ̽��ֱ��results suggest that psychological preferences for stability and consistency may translate into attitudes that favour uniformity and a more defined national identity,” said Zmigrod.

̽��ֱ��researchers point out that the sample size is limited, and the correlations – while strong – are on general trends in the data. “Ideologies such as nationalism are highly complex constructs, and there are many reasons people believe what they do and vote the way they do,” added Zmigrod.

“In today’s politically-polarised climate, it is important to understand more about the psychological processes behind nationalistic and social attitudes if we are to build bridges between communities.”

Latest research combining social and political surveys with objective cognitive testing suggests that “cognitive flexibility” contributes to formation of ideology. ̽��ֱ��study finds correlations between cognitive thinking styles and support for Brexit.

By connecting the realm of cognition with that of ideology, we find that flexibility of thought may have far-reaching consequences for social and political attitudes

Leor Zmigrod

Megan Trace

Brexit March

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