| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77190 | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree. | en_US |
| dc.format | Monograph | |
| dc.format.medium | Electronic Resource | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY. | |
| dc.type | Dissertation | |
| dcterms.abstract | Theories of attentional control posit that both anxiety and depression should be associated with reduced filtering of task-irrelevant stimuli; reduced attentional control may also underlie an early attentional bias toward unpleasant stimuli that has been observed in individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), on the other hand, has been less consistently associated such an attentional bias, and individuals with comorbid GAD/MDD often fail to exhibit an attentional bias toward unpleasant stimuli. To determine whether individuals with GAD and those with comorbid GAD/MDD would exhibit reduced attentional control (i.e., difficulty moderating attention to task-irrelevant stimuli), and whether this would vary for unpleasant compared to neutral stimuli or early versus later stages of stimulus processing, the present study employed a working memory task interspersed with the presentation of task-irrelevant unpleasant and neutral pictures. Working memory load activates the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a neural region implicated in attentional control, and functional activation of the DLPFC has been shown to reduce the processing of task-irrelevant pictures. As in prior work, the late positive potential (LPP) event-related potential was larger for unpleasant compared to neutral pictures, and working memory load reduced the picture-elicited LPP. Higher working memory load also reduced frontal alpha power, suggesting increased frontal brain activity; moreover, the modulation of left frontal alpha by working memory load predicted reductions in the LPP. In contrast to the control (n = 35) and comorbid (n = 36) groups, individuals with pure GAD (n = 36) failed to show working memory load modulation of the LPP elicited by unpleasant pictures in the middle time window. In the latest time window, individuals in the comorbid group failed to show an effect of working memory load on the LPP elicited by either picture type. Correlational analysis revealed a smaller effect of working memory load on picture-elicited LPPs for individuals with higher self-reported anhedonic depression. The results suggest that reduced attentional control may represent a shared feature of GAD and comorbid GAD/MDD; comorbid MDD may attenuate early attention toward unpleasant stimuli and modulate later, reactive cognitive control mechanisms observed in GAD. | |
| dcterms.available | 2017-09-20T16:52:10Z | |
| dcterms.contributor | Klein, Dan | en_US |
| dcterms.contributor | Hajcak, Greg | en_US |
| dcterms.contributor | Luhmann, Christian | en_US |
| dcterms.contributor | Mennin, Douglas. | en_US |
| dcterms.creator | MacNamara, Annmarie | |
| dcterms.dateAccepted | 2017-09-20T16:52:10Z | |
| dcterms.dateSubmitted | 2017-09-20T16:52:10Z | |
| dcterms.description | Department of Clinical Psychology. | en_US |
| dcterms.extent | 67 pg. | en_US |
| dcterms.format | Application/PDF | en_US |
| dcterms.format | Monograph | |
| dcterms.identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77190 | |
| dcterms.issued | 2015-08-01 | |
| dcterms.language | en_US | |
| dcterms.provenance | Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-20T16:52:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
MacNamara_grad.sunysb_0771E_11276.pdf: 1076214 bytes, checksum: c53048812c1cfc933e989fd63beb5503 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 2013 | en |
| dcterms.publisher | The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY. | |
| dcterms.subject | Clinical psychology | |
| dcterms.subject | DLPFC, ERP, IAPS, late positive potential, LPP, working memory | |
| dcterms.title | Attentional control and unpleasant stimuli: an event-related potential study in individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder | |
| dcterms.type | Dissertation | |
