The Effects of Early Life Stress on Decision Making Under Risk, Response Inhibition, and Error Processing as Risk Factors for Cocaine Addiction Pubblico

Straub, Amanda Lea (2010)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/cn69m440f?locale=it
Published

Abstract

Early life stress is associated with an increased risk for drug addiction, but little is understood about how traumatic events in childhood mediate adverse outcomes in adulthood. Eleven adults with early life stress histories (ELS group), eleven men with cocaine dependence (Cocaine group), and fifteen healthy comparison subjects (Control group) participated in an fMRI study of response inhibition and decision making under risk. In a stop-signal task, groups did not differ in stop-signal reaction time, a measure of response inhibition. However, exploratory analyses determined that both ELS males and cocaine-dependent subjects failed to display adaptive slowing following failed stops. Neuroimaging data identified diminished striatal and insula responses in the ELS subjects compared to the Control group for errors of commission; a regression analysis of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) total scores across these trials indicated a dose-effect relationship between early life stress and insula hypoactivity following errors of commission. Despite reduced adaptive slowing behavior, cocaine-dependent individuals displayed greater error-related activations in the striatum - but not insula - compared with the Control group. These results implicate early life stress in an inability to adapt behavior to a changing environment, potentially through reduced insula activity related to poor recognition of errors. The behavioral results from a decision making task revealed no group differences among females in choice selection. However, ELS males and Cocaine males were more likely than Control males to make risky decisions for small rewards. fMRI results indicated that decision making activated the bilateral striatum in the Control group but not the ELS or Cocaine groups. A regression analysis of decision making trials and CTQ total scores further revealed that early life stress results in decreased engagement of the striatum and frontal cortical regions during decision making under risk. These results suggest that early life stress may affect the processes of reward valuation and choice selection through altered neurodevelopment of striatal and frontal brain regions. This research provides a novel understanding of the effects of early life stress on cognitive processes and their behavioral consequences and identifies potential brain mechanisms through which early life stress may increase risk for addiction.

Table of Contents



Table of Contents


CONTENTS PAGE
NUMBERS



Introduction

1
Methods
12

Results
25
Discussion
35

Figures and Tables
46
Literature Cited
72



Figures and Tables

CONTENTS PAGE
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Figure 1
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Figure 2
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Table 1
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Figure 3
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Table 2
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Figure 4
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Table 3
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Table 4
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Table 5
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Table 6
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Table 7
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Table 8
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Table 9
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Figure 5
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Figure 6
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Figure 7
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Figure 8
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Figure 9
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Figure 10
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Table 10
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Table 11
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Table 12
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Table13
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Table 14
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Figure 11
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