TY - JOUR
T1 - Neural correlates of generation and inhibition of verbal association patterns in mood disorders
AU - Piguet, Camille
AU - Desseilles, Martin
AU - Cojan, Yann
AU - Sterpenich, Virginie
AU - Dayer, Alexandre
AU - Bertschy, Gilles
AU - Vuilleumier, Patrik
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Objectives: Thought disorders such as rumination or flight of ideas are frequent in patients with mood disorders, and not systematically linked to mood state. These symptoms point to anomalies in cognitive processes mediating the generation and control of thoughts; for example, associative thinking and inhibition. However, their neural substrates are not known. Method: To obtain an ecological measure of neural processes underlying the generation and suppression of spontaneous thoughts, we designed a free word association task during fMRI allowing us to explore verbal associative patterns in patients with mood disorders and matched controls. Participants were presented with emotionally negative, positive or neutral words, and asked to produce two words either related or unrelated to these stimuli. Results: Relative to controls, patients produced a reverse pattern of answer typicality for the related vs unrelated conditions. Controls activated larger semantic and executive control networks, as well as basal ganglia, precuneus and middle frontal gyrus. Unlike controls, patients activated fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and medial prefrontal cortex for emotional stimuli. Conclusions: Mood disorder patients are impaired in automated associative processes, but prone to produce more unique/personal associations through activation of memory and self-related areas.
AB - Objectives: Thought disorders such as rumination or flight of ideas are frequent in patients with mood disorders, and not systematically linked to mood state. These symptoms point to anomalies in cognitive processes mediating the generation and control of thoughts; for example, associative thinking and inhibition. However, their neural substrates are not known. Method: To obtain an ecological measure of neural processes underlying the generation and suppression of spontaneous thoughts, we designed a free word association task during fMRI allowing us to explore verbal associative patterns in patients with mood disorders and matched controls. Participants were presented with emotionally negative, positive or neutral words, and asked to produce two words either related or unrelated to these stimuli. Results: Relative to controls, patients produced a reverse pattern of answer typicality for the related vs unrelated conditions. Controls activated larger semantic and executive control networks, as well as basal ganglia, precuneus and middle frontal gyrus. Unlike controls, patients activated fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and medial prefrontal cortex for emotional stimuli. Conclusions: Mood disorder patients are impaired in automated associative processes, but prone to produce more unique/personal associations through activation of memory and self-related areas.
KW - fMRI
KW - Free word association
KW - Inhibition
KW - Mood disorders
KW - Thoughts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84936937872&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/scan/nsu146
DO - 10.1093/scan/nsu146
M3 - Article
C2 - 25406367
AN - SCOPUS:84936937872
SN - 1749-5016
VL - 10
SP - 978
EP - 986
JO - Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
JF - Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
IS - 7
M1 - nsu146
ER -