{"title":"Insights into Overlapping Brain Networks for Anxiety and Alcohol Use Disorders.","authors":"Nicole L Zabik, Jennifer Urbano Blackford","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_592","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_592","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating condition affecting over 30 million Americans. AUD commonly co-occurs with other disorders, like other substance use disorders, trauma-related disorders, and anxiety disorders. Of the numerous co-occurring disorders, anxiety disorders are the most pervasive: anxiety disorders serve as a risk factor for developing AUD, emerge as co-occurring disorders that maintain alcohol drinking, and impede the effectiveness of treatments for AUD. Anxiety, therefore, shapes the development, course, and treatment of AUDs. AUDs can also increase anxiety, suggesting a complex, bidirectional relation between alcohol use and anxiety. The intersection of AUDs and anxiety is also supported by their overlapping neural circuits, specifically neural circuits involved in stress responding, reward processing, and cognitive control. The current review highlights findings from several decades of research on how anxiety impacts the brain and treatment outcomes in AUDs. We also provide important considerations for future research, with the goal of reducing the shame and burden of alcohol use for individuals with AUD and their families.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prenatal Antidepressant Exposure and the Developing Brain: A Review of Neuroimaging Findings.","authors":"Kayleigh S J Campbell, Tim F Oberlander","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antenatal mood disturbances are experienced by as many as 20% of pregnant mothers and are commonly treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressants. Both maternal depression and SRIs during pregnancy are associated with low birth weight and infant neurobehavioral disturbances, as well as longer-term impacts on child neurodevelopment, behavior, and mental health. As maternal depression and its pharmacotherapy are inherently interrelated prenatal exposures, distinguishing how these early life factors uniquely impact child development remains methodologically challenging. Over the past several years, however, advanced neuroimaging has been successfully used to identify neural correlates of prenatal depression and SRI antidepressant exposure on the developing brain, extending from the early newborn period through adolescence. In this review, we examine the use of magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to study child brain structure or function, with a specific focus on prenatal antidepressants as the primary exposure in relation to either typical development or exposure to maternal depressed mood alone. We include both cross-sectional and longitudinal neuroimaging studies, as well as those that link early brain findings with cognitive or behavioral outcome in childhood. We also discuss factors that may shape neurodevelopmental risk (e.g., maternal mental illness severity, sex differences, genetic variability) and present suggestions for future research that will advance our understanding of child brain development in the context of maternal mood disturbances during pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143959166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Intersection of Interoception and Anticipation Related to Pain.","authors":"Irina A Strigo, Alan N Simmons","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_588","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_588","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This chapter focuses on the interconnectedness of bodily awareness, emotion, and time perception, focusing on the roles of interoception and anticipation, pioneered by A.D. (Bud) Craig and advanced by contemporary research. Pain, a pivotal aspect of human experience, serves as a conduit for understanding our relationship with the world. Anticipation of pain, vital for survival, influences subjective pain experiences and is modulated by factors such as physiological reactivity and contextual cues. Emotional states significantly shape pain perception, with chronic pain conditions and affective disorders characterized by dysregulated pain modulation mechanisms. We discuss a state space model for pain, wherein pain functions as a latent construct shaped by both anticipatory and contemporaneous factors. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for informing clinical interventions aimed at pain management and highlights the intersection of interoception, emotion, and pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143958168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Alcohol-Induced Changes in Brain Microstructure: Uncovering Novel Pathophysiological Mechanisms of AUD Using Translational DTI in Humans and Rodents.","authors":"Wolfgang H Sommer, Santiago Canals","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_585","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_585","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alcohol use disorder (AUD) induces significant structural alterations in both gray and white matter, contributing to cognitive and functional impairments. This chapter presents a translational neuroimaging approach using diffusion-weighted MRI in humans and rodents to uncover novel pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AUD. Our studies demonstrate that increased mean diffusivity (MD) in gray matter reflects microglial reactivity and reduced extracellular space tortuosity, leading to enhanced volume neurotransmission. In white matter, fractional anisotropy (FA) reductions indicate progressive deterioration of key tracts, particularly the fimbria/fornix, linked to impaired cognitive flexibility. Importantly, longitudinal analyses reveal that white matter degeneration continues during early abstinence, suggesting that neuroinflammation and demyelination persist beyond alcohol cessation. Finally, we discuss how neuromodulatory interventions, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), may promote recovery by enhancing myelin plasticity. These findings provide crucial insights into AUD's neurobiological underpinnings and highlight potential therapeutic targets for improving treatment outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143990809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sensory and Multisensory Processing Changes and Their Contributions to Autism and Schizophrenia.","authors":"Sarah G Vassall, Mark T Wallace","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_589","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_589","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural environments are typically multisensory, comprising information from multiple sensory modalities. It is in the integration of these incoming sensory signals that we form our perceptual gestalt that allows us to navigate through the world with relative ease. However, differences in multisensory integration (MSI) ability are found in a number of clinical conditions. Throughout this chapter, we discuss how MSI differences contribute to phenotypic characterization of autism and schizophrenia. Although these clinical populations are often described as opposite each other on a number of spectra, we describe similarities in behavioral performance and neural functions between the two conditions. Understanding the shared features of autism and schizophrenia through the lens of MSI research allows us to better understand the neural and behavioral underpinnings of both disorders. We provide potential avenues for remediation of MSI function in these populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143974717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Personal and Scientific Introduction to the Work of A.D. (Bud) Craig on Interoception and the Insular Cortex.","authors":"Irina A Strigo, Alan N Simmons, Marc Wittmann","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_583","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_583","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A.D. (Bud) Craig was best known to us colloquially as Bud Craig; his groundbreaking work has advanced our understanding of the neuroanatomical basis of the bodily self, emotion, and subjective time. His research elucidated the intricate pathways of interoception - the brain's processing of internal body signals - and highlighted the insula's pivotal role in integrating these signals. Craig's pioneering insights demonstrated that bodily sensations, such as pain and temperature, are deeply intertwined with emotional experiences and homeostatic needs. By mapping the thalamocortical pathways and emphasizing the insula's function in predicting future bodily states, he provided a comprehensive framework that connects physiological states to emotional and temporal experiences. This fundamental work has profoundly influenced a new generation of scientists and inspired the current volume. In this book, we have invited researchers influenced by Craig's theories to explore the neural correlates of emotion, pain, interoception, and time. In this chapter, we present how the editors of this book were directly influenced by Craig's findings and lay the groundwork for the large collective contribution of the authors of the subsequent chapters that continue to explore this ever-evolving scientific landscape.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143989845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Traumatic Psychedelic Experiences.","authors":"Abigail E Calder, Vincent J Diehl, Gregor Hasler","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_579","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychedelic experiences involving extreme feelings of horror, helplessness, and perceived threats can be traumatizing. Traumatic psychedelic experiences are a rare, extreme, and largely preventable form of challenging experience which can arise due to frightening psychedelic drug effects, unsafe settings, and emergence of pre-existing trauma. Some people recover quickly, but others develop prolonged anxiety, sleep disturbances, derealization, or other potentially trauma-related symptoms. This chapter discusses the causes, phenomenology, and potential outcomes of traumatic psychedelic experiences, as well as how to prevent them and minimize their negative impact.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143968643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interoception in Adolescence: Impacts on Mental Health and Adaptive Functioning.","authors":"April C May, Susan Tapert","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_580","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interoception plays a critical role in emotion regulation and mental health during adolescence, a critical period marked by profound biological, cognitive, and emotional changes. Variability in interoceptive processing during adolescence is shaped by biological, hormonal, and psychosocial factors, with implications for both resilience and vulnerability to affective disorders such as anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and substance use. This chapter reviews the trajectory of interoceptive development in adolescence, emphasizing its role in shaping emotional and behavioral outcomes. Interventions aimed at improving interoceptive awareness, including mindfulness practices and body-awareness training, are also reviewed as promising strategies to support emotional resilience and mental well-being during this formative stage. Understanding the complexities of interoception in adolescence provides a foundation for advancing research and interventions that promote adaptive functioning and long-term mental health.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143991483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sensing the Self: The Role of the Insula and Interoception in Body Image.","authors":"Emily M Choquette, Sahib S Khalsa","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_581","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_581","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This chapter explores the insula's role in shaping body image through interoception - the neural process of sensing, interpreting, and integrating internal bodily signals to facilitate a coherent sense of self. Drawing on A.D. (Bud) Craig's hierarchical model, which emphasizes the insula's integration of sensory input into higher-order self-representations, we examine how disruptions in interoceptive processing may contribute to body image disturbance. This framework is applied to mental health conditions such as anorexia nervosa, body dysmorphic disorder, as well as physical health conditions including phantom limb pain and cancer, highlighting evidence for impaired interoceptive signaling and altered insular cortex function. We propose a mechanistic model describing how such disruptions can affect both sensory processing and the subjective experience of the body, leading to distorted body perception. We conclude with a discussion of future research directions and the potential for interoception-based therapeutic interventions targeting body image disturbance.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disturbances in Auditory and Visual Perceptual Function in Schizophrenia: Patterns, Causes, and Consequences.","authors":"Daniel C Javitt","doi":"10.1007/7854_2025_582","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2025_582","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder and a leading cause of global disability. Increasing evidence ties impairments in both auditory and visual perceptual processing to impaired functional outcomes. In the auditory system, deficits are observed in the ability to process changes in tonality, leading to deficits in the detection of nonverbal aspects of auditory communication, including emotion and sarcasm. In the auditory sytem, these deficits are indexed by impaired generation of mismatch negativity (MMN), which has become a widely utilized index of auditory perceptual dysfunction. In the visual system, deficits are especially observed in functions related to the magnocellular visual pathway, which projects preferentially to the dorsal visual stream. Dorsal stream dysfunction, in turn, contributes to impairments in processes such as fragmented object recognition, face emotion recognition, and social cognition. Indices of visual perceptual dysfunction include visual P1 responses to magnocellular-biased stimuli, as well as fMRI activation levels within the dorsal and ventral streams. Perceptual level deficits are tied most directly to impaired function of N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDAR) and thus may serve both as pathophysiologically based nosological biomarkers and as targets for neuromodulatory and pharmacological treatment development.</p>","PeriodicalId":11257,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in behavioral neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143763369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}