Methodological Issues in the Use of Individual Brain Measures to Index Trait Liabilities: The Example of Noise-probe P3

Overview

Journal Int J Psychophysiol

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2016 Nov 19

PMID 27856400

Citations 6

Authors

Emily R Perkins

James R Yancey

Laura E Drislane

Noah C Venables

Steve Balsis

Christopher J Patrick

Affiliations

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Abstract

Recent research initiatives have called for an increased use of biological concepts and measures in defining and studying mental health problems, but important measurement-related challenges confront efforts in this direction. This article highlights some of these challenges with reference to an intriguing measure of neural reactivity: the probe P3 response, a mid-latency brain potential evoked by an intense, unexpected acoustic-probe stimulus. Using data for a large adult sample (N=418), we report evidence that amplitude of probe P3 response to unwarned noise bursts occurring in a picture-viewing task exhibits robust, independent associations with two distinct trait constructs: weak inhibitory control (or disinhibition; DIS) and threat sensitivity (THT). Additionally, we report a selective association for THT with attentional suppression of probe P3 response during viewing of aversive pictures compared to neutral. These results point to separable elements of variance underlying the probe P3 response, including one element reflecting DIS-related variations in cognitive-elaborative processing, and others reflecting THT-related variations in aversive foreground engagement and abrupt defensive reorientation. Key measurement issues are considered in relation to these specific findings, and methodological and statistical approaches for addressing these issues are discussed in relation to advancement of a quantitatively sound, biologically informed science of psychopathology.

Citing Articles

Pain processing and antisocial behavior: A multimodal investigation of the roles of boldness and meanness.

Brislin S, Perkins E, Ribes-Guardiola P, Patrick C, Foell J Personal Disord. 2022; 13(6):685-696.

PMID: 35266769 PMC: 10132310. DOI: 10.1037/per0000556.

Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the P3 event-related potential (ERP) elicited by alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage pictures.

Cofresi R, Piasecki T, Hajcak G, Bartholow B Psychophysiology. 2021; 59(2):e13967.

PMID: 34783024 PMC: 8724465. DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13967.

Posttraumatic stress symptom dimensions and brain responses to startling auditory stimuli in combat veterans.

Marquardt C, Pokorny V, Kang S, Cuthbert B, Sponheim S J Abnorm Psychol. 2021; 130(5):455-467.

PMID: 34472883 PMC: 11772048. DOI: 10.1037/abn0000552.

Back to Basics: The Importance of Measurement Properties in Biological Psychiatry.

Moriarity D, Alloy L Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021; 123:72-82.

PMID: 33497789 PMC: 7933060. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.008.

Using a co-twin control design to evaluate alternative trait measures as indices of liability for substance use disorders.

Joyner K, Yancey J, Venables N, Burwell S, Iacono W, Patrick C Int J Psychophysiol. 2019; 148:75-83.

PMID: 31857192 PMC: 10659239. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.11.012.

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