Klucken, Tim
Preferred name
Klucken, Tim
Email
tim.klucken@uni-siegen.de
ORCID
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Publication Access status: Metadata only , Increased pupil and heart‐rate responses to sexual stimuli in men after physical exertionPhysical stress has been found to enhance arousability by visual sexual stimuli on a short‐term basis, as reflected in higher phasic pupil dilation responses, probably mediated by sympathetic nervous system (SNS)‐related processes. However, previous research has not addressed the specificity of this effect in terms of emotional valence, that is, whether it reflects an instance of general excitation transfer or a more specific mechanism. Thus, to further investigate changes in sexual processing after acute stress exposure, 40 male participants underwent either a predominantly sympathetic stressor (3 min sustained handgrip) or similar control procedure. After stress induction, pictures varying in valence as well as sexual versus non‐sexual arousal were presented (for 5000 ms each). Using principal component analysis, pupillary responses during picture viewing were dissociated into fast and slow components (early vs. late response phases). In addition, startle eyeblink responses were elicited by bursts of white noise (50 ms, 105 dB) in half of the trials and recorded at the orbicularis oculi via electromyography. Skin conductance and heart rate were co‐registered, as well. While affective startle modulation and skin conductance responses to emotional stimuli were unaffected by previous stress exposure, both evoked heart‐rate deceleration (but not acceleration) and pupil responses were specifically enhanced with sexually arousing stimuli in stressed participants, and this effect was mediated by blood pressure reactivity as an index of preceding SNS activation. Taken together, our findings provide strong evidence for enhancement of sexual processing by acute stress exposure in men and suggest differential involvement of parasympathetic versus sympathetic mechanisms.Source Type:Article - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Publication Access status: Metadata only , Inhibitory control and its modification in spider phobia – Study protocol for an antisaccade training trialObjectives Inhibitory control deficits are considered a key pathogenic factor in anxiety disorders. To assess inhibitory control, the antisaccade task is a well-established measure that assesses antisaccade performance via latencies and error rates. The present study follows three aims: (1) to investigate inhibitory control via antisaccade latencies and errors in an antisaccade task, and their associations with multiple measures of fear in patients with spider phobia (SP) versus healthy controls (HC), (2) to investigate the modifiability of antisaccade performance via a fear-specific antisaccade training in patients with SP and HC, and (3) to explore associations between putative training-induced changes in antisaccade performance in SPs and changes in diverse measures of fear. Methods Towards aim 1, we assess antisaccade latencies (primary outcome) and error rates (secondary outcome) in an emotional antisaccade task. Further, the baseline assessment includes assessments of psychophysiological, behavioral, and psychometric indices of fear in patients with SP and HCs. To address aim 2, we compare effects of a fear-specific antisaccade training with effects of a prosaccade training as a control condition. The primary and secondary outcomes are reassessed at a post-1-assessment in both SPs and HCs. Aim 3 employs a cross-over design and is piloted in patients with SP, only. Towards this aim, primary and secondary outcomes, as well as psychophysiological, behavioral, and psychometric measures of fear are reassessed at a post-2-assessment after the second training block. Conclusion This study aims to better understand inhibitory control processes and their modifiability in spider phobia. If successful, antisaccade training may assist in the treatment of specific phobia by directly targeting the putative underlying inhibitory control deficits. This study has been preregistered with ISRCTN (ID: ISRCTN12918583 ) on 28th February 2022.Source Type:Article - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Publication Access status: Metadata only , Mobile phone-based approach bias retraining for smokers seeking abstinence: a randomized-controlled studyApproach bias modification (ApBM) has shown promise in addiction treatment, but effects are small and ecological validity suffers from completing trainings in the laboratory. Providing app-based trainings via mobile phones could increase training efficacy. One-hundred-and-thirty-one smokers seeking abstinence attended a smoking cessation intervention and were thereafter randomized to one of three conditions: (a) app-based ApBM-training; (b) app-based sham training; (c) no training. App trainings were performed on 14 consecutive days at home. Behavioral and self-report data was assessed at pretest, posttest, and a 6-week follow-up. App-based ApBM led to stronger reductions in cigarette smoking as compared to no training. However, both training variants led to stronger declines in nicotine dependence and the sham training was superior in reducing alcohol consumption. Although approach biases for positive cues increased following ApBM training, this effect did not mediate treatment outcome. Other smoking-related cognitive biases did not change after training. Our results can inform future research in the optimization and advancement of ApBM treatment for addiction. Trial registration Registered with Current Controlled Trials: study ID ISRCTN15690771. Registered on 20 November 2018; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN15690771 .Source Type:Article - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Publication Access status: Metadata only , The impact of past childhood adversity and recent life events on neural responses during fear conditioning(2023); ; Background and purpose Many studies have shown that exposure to life events can have a negative impact on mental health. Life events like the death of a spouse or the birth of a child pose a challenge and require temporal or permanent adjustments. Meta‐analyses on brain stress responses found bilateral anterior insula activation in response to acute stress. Fear conditioning is assumed a crucial mechanism for the development of anxiety disorders associated with increased activation in the bilateral amygdala. Empirical evidence is lacking regarding the relationship of exposure to recent life events and past childhood adversity with neural processing during fear conditioning. Methods In the present study, we analyzed data from 103 young, healthy participants. Multiple linear regressions were performed on functional magnetic resonance imaging activation during fear conditioning with the Life Events Scale for Students and the Childhood Trauma questionnaire included as covariates in two separate models. Results We found a positive relationship between the number of life events in the last year and left amygdala activation to the conditioned stimulus. A second finding was a positive relationship between childhood adversity and right anterior insula response to the unconditioned stimulus. Conclusions Many studies have shown increased amygdala activity after stressful life events. In addition, the anterior insula is activated during acute stress. The present study points to stressor‐induced increased salience processing during fear conditioning. We suggest that this could be a potential mechanism for resilience versus mental illness.Source Type:Article1