Coan, J. A., Allen, J. J., & McKnight, P. E. (2006). A capability model of individual differences in frontal EEG asymmetry. Biological Psychology, 72(2), 198-207.
PMID: 16316717;PMCID: PMC2835626;Abstract:
Researchers interested in measuring individual differences in affective style via asymmetries in frontal brain activity have depended almost exclusively upon the resting state for EEG recording. This reflects an implicit conceptualization of affective style as a response predisposition that is manifest in frontal EEG asymmetry, with the goal to describe individuals in terms of their general approach or withdrawal tendencies. Alternatively, the response capability conceptualization seeks to identify individual capabilities for approach versus withdrawal responses during emotionally salient events. The capability approach confers a variety of advantages to the study of affective style and personality, and suggests new possibilities for the approach/withdrawal motivational model of frontal EEG asymmetry and emotion. Logical as well as empirical arguments supportive of this conclusion are presented. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
May, L. E., Allen, J. J., & Gustafson, K. M. (2016). Fetal and maternal cardiac responses to physical activity and exercise during pregnancy. Early human development, 94, 49-52.
Sanguinetti, J., & Allen, J. J. (2017). Transcranial ultrasound improves mood and affects resting state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers. Brain Stimulation: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in Neuromodulation, 10(2), 426.
Gründler, T. O., Cavanagh, J. F., Figueroa, C. M., Frank, M. J., & Allen, J. J. (2009). Task-related dissociation in ERN amplitude as a function of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Neuropsychologia, 47(8-9), 1978-1987.
PMID: 19428431;PMCID: PMC2680784;Abstract:
Hyperactive cortico-striatal circuits including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) have been implicated to underlie obtrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Larger error-related negativities (ERNs) in OCD patients during simple flanker tasks have been proposed to reflect an amplified error signal in these hyperactive circuits. Such amplified error signals typically are associated with an adaptive change in response, yet in OCD these same repetitive responses persist to the point of distress and impairment. In contrast to this repetitive character of OC behavior, larger ERN amplitudes have been linked to better avoidance learning in reinforcement learning tasks. Study I thus investigated if OC symptomatology in non-patients predicted an enhanced ERN after suboptimal choices in a probabilistic learning task. Absent any behavioral differences, higher OC symptoms predicted smaller ERNs. Study II replicated this effect in an independent sample while also replicating findings of a larger ERN in a flanker task. There were no relevant behavioral differences in reinforcement learning or error monitoring as a function of symptom score. These findings implicate different, yet overlapping neural mechanisms underlying the negative deflection in the ERP following the execution of an erroneous motor response and the one following a suboptimal choice in a reinforcement learning paradigm. OC symptomatology may be dissociated in these neural systems, with hypoactivity in a system that enables learning to avoid maladaptive choices, and hyperactivity in another system that enables the same behavior to be repeated when it was assessed as not quite good enough the first time. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Schnyer, R. N., & Allen, J. J. (2002). Bridging the gap in complementary and alternative medicine research: Manualization as a means of promoting standardization and flexibility of treatment in clinical trials of acupuncture. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 8(5), 623-634.
PMID: 12470444;Abstract:
Introduction: An important methodological challenge encountered in acupuncture clinical research involves the design of treatment protocols that help ensure standardization and replicability while allowing for the necessary flexibility to tailor treatments to each individual. Manualization of protocols used in clinical trials of acupuncture and other traditionally-based complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) systems facilitates the systematic delivery of replicable and standardized, yet individually-tailored treatments. Objectives: To facilitate high-quality CAM acupuncture research by outlining a method for the systematic design and implementation of protocols used in CAM clinical trials based on the concept of treatment manualization. Methods: A series of treatment manuals was developed to systematically articulate the Chinese medical theoretical and clinical framework for a given Western-defined illness, to increase the quality and consistency of treatment, and to standardize the technical aspects of the protocol. In all, three manuals were developed for National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded clinical trials of acupuncture for depression, spasticity in cerebral palsy, and repetitive stress injury. In Part I, the rationale underlying these manuals and the challenges encountered in creating them are discussed, and qualitative assessments of their utility are provided. In Part II, a methodology to develop treatment manuals for use in clinical trials is detailed, and examples are given. Conclusions: A treatment manual provides a precise way to train and supervise practitioners, enable evaluation of conformity and competence, facilitate the training process, and increase the ability to identify the active therapeutic ingredients in clinical trials of acupuncture.
