Iris van Oostrom | Radboudumc Nijmegen - The Netherlands (original) (raw)
Papers by Iris van Oostrom
Schizophrenia Research, 2000
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2020
Background: Cognitive theories of major depressive disorder (MDD) assume that cognitive biases en... more Background: Cognitive theories of major depressive disorder (MDD) assume that cognitive biases engender and maintain depressive symptoms. Given the higher prevalence of MDD in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than in the general population, we performed a structured review of the empirical literature on cognitive biases in ASD to examine the possible role of biases in the increased cognitive vulnerability for MDD. Method: We reviewed the recent literature on cognitive biases in individuals with ASD. Literature searches were conducted by using the databases PubMed and PsycInfo consistent with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. The 31 identified studies meeting our inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality using a modified version of the Systematic Assessment of Quality in Observational Research (SAQOR) rating system. Results: The results show that half of the studies included did not find differences in cognitive biases in individuals with ASD compared to controls. In the studies that did establish differences in cognitive bias, individuals with ASD were reported to show less pronounced negative biases. A closer inspection reveals that Theory of Mind demands of the task and developmental age might partially have influenced these results. Importantly, most of the studies included did not control for symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Conclusions: Although, based on the current literature, differential cognitive biases may not be a marker for MDD in ASD, more research is needed taking specific potential confounders, and distorting influences into account.
PLOS ONE, 2018
Depression risk genes in combination with childhood events have been associated with biased proce... more Depression risk genes in combination with childhood events have been associated with biased processing as an intermediate phenotype for depression. The aim of the present conceptual replication study was to investigate the role of biased automatic approach-avoidance tendencies as a candidate intermediate phenotype for depression, in the context of genes (5-HTTLPR polymorphism) and childhood trauma. A naturalistic remitted depressed patients sample (N = 209) performed an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) with facial expressions (angry, sad, happy and neutral). Childhood trauma was assessed with a questionnaire. Genotype groups were created based on allele frequency: L a L a versus S/L g-carriers. The latter is associated with depression risk. We found that remitted S/L g-carriers who experienced childhood trauma automatically avoided sad facial expressions relatively more than L a L a homozygotes with childhood trauma. Remitted L a L a-carriers who had not experienced childhood trauma, avoided sad faces relatively more than L a L a homozygotes with childhood trauma. We did not find a main effect of childhood trauma, nor differential avoidance of any of the other facial expressions. Although tentative, the results suggest that automatic approach-avoidance tendencies for disorder-congruent materials may be a fitting intermediate phenotype for depression. The specific pattern of tendencies, and the relation to depression, may depend on the genetic risk profile and childhood trauma, but replication is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
The journal of ECT, Jun 1, 2018
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still the most effective treatment of severe and therapy-refra... more Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still the most effective treatment of severe and therapy-refractory major depressive disorder. Cognitive side effects are the major disadvantage of ECT. Cognitive deficits are generally temporary in nature and may be mediated by the hippocampus. Recent studies have shown a temporary increase in hippocampal volume and a temporary decrease in cognitive functioning post-ECT compared with pre-ECT. This study investigates whether these volumetric changes are related to changes in cognitive functioning after ECT. Nineteen medication-free patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder underwent a whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging scan and a neuropsychological examination (including the Rey auditory verbal learning task, Wechsler Memory Scale Visual Reproduction, fluency, Trail Making Task) within 1 week before and within 1 week after the course of ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy was administered twice a week bitemporally with a brief puls...
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, Jan 28, 2017
Stressful life events, especially Childhood Trauma, predict ADHD symptoms. Childhood Trauma and n... more Stressful life events, especially Childhood Trauma, predict ADHD symptoms. Childhood Trauma and negatively biased memory are risk factors for affective disorders. The association of life events and bias with ADHD symptoms may inform about the etiology of ADHD. Memory bias was tested using a computer task in N = 675 healthy adults. Life events and ADHD symptoms were assessed using questionnaires. The mediation of the association between life events and ADHD symptoms by memory bias was examined. We explored the roles of different types of life events and of ADHD symptom clusters. Life events and memory bias were associated with overall ADHD symptoms as well as inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom clusters. Memory bias mediated the association of Lifetime Life Events, specifically Childhood Trauma, with ADHD symptoms. Negatively biased memory may be a cognitive marker of the effects of Childhood Trauma on the development and/or persistence of ADHD symptoms.
Brain and behavior, 2017
Both childhood trauma and negative memory bias are associated with the onset and severity level o... more Both childhood trauma and negative memory bias are associated with the onset and severity level of several psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders. Studies on these risk factors, however, generally use homogeneous noncomorbid samples. Hence, studies in naturalistic psychiatric samples are lacking. Moreover, we know little about the quantitative relationship between the frequency of traumatic childhood events, strength of memory bias and number of comorbid psychiatric disorders; the latter being an index of severity. The current study examined the association of childhood trauma and negative memory bias with psychopathology in a large naturalistic psychiatric patient sample. Frequency of traumatic childhood events (emotional neglect, psychological-, physical- and sexual abuse) was assessed using a questionnaire in a sample of 252 adult psychiatric patients with no psychotic or bipolar-I disorder and no cognitive disorder as main diagnosis. Patients were diagno...
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 2017
Eur Spine J, 2006
Genetic counseling and the psychosocial impact of genetic cancer susceptibility testing 2. A coun... more Genetic counseling and the psychosocial impact of genetic cancer susceptibility testing 2. A counselling model for BRCA1/2 genetic susceptibility testing.
Hereditary Cancer in Clinical Practice, 2004
Item does not contain fulltex
Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde, 2013
Neurosyphilis is a tertiary form of syphilis and is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. ... more Neurosyphilis is a tertiary form of syphilis and is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. Today, more than one type of neurosyphilis often manifest simultaneously, which can pose difficulties to the diagnostic process. A 45-year-old man presented with an attack of stammering and loss of strength in the right half of his body. Diagnostic testing led to a suspected TIA and the man was treated as such. It was only a few months later, when he had developed more neurological symptoms, that the diagnosis of 'neurosyphilis' was made. Despite treatment with benzyl penicillin, he also developed symptoms of a psychiatric nature. The patient described in this article had symptoms consistent with both meningovascular syphilis and generalised paresis. Detailed history-taking was necessary to make the diagnosis (the patient had a history of gonorrhoea). A seemingly insignificant detail - an elevated estimated sedimentation rate - was an important clue.
Neuropsychologia, 2010
In several domains of psychology it has been shown that mood influences the way in which we proce... more In several domains of psychology it has been shown that mood influences the way in which we process information. So far, little is known about the relation between mood and processes of language comprehension. In the present study we explore, whether, and if so how, mood affects the processing of syntactic anomalies in real time by recording event-related potentials (ERPs). To this aim we compared the P600 effect to subject-verb agreement errors relative to correct sentences while ERPs were recorded and mood was manipulated by presenting happy or sad film clips. The prediction was that if emotional state affects processes of language comprehension this should be reflected by an interaction between mood and P600. The results were as follows: first, the mood induction procedure was effective: participants were happier after watching happy film clips and sadder after watching sad film clips compared to baseline. Second, for P600 a mood by syntactic correctness interaction was obtained for the midline and lateral electrodes. The interaction reflected a broadly distributed P600 effect for the happy mood condition and a strong reduction in P600 effect for the sad mood condition. Correlation analyses confirmed that the observed changes in P600 effect were accompanied by reliable changes in emotional state. The present ERP findings demonstrate that mood interacts with processes of language comprehension. Three possible explanations for the mood by syntactic correctness interaction are discussed; one in terms of syntactic processing, one in terms of heuristic processing, and one in terms of more general factors like attention and/or motivation.
BMC Psychiatry, 2022
Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, howev... more Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, however, current treatment options are insufficiently effective for about 35% of patients, resulting in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a form of non-invasive neuromodulation that is effective in treating TRD. Not much is known about the comparative efficacy of rTMS and other treatments and their timing within the treatment algorithm, making it difficult for the treating physician to establish when rTMS is best offered as a treatment option. This study aims to investigate the (cost-)effectiveness of rTMS (in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and continued antidepressant medication), compared to the next step in the treatment algorithm. This will be done in a sample of patients with treatment resistant non-psychotic unipolar depression. Methods In this pragmatic multicenter randomized controlled trial 132 patients w...
Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2013
Since the introduction of the associative network theory, mood-congruent biases in emotional info... more Since the introduction of the associative network theory, mood-congruent biases in emotional information processing have been established in individuals in a sad and happy mood. Research has concentrated on memory and attentional biases. According to the network theory, mood-congruent behavioral tendencies would also be predicted. Alternatively, a general avoidance pattern would also be in line with the theory. Since cognitive biases have been assumed to operate strongly in case of social stimuli, mood-induced biases in approach and avoidance behavior towards emotional facial expressions were studied. 306 females were subjected to a highly emotional fragment of a sad or a happy movie, to induce either a sad mood or a happy mood. An Approach-Avoidance Task was implemented, in which single pictures of faces (with angry, sad, happy, or neutral expression) and non-social control pictures were presented. In contrast to our expectations, mood states did not produce differential behavioral biases. Mood-congruent and mood-incongruent behavioral tendencies were, however, present in a subgroup of participants with highest depressive symptomatology scores. This suggests that behavioral approach-avoidance biases are not sensitive to mood state, but more related to depressive characteristics.
Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2014
Cognitive bias modification (CBM) has been found to be effective in modifying information-process... more Cognitive bias modification (CBM) has been found to be effective in modifying information-processing biases and in reducing emotional reactivity to stress. Although modification of attention and interpretation biases has frequently been studied, it is not clear whether memory bias can be manipulated through direct training of emotional recall. In two studies (in undergraduate students and in a community sample), memory bias for emotional verbal stimuli was trained with cued recall of either positive or negative words. We did not find evidence for malleability of memory bias for trained stimuli or induction of emotional reactivity to stress in either study. The training did, however, stimulate training-congruent incorrect recall in the community sample. Although we found no evidence for the direct modification of memory bias, the more global effect obtained with respect to retrieval of emotional information from memory holds promise for CBM-memory studies in clinical samples.
Psychiatry Research, 2014
J.N. Vrijsen). Please cite this article as: Vrijsen, J.N., et al., What is the contribution of di... more J.N. Vrijsen). Please cite this article as: Vrijsen, J.N., et al., What is the contribution of different cognitive biases and stressful childhood events to the presence and number of previous depressive episodes? Psychiatry Research (2014), http://dx.
Schizophrenia Research, 2000
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2020
Background: Cognitive theories of major depressive disorder (MDD) assume that cognitive biases en... more Background: Cognitive theories of major depressive disorder (MDD) assume that cognitive biases engender and maintain depressive symptoms. Given the higher prevalence of MDD in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) than in the general population, we performed a structured review of the empirical literature on cognitive biases in ASD to examine the possible role of biases in the increased cognitive vulnerability for MDD. Method: We reviewed the recent literature on cognitive biases in individuals with ASD. Literature searches were conducted by using the databases PubMed and PsycInfo consistent with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. The 31 identified studies meeting our inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality using a modified version of the Systematic Assessment of Quality in Observational Research (SAQOR) rating system. Results: The results show that half of the studies included did not find differences in cognitive biases in individuals with ASD compared to controls. In the studies that did establish differences in cognitive bias, individuals with ASD were reported to show less pronounced negative biases. A closer inspection reveals that Theory of Mind demands of the task and developmental age might partially have influenced these results. Importantly, most of the studies included did not control for symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Conclusions: Although, based on the current literature, differential cognitive biases may not be a marker for MDD in ASD, more research is needed taking specific potential confounders, and distorting influences into account.
PLOS ONE, 2018
Depression risk genes in combination with childhood events have been associated with biased proce... more Depression risk genes in combination with childhood events have been associated with biased processing as an intermediate phenotype for depression. The aim of the present conceptual replication study was to investigate the role of biased automatic approach-avoidance tendencies as a candidate intermediate phenotype for depression, in the context of genes (5-HTTLPR polymorphism) and childhood trauma. A naturalistic remitted depressed patients sample (N = 209) performed an Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) with facial expressions (angry, sad, happy and neutral). Childhood trauma was assessed with a questionnaire. Genotype groups were created based on allele frequency: L a L a versus S/L g-carriers. The latter is associated with depression risk. We found that remitted S/L g-carriers who experienced childhood trauma automatically avoided sad facial expressions relatively more than L a L a homozygotes with childhood trauma. Remitted L a L a-carriers who had not experienced childhood trauma, avoided sad faces relatively more than L a L a homozygotes with childhood trauma. We did not find a main effect of childhood trauma, nor differential avoidance of any of the other facial expressions. Although tentative, the results suggest that automatic approach-avoidance tendencies for disorder-congruent materials may be a fitting intermediate phenotype for depression. The specific pattern of tendencies, and the relation to depression, may depend on the genetic risk profile and childhood trauma, but replication is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
The journal of ECT, Jun 1, 2018
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still the most effective treatment of severe and therapy-refra... more Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is still the most effective treatment of severe and therapy-refractory major depressive disorder. Cognitive side effects are the major disadvantage of ECT. Cognitive deficits are generally temporary in nature and may be mediated by the hippocampus. Recent studies have shown a temporary increase in hippocampal volume and a temporary decrease in cognitive functioning post-ECT compared with pre-ECT. This study investigates whether these volumetric changes are related to changes in cognitive functioning after ECT. Nineteen medication-free patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder underwent a whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging scan and a neuropsychological examination (including the Rey auditory verbal learning task, Wechsler Memory Scale Visual Reproduction, fluency, Trail Making Task) within 1 week before and within 1 week after the course of ECT. Electroconvulsive therapy was administered twice a week bitemporally with a brief puls...
Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, Jan 28, 2017
Stressful life events, especially Childhood Trauma, predict ADHD symptoms. Childhood Trauma and n... more Stressful life events, especially Childhood Trauma, predict ADHD symptoms. Childhood Trauma and negatively biased memory are risk factors for affective disorders. The association of life events and bias with ADHD symptoms may inform about the etiology of ADHD. Memory bias was tested using a computer task in N = 675 healthy adults. Life events and ADHD symptoms were assessed using questionnaires. The mediation of the association between life events and ADHD symptoms by memory bias was examined. We explored the roles of different types of life events and of ADHD symptom clusters. Life events and memory bias were associated with overall ADHD symptoms as well as inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom clusters. Memory bias mediated the association of Lifetime Life Events, specifically Childhood Trauma, with ADHD symptoms. Negatively biased memory may be a cognitive marker of the effects of Childhood Trauma on the development and/or persistence of ADHD symptoms.
Brain and behavior, 2017
Both childhood trauma and negative memory bias are associated with the onset and severity level o... more Both childhood trauma and negative memory bias are associated with the onset and severity level of several psychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders. Studies on these risk factors, however, generally use homogeneous noncomorbid samples. Hence, studies in naturalistic psychiatric samples are lacking. Moreover, we know little about the quantitative relationship between the frequency of traumatic childhood events, strength of memory bias and number of comorbid psychiatric disorders; the latter being an index of severity. The current study examined the association of childhood trauma and negative memory bias with psychopathology in a large naturalistic psychiatric patient sample. Frequency of traumatic childhood events (emotional neglect, psychological-, physical- and sexual abuse) was assessed using a questionnaire in a sample of 252 adult psychiatric patients with no psychotic or bipolar-I disorder and no cognitive disorder as main diagnosis. Patients were diagno...
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 2017
Eur Spine J, 2006
Genetic counseling and the psychosocial impact of genetic cancer susceptibility testing 2. A coun... more Genetic counseling and the psychosocial impact of genetic cancer susceptibility testing 2. A counselling model for BRCA1/2 genetic susceptibility testing.
Hereditary Cancer in Clinical Practice, 2004
Item does not contain fulltex
Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde, 2013
Neurosyphilis is a tertiary form of syphilis and is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. ... more Neurosyphilis is a tertiary form of syphilis and is caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum. Today, more than one type of neurosyphilis often manifest simultaneously, which can pose difficulties to the diagnostic process. A 45-year-old man presented with an attack of stammering and loss of strength in the right half of his body. Diagnostic testing led to a suspected TIA and the man was treated as such. It was only a few months later, when he had developed more neurological symptoms, that the diagnosis of 'neurosyphilis' was made. Despite treatment with benzyl penicillin, he also developed symptoms of a psychiatric nature. The patient described in this article had symptoms consistent with both meningovascular syphilis and generalised paresis. Detailed history-taking was necessary to make the diagnosis (the patient had a history of gonorrhoea). A seemingly insignificant detail - an elevated estimated sedimentation rate - was an important clue.
Neuropsychologia, 2010
In several domains of psychology it has been shown that mood influences the way in which we proce... more In several domains of psychology it has been shown that mood influences the way in which we process information. So far, little is known about the relation between mood and processes of language comprehension. In the present study we explore, whether, and if so how, mood affects the processing of syntactic anomalies in real time by recording event-related potentials (ERPs). To this aim we compared the P600 effect to subject-verb agreement errors relative to correct sentences while ERPs were recorded and mood was manipulated by presenting happy or sad film clips. The prediction was that if emotional state affects processes of language comprehension this should be reflected by an interaction between mood and P600. The results were as follows: first, the mood induction procedure was effective: participants were happier after watching happy film clips and sadder after watching sad film clips compared to baseline. Second, for P600 a mood by syntactic correctness interaction was obtained for the midline and lateral electrodes. The interaction reflected a broadly distributed P600 effect for the happy mood condition and a strong reduction in P600 effect for the sad mood condition. Correlation analyses confirmed that the observed changes in P600 effect were accompanied by reliable changes in emotional state. The present ERP findings demonstrate that mood interacts with processes of language comprehension. Three possible explanations for the mood by syntactic correctness interaction are discussed; one in terms of syntactic processing, one in terms of heuristic processing, and one in terms of more general factors like attention and/or motivation.
BMC Psychiatry, 2022
Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, howev... more Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, however, current treatment options are insufficiently effective for about 35% of patients, resulting in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a form of non-invasive neuromodulation that is effective in treating TRD. Not much is known about the comparative efficacy of rTMS and other treatments and their timing within the treatment algorithm, making it difficult for the treating physician to establish when rTMS is best offered as a treatment option. This study aims to investigate the (cost-)effectiveness of rTMS (in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and continued antidepressant medication), compared to the next step in the treatment algorithm. This will be done in a sample of patients with treatment resistant non-psychotic unipolar depression. Methods In this pragmatic multicenter randomized controlled trial 132 patients w...
Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2013
Since the introduction of the associative network theory, mood-congruent biases in emotional info... more Since the introduction of the associative network theory, mood-congruent biases in emotional information processing have been established in individuals in a sad and happy mood. Research has concentrated on memory and attentional biases. According to the network theory, mood-congruent behavioral tendencies would also be predicted. Alternatively, a general avoidance pattern would also be in line with the theory. Since cognitive biases have been assumed to operate strongly in case of social stimuli, mood-induced biases in approach and avoidance behavior towards emotional facial expressions were studied. 306 females were subjected to a highly emotional fragment of a sad or a happy movie, to induce either a sad mood or a happy mood. An Approach-Avoidance Task was implemented, in which single pictures of faces (with angry, sad, happy, or neutral expression) and non-social control pictures were presented. In contrast to our expectations, mood states did not produce differential behavioral biases. Mood-congruent and mood-incongruent behavioral tendencies were, however, present in a subgroup of participants with highest depressive symptomatology scores. This suggests that behavioral approach-avoidance biases are not sensitive to mood state, but more related to depressive characteristics.
Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2014
Cognitive bias modification (CBM) has been found to be effective in modifying information-process... more Cognitive bias modification (CBM) has been found to be effective in modifying information-processing biases and in reducing emotional reactivity to stress. Although modification of attention and interpretation biases has frequently been studied, it is not clear whether memory bias can be manipulated through direct training of emotional recall. In two studies (in undergraduate students and in a community sample), memory bias for emotional verbal stimuli was trained with cued recall of either positive or negative words. We did not find evidence for malleability of memory bias for trained stimuli or induction of emotional reactivity to stress in either study. The training did, however, stimulate training-congruent incorrect recall in the community sample. Although we found no evidence for the direct modification of memory bias, the more global effect obtained with respect to retrieval of emotional information from memory holds promise for CBM-memory studies in clinical samples.
Psychiatry Research, 2014
J.N. Vrijsen). Please cite this article as: Vrijsen, J.N., et al., What is the contribution of di... more J.N. Vrijsen). Please cite this article as: Vrijsen, J.N., et al., What is the contribution of different cognitive biases and stressful childhood events to the presence and number of previous depressive episodes? Psychiatry Research (2014), http://dx.