Papers

2009

• Bornas, X., Muehlberger, A., Llabres, J., Wiedemann, G., & Pauli, P. (2009). Looking for traces of phylogenetic fears: Differences in EEG slow oscillations and complexity between spider- and flight phobic subjects. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 9(1), 37-49.
• Phylogenetic fears involve stimuli representing a real or potential threat to the species’ evolutionary ancestors. We tested whether individuals with a phylogenetic fear (spider phobics, n = 17) differed in EEG general activity (delta band power) of the oldest brain system and in complexity from individuals with a non-phylogenetic fear (flight phobics, n = 15) during eyes open and eyes closed resting states. Delta band power was higher during the eyes-closed condition at central sites FZ, CZ and PZ as well as at frontal sites FP1, FP2, and F4. No differences existed in the upper bands theta, alpha, and beta. The EEG complexity was significantly lower among individuals with spider phobia. Differences were found under both eyes closed and eyes open conditions at FZ, F4, CZ, and C4. Lower complexity was also found at PZ and 02 during eyes open. In general, the results of this ex post facto study lend support to the hypothesized prevalence of slow oscillations in phylogenetic fears. Furthermore these results show that the EEG output of spider phobic participants is less complex than the output from flight phobic participants. The prevalence of slow brain oscillations and the lowered EEG complexity could be interpreted as traces of phylogenetic fears.

• Bornas, X., Llabres, J., Tortella-Feliu, M., Fullana, M. A., Montoya, P., Lopez, A., . . . Gelabert, J. M. (2007). Vagally mediated heart rate variability and heart rate entropy as predictors of treatment outcome in flight phobia. Biological Psychology, 76(3), 188-195. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2007.07.007
• In the present study a computer-assisted exposure-based treatment was applied to 54 flight phobics and the predictive role of vagally mediated heart rate (HR) variability (high frequency, 0.15-0.4 Hz band power) and heart rate entropy (HR time series sample entropy) on treatment outcome was investigated. Both physiological measures were taken under controlled breathing at 0.2 Hz and during exposure to a fearful sequence of audiovisual stimuli. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive power of these variables in these conditions on treatment self-report measures at the end of treatment and at 6 months follow-up, as well as on the behavioral treatment outcome (i.e. flying at the end of treatment). Regression models predicting significant amounts of outcome variance could be built only when HR entropy was added to the HR variability measure in a second step of the regression analyses. HR variability alone was not found to be a good predictor of neither self-reported nor behavioral treatment outcomes.
• Tortella-Feliu, M., Servera, M., & Llabres, J. (2007). Analysis of two learning-instruction strategies in Behaviour Therapy training. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 7(2), 547-558.
• This quasi-experimental study analyzes the compared effectiveness of two teaching metholodologies, one based on seminars with frequent testing (group S), and the other based on lectures and a single final exam (group M) and students’ commitment and willingness to follow these teaching methodologies in a course on Behaviour Therapy included in the Psychology degree program. Group S students obtained higher academic achievement than the students that did not choose this teaching methodology. This is true both regarding the mean of marks and the pass/no pass rates. The students were divided homogeneously between the two groups, although an important number of students did not finish the course following the initially chosen teaching methodology. Group S students spent more time studying for the course. No significant relationship was found between time of study and academic achievement. These findings are discussed in terms of the current adaptation to European Higher Education Space.

2006

• Bornas, X., Llabres, J., Noguera, M., Lopez, A. M., Gelabert, J. M., & Vila, I. (2006). Fear induced complexity loss in the electrocardiogram of flight phobics: a multiscale entropy analysis. Biological Psychology, 73(3), 272-279. doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2006.05.004
• In this study we explored the changes in the variability and complexity of the electrocardiogram (ECG) of flight phobics (N=61) and a matched non-phobic control group (N=58) when they performed a paced breathing task and were exposed to flight related stimuli. Lower complexity/entropy values were expected in phobics as compared to controls. The phobic system complexity as well as the heart rate variability (HRV) were expected to be reduced by the exposure to fearful stimuli. The multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis revealed lower entropy values in phobics during paced breathing and exposure, and a complexity loss was observed in phobics during exposure to threatening situations. The expected HRV decreases were not found in this study. The discussion is focused on the distinction between variability and complexity measures of the cardiac output, and on the usefulness of the MSE analysis in the field of anxiety disorders.
• Bornas, X., Llabres, J., Noguera, M., & Pez, A. (2006). Sample entropy of ECG time series of fearful flyers: preliminary results. Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences, 10(3), 301-318.
• Research within the framework of the nonlinear dynamical systems (NDS) in the field of anxiety disorders has shown that greater irregularity/complexity appears in the output from healthy systems. In this study we measured the Heart rate variability (HRV) and the sample sntropy (SampEn) of the ECG mV time series of fearful flyers (N = 15) and a matched control group (N = 15) when confronted with three combinations of feared stimuli (pictures, sounds, and pictures with sounds) as well as relaxing stimuli (pictures and sounds). Fearful flyers had lower SampEn than controls in all conditions, including baseline. Non-phobics showed significant entropy decreases from baseline in two out of three exposure conditions. No differences on HRV were found between groups, and HRV was not sensitive to condition changes. The main finding of the study is that the SampEn calculated on very short ECG mV recordings (10 to 60 seconds, easy to obtain in clinical settings) may be a useful diagnostic measure since it can distinguish fearful from non-fearful flyers.
• Bornas, X., Tortella-Feliu, M., & Llabres, J. (2006). Do all treatments work for flight phobia? Computer-assisted exposure versus a brief multicomponent nonexposure treatment. Psychotherapy Research, 16(1), 41-50. doi:10.1080/10503300500091058
• Computer-assisted treatments have proven to be effective in the treatment of several anxiety disorders and depression, but the role of exposure remains unclear. This study compares the efficacy of a computer-assisted exposure treatment (CAE) with a brief multicomponent nonexposure treatment (MNE) for flight phobia. Outcome measure assessments were conducted at posttreatment and at 6-month follow-up. No differences were found between CAE and MNE in reducing fear of flying. In both conditions patients improved significantly and clinically meaningfully, and results were maintained at 6-month follow-up. These findings challenge the idea that exposure is essential in reducing phobic anxiety and support the idea that specific phobias may be well suited for brief cognitive-behavioral treatments.
• Bornas, X., Llabres, J., Noguera, M., Lopez, A. M., Tortella-Feliu, M., Angel Fullana, M., . . . Vila, I. (2006). Changes in heart rate variability of flight phobics during a paced breathing task and exposure to fearful stimuli. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 6(3), 549-563.
• The aim of this experiment was to explore changes in the vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV) of flight phobics during exposure to feared stimuli. A paced breathing task was included to control for respiration effects. Sixty-one flight phobics (40 women) with a mean age of 39.07 years (SD = 11.24) participated in the study. The root mean of the squared successive interbeat intervals differences (RMSSD) was taken as the time domain measure of HRV. High frequency (HF: 0.15-0.4 Hz) and low frequency (LF: 0.04-0.15 Hz) band power was calculated on the ECG recordings obtained during free breathing baseline (BL), paced breathing (PB), and exposure (E) to fearful stimuli. Heart rate unexpectedly increased from BL to PB, and decreased from PB to E, while no differences were found between BL and E. No changes in the RMSSD were seen across conditions. HF band power increased, as expected, from BL to PB, and a significant decrease was found from PB to E. LF band power, as well as the LF/HF ratio, increased from BL to E. Discussion focuses on (a) the role of the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous systems in fear-related situations, and (b) the effects of paced breathing in preparing the system to cope with threat.