test

Poste : test

Ville : Foix

Téléphone : 0769030992

Thesis

Functional repercussions of amygdala atrophy on emotional attention in Alzheimer’s disease : dissociation between automatic and controlled processes

Advisors : Pascal Hot & Laetitia Silvert

Keywords : emotion, amygdala, emotional processing, normal aging, Alzheimer’s disease

Link : Thesis

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative pathology involving large brain alterations and the emergence of cognitive and behavioral symptoms that impair daily life. Even now, AD is difficult to diagnose precisely, notably because of the low-specificity of its main characteristics (i.e., memory symptoms and hippocampal atrophy). The systematic assessment of brain alterations that occur during the first stages of AD showed the existence of amygdala atrophy, which could lead to disruptions in emotional processing. In this thesis, we conducted paradigms involving emotional attention, in other words attentional processes directed toward emotional or neutral stimuli, which may be disrupted in patients with amygdala lesions. We conducted two eye-tracking paradigms (i.e., eye movements recording) involving visual search and pro-saccade/anti-saccade tasks to get a fine analysis of attentional processes. The results of these two studies suggest that patients with AD present alterations of early emotional attention, which is involved in facilitating orienting toward emotional information. Using a neuroimaging analysis of structural and functional connectivity, we highlighted alterations in neural networks (including the amygdala) involved in attentional and emotional processes. Finally, we present the preliminary results of a neuroimaging study specifically exploring correlations between emotional attention processes and alterations in the corresponding neural network. Our data highlight (a) the presence of distinctive emotional attention deficits in patients with AD, which could help sharpen the diagnosis of this pathology, and (b) alterations in a large neural network including notably the amygdala, which may explain our behavioral data.

Scientific collaborations

GIPSA-lab, Grenoble : Nathalie Guyader, PhD.

Cellule de NeuroImagerie Fonctionnelle, plateforme IRMaGe, CHU de Grenoble : Emilie Cousin, PhD, Cédric Pichat.

Unité de Neuropsychologie – Pole de Psychiatrie et Neurologie, Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche, Grenoble : Drs. Olivier Moreaud, Mathilde Sauvée & Alexandra Juphard.

CHU Saint-Etienne, Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche : Céline Borg, PhD.

Education

2016-2019 : Doctoral studies in cognitive sciences and neuropsychology (grant from ADR project, ARC 2 « Qualité de vie et vieillissement »)

2016 : Master Research in Neuropsychology, Grenoble-Alpes University, Grenoble, France

2014 : Master Research in Cognitive and Social Psychology, Pierre-Mendès France University, Grenoble, France

2011 : Bachelor in psychology, Pierre-Mendès France University, Grenoble, France

Teaching : 2016-2020

Academic work methodology : Tutorial classes (1st year), 56h

Statistics : Tutorial classes (1st year), 45h

Experimental methodology : Tutorial classes (1st year), 18h

Neurophysiology : Tutorial classes (3rd year), 10h

Emotion & cognition : Lecture (4th year), 6h

External links

Github
Personal website
OpenScience Framework
ResearchGate

Research interests

Normal and pathological aging (Alzheimer’s disease)
Emotional attention
Diffusion and functional MRI
Eye-tracking

Publications HAL

Buchanan, E., Cuccolo, K., Heyman, T., Berkel, N. v., Coles, N., … et al. (2025). Measuring the semantic priming effect across many languages. Nature Human Behaviour. [lien]

Nuel, I., Nurra, C., Dujols, O., Tagand, M., Webster, G., … et al. (2024). “I Know That I Don’t Know Everything”: Validation of the General Intellectual Humility Scale in French. Collabra: Psychology, 10(1). [lien]

Besta, T., Jurek, P., Olech, M., Włodarczyk, A., Kosakowska-Berezecka, N., … et al. (2024). Measuring Collective Action Intention Toward Gender Equality Across Cultures. European Journal of Psychological Assessment. [lien]

Tagand, M., Muller, D., Nurra, C., Klein, O., Aubert‐teillaud, B., Nera, K. (2024). Qu’est-ce que ne pas croire dans les théories du complot ? Application de la théorie de la détection du signal au cas de personnes peu conspirationnistes. . [lien]

Muller, D. (2024). Réplicabilité et reproductibilité en psychologie expérimentale. . [lien]

Maltagliati, S., Sarrazin, P., Muller, D., Fessler, L., Ferry, T., … et al. (2024). Improving physical activity using a single personalized consequence-based approach-avoidance training: Effects on self-reported behaviors, attitudes, and choices. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 70, 102565. [lien]

Muller, D. (2024). Qu’est-ce qu’une interaction, vraiment ? Problèmes conceptuels et d’utilisation d’une notion souvent incontournable en psychologie sociale.. . [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Muller, D. (2024). Mesure de la réactivation des tendances à l'approche-évitement par une tâche de perception visuelle. . [lien]

Rougier, M., Muller, D., Smeding, A., Wiers, R., Neyroud, L. (2023). The Association Between Smokers’ Approach Bias and Heaviness of Use: A Focus on Light Smokers. Collabra: Psychology, 9(1). [lien]

Gautheron, F., Quinton, J., Muller, D., Smeding, A. (2023). Paradigm constraints on moral decision‐making dynamics. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 36(4). [lien]

Tagand, M., Muller, D., Nurra, C., Klein, O., Aubert‐teillaud, B., Nera, K. (2023). Quelques apports de la théorie de la détection du signal à l’étude de la mentalité complotiste. . [lien]

Tagand, M., Nurra, C., Corneille, O., Lantian, A., Muller, D. (2023). The link between conspiracy mentality and confirmation bias: Using an evaluative counterconditining paradigm. . [lien]

Nuel, I., Gorgo, G., Nurra, C., Tagand, M., Webster, G., Muller, D. (2023). Validation of the French General Intellectual Humility Scale. . [lien]

Muller, D., Julliard, Y., Rougier, M., Ric, F., Batailler, C. (2023). A robust Approach-avoidance compatibility effect with a non-evaluative (incidental) task. . [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Muller, D. (2023). Approach-avoidance reactivation measured with a visual perception task. . [lien]

Kosakowska-Berezecka, N., Bosson, J., Jurek, P., Besta, T., Olech, M., … et al. (2022). Gendered Self-Views Across 62 Countries : A Test of Competing Models. Social Psychological and Personality Science. [lien]

Boissicat, N., Fayant, M., Nurra, C., Muller, D. (2022). Social comparison in the classroom: Priming approach/avoidance changes the impact of social comparison on self‐evaluation and performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), 594-609. [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Rougier, M., Rousset, S., Muller, D. (2022). What drives people’s tendency to approach or to avoid?. . [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Rougier, M., Muller, D. (2022). Peut-on observer un effet de compatibilité d’approche/évitement dans une procédure non-évaluative ?. . [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Rougier, M., Muller, D. (2022). Can we measure approach/avoidance toward stimuli that are not instrumental?. . [lien]

Muller, D., Rougier, M., Ric, F., Batailler, C., Alexopoulos, T., Julliard, Y. (2021). Apports de la cognition incarnée à la mesure des tendances à l’approche/évitement. . [lien]

Gautheron, F., Quinton, J., Muller, D., Smeding, A. (2021). Influence of paradigm constraints in decision-making: mouse tracking studies on morality judgments. . [lien]

Bosson, J., Jurek, P., Vandello, J., Kosakowska-Berezecka, N., Olech, M., … et al. (2021). Psychometric Properties and Correlates of Precarious Manhood Beliefs in 62 Nations. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 52(3), 231-258. [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Rougier, M., Rousset, S., Muller, D. (2021). Approach/avoidance tendencies of novel trained stimuli. . [lien]

Julliard, Y., Batailler, C., Rougier, M., Rousset, S., Muller, D. (2021). Tendances à l’approche/évitement de stimuli nouveaux entrainés.. . [lien]

Batailler, C., Muller, D., Nurra, C., Rougier, M., Trouilloud, D. (2021). Math approach training changes implicit identification with math: A close preregistered replication. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 92, 104059. [lien]

Kosakowska‐berezecka, N., Besta, T., Bosson, J., Jurek, P., Vandello, J., … et al. (2020). Country‐level and individual‐level predictors of men's support for gender equality in 42 countries. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(6), 1276-1291. [lien]

Rougier, M., Muller, D., Courset, R., Smeding, A., Devos, T., Batailler, C. (2020). Toward the use of approach/avoidance tendencies as attitude measures: Individual‐ and group‐level variability of the ingroup bias. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(4), 857-875. [lien]

Batailler, C., Muller, D., Nurra, C. (2020). Instructions are enough. Investigating functional differences between experience-based and instructions-based approach and avoidance effect. . [lien]