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Kampa M, Stark R, Klucken T. The impact of past childhood adversity and recent life events on neural responses during fear conditioning. J Neuroimaging 2024; 34:217-223. [PMID: 38009652 DOI: 10.1111/jon.13174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Kampa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Stark
- Bender Institute of Neuroimaging, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Tim Klucken
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
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Smith AL, Berry A, Brubaker L, Cunningham SD, Gahagan S, Low LK, Mueller M, Sutcliffe S, Williams BR, Brady SS. The brain, gut, and bladder health nexus: A conceptual model linking stress and mental health disorders to overactive bladder in women. Neurourol Urodyn 2024; 43:424-436. [PMID: 38078701 PMCID: PMC10872494 DOI: 10.1002/nau.25356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A small, but growing literature links stressors and mental health disorders (MHDs) across the life course to overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary incontinence symptoms. Mechanisms by which stressors and MHDs may impact bladder health are not fully understood, limiting novel prevention and treatment efforts. Moreover, potential biopsychosocial mechanisms involving the brain and gut have not been considered in an integrated, comprehensive fashion. METHODS Members of the prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms Research Consortium developed conceptual models to inform research on biopsychosocial mechanisms through which stress and MDHs may impact bladder health among girls and women, focusing on brain and gut physiology. RESULTS Two conceptual models were developed-one to explain central (brain-based) and peripheral (gut-based) mechanisms linking stressors and MHDs to OAB and bladder health, and one to highlight bidirectional communication between the brain, gut, and bladder. Traumatic events, chronic stressors, and MHDs may lead to a maladaptive stress response, including dysregulated communication and signaling between the brain, gut, and bladder. Gut bacteria produce molecules and metabolites that alter production of neurotransmitters, amino acids, short-chain fatty acids, and inflammatory immune response molecules that mediate communication between the gut and brain. Microbiota signal neurogenesis, microglia maturation, and synaptic pruning; they also calibrate brain-gut-bladder axis communication through neurotransmission and synaptogenesis, potentially influencing bladder symptom development. Life course trajectories of risk may be prevented or interrupted by central and peripheral resources for neuropsychological resilience. CONCLUSIONS Depicted pathways, including brain-gut-bladder communication, have implications for research and development of novel prevention and treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariana L. Smith
- Division of Urology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Amanda Berry
- Division of Urology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Linda Brubaker
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UC San Diego School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Shayna D. Cunningham
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT
| | - Sheila Gahagan
- Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego CA
| | - Lisa Kane Low
- Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Michigan
| | - Margaret Mueller
- Department of Ob/Gyn, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Siobhan Sutcliffe
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Beverly R. Williams
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Department of Veterans Affairs
| | - Sonya S. Brady
- Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN
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3
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Alex AM, Aguate F, Botteron K, Buss C, Chong YS, Dager SR, Donald KA, Entringer S, Fair DA, Fortier MV, Gaab N, Gilmore JH, Girault JB, Graham AM, Groenewold NA, Hazlett H, Lin W, Meaney MJ, Piven J, Qiu A, Rasmussen JM, Roos A, Schultz RT, Skeide MA, Stein DJ, Styner M, Thompson PM, Turesky TK, Wadhwa PD, Zar HJ, Zöllei L, de Los Campos G, Knickmeyer RC. A global multicohort study to map subcortical brain development and cognition in infancy and early childhood. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:176-186. [PMID: 37996530 PMCID: PMC10774128 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01501-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
The human brain grows quickly during infancy and early childhood, but factors influencing brain maturation in this period remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we harmonized data from eight diverse cohorts, creating one of the largest pediatric neuroimaging datasets to date focused on birth to 6 years of age. We mapped the developmental trajectory of intracranial and subcortical volumes in ∼2,000 children and studied how sociodemographic factors and adverse birth outcomes influence brain structure and cognition. The amygdala was the first subcortical volume to mature, whereas the thalamus exhibited protracted development. Males had larger brain volumes than females, and children born preterm or with low birthweight showed catch-up growth with age. Socioeconomic factors exerted region- and time-specific effects. Regarding cognition, males scored lower than females; preterm birth affected all developmental areas tested, and socioeconomic factors affected visual reception and receptive language. Brain-cognition correlations revealed region-specific associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Alex
- Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Fernando Aguate
- Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Kelly Botteron
- Mallinickrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Claudia Buss
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yap-Seng Chong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Stephen R Dager
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kirsten A Donald
- Division of Developmental Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Department of Medical Psychology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Damien A Fair
- Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Marielle V Fortier
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Diagnostic & Interventional Imaging, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nadine Gaab
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jessica B Girault
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carboro, NC, USA
| | - Alice M Graham
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Nynke A Groenewold
- Division of Developmental Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SA-MRC) Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Heather Hazlett
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carboro, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Weili Lin
- Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael J Meaney
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joseph Piven
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carboro, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Anqi Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Suzhou, China
- The N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Data Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, China
| | - Jerod M Rasmussen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Annerine Roos
- Division of Developmental Paediatrics, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Robert T Schultz
- Center for Autism Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael A Skeide
- Research Group Learning in Early Childhood, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dan J Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- SAMRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Martin Styner
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carboro, NC, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging & Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA
| | - Ted K Turesky
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Pathik D Wadhwa
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Development, Health and Disease Research Program, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Epidemiology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Heather J Zar
- South African Medical Research Council (SA-MRC) Unit on Child & Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lilla Zöllei
- A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Gustavo de Los Campos
- Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Department of Statistics & Probability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Rebecca C Knickmeyer
- Institute for Quantitative Health Sciences and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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Kos A, Lopez JP, Bordes J, de Donno C, Dine J, Brivio E, Karamihalev S, Luecken MD, Almeida-Correa S, Gasperoni S, Dick A, Miranda L, Büttner M, Stoffel R, Flachskamm C, Theis FJ, Schmidt MV, Chen A. Early life adversity shapes social subordination and cell type-specific transcriptomic patterning in the ventral hippocampus. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadj3793. [PMID: 38039370 PMCID: PMC10691768 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj3793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Adverse events in early life can modulate the response to additional stressors later in life and increase the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. The underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for these effects remain unclear. Here, we uncover that early life adversity (ELA) in mice leads to social subordination. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we identified cell type-specific changes in the transcriptional state of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the ventral hippocampus of ELA mice after exposure to acute social stress in adulthood. These findings were reflected by an alteration in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission induced by ELA in response to acute social stress. Finally, enhancing the inhibitory network function through transient diazepam treatment during an early developmental sensitive period reversed the ELA-induced social subordination. Collectively, this study significantly advances our understanding of the molecular, physiological, and behavioral alterations induced by ELA, uncovering a previously unknown cell type-specific vulnerability to ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aron Kos
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Juan Pablo Lopez
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joeri Bordes
- Research Group Neurobiology of Stress Resilience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Carlo de Donno
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Julien Dine
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Elena Brivio
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Stoyo Karamihalev
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Malte D. Luecken
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute of Lung Health and Immunity, Helmholtz Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Serena Gasperoni
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alec Dick
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Lucas Miranda
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
- Department of Statistical Genetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Maren Büttner
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Rainer Stoffel
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Cornelia Flachskamm
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian J. Theis
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Mathematics, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Mathias V. Schmidt
- Research Group Neurobiology of Stress Resilience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Alon Chen
- Department of Stress Neurobiology and Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Department of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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5
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Uselman TW, Jacobs RE, Bearer EL. Reconfiguration of brain-wide neural activity after early life adversity. bioRxiv 2023:2023.09.10.557058. [PMID: 38328213 PMCID: PMC10849645 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.10.557058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA) predisposes individuals to both physical and mental disorders lifelong. How ELA affects brain function leading to this vulnerability is under intense investigation. Research has begun to shed light on ELA effects on localized brain regions within defined circuits. However, investigations into brain-wide neural activity that includes multiple localized regions, determines relationships of activity between regions and identifies shifts of activity in response to experiential conditions is necessary. Here, we performed longitudinal manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) to image the brain in normally reared or ELA-exposed adults. Images were captured in the freely moving home cage condition, and short- and long-term after naturalistic threat. Images were analyzed with new computational methods, including automated segmentation and fractional activation or difference volumes. We found that neural activity was increased after ELA compared to normal rearing in multiple brain regions, some of which are involved in defensive and/or reward circuitry. Widely distributed patterns of neural activity, "brain states", and their dynamics after threat were altered with ELA. Upon acute threat, ELA-mice retained heightened neural activity within many of these regions, and new hyperactive responses emerged in monoaminergic centers of the mid- and hindbrain. Nine days after acute threat, heightened neural activity remained within locus coeruleus and increased within posterior amygdala, ventral hippocampus, and dorso- and ventromedial hypothalamus, while reduced activity emerged within medial prefrontal cortical regions (prelimbic, infralimbic, anterior cingulate). These results reveal that functional imbalances arise between multiple brain-systems which are dependent upon context and cumulative experiences after ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor W Uselman
- University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131
| | - Russell E Jacobs
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Elaine L Bearer
- University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
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6
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Xie H, Shih CH, Aldoohan SD, Wall JT, Wang X. Hypothalamus volume mediates the association between adverse childhood experience and PTSD development after adulthood trauma. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:274. [PMID: 37542036 PMCID: PMC10403516 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02576-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamus is critical for regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and response to stress. Adverse childhood experience (ACE) can affect brain structure, which may contribute to development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after subsequent adult trauma. It is unclear, however, if ACE history is particularly associated with aspects of hypothalamic structure which contribute to development of PTSD. To address this issue, the present study longitudinally assessed hypothalamic volumes and their associations with ACE and early post-trauma stress symptoms in subjects who did or did not develop PTSD during 12 months after adult trauma. 109 subjects (18-60 years, F/M = 75/34) completed the PTSD Checklist (PCL) questionnaire for post-trauma stress symptoms, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) for ACE assessment, and an initial MRI brain scan for hypothalamic volume measurement, within 2 weeks after adult trauma. At post-trauma 12 months, subjects underwent a subsequent PTSD diagnosis interview using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and a follow-up MRI scan. Left and right hypothalamus volumes at 2 weeks after adult trauma negatively correlated with CTQ scores. Right hypothalamus volume at this early time mediated an association between ACE and PTSD symptoms 12 months later. Right hypothalamus volumes also remained persistently smaller from 2 weeks to 12 months after trauma in survivors who developed PTSD. These results suggest that smaller right hypothalamus volume may be related to ACE history in ways that contribute to PTSD development after trauma in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Xie
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
| | - Chia-Hao Shih
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | | | - John T Wall
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
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7
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Huffman N, Shih CH, Cotton AS, Lewis TJ, Grider S, Wall JT, Wang X, Xie H. Association of age of adverse childhood experiences with thalamic volumes and post-traumatic stress disorder in adulthood. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1147686. [PMID: 37283956 PMCID: PMC10239841 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1147686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to brain development and mental disorders, however, the impact of the age of occurrence of ACEs on thalamic volume and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after adult trauma remains unclear. This study assessed associations between ACEs at different ages to thalamic volumes and PTSD development following acute adult trauma. Methods Seventy-nine adult trauma survivors were recruited immediately after trauma. Within 2 weeks of the traumatic event, participants completed the PTSD Checklist (PCL) to assess PTSD symptoms, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and Childhood Age Range Stress Scale (CARSS) to evaluate ACEs and perceived stress level at preschool (<6 years old) and school (6-13 years old) ages, and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) to measure thalamic volumes. Participants were divided into three groups: those who experienced no childhood trauma or stress (non-ACEs), those who experienced childhood trauma and stress onset at preschool ages (Presch-ACEs), and those who experienced childhood trauma and stress onset at school ages (Sch-ACEs). At 3 months, participants underwent PTSD symptom evaluation using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Results Adult trauma survivors in the Presch-ACEs group had higher CTQ and CAPS scores. In addition, survivors in the Presch-ACEs group had smaller thalamic volume compared to survivors in the non-ACEs and Sch-ACEs groups. Furthermore, smaller thalamic volume moderated a positive association between post-trauma 2-week PCL and subsequent 3-month CAPS scores. Discussion Earlier occurrence of ACEs was associated with smaller thalamic volume, which appears to moderate a positive association between early posttraumatic stress symptom severity and PTSD development after adult trauma. This raises the possibility that early occurrence of ACEs may impact thalamic structure, specifically a reduction in thalamic volume, and that smaller thalamic volume may contribute to susceptibility to PTSD development after adult trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nickelas Huffman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Chia-Hao Shih
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Andrew S. Cotton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Terrence J. Lewis
- Department of Radiology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Stephen Grider
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - John T. Wall
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Hong Xie
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
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8
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Onishchenko R, Clarke PJ, Marshall C, Wyant KJ, Kotagal V. Neighborhood Social Determinants of Health in Patients Seen in Neurology Movement Disorders Clinics. Neurol Clin Pract 2023; 13:e200142. [PMID: 37064586 PMCID: PMC10101706 DOI: 10.1212/cpj.0000000000200142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Background and Objectives Chronic health conditions are influenced by social determinants of health (SDH) including neighborhood-linked markers of affluence. We explored whether neighborhood socioeconomic factors differ in people with different types of clinical movement disorders (MDs). Methods We conducted a retrospective study of patients seen in MD clinics at our center in 2021. Patient data were linked to the US National Neighborhood Data Archive linked to US census tract data. We evaluated variations in neighborhood socioeconomic factors across 8 different categories of MDs. Results Compared with the neighborhoods of patients with Parkinson disease, neighborhoods of patients with cerebellar ataxias, functional movement disorders, and Huntington disease were characterized by higher proportions of people earning less than 15,000 US dollars/year, people receiving public assistance, and people with less than a high school diploma. Discussion Neighborhood-linked SDH vary among different MDs. These findings have implications for public health interventions aimed at improving the care of people affected by MDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina Onishchenko
- Department of Neurology (RO, CM, KJW, VK), Institute for Social Research (PJC), University of Michigan; Department of Epidemiology (PJC), University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System (VAAAHS) & VAAAHS Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) (VK), Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Philippa J Clarke
- Department of Neurology (RO, CM, KJW, VK), Institute for Social Research (PJC), University of Michigan; Department of Epidemiology (PJC), University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System (VAAAHS) & VAAAHS Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) (VK), Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Carly Marshall
- Department of Neurology (RO, CM, KJW, VK), Institute for Social Research (PJC), University of Michigan; Department of Epidemiology (PJC), University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System (VAAAHS) & VAAAHS Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) (VK), Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Kara J Wyant
- Department of Neurology (RO, CM, KJW, VK), Institute for Social Research (PJC), University of Michigan; Department of Epidemiology (PJC), University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System (VAAAHS) & VAAAHS Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) (VK), Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Vikas Kotagal
- Department of Neurology (RO, CM, KJW, VK), Institute for Social Research (PJC), University of Michigan; Department of Epidemiology (PJC), University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System (VAAAHS) & VAAAHS Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) (VK), Ann Arbor, MI
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9
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Carcone D, Gardhouse K, Goghari VM, Lee ACH, Ruocco AC. The transdiagnostic relationship of cumulative lifetime stress with memory, the hippocampus, and personality psychopathology. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 155:483-492. [PMID: 36183602 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Stress has a detrimental impact on memory, the hippocampus, and psychological health. Psychopathology research on stress has centered mainly on psychiatric diagnoses rather than symptom dimensions, and less attention has been given to the neurobiological factors through which stress might be translated into psychopathology. The present work investigates the transdiagnostic relationship of cumulative stress with episodic memory and the hippocampus (both structure and function) and explores the extent to which stress mediates the relationship between personality psychopathology and hippocampal size and activation. Cumulative lifetime stress was assessed in a sample of females recruited to vary in stress exposure and severity of personality psychopathology. Fifty-six participants completed subjective and objective tests of episodic memory, a T2-weighted high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the medial-temporal lobe, and functional MRI (fMRI) scanning during a learning and recognition memory task. Higher cumulative stress was significantly related to memory complaints (but not episodic memory performance), lower bilateral hippocampal volume, and greater encoding-related hippocampal activation during the presentation of novel stimuli. Furthermore, cumulative stress significantly mediated the relationship between personality psychopathology and both hippocampal volume and activation, whereas alternative mediation models were not supported. The findings suggest that structural and functional activation differences in the hippocampus observed in case-control studies of psychiatric diagnoses may share cumulative stress as a common factor, which may mediate broadly reported relationships between psychopathology and hippocampal structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dean Carcone
- Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
| | - Katherine Gardhouse
- Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 60 White Squirrel Way, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1H4, Canada
| | - Vina M Goghari
- Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Andy C H Lee
- Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Hospital, 3560 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Anthony C Ruocco
- Department of Psychological Clinical Science, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
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10
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Kent MH, Jacob JC, Bowen G, Bhalerao J, Desinor S, Vavra D, Leserve D, Ott KR, Angeles B, Martis M, Sciandra K, Gillenwater K, Glory C, Meisel E, Choe A, Olivares-Navarrete R, Puetzer JL, Lambert K. Disrupted development from head to tail: Pervasive effects of postnatal restricted resources on neurobiological, behavioral, and morphometric outcomes. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:910056. [PMID: 35990727 PMCID: PMC9389412 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.910056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When a maternal rat nurtures her pups, she relies on adequate resources to provide optimal care for her offspring. Accordingly, limited environmental resources may result in atypical maternal care, disrupting various developmental outcomes. In the current study, maternal Long-Evans rats were randomly assigned to either a standard resource (SR) group, provided with four cups of bedding and two paper towels for nesting material or a limited resource (LR) group, provided with a quarter of the bedding and nesting material provided for the SR group. Offspring were monitored at various developmental phases throughout the study. After weaning, pups were housed in same-sex dyads in environments with SRs for continued observations. Subsequent behavioral tests revealed a sex × resource interaction in play behavior on PND 28; specifically, LR reduced play attacks in males while LR increased play attacks in females. A sex × resource interaction was also observed in anxiety-related responses in the open field task with an increase in thigmotaxis in LR females and, in the social interaction task, females exhibited more external rears oriented away from the social target. Focusing on morphological variables, tail length measurements of LR males and females were shorter on PND 9, 16, and 21; however, differences in tail length were no longer present at PND 35. Following the behavioral assessments, animals were perfused at 56 days of age and subsequent immunohistochemical assays indicated increased glucocorticoid receptors in the lateral habenula of LR offspring and higher c-Fos immunoreactivity in the basolateral amygdala of SR offspring. Further, when tail vertebrae and tail tendons were assessed via micro-CT and hydroxyproline assays, results indicated increased trabecular separation, decreased bone volume fraction, and decreased connectivity density in bones, along with reduced collagen concentration in tendons in the LR animals. In sum, although the restricted resources only persisted for a brief duration, the effects appear to be far-reaching and pervasive in this early life stress animal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly H. Kent
- Department of Biology, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA, United States
| | - Joanna C. Jacob
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Gabby Bowen
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Janhavi Bhalerao
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Stephanie Desinor
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Dylan Vavra
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Danielle Leserve
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Kelly R. Ott
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Benjamin Angeles
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Michael Martis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Katherine Sciandra
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | | | - Clark Glory
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Eli Meisel
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Allison Choe
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Rene Olivares-Navarrete
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Puetzer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Kelly Lambert
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Kelly Lambert,
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11
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Kim JS, Lee KH, Hwang CS, Kim JW. Subcortical volumetric alterations as potential predictors of methylphenidate treatment response in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2022; 47:E11-E20. [PMID: 35027444 PMCID: PMC8842691 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show structural alterations in the subcortical and dopaminergic regions of the brain. Methylphenidate is a first-line treatment for ADHD, and it is known to affect the subcortical and dopaminergic systems. The degree of pretreatment structural alterations in patients with ADHD may be an important factor in predicting methylphenidate treatment outcomes. The present study examined whether pretreatment volumetric alterations in the subcortical and dopaminergic regions predicted treatment response in youth with ADHD. METHODS This study included 67 youth with ADHD and 25 healthy controls. Youth with ADHD received 8 weeks of methylphenidate treatment. They completed baseline (pretreatment) T 1-weighted structural MRI scans and underwent clinical assessments before and after methylphenidate treatment. The healthy controls also completed baseline structural MRI scans. We assessed volumetric alterations using relative volumes (volume of each region of interest/intracranial volume). RESULTS Among 67 youth with ADHD, 44 were treatment responders and 23 were nonresponders based on post-treatment scores on the Clinical Global Impression Scale-Improvement. Nonresponders had larger volumes in the bilateral amygdala and right thalamus than responders. Nonresponders also had larger volumes in amygdalar subregions (i.e., the bilateral lateral nucleus and right basal nucleus) and hippocampal subregions (i.e., the right hippocampal head and right molecular layer) relative to responders. LIMITATIONS We did not collect post-treatment structural T 1-weighted images, so volumetric changes related to methylphenidate treatment in youth with ADHD were undetermined. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that pretreatment volumetric alterations in subcortical regions may serve as biomarkers for predicting methylphenidate treatment response in youth with ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kyung Hwa Lee
- From the Department of Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea (J.-S. Kim, Hwang); and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea (Lee, J.-W. Kim)
| | | | - Jae-Won Kim
- From the Department of Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea (J.-S. Kim, Hwang); and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea (Lee, J.-W. Kim)
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12
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Xie H, Huffman N, Shih CH, Cotton AS, Buehler M, Brickman KR, Wall JT, Wang X. Adverse childhood experiences associate with early post-trauma thalamus and thalamic nuclei volumes and PTSD development in adulthood. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2022; 319:111421. [PMID: 34864509 PMCID: PMC8724406 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2021.111421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) potentially contribute to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after adult trauma exposure, but underlying brain changes remain unclear. The present study tested relationships between ACEs, whole thalamus and thalamic nuclei volumes, and post-trauma stress symptoms (PTSS) after adult trauma. Trauma survivors (n = 101) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the PTSD checklist-special stressor version 5 (PCL), and a structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) scan within post-trauma 2 weeks. At post-trauma 3 months, survivors completed a second PCL survey and a PTSD diagnosis interview using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). CTQ scores significantly positively correlated with PCL scores at post-trauma 2 weeks and 3 months (respective p's < 0.01 and < 0.001). CTQ scores significantly negatively correlated with whole thalamus and 7 thalamic nuclei volumes at post-trauma 2 weeks in the PTSD (N = 50), but not the non-PTSD (N = 51) group. Whole thalamus and 22 nuclei volumes significantly negatively correlated with PCL scores at post-trauma 3 months in the PTSD, but not the non-PTSD group. These results suggest ACEs negatively influence early post-trauma thalamic volumes which, in turn, are negatively associated with PTSS in survivors who develop PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Xie
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America.
| | - Nickelas Huffman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
| | - Chia-Hao Shih
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
| | - Andrew S Cotton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
| | - Mark Buehler
- Department of Radiology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
| | - Kristopher R Brickman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
| | - John T Wall
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States of America
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13
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Taylor BK, Frenzel MR, Eastman JA, Embury CM, Agcaoglu O, Wang YP, Stephen JM, Calhoun VD, Wilson TW. Individual differences in amygdala volumes predict changes in functional connectivity between subcortical and cognitive control networks throughout adolescence. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118852. [PMID: 34954025 PMCID: PMC8822500 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period of structural and functional neural maturation among regions serving the cognitive control of emotion. Evidence suggests that this process is guided by developmental changes in amygdala and striatum structure and shifts in functional connectivity between subcortical (SC) and cognitive control (CC) networks. Herein, we investigate the extent to which such developmental shifts in structure and function reciprocally predict one another over time. 179 youth (9–15 years-old) completed annual MRI scans for three years. Amygdala and striatum volumes and connectivity within and between SC and CC resting state networks were measured for each year. We tested for reciprocal predictability of within-person and between-person changes in structure and function using random-intercept cross-lagged panel models. Within-person shifts in amygdala volumes in a given year significantly and specifically predicted deviations in SC-CC connectivity in the following year, such that an increase in volume was associated with decreased SC-CC connectivity the following year. Deviations in connectivity did not predict changes in amygdala volumes over time. Conversely, broader group-level shifts in SC-CC connectivity were predictive of subsequent deviations in striatal volumes. We did not see any cross-predictability among amygdala or striatum volumes and within-network connectivity measures. Within-person shifts in amygdala structure year-to-year robustly predicted weaker SC-CC connectivity in subsequent years, whereas broader increases in SC-CC connectivity predicted smaller striatal volumes over time. These specific structure function relationships may contribute to the development of emotional control across adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany K Taylor
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA.
| | - Michaela R Frenzel
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Jacob A Eastman
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA
| | - Christine M Embury
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Oktay Agcaoglu
- Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yu-Ping Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | | | - Vince D Calhoun
- Tri-institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Tony W Wilson
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
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14
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Assari S. Cingulo-opercular and Cingulo-parietal Brain Networks Functional Connectivity in Pre-adolescents: Multiplicative Effects of Race, Ethnicity, and Parental Education. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 6:76-99. [PMID: 34734154 DOI: 10.22158/rhs.v6n2p76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Introduction A growing body of research has shown a diminished association between socioeconomic status (SES) indicators and a wide range of neuroimaging indicators for racial and ethnic minorities compared to majority groups. However, less is known about these effects for resting-state functional connectivity between various brain networks. Purpose This study investigated racial and ethnic variation in the correlation between parental education and resting-state functional connectivity between the cingulo-opercular (CO) and cingulo-parietal (CP) networks in children. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study; we analyzed the resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rsfMRI) data of 8,464 American pre-adolescents between the ages of 9 and 10. The main outcome measured was resting-state functional connectivity between the CO and CP networks calculated using rsfMRI. The independent variable was parental education, which was treated as a nominal variable. Age, sex, and family marital status were the study covariates. Race and ethnicity were the moderators. Mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis, with and without interaction terms between parental education and race and ethnicity. Results Higher parental education was associated with higher resting-state functional connectivity between the CO and CP networks. Race and ethnicity both showed statistically significant interactions with parental education on children's resting-state functional connectivity between CO and CP networks, suggesting that the correlation between parental education and the resting-state functional connectivity was significantly weaker for Black and Hispanic pre-adolescents compared to White and non-Hispanic pre-adolescents. Conclusions In line with the Minorities' Diminished Returns theory, the association between parental education and pre-adolescents resting-state functional connectivity between CO and CP networks may be weaker in Black and Hispanic children than in White and non-Hispanic children. The weaker link between parental education and brain functional connectivity for Blacks and Hispanics than for Whites and non-Hispanics may reflect racism, racialization, and social stratification that collectively minimize the returns of SES indicators, such as parental education for non-Whites, who become others in the US.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA.,Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Research Center, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
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15
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Cohodes EM, Kribakaran S, Odriozola P, Bakirci S, McCauley S, Hodges HR, Sisk LM, Zacharek SJ, Gee DG. Migration-related trauma and mental health among migrant children emigrating from Mexico and Central America to the United States: Effects on developmental neurobiology and implications for policy. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22158. [PMID: 34292596 PMCID: PMC8410670 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Children make up over half of the world's migrants and refugees and face a multitude of traumatic experiences prior to, during, and following migration. Here, we focus on migrant children emigrating from Mexico and Central America to the United States and review trauma related to migration, as well as its implications for the mental health of migrant and refugee children. We then draw upon the early adversity literature to highlight potential behavioral and neurobiological sequalae of migration-related trauma exposure, focusing on attachment, emotion regulation, and fear learning and extinction as transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying the development of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology following early-life adversity. This review underscores the need for interdisciplinary efforts to both mitigate the effects of trauma faced by migrant and refugee youth emigrating from Mexico and Central America and, of primary importance, to prevent child exposure to trauma in the context of migration. Thus, we conclude by outlining policy recommendations aimed at improving the mental health of migrant and refugee youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sahana Kribakaran
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Paola Odriozola
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sarah Bakirci
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sarah McCauley
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - H R Hodges
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lucinda M Sisk
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sadie J Zacharek
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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16
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Guadagno A, Belliveau C, Mechawar N, Walker CD. Effects of Early Life Stress on the Developing Basolateral Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortex Circuit: The Emerging Role of Local Inhibition and Perineuronal Nets. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:669120. [PMID: 34512291 PMCID: PMC8426628 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.669120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The links between early life stress (ELS) and the emergence of psychopathology such as increased anxiety and depression are now well established, although the specific neurobiological and developmental mechanisms that translate ELS into poor health outcomes are still unclear. The consequences of ELS are complex because they depend on the form and severity of early stress, duration, and age of exposure as well as co-occurrence with other forms of physical or psychological trauma. The long term effects of ELS on the corticolimbic circuit underlying emotional and social behavior are particularly salient because ELS occurs during critical developmental periods in the establishment of this circuit, its local balance of inhibition:excitation and its connections with other neuronal pathways. Using examples drawn from the human and rodent literature, we review some of the consequences of ELS on the development of the corticolimbic circuit and how it might impact fear regulation in a sex- and hemispheric-dependent manner in both humans and rodents. We explore the effects of ELS on local inhibitory neurons and the formation of perineuronal nets (PNNs) that terminate critical periods of plasticity and promote the formation of stable local networks. Overall, the bulk of ELS studies report transient and/or long lasting alterations in both glutamatergic circuits and local inhibitory interneurons (INs) and their associated PNNs. Since the activity of INs plays a key role in the maturation of cortical regions and the formation of local field potentials, alterations in these INs triggered by ELS might critically participate in the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood, including impaired fear extinction and anxiety behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Guadagno
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Claudia Belliveau
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Naguib Mechawar
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Claire-Dominique Walker
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Dufford AJ, Evans GW, Liberzon I, Swain JE, Kim P. Childhood socioeconomic status is prospectively associated with surface morphometry in adulthood. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1589-1596. [PMID: 33432574 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with brain cortex surface area in children. However, the extent to which childhood SES is prospectively associated with brain morphometry in adulthood is unclear. We tested whether childhood SES (income-to-needs ratio averaged across ages 9, 13, and 17) is prospectively associated with cortical surface morphometry in adulthood. Average childhood income-to-needs ratio had a positive, prospective association with cortical thickness in adulthood in the precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and caudal middle frontal gyrus (p < .05, FWE corrected). Childhood income-to-needs ratio also had a positive, prospective association with cortical surface area in adulthood in multiple regions, including the rostral and caudal middle frontal gyri and superior frontal gyrus (p < .05, FWE corrected). Concurrent income-to-needs ratio (measured at age 24) was not associated with cortical thickness or surface area in adulthood. The results underscore the importance of addressing poverty in childhood for brain morphological development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary W Evans
- Departments of Design and Environmental Analysis and of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, USA
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Psychology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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18
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Demidenko MI, Ip KI, Kelly DP, Constante K, Goetschius LG, Keating DP. Ecological stress, amygdala reactivity, and internalizing symptoms in preadolescence: Is parenting a buffer? Cortex 2021; 140:128-144. [PMID: 33984711 PMCID: PMC8169639 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Ecological stress during adolescent development may increase the sensitivity to negative emotional processes that can contribute to the onset and progression of internalizing behaviors during preadolescence. Although a small number of studies have considered the link among the relations between ecological stress, amygdala reactivity, and internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence, these studies have largely been small, cross-sectional, and often do not consider unique roles of parenting or sex. In the current study, we evaluated the interrelations between ecological stress, amygdala reactivity, subsequent internalizing symptoms, and the moderating roles of parenting and sex among 9- and 10-year-old preadolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study ®. A subset of participants who met a priori quality control criteria for bilateral amygdala activation during the EN-back faces versus places contrast (N = 7,385; Mean Age = 120 months, SD = 7.52; 49.5% Female) were included in the study. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to create a latent variable of ecological stress, and multiple structural equation models were tested to evaluate the association among baseline ecological stress and internalizing symptoms one year later, the mediating role of amygdala reactivity, and moderating effects of parental acceptance and sex. The results revealed a significant association between ecological stress and subsequent internalizing symptoms, which was greater in males than females. There was no association between amygdala reactivity during the Faces versus Places contrast and ecological stress or subsequent internalizing symptoms, and no mediating role of amygdala or moderating effect of parental acceptance on the association between ecological stress and internalizing symptoms. An alternative mediation model was tested which revealed that there was a small mediating effect of parental acceptance on the association between ecological stress and internalizing symptoms, demonstrating lower internalizing symptoms among preadolescents one year later. Given the lack of association in brain function, ecological stress and internalizing symptoms in preadolescents in this registered report, effects from comparable small studies should be reconsidered in larger samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ka I Ip
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, USA
| | | | | | | | - Daniel P Keating
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA; Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, USA
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Hanson JL, Nacewicz BM. Amygdala Allostasis and Early Life Adversity: Considering Excitotoxicity and Inescapability in the Sequelae of Stress. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:624705. [PMID: 34140882 PMCID: PMC8203824 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.624705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA), such as child maltreatment or child poverty, engenders problems with emotional and behavioral regulation. In the quest to understand the neurobiological sequelae and mechanisms of risk, the amygdala has been of major focus. While the basic functions of this region make it a strong candidate for understanding the multiple mental health issues common after ELA, extant literature is marked by profound inconsistencies, with reports of larger, smaller, and no differences in regional volumes of this area. We believe integrative models of stress neurodevelopment, grounded in "allostatic load," will help resolve inconsistencies in the impact of ELA on the amygdala. In this review, we attempt to connect past research studies to new findings with animal models of cellular and neurotransmitter mediators of stress buffering to extreme fear generalization onto testable research and clinical concepts. Drawing on the greater impact of inescapability over unpredictability in animal models, we propose a mechanism by which ELA aggravates an exhaustive cycle of amygdala expansion and subsequent toxic-metabolic damage. We connect this neurobiological sequela to psychosocial mal/adaptation after ELA, bridging to behavioral studies of attachment, emotion processing, and social functioning. Lastly, we conclude this review by proposing a multitude of future directions in preclinical work and studies of humans that suffered ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L. Hanson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Brendon M. Nacewicz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Madaboosi S, Grasser LR, Chowdury A, Javanbakht A. Neurocircuitry of Contingency Awareness in Pavlovian Fear Conditioning. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 2021. [PMID: 33990933 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00909-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
In Pavlovian fear conditioning, contingency awareness provides an indicator of explicit fear learning. A less studied aspect of fear-based psychopathologies and their treatment, awareness of learned fear is a common cause of distress in persons with such conditions and is a focus of their treatment. The present work is a substudy of a broader fear-conditioning fMRI study. Following fear conditioning, we identified a subset of individuals who did not exhibit explicit awareness of the CS-US contingency. This prompted an exploratory analysis of differences in "aware" versus "unaware" individuals after fear conditioning. Self-reported expectancies of the CS-US contingency obtained immediately following fear conditioning were used to differentiate the two groups. Results corrected for multiple comparisons indicated significantly greater BOLD signal in the bilateral dlPFC, right vmPFC, bilateral vlPFC, left insula, left hippocampus, and bilateral amygdala for the CS+>CS- contrast in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.004). PPI analysis with a left hippocampal seed indicated stronger coupling with the dlPFC and vmPFC in the aware group compared with the unaware group (all p values ≤ 0.002). Our findings add to our current knowledge of the networks involved in explicit learning and awareness of conditioned fear, with important clinical implications.
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Abstract
Introduction Cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy is a proxy of the integrity of the cerebellum cortex. However, less is known about how it is shaped by race and socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as parental education and household income. Purpose In a national sample of American pre-adolescents, this study had two aims: to test the effects of two SES indicators, namely parental education and household income, on cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy, and to explore racial differences in these effects. Methods Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we analyzed the diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) data of 9565, 9-10-year-old pre-adolescents. The main outcomes were cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy separately calculated for right and left hemispheres using dMRI. The independent variables were parental education and household income; both treated as categorical variables. Age, sex, ethnicity, and family marital status were the covariates. Race was the moderator. To analyze the data, we used mixed-effects regression models without and with interaction terms. We controlled for propensity score and MRI device. Results High parental education and household income were associated with lower right and left cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy. In the pooled sample, we found significant interactions between race and parental education and household income, suggesting that the effects of parental education and household income on the right and left cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy are all significantly larger for White than for Black pre-adolescents. Conclusions The effects of SES indicators, namely parental education and household income, on pre-adolescents' cerebellum cortex microstructure and integrity are weaker in Black than in White families. This finding is in line with the Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs), defined as weaker effects of SES indicators for Blacks and other racial and minority groups than for Whites.
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Assari S, Boyce S, Saqib M, Bazargan M, Caldwell CH. Parental Education and Left Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortical Activity during N-Back Task: An fMRI Study of American Adolescents. Brain Sci 2021; 11:401. [PMID: 33809905 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11030401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction. The Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) is a cortical structure that has implications in cognition, memory, reward anticipation, outcome evaluation, decision making, and learning. As such, OFC activity correlates with these cognitive brain abilities. Despite research suggesting race and socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as parental education may be associated with OFC activity, limited knowledge exists on multiplicative effects of race and parental education on OFC activity and associated cognitive ability. Purpose. Using functional brain imaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we tested the multiplicative effects of race and parental education on left lateral OFC activity during an N-Back task. In our study, we used a sociological rather than biological theory that conceptualizes race and SES as proxies of access to the opportunity structure and exposure to social adversities rather than innate and non-modifiable brain differences. We explored racial variation in the effect of parental educational attainment, a primary indicator of SES, on left lateral OFC activity during an N-Back task between Black and White 9–10 years old adolescents. Methods. The ABCD study is a national, landmark, multi-center brain imaging investigation of American adolescents. The total sample was 4290 9–10 years old Black or White adolescents. The independent variables were SES indicators, namely family income, parental education, and neighborhood income. The primary outcome was the average beta weight for N-Back (2 back versus 0 back contrast) in ASEG ROI left OFC activity, measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during an N-Back task. Ethnicity, age, sex, subjective SES, and family structure were the study covariates. For data analysis, we used linear regression models. Results. In White but not Black adolescents, parental education was associated with higher left lateral OFC activity during the N-Back task. In the pooled sample, we found a significant interaction between race and parental education on the outcome, suggesting that high parental education is associated with a larger increase in left OFC activity of White than Black adolescents. Conclusions. For American adolescents, race and SES jointly influence left lateral OFC activity correlated with cognition, memory, decision making, and learning. Given the central role of left lateral OFC activity in learning and memory, our finding calls for additional research on contextual factors that reduce the gain of SES for Black adolescents. Cognitive inequalities are not merely due to the additive effects of race and SES but also its multiplicative effects.
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Pluess M, De Brito SA, Bartoli AJ, McCrory E, Viding E. Individual differences in sensitivity to the early environment as a function of amygdala and hippocampus volumes: An exploratory analysis in 12-year-old boys. Dev Psychopathol 2020;:1-10. [PMID: 33342453 DOI: 10.1017/S0954579420001698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Children differ in their response to environmental exposures, with some being more sensitive to contextual factors than others. According to theory, such variability is the result of individual differences in neurobiological sensitivity to environmental features, with some individuals generally more affected by both negative and/or positive experiences. In this exploratory study we tested whether left and right amygdala and hippocampus volumes (corrected for total brain size) account for individual differences in response to environmental influences in a sample of 62 boys. Cumulative general environmental quality, ranging from low to high, was measured across the first 9 years and child behavior was reported by teachers when boys were 12-13 years old. According to analyses, only the left amygdala volume - not any of the other brain volumes - emerged as an important brain region for sensitivity to positive environmental aspects. Boys with a larger left amygdala benefited significantly more from higher environmental quality than boys with a smaller left amygdala whilst not being more vulnerable to lower quality. Besides providing preliminary evidence for differences in environmental sensitivity due to brain structure, the results also point to the left amygdala as having a specific role regarding the response to environmental influences.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic and/or extreme stress in early life, often referred to as early adversity, childhood trauma, or early life stress, has been associated with a wide range of adverse effects on development. However, while early life stress has been linked to negative effects on a number of neural systems, the specific mechanisms through which early life stress influences development and individual differences in children's outcomes are still not well understood. MAIN TEXT The current paper reviews the existing literature on the neurobiological effects of early life stress and their ties to children's psychological and behavioral development. CONCLUSIONS Early life stress has persistent and pervasive effects on prefrontal-hypothalamic-amygdala and dopaminergic circuits that are at least partially mediated by alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function. However, to date, this research has primarily utilized methods of assessment that focus solely on children's event exposures. Incorporating assessment of factors that influence children's interpretation of stressors, along with stressful events, has the potential to provide further insight into the mechanisms contributing to individual differences in neurodevelopmental effects of early life stress. This can aid in further elucidating specific mechanisms through which these neurobiological changes influence development and contribute to risk for psychopathology and health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Smith
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 S Highland Blvd, Rm 399, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
| | - Seth D Pollak
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 S Highland Blvd, Rm 399, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
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Akhlaghipour G, Assari S. Parental Education, Household Income, Race, and Children's Working Memory: Complexity of the Effects. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E950. [PMID: 33297546 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Considerable research has linked social determinants of health (SDoHs) such as race, parental education, and household income to school performance, and these effects may be in part due to working memory. However, a growing literature shows that these effects may be complex: while the effects of parental education may be diminished for Blacks than Whites, household income may explain such effects. Purpose. Considering race as sociological rather than a biological construct (race as a proxy of racism) and built on Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs), this study explored complexities of the effects of SDoHs on children's working memory. Methods. We borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The total sample was 10,418, 9- and 10-year-old children. The independent variables were race, parental education, and household income. The primary outcome was working memory measured by the NIH Toolbox Card Sorting Test. Age, sex, ethnicity, and parental marital status were the covariates. To analyze the data, we used mixed-effect regression models. Results. High parental education and household income were associated with higher and Black race was associated with lower working memory. The association between high parental education but not household income was less pronounced for Black than White children. This differential effect of parental education on working memory was explained by household income. Conclusions. For American children, parental education generates unequal working memory, depending on race. This means parental education loses some of its expected effects for Black families. It also suggests that while White children with highly educated parents have the highest working memory, Black children report lower working memory, regardless of their parental education. This inequality is mainly because of differential income in highly educated White and Black families. This finding has significant public policy and economic implications and suggests we need to do far more than equalizing education to eliminate racial inequalities in children's cognitive outcomes. While there is a need for multilevel policies that reduce the effect of racism and social stratification for middle-class Black families, equalizing income may have more returns than equalizing education.
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Smith KE, Leitzke BT, Pollak SD. Youths' processing of emotion information: Responses to chronic and video-based laboratory stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 122:104873. [PMID: 33070023 PMCID: PMC7686118 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Integrating multiple sources of information about others' emotional states is critical to making accurate emotional inferences. There is evidence that both acute and chronic stress influence how individuals perceive emotional information. However, there is little research examining how acute and chronic stress interact to impact these processes. The current study examined whether acute and chronic stress interact to influence how children make emotional inferences. Eighty-nine youths (aged 11-15 years) underwent a novel video-based social stressor. Children completed an emotion recognition task prior to and after the stressor in which they saw integrated displays of facial expressions and contexts depicting congruent or incongruent emotional information. Eye tracking assessed changes in attention to the stimuli. Children became more likely to use and attended more to facial information than contextual information when labeling emotions following exposure to acute stress. Moreover, the effect of acute stress on use of facial information to label emotions was stronger for children who experienced higher levels of chronic stress. These data suggest that acute stress shifts attention towards facial information while suppressing processing of other sources of emotional information, and that youths with a history of chronic stress are more susceptible to these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E. Smith
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison,Correspondence should be directed to Karen E. Smith, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1500 Highland Ave, Rm 392, Madison, WI 53705.
| | - Brian T. Leitzke
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison
| | - Seth D. Pollak
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison
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Abstract
BACKGROUND While race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) impact brain structures such as the amygdala, less is known on whether or not family SES partially explains why amygdala volume is smaller for racial and ethnic minority groups. PURPOSE This study tested the mediating effects of family SES on racial and ethnic differences in right and left amygdala volume. METHODS We borrowed the structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) data of the Children Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a brain imaging investigation of childhood brain development in the US. The total sample was 8977, 9-10-year-old children. The independent variables were race and ethnicity. The primary outcomes were right and left amygdala volume. Age, sex, household size, and marital status were the covariates. Multiple SES indicators such as family income, subjective family SES, parental employment, parental education, and neighborhood income were the mediators. To analyze the data, we used regression models without and with our mediators. Sobel test was used to test if these mediational paths are statistically significant. RESULTS Black and Latino children had smaller amygdala sizes than non-Latino White children. The effects of race and ethnicity on amygdala volume were partially mediated by SES indicators, suggesting that one of the many reasons Black and Latino children have smaller volumes of right and left amygdala is their lower SES. CONCLUSIONS For American children, lower family and neighborhood SES indicators partially, but not fully, explain smaller amygdala sizes of Black and Latino children compared to non- Latino White children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
- Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
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Abstract
Introduction The hippocampus has a significant role in memory, learning, and cognition. Although hippocampal size is highly susceptible to family socioeconomic status (SES) and associated stress, very little is known on racial and ethnic group differences in the effects of SES indicators on hippocampus volume among American children. Purpose This study explored the multiplicative effects of race, ethnicity, and family SES on hippocampus volume among American children. Methods Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD), we analyzed the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of 9390 9-10 years old children. The main outcome was hippocampus volume. The predictor was parental education. Subjective family SES was the independent variable. Age, sex, and marital status were the covariates. Racial and ethnic group membership were the moderators. To analyze the data, we used regression models. Results High subjective family SES was associated with larger hippocampus volume. This effect was significantly larger for Whites than Black families. Conclusions The effect of subjective family SES on children's hippocampus volume is weaker in Black than White families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
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Abstract
Considerable research has suggested that low socioeconomic status (SES) negatively influences brain structure, including but not limited to decreased amygdala volume. Considering race and ethnicity as sociological rather than biological constructs, this study was built on minorities' diminished returns (MDRs) to test if the effects of family SES on the total amygdala volume is weaker for black and Latino children than white and non-Latino children. We borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a national multi-center brain imaging investigation of childhood brain development in the US. The total sample was 9380 9-10-year-old children. The independent variables were subjective family SES and parental education. The primary outcome was total amygdala volume. High subjective SES and parental education were independently associated with larger total amygdala size. The association between high subjective SES and larger total amygdala volume was less pronounced for black and Latino children than white and non-Latino children. For American children, family SES has unequal effects on amygdala size and function, a pattern that is consistent with MDRs. This result suggests that SES loses some of its expected effects for racial and ethnic minority families.
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Dufford AJ, Evans GW, Dmitrieva J, Swain JE, Liberzon I, Kim P. Prospective associations, longitudinal patterns of childhood socioeconomic status, and white matter organization in adulthood. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:3580-3593. [PMID: 32529772 PMCID: PMC7416042 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and brain development is an emerging area of research. The primary focus to date has been on SES and variations in gray matter structure with much less known about the relation between childhood SES and white matter structure. Using a longitudinal study of SES, with measures of income-to-needs ratio (INR) at age 9, 13, 17, and 24, we examined the prospective relationship between childhood SES (age 9 INR) and white matter organization in adulthood using diffusion tensor imaging. We also examined how changes in INR from childhood through young adulthood are associated with white matter organization in adult using a latent growth mixture model. Using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) we found that there is a significant prospective positive association between childhood INR and white matter organization in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus, bilateral cingulum bundle, bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus, and corpus callosum (p < .05, FWE corrected). The probability that an individual was in the high-increasing INR profile across development compared with the low-increasing INR profile was positively associated with white matter organization in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus, left cingulum, and bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus. The results of the current study have potential implications for interventions given that early childhood poverty may have long-lasting associations with white matter structure. Furthermore, trajectories of socioeconomic status during childhood are important-with individuals that belong to the latent profile that had high increases in INR having greater regional white matter organization in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary W. Evans
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis and Department of Human DevelopmentCornell UniversityIthacaNew YorkUSA
| | - Julia Dmitrieva
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of DenverDenverColoradoUSA
| | - James E. Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Psychology, and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive HealthRenaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook UniversityStony BrookNew YorkUSA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of PsychiatryTexas A&M University Health Science CenterCollege StationTexasUSA
| | - Pilyoung Kim
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of DenverDenverColoradoUSA
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Assari S, Boyce S, Bazargan M, Caldwell CH. Family Income Mediates the Effect of Parental Education on Adolescents' Hippocampus Activation During an N-Back Memory Task. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E520. [PMID: 32764344 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10080520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Hippocampus, a medial temporal lobe structure, has significant implications in memory formation and learning. Although hippocampus activity is believed to be affected by socioeconomic status (SES), limited knowledge exists on which SES indicators influence hippocampus function. Purpose: This study explored the separate and combined effects of three SES indicators, namely parental education, family income, and neighborhood income, on adolescents’ hippocampus activation during an N-Back memory task. As some of the effects of parental education may be through income, we also tested if the effect of parental education on hippocampus activation during our N-Back memory task is mediated by family or neighborhood income. Methods: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study is a national multi-center investigation of American adolescents’ brain development. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of a total sample of 3067 9–10-year-old adolescents were used. The primary outcome was left- hippocampus activation during the N-Back memory task (mean beta weight for N-Back run 1 2 back versus 0 back contrast in left hippocampus). The independent variable was parental education. Family income and neighborhood income were two possible mediators. Age, sex, and marital status were the covariates. To test mediation, we used hierarchical linear regression models first without and then with our mediators. Full mediation was defined according to Kenny. The Sobel test was used to confirm statistical mediation. Results: In the absence of family and neighborhood income in the model, higher parental educational attainment was associated with lower level of left hippocampus activation during the N-Back memory task. This effect was significant while age, sex, and marital status were controlled. The association between parental educational attainment and hippocampus activation during the N-Back memory task was no more significant when we controlled for family and neighborhood income. Instead, family income was associated with hippocampus activation during the N-Back memory task. These findings suggested that family income fully mediates the effect of parental educational attainment on left hippocampus activation during the N-Back memory task. Conclusions: The effect of parental educational attainment on adolescents’ hippocampus activation during an N-Back memory task is fully explained by family income. That means low family income is why adolescents with low-educated parents show highlighted hippocampus activation during an N-Back memory task. Given the central role of the hippocampus in learning and memory and as income is a modifiable factor by tax and economic policies, income-redistribution policies, fair taxation, and higher minimum wage may have implications for promotion of adolescent equality and social justice. There is a need to focus on family-level economic needs across all levels of neighborhood income.
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Abstract
The article considers the main triggers of adjustment and anxiety disorders in the time of pandemic that brings significant changes in all life dimensions with the high uncertainty level. The article highlights a role of coronavirus infodemic in the development of anxiety disorders. The main targets for cognitive, emotional and behavioral interventions are suggested. Recommendations for anxiety adjustment disorders psychopharmacotherapy with the use of tranquillizers as treatment of choice are given. Prevention measures for medical doctors working in conditions of pandemic are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- A V Vasileva
- Bekhterev National Research Medical Center for Psychiatry and Neurology, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Mechnikov North-Western State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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33
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Duval ER, Sheynin J, King AP, Phan KL, Simon NM, Martis B, Porter KE, Norman SB, Liberzon I, Rauch SAM. Neural function during emotion processing and modulation associated with treatment response in a randomized clinical trial for posttraumatic stress disorder. Depress Anxiety 2020; 37:670-681. [PMID: 32306485 PMCID: PMC8010611 DOI: 10.1002/da.23022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with exaggerated threat processing and deficits in emotion modulation circuitry. It remains unknown how neural circuits are associated with response to evidence-based treatments for PTSD. METHOD We examined associations between PTSD symptoms and indicators of neural response in key emotion processing and modulation regions. Fifty-six military Veterans with PTSD were randomly assigned to one of three evidence-based treatments (prolonged exposure, sertraline, and PE plus sertraline) in a randomized clinical trial ("PROGrESS"; 2018, Contemp Clin Trials, 64, 128-138). Twenty-seven combat-exposed controls (CCs) served as a comparison group at pretreatment. Before and after PTSD treatment, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess brain activation and connectivity during the validated Shifted Attention Emotion Appraisal Task (2003, J Neurosci, 23, 5627-5633; 2013, Biol Psychiatry, 73, 1045-1053). RESULTS Greater activation in emotion processing (anterior insula) and modulation (prefrontal cortex) regions and increased connectivity between attentional control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and superior parietal cortex) and emotion processing (amygdala) regions, at pretreatment, were associated with subsequent PTSD symptom improvement. CONCLUSIONS This study is one of the first to examine task-based activation and functional connectivity in a PTSD treatment trial, and provides evidence to suggest that activation in and connectivity between emotion processing and modulation regions are important predictors of treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R. Duval
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Jony Sheynin
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas
| | - Anthony P. King
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - K. Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Naomi M. Simon
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts,Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Brian Martis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California
| | - Katherine E. Porter
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Sonya B. Norman
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California,Executive Division, National Center for PTSD, White River Junction, Vermont
| | - Israel Liberzon
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas
| | - Sheila A. M. Rauch
- Mental Health Service Line, VA Atlanta Healthcare System, Decatur, Georgia,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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Cohodes EM, Kitt ER, Baskin-Sommers A, Gee DG. Influences of early-life stress on frontolimbic circuitry: Harnessing a dimensional approach to elucidate the effects of heterogeneity in stress exposure. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:153-172. [PMID: 32227350 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Early-life stress confers profound and lasting risk for developing cognitive, social, emotional, and physical health problems. The effects of stress on the developing brain contribute to this risk, with frontolimbic circuitry particularly susceptible to early experiences, possibly due to its innervation with glucocorticoid receptors and the timing of frontolimbic circuit maturation. To date, the majority of studies on stress and frontolimbic circuitry have employed a categorical approach, comparing stress-exposed versus non-stress-exposed youth. However, there is vast heterogeneity in the nature of stress exposure and in outcomes. Recent forays into understanding the psychobiological effects of stress have employed a dimensional approach focused on experiential, environmental, and temporal factors that influence the association between stress and subsequent vulnerability. This review highlights empirical findings that inform a dimensional approach to understanding the effects of stress on frontolimbic circuitry. We identify the timing, type, severity, controllability, and predictability of stress, and the degree to which a caregiver is involved, as specific features of stress that may play a substantial role in differential outcomes. We propose a framework for the effects of these features of stress on frontolimbic development that may partially determine how heterogeneity in stress exposure influences this circuitry and, ultimately, mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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35
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Assari S. Neighborhood Poverty and Amygdala Response to Negative Face. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 6:67-85. [PMID: 34095497 DOI: 10.22158/jepf.v6n4p67] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Considerable research has established a link between socioeconomic status (SES) and brain function. While studies have shown a link between poverty status and amygdala response to negative stimuli, a paucity of knowledge exists on whether neighborhood poverty is also independently associated with amygdala hyperactive response to negative stimuli. Purpose Using functional brain imaging data, this study tested the association between neighborhood SES and the amygdala's response to negative stimuli. Considering race as a sociological rather than a biological construct, we also explored racial heterogeneity in this association between non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White youth. Methods We borrowed the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The sample was 2,490 nine to ten year old non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adolescents. The independent variable was neighborhood income which was treated as a continuous measure. The primary outcomes were the right and left amygdala response to negative face during an N-Back task. Age, sex, race, marital status, and family SES were the covariates. To analyze the data, we used linear regression models. Results Low neighborhood income was independently associated with a higher level of amygdala response to negative face. Similar results were seen for the right and left amygdala. These effects were significant net of race, age, sex, marital status, and family SES. An association between low neighborhood SES and higher left but not right amygdala response to negative face could be observed for non-Hispanic Black youth. No association between neighborhood SES and left or right amygdala response to negative face could be observed for non-Hispanic White youth. Conclusions For American youth, particularly non-Hispanic Black youth, living in a poor neighborhood predicts the left amygdala reaction to negative face. This result suggested that Black youth who live in poor neighborhoods are at a high risk of poor emotion regulation. This finding has implications for policy making to reduce inequalities in undesired behavioral and emotional outcomes. Policy solutions to health inequalities should address inequalities in neighborhood SES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
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36
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Assari S, Akhlaghipour G, Saqib M, Boyce S, Bazargan M. Prefrontal Cortex Response to Threat: Race by Age Variation in 9-10 Year Old Children. J Ment Health Clin Psychol 2020; 4:1-12. [PMID: 33241232 DOI: 10.29245/2578-2959/2020/4.1209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Considerable research has suggested that race and age are two major determinants of brain development, including but not limited to development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs), however, suggests that race (as a proxy of racism) may interact with various determinants of human and brain development. Minimal knowledge, however, exists on whether age and race also interact on shaping PFC response to threat among American children. PURPOSE Using data from a task-based functional brain imaging study and considering race as a sociological rather than a biological construct, we investigated combined effects of race and age on prefrontal cortical (PFC) response to threat. We explored racial heterogeneities in the association between age and PFC response to threat by comparing Black and White children. METHODS This study used the task-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from the Adolescents Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a national, landmark, multi-center brain imaging investigation of 9-10 years old children in the US. The primary outcomes were mean beta weights of n-back runs measuring PFC response to threating versus neutral face contrast in the following regions of interest (ROIs): left hemisphere-lateral orbito-frontal, left hemisphere -superior-frontal, right hemisphere -caudal middle frontal, and right hemisphere -superior frontal cortex. The independent variable was age. Covariates were sex, ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and neighborhood socioeconomic status. Race was the focal moderator. To analyze the data, we used linear regression models without and with interactions and SES as covariates. RESULTS We included 5,066 9-10 years old children. Age and race did not show direct effects on PFC response to threatening relative to neutral faces. While ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status were controlled, age and race showed a systematic interaction on PFC response to threatening relative to neutral faces. CONCLUSIONS For American children, race and age do not have direct effects but multiplicative effects on PFC response to threat. The results may be reflective of social inequalities in how Black and White children are socialized and developed. The results are important given the role of the PFC in regulating the limbic system response to threat. Coordinated work of the limbic system and PFC is a core element of children's behavioral and emotional development. Future research is needed on how social stratification and racism shape emotion processing and regulation of American children in response to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Assari
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Mohammed Saqib
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shanika Boyce
- Department of Pediatrics, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mohsen Bazargan
- Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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37
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Herzberg MP, Gunnar MR. Early life stress and brain function: Activity and connectivity associated with processing emotion and reward. Neuroimage 2019; 209:116493. [PMID: 31884055 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating the developmental sequelae of early life stress has provided researchers the opportunity to examine adaptive responses to extreme environments. A large body of work has established mechanisms by which the stressful experiences of childhood poverty, maltreatment, and institutional care can impact the brain and the distributed stress systems of the body. These mechanisms are reviewed briefly to lay the foundation upon which the current neuroimaging literature has been built. More recently, developmental cognitive neuroscientists have identified a number of the effects of early adversity, including differential behavior and brain function. Among the most consistent of these findings are differences in the processing of emotion and reward-related information. The neural correlates of emotion processing, particularly frontolimbic functional connectivity, have been well studied in early life stress samples with results indicating accelerated maturation following early adversity. Reward processing has received less attention, but here the evidence suggests a deficit in reward sensitivity. It is as yet unknown whether the accelerated maturation of emotion-regulation circuits comes at the cost of delayed development in other systems, most notably the reward system. This review addresses the early life stress neuroimaging literature that has investigated emotion and reward processing, identifying important next steps in the study of brain function following adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max P Herzberg
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA.
| | - Megan R Gunnar
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA
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38
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Weissman DG, Guyer AE, Ferrer E, Robins RW, Hastings PD. Tuning of brain-autonomic coupling by prior threat exposure: Implications for internalizing problems in Mexican-origin adolescents. Dev Psychopathol 2019; 31:1127-1141. [PMID: 31084645 PMCID: PMC6639798 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419000646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to threat increases the risk for internalizing problems in adolescence. Deficits in integrating bodily cues into representations of emotion are thought to contribute to internalizing problems. Given the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in regulating bodily responses and integrating them into representations of emotional states, coordination between activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and autonomic nervous system responses may be influenced by past threat exposure with consequences for the emergence of internalizing problems. A sample of 179 Mexican-origin adolescents (88 female) reported on neighborhood and school crime, peer victimization, and discrimination when they were 10-16 years old. At age 17, participants underwent a functional neuroimaging scan during which they viewed pictures of emotional faces while respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and skin conductance responses were measured. Adolescents also reported symptoms of internalizing problems. Greater exposure to threats across adolescence was associated with more internalizing problems. Threat exposure was also associated with stronger negative coupling between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and RSA. Stronger negative ventromedial prefrontal cortex-RSA coupling was associated with fewer internalizing problems. These results suggest the degree of coordinated activity between the brain and parasympathetic nervous system is both enhanced by threat experiences and decreased in adolescents with more internalizing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G. Weissman
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Amanda E. Guyer
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Emilio Ferrer
- Department of Psychology, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Richard W. Robins
- Department of Psychology, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Paul D. Hastings
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California–Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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39
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Swain JE, Ho SS, Fox H, Garry D, Brummelte S. Effects of opioids on the parental brain in health and disease. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 54:100766. [PMID: 31128130 PMCID: PMC8318357 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The epidemic of opioid use disorder (OUD) directly affects millions of women of child-bearing age. Unfortunately, parenting behaviors - among the most important processes for human survival - are vulnerable to the effects of OUD. The standard of care for pregnant women with OUD is opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), of which the primary objective is to mitigate addiction-related stress. The aim of this review is to synthesize current information specific to pregnancy and parenting that may be affected by OUD. We first summarize a model of the parental brain supported by animal research and human neuroimaging. We then review animal models of exogenous opioid effects on parental brain and behavior. We also present preliminary data for a unifying hypothesis that may link different effects of exogenous opioids on parenting across species and in the context of OMT. Finally, we discuss future directions that may inform research and clinical decision making for peripartum women with OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
| | - S Shaun Ho
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Helen Fox
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, and Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - David Garry
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Susanne Brummelte
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States.
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40
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VanTieghem MR, Tottenham N. Neurobiological Programming of Early Life Stress: Functional Development of Amygdala-Prefrontal Circuitry and Vulnerability for Stress-Related Psychopathology. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2019; 38:117-136. [PMID: 28439771 PMCID: PMC5940575 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2016_42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Early adverse experiences are associated with heighted vulnerability for stress-related psychopathology across the lifespan. While extensive work has investigated the effects of early adversity on neurobiology in adulthood, developmental approaches can provide further insight on the neurobiological mechanisms that link early experiences and long-term mental health outcomes. In the current review, we discuss the role of emotion regulation circuitry implicated in stress-related psychopathology from a developmental and transdiagnostic perspective. We highlight converging evidence suggesting that multiple forms of early adverse experiences impact the functional development of amygdala-prefrontal circuitry. Next, we discuss how adversity-induced alterations in amygdala-prefrontal development are associated with symptoms of emotion dysregulation and psychopathology. Additionally, we discuss potential mechanisms through which protective factors may buffer the effects of early adversity on amygdala-prefrontal development to confer more adaptive long-term outcomes. Finally, we consider limitations of the existing literature and make suggestions for future longitudinal and translational research that can better elucidate the mechanisms linking early adversity, neurobiology, and emotional phenotypes. Together, these findings may provide further insight into the neuro-developmental mechanisms underlying the emergence of adversity-related emotional disorders and facilitate the development of targeted interventions that can ameliorate risk for psychopathology in youth exposed to early life stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle R VanTieghem
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1990 Amsterdam Ave, MC 5501, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, 406 Schermerhorn Hall, 1990 Amsterdam Ave, MC 5501, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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41
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Palacios-Barrios EE, Hanson JL. Poverty and self-regulation: Connecting psychosocial processes, neurobiology, and the risk for psychopathology. Compr Psychiatry 2019; 90:52-64. [PMID: 30711814 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the United States, over 40% of youth under the age of 18 live at or near the federal poverty line. Several decades of research have established clear links between exposure to child poverty and the development of psychopathology, yet the mechanisms that convey this risk remain unclear. We review research in developmental science and other allied disciplines that identify self-regulation as a critical factor that may influence the development of psychopathology after exposure to poverty. We then connect this work with neurobiological research in an effort to further inform these associations. We propose a starting framework focused on the neural correlates of self-regulation, and discuss recent work relating poverty to alterations in brain regions related to self-regulation. We close this review by highlighting important considerations for future research on poverty/socioeconomic status, neurobiology, self-regulation, and the risks related to the development of negative mental health outcomes.
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42
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Abstract
Defensive motivation, broadly defined as the orchestrated optimization of defensive functions, encapsulates core components of threat-related psychopathology. The exact relationship between defensive functions and stress-induced symptoms, however, is not entirely clear. Here we review how some of the most important behavioral and neurological findings related to threat-related disorders -- lowering response threshold to threats, facilitated learning and generalization to new threatening cues, reduced appetitive sensitivity, and resistance to extinction of the defensive state -- map onto defensive motivational states, highlighting evidence that supports conjecturing threat-related disorders as persistent motivational states. We propose a mechanism for the perpetuation of the motivational state, progressively converting temporary defensive functions into persistent defensive states associated with distress and impairment.
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43
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Saxbe D, Khoddam H, Piero LD, Stoycos SA, Gimbel SI, Margolin G, Kaplan JT. Community violence exposure in early adolescence: Longitudinal associations with hippocampal and amygdala volume and resting state connectivity. Dev Sci 2018; 21:e12686. [PMID: 29890029 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Community violence exposure is a common stressor, known to compromise youth cognitive and emotional development. In a diverse, urban sample of 22 adolescents, participants reported on community violence exposure (witnessing a beating or illegal drug use, hearing gun shots, or other forms of community violence) in early adolescence (average age 12.99), and underwent a neuroimaging scan 3-5 years later (average age 16.92). Community violence exposure in early adolescence predicted smaller manually traced left and right hippocampal and amygdala volumes in a model controlling for age, gender, and concurrent community violence exposure, measured in late adolescence. Community violence continued to predict hippocampus (but not amygdala) volumes after we also controlled for family aggression exposure in early adolescence. Community violence exposure was also associated with stronger resting state connectivity between the right hippocampus (using the manually traced structure as a seed region) and bilateral frontotemporal regions including the superior temporal gyrus and insula. These resting state connectivity results held after controlling for concurrent community violence exposure, SES, and family aggression. Although this is the first study focusing on community violence in conjunction with brain structure and function, these results dovetail with other research linking childhood adversity with smaller subcortical volumes in adolescence and adulthood, and with altered frontolimbic resting state connectivity. Our findings suggest that even community-level exposure to neighborhood violence can have detectable neural correlates in adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darby Saxbe
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hannah Khoddam
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Sarah A Stoycos
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sarah I Gimbel
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gayla Margolin
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonas T Kaplan
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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44
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Clark US, Sweet LH, Morgello S, Philip NS, Cohen RA. High early life stress and aberrant amygdala activity: risk factors for elevated neuropsychiatric symptoms in HIV+ adults. Brain Imaging Behav 2018; 11:649-665. [PMID: 27011015 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-016-9542-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Relative to HIV-negative adults, HIV+ adults report elevated levels of early life stress (ELS). In non-HIV samples, high ELS has been linked to abnormalities in brain structure and function, as well as increased risk of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Yet, little is known about the neural effects of high ELS, and their relation to elevated neuropsychiatric symptoms, in HIV+ adults. Recent studies have revealed combined effects of HIV and high ELS on amygdala morphometry. Aberrant amygdala activity is prominently implicated in studies of neuropsychiatric symptomology in non-HIV samples. Hence, this preliminary study examined: 1) the combined effects of HIV and high ELS on amygdala activity, and 2) the relation between amygdala activity and neuropsychiatric symptoms in HIV+ adults. We included 28 HIV+ adults and 25 demographically-matched HIV-negative control (HC) adults. ELS exposure was quantified using a retrospective ELS questionnaire, which defined four groups: HIV+ Low-ELS (N = 15); HIV+ High-ELS (N = 13); HC Low-ELS (N = 16); and HC High-ELS (N = 9). Participants completed a battery of neuropsychiatric measures. BOLD fMRI assessed amygdala reactivity during explicit observation of fearful/angry faces. High-ELS participants demonstrated reduced levels of amygdala reactivity relative to Low-ELS participants. HIV+ High-ELS participants reported higher levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms than all other groups. In the HIV+ group, lower amygdala responses were associated with higher neuropsychiatric symptoms, particularly depression, anxiety, and alexithymia. Collectively, these results suggest that high ELS exposure is a significant risk factor for neuropsychiatric symptoms in HIV+ adults. Furthermore, our results implicate ELS-related abnormalities in amygdala activity in the etiology of neuropsychiatric symptoms in HIV+ adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uraina S Clark
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1052, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Lawrence H Sweet
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Susan Morgello
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1052, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Noah S Philip
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Ronald A Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Departments of Aging and Geriatric Research, Neurology, and Psychiatry, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
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45
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Park AT, Leonard JA, Saxler PK, Cyr AB, Gabrieli JDE, Mackey AP. Amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex connectivity relates to stress and mental health in early childhood. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018. [PMID: 29522160 PMCID: PMC5928403 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress has been associated with disrupted functional connectivity between the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but it is unknown how early in development stress-related differences in amygdala–mPFC connectivity emerge. In a resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) analysis with 79 four- to seven-year-old children, we found a significant correlation between more adverse experiences and weaker amygdala–mPFC rs-FC. We also found that weaker amygdala–mPFC rs-FC was associated with higher levels of aggressive behavior and attention problems. These findings suggest that the impact of stress on emotional circuitry is detectable in early childhood and that this impact is associated with mental health difficulties. Connectivity in this circuit may be useful as a marker for mental health risk and for tracking the efficacy of early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne T Park
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Julia A Leonard
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Patricia K Saxler
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Abigail B Cyr
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Allyson P Mackey
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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46
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Dufford AJ, Kim P. Family Income, Cumulative Risk Exposure, and White Matter Structure in Middle Childhood. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:547. [PMID: 29180959 PMCID: PMC5693872 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Family income is associated with gray matter morphometry in children, but little is known about the relationship between family income and white matter structure. In this paper, using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, a whole brain, voxel-wise approach, we examined the relationship between family income (assessed by income-to-needs ratio) and white matter organization in middle childhood (N = 27, M = 8.66 years). Results from a non-parametric, voxel-wise, multiple regression (threshold-free cluster enhancement, p < 0.05 FWE corrected) indicated that lower family income was associated with lower white matter organization [assessed by fractional anisotropy (FA)] for several clusters in white matter tracts involved in cognitive and emotional functions including fronto-limbic circuitry (uncinate fasciculus and cingulum bundle), association fibers (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus), and corticospinal tracts. Further, we examined the possibility that cumulative risk (CR) exposure might function as one of the potential pathways by which family income influences neural outcomes. Using multiple regressions, we found lower FA in portions of these tracts, including those found in the left cingulum bundle and left superior longitudinal fasciculus, was significantly related to greater exposure to CR (β = -0.47, p < 0.05 and β = -0.45, p < 0.05).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pilyoung Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, United States
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47
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Duval ER, Garfinkel SN, Swain JE, Evans GW, Blackburn EK, Angstadt M, Sripada CS, Liberzon I. Childhood poverty is associated with altered hippocampal function and visuospatial memory in adulthood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 23:39-44. [PMID: 28011437 PMCID: PMC5253253 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Revised: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood poverty is a risk factor for poorer cognitive performance during childhood and adulthood. While evidence linking childhood poverty and memory deficits in adulthood has been accumulating, underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. To investigate neurobiological links between childhood poverty and adult memory performance, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a visuospatial memory task in healthy young adults with varying income levels during childhood. Participants were assessed at age 9 and followed through young adulthood to assess income and related factors. During adulthood, participants completed a visuospatial memory task while undergoing MRI scanning. Patterns of neural activation, as well as memory recognition for items, were assessed to examine links between brain function and memory performance as it relates to childhood income. Our findings revealed associations between item recognition, childhood income level, and hippocampal activation. Specifically, the association between hippocampal activation and recognition accuracy varied as a function of childhood poverty, with positive associations at higher income levels, and negative associations at lower income levels. These prospective findings confirm previous retrospective results detailing deleterious effects of childhood poverty on adult memory performance. In addition, for the first time, we identify novel neurophysiological correlates of these deficits localized to hippocampus activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth R Duval
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | | | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Gary W Evans
- College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Mike Angstadt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Chandra S Sripada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Zhang B. Consequences of early adverse rearing experience(EARE) on development: insights from non-human primate studies. Zool Res 2017; 38:7-35. [PMID: 28271667 PMCID: PMC5368383 DOI: 10.13918/j.issn.2095-8137.2017.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Early rearing experiences are important in one's whole life, whereas early adverse rearing experience(EARE) is usually related to various physical and mental disorders in later life. Although there were many studies on human and animals, regarding the effect of EARE on brain development, neuroendocrine systems, as well as the consequential mental disorders and behavioral abnormalities, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Due to the close genetic relationship and similarity in social organizations with humans, non-human primate(NHP) studies were performed for over 60 years. Various EARE models were developed to disrupt the early normal interactions between infants and mothers or peers. Those studies provided important insights of EARE induced effects on the physiological and behavioral systems of NHPs across life span, such as social behaviors(including disturbance behavior, social deficiency, sexual behavior, etc), learning and memory ability, brain structural and functional developments(including influences on neurons and glia cells, neuroendocrine systems, e.g., hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis, etc). In this review, the effects of EARE and the underlying epigenetic mechanisms were comprehensively summarized and the possibility of rehabilitation was discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming Yunnan 650500, China; Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming Yunnan 650500, China; National Institute of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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49
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Kogler L, Müller VI, Seidel EM, Boubela R, Kalcher K, Moser E, Habel U, Gur RC, Eickhoff SB, Derntl B. Sex differences in the functional connectivity of the amygdalae in association with cortisol. Neuroimage 2016; 134:410-423. [PMID: 27039701 PMCID: PMC6594554 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human amygdalae are involved in various behavioral functions such as affective and stress processing. For these behavioral functions, as well as for psychophysiological arousal including cortisol release, sex differences are reported. Here, we assessed cortisol levels and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of left and right amygdalae in 81 healthy participants (42 women) to investigate potential modulation of amygdala rsFC by sex and cortisol concentration. Our analyses revealed that rsFC of the left amygdala significantly differed between women and men: Women showed stronger rsFC than men between the left amygdala and left middle temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and hippocampus, regions involved in face processing, inner-speech, fear and pain processing. No stronger connections were detected for men and no sex difference emerged for right amygdala rsFC. Also, an interaction of sex and cortisol appeared: In women, cortisol was negatively associated with rsFC of the amygdalae with striatal regions, mid-orbital frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, middle and superior frontal gyri, supplementary motor area and the parietal-occipital sulcus. Contrarily in men, positive associations of cortisol with rsFC of the left amygdala and these structures were observed. Functional decoding analyses revealed an association of the amygdalae and these regions with emotion, reward and memory processing, as well as action execution. Our results suggest that functional connectivity of the amygdalae as well as the regulatory effect of cortisol on brain networks differs between women and men. These sex-differences and the mediating and sex-dependent effect of cortisol on brain communication systems should be taken into account in affective and stress-related neuroimaging research. Thus, more studies including both sexes are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Germany; Jülich-Aachen-Research Alliance, Translational Brain Medicine, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Veronika I Müller
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine, INM-1, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Eva-Maria Seidel
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Roland Boubela
- MR Centre of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaudius Kalcher
- MR Centre of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ewald Moser
- MR Centre of Excellence, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Centre for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University, Vienna, Austria; Neuropsychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Ute Habel
- Jülich-Aachen-Research Alliance, Translational Brain Medicine, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine, INM-6, Research Centre Jülich, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; JARA BRAIN Institute 1: Structure Function Relationship
| | - Ruben C Gur
- Neuropsychiatry Division, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine, INM-1, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience und Medicine, INM-1, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Jülich-Aachen-Research Alliance, Translational Brain Medicine, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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50
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Prager EM, Wynn GH, Ursano RJ. The tenth annual amygdala, stress, and PTSD conference: "The amygdala: Dysfunction, hyperfunction, and connectivity". J Neurosci Res 2016; 94:433-6. [PMID: 27091310 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary H Wynn
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Department of Psychiatry, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Robert J Ursano
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Department of Psychiatry, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.,Program in Neuroscience, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
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