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Metz S, Mengering L, Lipka R, Rosada C, Otte C, Heekeren H, Wingenfeld K. The effects of yohimbine and hydrocortisone on selective attention to fearful faces: An fMRI study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 165:107031. [PMID: 38581746 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Selective attention to salient emotional information can enable an advantage in the face of danger. The present study aims to investigate the influence of the stress neuromodulators, norepinephrine and cortisol, on selective attention processes to fearful faces and its neuronal activation. METHODS AND MATERIALS We used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. 167 healthy men between 18 and 35 years (mean [SD] age: 25.23 [4.24] years) participated in the study. Participants received either: (A) yohimbine (n= 41), (B) hydrocortisone (n = 41), (C) yohimbine and hydrocortisone (n = 42) or (D) placebo only (n= 43) and participated in a dot-probe task with fearful and neutral faces in an fMRI scanner. RESULTS We found an attentional bias toward fearful faces across all groups and related neuronal activation in the left cuneus. We did not find any differences between experimental treatment groups in selective attention and its neuronal activation. DISCUSSION Our results provide evidence that fearful faces lead to an attentional bias with related neuronal activation in the left cuneus. We did not replicate formerly reported activation in the amygdala, intraparietal sulcus, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and thalamus. Suitability of the dot-probe task for fMRI studies and insignificant treatment effects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Metz
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Medical Psychology, Luisenstraße 57, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Leon Mengering
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
| | - Renée Lipka
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Catarina Rosada
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
| | - Hauke Heekeren
- Universität Hamburg, Mittelweg 177, Hamburg 20148, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany.
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Wang Z, Becker M, Kondla G, Gimpel H, Beer AL, Greenlee MW. Dynamic modulation of the processing of unpredicted technical errors by the posterior cingulate and the default mode network. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13467. [PMID: 38867061 PMCID: PMC11169251 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64409-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The pervasive use of information technologies (IT) has tremendously benefited our daily lives. However, unpredicted technical breakdowns and errors can lead to the experience of stress, which has been termed technostress. It remains poorly understood how people dynamically respond to unpredicted system runtime errors occurring while interacting with the IT systems on a behavioral and neuronal level. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying such processes, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in which 15 young adults solved arithmetic problems of three difficulty levels (easy, medium and hard) while two types of system runtime errors (problem errors and feedback errors) occurred in an unexpected manner. The problem error condition consisted of apparently defective displays of the arithmetic problem and the feedback error condition involved erroneous feedback. We found that the problem errors positively influenced participants' problem-solving performance at the high difficulty level (i.e., hard tasks) at the initial stage of the session, while feedback errors disturbed their performance. These dynamic behavioral changes are mainly associated with brain activation changes in the posterior cingulate and the default mode network, including the posterior cingulate cortex, the mPFC, the retrosplenial cortex and the parahippocampal gyrus. Our study illustrates the regulatory role of the posterior cingulate in coping with unpredicted errors as well as with dynamic changes in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyan Wang
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Markus Becker
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gregor Kondla
- Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Schloss Hohenheim 1B, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Henner Gimpel
- Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Hohenheim, Schloss Hohenheim 1B, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Anton L Beer
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Mark W Greenlee
- Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
- University of Regensburg, Sedanstraße 1, 93055, Regensburg, Germany.
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3
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Ironside M, Duda JM, Moser AD, Holsen LM, Zuo CS, Du F, Perlo S, Richards CE, Chen X, Nickerson LD, Null KE, Esfand SM, Alexander MM, Crowley DJ, Lauze M, Misra M, Goldstein JM, Pizzagalli DA. Association of Lower Rostral Anterior Cingulate GABA+ and Dysregulated Cortisol Stress Response With Altered Functional Connectivity in Young Adults With Lifetime Depression: A Multimodal Imaging Investigation of Trait and State Effects. Am J Psychiatry 2024:appiajp20230382. [PMID: 38685857 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Preclinical work suggests that excess glucocorticoids and reduced cortical γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) may affect sex-dependent differences in brain regions implicated in stress regulation and depressive phenotypes. The authors sought to address a critical gap in knowledge, namely, how stress circuitry is functionally affected by glucocorticoids and GABA in current or remitted major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS Multimodal imaging data were collected from 130 young adults (ages 18-25), of whom 44 had current MDD, 42 had remitted MDD, and 44 were healthy comparison subjects. GABA+ (γ-aminobutyric acid and macromolecules) was assessed using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and task-related functional MRI data were collected under acute stress and analyzed using data-driven network modeling. RESULTS Across modalities, trait-related abnormalities emerged. Relative to healthy comparison subjects, both clinical groups were characterized by lower rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) GABA+ and frontoparietal network amplitude but higher amplitude in salience and stress-related networks. For the remitted MDD group, differences from the healthy comparison group emerged in the context of elevated cortisol levels, whereas the MDD group had lower cortisol levels than the healthy comparison group. In the comparison group, frontoparietal and stress-related network connectivity was positively associated with cortisol level (highlighting putative top-down regulation of stress), but the opposite relationship emerged in the MDD and remitted MDD groups. Finally, rACC GABA+ was associated with stress-induced changes in connectivity between overlapping default mode and salience networks. CONCLUSIONS Lifetime MDD was characterized by reduced rACC GABA+ as well as dysregulated cortisol-related interactions between top-down control (frontoparietal) and threat (task-related) networks. These findings warrant further investigation of the role of GABA in the vulnerability to and treatment of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ironside
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Jessica M Duda
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Amelia D Moser
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Laura M Holsen
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Chun S Zuo
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Fei Du
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Sarah Perlo
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Christine E Richards
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Xi Chen
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Lisa D Nickerson
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Kaylee E Null
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Shiba M Esfand
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Madeline M Alexander
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - David J Crowley
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Meghan Lauze
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Madhusmita Misra
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research (Ironside, Duda, Moser, Perlo, Richards, Null, Esfand, Alexander, Crowley, Pizzagalli) and McLean Imaging Center (Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Pizzagalli), McLean Hospital, Belmont, Mass.; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Ironside); Harvard Medical School, Boston (Holsen, Zuo, Du, Chen, Nickerson, Misra, Goldstein, Pizzagalli); Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (Holsen), and Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Holsen); Division of Pediatric Endocrinology (Lauze, Misra), Department of Psychiatry (Goldstein), and Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine (Holsen, Misra, Goldstein), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
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Meier JK, Schwabe L. Consistently increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity during the exposure to acute stressors. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae159. [PMID: 38642105 PMCID: PMC11031141 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Stress has a major impact on our mental health. Nonetheless, it is still not fully understood how the human brain responds to ongoing stressful events. Here, we aimed to determine the cortical dynamics during the exposure to ecologically valid, standardized stressors. To this end, we conducted 3 experiments in which healthy participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (experiments 1 and 2) and the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test (experiment 3) or a respective control manipulation, while we measured their cortical activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Increases in salivary cortisol and subjective stress levels confirmed the successful stress induction in all experiments. Results of experiment 1 showed significantly increased cortical activity, in particular in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, during the exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test. Experiment 2 replicated this finding and showed further that this stress-related increase in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity was transient and limited to the period of the Trier Social Stress Test. Experiment 3 demonstrated the increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity during the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test, suggesting that this increase is generalizable and not specific to the Trier Social Stress Test. Together, these data show consistently that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity is not reduced, as commonly assumed, but increased under stress, which may promote coping with the ongoing stressor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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Forbes PAG, Aydogan G, Braunstein J, Todorova B, Wagner IC, Lockwood PL, Apps MAJ, Ruff CC, Lamm C. Acute stress reduces effortful prosocial behaviour. eLife 2024; 12:RP87271. [PMID: 38180785 PMCID: PMC10942768 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute stress can change our cognition and emotions, but what specific consequences this has for human prosocial behaviour is unclear. Previous studies have mainly investigated prosociality with financial transfers in economic games and produced conflicting results. Yet a core feature of many types of prosocial behaviour is that they are effortful. We therefore examined how acute stress changes our willingness to exert effort that benefits others. Healthy male participants - half of whom were put under acute stress - made decisions whether to exert physical effort to gain money for themselves or another person. With this design, we could independently assess the effects of acute stress on prosocial, compared to self-benefitting, effortful behaviour. Compared to controls (n = 45), participants in the stress group (n = 46) chose to exert effort more often for self- than for other-benefitting rewards at a low level of effort. Additionally, the adverse effects of stress on prosocial effort were particularly pronounced in more selfish participants. Neuroimaging combined with computational modelling revealed a putative neural mechanism underlying these effects: more stressed participants showed increased activation to subjective value in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula when they themselves could benefit from their exerted effort relative to when someone else could. By using an effort-based task that better approximates real-life prosocial behaviour and incorporating trait differences in prosocial tendencies, our study provides important insights into how acute stress affects prosociality and its associated neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul AG Forbes
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Gökhan Aydogan
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Julia Braunstein
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Boryana Todorova
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Isabella C Wagner
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Patricia L Lockwood
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute of Mental Health and School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthew AJ Apps
- Centre for Human Brain Health, Institute of Mental Health and School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Claus Lamm
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of ViennaViennaAustria
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Causse M, Mouratille D, Rouillard Y, El Yagoubi R, Matton N, Hidalgo-Muñoz A. How a pilot's brain copes with stress and mental load? Insights from the executive control network. Behav Brain Res 2024; 456:114698. [PMID: 37797721 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
In aviation, mental workload and stress are two major factors that can considerably impact a pilot's flight performance and decisions. Their consequences can be even more dramatic in single-pilot aircraft or with the forthcoming single-pilot operations where the pilot will fly alone and will not be able to be assisted in case of difficulty. An accurate and automatic monitoring of the pilot's mental state could help to prevent the potentially dangerous effects of an excess mental workload and stress. For example, some tasks could be allocated to automation or to a ground-based flight crew if a mental overload or significant stress is detected. In the current study, the brain activity of 20 private pilots was recorded with a fNIRS device during two realistic flight simulator scenarios. The mental workload was manipulated with the added difficulty of a secondary task and stress was induced by a social stressor. Our results confirmed the sensitivity of the fNIRS readings to variations in the mental workload, with increased HbO2 concentration in regions of the executive control network (ECN), in particular in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and in lateral parietal regions, when the difficulty of the secondary task was high. The social stressor also triggered an HbO2 increase in the ECN, especially when it was combined with high mental workload. This latter result suggests that mental workload and stress together can have cumulative effects, and coping with both factors is possible at the expense of an extra recruitment of the ECN. Finally, results also revealed a time-on-task effect, with a progressive reduction of the HbO2 signal in the ECN during the flight scenario, suggesting that these regions are sensitive to short term habituation to the tasks. Overall, fNIRS efficiently indexed mental load, stress, and practice effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickaël Causse
- ISAE-SUPAERO, 10 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France.
| | - Damien Mouratille
- ISAE-SUPAERO, 10 avenue Edouard Belin, Toulouse, France; CLLE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; ENAC, Université de Toulouse, France
| | | | | | - Nadine Matton
- CLLE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; ENAC, Université de Toulouse, France
| | - Antonio Hidalgo-Muñoz
- CLLE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France; ENAC, Université de Toulouse, France; Instituto de Neurosciencias de Castilla y León (INCYL), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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7
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Mora Álvarez MG, Hölzel BK, Bremer B, Wilhelm M, Hell E, Tavacioglu EE, Koch K, Torske A. Effects of web-based mindfulness training on psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplasticity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22635. [PMID: 38114554 PMCID: PMC10730881 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48706-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation training (MMT) reliably reduces stress and anxiety while also improving attention. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MMT, stress and anxiety reduction, and its impact upon improvements in attention on the behavioral and neuronal levels. As a second aim, we sought to explore any relationship between MMT, attention, and modified states of mind such as flow. 118 healthy, meditation-naïve, participants were either assigned to a 31-day, web-based, MMT or an active control, health training (HT). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the attention network test (ANT) to assess functional and behavioural attentional changes, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess microstructural neuronal changes and completed relevant questionnaires to explore changes in psychological outcomes. Results confirmed a reduction in perceived stress and anxiety levels in the MMT group and significant improvements in the overall reaction time during the ANT, albeit no specific effects on the attentional components were observed. No statistically significant changes were found in the HT group. Interestingly, a significant group-by-time interaction was seen in flow experience. Functional data exhibited an increased activity in the superior frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and right hippocampus during the alerting condition of the ANT after the MMT; decreased stress and trait anxiety were significantly correlated with the activation in the right hippocampus, and increased flow was also significantly correlated with all the aforementioned areas. DTI data showed increased fractional anisotropy values in the right uncinate fasciculus indicating white matter microarchitecture improvement between the right hippocampus and frontal areas of the brain. This study, therefore, demonstrates the effectiveness of web-based MMT on overall well-being and attentional performance, while also providing insight into the relationship between psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplastic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Guadalupe Mora Álvarez
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Britta Karen Hölzel
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Benno Bremer
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maximilian Wilhelm
- Center for Psychotherapy Research, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena Hell
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Ebru Ecem Tavacioglu
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Koch
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alyssa Torske
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
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8
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Ai Y, Hummel T, Nie H, Yang J, Han P. Reduced neural responses to pleasant odor stimuli after acute psychological stress is associated with cortisol reactivity. Neuroimage 2023; 284:120474. [PMID: 38008298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute stress alters olfactory perception. However, little is known about the neural processing of olfactory stimuli after acute stress exposure and the role of cortisol in such an effect. Here, we used an event-related olfactory fMRI paradigm to investigate brain responses to odors of different valence (unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral) in healthy young adults following an acute stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) induction (N = 22) or a non-stressful resting condition (N = 22). We obtained the odor pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity ratings after the acute stress induction or resting condition. We also measured the participants' perceived stress and salivary cortisol at four time points during the procedure. We found a stress-related decrease in brain activation in response to the pleasant, but not to the neutral or unpleasant odor stimuli in the right piriform cortex extending to the right amygdala, the right orbitofrontal cortex, and the right insula. In addition, activation of clusters within the regions of interest were negatively associated with individual baseline-to-peak increase in salivary cortisol levels after stress. We also found increased functional connectivity between the right piriform cortex and the right insula after stress when the pleasant odor was presented. The strength of the connectivity was positively correlated with increased perceived stress levels immediately after stress exposure. These results provide novel evidence for the effects of acute stress in attenuating the neural processing of a pleasant olfactory stimulus. Together with previous findings, the effect of acute stress on human olfactory perception appears to depend on both the valence and the concentration (e.g., peri-threshold or suprathreshold levels) of odor stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ai
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Interdisciplinary Centre Smell and Taste, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Haoyu Nie
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Pengfei Han
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
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9
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Liu Y, Zhao X, Hu W, Ren Y, Wei Z, Ren X, Tang Z, Wang N, Chen H, Li Y, Shi Z, Qin S, Yang J. Neural habituation during acute stress signals a blunted endocrine response and poor resilience. Psychol Med 2023; 53:7735-7745. [PMID: 37309913 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to acute stress is associated with psychiatric symptoms. Although the prefrontal cortex and limbic areas are important regulators of the HPA axis, whether the neural habituation of these regions during stress signals both blunted HPA axis responses and psychiatric symptoms remains unclear. In this study, neural habituation during acute stress and its associations with the stress cortisol response, resilience, and depression were evaluated. METHODS Seventy-seven participants (17-22 years old, 37 women) were recruited for a ScanSTRESS brain imaging study, and the activation changes between the first and last stress blocks were used as the neural habituation index. Meanwhile, participants' salivary cortisol during test was collected. Individual-level resilience and depression were measured using questionnaires. Correlation and moderation analyses were conducted to investigate the association between neural habituation and endocrine data and mental symptoms. Validated analyses were conducted using a Montreal Image Stress Test dataset in another independent sample (48 participants; 17-22 years old, 24 women). RESULTS Neural habituation of the prefrontal cortex and limbic area was negatively correlated with cortisol responses in both datasets. In the ScanSTRESS paradigm, neural habituation was both positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with resilience. Moreover, resilience moderated the relationship between neural habituation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and cortisol response. CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that neural habituation of the prefrontal cortex and limbic area could reflect motivation dysregulation during repeated failures and negative feedback, which might further lead to maladaptive mental states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhenni Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xi Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zihan Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Haopeng Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yizhuo Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhenhao Shi
- Center for Studies of Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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10
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König M, Berhe O, Ioannidis K, Orellana S, Davidson E, Kaser M, Moreno-López L, van Harmelen AL. The stress-buffering role of friendships in young people with childhood threat experiences: a preliminary report. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2281971. [PMID: 38154076 PMCID: PMC10990450 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2281971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: High-quality friendships have a positive impact on the mental health of young people with childhood adversity (CA). Social stress buffering, the phenomenon of a social partner attenuating acute stress responses, is a potential yet unexplored mechanism that may underlie this relationship.Objective: This study examined whether perceived friendship quality was related to better mental health and lower neural stress response in young people with CA.Method: A total of N = 102 young people (aged 16-26) with low to moderate CA were included in the study. We first investigated associations between friendship quality, mental health, and CA. In a representative subset (n = 62), we assessed neural stress responses using the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. In our sample, CA was best described along two dimensions resembling threat or deprivation like experiences. Hence, we investigated both cumulative and dimensional effects of CA.Results: We found no support for social thinning after CA, meaning that the severity of CA (cumulative or dimensional) did not differentially impact friendship quality. High-quality friendships, on the other hand, were strongly associated with better mental health. Furthermore, acute stress increased state anxiety and enhanced neural activity in five frontolimbic brain regions, including the left hippocampus. We found weak support that threat experiences interacted with friendship quality to predict left hippocampal reactivity to stress. However, this effect did not survive multiple comparison correction.Conclusion: The absence of social thinning in our sample may suggest that the risk of developing impoverished social networks is low for rather well-functioning young people with low to moderate CA. Regardless, our findings align with prior research, consistently showing a strong association between high-quality friendships and better mental health in young people with CA. Future research is needed to examine whether friendships aid neural stress responses in young people with childhood threat experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian König
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Oksana Berhe
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Konstantinos Ioannidis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sofia Orellana
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eugenia Davidson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Muzaffer Kaser
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - RAISE Consortium
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Laura Moreno-López
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anne-Laura van Harmelen
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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11
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Giglberger M, Peter HL, Henze GI, Kraus E, Bärtl C, Konzok J, Kreuzpointner L, Kirsch P, Kudielka BM, Wüst S. Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19990. [PMID: 37968323 PMCID: PMC10651906 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46631-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for the integration of neural, endocrine, and affective stress processing was shown in healthy participants and patients with stress-related disorders. The present manuscript which reports on one study-arm of the LawSTRESS project, aimed at investigating the predictive value of acute stress responses in these regions for biopsychological consequences of chronic stress in daily life. The LawSTRESS project examined law students either in preparation for their first state examination (stress group [SG]) or in the mid-phase of their study program (control group [CG]) over 13 months. Ambulatory assessments comprising perceived stress measurements and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) were administered on six sampling points (t1 = - 1 year, t2 = - 3 months, t3 = - 1 week, t4 = exam, t5 = + 1 week, t6 = + 1 month). In a subsample of 124 participants (SG: 61; CG: 63), ScanSTRESS was applied at baseline. In the SG but not in the CG, amygdala, hippocampus, and (post-hoc analyzed) right mPFC activation changes during ScanSTRESS were significantly associated with the trajectory of perceived stress but not with the CAR. Consistent with our finding in the total LawSTRESS sample, a significant increase in perceived stress and a blunted CAR over time could be detected in the SG only. Our findings suggest that more pronounced activation decreases of amygdala, hippocampus, and mPFC in response to acute psychosocial stress at baseline were related to a more pronounced increase of stress in daily life over the following year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Giglberger
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Hannah L Peter
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gina-Isabelle Henze
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
- Research Division of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Kraus
- Department of Psychology, Computational Modeling in Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Christoph Bärtl
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Julian Konzok
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ludwig Kreuzpointner
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Brigitte M Kudielka
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Wüst
- Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
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12
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Zhu Y, Wang Y, Chen P, Lei Y, Yan F, Yang Z, Yang L, Wang L. Effects of acute stress on risky decision-making are related to neuroticism: An fMRI study of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. J Affect Disord 2023; 340:120-128. [PMID: 37549812 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.08.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Decision making under acute stress is frequent in daily life. While evidence suggests for a modulatory role of neuroticism on risky decision-making behaviors, the neural correlates underlying the association between neuroticism and risky decision-making under acute stress remain to be elucidated. METHODS Based on a modified Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) with concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging, we evaluated the effect of acute stress on risk-taking behavior in 27 healthy male adults, and further assessed stress-induced changes in brain activation according to the individual differences in neuroticism. RESULTS Higher trait neuroticism levels positively correlated with increased stress-modulated activation of the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex during risk-taking, and negatively correlated with decreased stress-modulated activation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during cash-outs. LIMITATIONS Only male participants were recruited. CONCLUSIONS We found a positive correlation between neuroticism and greater risk-taking behavior under acute stress. These results extend our understanding of the increased risk-taking propensity in high neurotic individuals under acute stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Zhu
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China; Aviation Psychological Efficacy Laboratory, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Air Force Medical University, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Yituo Wang
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China; Department of Radiology, Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Pinhong Chen
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Yu Lei
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Feng Yan
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Zheng Yang
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Aviation Psychological Efficacy Laboratory, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Air Force Medical University, Beijing 100142, China.
| | - Lubin Wang
- The Brain Science Center, Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100850, China.
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13
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Sherman BE, Harris BB, Turk-Browne NB, Sinha R, Goldfarb EV. Hippocampal Mechanisms Support Cortisol-Induced Memory Enhancements. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7198-7212. [PMID: 37813570 PMCID: PMC10601369 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0916-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress can powerfully influence episodic memory, often enhancing memory encoding for emotionally salient information. These stress-induced memory enhancements stand at odds with demonstrations that stress and the stress-related hormone cortisol can negatively affect the hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory encoding. To resolve this apparent conflict and determine whether and how the hippocampus supports memory encoding under cortisol, we combined behavioral assays of associative memory, high-resolution fMRI, and pharmacological manipulation of cortisol in a within-participant, double-blinded procedure (in both sexes). Behaviorally, hydrocortisone promoted the encoding of subjectively arousing, positive associative memories. Neurally, hydrocortisone led to enhanced functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions, which predicted subsequent memory enhancements for emotional associations. Cortisol also modified the relationship between hippocampal representations and associative memory: whereas hippocampal signatures of distinctiveness predicted memory under placebo, relative integration predicted memory under cortisol. Together, these data provide novel evidence that the human hippocampus contains the necessary machinery to support emotional associative memory enhancements under cortisol.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our daily lives are filled with stressful events, which powerfully shape the way we form episodic memories. For example, stress and stress-related hormones can enhance our memory for emotional events. However, the mechanisms underlying these memory benefits are unclear. In the current study, we combined functional neuroimaging, behavioral tests of memory, and double-blind, placebo-controlled hydrocortisone administration to uncover the effects of the stress-related hormone cortisol on the function of the human hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory. We identified novel ways in which cortisol can enhance hippocampal function to promote emotional memories, highlighting the adaptive role of cortisol in shaping memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brynn E Sherman
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
| | - Bailey B Harris
- Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Nicholas B Turk-Browne
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
| | - Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
- National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06477
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14
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Kühnel A, Hagenberg J, Knauer-Arloth J, Ködel M, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Binder EB, Kroemer NB. Stress-induced brain responses are associated with BMI in women. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1031. [PMID: 37821711 PMCID: PMC10567923 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05396-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are associated with altered stress reactivity and increased inflammation. However, it is not known whether stress-induced changes in brain function scale with BMI and if such associations are driven by peripheral cytokines. Here, we investigate multimodal stress responses in a large transdiagnostic sample using predictive modeling based on spatio-temporal profiles of stress-induced changes in activation and functional connectivity. BMI is associated with increased brain responses as well as greater negative affect after stress and individual response profiles are associated with BMI in females (pperm < 0.001), but not males. Although stress-induced changes reflecting BMI are associated with baseline cortisol, there is no robust association with peripheral cytokines. To conclude, alterations in body weight and energy metabolism might scale acute brain responses to stress more strongly in females compared to males, echoing observational studies. Our findings highlight sex-dependent associations of stress with differences in endocrine markers, largely independent of peripheral inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kühnel
- Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany.
| | - Jonas Hagenberg
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Janine Knauer-Arloth
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Maik Ködel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- German Center for Mental Health, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Nils B Kroemer
- Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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15
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Yao Q, Gu H, Wang S, Liang G, Zhao X, Li X. Exploring EEG characteristics of multi-level mental stress based on human-machine system. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:056023. [PMID: 37729925 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acfbba] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Objective.The understanding of cognitive states is important for the development of human-machine systems (HMSs), and one of the fundamental but challenging issues is the understanding and assessment of the operator's mental stress state in real task scenarios.Approach.In this paper, a virtual unmanned vehicle (UAV) driving task with multi-challenge-level was created to explore the operator's mental stress, and the human brain activity during the task was tracked in real time via electroencephalography (EEG). A mental stress analysis dataset for the virtual UAV task was then developed and used to explore the neural activation patterns associated with mental stress activity. Finally, a multiple attention-based convolutional neural network (MACN) was constructed for automatic stress assessment using the extracted stress-sensitive neural activation features.Main Results.The statistical results of EEG power spectral density (PSD) showed that frontal theta-PSD decreased with increasing task difficulty, and central beta-PSD increased with increasing task difficulty, indicating that neural patterns showed different trends under different levels of mental stress. The performance of the proposed MACN was evaluated based on the dimensional model, and results showed that average three-class classification accuracies of 89.49%/89.88% were respectively achieved for arousal/valence.Significance.The results of this paper suggest that objective assessment of mental stress in a HMS based on a virtual UAV scenario is feasible, and the proposed method provides a promising solution for cognitive computing and applications in human-machine tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qunli Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Heng Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Shaodi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanhao Liang
- Center for Cognition and Neuroergonomics, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaochuan Zhao
- Institute of Computer Applied Technology of China North Industries Group Corporation Limited, Beijing 100821, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoli Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
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16
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Luo J, Liu Y, Guo K, Ren X, Wei Z, Ren Y, Hu W, Yang J. Role of hippocampus and orbitofrontal cortex in the association of interdependent self-construal with an acute stress response. Neuropsychologia 2023; 188:108620. [PMID: 37315890 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Empirical evidence indicates that high interdependent self-construal (InterSC) is correlated with exaggerated acute stress responses; however, the underlying neural correlates remain unclear. Considering the regulatory effect of the prefrontal cortex and limbic system on the acute stress response, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and hippocampus (HIP) in the relationship between InterSC and acute stress responses. Forty-eight healthy college students underwent a modified version of the Montreal imaging stress task (MIST), while brain activity was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants' saliva samples and subjective stress feelings were collected before, during, and after the MIST. Additionally, participants' self-construal was measured using questionnaires. Results revealed that InterSC was positively correlated with the activation of OFC, which, in turn, was associated with higher subjective stress feelings. A higher InterSC was also significantly associated with an enhanced salivary cortisol response in those with lower HIP activity. Furthermore, the HIP moderated the indirect effect of InterSC on subjective stress feelings by moderating the effect of InterSC on neural activity in the OFC. This indicated the mediation of the OFC was stronger in those with higher neural activity in the HIP than in those with lower activity in the HIP. In summary, the current study proposed an important role of the OFC-HIP regions in the relationship between InterSC and acute stress responses, making contribution to broadening the field of personality and stress and deepening our understanding of individual differences in acute stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Luo
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Kaige Guo
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Xi Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhenni Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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17
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Kim EJ, Kim JJ. Neurocognitive effects of stress: a metaparadigm perspective. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2750-2763. [PMID: 36759545 PMCID: PMC9909677 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01986-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Stressful experiences, both physical and psychological, that are overwhelming (i.e., inescapable and unpredictable), can measurably affect subsequent neuronal properties and cognitive functioning of the hippocampus. At the cellular level, stress has been shown to alter hippocampal synaptic plasticity, spike and local field potential activity, dendritic morphology, neurogenesis, and neurodegeneration. At the behavioral level, stress has been found to impair learning and memory for declarative (or explicit) tasks that are based on cognition, such as verbal recall memory in humans and spatial memory in rodents, while facilitating those that are based on emotion, such as differential fear conditioning in humans and contextual fear conditioning in rodents. These vertically related alterations in the hippocampus, procedurally observed after subjects have undergone stress, are generally believed to be mediated by recurrently elevated circulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis effector hormones, glucocorticoids, directly acting on hippocampal neurons densely populated with corticosteroid receptors. The main purposes of this review are to (i) provide a synopsis of the neurocognitive effects of stress in a historical context that led to the contemporary HPA axis dogma of basic and translational stress research, (ii) critically reappraise the necessity and sufficiency of the glucocorticoid hypothesis of stress, and (iii) suggest an alternative metaparadigm approach to monitor and manipulate the progression of stress effects at the neural coding level. Real-time analyses can reveal neural activity markers of stress in the hippocampus that can be used to extrapolate neurocognitive effects across a range of stress paradigms (i.e., resolve scaling and dichotomous memory effects issues) and understand individual differences, thereby providing a novel neurophysiological scaffold for advancing future stress research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Joo Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeansok J Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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18
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Bini J. The historical progression of positron emission tomography research in neuroendocrinology. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 70:101081. [PMID: 37423505 PMCID: PMC10530506 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The rapid and continual development of a number of radiopharmaceuticals targeting different receptor, enzyme and small molecule systems has fostered Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging of endocrine system actions in vivo in the human brain for several decades. PET radioligands have been developed to measure changes that are regulated by hormone action (e.g., glucose metabolism, cerebral blood flow, dopamine receptors) and actions within endocrine organs or glands such as steroids (e.g., glucocorticoids receptors), hormones (e.g., estrogen, insulin), and enzymes (e.g., aromatase). This systematic review is targeted to the neuroendocrinology community that may be interested in learning about positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for use in their research. Covering neuroendocrine PET research over the past half century, researchers and clinicians will be able to answer the question of where future research may benefit from the strengths of PET imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Bini
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
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19
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Cohen JE, Holsen LM, Ironside M, Moser AD, Duda JM, Null KE, Perlo S, Richards CE, Nascimento NF, Du F, Zuo C, Misra M, Pizzagalli DA, Goldstein JM. Neural response to stress differs by sex in young adulthood. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 332:111646. [PMID: 37146439 PMCID: PMC10247431 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Increase in stress-related disorders in women begins post-puberty and persists throughout the lifespan. To characterize sex differences in stress response in early adulthood, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants underwent a stress task in conjunction with serum cortisol levels and questionnaires assessing anxiety and mood. Forty-two healthy subjects aged 18-25 years participated (21M, 21F). Interaction of stress and sex in brain activation and connectivity were examined. Results demonstrated significant sex differences in brain activity with women exhibiting increased activation in regions that inhibit arousal compared to men during the stress paradigm. Women had increased connectivity among stress circuitry regions and default mode network, whereas men had increased connectivity between stress and cognitive control regions. In a subset of subjects (13F, 17M), we obtained gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) magnetic resonance spectroscopy in rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rostral ACC) and dorsolateral prefrotal cortex (dlPFC) and conducted exploratory analyses to relate GABA measurements with sex differences in brain activation and connectivity. Prefrontal GABA levels were negatively associated with inferior temporal gyrus activation in men and women and with ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation in men. Despite sex differences in neural response, we found similar subjective ratings of anxiety and mood, cortisol levels, and GABA levels between sexes, suggesting sex differences in brain activity result in similar behavioral responses among the sexes. These results help establish sex differences in healthy brain activity from which we can better understand sex differences underlying stress-associated illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine E Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - Laura M Holsen
- Divison of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Ironside
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Amelia D Moser
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Jessica M Duda
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kaylee E Null
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Sarah Perlo
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Christine E Richards
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Nara F Nascimento
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Fei Du
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Chun Zuo
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Madhusmita Misra
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA; Divison of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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20
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Weber S, Bühler J, Vanini G, Loukas S, Bruckmaier R, Aybek S. Identification of biopsychological trait markers in functional neurological disorders. Brain 2023; 146:2627-2641. [PMID: 36417451 PMCID: PMC10232283 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a well-known risk factor to develop a functional neurological disorder, a frequent neuropsychiatric medical condition in which patients experience a variety of disabling neurological symptoms. Only little is known about biological stress regulation, and how it interacts with predisposing biological and psychosocial risk factors. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in patients with functional neurological disorders has been postulated, but its relationship to preceding psychological trauma and brain anatomical changes remains to be elucidated. We set out to study the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis analysing the cortisol awakening response and diurnal baseline cortisol in 86 patients with mixed functional neurological symptoms compared to 76 healthy controls. We then examined the association between cortisol regulation and the severity and duration of traumatic life events. Finally, we analysed volumetric brain alterations in brain regions particularly sensitive to psychosocial stress, acting on the assumption of the neurotoxic effect of prolonged cortisol exposure. Overall, patients had a significantly flatter cortisol awakening response (P < 0.001) and reported longer (P = 0.01) and more severe (P < 0.001) emotional neglect as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, volumes of the bilateral amygdala and hippocampus were found to be reduced in patients. Using a partial least squares correlation, we found that in patients, emotional neglect plays a role in the multivariate pattern between trauma history and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction, while cortisol did not relate to reduced brain volumes. This suggests that psychological stress acts as a precipitating psychosocial risk factor, whereas a reduced brain volume rather represents a biological predisposing trait marker for the disorder. Contrarily, an inverse relationship between brain volume and cortisol was found in healthy controls, representing a potential neurotoxic effect of cortisol. These findings support the theory of reduced subcortical volumes representing a predisposing trait factor in functional neurological disorders, rather than a state effect of the illness. In summary, this study supports a stress-diathesis model for functional neurological disorders and showed an association between different attributes of trauma history and abnormalities in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Moreover, we suggest that reduced hippocampal and amygdalar volumes represent a biological 'trait marker' for functional neurological disorder patients, which might contribute to a reduced resilience to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Weber
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences (GCB), University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Janine Bühler
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Health Sciences (GHS), University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Giorgio Vanini
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Serafeim Loukas
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Division of Development and Growth, Department of Pediatrics, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rupert Bruckmaier
- Veterinary Physiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Selma Aybek
- Department of Neurology, Psychosomatic Medicine Unit, Inselspital Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
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21
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Murty DVPS, Song S, Surampudi SG, Pessoa L. Threat and Reward Imminence Processing in the Human Brain. J Neurosci 2023; 43:2973-2987. [PMID: 36927571 PMCID: PMC10124955 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1778-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. In addition, the extent to which aversive-related and appetitive-related processing engage distinct or overlapping circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive and appetitive processing while male and female participants engaged in comparable trials involving threat avoidance or reward seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence. For example, in the aversive domain, we predicted that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), but not the amygdala, would exhibit anticipatory responses given the role of the former in anxious apprehension. We also predicted that the periaqueductal gray (PAG) would exhibit threat-proximity responses based on its involvement in proximal-threat processes, and that the ventral striatum would exhibit threat-imminence responses given its role in threat escape in rodents. Overall, we uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the BST, PAG, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Whereas the ventral striatum generated anticipatory responses in the proximity of reward as expected, it also exhibited threat-related imminence responses. In fact, across multiple brain regions, we observed a main effect of arousal. In other words, we uncovered extensive temporally evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information regardless of valence, findings further supported by network analysis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive/appetitive processing while participants engaged in trials involving threat avoidance or reward seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence. We uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periaqueductal gray, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Overall, we uncovered extensive temporally evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information regardless of valence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Songtao Song
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | | | - Luiz Pessoa
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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22
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Vaessen T, Reininghaus U, van Aubel E, Beijer-Klippel A, Steinhart H, Myin-Germeys I, Waltz J. Neural correlates of daily-life affective stress reactivity in early psychosis: A study combining functional MRI and experience sampling methodology. Schizophr Res 2023; 255:93-101. [PMID: 36989675 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.03.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Affective reactivity to daily stressors are increased in individuals in the early stages of psychosis. Studies in psychosis patients and healthy individuals at increased psychosis risk show altered neural reactivity to stress in limbic (i.e., hippocampus [HC] and amygdala), prelimbic (i.e., ventromedial prefrontal cortex [vmPFC] and ventral anterior cingulate cortex [vACC]), and salience areas (i.e., Anterior Insula [AI]). We investigated whether a similar pattern of neural reactivity is present in early psychosis individuals and if brain activity in these regions is associated with daily-life stress reactivity. Twenty-nine early psychosis individuals (11 at-risk mental state and 18 first-episode psychosis) completed the Montreal Imaging Stress Task in conjunction with functional MRI. The study was part of a large-scale randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of an acceptance and commitment therapy-based ecological momentary intervention for early psychosis. All participants also provided experience sampling methodology (ESM) data on momentary affect and stressful activities in their everyday environment. Multilevel regression models were used to estimate if daily-life stress reactivity was moderated by activity in (pre)limbic and salience areas. Task-induced stress was associated with increased activation of the right AI and decreased activation in the vmPFC, vACC, and HC. Task-induced changes in vmPFC and vACC activity were associated with affective stress reactivity, whereas changes in HC and amygdala activity were associated with higher overall stress ratings. These preliminary results suggest region-specific roles in affective and psychotic daily-life stress reactivity in early psychosis. The observed pattern suggests that chronic stress plays a role in neural stress reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Vaessen
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, P.O. Box 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Psychology, Health, & Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Ulrich Reininghaus
- Department Public Mental Health, Central Institute of Mental Health, J 5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Evelyne van Aubel
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, P.O. Box 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annelie Beijer-Klippel
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, P.O. Box 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Lifespan Psychology, Open University, P.O. Box 2960, 6401DL Heerlen, the Netherlands
| | - Henrietta Steinhart
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, P.O. Box 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Inez Myin-Germeys
- Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33, P.O. Box 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - James Waltz
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, P.O. Box 21247, Baltimore, MD 21228, USA
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23
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Geva N, Golan S, Pinchas L, Defrin R. Sex effects in the interaction of acute stress and pain perception. Pain 2023; 164:587-597. [PMID: 35947086 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT A reciprocity between the stress and the pain system is recognized; however, the manner by which sex affects this reciprocity is unclear. Understanding the interactions of stress, pain, and sex may shed light on the apparent women's vulnerability to chronic pain, which often coexists with increased distress, and to affective disorders, which often coexist with chronic pain. The study's aim was to examine the effect of acute, validated, psychosocial stress on pain perception and modulation of women and men in a controlled manner. Participants were 82 women and 66 men. Heat-pain threshold, heat-pain tolerance, and pain modulation by temporal summation of pain (TSP), and pain adaptation were measured before and after exposure to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) or to a sham task. The stress response was verified by perceived ratings of stress and anxiety, autonomic variables, and salivary cortisol. A significant stress response was obtained by the MIST among both sexes; however, women displayed a greater increase in perceived distress, and men displayed a greater increase in cortisol. Among women, TSP decreased and pain adaptation increased following the MIST, responses that were predicted by perceived distress levels. Among men, TSP increased following the MIST but was not predicted by the stress variables. In conclusion, acute stress manipulation seems to differentially affect both stress and pain responses of women and men: women exhibited stress-induced antinociception and men exhibited stress-induced pronociception. Higher perceived stress levels among women may trigger a temporary increase in pain inhibition mechanisms to serve evolutionary purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirit Geva
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Sari Golan
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lior Pinchas
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ruth Defrin
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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24
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Sherman BE, Harris BB, Turk-Browne NB, Sinha R, Goldfarb EV. Hippocampal mechanisms support cortisol-induced memory enhancements. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.08.527745. [PMID: 36798309 PMCID: PMC9934703 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.08.527745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Stress can powerfully influence episodic memory, often enhancing memory encoding for emotionally salient information. These stress-induced memory enhancements stand at odds with demonstrations that stress and the stress-related hormone cortisol can negatively affect the hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory encoding. To resolve this apparent conflict and determine whether and how the hippocampus supports memory encoding under cortisol, we combined behavioral assays of associative memory, high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and pharmacological manipulation of cortisol in a within-participant, double-blinded procedure. Hydrocortisone led to enhanced functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions, which predicted subsequent memory enhancements for emotional information. Cortisol also modified the relationship between hippocampal representations and memory: whereas hippocampal signatures of distinctiveness predicted memory under placebo, relative integration predicted memory under cortisol. Together, these data provide novel evidence that the human hippocampus contains the necessary machinery to support emotional memory enhancements under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, Yale University
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University
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25
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Adolescents' neural reactivity to acute psychosocial stress: dysfunctional regulation habits are linked to temporal gyrus response. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:332-344. [PMID: 34365995 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Mid-adolescence is a critical time for the development of stress-related disorders and it is associated with significant social vulnerability. However, little is known about normative neural processes accompanying psychosocial stress at this time. Previous research found that emotion regulation strategies critically influence the relationship between stress and the development of psychiatric symptoms during adolescence. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined neural responses to acute stress and analyzed whether the tendency to use adaptive or maladaptive emotion regulation strategies is related to neural and autonomic stress responses. Results show large linear activation increases from low to medium to high stress levels mainly in medial prefrontal, insulae and temporal areas. Caudate and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, neural areas related to reward and affective valuations, showed linearly decreasing activation. In line with our hypothesis, the current adolescent neural stress profile resembled social rejection and was characterized by pronounced activation in insula, angular and temporal cortices. Moreover, results point to an intriguing role of the anterior temporal gyrus. Stress-related activity in the anterior temporal gyrus was positively related to maladaptive regulation strategies and stress-induced autonomic activity. Maladaptive coping might increase the social threat and reappraisal load of a stressor, relating to higher stress sensitivity of anterior temporal cortices.
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De Wandel L, De Smet S, Pulopulos MM, Lemmens GMD, Hidalgo V, Salvador A, Vanderhasselt MA, Pruessner J, Baeken C. The effects of left dorsolateral prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation on episodic future thinking following acute psychosocial stress. Memory 2023; 31:380-392. [PMID: 36724995 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2162083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Research on stress-related disorders and brain imaging suggests that (acute) stress might impact the capacity to mentally simulate specific episodic future events (EFT) through the effects of cortisol on brain regions supporting this cognitive function, such as the prefrontal cortices. This study aims to examine the mechanisms underlying this link, using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. METHODS 60 healthy participants were subjected to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST), followed by either active or sham tDCS. After stimulation, the EFT task was administered. Salivary cortisol was measured throughout the protocol. RESULTS Higher cortisol AUCi values were linked to less specific episodic future thoughts. Moreover, active tDCS enhanced EFT specificity irrespective of cortisol, especially in high trait ruminators. We did not observe an effect from active tDCS on cortisol AUCi, and equally there was no interaction effect between cortisol AUCi and stimulation condition predictive for EFT specificity. CONCLUSION Although we did not find evidence for the effects of tDCS on the HPA-system, our data reveal a crucial link between two critical predictors of mental health for the first time, and provide a solution to help rehabilitate EFT deficits.Trial registration: Netherlands National Trial Register identifier: ntr004..
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Affiliation(s)
- Linde De Wandel
- Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stefanie De Smet
- Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Matias M Pulopulos
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Gilbert M D Lemmens
- Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Vanesa Hidalgo
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Alicia Salvador
- Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt
- Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jens Pruessner
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Head and Skin - Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.,Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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Murty DVPS, Song S, Surampudi SG, Pessoa L. Threat and reward imminence processing in the human brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.20.524987. [PMID: 36711746 PMCID: PMC9882302 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.20.524987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. In addition, the extent to which aversive- and appetitive-related processing engage distinct or overlapping circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive and appetitive processing while male and female participants engaged in comparable trials involving threat-avoidance or reward-seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence . For example, in the aversive domain, we predicted that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), but not the amygdala, would exhibit anticipatory responses given the role of the former in anxious apprehension. We also predicted that the periaqueductal gray (PAG) would exhibit threat-proximity responses based on its involvement in proximal-threat processes, and that the ventral striatum would exhibit threat-imminence responses given its role in threat escape in rodents. Overall, we uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the BST, PAG, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Whereas the ventral striatum generated anticipatory responses in the proximity of reward as expected, it also exhibited threat-related imminence responses. In fact, across multiple brain regions, we observed a main effect of arousal. In other words, we uncovered extensive temporally-evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information irrespective of valence, findings further supported by network analysis. Significance Statement In the human brain, aversive and appetitive processing have been studied with controlled stimuli in rather static settings. Here, we sought to investigate the dynamics of aversive/appetitive processing while participants engaged in trials involving threat-avoidance or reward-seeking. A central goal was to characterize the temporal evolution of responses during periods of threat or reward imminence . We uncovered imminence-related temporally increasing ("ramping") responses in multiple brain regions, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, periaqueductal gray, and ventral striatum, subcortically, and dorsal anterior insula and anterior midcingulate, cortically. Overall, we uncovered extensive temporally-evolving, imminence-related processing in both the aversive and appetitive domain, suggesting that distributed brain circuits are dynamically engaged during the processing of biologically relevant information irrespective of valence.
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Moses TE, Gray E, Mischel N, Greenwald MK. Effects of neuromodulation on cognitive and emotional responses to psychosocial stressors in healthy humans. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 22:100515. [PMID: 36691646 PMCID: PMC9860364 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Physiological and psychological stressors can exert wide-ranging effects on the human brain and behavior. Research has improved understanding of how the sympatho-adreno-medullary (SAM) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axes respond to stressors and the differential responses that occur depending on stressor type. Although the physiological function of SAM and HPA responses is to promote survival and safety, exaggerated psychobiological reactivity can occur in psychiatric disorders. Exaggerated reactivity may occur more for certain types of stressors, specifically, psychosocial stressors. Understanding stressor effects and how the body regulates these responses can provide insight into ways that psychobiological reactivity can be modulated. Non-invasive neuromodulation is one way that responding to stressors may be altered; research into these interventions may provide further insights into the brain circuits that modulate stress reactivity. This review focuses on the effects of acute psychosocial stressors and how neuromodulation might be effective in altering stress reactivity. Although considerable research into stress interventions focuses on treating pathology, it is imperative to first understand these mechanisms in non-clinical populations; therefore, this review will emphasize populations with no known pathology and consider how these results may translate to those with psychiatric pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mark K. Greenwald
- Corresponding author. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Tolan Park Medical Building, 3901 Chrysler Service Drive, Suite 2A, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
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Kuhn L, Noack H, Wagels L, Prothmann A, Schulik A, Aydin E, Nieratschker V, Derntl B, Habel U. Sex-dependent multimodal response profiles to psychosocial stress. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:583-596. [PMID: 35238348 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Sex differences in stress reactions are often reported in the literature. However, the sex-dependent interplay of different facets of stress is still not fully understood. Particularly in neuroimaging research, studies on large samples combining different indicators of stress remain scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study, a sample of 140 healthy participants (67 females using oral contraceptives) underwent a standardized stress induction protocol, the ScanSTRESS. During the experiment, salivary cortisol and subjective ratings were obtained at multiple time points and heart rate was recorded. RESULTS Sex differences emerged in different facets of the stress response:Women reacted with enhanced subjective feelings of stress and increases in heart rate, while men showed more pronounced neural activation in stress-related brain regions such as the inferior frontal gyrus and insula. Subjective feelings of stress and (para) hippocampal activity were negatively related in women,whereas a slightly positive association was observed in men. DISCUSSION These results provide further insight in the sex-specific stress response patterns. Moreover, they emphasize the role of the hippocampus in the regulation of the stress response. This paves the way for the identification of sex-dependent vulnerability factors that can, in the future, be implemented in the prevention and treatment of stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandra Kuhn
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraβe 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Hannes Noack
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Calwerstraβe 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Wagels
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraβe 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straβe, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Anna Prothmann
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraβe 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Anna Schulik
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraβe 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ece Aydin
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical (Bio-)Analysis, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, (Haus B), 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vanessa Nieratschker
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Calwerstraβe 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 25, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School, University of Tübingen, Calwerstraβe 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 25, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Lead Research Network, University of Tübingen, Europastraβe 6, 72072 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraβe 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship (INM 10), Research Center Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straβe, 52425 Jülich, Germany
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30
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Real-World Intake of Dietary Sugars Is Associated with Reduced Cortisol Reactivity Following an Acute Physiological Stressor. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15010209. [PMID: 36615866 PMCID: PMC9823716 DOI: 10.3390/nu15010209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
There is increasing academic and clinical interest in understanding the nature of the relation between diet and response to stress exposure as a risk factor for mental illness. Cross-species evidence shows that conditions of chronic and acute stress increase the intake of, and preference for, caloric-dense palatable foods, a phenomenon thought to be explained by the mitigating effects of comfort foods on the activity of the stress-response network. It is largely unknown whether and how real-world dietary intake of saturated fat and sugars impacts stress responsivity in humans. Therefore, here we examined whether real-world dietary intake of saturated fat and sugars predicted salivary cortisol reactivity following an acute physiological stressor. Multilevel modelling of four salivary cortisol measures collected up to 65 min after the stressor on 54 participants (18-49 years old) were analyzed using a quadratic growth curve model. Sugar intake significantly predicted a weaker cortisol response following the Cold Pressor Test (CPT) controlling for BMI and gender, revealing an inhibitory effect of caloric-dense diets on cortisol reactivity to stress. As the consumption of sugar rose individuals had lower post-stressor cortisol levels, a smaller rate of increase in cortisol 20 and 35 min after the CPT, a lower cortisol peak, and an overall weaker quadratic effect. These observations add to a growing body of evidence reporting suppressive effects of high-energy foods on stress-associated glucocorticoids reactivity and are consistent with the comfort food hypothesis, where people are seen as motivated to eat palatable foods to alleviate the detrimental repercussions of stressor exposure.
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Uhlig M, Reinelt JD, Lauckner ME, Kumral D, Schaare HL, Mildner T, Babayan A, Möller HE, Engert V, Villringer A, Gaebler M. Rapid volumetric brain changes after acute psychosocial stress. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119760. [PMID: 36427754 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is an important trigger for brain plasticity: Acute stress can rapidly affect brain activity and functional connectivity, and chronic or pathological stress has been associated with structural brain changes. Measures of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be modified by short-term motor learning or visual stimulation, suggesting that they also capture rapid brain changes. Here, we investigated volumetric brain changes (together with changes in T1 relaxation rate and cerebral blood flow) after acute stress in humans as well as their relation to psychophysiological stress measures. Sixty-seven healthy men (25.8±2.7 years) completed a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control version while blood, saliva, heart rate, and psychometrics were sampled. Structural MRI (T1 mapping / MP2RAGE sequence) at 3T was acquired 45 min before and 90 min after intervention onset. Grey matter volume (GMV) changes were analysed using voxel-based morphometry. Associations with endocrine, autonomic, and subjective stress measures were tested with linear models. We found significant group-by-time interactions in several brain clusters including anterior/mid-cingulate cortices and bilateral insula: GMV was increased in the stress group relative to the control group, in which several clusters showed a GMV decrease. We found a significant group-by-time interaction for cerebral blood flow, and a main effect of time for T1 values (longitudinal relaxation time). In addition, GMV changes were significantly associated with state anxiety and heart rate variability changes. Such rapid GMV changes assessed with VBM may be induced by local tissue adaptations to changes in energy demand following neural activity. Our findings suggest that endogenous brain changes are counteracted by acute psychosocial stress, which emphasizes the importance of considering homeodynamic processes and generally highlights the influence of stress on the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Uhlig
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; International Max Planck Research School NeuroCom, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Janis D Reinelt
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mark E Lauckner
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Independent Research Group "Adaptive Memory", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Medical Faculty of Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Deniz Kumral
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Neuropsychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - H Lina Schaare
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Otto Hahn Group "Cognitive Neurogenetics", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Germany
| | - Toralf Mildner
- NMR Methods & Development Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anahit Babayan
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; MindBrainBody Institute at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Faculty of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, German
| | - Harald E Möller
- NMR Methods & Development Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Veronika Engert
- Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany; Independent Research Group "Social Stress and Family Health", Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; MindBrainBody Institute at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Faculty of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, German
| | - Michael Gaebler
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; MindBrainBody Institute at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Faculty of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, German
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De Calheiros Velozo J, Vaessen T, Lafit G, Claes S, Myin-Germeys I. Is daily-life stress reactivity a measure of stress recovery? An investigation of laboratory and daily-life stress. Stress Health 2022. [PMID: 36521434 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Typical measures of laboratory reactivity (i.e. difference between control and stress) and recovery (i.e. difference between stress and post-stress) were compared with a conventional measure of daily-life reactivity, best known as event-related stress. Fifty-three healthy individuals between 19 and 35 years of age took part in a laboratory session where stress was induced using the repeated Montreal Imaging Stress Task and 8 days of experience sampling method. Measures of negative affect, heart rate (HR), HR variability, and skin conductance level were collected. Findings show no strong associations between laboratory and daily life measures with the exception of laboratory affective recovery and daily life reactivity. Findings and their implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Vaessen
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences, Psychology, Health & Technology, University of Twenty, Enschede, The Netherlands.,Department of Neurosciences, Mind Body Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ginette Lafit
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Group of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, Faculty of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stephan Claes
- Department of Neurosciences, Mind Body Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Inez Myin-Germeys
- Department of Neurosciences, Center for Contextual Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Sitsen E, Khalili-Mahani N, de Rover M, Dahan A, Niesters M. Effect of spinal anesthesia-induced deafferentation on pain processing in healthy male volunteers: A task-related fMRI study. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2022; 3:1001148. [PMID: 36530772 PMCID: PMC9748364 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2022.1001148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spinal anesthesia causes short-term deafferentation and alters the crosstalk among brain regions involved in pain perception and pain modulation. In the current study, we examined the effect of spinal anesthesia on pain response to noxious thermal stimuli in non-deafferented skin areas using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm. METHODS Twenty-two healthy subjects participated in the study. We performed a task-based fMRI study using a randomized crossover design. Subjects were scanned under two conditions (spinal anesthesia or control) at two-time points: before and after spinal anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia resulted in sensory loss up to dermatome Th6. Calibrated heat-pain stimuli were administered to the right forearm (C8-Th1) using a box-car design (blocks of 10s on/25s off) during MRI scanning. Pain perception was measured using a visual analogue scale (1-100) at the beginning and the end of each session. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the effect of intervention by time by order on pain scores. Similarly, higher-level effects were tested with appropriate general linear models (accounting for within-subject variations in session and time) to examine: (1) Differences in BOLD response to pain stimulus under spinal anesthesia versus control; and (2) Effects of spinal anesthesia on pain-related modulation of the cerebral activation. RESULTS Complete fMRI data was available for eighteen participants. Spinal anesthesia was associated with moderate pain score increase. Significant differences in brain response to noxious thermal stimuli were present in comparison of spinal versus control condition (post-pre). Spinal condition was associated with higher BOLD signal in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule and lower BOLD signal in bilateral postcentral and precentral gyrus. Within the angular regions, we observed a positive correlation between pain scores and BOLD signal. These observations were independent from order effect (whether the spinal anesthesia was administered in the first or the second visit). However, we did observe order effect on brain regions including medial prefrontal regions, possibly related to anticipation of the experience of spinal anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS The loss of sensory and motor activity caused by spinal anesthesia has a significant impact on brain regions involved in the sensorimotor and cognitive processing of noxious heat pain stimuli. Our results indicate that the anticipation or experience of a strong somatosensory response to the spinal intervention might confound and contribute to increased sensitivity to cognitive pain processing. Future studies must account for individual differences in subjective experience of pain sensation within the experimental context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elske Sitsen
- Department of Anesthesiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Najmeh Khalili-Mahani
- McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mischa de Rover
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
- Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Albert Dahan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Marieke Niesters
- Department of Anesthesiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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Čermaková P, Andrýsková L, Brázdil M, Marečková K. Socioeconomic deprivation in early life and symptoms of depression and anxiety in young adulthood: mediating role of hippocampal connectivity. Psychol Med 2022; 52:2671-2680. [PMID: 33327969 PMCID: PMC9647532 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720004754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Experience of early-life socioeconomic deprivation (ELSD) may increase the risk of mental disorders in young adulthood. This association may be mediated by structural and functional alterations of the hippocampus. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort study on 122 participants of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. Information about ELSD was collected via questionnaire from mothers during the first 18 months of participants' lives. At age 23-24, participants underwent examination by structural magnetic resonance imaging, resting-state functional connectivity and assessment of depressive symptoms (Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). The association of ELSD with brain outcomes in young adulthood was assessed with correlations, linear regression (adjusting for sex, socioeconomic position and mother's mental health) and moderated mediation analysis. RESULTS Higher ELSD was associated with greater depressive symptoms (B = 0.22; p = 0.001), trait anxiety (B = 0.07; p = 0.02) and lower global connectivity of the right hippocampus (B = -0.01; p = 0.02). These associations persisted when adjusted for covariates. In women, lower global connectivity of the right hippocampus was associated with stronger trait anxiety (B = -4.14; p = 0.01). Global connectivity of the right hippocampus as well as connectivity between the right hippocampus and the left middle temporal gyrus mediated the association between ELSD and trait anxiety in women. Higher ELSD correlated with a lower volume of the right hippocampus in men, but the volume of the right hippocampus was not related to mental health. CONCLUSIONS Early preventive strategies targeted at children from socioeconomically deprived families may yield long-lasting benefits for the mental health of the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavla Čermaková
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
- Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Milan Brázdil
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Klára Marečková
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Brain and Mind Research, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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Roberts AG, Peckins MK, Gard AM, Hein TC, Hardi FA, Mitchell C, Monk CS, Hyde LW, Lopez-Duran NL. Amygdala reactivity during socioemotional processing and cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 144:105855. [PMID: 35835021 PMCID: PMC10485794 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Threat-related amygdala reactivity and the activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis have been linked to negative psychiatric outcomes. The amygdala and HPA axis have bidirectional connections, suggesting that functional variation in one system may influence the other. However, research on the functional associations between these systems has demonstrated mixed findings, potentially due to small sample sizes and cortisol sampling and data analytic procedures that investigate only pre-post differences in cortisol rather than the specific phases of the cortisol stress response. Further, previous research has primarily utilized samples of adults of mostly European descent, limiting generalizability to those of other ethnoracial identities and ages. Therefore, studies addressing these limitations are needed in order to investigate the functional relations between amygdala reactivity to threat and HPA axis stress responsivity. Using a sample of 159 adolescents from a diverse cohort (75% African American, ages 15-17 years), the present study evaluated associations between amygdala reactivity during socioemotional processing using fMRI and HPA axis reactivity to a socially-evaluative cold pressor task. Greater amygdala activation to fearful and neutral faces was associated with greater cortisol peak values and steeper activation slope. As cortisol peak values and cortisol activation slope capture the intensity of the cortisol stress response, these data suggest that greater activation of the amygdala in response to social distress and ambiguity among adolescents may be related to hyper-reactivity of the HPA axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea G Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Arianna M Gard
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Tyler C Hein
- TRAILS to Wellness, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Felicia A Hardi
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Christopher S Monk
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Luke W Hyde
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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36
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Uy JP, Dieffenbach M, Leschak CJ, Eisenberger NI, Fuligni AJ, Galván A. Sleep duration moderates the associations between immune markers and corticolimbic function during stress in adolescents. Neuropsychologia 2022; 176:108374. [PMID: 36167192 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by biological changes in hormonal and circadian systems that, with concurrent psychosocial changes, result in increased sleep disturbances and stress sensitivity. Sleep disturbance has been associated with heightened stress sensitivity and elevated levels of inflammation in adults and adolescents, yet the neural correlates are unknown in adolescents. The current study investigated whether and how individual differences in peripheral immune markers (IL-6, TNF-α) related to neural response to stress in adolescents and whether these immune-brain associations were moderated by adolescents' sleep duration. Thirty-seven adolescents (14-15 years) who met quality control criteria for fMRI reported daily sleep duration for 7 days and performed an fMRI stressor task. A subsample of 23 adolescents additionally provided blood samples that were assayed for inflammatory markers using a multiplex assay. Results revealed that average sleep duration moderated associations between TNF-α and medial frontolimbic circuitry (amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex) during the stressor task such that, among adolescents who reported shorter sleep duration, higher levels of TNF-α were associated with greater deactivation in those regions during stress, which was associated with greater self-reported anxiety. These findings suggest that insufficient sleep duration coupled with greater levels of peripheral inflammation may promote a neural profile characterized by alterations in frontolimbic circuitry during stress, which can exacerbate sleep disturbances and/or peripheral inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica P Uy
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Macrina Dieffenbach
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carrianne J Leschak
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Naomi I Eisenberger
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrew J Fuligni
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adriana Galván
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Fernandez Z, Scheel N, Baker JH, Zhu DC. Functional connectivity of cortical resting-state networks is differentially affected by rest conditions. Brain Res 2022; 1796:148081. [PMID: 36100086 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.148081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Optimal conditions for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) are still highly debated. Here, we comprehensively assessed the effects of various rest conditions on all cortical resting-state networks (RSNs) defined by an established atlas. Twenty-two healthy college students (22 ± 4 years old, 12 females) were scanned on a GE 3T MRI scanner. Rs-fMRI datasets were collected under four different conditions for each subject: (1) eyes open in dim light (Eyes-Open), (2) eyes closed and awake (Eyes-Closed), (3) eyes closed while remembering four numbers through the scan session (Eyes-Closed-Number) and (4) asked to watch a movie (Movie). We completed a thorough examination of the 17 functional RSNs defined by Yeo and colleagues. Importantly, the movie led to changes in global connectivity and should be avoided as a rest condition. Conversely, there were no significant connectivity differences between conditions within the frontoparietal control and limbic networks and the following subnetworks as defined by Yeo et al.: default-B, dorsal-attention-B and salience/ventral-attention-B. These were not even significant when compared to the highly stimulative Movie condition. A significant difference was not found between Eyes-Closed and Eyes-Closed-Number conditions in whole-brain, within-network and between-network comparisons. When considering other rest conditions, however, we observed connectivity changes in some subnetworks, including those of the default-mode network. Overall, we found conditions with more external stimulation led to more changes in functional connectivity during rs-fMRI. In conclusion, the comprehensive results of our study can aid in choosing rest conditions for the study of overall and specific functional networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Fernandez
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, USA; Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, USA; Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Michigan State University, USA
| | - Norman Scheel
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, USA; Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Michigan State University, USA
| | - Joshua H Baker
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, USA; Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, USA; College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, USA; Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Michigan State University, USA
| | - David C Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, USA; Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, USA; Cognitive Imaging Research Center, Michigan State University, USA.
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Corr R, Glier S, Bizzell J, Pelletier-Baldelli A, Campbell A, Killian-Farrell C, Belger A. Triple Network Functional Connectivity During Acute Stress in Adolescents and the Influence of Polyvictimization. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:867-875. [PMID: 35292406 PMCID: PMC9464656 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to both chronic and acute stressors can disrupt functional connectivity (FC) of the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN), increasing risk for negative health outcomes. During adolescence, these stress-sensitive triple networks undergo critical neuromaturation that is altered by chronic exposure to general forms of trauma or victimization. However, no work has directly examined how acute stress affects triple network FC in adolescents or whether polyvictimization-exposure to multiple categories/subtypes of victimization-influences adolescent triple network neural acute stress response. METHODS This functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined seed-to-voxel FC of the DMN, SN, and CEN during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Complete data from 73 participants aged 9 to 16 years (31 female) are reported. RESULTS During acute stress, FC was increased between DMN and CEN regions and decreased between the SN and the DMN and CEN. Greater polyvictimization was associated with reduced FC during acute stress exposure between the DMN seed and a cluster containing the left insula of the SN. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that acute stress exposure alters FC between the DMN, SN, and CEN in adolescents. In addition, FC changes during stress between the DMN and SN are further moderated by polyvictimization exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Corr
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
| | - Sarah Glier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Joshua Bizzell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Andrea Pelletier-Baldelli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Alana Campbell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Candace Killian-Farrell
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Sciences, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Aysenil Belger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
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Herrmann L, Kasties V, Boden C, Li M, Fan Y, Van der Meer J, Vester JC, Seilheimer B, Schultz M, Alizadeh S, Walter M. Nx4 attenuated stress-induced activity of the anterior cingulate cortex-A post-hoc analysis of a randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial. Hum Psychopharmacol 2022; 37:e2837. [PMID: 35213077 DOI: 10.1002/hup.2837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Stress-related symptoms are associated with significant health and economic burden. Several studies suggest Nx4 for the pharmacological management of the stress response and investigated the underlying neural processes. Here we hypothesized that Nx4 can directly affect the stress response in a predefined stress network, including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is linked to various stress-related symptoms in patients. METHODS In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, 39 healthy males took a single dose of placebo or Nx4. Psychosocial stress was induced by the ScanSTRESS paradigm inside an MRI scanner, and stress network activation was analyzed in brain regions defined a priori. RESULTS Using the placebo data only, we could validate the activation of a distinct neural stress pattern by the ScanSTRESS paradigm. For Nx4, we provide evidence of an attenuating effect on this stress response. A statistically significant reduction in differential stress-induced activation in the right supracallosal ACC was observed for the rotation stress task of the ScanSTRESS paradigm. The results add to previously published results of Nx4 effects on emotion regulation. CONCLUSIONS Our results strengthen the hypothesis that Nx4 modulates the stress response by reducing the activation in parts of the neural stress network, particularly in the ACC. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT02602275; ClinicalTrials.gov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Herrmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Vanessa Kasties
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Cindy Boden
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Meng Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Yan Fan
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Johan Van der Meer
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Myron Schultz
- Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Baden-Baden, Germany
| | - Sarah Alizadeh
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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Zhang D, Guo Q, Xu L, Liu X, Zhang T, Liu X, Chen H, Li G, Wang J. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis: Evidence from eye-tracking measures. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 118:110578. [PMID: 35618148 PMCID: PMC9126616 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggested that people with severe mental disorders were more vulnerable to the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few researches investigated the influence of global pandemics on people at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical symptoms, psychological distress, and eye-tracking characteristics in CHR individuals and healthy participants. Forty-nine CHR individuals and 50 healthy controls (HC) were assessed by PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Perceived Stress Scale, 10-item version (PSS-10), and Coronavirus Impact Scale (CIS). Eye movement performances were measured by the tests of fixation stability, free-viewing, and anti-saccade. According to the mean score of CIS, participants were stratified into high-impact (n = 35) and low-impact (n = 64) subgroups. Compared with the HC group, CHR participants reported significantly higher levels of post-traumatic symptoms caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and showed abnormalities in most of the eye movement indexes. Among the altered indexes, the saccade amplitude of fixation stability test (far distractor), the scan path length of free-viewing test, and the accuracy of anti-saccade test were negatively affected by the severity of impact level in the CHR group. Moreover, the altered eye movement indexes were significantly associated with the total scores of CIS, PCL-5, and subscales of the Scale of Prodromal Syndromes (SOPS) among CHR individuals. Overall, our findings suggested the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eye movement characteristics of CHR individuals. The present study provides valuable information on physiological distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic and sensitive neuropsychological biomarkers that interacted with social and environment stress in the CHR population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China
| | - Qian Guo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China; Department of Early Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China.
| | - Lihua Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China
| | - Xu Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China
| | - TianHong Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China
| | - Xiaohua Liu
- Department of Early Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China
| | - Haiying Chen
- Department of Early Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China
| | - Guanjun Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China.
| | - Jijun Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, PR China; CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 201203, PR China; Institute of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, PR China.
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Henze GI, Rosenbaum D, Bärt C, Laicher H, Konzok J, Kudielka BM, Fallgatter AJ, Wüst S, Ehlis AC, Kreuzpointner L. Comparing two psychosocial stress paradigms for imaging environments - ScanSTRESS and fNIRS-TSST: correlation structures between stress responses. Behav Brain Res 2022; 436:114080. [PMID: 36030907 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The present post-hoc analysis of two independent studies conducted in different laboratories aimed at comparing reactions of stress activation systems in response to two different psychosocial stress induction paradigms. Both paradigms are based on the Trier Social Stress Test and suited for neuroimaging environments. In an in-depth analysis, data from 67 participants (36 men, 31 women) from a functional magnetic resonance imaging study implementing ScanSTRESS were compared with data from a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study implementing the so-called 'fNIRS-TSST' including 45 participants (8 men, 37 women). We tested the equivalence of correlation patterns between the stress response measures cortisol, heart rate, affect, and neural responses in the two samples. Moreover, direct comparisons of affective and neural responses were made. Similar correlation structures were identified for all stress activation systems, except for neural contrasts of paradigm conditions (stress vs. control) showing significant differences in association with cortisol, heart rate, and affective variables between the two samples. Furthermore, both stress paradigms elicited comparable affective and cortical stress responses. Apart from methodological differences (e.g., procedure, timing of the paradigms) the present analysis suggests that both paradigms are capable of inducing moderate acute psychosocial stress to a comparable extent with regard to affective and cortical stress responses. Moreover, similar association structures between different stress response systems were found in both studies. Thus, depending on the study objective and the respective advantages of each imaging approach, both paradigms have demonstrated their usefulness for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Bärt
- Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Hendrik Laicher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Julian Konzok
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Germany.
| | | | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Stefan Wüst
- Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), Tübingen, Germany.
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Joseph JE, Bustos N, Crum K, Flanagan J, Baker NL, Hartwell K, Santa-Maria MM, Brady K, McRae-Clark A. Oxytocin moderates corticolimbic social stress reactivity in cocaine use disorder and healthy controls. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2022; 11:100150. [PMID: 35967924 PMCID: PMC9363641 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Social stress can contribute to the development of substance use disorders (SUDs) and increase the likelihood of relapse. Oxytocin (OT) is a potential pharmacotherapy that may buffer the effects of social stress on arousal and reward neurocircuitry. However, more research is needed to understand how OT moderates the brain’s response to social stress in SUDs. The present study examined the effect of intransasal OT (24 IU) versus placebo (PBO) on corticolimbic functional connectivity associated with acute social stress in individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD; n = 67) and healthy controls (HC; n = 52). Psychophysiological interaction modeling used the left and right amygdala as seed regions with the left and right orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex as a priori regions of interest. Moderators of the OT response included childhood trauma history and biological sex, which were examined in independent analyses. The main finding was that OT normalized corticolimbic connectivity (left amygdala-orbitofrontal and left amygdala-anterior cingulate) as a function of childhood trauma such that connectivity was different between trauma-present and trauma-absent groups on PBO, but not between trauma groups on OT. Effects of OT on corticolimbic connectivity were not different as a function of diagnosis (CUD vs HC) or sex. However, OT reduced subjective anxiety during social stress for CUD participants who reported childhood trauma compared to PBO and normalized craving response as a function of sex in CUD. The present findings add to some prior findings of normalizing effects of OT on corticolimbic circuitry in individuals with trauma histories and provide some initial support that OT can normalize subjective anxiety and craving in CUD. Social stress-related corticolimbic connectivity was affected by childhood trauma under placebo. Under oxytocin, corticolimbic connectivity differences due to childhood trauma were absent. Oxytocin reduced subjective anxiety in cocaine users with childhood trauma. Oxytocin reduced subjective craving in male cocaine users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane E. Joseph
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Cannon Street, Charleston SC, 29425, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Nicholas Bustos
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Cannon Street, Charleston SC, 29425, USA
| | - Kathleen Crum
- Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Cannon Street, Charleston SC, 29425, USA
- Department of Psychiatry Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Julianne Flanagan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Nathaniel L. Baker
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Karen Hartwell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Megan Moran Santa-Maria
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Boehringer Ingelheim, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Kathleen Brady
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Aimee McRae-Clark
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA
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Corr R, Glier S, Bizzell J, Pelletier-Baldelli A, Campbell A, Killian-Farrell C, Belger A. Stress-related hippocampus activation mediates the association between polyvictimization and trait anxiety in adolescents. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:767-776. [PMID: 34850948 PMCID: PMC9340110 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress exposures are associated with adverse health outcomes and heightened anxiety symptoms in adolescents. Stress-sensitive brain regions like the hippocampus and amygdala are particularly impacted by early life adversities and are also implicated in the development of anxiety disorders. However, to date, no studies have specifically examined the neural correlates of polyvictimization (exposure to multiple categories of victimization) or the contribution of stress-sensitive neural nodes to polyvictimization's impact on mental health. To elucidate these relationships, the current study analyzed associations between polyvictimization, hippocampal and amygdalar activation during an acute stress task and trait anxiety in a sample of 80 children and adolescents aged 9-16 years (33 female participants). Results showed that polyvictimization was associated with higher trait anxiety as well as greater stress-related right hippocampus activation, and this greater hippocampal activity predicted heightened trait anxiety. Robust mediation analyses revealed that stress-related right hippocampus activation partially mediated the relationship between polyvictimization and trait anxiety. Our results expand upon the existing polyvictimization literature by suggesting a possible neurobiological pathway through which polyvictimization is connected to the etiology of mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Corr
- Correspondence should be addressed to Rachel Corr, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, CB 7160, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA. E-mail:
| | - Sarah Glier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Joshua Bizzell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510, USA
- Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Andrea Pelletier-Baldelli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Alana Campbell
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510, USA
| | - Candace Killian-Farrell
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Aysenil Belger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
- Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510, USA
- Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Kühnel A, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Binder EB, Kroemer NB. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Stress-Induced Network Reconfigurations Reflect Negative Affectivity. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:158-169. [PMID: 35260225 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maladaptive stress responses are important risk factors in the etiology of mood and anxiety disorders, but exact pathomechanisms remain to be understood. Mapping individual differences of acute stress-induced neurophysiological changes, especially on the level of neural activation and functional connectivity (FC), could provide important insights in how variation in the individual stress response is linked to disease risk. METHODS Using an established psychosocial stress task flanked by two resting states, we measured subjective, physiological, and brain responses to acute stress and recovery in 217 participants with and without mood and anxiety disorders. To estimate blockwise changes in stress-induced activation and FC, we used hierarchical mixed-effects models based on denoised time series within predefined stress-related regions. We predicted inter- and intraindividual differences in stress phases (anticipation vs. stress vs. recovery) and transdiagnostic dimensions of stress reactivity using elastic net and support vector machines. RESULTS We identified four subnetworks showing distinct changes in FC over time. FC but not activation trajectories predicted the stress phase (accuracy = 70%, pperm < .001) and increases in heart rate (R2 = 0.075, pperm < .001). Critically, individual spatiotemporal trajectories of changes across networks also predicted negative affectivity (ΔR2 = 0.075, pperm = .030) but not the presence or absence of a mood and anxiety disorder. CONCLUSIONS Spatiotemporal dynamics of brain network reconfiguration induced by stress reflect individual differences in the psychopathology dimension of negative affectivity. These results support the idea that vulnerability for mood and anxiety disorders can be conceptualized best at the level of network dynamics, which may pave the way for improved prediction of individual risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kühnel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
| | - Nils B Kroemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Robertson RV, Crawford LS, Meylakh N, Macey PM, Macefield VG, Keay KA, Henderson LA. Regional hypothalamic, amygdala, and midbrain periaqueductal gray matter recruitment during acute pain in awake humans: A 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Neuroimage 2022; 259:119408. [PMID: 35752415 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have explored brain activation patterns during acute noxious stimuli. Whilst these human investigations have detailed changes in primarily cortical regions, they have generally not explored discrete changes within small brain areas that are critical in driving behavioural, autonomic, and endocrine responses to pain, such as within subregions of the hypothalamus, amygdala, and midbrain periaqueductal gray matter (PAG). Ultra-high field (7-Tesla) MRI provides enough signal-to-noise at high spatial resolutions to investigate activation patterns within these small brain regions during acute noxious stimulation in awake humans. In this study we used 7T functional MRI to concentrate on hypothalamic, amygdala, and PAG signal changes during acute noxious orofacial stimuli. Noxious heat stimuli were applied in three separate fMRI scans to three adjacent sites on the face in 16 healthy control participants (7 females). Images were processed using SPM12 and custom software, and blood oxygen level dependent signal changes within the hypothalamus, amygdala, and PAG assessed. We identified altered activity within eight unique subregions of the hypothalamus, four unique subregions of the amygdala, and a single region in the lateral PAG. Specifically, within the hypothalamus and amygdala, signal intensity largely decreased during noxious stimulation, and increased in the lateral PAG. Furthermore, we found sex-related differences in discrete regions of the hypothalamus and amygdala. This study reveals that the activity of discrete nuclei during acute noxious thermal stimulation in awake humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca V Robertson
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Lewis S Crawford
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Noemi Meylakh
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Paul M Macey
- UCLA School of Nursing and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | - Kevin A Keay
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Luke A Henderson
- School of Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 2006, Australia.
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Brain Reactions to Opening and Closing the Eyes: Salivary Cortisol and Functional Connectivity. Brain Topogr 2022; 35:375-397. [PMID: 35666364 PMCID: PMC9334428 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-022-00897-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
This study empirically assessed the strength and duration of short-term effects induced by brain reactions to closing/opening the eyes on a few well-known resting-state networks. We also examined the association between these reactions and subjects’ cortisol levels. A total of 55 young adults underwent 8-min resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans under 4-min eyes-closed and 4-min eyes-open conditions. Saliva samples were collected from 25 of the 55 subjects before and after the fMRI sessions and assayed for cortisol levels. Our empirical results indicate that when the subjects were relaxed with their eyes closed, the effect of opening the eyes on conventional resting-state networks (e.g., default-mode, frontal-parietal, and saliency networks) lasted for roughly 60-s, during which we observed a short-term increase in activity in rs-fMRI time courses. Moreover, brain reactions to opening the eyes had a pronounced effect on time courses in the temporo-parietal lobes and limbic structures, both of which presented a prolonged decrease in activity. After controlling for demographic factors, we observed a significantly positive correlation between pre-scan cortisol levels and connectivity in the limbic structures under both conditions. Under the eyes-closed condition, the temporo-parietal lobes presented significant connectivity to limbic structures and a significantly positive correlation with pre-scan cortisol levels. Future research on rs-fMRI could consider the eyes-closed condition when probing resting-state connectivity and its neuroendocrine correlates, such as cortisol levels. It also appears that abrupt instructions to open the eyes while the subject is resting quietly with eyes closed could be used to probe brain reactivity to aversive stimuli in the ventral hippocampus and other limbic structures.
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Zhang Y, Li M, Zhang X, Zhang D, Tan HY, Yue W, Yan H. Unsuppressed Striatal Activity and Genetic Risk for Schizophrenia Associated With Individual Cognitive Performance Under Social Competition. Schizophr Bull 2022; 48:599-608. [PMID: 35307738 PMCID: PMC9077431 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Social competition affects human behaviors by inducing psychosocial stress. The neural and genetic mechanisms of individual differences of cognitive-behavioral response to stressful situations in a competitive context remain unknown. We hypothesized that variation in stress-related brain activation and genetic heterogeneity associated with psychiatric disorders may play roles towards individually differential responses under stress. STUDY DESIGN A total of 419 healthy subjects and 66 patients with schizophrenia were examined functional magnetic resonance imaging during working memory task including social competition stressors. We explored the correlation between stress-induced brain activity and individual working memory performance. The partial least squares regression was performed to examine the genetic correlates between stress-related activity and gene expression data from Allen Human Brain Atlas. Polygenic risk score (PRS) was used to assess individual genetic risk for schizophrenia. STUDY RESULTS Greater suppression of bilateral striatal activity was associated with better behavioral improvement in working memory manipulation under social competition (left: rPearson = -0.245, P = 4.0 × 10-6, right: rPearson = -0.234, P = 1.0 × 10-5). Genes transcriptionally related to stress-induced activation were linked to genetic risk for schizophrenia (PFDR < 0.005). Participants with decreased accuracy under social competition exhibited higher PRS of schizophrenia (t = 2.328, P = .021). Patients with schizophrenia showed less suppressed striatal activity under social stress (F = 13.493, P = 3.5 × 10-4). CONCLUSIONS Striatal activity change and genetic risk for schizophrenia might play a role in the individually behavioral difference in working memory manipulation under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dai Zhang
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Hao-Yang Tan
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Weihua Yue
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Research Unit of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood Cognitive Disorder (2018RU006), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hao Yan
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; 51 Huayuanbei Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China; tel/fax: 010-82805307, e-mail:
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Ren X, Zhao X, Li J, Liu Y, Ren Y, Pruessner JC, Yang J. The Hippocampal-Ventral Medial Prefrontal Cortex Neurocircuitry Involvement in the Association of Daily Life Stress With Acute Perceived Stress and Cortisol Responses. Psychosom Med 2022; 84:276-287. [PMID: 35149637 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Daily life stressors include everyday irritants, hassles, and inconveniences, such as problems in traffic and unexpected work deadlines. A growing body of research has suggested higher daily stress is associated with blunted cortisol response to acute psychosocial stressors. However, so far, the neural mechanism underlying this association has not been elucidated. The current study aimed to examine the role of stress neurocircuitry between the hippocampus and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex in this relationship. METHODS To this end, as an index of daily stress in 44 young healthy individuals (23 females; mean [standard deviation] age = 19.07 [1.11] years), the total stressful rating score of daily life stress events that occurred in a 24-hour period was quantified. Individuals were then administered a modified version of the Montreal Imaging Stress Task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, and their saliva samples were collected for assessment of the stress hormone cortisol. RESULTS Results revealed that a higher level of daily stress was associated with lower salivary cortisol secretion (r = -0.39, p = .008) and lower activation of the left hippocampus (tpeak = -5.51) in response to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Furthermore, a higher level of daily stress was associated with stronger functional connectivity between the left hippocampus and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex/subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (tpeak = 4.91, R2= 0.365). CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the current study suggested a possible neurocircuitry of the hippocampus and ventral medial prefrontal cortex in the relationship between daily life stress and acute psychosocial stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Ren
- From the Faculty of Psychology (X. Ren, Zhao, Li, liu, Y. Ren, Yang), Southwest University, Chongqing, China; and Department of Psychology (Pruessner), University of Constance, Constance, Germany
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Edebol Carlman HMT, Rode J, König J, Repsilber D, Hutchinson AN, Thunberg P, Persson J, Kiselev A, Pruessner JC, Brummer RJ. Probiotic Mixture Containing Lactobacillus helveticus, Bifidobacterium longum and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Affects Brain Responses to an Arithmetic Stress Task in Healthy Subjects: A Randomised Clinical Trial and Proof-of-Concept Study. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14071329. [PMID: 35405944 PMCID: PMC9002567 DOI: 10.3390/nu14071329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Probiotics are suggested to impact physiological and psychological stress responses by acting on the gut-brain axis. We investigated if a probiotic product containing Bifidobacterium longum R0175, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum R1012 affected stress processing in a double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover proof-of-concept study (NCT03615651). Twenty-two healthy subjects (24.2 ± 3.4 years, 6 men/16 women) underwent a probiotic and placebo intervention for 4 weeks each, separated by a 4-week washout period. Subjects were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) as well as an autonomic nervous system function assessment during the Stroop task. Reduced activation in regions of the lateral orbital and ventral cingulate gyri was observed after probiotic intervention compared to placebo. Significantly increased functional connectivity was found between the upper limbic region and medioventral area. Interestingly, probiotic intervention seemed to predominantly affect the initial stress response. Salivary cortisol secretion during the task was not altered. Probiotic intervention did not affect cognitive performance and autonomic nervous system function during Stroop. The probiotic intervention was able to subtly alter brain activity and functional connectivity in regions known to regulate emotion and stress responses. These findings support the potential of probiotics as a non-pharmaceutical treatment modality for stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna M. T. Edebol Carlman
- Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden; (H.M.T.E.C.); (J.K.); (D.R.); (A.N.H.); (R.J.B.)
| | - Julia Rode
- Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden; (H.M.T.E.C.); (J.K.); (D.R.); (A.N.H.); (R.J.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +46-1930-3817
| | - Julia König
- Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden; (H.M.T.E.C.); (J.K.); (D.R.); (A.N.H.); (R.J.B.)
| | - Dirk Repsilber
- Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden; (H.M.T.E.C.); (J.K.); (D.R.); (A.N.H.); (R.J.B.)
| | - Ashley N. Hutchinson
- Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden; (H.M.T.E.C.); (J.K.); (D.R.); (A.N.H.); (R.J.B.)
| | - Per Thunberg
- Department of Radiology and Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden;
| | - Jonas Persson
- Center for Lifespan Developmental Research (LEADER), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden;
| | - Andrey Kiselev
- Center for Applied Autonomous Sensor Systems, Faculty for Business, Science and Engineering, School of Natural Science and Technology, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden;
| | - Jens C. Pruessner
- Douglas Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H1R3, Canada;
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Robert J. Brummer
- Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden; (H.M.T.E.C.); (J.K.); (D.R.); (A.N.H.); (R.J.B.)
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Inter-relationships between changes in stress, mindfulness, and dynamic functional connectivity in response to a social stressor. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2396. [PMID: 35165343 PMCID: PMC8844001 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06342-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We conducted a study to understand how dynamic functional brain connectivity contributes to the moderating effect of trait mindfulness on the stress response. 40 male participants provided subjective reports of stress, cortisol assays, and functional MRI before and after undergoing a social stressor. Self-reported trait mindfulness was also collected. Experiencing stress led to significant decreases in the prevalence of a connectivity state previously associated with mindfulness, but no changes in two connectivity states with prior links to arousal. Connectivity did not return to baseline 30 min after stress. Higher trait mindfulness was associated with attenuated affective and neuroendocrine stress response, and smaller decreases in the mindfulness-related connectivity state. In contrast, we found no association between affective response and functional connectivity. Taken together, these data allow us to construct a preliminary brain-behaviour model of how mindfulness dampens stress reactivity and demonstrate the utility of time-varying functional connectivity in understanding psychological state changes.
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