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Kan Y, Duan H, Wang Z, Wang Y, Liu S, Lan J. Acute stress reduces attentional blindness: Relations with resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia and cortisol. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024; 77:144-159. [PMID: 36803305 DOI: 10.1177/17470218231159654] [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] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
This study made the first attempt to combine resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and cortisol to provide an explanatory mechanism for the effect of acute stress on emotion-induced blindness (EIB) from the perspective of vagus nerve activity and stress hormone responses. For this purpose, resting electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were recorded first. Participants underwent both the socially evaluated cold-pressor test and control treatments 7 days apart and then completed the EIB task. Heart rate and saliva samples were collected over time. The results demonstrated that acute stress promoted the overall detection of targets. Resting RSA and cortisol levels predicted the stress-induced changes in EIB performance under the negative distractor condition at lag2 negatively and positively, respectively. These findings indicate that the effect of stress on EIB was partially contributed by cortisol, which is more relevant to negative distractor conditions. Resting RSA, as an indicator of inter-individual differences, further provided evidence from the perspective of the trait emotional regulation ability based on the vagus nerve control. In general, resting RSA and cortisol changes over time exhibit different patterns of influence on stress-induced changes in EIB performance. Thus, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the effect of acute stress on attentional blindness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhuo Wang
- Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | | | | | - Jijun Lan
- Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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2
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van der Venne P, Mürner-Lavanchy I, Höper S, Koenig J, Kaess M. Physiological response to pain in female adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury as a function of severity. J Affect Disord 2023; 339:64-73. [PMID: 37390927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.06.041] [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: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preliminary evidence indicates altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS) response to experimental pain in individuals with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study investigated effects of NSSI severity and severity of psychopathology on the HPA axis and ANS response to pain. METHODS N = 164 adolescents with NSSI and n = 45 healthy controls received heat pain stimulation. Salivary cortisol, α-amylase and blood pressure were repeatedly assessed before and after painful stimulation. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were assessed continuously. NSSI severity and comorbid psychopathology were derived from diagnostic assessments. Main and interaction effects of time of measurement and NSSI severity, adjusted for severity of adverse childhood experiences, borderline personality disorder and depression, on HPA axis and ANS response to pain were examined using regression analyses. RESULTS Increasing NSSI severity predicted an increasing cortisol response (χ2(3) = 12.09, p = .007) to pain. After adjusting for comorbid psychopathology, greater NSSI severity predicted decreased α-amylase levels following pain (χ2(3) = 10.47, p = .015), and decreased HR (χ2(2) = 8.53, p = .014) and increased HRV(χ2(2) = 13.43, p = .001) response to pain. LIMITATIONS Future research should implement several NSSI severity indicators, potentially revealing complex associations with the physiological response to pain. Assessing physiological responses to pain in NSSI in a naturalistic setting presents a promising avenue for future research in NSI. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate an increased pain-related HPA axis response and an ANS response characterized by reduced sympathetic and increased parasympathetic activity associated with NSSI severity. Results support claims for dimensional approaches to NSSI and its related psychopathology alongside shared, underlying neurobiological correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice van der Venne
- Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ines Mürner-Lavanchy
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Saskia Höper
- Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julian Koenig
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Kaess
- Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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3
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Fricke K, Alexander N, Jacobsen T, Krug H, Wehkamp K, Vogel S. The effects of hydrocortisone and yohimbine on human behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:1705-1717. [PMID: 37314480 PMCID: PMC10265560 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06396-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [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: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Balancing approach of positive and avoidance of negative stimuli is essential when faced with approach-avoidance conflicts, e.g., situations with both positive and negative outcomes. This balance is disturbed in several mental disorders, e.g., excessive avoidance in anxiety disorders, and heightened approach in substance use disorders. Since stress is assumed to impact these disorders' etiology and maintenance, it seems crucial to understand how stress influences behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts. Indeed, some studies suggested altered approach-avoidance behavior under acute stress, but the mechanism underlying these effects is unknown. OBJECTIVES Investigate how the pharmacological manipulation of major stress mediators (cortisol and noradrenaline) influences task-based approach-avoidance conflict behavior in healthy individuals. METHODS Ninety-six participants (48 women, 48 men) received either 20mg hydrocortisone, 20mg yohimbine, both, or placebo before performing a task targeting foraging under predation in a fully crossed double-blind between-subject design. Moreover, we investigated effects of gender and endogenous testosterone and estradiol levels on approach-avoidance behavior. RESULTS While biological stress markers (cortisol concentration, alpha amylase activity) indicated successful pharmacological manipulation, behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts was not affected as expected. Although yohimbine administration affected risky foraging latency under predation, we found no main effect of hydrocortisone or their interaction on behavior. In contrast, we found gender differences for almost all behavioral outcome measures, which might be explained by differences in endogenous testosterone levels. CONCLUSIONS The investigated major stress mediators were not sufficient to imitate previously shown stress effects on approach-avoidance conflict behavior. We discuss potential reasons for our findings and implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Fricke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Nina Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Jacobsen
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henriette Krug
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kai Wehkamp
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Vogel
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
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4
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Casto KV, Prasad S, Josephs RA, Zilioli S, Welker K, Maslov A, Jones AC, Mehta PH. No Compelling Evidence that Self-Reported Personality Traits Explain Basal Testosterone and Cortisol’s Associations with Status-Relevant Behavior. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-023-00210-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective
A goal of behavioral neuroendocrinology is to understand how basal hormone levels relate to behavior. Studies of human participants sometimes measure self-reported personality traits, in addition to or instead of direct behavioral observation. Although personality traits often predict their respective behaviors, whether personality explains hormone-behavior relationships remains unclear.
Methods
We obtained data from eight previous studies (total N = 985) that examined baseline testosterone and cortisol as predictors of status-relevant behavior (competitiveness, dominance, risk-taking, aggression, affiliation, and social status). We tested whether the previously reported hormone-behavior relationships are mediated by self-reported personality traits (e.g., trait dominance, prestige, extraversion). As a secondary research question, we also tested whether trait dominance moderated the testosterone-behavior relationships.
Results
As expected, self-reported personality traits often predicted status-relevant behaviors, but there was little evidence that traits also correlated with basal testosterone or the testosterone × cortisol interaction. Across all eight studies, personality traits did not significantly mediate hormone-behavior relationships. Indeed, the effect sizes of the hormone-behavior relationships were robust to the inclusion of personality traits as covariates. Further, we did not find strong or consistent evidence that trait dominance moderates the testosterone-behavior association.
Conclusion
Results suggest that basal testosterone and cortisol predict status-related behavior independent of self-reported personality. We discuss how these results may have broader implications for the physiological mechanisms by which testosterone and cortisol influence behavior, a process that could be unconscious and automatic. We also discuss alternative explanations, limitations, and future directions.
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The association between acute stress & empathy: A systematic literature review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:105003. [PMID: 36535374 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.105003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is a fundamental component of our social-emotional experience. Over the last decade, there has been increased interest in understanding the effects of acute stress on empathy. We provide a first comprehensive-and systematic-overview identifying emerging patterns and gaps in this literature. Regarding affective empathy, there is abundant evidence for stress contagion-the 'spillover' of stress from a stressed target to an unstressed perceiver. We highlight contextual factors that can facilitate and/or undermine these effects. Fewer studies have investigated the effects of acute stress on affective empathy, revealing a nuanced picture, some evidence suggests acute stress can block contagion of other's emotions; but again contextual differences need to be considered. Regarding cognitive empathy, most studies find no conclusive effects for simplistic measures of emotion recognition; however, studies using more complex empathy tasks find that acute stress might affect cognitive empathy differentially for men and women. This review provides an important first step towards understanding how acute stress can impact social-togetherness, and aims to aid future research by highlighting (in)congruencies and outstanding questions.
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Nitschke JP, Pruessner JC, Bartz JA. Stress and Stress-Induced Glucocorticoids Facilitate Empathic Accuracy in Men but Have No Effects for Women. Psychol Sci 2022; 33:1783-1794. [DOI: 10.1177/09567976221101315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy, the ability to understand the feelings of other people, is critical for navigating our social world and maintaining social connections. Given that acute stress, and resulting increased glucocorticoids, triggers a shift in two large-scale brain networks, prioritizing salience over executive control, we predicted that acute psychosocial stress would facilitate empathic accuracy. We also investigated the moderating role of gender, given that men typically show a more robust glucocorticoid response to acute stress than women. As predicted, results from two independent experiments ( N = 267 college-age participants; 2,256 observations) showed that acute psychosocial stress facilitated empathic accuracy for men, an effect related to their glucocorticoid response in the stress condition. Conversely, psychosocial stress had no effect on empathic accuracy for women, who also showed a smaller cortisol response to stress than men. Exploratory analyses further revealed that women taking oral contraceptives performed worse on the empathic-accuracy task than regularly cycling women. This research highlights the important, but complex, role of stress in cognitive empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas P. Nitschke
- Department of Psychology, McGill University
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna
| | - Jens C. Pruessner
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz
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Ji D, Flouri E, Papachristou E. Social cognition and cortisol in the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Stress Health 2021; 37:415-430. [PMID: 34363741 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
This systematic review examines the evidence on the association between social cognition and cortisol in the general population. Literature was searched in six databases. Of the 401 studies identified, meta-analyses were conducted on 46 effect sizes (Pearson's correlation coefficients) from 19 studies, supplemented by a narrative review. Pooled estimates suggest that better emotion control is associated with increased cortisol concentrations [r = 0.083, 95% CI (0.033, 0.132)]. Emotion recognition or empathy were not significantly associated with cortisol concentrations [r = 0.072, 95% CI (-0.020, 0.165) and r = 0.004, 95% CI (-0.061, 0.068) respectively]. Subgroup analyses showed that the association between emotion control and cortisol concentrations is significant in males, for morning cortisol, when the cortisol data are transformed to correct for skewed distributions, or when participants are instructed to avoid food and drink intake for at least one hour before sample collection. There was no evidence for an association between social cognition with diurnal cortisol slope or cortisol awakening response. More validation work with greater standardization of methodological procedures is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongying Ji
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
| | - Eirini Flouri
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
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8
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Poppelaars ES, Klackl J, Pletzer B, Jonas E. Delta-beta cross-frequency coupling as an index of stress regulation during social-evaluative threat. Biol Psychol 2021; 160:108043. [PMID: 33561509 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Coupling between delta (1-4 Hz) and beta (14-30 Hz) oscillations is posited to reflect subcortico-cortical communication and stress regulation. To validate delta-beta coupling (DBC) as an index of neural stress regulation, we investigated whether DBC changes during stress and whether these changes are associated with established stress responses. We induced stress using a social-evaluative threat (impromptu speech) task and measured frontal and parietal delta-beta amplitude-amplitude correlation (AAC) and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), as well as cardiovascular, affective, and endocrine stress responses. Results showed no significant changes in either AAC or PAC in response to stress and no correlations with stress responses. However, baseline AAC tended to be related to more adaptive endocrine stress responses. Our results suggest that delta-beta AAC or PAC are not valid neural indices of stress regulation itself, but rather traits that relate to differences in neuroendocrine stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eefje S Poppelaars
- University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Social Psychology, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Johannes Klackl
- University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Social Psychology, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Belinda Pletzer
- University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; University of Salzburg, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Ignaz-Harrer-Straße 79, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eva Jonas
- University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Division of Social Psychology, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
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9
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Tekampe J, van Middendorp H, Biermasz NR, Sweep FCGJ, Meijer OC, Pelsma ICM, Pereira AM, Hermus ARMM, Evers AWM. Conditioning cortisol in healthy young women - A randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 124:105081. [PMID: 33340878 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.105081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Learned placebo effects induced by pharmacological conditioning affect immune and endocrine outcomes and may offer new possibilities for clinical applications. Whether or not cortisol is subject to this type of associative learning processes, and whether conditioning may affect responses to stress, is currently unclear. METHOD A randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 48 healthy young women. During acquisition, participants received a pill containing either 100 mg hydrocortisone (unconditioned stimulus) or placebo, paired with a gustatory conditioned stimulus on three consecutive days. During evocation, all participants received placebo paired with the conditioned stimulus, again on three consecutive days. During the third evocation trial, participants underwent a psychosocial stress task. The main outcome parameter salivary cortisol and secondary outcome parameters salivary alpha-amylase, self-reported positive affect and tension, heart rate, and skin conductance level were measured at several time points. RESULTS Significant baseline group differences on cortisol were found at several time points, which complicate the interpretation of group differences. During the first evocation session, the conditioned group showed a moderately smaller cumulative decrease in salivary cortisol from baseline than the placebo control group. No significant differences were found between the groups on cortisol during the second and third evocation or in response to stress, nor on other outcome measures. CONCLUSION Although the results provide potential further indications for effects of conditioning on cortisol, baseline differences make it impossible to draw clear conclusions. No indications for possible effects of conditioning on the cortisol stress response or autonomous or affective responses to stress were found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Tekampe
- Heath Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | | | - Nienke R Biermasz
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Endocrine Tumors Leiden (CETL), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
| | - Fred C G J Sweep
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Onno C Meijer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Endocrine Tumors Leiden (CETL), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
| | - Iris C M Pelsma
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Endocrine Tumors Leiden (CETL), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
| | - Alberto M Pereira
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Endocrine Tumors Leiden (CETL), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
| | - Ad R M M Hermus
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Andrea W M Evers
- Heath Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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10
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Mikkelsen MB, Tramm G, Zachariae R, Gravholt CH, O’Toole MS. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of emotion regulation on cortisol. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2021; 5:100020. [PMID: 35754452 PMCID: PMC9216322 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2020.100020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
It is generally acknowledged that hormones are implicated in socioemotional behavior, yet little is known about the role of hormones in the context of emotion regulation. The aims of the present review and meta-analysis were to review and synthesize the available evidence pertaining to the effect of emotion regulation instructions on hormones, and to investigate whether this effect varies according to: type of hormone, context (e.g., emotion-induction procedure), emotion regulation characteristics (e.g., emotion regulation strategy), and presence and type of psychiatric disorder. PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched for experimental studies assessing the effect of instructed emotion regulation on levels of hormones (i.e., testosterone, cortisol, oxytocin, estradiol, and vasopressin) in physically healthy adults. The literature search yielded 17 relevant studies, 16 investigating cortisol and one investigating testosterone. Of these, 12 cortisol studies had eligible data for the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis indicated no statistically significant effect of receiving an emotion regulation instruction compared with receiving no instruction on the cortisol response to subsequent emotion induction (g = −0.05, p = .48). However, within-person comparisons of change from an unregulated response to a regulated response indicated a significant change in cortisol levels (g = 0.18, p = .03) consistent with the specified regulation goal (i.e., either up- or downregulation). No statistically significant effects were found in subgroup meta-analyses conducted according to context, emotion regulation characteristics or psychiatric disorders. Taken together, the findings indicate that emotion-induction procedures are associated with increases in cortisol that may subsequently return to equilibrium regardless of emotion-regulation instructions. Based on the large gaps in research (e.g., few studies investigated other hormones than cortisol, few studies included self-report measures of emotions) identified in the present review, we conclude that the effect of emotion regulation on hormones remains poorly understood. Prospero registration CRD42020157336. Research on the effect of emotion regulation on hormones has focused on cortisol. Emotion regulation does not influence cortisol responses to emotion induction. Psychological confounders have received little attention in the reviewed research. The effect of emotion regulation on hormones remains poorly understood.
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11
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Gong P, Guo W, Zhang X, Cao K, Wang Q, Zhang M, Liu J, Fan Y, Zhang R, Zhou X. Associations of Chinese social face with cortisol level and glucocorticoid receptor gene. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-01255-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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12
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Smith KE, Leitzke BT, Pollak SD. Youths' processing of emotion information: Responses to chronic and video-based laboratory stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 122:104873. [PMID: 33070023 PMCID: PMC7686118 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Integrating multiple sources of information about others' emotional states is critical to making accurate emotional inferences. There is evidence that both acute and chronic stress influence how individuals perceive emotional information. However, there is little research examining how acute and chronic stress interact to impact these processes. The current study examined whether acute and chronic stress interact to influence how children make emotional inferences. Eighty-nine youths (aged 11-15 years) underwent a novel video-based social stressor. Children completed an emotion recognition task prior to and after the stressor in which they saw integrated displays of facial expressions and contexts depicting congruent or incongruent emotional information. Eye tracking assessed changes in attention to the stimuli. Children became more likely to use and attended more to facial information than contextual information when labeling emotions following exposure to acute stress. Moreover, the effect of acute stress on use of facial information to label emotions was stronger for children who experienced higher levels of chronic stress. These data suggest that acute stress shifts attention towards facial information while suppressing processing of other sources of emotional information, and that youths with a history of chronic stress are more susceptible to these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E. Smith
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison,Correspondence should be directed to Karen E. Smith, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1500 Highland Ave, Rm 392, Madison, WI 53705.
| | - Brian T. Leitzke
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison
| | - Seth D. Pollak
- Department of Psychology and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison
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13
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Kühnel A, Kroemer NB, Elbau IG, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Walter M, Binder EB. Psychosocial stress reactivity habituates following acute physiological stress. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4010-4023. [PMID: 32597537 PMCID: PMC7469805 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute and chronic stress are important factors in the development of mental disorders. Reliable measurement of stress reactivity is therefore pivotal. Critically, experimental induction of stress often involves multiple “hits” and it is an open question whether individual differences in responses to an earlier stressor lead to habituation, sensitization, or simple additive effects on following events. Here, we investigated the effect of the individual cortisol response to intravenous catheter placement (IVP) on subsequent neural, psychological, endocrine, and autonomous stress reactivity. We used an established psychosocial stress paradigm to measure the acute stress response (Stress) and recovery (PostStress) in 65 participants. Higher IVP‐induced cortisol responses were associated with lower pulse rate increases during stress recovery (b = −4.8 bpm, p = .0008) and lower increases in negative affect after the task (b = −4.2, p = .040). While the cortisol response to IVP was not associated with subsequent specific stress‐induced neural activation patterns, the similarity of brain responses Pre‐ and PostStress was higher IVP‐cortisol responders (t[64] = 2.35, p = .022) indicating faster recovery. In conclusion, preparatory stress induced by IVP reduced reactivity in a subsequent stress task by modulating the latency of stress recovery. Thus, an individually stronger preceding release of cortisol may attenuate a second physiological response and perceived stress suggesting that relative changes, not absolute levels are crucial for stress attribution. Our study highlights that considering the entire trajectory of stress induction during an experiment is important to develop reliable individual biomarkers.
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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 (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
| | - Nils B Kroemer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Immanuel G Elbau
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Martin Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.,Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
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14
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Associations between brain activity and endogenous and exogenous cortisol - A systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 120:104775. [PMID: 32592873 PMCID: PMC7502528 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
To arrive at a coherent understanding of the relation between glucocorticoids and the human brain, we systematically reviewed the literature for studies examining the associations between endogenous or exogenous cortisol and human brain function. Higher levels of endogenous cortisol during psychological stress were related to increased activity in the middle temporal gyrus and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and altered function (i.e., mixed findings, increased or decreased) in the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, endogenous cortisol response to psychological stress was related to increased activity in the inferior temporal gyrus and altered function in the amygdala during emotional tasks that followed psychological stress. Exogenous cortisol administration was related to increased activity in the postcentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and ACC, and altered function in the amygdala and hippocampus during conditioning, emotional and reward-processing tasks after cortisol administration. These findings were in line with those from animal studies on amygdala activity during and after stress.
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Nessler J, Hug P, Mandigers PJJ, Leegwater PAJ, Jagannathan V, Das AM, Rosati M, Matiasek K, Sewell AC, Kornberg M, Hoffmann M, Wolf P, Fischer A, Tipold A, Leeb T. Mitochondrial PCK2 Missense Variant in Shetland Sheepdogs with Paroxysmal Exercise-Induced Dyskinesia (PED). Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11070774. [PMID: 32660061 PMCID: PMC7397061 DOI: 10.3390/genes11070774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Four female Shetland Sheepdogs with hypertonic paroxysmal dyskinesia, mainly triggered by exercise and stress, were investigated in a retrospective multi-center investigation aiming to characterize the clinical phenotype and its underlying molecular etiology. Three dogs were closely related and their pedigree suggested autosomal dominant inheritance. Laboratory diagnostic findings included mild lactic acidosis and lactaturia, mild intermittent serum creatine kinase (CK) elevation and hypoglycemia. Electrophysiological tests and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain were unremarkable. A muscle/nerve biopsy revealed a mild type II fiber predominant muscle atrophy. While treatment with phenobarbital, diazepam or levetiracetam did not alter the clinical course, treatment with a gluten-free, home-made fresh meat diet in three dogs or a tryptophan-rich, gluten-free, seafood-based diet, stress-reduction, and acetazolamide or zonisamide in the fourth dog correlated with a partial reduction in, or even a complete absence of, dystonic episodes. The genomes of two cases were sequenced and compared to 654 control genomes. The analysis revealed a case-specific missense variant, c.1658G>A or p.Arg553Gln, in the PCK2 gene encoding the mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2. Sanger sequencing confirmed that all four cases carried the mutant allele in a heterozygous state. The mutant allele was not found in 117 Shetland Sheepdog controls and more than 500 additionally genotyped dogs from various other breeds. The p.Arg553Gln substitution affects a highly conserved residue in close proximity to the GTP-binding site of PCK2. Taken together, we describe a new form of paroxysmal exercise-induced dyskinesia (PED) in dogs. The genetic findings suggest that PCK2:p.Arg553Gln should be further investigated as putative candidate causal variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin Nessler
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (J.N.); (A.T.)
| | - Petra Hug
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland; (P.H.); (V.J.)
| | - Paul J. J. Mandigers
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands; (P.J.J.M.); (P.A.J.L.)
| | - Peter A. J. Leegwater
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands; (P.J.J.M.); (P.A.J.L.)
| | - Vidhya Jagannathan
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland; (P.H.); (V.J.)
| | - Anibh M. Das
- Department of Pediatrics, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Marco Rosati
- Section of Clinical and Comparative Neuropathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology at the Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80539 Munich, Germany; (M.R.); (K.M.)
| | - Kaspar Matiasek
- Section of Clinical and Comparative Neuropathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology at the Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80539 Munich, Germany; (M.R.); (K.M.)
| | - Adrian C. Sewell
- Biocontrol, Labor für Veterinärmedizinische Diagnostik, 55218 Ingelheim, Germany;
| | | | | | - Petra Wolf
- Nutritional Physiology and Animal Nutrition, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Andrea Fischer
- Section of Neurology, Clinic of Small Animal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80539 Munich, Germany;
| | - Andrea Tipold
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (J.N.); (A.T.)
| | - Tosso Leeb
- Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3001 Bern, Switzerland; (P.H.); (V.J.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-316-312-326
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Poole KL, Anaya B, Pérez-Edgar KE. Behavioral inhibition and EEG delta-beta correlation in early childhood: Comparing a between-subjects and within-subjects approach. Biol Psychol 2020; 149:107785. [PMID: 31628975 PMCID: PMC6943939 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.107785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Heightened delta-beta correlation has been conceptualized as reflecting exaggerated neural regulation and has been implicated in anxiety. Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament characterized by wariness to novelty and is a robust predictor of anxiety, but delta-beta correlation has not been investigated in relation to childhood BI. We examined the relation between BI and between-subjects (i.e., across participants) and within-subjects (i.e., across data epochs) measures of baseline EEG delta-beta correlation in 118 children. Using a between-subjects measure, children scoring high on BI had higher delta-beta correlation relative to low BI children at frontal and central, and marginally higher in parietal, brain regions. Using a within-subjects measure, continuous BI scores were positively correlated with central and parietal delta-beta correlation. Delta-beta correlation may be a neural correlate of BI in childhood that displays differences in region specificity, correlation strength, and variability of correlation values when comparing between- and within-subjects measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristie L Poole
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Canada.
| | - Berenice Anaya
- Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, Canada
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Ali N, Cooperman C, Nitschke JP, Baldwin MW, Pruessner JC. The effects of suppressing the biological stress systems on social threat-assessment following acute stress. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3047-3056. [PMID: 32601985 PMCID: PMC7525279 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05591-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Stress is associated with increased sensitivity to threat. Previous investigations examining how stress affects threat processing have largely focused on biomarker responses associated with either the sympathetic-nervous-system (SNS) or the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. OBJECTIVES We pharmacologically suppressed activations of SNS, HPA, or both, prior to stress and investigated how each stress system modulates social threat assessment. METHODS One hundred sixty-one healthy men and women were randomized in a between-subject design, to one of four pharmacological or placebo conditions: dexamethasone-placebo, placebo-propranolol, dexamethasone-propranolol, or placebo-placebo. Participants provided threat assessments for angry and neutral human faces on a baseline day, and immediately after stress induction on a testing day. RESULTS With both systems responding normally to stress (placebo-placebo), threat assessment was higher for neutral faces compared with angry. Compared with placebo, SNS suppression resulted in increased threat assessment for angry faces. HPA suppression resulted in decreased threat assessment for neutral and angry faces. When both systems were suppressed, there was an increase in threat assessment for angry faces, and no difference from placebo for neutral. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrated that when intact, the biological stress systems adaptively support organisms during stress by focusing attention towards specific stimuli that are relevant to the threat. Dysregulations of the stress systems result in important system specific consequences on threat evaluation, such that suppression of either stress system alone resulted in reduced threat assessment for contextually relevant threatening stimuli, whereas when both systems were suppressed, individuals appear indiscriminately attentive to all potential threats in the environment, resulting in increased threat processing of both contextually relevant and irrelevant stimuli. Given that stress-related psychopathologies have been associated with dysregulations of the stress systems and biased responses to social threat, a systematic understanding of the mechanisms that underlie how stress systems modulate social threat assessment is needed, and can provide important insights into the cognitive processes that are involved in the development and maintenance of stress-related psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nida Ali
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Avenue McGill College, Montreal, H3A 1G1, Canada. .,Faculty of Medicine, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. .,Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Cory Cooperman
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Avenue McGill College, Montreal, H3A 1G1 Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Faculty of Medicine, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jonas P. Nitschke
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Avenue McGill College, Montreal, H3A 1G1 Canada ,grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Faculty of Medicine, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mark W. Baldwin
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Department of Psychology, McGill University, 2001 Avenue McGill College, Montreal, H3A 1G1 Canada
| | - Jens C. Pruessner
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Faculty of Medicine, McGill Centre for Studies in Aging, McGill University, Montreal, Canada ,grid.9811.10000 0001 0658 7699Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Van Laar C, Meeussen L, Veldman J, Van Grootel S, Sterk N, Jacobs C. Coping With Stigma in the Workplace: Understanding the Role of Threat Regulation, Supportive Factors, and Potential Hidden Costs. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1879. [PMID: 31507478 PMCID: PMC6718612 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite changes in their representation and visibility, there are still serious concerns about the inclusion and day-to-day workplace challenges various groups face (e.g., women, ethnic and cultural minorities, LGBTQ+, people as they age, and those dealing with physical or mental disabilities). Men are also underrepresented in specific work fields, in particular those in Health care, Elementary Education, and the Domestic sphere (HEED). Previous literature has shown that group stereotypes play an important role in maintaining these inequalities. We outline how insights from research into stigma, social identity, and self-regulation together increase our understanding of how targets are affected by and regulate negative stereotypes in the workplace. This approach starts from the basis that members of negatively stereotyped groups are not just passive recipients of negative attitudes, stereotypes, and behaviors but are active individuals pursuing multiple goals, such as goals for belonging and achievement. We argue that it is only by understanding stigma from the target’s perspective (e.g., how targets are affected and respond) that we can successfully address workplace inequality. Key in this understanding is that stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination have taken on much more subtle forms, with consequences for the way members of stigmatized groups cope. These insights lead us to propose an approach to understanding barriers to workplace equality that highlights four key aspects: (1) the different (often subtle) potential triggers of identity threat in the workplace for members of stigmatized groups; (2) the ways in which members of stigmatized groups cope with these threats; (3) the role of supportive factors that mitigate potential threats and affect self-regulation; and (4) potential hidden costs for the self or others of what appears at first to be effective self-regulation. The focus on threats, coping, support, and potential hidden costs helps us understand why current diversity efforts are not always successful in increasing and maintaining members of stigmatized groups in organizations and provides insight into how we can aid efforts to effectively lower barriers to workplace equality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colette Van Laar
- Department of Psychology, Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Loes Meeussen
- Department of Psychology, Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jenny Veldman
- Department of Psychology, Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sanne Van Grootel
- Department of Psychology, Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Naomi Sterk
- Department of Psychology, Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Catho Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Linguistics, Multimodality, Interaction and Discourse, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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19
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Tekampe J, van Middendorp H, Sweep FCGJ, Roerink SHPP, Hermus ARMM, Evers AWM. Conditioning cortisol in humans: design and pilot study of a randomized controlled trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2019; 5:9. [PMID: 30680223 PMCID: PMC6337859 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-018-0382-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Conditioning of physiological responses can be achieved by repeatedly pairing a previously neutral conditioned stimulus with the administration of a pharmacologically salient unconditioned stimulus. This type of conditioning has been effective for specific immune and endocrine responses, but results with regard to conditioning of cortisol, a key stress-regulatory parameter, are currently unclear. This paper describes a pharmacological conditioning design, optimized for the examination of effects of cortisol conditioning under both basal conditions and in response to stress. Methods A double-blind randomized controlled conditioning paradigm aimed at conditioning of cortisol is conducted in 48 healthy female volunteers. During the acquisition phase, a gustatory stimulus (conditioned stimulus) is paired with hydrocortisone (100 mg, capsulated, unconditioned stimulus) three times before being administered together with placebo during three evocation sessions. To investigate possible effects of cortisol conditioning in response to stress, participants are exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test during the third evocation session. Primary outcome measure of this study is the mean area under the curve of salivary cortisol during the first two evocation sessions. As secondary outcomes, self-reported affect and stress as well as alpha-amylase are investigated. A pilot study was conducted to ensure that this design is feasible to be used in a larger study. Discussion This study design provides an innovative opportunity to examine the conditioning of cortisol under basal conditions and in response to stress. Also, the possible effect of cortisol conditioning on secondary outcomes of self-reported affect and alpha-amylase can be investigated. If cortisol could successfully be conditioned, this would be of conceptual relevance, showing that hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis regulation can be influenced by associative learning processes. Eventually, this could also have important clinical implications for understanding and treating stress-related disorders in which HPA axis dysregulation might play a role. Trial registration Nederlands Trial Register, NTR4651. Registered on 29 July 2014 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40814-018-0382-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Tekampe
- 1Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands.,2Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - H van Middendorp
- 1Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands.,2Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - F C G J Sweep
- 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S H P P Roerink
- 4Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A R M M Hermus
- 4Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A W M Evers
- 1Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands.,2Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,5Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Glucocorticoid-induced enhancement of extinction-from animal models to clinical trials. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2019; 236:183-199. [PMID: 30610352 PMCID: PMC6373196 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-5116-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Extensive evidence from both animal model and human research indicates that glucocorticoid hormones are crucially involved in modulating memory performance. Glucocorticoids, which are released during stressful or emotionally arousing experiences, enhance the consolidation of new memories, including extinction memory, but reduce the retrieval of previously stored memories. These memory-modulating properties of glucocorticoids have recently received considerable interest for translational purposes because strong aversive memories lie at the core of several fear-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias. Moreover, exposure-based psychological treatment of these disorders relies on successful fear extinction. In this review, we argue that glucocorticoid-based interventions facilitate fear extinction by reducing the retrieval of aversive memories and enhancing the consolidation of extinction memories. Several clinical trials have already indicated that glucocorticoids might be indeed helpful in the treatment of fear-related disorders.
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21
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Rozek DC, Smith NB, Simons AD. Experimentally unpacking cognitive behavioral therapy: The effects of completing a thought record on affect and neuroendocrine responses to stress. Biol Psychol 2018; 138:104-109. [PMID: 30189232 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite overall effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), little is known about the effects of specific techniques used in CBT. Thought records are widely employed in CBT across disorders to target cognitions. The current study examined the effects of thought record completion on affective and physiological responses to a laboratory stressor. Participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (Kirschbaum & Hellhammer, 1993) and were randomized to a thought record condition (n = 50) or a control condition (n = 50). Affect and biological responses (i.e., cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and alpha-amylase) were collected throughout the session. Participants in the thought record condition showed greater peak cortisol response following the stressor. No between group differences were found on other neuroendocrine or affect measures. Overall, results indicate completing a thought record impacts physiology (i.e., cortisol) and using experimental laboratory methods can provide additional information to inform our understanding of the components of CBT.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Rozek
- University of Utah, Department of Psychiatry, Salt Lake City, UT, United States; National Center for Veterans Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.
| | - Noelle B Smith
- VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, United States; Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Anne D Simons
- Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, OR, United States; University of Oregon, Department of Psychology, Eugene, OR, United States
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22
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Cortisol Predicts Performance During Competition: Preliminary Results of a Field Study with Elite Adolescent Taekwondo Athletes. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2018; 43:275-280. [PMID: 30054758 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-018-9406-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Competitive taekwondo composes a high stress situation leading to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Little is known about cortisol's relation to outcome (winning vs. losing) and performance in taekwondo. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate cortisol relation to outcome, performance and whether cortisol can predict performance during a competition. Twenty taekwondo combatants (13 males; Mage = 15) provided four salivary samples (C1: 30 min prior, C2: during, C3: after, and C4: 30 min after competition) during an international competition. Total points made in the two rounds during their first fight were used as a performance indicator. Results show no difference in cortisol between winners and losers, before or after competition. However, a negative correlation between performance and C1 as well as C4 was detected. Unexpected, a positive correlation between cortisol during the competition (C2) and performance was identified. A stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that C2 predicted 25.5% of the performance variance. Even if the sample size is relatively small due to the field experimental setting, some conclusions can be drawn to motivate future research. Potentially, in taekwondo it seems advantageous for performance to have higher levels of stress as indicated by cortisol during a competition, whereas particularly before the competition, sport psychological interventions should be provided to combatants to reduce their psychophysiological stress level.
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Gossett EW, Wheelock MD, Goodman AM, Orem TR, Harnett NG, Wood KH, Mrug S, Granger DA, Knight DC. Anticipatory stress associated with functional magnetic resonance imaging: Implications for psychosocial stress research. Int J Psychophysiol 2018; 125:35-41. [PMID: 29454000 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Stress tasks performed during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) elicit a relatively small cortisol response compared to stress tasks completed in a traditional behavioral laboratory, which may be due to apprehension of fMRI that elicits an anticipatory stress response. The present study investigated whether anticipatory stress is greater prior to research completed in an MRI environment than in a traditional behavioral laboratory. Anticipatory stress (indexed by cortisol) was greater prior to testing in the MRI environment than traditional behavioral laboratory. Furthermore, anticipation of fMRI elicited a cortisol response commensurate with the response to the stress task in the behavioral laboratory. However, in the MRI environment, post-stress cortisol was significantly lower than baseline cortisol. Taken together, these findings suggest the stress elicited by anticipation of fMRI may lead to acute elevations in cortisol prior to scanning, which may in turn disrupt the cortisol response to stress tasks performed during scanning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan W Gossett
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Muriah D Wheelock
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Adam M Goodman
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Tyler R Orem
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Kimberly H Wood
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Sylvie Mrug
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, United States; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, United States; Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
| | - David C Knight
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States.
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Tekampe J, van Middendorp H, Sweep FC, Roerink SH, Hermus AR, Evers AW. Human Pharmacological Conditioning of the Immune and Endocrine System: Challenges and Opportunities. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2018; 138:61-80. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Perceiving emotions in robot body language: Acute stress heightens sensitivity to negativity while attenuating sensitivity to arousal. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.06.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Elevated levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone, cause 'pessimistic' judgment bias in broiler chickens. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6860. [PMID: 28761063 PMCID: PMC5537245 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07040-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Pessimistic judgment biases, whereby humans or non-human animals interpret ambiguous information negatively, are hypothesised to be one of the suite of adaptive changes that comprise the vertebrate stress response. To test this hypothesis, we asked whether experimentally elevating levels of the glucocorticoid stress hormone, corticosterone, in broiler chickens produced a pessimistic judgment bias. We trained young chickens to discriminate a stimulus (paper cone) placed at two locations in an arena, one associated with reward (mealworms) and one with punishment (air puff). During seven days of non-invasive administration of either corticosterone or vehicle control, we tested the birds' responses to the cone placed at ambiguous locations between the trained locations. Corticosterone-treated birds were more likely than controls to respond as if punishment was likely when the cone was placed near to the punished location. The degree of this 'pessimism' was associated with smaller relative spleen weight, which is a documented consequence of chronic stress in chickens. We conclude that changes in corticosterone levels in chickens are sufficient to cause a specific change in decision making, dubbed 'pessimism', whereby corticosterone-treated birds showed an increased expectation of punishment in the face of ambiguous information. Pessimism could be a useful welfare indicator in chickens.
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Koenig J, Rinnewitz L, Warth M, Hillecke TK, Brunner R, Resch F, Kaess M. Psychobiological response to pain in female adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2017; 42:189-199. [PMID: 28234208 PMCID: PMC5403664 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.160074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is associated with reduced pain sensitivity and alterations in top-down processing of nociceptive information. The experience of acute pain is characterized by reactivity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which to our knowledge has not been systematically investigated in the context of NSSI. METHODS Adolescents fulfilling DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for NSSI and matched healthy controls received cold pain stimulation. We obtained self-reports on psychological distress and measured blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV) and saliva cortisol. Regression analyses were used to investigate group differences on observed difference scores, adjusting for confounding variables. RESULTS We included 30 adolescents engaging in NSSI and 30 controls in our study. Adolescents in the NSSI group showed a greater pain threshold. Groups significantly differed in their psychological response to pain. In patients with NSSI, mood and body awareness increased after painful stimulation; in controls it decreased. Tension increased in controls only. The HPA axis response to painful stimulation was increased in the NSSI compared with the control group. Analysis of ultra-short-term recordings of HRV revealed significant group differences during the anticipation of pain and recovery. LIMITATIONS Future studies should incorporate multiple measures of saliva cortisol and replicate the present findings in a naturalistic setting. CONCLUSION Compared with controls, individuals engaging in NSSI show psychological benefits in response to pain. Biological findings highlight decreased physiologic arousal before and prolonged arousal (ANS and HPA axis response) after painful stimulation in adolescents engaging in NSSI. Greater pain-inflicted autonomic arousal and cortisol secretion may counteract dissociative states, reduce negative affect and increase body awareness in adolescents engaging in NSSI, lending support for a neurobiological pathomechanism underlying the intraindividual and antisuicide functions of NSSI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Michael Kaess
- Correspondence to: M. Kaess, Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Blumenstraße 8, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany;
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Bosker WM, Neuner I, Shah NJ. The role of impulsivity in psychostimulant- and stress-induced dopamine release: Review of human imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 78:82-90. [PMID: 28438467 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Revised: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a debilitating disorder and its pivotal problem is the high relapse rate. To solve this problem, the aim is to prevent people from becoming addicted in the first place. One of the key questions that is still unanswered is why some people become addicted to drugs and others, who take drugs regularly, do not. In recent years extensive research has been done to untangle the many factors involved in this disorder. Here, we review some of the factors that are related to dopamine, i.e., impulsivity and stress (hormones), and aim to integrate this into a neurobiological model. Based on this, we draw two conclusions: (1) in order to understand the transition from recreational drug use to addiction, we need to focus more on these recreational users; and (2) research should be aimed at finding therapies that can restore inhibitory control/frontal functioning and improve stress resiliency in addicts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy M Bosker
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4/INM-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
| | - Irene Neuner
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4/INM-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany; JARA - Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Disorders, University Clinic Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
| | - N Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4/INM-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany; JARA - Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Disorders, University Clinic Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Department of Neurology, University Clinic Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, and Monash Biomedical Imaging, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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29
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Wagels L, Radke S, Goerlich KS, Habel U, Votinov M. Exogenous testosterone decreases men's personal distance in a social threat context. Horm Behav 2017; 90:75-83. [PMID: 28263765 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 02/18/2017] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Testosterone can motivate human approach and avoidance behavior. Specifically, the conscious recognition of and implicit reaction to angry facial expressions is influenced by testosterone. The study tested whether exogenous testosterone modulates the personal distance (PD) humans prefer in a social threat context. METHODS 82 healthy male participants underwent either transdermal testosterone (testosterone group) or placebo application (placebo group). Each participant performed a computerized stop-distance task before (T1) and 3.5h after (T2) treatment, during which they indicated how closely they would approach a human, animal or virtual character with varying emotional expression. RESULTS Men's PD towards humans and animals varied as a function of their emotional expression. In the testosterone group, a pre-post comparison indicated that the administration of 50mg testosterone was associated with a small but significant reduction of men's PD towards aggressive individuals. Men in the placebo group did not change the initially chosen PD after placebo application independent of the condition. However comparing the testosterone and placebo group after testosterone administration did not reveal significant differences. While the behavioral effect was small and only observed as within-group effect it was repeatedly and selectively shown for men's PD choices towards an angry woman, angry man and angry dog in the testosterone group. In line with the literature, our findings in young men support the influential role of exogenous testosterone on male's approach behavior during social confrontations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Wagels
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Sina Radke
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Research Center Jülich and RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Katharina Sophia Goerlich
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Research Center Jülich and RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Mikhail Votinov
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany; JARA-Institute Brain Structure Function Relationship, Research Center Jülich and RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 10, Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Lautenbach F. A laboratory study on attentional bias as an underlying mechanism affecting the link between cortisol and performance, leading to a discussion on the nature of the stressor (artificial vs. psychosocial). Physiol Behav 2017; 175:9-15. [PMID: 28342769 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Although cortisol is assumed to influence performance by affecting cognition during stressful and competitive situations, to date this assumption has not been tested empirically. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether the influence of cortisol on performance is mediated by attentional processing of emotional information. Forty-six male golfers were tested in a mixed design. The cold pressor task (CPT) was used to artificially increase cortisol levels in the experimental group relative to the control group, who had to put their forearm in warm water. Before and after water immersion the golfers performed one-armed 1.5-m puts and completed the Sport Emotional Stroop Task. Cortisol was significantly increased in the experimental group (CPT). Further, a significant decrease in attentional bias toward negative sport words was detected in the CPT group. However, no changes in putting performance due to an increase in cortisol were observed in the CPT group. Regarding the cortisol-performance relationship, the nature of the stressor (i.e., artificial vs. psychosocial) seems to play a role, as no connection was found in this study using an artificial stressor, whereas previous research using a psychosocial stressor (e.g., an actual competition) did find a connection. On the basis of these results I cautiously conclude that the subjective appraisal of a stressor, which is arguably higher for a psychosocial stressor, is more relevant for sport performance than just a change in cortisol level. However, as the stress response is psychophysiological in nature, future research should continue to investigate the role of cortisol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Lautenbach
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Am Sportpark Muengersdorf 6, 50933 Cologne, Germany.
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31
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Lin T, Gilam G, Raz G, Or-Borichev A, Bar-Haim Y, Fruchter E, Hendler T. Accessible Neurobehavioral Anger-Related Markers for Vulnerability to Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in a Population of Male Soldiers. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:38. [PMID: 28326027 PMCID: PMC5339223 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying vulnerable individuals prone to develop post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) is of paramount importance, especially in populations at high risk for stress exposure such as combat soldiers. While several neural and psychological risk factors are known, no post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) biomarker has yet progressed to clinical use. Here we present novel and clinically applicable anger-related neurobehavioral risk markers for military-related PTSS in a large cohort of Israeli soldiers. The psychological, electrophysiological and neural (Simultaneous recording of scalp electroencephalography [EEG] and functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]) reaction to an anger-inducing film were measured prior to advanced military training and PTSS were recorded at 1-year follow-up. Limbic modulation was measured using a novel approach that monitors amygdala modulation using fMRI-inspired EEG, hereafter termed amygdala electrical fingerprint (amyg-EFP). Inter-subject correlation (ISC) analysis on fMRI data indicated that during movie viewing participants' brain activity was synchronized in limbic regions including the amygdala. Self-reported state-anger and amyg-EFP modulation successfully predicted PTSS levels. State-anger significantly accounted for 20% of the variance in PTSS, and amyg-EFP signal modulation significantly accounted for additional 15% of the variance. Our study was limited by the moderate PTSS levels and lack of systematic baseline symptoms assessment. These results suggest that pre-stress neurobehavioral measures of anger may predict risk for later PTSS, pointing to anger-related vulnerability factors that can be measured efficiently and at a low cost before stress exposure. Possible mechanisms underlying the association between the anger response and risk for PTSS are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Lin
- The Tel-Aviv Center for Brain Functions, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterTel Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gadi Gilam
- The Tel-Aviv Center for Brain Functions, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterTel Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gal Raz
- The Tel-Aviv Center for Brain Functions, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterTel Aviv, Israel
- The Department of Film and Television, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ayelet Or-Borichev
- The Tel-Aviv Center for Brain Functions, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterTel Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eyal Fruchter
- Division of Mental Health, Medical Corps, Israel Defense ForcesTel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Talma Hendler
- The Tel-Aviv Center for Brain Functions, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterTel Aviv, Israel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv, Israel
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Kaess M, Parzer P, Mehl L, Weil L, Strittmatter E, Resch F, Koenig J. Stress vulnerability in male youth with Internet Gaming Disorder. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 77:244-251. [PMID: 28122298 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Internet Gaming Disorder [IGD] was introduced as new behavioral addiction in DSM-5 Section 3. Vulnerability to stress is a potential predisposing factor for IGD. Given a lack of preexisting empirical data, the study investigated differences in the psychological and neurobiological response to acute stress in patients with IGD. 24 young men (mean age 18.38 years; range 13-25 years) fulfilling DSM-5 criteria for IGD and 25 matched controls underwent the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]. Participants provided hair samples for the analysis of basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis activity and clinical interviews were conducted to assess psychopathology. During the experiment, participants reported on their subjective stress experience and momentary affect, provided samples of salivary cortisol and their heart rate was continuously recorded. Patients with IGD reported greater everyday and chronic stress, as well as psychopathological comorbidity. No differences were found on measures of hair cortisol. Compared to controls, IGD patients showed an attenuated cortisol response (χ2(7)=25.75, p<0.001) and greater negative affect (χ2(7)=17.25, p=0.016) in response to acute stress. Heart rate (χ2(1)=5.49, p=0.019), negative affect (χ2(1)=5.60, p=0.018) and subjective stress (χ2(1)=5.55, p=0.019) were transiently increased in IGD patients. After adjusting for sportive activities, IGD patients showed transiently decreased cortisol (χ2(1)=5.20, p=0.022), potentially indicating general HPA-axis dysfunction beyond altered reactivity. Stress reactivity showed correlations with IGD symptom severity. Findings illustrate differences in acute psychological and neurobiological stress reactivity in patients with IGD. Alterations of the stress response system may be involved in the development and maintenance of IGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kaess
- Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Peter Parzer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Laura Mehl
- Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luisa Weil
- Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Esther Strittmatter
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Münster, Germany
| | - Franz Resch
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julian Koenig
- Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Abstract
AbstractVariation in the quality of parental care has a tremendous impact on a child's social–emotional development. Research investigating the predictors of this variability in human caregiving behavior has mostly focused on learning mechanisms. Evidence is currently accumulating for the complementary underlying role of steroid hormones and neuropeptides. An overview is provided of the hormones and neuropeptides relevant for human caregiving behavior. Then the developmental factors are described that stimulate variability in sensitivity to these hormones and neuropeptides, which may result in variability in the behavioral repertoire of caregiving. The role of genetic variation in neuropeptide and steroid receptors, the role of testosterone and oxytocin during fetal development and parturition, and the impact of experienced caregiving in childhood on functioning of the neuroendocrine stress and oxytocin system are discussed. Besides providing a heuristic framework for further research on the ontogenetic development of human caregiving, a neuroendocrine model is also presented for the intergenerational transmission of caregiving practices. Insight into the underlying biological mechanisms that bring about maladaptive caregiving behavior, such as neglect and insensitive parenting, will hopefully result in more efficient approaches to reduce the high prevalence of such behavior and to minimize the impact on those affected.
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34
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Acute stress and working memory: The role of sex and cognitive stress appraisal. Physiol Behav 2016; 164:336-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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35
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Schultebraucks K, Deuter CE, Duesenberg M, Schulze L, Hellmann-Regen J, Domke A, Lockenvitz L, Kuehl LK, Otte C, Wingenfeld K. Selective attention to emotional cues and emotion recognition in healthy subjects: the role of mineralocorticoid receptor stimulation. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2016; 233:3405-15. [PMID: 27422567 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4380-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Selective attention toward emotional cues and emotion recognition of facial expressions are important aspects of social cognition. Stress modulates social cognition through cortisol, which acts on glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) in the brain. OBJECTIVES We examined the role of MR activation on attentional bias toward emotional cues and on emotion recognition. METHODS We included 40 healthy young women and 40 healthy young men (mean age 23.9 ± 3.3), who either received 0.4 mg of the MR agonist fludrocortisone or placebo. A dot-probe paradigm was used to test for attentional biases toward emotional cues (happy and sad faces). Moreover, we used a facial emotion recognition task to investigate the ability to recognize emotional valence (anger and sadness) from facial expression in four graded categories of emotional intensity (20, 30, 40, and 80 %). RESULTS In the emotional dot-probe task, we found a main effect of treatment and a treatment × valence interaction. Post hoc analyses revealed an attentional bias away from sad faces after placebo intake and a shift in selective attention toward sad faces compared to placebo. We found no attentional bias toward happy faces after fludrocortisone or placebo intake. In the facial emotion recognition task, there was no main effect of treatment. CONCLUSIONS MR stimulation seems to be important in modulating quick, automatic emotional processing, i.e., a shift in selective attention toward negative emotional cues. Our results confirm and extend previous findings of MR function. However, we did not find an effect of MR stimulation on emotion recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Christian E Deuter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Moritz Duesenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Schulze
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Hellmann-Regen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antonia Domke
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lisa Lockenvitz
- Department of Psychology, Universität Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Linn K Kuehl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203, Berlin, Germany
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Weckesser LJ, Alexander NC, Kirschbaum C, Mennigen E, Miller R. Hydrocortisone Counteracts Adverse Stress Effects on Dual-Task Performance by Improving Visual Sensory Processes. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:1784-1803. [PMID: 27378327 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The impact of acute stress on executive processes is commonly attributed to glucocorticoid-induced disruptions of the pFC. However, the occipital cortex seems to express a higher density of glucocorticoid receptors. Consequently, acute stress effects on executive processes could as well be mediated by glucocorticoid (e.g., cortisol)-induced alterations of visual sensory processes. To investigate this alternative route of stress action by demarcating the effects of acute stress and cortisol on executive from those on visual sensory processes, 40 healthy young men completed a standardized stress induction (i.e., the Trier Social Stress Test) and control protocol in two consecutive sessions. In addition, they received either a placebo or hydrocortisone (0.12-mg/kg bodyweight) pill and processed a dual and a partial report task to assess their executive and visual sensory processing abilities, respectively. Hydrocortisone administration improved both partial report and dual-task performance as indicated by increased response accuracies and/or decreased RTs. Intriguingly, the hydrocortisone-induced increase in dual-task performance was completely mediated by its impact on partial report performance (i.e., visual sensory processes). Moreover, RT measures in both tasks shared approximately 26% of variance, which was only in part attributable to hydrocortisone administration (ΔR2 = 8%). By contrast, acute stress selectively impaired dual-task performance (i.e., executive processes), presumably through an alternative route of action. In summary, the present results suggest that cortisol secretion (as mimicked by hydrocortisone administration) may counteract adverse residual stress effects on executive processes by improving visual sensory processes (e.g., the maintenance and amplification of task-relevant sensory information).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Eva Mennigen
- The University of New Mexico.,University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus
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Abstract
Testosterone and cortisol figure prominently in the research literature having to do with human competition. In this review, we track the history of this literature, concentrating particularly on major theoretical and empirical contributions, and provide commentary on what we see as important unresolved issues. In men and women, athletic competition is typically associated with an increase in testosterone (T) and cortisol (C). Hormone changes in response to non-athletic competition are less predictable. Person (e.g., power motivation, mood, aggressiveness, social anxiety, sex, and baseline levels of T and C) and context (e.g., whether a competition is won or lost, the closeness of the competition, whether the outcome is perceived as being influenced by ability vs. chance, provocations) factors can influence hormone responses to competition. From early on, studies pointed to a positive relationship between T and dominance motivation/status striving. Recent research, however, suggests that this relationship only holds for individuals with low levels of C - this is the core idea of the dual-hormone hypothesis, and it is certain that the broadest applications of the hypothesis have not yet been realized. Individuals differ with respect to the extent to which they embrace competition, but the hormonal correlates of competitiveness remain largely unexplored. Although rapid increases in both T and C associated with competition are likely adaptive, we still know very little about the psychological benefits of these hormonal changes. Administration studies have and will continue to contribute to this inquiry. We close with a discussion of what, we think, are important methodological and mechanistic issues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen V Casto
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - David A Edwards
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
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Dierolf AM, Arlt LE, Roelofs K, Kölsch M, Hülsemann MJ, Schächinger H, Naumann E. Effects of basal and acute cortisol on cognitive flexibility in an emotional task switching paradigm in men. Horm Behav 2016; 81:12-9. [PMID: 26944609 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Revised: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The stress hormone cortisol is assumed to influence cognitive functions. While cortisol-induced alterations of declarative memory in particular are well-investigated, considerably less is known about its influence on executive functions. Moreover, most research has been focused on slow effects, and rapid non-genomic effects have not been studied. The present study sought to investigate the impact of acute cortisol administration as well as basal cortisol levels on cognitive flexibility, a core executive function, within the non-genomic time frame. Thirty-eight healthy male participants were randomly assigned to intravenously receive either cortisol or a placebo before performing a task switching paradigm with happy and angry faces as stimuli. Cortisol levels were measured at six points during the experiment. Additionally, before the experiment, basal cortisol measures for the cortisol awakening response were collected on three consecutive weekdays immediately following awakening and 30, 45, and 60min after. First and foremost, results showed a pronounced impact of acute and basal cortisol on reaction time switch costs, particularly for angry faces. In the placebo group, low basal cortisol was associated with minimal switch costs, whereas high basal cortisol was related to maximal switch costs. In contrast, after cortisol injection, basal cortisol levels showed no impact. These results show that cognitive flexibility-enhancing effects of acute cortisol administration are only seen in men with high basal cortisol levels. This result supports the context dependency of cortisol administration and shows the relevance of taking basal cortisol levels into account.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lea Esther Arlt
- Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Universitätsring 15, 54286 Trier, Germany.
| | - Karin Roelofs
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Postbus 9104, 65000 HE Nijmegen, Netherlands.
| | - Monika Kölsch
- Division of Clinical Psychophysiology, Institute of Psychobiology, University of Trier , Johanniterufer 15, 54290 Trier, Germany.
| | | | - Hartmut Schächinger
- Division of Clinical Psychophysiology, Institute of Psychobiology, University of Trier , Johanniterufer 15, 54290 Trier, Germany.
| | - Ewald Naumann
- Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Universitätsring 15, 54286 Trier, Germany.
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Margittai Z, Nave G, Strombach T, van Wingerden M, Schwabe L, Kalenscher T. Exogenous cortisol causes a shift from deliberative to intuitive thinking. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 64:131-5. [PMID: 26658173 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
People often rely on intuitive judgments at the expense of deliberate reasoning, but what determines the dominance of intuition over deliberation is not well understood. Here, we employed a psychopharmacological approach to unravel the role of two major endocrine stress mediators, cortisol and noradrenaline, in cognitive reasoning. Healthy participants received placebo, cortisol (hydrocortisone) and/or yohimbine, a drug that increases noradrenergic stimulation, before performing the cognitive reflection test (CRT). We found that cortisol impaired performance in the CRT by biasing responses toward intuitive, but incorrect answers. Elevated stimulation of the noradrenergic system, however, had no effect. We interpret our results in the context of the dual systems theory of judgment and decision making. We propose that cortisol causes a shift from deliberate, reflective cognition toward automatic, reflexive information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsofia Margittai
- Comparative Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Gideon Nave
- Computation & Neural Systems, Caltech 228-77, Pasadena 91125, CA, USA
| | - Tina Strombach
- Comparative Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; Chair of Marketing, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute for Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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Duan H, Wang L, Zhang L, Liu J, Zhang K, Wu J. The Relationship between Cortisol Activity during Cognitive Task and Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Clusters. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144315. [PMID: 26630485 PMCID: PMC4667843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The latest development in the dimensional structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a novel 6-factor model, which builds on the newly released DSM-5. One notable gap in the literature is that little is known about how distinct symptom clusters of PTSD are related to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity when people perform a relatively less stressful cognitive task. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cortisol activity when individuals perform cognitive tasks in the laboratory and a contemporary phenotypic model of posttraumatic stress symptomatology in earthquake survivors. Methods Salivary cortisol while performing cognitive tasks was collected and analyzed in 89 adult earthquake survivors. The PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) was used to assess the severity of total PTSD as well as six distinct symptom clusters. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between the six distinct PTSD symptom clusters and cortisol profiles. Results The results showed that the score of the negative affect symptom cluster, but not anhedonia or other clusters, was positively associated with cortisol levels before and during the cognitive tasks. Conclusion The results showed that higher cortisol levels before and during cognitive tasks might be specifically linked to a distinct symptom cluster of PTSD—negative affect symptomatology. This suggests that a distinction should be made between negative affect and anhedonia symptom clusters, as the 6-factor model proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Duan
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianhui Wu
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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Lautenbach F, Laborde S, Klämpfl M, Achtzehn S. A link between cortisol and performance: An exploratory case study of a tennis match. Int J Psychophysiol 2015; 98:167-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Revised: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Acute Stress Dysregulates the LPP ERP Response to Emotional Pictures and Impairs Sustained Attention: Time-Sensitive Effects. Brain Sci 2015; 5:201-19. [PMID: 26010485 PMCID: PMC4493465 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci5020201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress can increase emotional vigilance at the cost of a decrease in attention towards non-emotional stimuli. However, the time-dependent effects of acute stress on emotion processing are uncertain. We tested the effects of acute stress on subsequent emotion processing up to 40 min following an acute stressor. Our measure of emotion processing was the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual event-related potential (ERP), and our measure of non-emotional attention was the sustained attention to response task (SART). We also measured cortisol levels before and after the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) induction. We found that the effects of stress on the LPP ERP emotion measure were time sensitive. Specifically, the LPP ERP was only altered in the late time-point (30–40 min post-stress) when cortisol was at its highest level. Here, the LPP no longer discriminated between the emotional and non-emotional picture categories, most likely because neutral pictures were perceived as emotional. Moreover, compared to the non-stress condition, the stress-condition showed impaired performance on the SART. Our results support the idea that a limit in attention resources after an emotional stressor is associated with the brain incorrectly processing non-emotional stimuli as emotional and interferes with sustained attention.
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In the face of threat: neural and endocrine correlates of impaired facial emotion recognition in cocaine dependence. Transl Psychiatry 2015; 5:e570. [PMID: 26080087 PMCID: PMC4471289 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2015.58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion in others is a cornerstone of human interaction. Selective impairments in the recognition of facial expressions of fear have frequently been reported in chronic cocaine users, but the nature of these impairments remains poorly understood. We used the multivariate method of partial least squares and structural magnetic resonance imaging to identify gray matter brain networks that underlie facial affect processing in both cocaine-dependent (n = 29) and healthy male volunteers (n = 29). We hypothesized that disruptions in neuroendocrine function in cocaine-dependent individuals would explain their impairments in fear recognition by modulating the relationship with the underlying gray matter networks. We found that cocaine-dependent individuals not only exhibited significant impairments in the recognition of fear, but also for facial expressions of anger. Although recognition accuracy of threatening expressions co-varied in all participants with distinctive gray matter networks implicated in fear and anger processing, in cocaine users it was less well predicted by these networks than in controls. The weaker brain-behavior relationships for threat processing were also mediated by distinctly different factors. Fear recognition impairments were influenced by variations in intelligence levels, whereas anger recognition impairments were associated with comorbid opiate dependence and related reduction in testosterone levels. We also observed an inverse relationship between testosterone levels and the duration of crack and opiate use. Our data provide novel insight into the neurobiological basis of abnormal threat processing in cocaine dependence, which may shed light on new opportunities facilitating the psychosocial integration of these patients.
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Shishkina GT, Bulygina VV, Dygalo NN. Behavioral effects of glucocorticoids during the first exposures to the forced swim stress. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:851-60. [PMID: 25134502 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3718-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Glucocorticoids facilitate coping with stress, but their high levels have been also implicated in mood disorders. Due to this duality, the role of glucocorticoid signaling in the development of the first episodes of stress-induced depression remains unclear. OBJECTIVES To address this issue, effects of the glucocorticoid signal modulation on depressive-like behavior during pretest and test Porsolt swim sessions were examined. METHODS Metyrapone (MET; 150 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected 3 h before pretest to block stress-induced increase in corticosterone levels. Dexamethasone (DEX; 0.2 mg/kg, s.c.) was applied to MET-treated rats 1 h before both pretest and test sessions. In addition to behavior during these sessions, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry 2 h after the second swim. RESULTS In pretest, MET-treated rats exhibited increased latency to immobility and shortened immobility. DEX reversed the behavioral effects of MET in the pretest. In the test, animals from MET + DEX group unexpectedly exhibited an antidepressant-like behavior. Swim stress increased GR expression in the frontal cortex irrespective of the pharmacological treatment. A significant elevation in GR expression was found in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of stressed MET + DEX-treated rats and in the PFC of unstressed rats 6 h after injection of DEX alone. CONCLUSION The data suggest that the increase in glucocorticoid levels under swim stress during pretest directly contributes to the development of the immobility response. Transition of DEX effect from prodepressant in the pretest to an antidepressant in the test was associated with the elevation in the PFC GR expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina T Shishkina
- Laboratory of Functional Neurogenomics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia,
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45
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Peifer C, Schächinger H, Engeser S, Antoni CH. Cortisol effects on flow-experience. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1165-73. [PMID: 25304863 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3753-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Stress affects flow-experience, but the mediating psychobiological mechanisms remain unknown. Previous studies showed an association between flow-experience and endogenous cortisol levels, suggesting an inverted, u-shaped relation between flow-experience and cortisol. However, these studies could not exclude effects of other stress factors. OBJECTIVES The aim of this experiment was, therefore, to test the isolated effect of cortisol on flow-experience, independent of concomitant physiological and psychological stress responses, via controlled administration of exogenous cortisol. METHODS Sixty-four young healthy subjects (32 males, 32 females) participated in the experiment. According to a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design, they received 20 mg oral cortisol on 1 day and placebo on the other day, respectively, with a time distance of 1 week between the experimental days. One hour after cortisol administration, participants engaged in the computer game Pacman. Pacman was delivered in five blocks of randomly differing difficulty levels. One block lasted 5 min. At the end of each block, participants rated flow-experience by the Flow Short Scale. Data was analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling. Subjects were not able to predict whether the pill they received contained cortisol or placebo. RESULTS Overall, results revealed a negative effect of oral 20 mg cortisol on flow-experience, with no differences between males and females. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to show that exogenous cortisol in a dose corresponding to a severe stressor impairs flow-experience. The observed negative effect of high cortisol dosage on experienced flow underlines recent findings of an inverted u-shaped relationship between cortisol and flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinna Peifer
- Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leuphana University Lueneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, 21335, Lueneburg, Germany,
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Crespi BJ. Oxytocin, testosterone, and human social cognition. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 91:390-408. [PMID: 25631363 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
I describe an integrative social-evolutionary model for the adaptive significance of the human oxytocinergic system. The model is based on a role for this hormone in the generation and maintenance of social familiarity and affiliation across five homologous, functionally similar, and sequentially co-opted contexts: mothers with offspring, female and male mates, kin groups, individuals with reciprocity partners, and individuals within cooperating and competing social groups defined by culture. In each situation, oxytocin motivates, mediates and rewards the cognitive and behavioural processes that underlie the formation and dynamics of a more or less stable social group, and promotes a relationship between two or more individuals. Such relationships may be positive (eliciting neurological reward, reducing anxiety and thus indicating fitness-enhancing effects), or negative (increasing anxiety and distress, and thus motivating attempts to alleviate a problematic, fitness-reducing social situation). I also present evidence that testosterone exhibits opposite effects from oxytocin on diverse aspects of cognition and behaviour, most generally by favouring self-oriented, asocial and antisocial behaviours. I apply this model for effects of oxytocin and testosterone to understanding human psychological disorders centrally involving social behaviour. Reduced oxytocin and higher testosterone levels have been associated with under-developed social cognition, especially in autism. By contrast, some combination of oxytocin increased above normal levels, and lower testosterone, has been reported in a notable number of studies of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, and, in some cases, higher oxytocin involves maladaptively 'hyper-developed' social cognition in these conditions. This pattern of findings suggests that human social cognition and behaviour are structured, in part, by joint and opposing effects of oxytocin and testosterone, and that extremes of such joint effects partially mediate risks and phenotypes of autism and psychotic-affective conditions. These considerations have direct implications for the development of therapies for alleviating disorders of social cognition, and for understanding how such disorders are associated with the evolution of human cognitive-affective architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard J Crespi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6, Canada
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Brunner R, Henze R, Richter J, Kaess M. Neurobiological Findings in Youth with Borderline Personality Disorder. Scand J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Psychol 2014. [DOI: 10.21307/sjcapp-2015-003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
This review summarizes recent neurobiological research into youth with borderline personality disorder (BPD) to better delineate the biological factors involved in the development of this disorder. Psychobiological studies when BPD first becomes manifest are of particular interest, because there are fewer confounding factors (e.g., duration of illness, drug abuse, medication, other therapeutic interventions) at this time. This article focuses on recent findings in the field of neuroimaging, neuropsychology, neuroendocrinology, genetics, and pain perception, and it aims to integrate these findings in a developmental psychopathology model of BPD. In studies of clinical samples of adults with BPD, structural imaging studies revealed abnormalities predominantly in the frontolimbic areas. Disturbances in emotional information processing—particularly involving negative stimuli—may mediate affective dysregulation as a core feature of BPD. Genetic studies could reveal that the stability of BPD traits in youth is largely influenced by a combination of genetic and non-shared environmental factors. Hyporesponsiveness to a laboratory stressor indicates an enduring alteration of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Findings of a higher pain threshold indicate that pain processing is already disturbed during the early stages of BPD, which could contribute to the initiation or maintenance of self-injurious behavior. All biological factors, together with environmental risk factors, may contribute to the core symptoms of BPD: severe emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Further research should investigate the development of BPD in youth by using longitudinal designs to determine whether the neurobiological factors are a cause, an effect, or an epiphenomenon of BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romuald Brunner
- Section for Disorders of Personality Development, Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Romy Henze
- Section for Disorders of Personality Development, Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany
- Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Julia Richter
- Section for Disorders of Personality Development, Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany
- Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center , Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Michael Kaess
- Section for Disorders of Personality Development, Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg , Heidelberg , Germany
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Kinner VL, Het S, Wolf OT. Emotion regulation: exploring the impact of stress and sex. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:397. [PMID: 25431554 PMCID: PMC4230035 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotion regulation is a major prerequisite for adaptive behavior. The capacity to regulate emotions is particularly important during and after the encounter of a stressor. However, the impact of acute stress and its associated neuroendocrine alterations on emotion regulation have received little attention so far. This study aimed to explore how stress-induced cortisol increases affect three different emotion regulation strategies. Seventy two healthy men and women were either exposed to a stressor or a control condition. Subsequently participants viewed positive and negative images and were asked to up- or down-regulate their emotional responses or simultaneously required to solve an arithmetic task (distraction). The factors stress, sex, and strategy were operationalized as between group factors (n = 6 per cell). Stress caused an increase in blood pressure and higher subjective stress ratings. An increase in cortisol was observed in male participants only. In contrast to controls, stressed participants were less effective in distracting themselves from the emotional pictures. The results further suggest that in women stress enhances the ability to decrease negative emotions. These findings characterize the impact of stress and sex on emotion regulation and provide initial evidence that these factors may interact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie L Kinner
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum Bochum, Germany
| | - Serkan Het
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum Bochum, Germany
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Chester JA, Kirchhoff AM, Barrenha GD. Relation between corticosterone and fear-related behavior in mice selectively bred for high or low alcohol preference. Addict Biol 2014; 19:663-75. [PMID: 23331637 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Blunted cortisol responses to stress or trauma have been linked with genetic (familial) risk for both alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mouse lines selectively bred for high (HAP) or low (LAP) alcohol preference may be a relevant model of genetic risk for co-morbid alcoholism and PTSD in humans. HAP mice show greater fear-potentiated startle (FPS), a model used to study PTSD, than LAP mice. The relation between corticosterone (CORT) and FPS behavior was explored in four experiments. Naïve male and female HAP2 and LAP2 mice received fear-conditioning or control treatments, and CORT levels were measured before and immediately after fear-conditioning or FPS testing. In two other experiments, HAP2 mice received CORT (1.0, 5.0 or 10.0 mg/kg) or a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (mifepristone; 25.0 and 50.0 mg/kg) 30 minutes before fear conditioning. HAP2 mice exposed to fear conditioning and to control foot shock exposures showed lower CORT after the fear-conditioning and FPS testing sessions than LAP2 mice. A trend toward higher FPS was seen in HAP2 mice pretreated with 10.0 mg/kg CORT, and CORT levels were the lowest in this group, suggesting negative feedback inhibition of CORT release. Mifepristone did not alter FPS. Overall, these results are consistent with data in humans and rodents indicating that lower cortisol/CORT levels after stress are associated with PTSD/PTSD-like behavior. These findings in HAP2 and LAP2 mice suggest that a blunted CORT response to stress may be a biological marker for greater susceptibility to develop PTSD in individuals with increased genetic risk for alcoholism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia A. Chester
- Department of Psychological Sciences; Purdue University; West Lafayette IN USA
| | - Aaron M. Kirchhoff
- Department of Psychological Sciences; Purdue University; West Lafayette IN USA
| | - Gustavo D. Barrenha
- Department of Psychological Sciences; Purdue University; West Lafayette IN USA
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Lautenbach F, Laborde S, Achtzehn S, Raab M. Preliminary evidence of salivary cortisol predicting performance in a controlled setting. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2014; 42:218-24. [PMID: 24636518 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2013] [Revised: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The aims of this study were to examine the influence of salivary cortisol on tennis serve performance in a controlled setting and to investigate if cortisol predicts unique variance in performance beyond a subjective anxiety measure (i.e., Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 [CSAI-2]). Twenty-three tennis players performed two series of second tennis serves separated by an anxiety induction (i.e., arithmetic task). Cortisol was assessed six times during the experiment. Results show that cortisol response and a drop in serving performance are positively correlated (r=.68, p<.001). Cortisol also explains unique variance in performance (i.e., 19%) beyond CSAI-2 measures. Thus, considering cortisol measurements seems warranted in future research aimed at understanding performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Lautenbach
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany.
| | - Sylvain Laborde
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany; UFR STAPS, University of Caen, France
| | - Silvia Achtzehn
- Institute of Training Science and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus Raab
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Germany; Department of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, UK
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