Stress and the medial temporal lobe at rest: Functional connectivity is associated with both memory and cortisol

Acute stress differentially influences risky decision-making processes by sex: A hierarchical bayesian analysis

How does stress influence our decision-making? Although numerous studies have attempted to answer this question, their results have been inconsistent-presumably due to methodological heterogeneity. Drawing on cumulative prospect theory, we examined how acute stress influenced risky decision-making. To this end, we randomly assigned 147 participants to an acute stress induction or control condition and subsequently assessed participants' risky decision-making. We found that stress increased risky decision-making overall, but more importantly, that stress exerted multiple effects on risky decision-making processes that differed between male and female participants. For female participants, relative to the control condition, stress produced a pattern of decision-making characterized by risk seeking with respect to gains, slightly reduced loss aversion, accurate outcome probability assessment, and greater choice stochasticity. For male participants, stress, relative to the control condition, produced to a pattern of decision-making characterized by very low loss aversion and poorer outcome probability assessment. These results suggest that some of the heterogeneity in existing literature may be explainable by task differences in risk type, risk amount, and outcome certainties, and further that these effects will differ by sex. In short, stress changes how we make decisions, and it does so differently by sex.

Acute immune system activation exerts time-dependent effects on inhibitory control: Results of both a randomized controlled experiment of influenza vaccination and a systematic review and meta-analysis - ISPNE 2024 Dirk Hellhammer Award

Although coming down with an illness or receiving a vaccine are both common experiences, the influence of such acute immune system activations on cognitive processes, such as inhibitory control, has received relatively little attention. We addressed that issue by assessing the effects of acute immune system activation on inhibitory control in a randomized controlled experiment, and by conducting a meta-analysis of similar studies in humans. In our experiment, we found-somewhat surprisingly-that influenza vaccination improved performance on both of our inhibitory control outcomes (i.e., stop-signal reaction times and flanker interference effects). At the meta-analytic level, we found that at a short delay (1.5-4 hours post-injection) between immune activation and inhibitory control assessment, such activation impaired multiple forms of inhibitory control, whereas after a longer delay (e.g., > 18 hours post-injection), such activation improved inhibitory control-consistent with our experiment. Moreover, proinflammatory cytokine activity predicted poorer interference control but better response inhibition, even with a long delay between injection and testing. Together, these results highlight nuanced, time-dependent, and-perhaps-multiple-mechanism-driven effects of acute immune system activity on inhibitory control.

Targeted Memory Reactivation during Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep Enhances Neutral, But Not Negative, Components of Memory

Emotionally salient components of memory are preferentially remembered at the expense of accompanying neutral information. This emotional memory trade-off is enhanced over time, and possibly sleep, through a process of memory consolidation. Sleep is believed to benefit memory through a process of reactivation during nonrapid eye movement sleep (NREM). Here, targeted memory reactivation (TMR) was used to manipulate the reactivation of negative and neutral memories during NREM sleep. Thirty-one male and female participants encoded composite scenes containing either a negative or neutral object superimposed on an always neutral background. During NREM sleep, sounds associated with the scene object were replayed, and memory for object and background components was tested the following morning. We found that TMR during NREM sleep improved memory for neutral, but not negative scene objects. This effect was associated with sleep spindle activity, with a larger spindle response following TMR cues predicting TMR effectiveness for neutral items only. These findings therefore do not suggest a role of NREM memory reactivation in enhancing the emotional memory trade-off across a 12 h period but do align with growing evidence of spindle-mediated memory reactivation in service of neutral declarative memory.

Acute stress influences the emotional foundations of executive control: Distinct effects on control-related affective and cognitive processes

Acute stress is known to influence performance on various task outcomes indicative of executive functioning (i.e., the top-down, goal-directed control of cognition and behavior). The most common interpretation of these effects is that stress influences control processes themselves. Another possibility, though, is that stress does not impair control per se, but instead alters the affective dynamics underlying the recruitment of control (e.g., reducing the extent to which making an error is aversive), resulting in less recruitment of control and thus poor performance. To date, however, no work has examined whether stress effects on executive function outcomes are driven by affective dynamics related to the recruitment of control. In the current study, we found that acute stress influenced-and cortisol responses related to-both executive control-related performance outcomes (e.g., post-error slowing) and control-related affective dynamics (e.g., negative affect following recruitment of control) in a modified Stroop task, but that these effects appeared to be independent of each other: The effects of stress on, and associations of cortisol with, control-related cognitive outcomes were not statistically mediated by task- or control-related affective dynamics. These results thus suggest that although stress influences affective dynamics underlying executive function, the effects of stress on executive function outcomes appear to be at least partially dependent on nonaffective processes, such as control processes themselves.

Long term structural and functional neural changes following a single infusion of Ketamine in PTSD

NMDA receptor antagonists have a vital role in extinction, learning, and reconsolidation processes. During the reconsolidation window, memories are activated into a labile state and can be reconsolidated in an altered form. This concept might have significant clinical implications in treating PTSD. In this pilot study we tested the potential of a single infusion of ketamine, followed by brief exposure therapy, to enhance post-retrieval extinction of PTSD trauma memories. 27 individuals diagnosed with PTSD were randomly assigned to receive either ketamine (0.5 mg/kg 40 min; N = 14) or midazolam (0.045 mg/kg; N = 13) after retrieval of the traumatic memory. 24 h following infusion, participants received a four-day trauma-focused psychotherapy. Symptoms and brain activity were assessed before treatment, at the end of treatment, and at 30-day follow-up. Amygdala activation to trauma scripts (a major biomarker of fear response) served as the main study outcome. Although PTSD symptoms improved equally in both groups, post-treatment, ketamine recipients showed a lower amygdala (-0.33, sd = 0.13, 95%HDI [-0.56,-0.04]) and hippocampus (-0.3 (sd = 0.19), 95%HDI [-0.65, 0.04]; marginal effect) reactivation to trauma memories, compared to midazolam recipients. Post-retrieval ketamine administration was also associated with decreased connectivity between the amygdala and hippocampus (-0.28, sd = 0.11, 95%HDI [-0.46, -0.11]), with no change in amygdala-vmPFC connectivity. Moreover, reduction in fractional anisotropy in bi-lateral uncinate fasciculus was seen in the Ketamine recipients compared with the midazolam recipients (right: post-treatment: -0.01108, 95% HDI [-0.0184,-0.003]; follow-up: -0.0183, 95% HDI [-0.02719,-0.0107]; left: post-treatment: -0.019, 95% HDI [-0.028,-0.011]; follow-up: -0.017, 95% HDI [-0.026,-0.007]). Taken together it is possible that ketamine may enhance post-retrieval extinction of the original trauma memories in humans. These preliminary findings show promising direction toward the capacity to rewrite human traumatic memories and modulate the fear response for at least 30 days post-extinction. When combined with psychotherapy for PTSD, further investigation of ketamine dose, timing of administration, and frequency of administration, is warranted.

Slow oscillation-spindle coupling is negatively associated with emotional memory formation following stress

Both stress and sleep enhance emotional memory. They also interact, with the largest effect of sleep on emotional memory being seen when stress occurs shortly before or after encoding. Slow wave sleep (SWS) is critical for long-term episodic memory, facilitated by the temporal coupling of slow oscillations and sleep spindles. Prior work in humans has shown these associations for neutral information in non-stressed participants. Whether coupling interacts with stress to facilitate emotional memory formation is unknown. Here, we addressed this question by reanalyzing an existing dataset of 64 individuals. Participants underwent a psychosocial stressor (32) or comparable control (32) prior to the encoding of 150-line drawings of neutral, positive, and negative images. All participants slept overnight with polysomnography, before being given a surprise memory test the following day. In the stress group, time spent in SWS was positively correlated with memory for images of all valences. Results were driven by those who showed a high cortisol response to the stressor, compared to low responders. The amount of slow oscillation-spindle coupling during SWS was negatively associated with neutral and emotional memory in the stress group only. The association with emotional memory was significantly stronger than for neutral memory within the stress group. These results suggest that stress around the time of initial memory formation impacts the relationship between slow wave sleep and memory.

Associations between childhood chronic stress and dynamic functional connectivity in drug-naïve, first-episode adolescent MDD

BACKGROUND

We explored the associations between chronic stress and dynamic working patterns of the whole brain using resting state MRI data in drug-naïve, first-episode adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS

We compared dynamic functional connectivity (dyn-FC) and screen out networks with difference in whole brain between 45 healthy controls (HC) and 60 adolescent MDD patients using dynamic independent components analysis. In each of these networks with difference between groups, hub brain regions were selected as functionally connected to more than 30 brain regions at the same time. Then we extracted the dyn-FC coefficients of each hub brain region with other brain regions in each component at different time points and calculated the average value of the entire scan time. Finally, we explored correlations between these average values of the entire scan time and scores on the Childhood Chronic Stress Questionnaire (CCSQ).

RESULTS

We found three networks as well as some hub brain regions with different dyn-FC patterns between adolescent MDD and HC. Scores on the CCSQ were found to correlate with dynamic FC between hub brain areas and certain other brain areas in MDD patients.

LIMITATIONS

our cross-sectional study design does not allow us to speculate about causality between chronic stress and depression. Prospective cohort studies should explore in detail how the changes in dynamic FC appear and evolve during MDD.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic stress is related with the brain dynamic working patterns in adolescent MDD.

Effect of Glucocorticoid and 11β-Hydroxysteroid-Dehydrogenase Type 1 (11β-HSD1) in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) activity is implicated as a moderator of the progression of multiple diseases and disorders in medicine and is actively subject to investigation as a therapeutic target. Here we summarize the mechanisms of the enzyme and detail the novel agents under investigation. Such agents modulate peripheral cortisol and cortisone levels in hypertension, type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorders, and Alzheimer's disease models, but there is mixed evidence for transduction into symptom management. There is inchoate evidence that 11β-HSD1 modulators may be useful pharmacotherapies for clinical improvement in psychiatry and neurology; however, more research is required.

Stress and memory encoding: What are the roles of the stress-encoding delay and stress relevance?

The effects of acute stress on memory encoding are complex. Recent work has suggested that both the delay between stress and encoding and the relevance of the information learned to the stressor may modulate the effects of stress on memory encoding, but the relative contribution of each of these two factors is unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we manipulated (1) acute stress, (2) the delay between stress and encoding, and (3) the relevance of the information learned to the stressor. The results indicated that stress during encoding led to better memory for study materials that were related to the stressor relative to memory for study materials that were unrelated to the stressor. This effect was numerically reduced for materials that were encoded 40 min after stressor onset (23 min after the stressor had ended) compared with items encoded at the time of the stressor, but this difference was not significant. These results suggest that the relevance of the information learned to the stressor may play a particularly important role in the effects of stress on memory encoding, which has important implications for theories of stress and memory.

Effects of Simultaneous Exposure to a Western Diet and Wheel-Running Training on Brain Energy Metabolism in Female Rats

BACKGROUND

In the pathogenesis of central nervous system disorders (e.g., neurodegenerative), an important role is attributed to an unhealthy lifestyle affecting brain energy metabolism. Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of lifestyle-related diseases is getting increasing attention.

METHODS

We performed a series of assessments in adult female Long Evans rats subjected to 6 weeks of Western diet feeding and wheel-running training. A control group of lean rats was fed with a standard diet. In all experimental groups, we measured physiological parameters (animal weights, body composition, serum metabolic parameters). We assessed the impact of simultaneous exposure to a Western diet and wheel-running on the cerebrocortical protein expression (global proteomic profiling), and in the second part of the experiment, we measured the cortical levels of protein related to brain metabolism (Western blot).

RESULTS

Western diet led to an obese phenotype and induced changes in the serum metabolic parameters. Wheel-running did not reduce animal weights or fat mass but significantly decreased serum glucose level. The global proteome analysis revealed that the altered proteins were functionally annotated as they were involved mostly in metabolic pathways. Western blot analysis showed the downregulation of the mitochondrial protein-Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase family member 9, hexokinase 1 (HK1)-enzyme involved in principal glucose metabolism pathways and monocarboxylate transporter 2 (MCT2). Wheel-running reversed this decline in the cortical levels of HK1 and MCT2.

CONCLUSION

The cerebrocortical proteome is affected by a combination of physical activity and Western diet in female rats. An analysis of the cortical proteins involved in brain energy metabolism provides a valuable basis for the deeper investigation of changes in the brain structure and function induced by simultaneous exposure to a Western diet and physical activity.

Amnesia after Midazolam and Ketamine Sedation in Children: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

The incidence of peri-procedural amnesia following procedural sedation in children is unclear and difficult to determine. This study aimed to apply quantitative and qualitative approaches to better understand amnesia following dental sedation of children. After Institutional Review Board Approval, children scheduled for sedation for dental procedures with oral midazolam (OM), oral midazolam and ketamine (OMK), or intranasal midazolam and ketamine (IMK) were recruited for examination of peri-procedural amnesia. Amnesia during the dental session was assessed using a three-stage method, using identification of pictures and an animal toy. On the day following the sedation, primary caregivers answered two questions about their children's memory. One week later, the children received a semi-structured interview. Behavior and level of sedation during the dental session were recorded. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparison tests. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Triangulation was used. Thirty-five children (age: 36 to 76 months) participated in the quantitative analysis. Most children showed amnesia for the dental procedure (82.9%, n = 29/35) and remembered receiving the sedation (82.1%, n = 23/28 for oral administration; 59.3%, n = 16/27 for intranasal administration). The occurrence of amnesia for the dental procedure was slightly higher in the oral midazolam group compared with the other groups (44.8%, n = 13/29 for OM, 13.8%, n = 4/29 for OMK, and 41.4%, n = 12/29 for IMK). Twenty-eight children participated in the qualitative approach. The major theme identified was that some children could remember their procedures in detail. We conclude that peri-procedural amnesia of the dental procedure was common following sedation.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity in Childhood Predicts Emotional Memory Effects and Related Neural Circuitry in Adolescent Girls

Negative emotional experiences can be more difficult to forget than neutral ones, a phenomenon termed the "emotional memory effect." Individual differences in the strength of the emotional memory effect are associated with emotional health. Thus, understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of the emotional memory effect has important implications, especially for individuals at risk for emotional health problems. Although the neural basis of emotional memory effects has been relatively well defined, less is known about how hormonal factors that can modulate emotional memory, such as glucocorticoids, relate to that neural basis. Importantly, probing the role of glucocorticoids in the stress- and emotion-sensitive period of late childhood to adolescence could provide actionable points of intervention. We addressed this gap by testing whether hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity during a parent-child conflict task at 11 years of age predicted emotional memory and its primary neural circuitry (i.e., amygdala-hippocampus functional connectivity) at 16 years of age in a longitudinal study of 147 girls (104 with complete data). Results showed that lower HPA axis activity predicted stronger emotional memory effects, r(124) = -.236, p < .01, and higher emotional memory-related functional connectivity between the right hippocampus and the right amygdala, β = -.385, p < .001. These findings suggest that late childhood HPA axis activity may modulate the neural circuitry of emotional memory effects in adolescence, which may confer a potential risk trajectory for emotional health among girls.

Physical Stress Induced Reduction of Proliferating Cells and Differentiated Neuroblasts Is Ameliorated by Fermented Laminaria japonica Extract Treatment

Laminaria japonica is widely cultivated in East Asia, including South Korea. Fucoidan, a main component of L. japonica, protects neurons from neurological disorders such as ischemia and traumatic brain injury. In the present study, we examined the effects of extract from fermented L. japonica on the reduction of proliferating cells and neuroblasts in mice that were physically (with electric food shock) or psychologically (with visual, auditory and olfactory sensation) stressed with the help of a communication box. Vehicle (distilled water) or fermented L. japonica extract (50 mg/kg) were orally administered to the mice once a day for 21 days. On the 19th day of the treatment, physical and psychological stress was induced by foot shock using a communication box and thereafter for three days. Plasma corticosterone levels were significantly increased after exposure to physical stress and decreased Ki67 positive proliferating cells and doublecortin immunoreactive neuroblasts. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that physical stress as well as psychological stress decreased the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the number of phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) positive nuclei in the dentate gyrus. Fermentation of L. japonica extract significantly increased the contents of reduced sugar and phenolic compounds. Supplementation with fermented L. japonica extract significantly ameliorated the increases of plasma corticosterone revels and decline in the proliferating cells, neuroblasts, and expression of BDNF and pCREB in the physically stressed mice. These results indicate that fermented L. japonica extract has positive effects in ameliorating the physical stress induced reduction in neurogenesis by modulating BDNF and pCREB expression in the dentate gyrus.

Hormonal contraceptive phases matter: Resting-state functional connectivity of emotion-processing regions under stress

Hormonal contraceptives (HCs) affect various processes related to emotion processing, including emotional memory, fear extinction, and the cortisol response to stress. Despite the modulating role of HCs on the stress response in women and variance in synthetic hormone levels across the HC cycle, little is known about the phase-related effects of HCs on the brain's response to stress. We investigated the effect of HC cycle phase on functional connectivity of memory- and emotion-related regions at rest after exposure to a stressor. Twenty HC users completed two sessions of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging after exposure to the cold pressor test, one during the hormone-present HC phase (when synthetic hormones are taken) and one during the hormone-absent HC phase (when synthetic hormones are not taken). Women showed higher functional connectivity between left amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex during the hormone-present phase. During the hormone-absent phase, women showed higher coupling between left parahippocampus and right superior lateral occipital cortex. Our results suggest that the synthetic hormones contained in HCs may protect against the negative effects of stress on functional connectivity of emotional processing regions.

Concordance in parent and offspring cortico-basal ganglia white matter connectivity varies by parental history of major depressive disorder and early parental care

Social behavior is transmitted cross-generationally through coordinated behavior within attachment bonds. Parental depression and poor parental care are major risks for disruptions of such coordination and are associated with offspring's psychopathology and interpersonal dysfunction. Given the key role of the cortico-basal ganglia (CBG) circuits in social communication, we examined similarities (concordance) of parent-offspring CBG white matter (WM) connections and how parental history of major depressive disorder (MDD) and early parental care moderate these similarities. We imaged 44 parent-offspring dyads and investigated WM connections between basal-ganglia seeds and selected regions in temporal cortex using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography. We found significant concordance in parent-offspring strength of CBG WM connections, moderated by parental lifetime-MDD and care. The results showed diminished neural concordance among dyads with a depressed parent and that better parental care predicted greater concordance, which also provided a protective buffer against attenuated concordance among dyads with a depressed parent. Our findings provide the first neurobiological evidence of concordance between parents-offspring in WM tracts and that concordance is diminished in families where parents have lifetime-MDD. This disruption may be a risk factor for intergenerational transmission of psychopathology. Findings emphasize the long-term role of early caregiving in shaping the neural concordance among at-risk and affected dyads.

Cerebrocortical proteome profile of female rats subjected to the western diet and chronic social stress

The energy-dense western diet significantly increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular episodes, stroke, and cancer. Recently more attention has been paid to the contribution of an unhealthy lifestyle on the development of central nervous system disorders. Exposure to long-lasting stress is one of the key lifestyle modifications associated with the increased prevalence of obesity and metabolic diseases. The main goal of the present study was to verify the hypothesis that exposure to chronic stress modifies alterations in the brain proteome induced by the western diet. Female adult rats were fed with the prepared chow reproducing the human western diet and/or subjected to chronic stress induced by social instability for 6 weeks. A control group of lean rats were fed with a standard diet. Being fed with the western diet resulted in an obese phenotype and induced changes in the serum metabolic parameters. The combination of the western diet and chronic stress exposure induced more profound changes in the rat cerebrocortical proteome profile than each of these factors individually. The down-regulation of proteins involved in neurotransmitter secretion (Rph3a, Snap25, Syn1) as well as in learning and memory processes (Map1a, Snap25, Tnr) were identified, while increased expression was detected for 14-3-3 protein gamma (Ywhag) engaged in the modulation of the insulin-signaling cascade in the brain. An analysis of the rat brain proteome reveals important changes that indicate that a combination of the western diet and stress exposure may lead to impairments of neuronal function and signaling.

Stress and cognition: A user's guide to designing and interpreting studies

Fueling the rapid growth in our understanding of how stress influences cognition, the number of studies examining the effects of stress on various cognitive processes has grown substantially over the last two decades. Despite this growth, few published guidelines exist for designing these studies, and divergent paradigm designs can diminish typical effects of stress or even reverse them. The goal of this review, therefore, is to survey necessary considerations (e.g., validating a stress induction), important considerations (e.g., specifying the timing of the stressor and cognitive task), and best practices (e.g., using Bayesian analyses) when designing a study that aims at least in part to examine the effects of acute stress on some cognitive process or function. These guidelines will also serve to help readers of these studies interpret what may otherwise be very confusing, anomalous results. Designing and interpreting studies with these considerations and practices in mind will help to move the field of stress and cognition forward by clarifying how, exactly, stress influences performance on a given cognitive task in a population of interest.

Stress changes amphetamine response, D2 receptor expression and epigenetic regulation in low-anxiety rats

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of chronic restraint stress on amphetamine (AMPH)-related appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs) in rats differing in freezing duration in a contextual fear test (CFT), i.e. HR (high-anxiety responsive) and LR (low-anxiety responsive) rats. The LR and the HR rats, previously exposed to an AMPH binge experience, differed in sensitivity to AMPH's rewarding effects, measured as appetitive vocalisations. Moreover, chronic restraint stress attenuated AMPH-related appetitive vocalisations in the LR rats but had no influence on the HR rats' behaviour. To specify, the restraint LR rats vocalised appetitively less in the AMPH-associated context and after an AMPH challenge than the control LR rats. This phenomenon was associated with a decrease in the mRNA level for D2 dopamine receptor in the amygdala and its protein expression in the basal amygdala (BA) and opposite changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) - an increase in the mRNA level for D2 dopamine receptor and its protein expression in the NAc shell, compared to control conditions. Moreover, we observed that chronic restraint stress influenced epigenetic regulation in the LR and the HR rats differently. The contrasting changes were observed in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus - the LR rats presented a decrease, but the HR rats showed an increase in H3K9 trimethylation. The restraint LR rats also showed higher miR-494 and miR-34c levels in the NAc than the control LR group. Our study provides behavioural and biochemical data concerning the role of differences in fear-conditioned response in stress vulnerability and AMPH-associated appetitive behaviour. The LR rats were less sensitive to the rewarding effects of AMPH when previously exposed to chronic stress that was accompanied by changes in D2 dopamine receptor expression and epigenetic regulation in mesolimbic areas.