Publishing in Scientific Journals: We're Not Just Talking to Ourselves Anymore

Increasingly, psychological research is part of the integrative science that spans multiple disciplines, but variable publication standards undermine some of the integrative progress that might otherwise be made. Word limits for articles, norms for shorter reviews (which would improve turnaround time), electronic availability, and appropriate marketing of research will bring psychology closer to the central role it could play in integrative science.

Culture and social support: neural bases and biological impact

Social support is an effective means by which people cope with stressful events, and consequently, it beneficially affects health and well-being. Yet there are profound cultural differences in the effectiveness of different types of support and how people use their support networks. In this paper, we examine research on the impact of culture on social support, the neural underpinnings of social support, and how cultural differences in social support seeking are manifested biologically. We focus on cultural factors that may affect individuals' decisions to seek or not to seek social support and how culture moderates the impact of support seeking on biological and psychological health outcomes. We also examine recent research on the interaction between genes and culture in social support use. Discussion centers on the importance of developing an overarching framework of social support that integrates health psychology, cultural psychology, social neuroscience, and genetics.

Neurobiological correlates of coping through emotional approach

This investigation considered possible health-related neurobiological processes associated with "emotional approach coping" (EAC), or intentional efforts to identify, process, and express emotions surrounding stressors. It was hypothesized that higher dispositional use of EAC strategies would be related to neural activity indicative of greater trait approach motivational orientation and to lower proinflammatory cytokine and cortisol responses to stress. To assess these relationships, 46 healthy participants completed a questionnaire assessing the two components of EAC (i.e., emotional processing and emotional expression), and their resting frontal cortical asymmetry was measured using electroencephalography (EEG). A subset (N=22) of these participants' levels of the soluble receptor for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (sTNFalphaRII), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cortisol (all obtained from oral fluids) were also assessed before and after exposure to an acute laboratory stressor. Consistent with predictions, higher reported levels of emotional expression were significantly associated with greater relative left-sided frontal EEG asymmetry, indicative of greater trait approach motivation. Additionally, people who scored higher on EAC, particularly the emotional processing component, tended to show a less-pronounced TNF-alpha stress response. EAC was unrelated to levels of IL-6 and cortisol. Greater left-sided frontal EEG asymmetry was significantly related to lower baseline levels of IL-6 and to lower stress-related levels of sTNFalphaRII, and was marginally related to lower stress-related levels of IL-6. The findings suggest that the salubrious effects of EAC strategies for managing stress may be linked to an approach-oriented neurocognitive profile and to well-regulated proinflammatory cytokine responses to stress.

Neural bases of moderation of cortisol stress responses by psychosocial resources

Psychosocial resources have been tied to lower psychological and biological responses to stress. The present research replicated this relationship and extended it by examining how differences in dispositional reactivity of certain neural structures may underlie this relationship. Two hypotheses were examined: (a) psychosocial resources are tied to decreased sensitivity to threat and/or (b) psychosocial resources are associated with enhanced prefrontal inhibition of threat responses during threat regulation. Results indicated that participants with greater psychosocial resources exhibited significantly less cortisol reactivity following a stress task, as predicted. Analyses using functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that psychosocial resources were associated with greater right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and less amygdala activity during a threat regulation task but were not associated with less amygdala activity during a threat sensitivity task. Mediational analyses suggest that the relation of psychosocial resources to low cortisol reactivity was mediated by lower amygdala activity during threat regulation. Results suggest that psychosocial resources are associated with lower cortisol responses to stress by means of enhanced inhibition of threat responses during threat regulation, rather than by decreased sensitivity to threat.

Culture and social support

Social support is one of the most effective means by which people can cope with stressful events. Yet little research has examined whether there are cultural differences in how people utilize their social support networks. A review of studies on culture and social support presents evidence that Asians and Asian Americans are more reluctant to explicitly ask for support from close others than are European Americans because they are more concerned about the potentially negative relational consequences of such behaviors. Asians and Asian Americans are more likely to use and benefit from forms of support that do not involve explicit disclosure of personal stressful events and feelings of distress. Discussion centers on the potential implications of these findings for intercultural interactions and for the use of mental health services by Asians and Asian Americans.

Spatial Heterogeneity of Leaf Wetness Duration in Apple Trees and Its Influence on Performance of a Warning System for Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck

To determine the effect of sensor placement on the performance of a disease-warning system for sooty blotch and flyspeck (SBFS), we measured leaf wetness duration (LWD) at 12 canopy positions in apple trees, then simulated operation of the disease-warning system using LWD measurements from different parts of the canopy. LWD sensors were placed in four trees within one Iowa orchard during two growing seasons, and in one tree in each of four orchards during a single growing season. The LWD measurements revealed substantial heterogeneity among sensor locations. In all data sets, the upper, eastern portion of the canopy had the longest mean daily LWD, and was the first site to form dew and the last to dry. The lower, western portion of the canopy averaged about 3 h less LWD per day than the top of the canopy, and was the last zone where dew formed and the first to dry off. On about 25% of nights when dew occurred in the top of the canopy, no dew formed in the lower, western canopy. Intracanopy variability of LWD was more pronounced when dew was the sole source of wetness than on days when rainfall occurred. Daily LWD in the upper, eastern portion of the canopy was slightly less than reference measurements made at a 0.7-m height over turfgrass located near the orchard. When LWD measurements from several canopy positions were input to the SBFS warning system, timing of occurrence of a fungicide-spray threshold varied by as much as 30 days among canopy positions. Under Iowa conditions, placement of an LWD sensor at an unobstructed site over turfgrass was a fairly accurate surrogate for the wettest part of the canopy. Therefore, such an extra-canopy LWD sensor might be substituted for a within-canopy sensor to enhance operational reliability of the SBFS warning system.

Association of statin use with cognitive decline in elderly African Americans

BACKGROUND

Previously reported associations between statin use and incident dementia or cognitive decline have been inconsistent. We report the results from a 3-year prospective study on the association of statin use on cognitive decline and incident dementia in elderly African Americans.

METHODS

A community-based cohort of 1,146 African Americans aged 70 and older living in Indianapolis, Indiana, was evaluated in 2001 and 2004. The instrument used for cognitive assessment was the Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSI-D). Cognitive decline was defined as CSI-D scores measured at 2001 minus scores at 2004. Measurements of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were obtained from baseline blood samples.

RESULTS

Adjusting for age at baseline, gender, education, and the possession of ApoE epsilon 4 allele, baseline statin use was associated with less cognitive decline (p = 0.0177). There were no significant interactions of statin use when LDL-C and CRP were included. Logistic regression with the four independent variables showed that statin use may be associated with a reduction in incident dementia (OR = 0.32; p = 0.0673). Association with cognitive decline was less clear when investigating statin use over time. Significance remained only for those who discontinued prior to follow-up compared to continuous users or users who started after baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between statin use and cognitive decline is complex and subjected to unknown confounders. This effect may not be associated with the cholesterol lowering or anti-inflammatory action of statins.

Cultural differences in the impact of social support on psychological and biological stress responses

Social support is believed to be a universally valuable resource for combating stress, yet Asians and Asian Americans report that social support is not helpful to them, resist seeking it, and are underrepresented among recipients of supportive services. We distinguish between explicit social support (seeking and using advice and emotional solace) and implicit social support (focusing on valued social groups) and show that Asians and Asian Americans are psychologically and biologically benefited more by implicit social support than by explicit social support; the reverse is true for European Americans. Our discussion focuses on cultural differences in the construal of relationships and their implications for social support and delivery of support services.

Neurocognitive components of the behavioral inhibition and activation systems: implications for theories of self-regulation

We examined the neurocognitive correlates of the Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Systems (BIS/BAS) in an effort to clarify ambiguities concerning interpretations of BIS as reflecting inhibition versus avoidance. We hypothesized that self-reported BIS should relate to neural mechanisms associated with conflict monitoring, whereas self-reported BAS should be associated with neural correlates of approach motivation. Consistent with these predictions, higher self-reported BIS was uniquely related to the N2 event-related potential on No-Go trials of a Go/No-Go task, linking BIS with conflict monitoring and sensitivity to No-Go cues. Higher BAS was uniquely related to greater left-sided baseline frontal cortical asymmetry associated with approach orientation. Implications for theories of self-regulation involving conflict monitoring, cognitive control, and approach/avoidance motivation are discussed.

Coping resources, coping processes, and mental health

Coping, defined as action-oriented and intrapsychic efforts to manage the demands created by stressful events, is coming to be recognized both for its significant impact on stress-related mental and physical health outcomes and for its intervention potential. We review coping resources that aid in this process, including individual differences in optimism, mastery, self-esteem, and social support, and examine appraisal and coping processes, especially those marked by approach or avoidance. We address the origins of coping resources and processes in genes, early life experience, and gene-environment interactions, and address neural underpinnings of coping that may shed light on evaluating coping interventions. We conclude by outlining possible intervention strategies for improving coping processes.

Understanding genetic risk for aggression: clues from the brain's response to social exclusion

BACKGROUND

Although research indicates a relationship between the monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA) gene and aggression, the intervening neural and psychological mechanisms are unknown. Individuals with the low expression allele (MAOA-L) of a functional polymorphism in the MAOA gene might be prone to aggression because they are socially or emotionally hyposensitive and thus care less about harming others or because they are socially or emotionally hypersensitive and thus respond to negative social experiences with defensively aggressive behavior.

METHODS

We investigated the relationships between the MAOA polymorphism, trait aggression, trait interpersonal hypersensitivity, and neural responses to social exclusion in 32 healthy men and women.

RESULTS

The MAOA-L individuals (men and women) reported higher trait aggression than individuals with the high expression allele (MAOA-H). The MAOA-L individuals reported higher trait interpersonal hypersensitivity and showed greater dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activity (associated with rejection-related distress) to social exclusion compared with MAOA-H individuals, consistent with a social hypersensitivity hypothesis. Moreover, the MAOA-aggression relationship was mediated by greater dACC reactivity to social exclusion, suggesting that MAOA might relate to aggression through socioemotional hypersensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that the relationship between MAOA and aggression might be due to a heightened rather than a reduced sensitivity to negative socioemotional experiences like social rejection.

Neural pathways link social support to attenuated neuroendocrine stress responses

It is well established that a lack of social support constitutes a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality, comparable to risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure. Although it has been hypothesized that social support may benefit health by reducing physiological reactivity to stressors, the mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Moreover, to date, no studies have investigated the neurocognitive mechanisms that translate experiences of social support into the health outcomes that follow. To investigate these processes, thirty participants completed three tasks in which daily social support, neurocognitive reactivity to a social stressor, and neuroendocrine responses to a social stressor were assessed. Individuals who interacted regularly with supportive individuals across a 10-day period showed diminished cortisol reactivity to a social stressor. Moreover, greater social support and diminished cortisol responses were associated with diminished activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and Brodmann's area (BA) 8, regions previously associated with the distress of social separation. Lastly, individual differences in dACC and BA 8 reactivity mediated the relationship between high daily social support and low cortisol reactivity, such that supported individuals showed reduced neurocognitive reactivity to social stressors, which in turn was associated with reduced neuroendocrine stress responses. This study is the first to investigate the neural underpinnings of the social support-health relationship and provides evidence that social support may ultimately benefit health by diminishing neural and physiological reactivity to social stressors.

Facial expressions of emotion reveal neuroendocrine and cardiovascular stress responses

BACKGROUND

The classic conception of stress involves undifferentiated negative affect and corresponding biological reactivity. The present study hypothesized a new conception, disaggregating stress into emotion-specific, contrasting patterns of biological response. Specifically, it hypothesized contrasting patterns for indignation (comprised of anger and disgust) versus fear. Moreover, it hypothesized that facial expressions of these emotions would signal corresponding biological stress responses.

METHODS

Ninety-two adults engaged in annoyingly difficult stress-challenge tasks, during which cardiovascular responses, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis responses (i.e., cortisol), emotional expressions (i.e., facial muscle movements), and subjective emotional experience were assessed.

RESULTS

Pronounced individual differences emerged in specific emotional responses to the stressors. Analyses of facial expressions revealed that the more fear individuals displayed in response to the stressors, the higher their cardiovascular and cortisol responses to stress. By contrast, the more indignation individuals displayed in response to the same stressors the lower their cortisol levels and cardiovascular responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Facial expressions of emotion signal biological responses to stress. Fear expressions signal elevated cortisol and cardiovascular reactivity; indignation signals attenuated cortisol and cardiovascular reactivity, patterns that implicate individual differences in stress appraisals. Rather than conceptualizing stress as generalized negative affect, studies can be informed by this emotion-specific approach to stress responses.

Coping resources, coping processes, and mental health

Coping, defined as action-oriented and intrapsychic efforts to manage the demands created by stressful events, is coming to be recognized both for its significant impact on stress-related mental and physical health outcomes and for its intervention potential. We review coping resources that aid in this process, including individual differences in optimism, mastery, self-esteem, and social support, and examine appraisal and coping processes, especially those marked by approach or avoidance. We address the origins of coping resources and processes in genes, early life experience, and gene-environment interactions, and address neural underpinnings of coping that may shed light on evaluating coping interventions. We conclude by outlining possible intervention strategies for improving coping processes.

Relationship of early life stress and psychological functioning to adult C-reactive protein in the coronary artery risk development in young adults study

BACKGROUND

Low socioeconomic status (SES) and a harsh family environment in childhood have been linked to mental and physical health disorders in adulthood. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate a developmental model of pathways that may help explain these links and to relate them to C-reactive protein (CRP) in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) dataset.

METHODS

Participants (n = 3248) in the CARDIA study, age 32 to 47 years, completed measures of childhood SES (CSES), early family environment (risky families [RF]), adult psychosocial functioning (PsyF, a latent factor measured by depression, mastery, and positive and negative social contacts), body mass index (BMI), and C-reactive protein.

RESULTS

Structural equation modeling indicated that CSES and RF are associated with C-reactive protein via their association with PsyF (standardized path coefficients: CSES to RF, RF to PsyF, PsyF to CRP, CSES to CRP, all p < .05), with good overall model fit. The association between PsyF and CRP was partially mediated by BMI (PsyF to BMI, BMI to CRP, both p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Low childhood SES and a harsh early family environment appear to be related to elevated C-reactive protein in adulthood through pathways involving psychosocial dysfunction and high body mass index.

Early family environment, current adversity, the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism, and depressive symptomatology

BACKGROUND

Mixed evidence has suggested that homozygous carriers of the short allele (s/s) of the serotonin transporter gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) may be at increased risk for depression, if they have also been exposed to early or current adversity/stress. We address this debate by examining the relation of a stressful early family environment, recent adversity/stress, and the 5-HTTLPR to depressive symptomatology in a normal sample.

METHODS

A nonclinical sample of 118 young adult men and women completed assessments of early family environment, recent stressful events, psychosocial resources, and psychological distress, including depressive symptomatology. The 5-HTTLPR was genotyped using a standard protocol with DNA extracted from oral fluid.

RESULTS

A stressful early family environment was significantly related to depressive symptomatology. In addition, gene-by-environment (GxE) interactions were observed between the 5-HTTLPR and both early family environment and current adversity/stress. Individuals homozygous for the short allele had greater depressive symptomatology if they had experienced early or recent adversity but significantly less depressive symptomatology if they reported a supportive early environment or recent positive experiences, compared with participants with the s/l or l/l genotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Early or current environment, in conjunction with the serotonin transporter polymorphism, predicts depressive symptomatology.

Neural responses to emotional stimuli are associated with childhood family stress

BACKGROUND

An early family environment marked by harsh parenting has been related to risk for multiple mental disorders in adulthood, risks that may be mediated, in part, by deficits in emotion regulation skills. This study examined neural mechanisms underlying these consequences of "risky" families (RF) by exploring neural activity to tasks involving responses to emotional stimuli.

METHODS

Participants completed an assessment of RF and participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) investigation that examined 1) amygdala reactivity to observation of fearful/angry faces; 2) amygdala and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (RVLPFC) reactivity to labeling emotions displayed in these faces; and 3) the relation between RVLPFC and amygdala activity during the labeling task.

RESULTS

Offspring from nonrisky families showed expected amygdala reactivity to observing fearful/angry faces and expected activation of RVLPFC while labeling the emotions, which was significantly negatively correlated (-.44) with amygdala activation. Offspring from risky families showed little amygdala activation during the observation task and a strong positive correlation (+.66) between RVLPFC and amygdala activation in the labeling task, suggesting a possible dysregulation in the neural systems involved in responses to emotional stimuli.

CONCLUSIONS

Offspring from risky families exhibit atypical responses to emotional stimuli that are evident at the neural level.