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Harnett NG, Merrill LC, Fani N. Racial and ethnic socioenvironmental inequity and neuroimaging in psychiatry: a brief review of the past and recommendations for the future. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024:10.1038/s41386-024-01901-7. [PMID: 38902354 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01901-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging is a major tool that holds immense translational potential for understanding psychiatric disorder phenomenology and treatment. However, although epidemiological and social research highlights the many ways inequity and representativeness influences mental health, there is a lack of consideration of how such issues may impact neuroimaging features in psychiatric research. More specifically, the potential extent to which racialized inequities may affect underlying neurobiology and impact the generalizability of neural models of disorders is unclear. The present review synthesizes research focused on understanding the potential consequences of racial/ethnic inequities relevant to neuroimaging in psychiatry. We first discuss historical and contemporary drivers of inequities that persist today. We then discuss the neurobiological consequences of these inequities as revealed through current research, and note emergent research demonstrating the impact such inequities have on our ability to use neuroimaging to understand psychiatric disease. We end with a set of recommendations and practices to move the field towards more equitable approaches that will advance our abilities to develop truly generalizable neurobiological models of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Livia C Merrill
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Harnett NG, Fani N, Rowland G, Kumar P, Rutherford S, Nickerson LD. Population-level normative models reveal race- and socioeconomic-related variability in cortical thickness of threat neurocircuitry. Commun Biol 2024; 7:745. [PMID: 38898062 PMCID: PMC11187116 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06436-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The inequitable distribution of economic resources and exposure to adversity between racial groups contributes to mental health disparities within the United States. Consideration of the potential neurodevelopmental consequences, however, has been limited particularly for neurocircuitry known to regulate the emotional response to threat. Characterizing the consequences of inequity on threat neurocircuitry is critical for robust and generalizable neurobiological models of psychiatric illness. Here we use data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study 4.0 release to investigate the contributions of individual and neighborhood-level economic resources and exposure to discrimination. We investigate the potential appearance of race-related differences using both standard methods and through population-level normative modeling. We show that, in a sample of white and Black adolescents, racial inequities in socioeconomic factors largely contribute to the appearance of race-related differences in cortical thickness of threat neurocircuitry. The race-related differences are preserved through the use of population-level models and such models also preserve associations between cortical thickness and specific socioeconomic factors. The present findings highlight that such socioeconomic inequities largely underlie race-related differences in brain morphology. The present findings provide important new insight for the generation of generalizable neurobiological models of psychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Grace Rowland
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Poornima Kumar
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Saige Rutherford
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Donders Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lisa D Nickerson
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Applied Neuroimaging Statistics Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
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3
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Elbasheir A, Katrinli S, Kearney BE, Lanius RA, Harnett NG, Carter SE, Ely TD, Bradley B, Gillespie CF, Stevens JS, Lori A, van Rooij SJH, Powers A, Jovanovic T, Smith AK, Fani N. Racial Discrimination, Neural Connectivity, and Epigenetic Aging Among Black Women. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2416588. [PMID: 38869898 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Racial discrimination increases the risk of adverse brain health outcomes, potentially via neuroplastic changes in emotion processing networks. The involvement of deep brain regions (brainstem and midbrain) in these responses is unknown. Potential associations of racial discrimination with alterations in deep brain functional connectivity and accelerated epigenetic aging, a process that substantially increases vulnerability to health problems, are also unknown. Objective To examine associations of racial discrimination with brainstem and midbrain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and DNA methylation age acceleration (DMAA) among Black women in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2012, and February 28, 2015, and included a community-based sample of Black women (aged ≥18 years) recruited as part of the Grady Trauma Project. Self-reported racial discrimination was examined in association with seed-to-voxel brain connectivity, including the locus coeruleus (LC), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and superior colliculus (SC); an index of DMAA (Horvath clock) was also evaluated. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma exposure, and age were used as covariates in statistical models to isolate racial discrimination-related variance. Data analysis was conducted between January 10 and October 30, 2023. Exposure Varying levels of racial discrimination exposure, other trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Main Outcomes and Measures Racial discrimination frequency was assessed with the Experiences of Discrimination Scale, other trauma exposure was evaluated with the Traumatic Events Inventory, and current PTSD was evaluated with the PTSD Symptom Scale. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analyses were conducted with LC, PAG, and SC seeds. To assess DMAA, the Methylation EPIC BeadChip assay (Illumina) was conducted with whole-blood samples from a subset of 49 participants. Results This study included 90 Black women, with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (11.3) years. Greater racial discrimination was associated with greater left LC RSFC to the bilateral precuneus (a region within the default mode network implicated in rumination and reliving of past events; cluster size k = 228; t85 = 4.78; P < .001, false discovery rate-corrected). Significant indirect effects were observed for the left LC-precuneus RSFC on the association between racial discrimination and DMAA (β [SE] = 0.45 [0.16]; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, more frequent racial discrimination was associated with proportionately greater RSFC of the LC to the precuneus, and these connectivity alterations were associated with DMAA. These findings suggest that racial discrimination contributes to accelerated biological aging via altered connectivity between the LC and default mode network, increasing vulnerability for brain health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Breanne E Kearney
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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Oshri A, Reck AJ, Carter SE, Uddin LQ, Geier CF, Beach SRH, Brody GH, Kogan SM, Sweet LH. Racial Discrimination and Risk for Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms Among Black Youths. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2416491. [PMID: 38865126 PMCID: PMC11170300 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Racial discrimination is a psychosocial stressor associated with youths' risk for psychiatric symptoms. Scarce data exist on the moderating role of amygdalar activation patterns among Black youths in the US. Objective To investigate the association between racial discrimination and risk for psychopathology moderated by neuroaffective processing. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study used longitudinal self-report and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from Black youth participants in the US from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Data were analyzed from January 2023 to May 2024. Exposures At time 1 of the current study (12 months after baseline), youths self-reported on their experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination and their feelings of marginalization. Amygdalar response was measured during an emotionally valenced task that included blocks of faces expressing either neutral or negative emotion. Main Outcomes and Measures At 24 and 36 months after baseline, youths reported their internalizing (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and externalizing symptoms (aggression and rule-breaking symptoms). Results A total of 1596 youths were a mean (SD) age of 10.92 (0.63) years, and 803 were female (50.3%). Families in the study had a mean annual income range of $25 000 to $34 999. Two factors were derived from factor analysis: interpersonal racial discrimination and feelings of marginalization (FoM). Using structural equation modeling in a linear regression, standardized β coefficients were obtained. Neural response to faces expressing negative emotion within the right amygdala significantly moderated the association between FoM and changes in internalizing symptoms (β = -0.20; 95% CI, -0.32 to -0.07; P < .001). The response to negative facial emotion within the right amygdala significantly moderated the association between FoM and changes in externalizing symptoms (β = 0.24; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.43; P = .02). Left amygdala response to negative emotion significantly moderated the association between FoM and changes in externalizing symptoms (β = -0.16; 95% CI, -0.32 to -0.01; P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of Black adolescents in the US, findings suggest that amygdala function in response to emotional stimuli can both protect and intensify the affective outcomes of feeling marginalized on risk for psychopathology, informing preventive interventions aimed at reducing the adverse effects of racism on internalizing and externalizing symptoms among Black youths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Oshri
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Ava Jane Reck
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
| | | | - Lucina Q. Uddin
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
| | - Charles F. Geier
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Steven R. H. Beach
- Center of Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Gene H. Brody
- Center of Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Steven M. Kogan
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens
- Center of Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
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Webb EK, Carter SE, Ressler KJ, Fani N, Harnett NG. The neurophysiological consequences of racism-related stressors in Black Americans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105638. [PMID: 38522814 PMCID: PMC11081835 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Racism-related stressors, from experiences of both implicit and explicit racial discrimination to systemic socioeconomic disadvantage, have a cumulative impact on Black Americans' health. The present narrative review synthesizes peripheral (neuroendocrine and inflammation markers), psychophysiological (heart-rate variability, skin conductance), and neuroimaging (structural and functional) findings that demonstrate unique associations with racism-related stress. Emerging evidence reveals how racism-related stressors contribute to differential physiological and neural responses and may have distinct impacts on regions involved with threat and social processing. Ultimately, the neurophysiological effects of racism-related stress may confer biological susceptibility to stress and trauma-related disorders. We note critical gaps in the literature on the neurophysiological impact of racism-related stress and outline additional research that is needed on the multifactorial interactions between racism and mental health. A clearer understanding of the interactions between racism-related stress, neurophysiology, and stress- and trauma-related disorders is critical for preventative efforts, biomarker discovery, and selection of effective clinical treatments for Black Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Kate Webb
- McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Georgia State University, Department of Psychology, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- McLean Hospital, Division of Depression and Anxiety, Belmont, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA.
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Elbasheir A, Fulton TM, Choucair KC, Lathan EC, Spivey BN, Guelfo A, Carter SE, Powers A, Fani N. Moral injury, race-related stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in a trauma-exposed Black population. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 173:326-332. [PMID: 38574596 PMCID: PMC11140589 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Race-related stress (RRS) is an unrecognized source of moral injury (MI)-or the emotional and/or spiritual suffering that may emerge after exposure to events that violate deeply held beliefs. Additionally, MI has not been explored as a mechanism of risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma-exposed civilians. We examined relations among exposure to potentially morally injurious events (moral injury exposure, MIE), related distress (moral injury distress, MID), and RRS in Black Americans. Potential indirect associations between RRS and PTSD symptoms via MID were also examined. METHODS Black Americans (n = 228; 90.4% female; Mage = 31.6 years. SDage = 12.8 years) recruited from an ongoing study of trauma completed measures assessing civilian MIE and MID, RRS, and PTSD. Bivariate correlations were conducted with MIE and MID, and mediation analysis with MID, to examine the role of MI in the relationship between RRS and PTSD symptom severity. RESULTS MIE was significantly correlated with cultural (r = 0.27), individual (r = 0.29), and institutional (r = 0.25) RRS; MID also correlated with cultural (r = 0.31), individual (r = 0.31), and institutional (r = 0.26) RRS (ps < 0.001). We found an indirect effect of RRS on PTSD symptoms via MID (β = 0.10, p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS All types of RRS were associated with facets of MI, which mediated the relationship between RRS and current PTSD symptoms. MI may be a potential mechanism through which RRS increases the risk for PTSD in Black individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA; Neuroscience PhD Program, Emory University, USA
| | - Travis M Fulton
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA; Molecular and Systems Pharmacology PhD Program, Emory University, USA
| | - Khaled C Choucair
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA
| | - Emma C Lathan
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA
| | | | - Alfonsina Guelfo
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA
| | | | - Abigail Powers
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, USA.
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7
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Dixon JS, Wang D, Ready RE. Discrimination and Cognition in Midlife Black Women: The Roles of Social Support and Spirituality. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbad201. [PMID: 38165061 PMCID: PMC10939168 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Black women are at high risk for discrimination and cognitive impairment in late life. It is not known if discrimination is a risk factor for cognitive decline in Black women and if so, what factors are protective against the adverse cognitive effects of discrimination. Using the biopsychosocial model of gendered racism, we determined if discrimination is associated with poorer cognition in midlife Black women and if social support and/or spirituality would protect against the deleterious effects of discrimination on cognition. METHODS Participants were midlife Black women (N = 669) from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Discrimination was measured by the Everyday Discrimination scale. Cognitive outcomes included episodic memory, processing speed, and working memory. Total social support, emotional support, instrumental support, and spirituality were assessed as protective factors. RESULTS Contrary to expectations, structural equation modeling indicated that discrimination was associated with better immediate recall. For women with more emotional support, greater discrimination was associated with better immediate recall than for women with lower emotional support. Spirituality was not a significant moderator in the association between discrimination and cognition. DISCUSSION Discrimination had unexpected positive associations with learning and attention-based cognitive skills for midlife Black women. Discrimination might enhance vigilance, which could be facilitated by higher levels of emotional support. There is an opportunity for clinical and public health interventions for cognitive health and discrimination focused on Black women to better incorporate emotional support as a coping resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine S Dixon
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dongwei Wang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca E Ready
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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Collins PY, Sinha M, Concepcion T, Patton G, Way T, McCay L, Mensa-Kwao A, Herrman H, de Leeuw E, Anand N, Atwoli L, Bardikoff N, Booysen C, Bustamante I, Chen Y, Davis K, Dua T, Foote N, Hughsam M, Juma D, Khanal S, Kumar M, Lefkowitz B, McDermott P, Moitra M, Ochieng Y, Omigbodun O, Queen E, Unützer J, Uribe-Restrepo JM, Wolpert M, Zeitz L. Making cities mental health friendly for adolescents and young adults. Nature 2024; 627:137-148. [PMID: 38383777 PMCID: PMC10917657 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-07005-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers, and although cities provide access to health, education and economic gain, urban environments are often detrimental to mental health1,2. Increasing urbanization over the next three decades will be accompanied by a growing population of children and adolescents living in cities3. Shaping the aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could have an enormous impact on adolescent well-being and adult trajectories4. We invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for young people. Here we show a set of ranked characteristic statements, grouped by personal, interpersonal, community, organizational, policy and environmental domains of intervention. Life skills for personal development, valuing and accepting young people's ideas and choices, providing safe public space for social connection, employment and job security, centring youth input in urban planning and design, and addressing adverse social determinants were priorities by domain. We report the adversities that COVID-19 generated and link relevant actions to these data. Our findings highlight the need for intersectoral, multilevel intervention and for inclusive, equitable, participatory design of cities that support youth mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Y Collins
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | - Tessa Concepcion
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - George Patton
- Centre for Adolescent Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thaisa Way
- Dumbarton Oaks, Harvard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Layla McCay
- Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health, London, UK
| | - Augustina Mensa-Kwao
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Helen Herrman
- Orygen, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Evelyne de Leeuw
- Ecole de Sante Publique, Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nalini Anand
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Yajun Chen
- Sun Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Tarun Dua
- World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Damian Juma
- Healthy Brains Global Initiative, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Manasi Kumar
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Bina Lefkowitz
- Sacramento County Board of Education, Sacramento, CA, USA
- Lefkowitz Consulting, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Modhurima Moitra
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Emily Queen
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jürgen Unützer
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Lian Zeitz
- Climate Mental Health Network, Annapolis, MD, USA
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Elbasheir A, Felger JC, Michopoulos V, Ely TD, Wommack EC, Carter SE, Harnett NG, Fani N. C-reactive protein moderates associations between racial discrimination and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation during attention to threat in Black American women. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:593-599. [PMID: 37752223 PMCID: PMC10789862 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01737-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Prior research has shown that racial discrimination (RD) impacts activation in threat network regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and middle occipital cortex during attention to threat-relevant stimuli. However, little is known about the biological mechanisms that may modulate these effects; inflammation may be a pathway linking RD and threat network activation. As such, the current study aimed to explore whether systemic inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, may moderate the relationship between RD and activation in the vmPFC and middle occipital cortex during attention to threat. Blood samples for inflammatory marker (CRP) assays were obtained from forty Black American women (mean [SD] age, 39.93 [9.97] years; range, 22-58 years) recruited from an ongoing trauma study; participants also viewed threat-relevant stimuli as part of an attention task during fMRI. We found that CRP moderated the relationship between RD and vmPFC activation during attention to threat, such that participants with relatively higher concentrations of CRP ( ≥ 23.97 mg/L) demonstrated significant positive associations between RD and vmPFC activation [β = 0.18, CI (0.04, 0.32), t = 2.65, p = 0.01]. No significant associations were observed for participants who showed moderate (10.89 mg/L) or low (0.20 mg/L) CRP concentrations. CRP did not moderate the relationship between RD and middle occipital cortex activation. Our data present a mechanism through which RD may influence immune system activation and, in turn, threat network activation. Inflammation may contribute to brain health vulnerabilities in Black Americans via its effects on threat circuits; this merits further investigation in large-scale studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jennifer C Felger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tim D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Evanthia C Wommack
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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10
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Rosario MA, Alotaibi R, Espinal-Martinez AO, Ayoub A, Baumann A, Clark U, Cozier Y, Schon K. Personal Mastery Attenuates the Association between Greater Perceived Discrimination and Lower Amygdala and Anterior Hippocampal Volume in a Diverse Sample of Older Adults. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.12.575447. [PMID: 38293042 PMCID: PMC10827091 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.12.575447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
There is limited research investigating whether perceived discrimination influences brain structures that subserve episodic memory, namely the hippocampus and amygdala. Our rationale for examining these regions build on their known sensitivity to stress and functional differences along the long-axis of the hippocampus, with the anterior hippocampus and amygdala implicated in emotional and stress regulation. We defined perceived discrimination as the unfair treatment of one group by a dominant social group without the agency to respond to the event. A potential moderator of perceived discrimination is personal mastery, which we operationally defined as personal agency. Our primary goals were to determine whether perceived discrimination correlated with amygdala and anterior hippocampal volume, and if personal mastery moderated these relationships. Using FreeSurfer 7.1.0, we processed T1-weighted images to extract bilateral amygdala and hippocampal volumes. Discrimination and personal mastery were assessed via self-report (using the Experiences of Discrimination and Sense of Control questionnaires, respectively). Using multiple regression, greater perceived discrimination correlated with lower bilateral amygdala and anterior hippocampal volume, controlling for current stress, sex, education, age, and intracranial volume. Exploratory subfield analyses showed these associations were localized to the anterior hippocampal CA1 and subiculum. As predicted, using a moderation analysis, personal mastery attenuated the relationship between perceived discrimination and amygdala and anterior hippocampal volume. Here, we extend our knowledge on perceived discrimination as a salient psychosocial stressor with a neurobiological impact on brain systems implicated in stress, memory, and emotional regulation, and provide evidence for personal mastery as a moderating factor of these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Rosario
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, 7 Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Razan Alotaibi
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, 7 Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Alan O Espinal-Martinez
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Amara Ayoub
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Aletha Baumann
- Department of Psychology, University of the Virgin Islands, RR02 Box 10000, St. Croix, USVI 00823, USA
| | - Uraina Clark
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yvette Cozier
- Slone Epidemiology Center, Boston University, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Karin Schon
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, 610 Commonwealth Avenue, 7 Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Zvolensky MJ, Shepherd JM, Garey L, Woody M, Otto MW, Clausen B, Smit T, Mayorga NA, Bakhshaie J, Buitron V. Negative emotional reactivity to minority stress: measure development and testing. Cogn Behav Ther 2024; 53:1-28. [PMID: 37766610 PMCID: PMC10840979 DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2023.2260560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and test a measure of negative emotional reactivity to racial/ethnic minoritized stress. In Study 1, we developed item content for a measure of negative emotional reactivity to racial/ethnic minoritized stress. We then evaluated item performance and produced a refined 15-item scale among a large sample of racial/ethnic minority adults (N = 1,343). Results supported a unidimensional construct and high levels of internal consistency. The factor structure and internal consistency were replicated and extended to a sample of Latinx persons who smoke (N = 338) in Study 2. There was evidence of convergent validity of the Emotional Reactivity to Minoritized Stress (ERMS) total score in terms of theoretically consistent and statistically significant relations with indices of mental health problems, social determinants of health, and substance use processes. There was also evidence that the ERMS demonstrated divergent validity in that it was negatively associated with psychological well-being, health literacy, subjective social status in Study 1, and positive abstinence expectancies in Study 2. Overall, the present study establishes the reliability and validity of measuring individual differences in negative emotional reactivity to racial/ethnic minority stress with the ERMS and that such responsivity is associated with behavioral health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Zvolensky
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- HEALTH Institute, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Lorra Garey
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- HEALTH Institute, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mary Woody
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael W. Otto
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bryce Clausen
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Tanya Smit
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nubia A. Mayorga
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jafar Bakhshaie
- Integrated Brain Health Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, 1 Bowdoin Square, Suite 100, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Victor Buitron
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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12
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Fulton T, Lathan EC, Karkare MC, Guelfo A, Eghbalzad L, Ahluwalia V, Ely TD, Turner JA, Turner MD, Currier JM, Mekawi Y, Fani N. Civilian Moral Injury and Amygdala Functional Connectivity During Attention to Threat. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:112-120. [PMID: 37487958 PMCID: PMC10803642 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Moral injury references emotional and spiritual/existential suffering that may emerge following psychological trauma. Despite being linked to adverse mental health outcomes, little is known about the neurophysiological mechanisms of this phenomenon. In this study, we examined neural correlates of moral injury exposure and distress using the Moral Injury Exposure and Symptom Scale for Civilians. We also examined potential moderation of these effects by race (Black vs. White individuals) given the likely intersection of race-related stress with moral injury. METHODS Forty-eight adults ages 18 to 65 years (mean age = 30.56, SD = 11.93) completed the Moral Injury Exposure and Symptom Scale for Civilians and an affective attentional control measure, the affective Stroop task (AS), during functional magnetic resonance imaging; the AS includes presentation of threat-relevant and neutral distractor stimuli. Voxelwise functional connectivity of the bilateral amygdala was examined in response to threat-relevant versus neutral AS distractor trials. RESULTS Functional connectivity between the right amygdala and left postcentral gyrus/primary somatosensory cortex was positively correlated with the Moral Injury Exposure and Symptom Scale for Civilians exposure score (voxelwise p < .001, cluster false discovery rate-corrected p < .05) in response to threat versus neutral AS distractor trials. Follow-up analyses revealed significant effects of race; Black but not White participants demonstrated this significant pattern of amygdala-left somatosensory cortex connectivity. CONCLUSIONS Increased exposure to potentially morally injurious events may lead to emotion-somatosensory pathway disruptions during attention to threat-relevant stimuli. These effects may be most potent for individuals who have experienced multilayered exposure to morally injurious events, including racial trauma. Moral injury appears to have a distinct neurobiological signature that involves abnormalities in connectivity of emotion-somatosensory paths, which may be amplified by race-related stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis Fulton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Molecular and Systems Pharmacology PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Emma C Lathan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Maya C Karkare
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Alfonsina Guelfo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Leyla Eghbalzad
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Vishwadeep Ahluwalia
- Center for Advanced Brain Imaging, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | | | - Joseph M Currier
- Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama
| | - Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
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13
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Harnett NG. The Moderating Role of Moral Injury on the Neurocircuitry of Trauma-Related Dysfunction. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2024; 9:6-7. [PMID: 38185486 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
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14
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Atilano-Barbosa D, Barrios FA. Brain morphological variability between whites and African Americans: the importance of racial identity in brain imaging research. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 17:1027382. [PMID: 38192686 PMCID: PMC10773238 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2023.1027382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
In a segregated society, marked by a historical background of inequalities, there is a consistent under-representation of ethnic and racial minorities in biomedical research, causing disparities in understanding genetic and acquired diseases as well as in the effectiveness of clinical treatments affecting different groups. The repeated inclusion of small and non-representative samples of the population in neuroimaging research has led to generalization bias in the morphological characterization of the human brain. A few brain morphometric studies between Whites and African Americans have reported differences in orbitofrontal volumetry and insula cortical thickness. Nevertheless, these studies are mostly conducted in small samples and populations with cognitive impairment. For this reason, this study aimed to identify brain morphological variability due to racial identity in representative samples. We hypothesized that, in neurotypical young adults, there are differences in brain morphometry between participants with distinct racial identities. We analyzed the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database to test this hypothesis. Brain volumetry, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area measures of participants identified as Whites (n = 338) or African Americans (n = 56) were analyzed. Non-parametrical permutation analysis of covariance between these racial identity groups adjusting for age, sex, education, and economic income was implemented. Results indicated volumetric differences in choroid plexus, supratentorial, white matter, and subcortical brain structures. Moreover, differences in cortical thickness and surface area in frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital brain regions were identified between groups. In this regard, the inclusion of sub-representative minorities in neuroimaging research, such as African American persons, is fundamental for the comprehension of human brain morphometric diversity and to design personalized clinical brain treatments for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando A. Barrios
- Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Juriquilla, Mexico
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15
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Abdul-Ghani S, Lathan EC, Miao A, Gibbons R, Eghbalzad L, Powers A, Fani N. Contributions of Trauma and Economic Insecurity to Psychological Distress in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. MENTAL HEALTH SCIENCE 2023; 1:222-230. [PMID: 38707932 PMCID: PMC11068086 DOI: 10.1002/mhs2.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Background Racially minoritized women with limited socioeconomic resources are at increased risk for adverse psychological outcomes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disproportionate rates of trauma exposure and economic insecurity likely heighten risk for these outcomes among socioeconomically vulnerable individuals, but the unique contributions of these factors are poorly understood. As such, we examined trauma and economic factors as predictors of pandemic-related psychological distress and symptoms. Methods Ninety-six women recruited for a trauma research study (91.7% Black, Mage=38.3 years, SDage=11.8 years) completed measures of trauma exposure, economic insecurity, and several items assessing psychological distress and symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined concern for mental and physical health impacts of COVID-19 as well as changes in self-reported levels of anxiety and anhedonia from the three months prior to the pandemic to the past two weeks. Linear regression analyses were used to assess contributions of trauma exposure and economic insecurity to COVID-19-related distress. Results Childhood maltreatment and lifetime trauma exposure did not predict COVID-19-related distress; however, financial concern significantly contributed to concern for the physical health impact of COVID-19 (B = .30, p < .05). Food insecurity emerged as the only significant predictor of concern for mental health impact of COVID-19 (B=.91, p < .01). Housing instability was the only significant predictor of COVID-19-related increases in anhedonia (B = -.30, p < .05). Conclusions Economic insecurity, namely self-reported financial concern, food insecurity, and housing instability, was related to COVID-19-related psychological distress in a sample of predominately Black American women living in under-resourced communities. Findings may help identify populations at risk for COVID-19-related psychological distress and symptoms and develop effective interventions, such as expanding access to nutritious food sources and housing support, for minoritized community members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Abdul-Ghani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Emma C Lathan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Amanda Miao
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Rebecca Gibbons
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | | | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
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16
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Fani N, Guelfo A, La Barrie DL, Teer AP, Clendinen C, Karimzadeh L, Jain J, Ely TD, Powers A, Kaslow NJ, Bradley B, Siegle GJ. Neurophysiological changes associated with vibroacoustically-augmented breath-focused mindfulness for dissociation: targeting interoception and attention. Psychol Med 2023; 53:7550-7560. [PMID: 37144411 PMCID: PMC10755223 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dissociative symptoms can emerge after trauma and interfere with attentional control and interoception; disruptions to these processes are barriers to mind-body interventions such as breath-focused mindfulness (BFM). To overcome these barriers, we tested the use of an exteroceptive augmentation to BFM, using vibrations equivalent to the amplitude of the auditory waveform of the actual breath, delivered via a wearable subwoofer in real time (VBFM). We tested whether this device enhanced interoceptive processes, attentional control and autonomic regulation in trauma-exposed women with dissociative symptoms. METHODS 65 women, majority (82%) Black American, aged 18-65 completed self-report measures of interoception and 6 BFM sessions, during which electrocardiographic recordings were taken to derive high-frequency heart rate variability (HRV) estimates. A subset (n = 31) of participants completed functional MRI at pre- and post-intervention, during which they were administered an affective attentional control task. RESULTS Compared to those who received BFM only, women who received VBFM demonstrated greater increases in interoception, particularly their ability to trust body signals, increased sustained attention, as well as increased connectivity between nodes of emotion processing and interoceptive networks. Intervention condition moderated the relationship between interoception change and dissociation change, as well as the relationship between dissociation and HRV change. CONCLUSIONS Vibration feedback during breath focus yielded greater improvements in interoception, sustained attention and increased connectivity of emotion processing and interoceptive networks. Augmenting BFM with vibration appears to have considerable effects on interoception, attention and autonomic regulation; it could be used as a monotherapy or to address trauma treatment barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Andrew P. Teer
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Jahnvi Jain
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Timothy D. Ely
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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17
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Zhang X, Wang H, Kilpatrick LA, Dong TS, Gee GC, Labus JS, Osadchiy V, Beltran-Sanchez H, Wang MC, Vaughan A, Gupta A. Discrimination exposure impacts unhealthy processing of food cues: crosstalk between the brain and gut. NATURE MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 1:841-852. [PMID: 38094040 PMCID: PMC10718506 DOI: 10.1038/s44220-023-00134-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Experiences of discrimination are associated with adverse health outcomes, including obesity. However, the mechanisms by which discrimination leads to obesity remain unclear. Utilizing multi-omics analyses of neuroimaging and fecal metabolites, we investigated the impact of discrimination exposure on brain reactivity to food images and associated dysregulations in the brain-gut-microbiome system. We show that discrimination is associated with increased food-cue reactivity in frontal-striatal regions involved in reward, motivation and executive control; altered glutamate-pathway metabolites involved in oxidative stress and inflammation as well as preference for unhealthy foods. Associations between discrimination-related brain and gut signatures were skewed towards unhealthy sweet foods after adjusting for age, diet, body mass index, race and socioeconomic status. Discrimination, as a stressor, may contribute to enhanced food-cue reactivity and brain-gut-microbiome disruptions that can promote unhealthy eating behaviors, leading to increased risk for obesity. Treatments that normalize these alterations may benefit individuals who experience discrimination-related stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobei Zhang
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hao Wang
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, China
| | - Lisa A. Kilpatrick
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tien S. Dong
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gilbert C. Gee
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- California Center for Population Research, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer S. Labus
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Vadim Osadchiy
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Urology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hiram Beltran-Sanchez
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- California Center for Population Research, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - May C. Wang
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Allison Vaughan
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Arpana Gupta
- G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Hosseini-Kamkar N, Varvani Farahani M, Nikolic M, Stewart K, Goldsmith S, Soltaninejad M, Rajabli R, Lowe C, Nicholson AA, Morton JB, Leyton M. Adverse Life Experiences and Brain Function: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2340018. [PMID: 37910106 PMCID: PMC10620621 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Adverse life experiences have been proposed to contribute to diverse mental health problems through an association with corticolimbic functioning. Despite compelling evidence from animal models, findings from studies in humans have been mixed; activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses have failed to identify a consistent association of adverse events with brain function. Objective To investigate the association of adversity exposure with altered brain reactivity using multilevel kernel density analyses (MKDA), a meta-analytic approach considered more robust than ALE to small sample sizes and methodological differences between studies. Data Sources Searches were conducted using PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception through May 4, 2022. The following search term combinations were used for each database: trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), abuse, maltreatment, poverty, adversity, or stress; and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or neuroimaging; and emotion, emotion regulation, memory, memory processing, inhibitory control, executive functioning, reward, or reward processing. Study Selection Task-based fMRI studies within 4 domains (emotion processing, memory processing, inhibitory control, and reward processing) that included a measure of adverse life experiences and whole-brain coordinate results reported in Talairach or Montreal Neurological Institute space were included. Conference abstracts, books, reviews, meta-analyses, opinions, animal studies, articles not in English, and studies with fewer than 5 participants were excluded. Data Extraction and Synthesis Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guideline, 2 independent reviewers assessed abstracts and full-text articles for entry criteria. A third reviewer resolved conflicts and errors in data extraction. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and data analysis occurred from August to November 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures Peak activation x-axis (left-right), y-axis (posterior-anterior), and z-axis (inferior-superior) coordinates were extracted from all studies and submitted to MKDA meta-analyses. Results A total of 83 fMRI studies were included in the meta-analysis, yielding a combined sample of 5242 participants and 801 coordinates. Adversity exposure was associated with higher amygdala reactivity (familywise error rate corrected at P < .001; x-axis = 22; y-axis = -4; z-axis = -17) and lower prefrontal cortical reactivity (familywise error rate corrected at P < .001; x-axis = 10; y-axis = 60; z-axis = 10) across a range of task domains. These altered responses were only observed in studies that used adult participants and were clearest among those who had been exposed to severe threat and trauma. Conclusions and Relevance In this meta-analysis of fMRI studies of adversity exposure and brain function, prior adversity exposure was associated with altered adult brain reactivity to diverse challenges. These results might better identify how adversity diminishes the ability to cope with later stressors and produces enduring susceptibility to mental health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Hosseini-Kamkar
- Now with: Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Maja Nikolic
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kaycee Stewart
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Mahdie Soltaninejad
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Reza Rajabli
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cassandra Lowe
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew A Nicholson
- Now with: Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - J Bruce Morton
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco Leyton
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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19
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Vasterling JJ, Franz MR, Lee LO, Kaiser AP, Proctor SP, Marx BP, Schnurr PP, Ko J, Concato J, Aslan M. Early predictors of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder symptom trajectories in U.S. Army soldiers deployed to the Iraq war zone. J Trauma Stress 2023; 36:955-967. [PMID: 37608526 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms varies among veterans of war zones, but sources of variation in long-term symptom course remain poorly understood. Modeling of symptom growth trajectories facilitates the understanding of predictors of individual outcomes over time. Although growth mixture modeling (GMM) has been applied to military populations, few studies have incorporated both predeployment and follow-up measurements over an extended time. In this prospective study, 1,087 U.S. Army soldiers with varying military occupational specialties and geographic locations were assessed before and after deployment to the Iraq war zone, with long-term follow-up assessment occurring at least 5 years after return from deployment. The primary outcome variable was the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version summary score. GMM yielded four latent profiles, characterized as primarily asymptomatic (n = 194, 17.8%); postdeployment worsening symptoms (n = 84, 7.7%); mild symptoms (n = 320, 29.4%); and preexisting, with a chronic postdeployment elevation of symptoms (n = 489, 45.0%). Regression models comparing the primarily asymptomatic class to the symptomatic classes revealed that chronic symptom classes were associated with higher degrees of stress exposure, less predeployment social support, military reservist or veteran status at the most recent assessment, and poorer predeployment visual memory, ORs = 0.98-2.90. PTSD symptom course varies considerably over time after military deployment and is associated with potentially modifiable biopsychosocial factors that occur early in its course in addition to exposures and military status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J Vasterling
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Molly R Franz
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lewina O Lee
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anica Pless Kaiser
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan P Proctor
- US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, Massachusetts, USA
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Brian P Marx
- National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Paula P Schnurr
- National Center for PTSD, White River Junction, Vermont, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - John Ko
- Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, VA Cooperative Studies Program, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - John Concato
- Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Mihaela Aslan
- Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, VA Cooperative Studies Program, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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20
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Hill-Jarrett TG. The Black radical imagination: a space of hope and possible futures. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1241922. [PMID: 37808484 PMCID: PMC10557459 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1241922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The radical imagination entails stepping outside the confines of the now and into the expansiveness of what could be. It has been described as the ability to dream of possible futures and bring these possibilities back to the present to drive social transformation. This perspective paper seeks to provide an overview of the radical imagination and its intersections with Afrofuturism, a framework and artistic epistemology that expresses the Black cultural experience through a space of hope where Blackness is integral. In this paper, I propose three processes that comprise the radical imagination: (1) imagining alternative Black futures, (2) radical hope, and (3) collective courage. I consider the neural networks that underlie each process and consider how the Black radical imagination is a portal through which aging Black adults experience hope and envision futures that drive social change. I conclude with considerations of what brain health and healing justice looks like for aging Black Americans- specifically, how invocation of the Black radical imagination may have positive brain health effects for a demographic group at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanisha G. Hill-Jarrett
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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21
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Dong TS, Gee GC, Beltran-Sanchez H, Wang M, Osadchiy V, Kilpatrick LA, Chen Z, Subramanyam V, Zhang Y, Guo Y, Labus JS, Naliboff B, Cole S, Zhang X, Mayer EA, Gupta A. How Discrimination Gets Under the Skin: Biological Determinants of Discrimination Associated With Dysregulation of the Brain-Gut Microbiome System and Psychological Symptoms. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:203-214. [PMID: 36754687 PMCID: PMC10684253 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Discrimination is associated with negative health outcomes as mediated in part by chronic stress, but a full understanding of the biological pathways is lacking. Here we investigate the effects of discrimination involved in dysregulating the brain-gut microbiome (BGM) system. METHODS A total of 154 participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging to measure functional connectivity. Fecal samples were obtained for 16S ribosomal RNA profiling and fecal metabolites and serum for inflammatory markers, along with questionnaires. The Everyday Discrimination Scale was administered to measure chronic and routine experiences of unfair treatment. A sparse partial least squares-discriminant analysis was conducted to predict BGM alterations as a function of discrimination, controlling for sex, age, body mass index, and diet. Associations between discrimination-related BGM alterations and psychological variables were assessed using a tripartite analysis. RESULTS Discrimination was associated with anxiety, depression, and visceral sensitivity. Discrimination was associated with alterations of brain networks related to emotion, cognition and self-perception, and structural and functional changes in the gut microbiome. BGM discrimination-related associations varied by race/ethnicity. Among Black and Hispanic individuals, discrimination led to brain network changes consistent with psychological coping and increased systemic inflammation. For White individuals, discrimination was related to anxiety but not inflammation, while for Asian individuals, the patterns suggest possible somatization and behavioral (e.g., dietary) responses to discrimination. CONCLUSIONS Discrimination is attributed to changes in the BGM system more skewed toward inflammation, threat response, emotional arousal, and psychological symptoms. By integrating diverse lines of research, our results demonstrate evidence that may explain how discrimination contributes to health inequalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tien S Dong
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; UCLA Microbiome Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Parenteral Nutrition, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California.
| | - Gilbert C Gee
- Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California; California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Hiram Beltran-Sanchez
- Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California; California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - May Wang
- Department of Community Health Sciences Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California
| | - Vadim Osadchiy
- Department of Urology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Lisa A Kilpatrick
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Zixi Chen
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Vishvak Subramanyam
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Yurui Zhang
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Yinming Guo
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jennifer S Labus
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; UCLA Microbiome Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Bruce Naliboff
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; UCLA Microbiome Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Steve Cole
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Xiaobei Zhang
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Emeran A Mayer
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; UCLA Microbiome Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Arpana Gupta
- Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; UCLA Microbiome Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
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22
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Harnett NG, Fani N, Carter S, Sanchez LD, Rowland GE, Davie WM, Guzman C, Lebois LAM, Ely TD, van Rooij SJH, Seligowski AV, Winters S, Grasser LR, Musey PI, Seamon MJ, House SL, Beaudoin FL, An X, Zeng D, Neylan TC, Clifford GD, Linnstaedt SD, Germine LT, Bollen KA, Rauch SL, Haran JP, Storrow AB, Lewandowski C, Hendry PL, Sheikh S, Jones CW, Punches BE, Swor RA, Hudak LA, Pascual JL, Harris E, Chang AM, Pearson C, Peak DA, Merchant RC, Domeier RM, Rathlev NK, Bruce SE, Miller MW, Pietrzak RH, Joormann J, Barch DM, Pizzagalli DA, Harte SE, Elliott JM, Kessler RC, Koenen KC, McLean SA, Jovanovic T, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ. Structural inequities contribute to racial/ethnic differences in neurophysiological tone, but not threat reactivity, after trauma exposure. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2975-2984. [PMID: 36725899 PMCID: PMC10615735 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01971-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Considerable racial/ethnic disparities persist in exposure to life stressors and socioeconomic resources that can directly affect threat neurocircuitry, particularly the amygdala, that partially mediates susceptibility to adverse posttraumatic outcomes. Limited work to date, however, has investigated potential racial/ethnic variability in amygdala reactivity or connectivity that may in turn be related to outcomes such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants from the AURORA study (n = 283), a multisite longitudinal study of trauma outcomes, completed functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychophysiology within approximately two-weeks of trauma exposure. Seed-based amygdala connectivity and amygdala reactivity during passive viewing of fearful and neutral faces were assessed during fMRI. Physiological activity was assessed during Pavlovian threat conditioning. Participants also reported the severity of posttraumatic symptoms 3 and 6 months after trauma. Black individuals showed lower baseline skin conductance levels and startle compared to White individuals, but no differences were observed in physiological reactions to threat. Further, Hispanic and Black participants showed greater amygdala connectivity to regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and cerebellum compared to White participants. No differences were observed in amygdala reactivity to threat. Amygdala connectivity was associated with 3-month PTSD symptoms, but the associations differed by racial/ethnic group and were partly driven by group differences in structural inequities. The present findings suggest variability in tonic neurophysiological arousal in the early aftermath of trauma between racial/ethnic groups, driven by structural inequality, impacts neural processes that mediate susceptibility to later PTSD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sierra Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Leon D Sanchez
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace E Rowland
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - William M Davie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Camilo Guzman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Lauren A M Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Antonia V Seligowski
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sterling Winters
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Lana R Grasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Paul I Musey
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Mark J Seamon
- Department of Surgery, Division of Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care and Emergency Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stacey L House
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Francesca L Beaudoin
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Xinming An
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Donglin Zeng
- Department of Biostatistics, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gari D Clifford
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Laura T Germine
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- The Many Brains Project, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth A Bollen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience & Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Scott L Rauch
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Institute for Technology in Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - John P Haran
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Alan B Storrow
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Phyllis L Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine -Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Sophia Sheikh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine -Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Christopher W Jones
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ, USA
| | - Brittany E Punches
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
- Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Robert A Swor
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, USA
| | - Lauren A Hudak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jose L Pascual
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Anna M Chang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Jefferson University Hospitals, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Ascension St. John Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - David A Peak
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roland C Merchant
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert M Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Niels K Rathlev
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA, USA
| | - Steven E Bruce
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri - St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mark W Miller
- National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- National Center for PTSD, Clinical Neurosciences Division, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jutta Joormann
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven E Harte
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine-Rheumatology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - James M Elliott
- Kolling Institute, University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
- Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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23
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Okeke O, Elbasheir A, Carter SE, Powers A, Mekawi Y, Gillespie CF, Schwartz AC, Bradley B, Fani N. Indirect Effects of Racial Discrimination on Health Outcomes Through Prefrontal Cortical White Matter Integrity. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:741-749. [PMID: 35597432 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Racial discrimination is consistently associated with adverse health outcomes and has been linked to structural decrements in brain white matter. However, it is unclear whether discrimination-related neuroplastic changes could indirectly affect health outcomes. Our goal was to evaluate indirect associations of racial discrimination on health outcomes through white matter microstructure in a sample of trauma-exposed Black women. METHODS A trauma study in an urban hospital setting recruited 79 Black women who received a history and physical examination to assess medical disorders (compiled into a summed total of disorder types). Participants reported on experiences of racial discrimination and underwent diffusion tensor imaging; fractional anisotropy values were extracted from white matter pathways previously linked to racial discrimination (corpus callosum, including the body and genu; anterior cingulum bundle; and superior longitudinal fasciculus) and entered into mediational models. RESULTS Indirect effects of racial discrimination on medical disorders through left anterior cingulum bundle fractional anisotropy were significant (β = 0.07, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.003, 0.14]) after accounting for trauma and economic disadvantage. Indirect effects of racial discrimination on medical disorders through corpus callosum genu fractional anisotropy were also significant (β = 0.08, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [0.01, 0.16]). CONCLUSIONS Racial discrimination may increase risk for medical disorders via neuroplastic effects on microstructural integrity of stress-sensitive prefrontal white matter tracts. Racial discrimination-related changes in these tracts may affect health behaviors, which, in turn, influence vulnerability for medical disorders. These data highlight the connections between racial discrimination, prefrontal white matter connections, and incidence of medical disorders in Black Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onyebuchi Okeke
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ann C Schwartz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
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24
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Cohodes EM, McCauley S, Pierre JC, Hodges HR, Haberman JT, Santiuste I, Rogers MK, Wang J, Mandell JD, Gee DG. Development and validation of the Dimensional Inventory of Stress and Trauma Across the Lifespan (DISTAL): A novel assessment tool to facilitate the dimensional study of psychobiological sequelae of exposure to adversity. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22372. [PMID: 37073593 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research underscore the profound impact of adversity on brain and behavioral development. Recent theoretical models have highlighted the importance of considering specific features of adversity that may have dissociable effects at distinct developmental timepoints. However, existing measures do not query these dimensions in sufficient detail to support the proliferation of this approach. The Dimensional Inventory of Stress and Trauma Across the Lifespan (DISTAL) was developed with the aim to thoroughly and retrospectively assess the timing, severity (of exposure and reaction), type, persons involved, controllability, predictability, threat, deprivation, proximity, betrayal, and discrimination inherent in an individual's exposure to adversity. Here, we introduce this instrument, present descriptive statistics drawn from a sample of N = 187 adults who completed the DISTAL, and provide initial information about its psychometric properties. This novel measure facilitates the expansion of research focused on assessing the relative impact of exposure to key dimensions of adversity on the brain and behavior across development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sarah McCauley
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jasmyne C Pierre
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - H R Hodges
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jason T Haberman
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Isabel Santiuste
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Marisa K Rogers
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jenny Wang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Mandell
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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25
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La Scala S, Mullins JL, Firat RB, Michalska KJ. Equity, diversity, and inclusion in developmental neuroscience: Practical lessons from community-based participatory research. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 16:1007249. [PMID: 37007188 PMCID: PMC10060815 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.1007249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Exclusion of racialized minorities in neuroscience directly harms communities and potentially leads to biased prevention and intervention approaches. As magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other neuroscientific techniques offer progressive insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of mental health research agendas, it is incumbent on us as researchers to pay careful attention to issues of diversity and representation as they apply in neuroscience research. Discussions around these issues are based largely on scholarly expert opinion without actually involving the community under study. In contrast, community-engaged approaches, specifically Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), actively involve the population of interest in the research process and require collaboration and trust between community partners and researchers. This paper outlines a community-engaged neuroscience approach for the development of our developmental neuroscience study on mental health outcomes in preadolescent Latina youth. We focus on “positionality” (the multiple social positions researchers and the community members hold) and “reflexivity” (the ways these positions affect the research process) as conceptual tools from social sciences and humanities. We propose that integrating two unique tools: a positionality map and Community Advisory Board (CAB) into a CBPR framework can counter the biases in human neuroscience research by making often invisible–or taken-for-granted power dynamics visible and bolstering equitable participation of diverse communities in scientific research. We discuss the benefits and challenges of incorporating a CBPR method in neuroscience research with an illustrative example of a CAB from our lab, and highlight key generalizable considerations in research design, implementation, and dissemination that we hope are useful for scholars wishing to take similar approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayna La Scala
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Jordan L. Mullins
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Rengin B. Firat
- Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- Korn Ferry Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | | | - Kalina J. Michalska
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Kalina J. Michalska,
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Dumornay NM, Lebois LAM, Ressler KJ, Harnett NG. Racial Disparities in Adversity During Childhood and the False Appearance of Race-Related Differences in Brain Structure. Am J Psychiatry 2023; 180:127-138. [PMID: 36722118 PMCID: PMC9897449 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21090961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Black Americans in the United States are disproportionately exposed to childhood adversity compared with White Americans. Such disparities may contribute to race-related differences in brain structures involved in regulating the emotional response to stress, such as the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex (PFC). The authors investigated neuroanatomical consequences of racial disparities in adversity. METHODS The sample included 7,350 White American and 1,786 Black American children (ages 9-10) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (public data release 2.0). Structural MRI data, parent and child self-reports of adversity-related measures, and U.S. Census neighborhood data were used to investigate the relationship between racial disparities in adversity exposure and race-related differences in brain structure. RESULTS Black children experienced more traumatic events, family conflict, and material hardship on average compared with White children, and their parents or caregivers had lower educational attainment, lower income, and more unemployment compared with those of White children. Black children showed lower amygdala, hippocampus, and PFC gray matter volumes compared with White children. The volumes of the PFC and amygdala, but not the hippocampus, also varied with metrics of childhood adversity, with income being the most common predictor of brain volume differences. Accounting for differences in childhood adversity attenuated the magnitude of some race-related differences in gray matter volume. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that disparities in childhood adversity contribute to race-related differences in gray matter volume in key brain regions associated with threat-related processes. Structural alterations of these regions are linked to cognitive-affective dysfunction observed in disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder. More granular assessments of structural inequities across racial/ethnic identities are needed for a thorough understanding of their impact on the brain. Together, the present findings may provide insight into potential systemic contributors to disparate rates of psychiatric disease among Black and White individuals in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie M. Dumornay
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
| | - Lauren A. M. Lebois
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Kerry J. Ressler
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Nathaniel G. Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety Disorders, McLean Hospital, Belmont, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
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Letzen JE, Hunt C, Kuwabara H, McGill LS, Reid MJ, Hamilton KR, Buenaver LF, Burton E, Sheinberg R, Wong DF, Smith MT, Campbell CM. Preliminary Evidence for the Sequentially Mediated Effect of Racism-Related Stress on Pain Sensitivity Through Sleep Disturbance and Corticolimbic Opioid Receptor Function. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2023; 24:1-18. [PMID: 36167231 PMCID: PMC10863672 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Sleep disturbance predicts worse pain outcomes. Because sleep disturbance inequitably impacts Black adults - with racism as the upstream cause - understanding how racism-related stress impacts pain through sleep might help minimize racialized pain inequities. This preliminary study examined sequential mediation of the effect of racism-related stress on experimental pain through sleep disturbance and corticolimbic μOR function in pain-free non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW) adults. Participants completed questionnaires, actigraphy, positron emission tomography, and sensory testing. We reproduced findings showing greater sleep disturbance and pain sensitivity among NHB participants; greater sleep disturbance (r = .35) and lower pain tolerance (r=-.37) were significantly associated with greater racism-related stress. In a sequential mediation model, the total effect of racism-related stress on pain tolerance (β=-.38, P = .005) weakened after adding sleep disturbance and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) μOR binding potential (BPND) as mediators (β = -.18, P = .16). The indirect effect was statistically significant [point estimate = -.003, (-.007, -.0003). Findings showed a potential sequentially mediated effect of racism-related stress on pain sensitivity through sleep disturbance and vmPFC μOR BPND. As policy efforts are enacted to eliminate the upstream cause of systemic racism, these results cautiously suggest that sleep interventions within racism-based trauma informed therapy might help prevent downstream effects on pain. PERSPECTIVE: This preliminary study identified the effect of racism-related stress on pain through sleep disturbance and mu-opioid receptor binding potential in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Findings cautiously support the application of sleep interventions within racism-based trauma-informed therapy to prevent pain inequities as policy changes function to eliminate all levels of racism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle E Letzen
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland..
| | - Carly Hunt
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Hiroto Kuwabara
- Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lakeya S McGill
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Matthew J Reid
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Katrina R Hamilton
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Luis F Buenaver
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Emily Burton
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Rosanne Sheinberg
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Dean F Wong
- Departments of Radiology, Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurosciences, Washington University School of Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, St, Louis Missouri
| | - Michael T Smith
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Claudia M Campbell
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
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Fani N, Khalsa SS. The role of racial discrimination in dissociation and interoceptive dysfunction. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:225-227. [PMID: 35922550 PMCID: PMC9700762 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01402-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sahib S Khalsa
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
- Oxley College of Health Sciences, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
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Gee DG. Neurodevelopmental mechanisms linking early experiences and mental health: Translating science to promote well-being among youth. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2022; 77:1033-1045. [PMID: 36595400 PMCID: PMC9875304 DOI: 10.1037/amp0001107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Early experiences can have profound and lasting effects on mental health. Delineating neurodevelopmental pathways related to risk and resilience following adversity exposure is critical for promoting well-being and targeting interventions. A rapidly growing cross-species literature has facilitated advances in identifying neural and behavioral mechanisms linking early experiences with mental health, highlighting a central role of corticolimbic circuitry involved in learning and emotion regulation. Building upon knowledge of corticolimbic development related to stress and buffering factors, we describe the importance of the developmental timing and experiential elements of adversity in mental health outcomes. Finally, we discuss opportunities to translate knowledge of the developing brain and early experiences to optimize interventions for youth with psychopathology and to inform policy that promotes healthy development at the societal level. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Arredondo MM, Garcini LM, McLaughlin KA. Integration of Equity and Diversity Frameworks to Advance Biological Psychiatry. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1198-1199. [PMID: 35998823 PMCID: PMC9876623 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria M Arredondo
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Luz M Garcini
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas
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Carter S, Mekawi Y, Sheikh I, Sanders AS, Packard G, Harnett NG, Metzger IW. Approaching Mental Health Equity in Neuroscience for Black Women Across the Lifespan: Biological Embedding of Racism From Black Feminist Conceptual Frameworks. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1235-1241. [PMID: 36038046 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Black women in the United States are faced with unrelenting chronic stressors that are often driven by racism and oppression and that result in mental health inequities. Similar to common U.S. societal views of Black women, ideological values about Black women's lives also permeate psychiatry and neuroscience research to prevent likely impactful research that fully examines the role of social power structures in the biological embedding of racism. This article's overall aim is to highlight the most urgent areas to address in mental health inequities utilizing a Black feminist lens that include 1) culturally grounded and contextually relevant considerations for the biological embedding of racism on mental health outcomes for Black women across the lifespan and 2) intersectional frameworks that address mental health inequities ingrained in multiple marginalization. We conclude with a call to action informed by Black feminist thought for the field of neuroscience to make a concerted effort to address mental health inequities among Black women and other disenfranchised groups from a frame of compassion, cultural humility, and a continuous pursuit of social justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Ifrah Sheikh
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Grace Packard
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Isha W Metzger
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
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32
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Grasser LR, Jovanovic T. Neural Impacts of Stigma, Racism, and Discrimination. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1225-1234. [PMID: 35811064 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Racism is a chronic stressor fueled by stigma that can result in significant distress and dysfunction as well as negatively affect emotions, behavior, quality of life, and brain health. The effects of stigma and discrimination emerge early in life and have long-term consequences. In this review, we sought to use neuroscience research to describe how stigma, racism, and discrimination can impact brain and mental health. Societal stigmas may be encoded by associative fear learning and pattern completion networks, and experiences of racial discrimination may similarly affect threat-responsive regions and circuits. Race-related differences in brain function and structure supporting threat circuitry are largely attenuated when negative life experiences and discrimination are taken into account. Downstream, chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis in the context of discrimination and stigma can contribute to physical health disparities in minoritized and marginalized groups. Finally, we discuss models that provide a framework for interventions and societal-level strategies across ecologic systems to build resilience and foster posttraumatic growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana Ruvolo Grasser
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan.
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Muscatell KA, Alvarez GM, Bonar AS, Cardenas MN, Galvan MJ, Merritt CC, Starks MD. Brain-body pathways linking racism and health. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2022; 77:1049-1060. [PMID: 36595402 PMCID: PMC9887645 DOI: 10.1037/amp0001084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Racial disparities in health are a major public health problem in the United States, especially when comparing chronic disease morbidity and mortality for Black versus White Americans. These health disparities are primarily due to insidious anti-Black racism that permeates American history, current culture and institutions, and interpersonal interactions. But how does racism get under the skull and the skin to influence brain and bodily processes that impact the health of Black Americans? In the present article, we present a model describing the possible neural and inflammatory mechanisms linking racism and health. We hypothesize that racism influences neural activity and connectivity in the salience and default mode networks of the brain and disrupts interactions between these networks and the executive control network. This pattern of neural functioning in turn leads to greater sympathetic nervous system signaling, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation, and increased expression of genes involved in inflammation, ultimately leading to higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the body and brain. Over time, these neural and physiological responses can lead to chronic physical and mental health conditions, disrupt well-being, and cause premature mortality. Given that research in this area is underdeveloped to date, we emphasize opportunities for future research that are needed to build a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of the brain-body pathways linking anti-Black racism and health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Keely A Muscatell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Gabriella M Alvarez
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Adrienne S Bonar
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Megan N Cardenas
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Manuel J Galvan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Carrington C Merritt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Maurryce D Starks
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Hastings PD, Guyer AE, Parra LA. Conceptualizing the Influence of Social and Structural Determinants of Neurobiology and Mental Health: Why and How Biological Psychiatry Can Do Better at Addressing the Consequences of Inequity. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1215-1224. [PMID: 35718087 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatry and allied disciplines have recognized the potency of structural and social determinants of mental health, yet there has been scant attention given to the roles of neurobiology in the links between structural and social determinants and mental health. In this article, we make the case for why greater attention must be given to structural and social determinants of biological psychiatry by researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. After defining these terms and theoretical frameworks for considering their relevance in biological psychiatry, we review empirical research with marginalized and minoritized racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, and economic communities that reveals the ways in which structural and social determinants affect neurobiological functioning with implications for mental health. We give particular emphasis to developmental science and developmentally informed research, because structural and social determinants influence neurobiological adaptation and maturation across the lifespan. We conclude with recommendations for advancing research, practice, and policy that connect biological psychiatry with structural and social determinants of health. Foremost among these is diversifying the ranks of biological psychiatry, from classrooms through laboratories, hospitals, and community health centers. Transforming and advancing the understanding of the structural and social determinants of neurobiology and mental health is most likely to come through transforming the discipline itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D Hastings
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, California; Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, California.
| | - Amanda E Guyer
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, California; Department of Human Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Luis A Parra
- School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Identifying latent profiles of emotion dysregulation in a sample of primarily Black women with trauma exposure. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 156:291-298. [PMID: 36283132 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emotion dysregulation (ED) is a heterogenous, multi-dimensional transdiagnostic risk factor relevant to the development and maintenance of both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, especially for those who have experienced trauma. The goals of the current study were to use person-centered analyses to identify distinct profiles of individuals characterized by unique patterns of ED dimensions, and to examine differences in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a community sample. METHODS Participants (n = 783, 97% Black, 93% women) were recruited from an urban safety net hospital with high rates of trauma exposure. Latent profile analysis was used to uncover unique patterns of ED and multinomial logistic regression to evaluate the conditional distribution of our correlates across profiles. RESULTS The best-fitting model uncovered four classes: Low ED (42%), Low Awareness/Clarity (34%), Low Impulse Control (17%), and High ED (6%). All classes differed in terms of internalizing symptoms (anxiety sensitivity, depression, PTSD), with classes characterized by higher ED reporting more severe symptoms. For externalizing symptoms (food addiction behaviors, alcohol and drug abuse, aggressive behavior), the Low ED class reported fewer symptoms than all other profiles, while Low Awareness/Clarity, Low Impulse Control, and High ED did not differ from each other. CONCLUSIONS Patterns of emotion dysregulation ought to be assessed and considered as treatment targets for those experiencing both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology symptoms.
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Eckstrand KL, Silk JS, Nance M, Wallace ML, Buckley N, Lindenmuth M, Flores L, Alarcón G, Quevedo K, Phillips ML, Lenniger CJ, Sammon MM, Brostowin A, Ryan N, Jones N, Forbes EE. Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity to Reward Outcome Moderates the Association Between Victimization Due to Sexual Orientation and Depression in Youth. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1289-1297. [PMID: 36064188 PMCID: PMC9842132 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexual minority youth (SMY) are 3 times more likely to experience depression than heterosexual peers. Minority stress theory posits that this association is explained by sexual orientation victimization, which acts as a stressor to impact depression. For those vulnerable to the effects of stress, victimization may worsen depression by altering activity in neural reward systems. This study examines whether neural reward systems moderate the influence of sexual orientation victimization, a common and distressing experience in SMY, on depression. METHODS A total of 81 participants ages 15 to 22 years (41% SMY, 52% marginalized race) reported sexual orientation victimization, depression severity, and anhedonia severity, and underwent a monetary reward functional magnetic resonance imaging task. Significant activation to reward > neutral outcome (pfamilywise error < .05) was determined within a meta-analytically derived Neurosynth reward mask. A univariate linear model examined the impact of reward activation and identity on victimization-depression relationships. RESULTS SMY reported higher depression (p < .001), anhedonia (p = .03), and orientation victimization (p < .001) than heterosexual youth. The bilateral ventral striatum, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), anterior cingulate cortex, and right orbitofrontal cortex were significantly active to reward. mPFC activation moderated associations between sexual orientation victimization and depression (p = .03), with higher depression severity observed in those with a combination of higher mPFC activation and greater orientation victimization. CONCLUSIONS Sexual orientation victimization was related to depression but only in the context of higher mPFC activation, a pattern observed in depressed youth. These novel results provide evidence for neural reward sensitivity as a vulnerability factor for depression in SMY, suggesting mechanisms for disparities, and are a first step toward a clinical neuroscience understanding of minority stress in SMY.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer S. Silk
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Melissa Nance
- Department of Psychology, University of Missouri St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | - Nicole Buckley
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | | | - Luis Flores
- Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gabriela Alarcón
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Karina Quevedo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Mary L. Phillips
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | | | - M. McLean Sammon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Alyssa Brostowin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Neal Ryan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Neil Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Erika E. Forbes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
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Fani N, Eghbalzad L, Harnett NG, Carter SE, Price M, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ, van Rooij SJH, Bradley B. Racial discrimination associates with lower cingulate cortex thickness in trauma-exposed black women. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:2230-2237. [PMID: 36100659 PMCID: PMC9630426 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01445-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Racial discrimination (RD) has been consistently linked to adverse brain health outcomes. These may be due in part to RD effects on neural networks involved with threat appraisal and regulation; RD has been linked to altered activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) and structural decrements in the anterior cingulum bundle and hippocampus. In the present study, we examined associations of RD with cingulate, hippocampus and amygdala gray matter morphology in a sample of trauma-exposed Black women. Eighty-one Black women aged 19-62 years were recruited as part of an ongoing study of trauma. Participants completed assessments of RD, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and underwent T1-weighted anatomical imaging. Cortical thickness, surface area and gray matter volume were extracted from subregions of cingulate cortex, and gray matter volume was extracted from amygdala and hippocampus, and entered into partial correlation analyses that included RD and other socio-environmental variables. After correction for multiple comparisons and accounting for variance associated with other stressors and socio-environmental factors, participants with more RD exposure showed proportionally lower cortical thickness in the left rACC, caudal ACC, and posterior cingulate cortex (ps < = 0.01). These findings suggest that greater experiences of RD are linked to compromised cingulate gray matter thickness. In the context of earlier findings indicating that RD produces increased response in threat neurocircuitry, our data suggest that RD may increase vulnerability for brain health problems via cingulate cortex alterations. Further research is needed to elucidate biological mechanisms for these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Leyla Eghbalzad
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Matthew Price
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA
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Webb EK, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Douglas R. Radically reframing studies on neurobiology and socioeconomic circumstances: A call for social justice-oriented neuroscience. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:958545. [PMID: 36118113 PMCID: PMC9479322 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.958545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic circumstances are associated with symptoms and diagnostic status of nearly all mental health conditions. Given these robust relationships, neuroscientists have attempted to elucidate how socioeconomic-based adversity "gets under the skin." Historically, this work emphasized individual proxies of socioeconomic position (e.g., income, education), ignoring the effects of broader socioeconomic contexts (e.g., neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage) which may uniquely contribute to chronic stress. This omission represented a disconnect between neuroscience and other allied fields that have recognized health is undeniably linked to interactions between systems of power and individual characteristics. More recently, neuroscience work has considered how sociopolitical context affects brain structure and function; however, the products of this exciting line of research have lacked critical sociological and historical perspectives. While empirical evidence on this topic is burgeoning, the cultural, ethical, societal, and legal implications of this work have been elusive. Although the mechanisms by which socioeconomic circumstances impact brain structure and function may be similar across people, not everyone is exposed to these factors at similar rates. Individuals from ethnoracially minoritized groups are disproportionally exposed to neighborhood disadvantage. Thus, socioeconomic inequities examined in neuroscience research are undergirding with other forms of oppression, namely structural racism. We utilize a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to interpret findings from neuroscience research and interweave relevant theories from the fields of public health, social sciences, and Black feminist thought. In this perspective piece, we discuss the complex relationship that continues to exist between academic institutions and underserved surrounding communities, acknowledging the areas in which neuroscience research has historically harmed and/or excluded structurally disadvantaged communities. We conclude by envisioning how this work can be used; not just to inform policymakers, but also to engage and partner with communities and shape the future direction of human neuroscience research.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Kate Webb
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Robyn Douglas
- Department of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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Harris LT. Evidence of shifting racial biases? Neuroimage 2022; 255:119151. [PMID: 35354093 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Racial biases are not fixed; they shift over time as cultural narratives about various social groups shift. Such shifts are usually triggered by catalytic events such as the murder of George Floyd. Dang et al. (2022) potentially document such a shift in brain responses to African Americans experiencing police violence; participants engage brain mechanisms involved in mentalising more when witnessing such atrocities, evidence of a lack of dehumanisation. This commentary urges caution towards such interpretations of these findings and encourages future research to better understanding shifting racial biases over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasana T Harris
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom.
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Marusak HA. Editorial: Growing up in a High-Stigma Context: An Unseen Driver of Neurodevelopment, Health, and Pathology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 61:749-751. [PMID: 34688856 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Growing research establishes that stigma can play a key role in driving population health inequalities, particularly among minority groups.1 Indeed, stigma related to gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental illness, or disability has been linked to elevated risk of mental and physical health problems ranging from depression to cardiovascular disease. Recent neuroimaging studies point to changes in brain structure and function-particularly in stress-responsive brain networks-in mediating the link between stigma and risk of mental disorders. For example, recent neuroimaging research links racial discrimination to elevated neural response to threat in Black women in the United States.2 Importantly, stigma can occur at multiple levels, and most research to date has focused on stigma experienced at individual or interpersonal levels (eg, identity concealment, victimization). However, structural stigma (eg, laws and social norms) is increasingly recognized as a critical social determinant of health for people in marginalized groups. However, structural stigma is methodologically challenging to study at the level of neurobiology because relatively large, multisite studies are needed that span different sociopolitical contexts. An innovative study by Hatzenbuehler et al.3 in this issue of the Journal examines for the first time the impact of structural stigma on neurodevelopment in children. This study paves the way for future studies examining how contexts-particularly stigmatizing contexts-can act as unseen drivers of neurodevelopment, health, or pathology.
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Jones AL, Rafferty J, Cochran SD, Abelson J, Hanna MR, Mays VM. Prevalence, Severity and Burden of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Black Men and Women Across the Adult Life span. J Aging Health 2022; 34:401-412. [PMID: 35510479 PMCID: PMC9175561 DOI: 10.1177/08982643221086071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objectives: To examine post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Black adults in younger, middle, and older ages. Methods: Using nationally representative data from the National Survey of American Life, we estimated lifetime and 12-month prevalence of PTSD in Black men and women ages 18-34, 35-49, and 50+. We determined PTSD persistence and severity by age group, then associations of PTSD with socio-economic status, chronic stress, and racial discrimination in middle age. Results: The lifetime prevalence of PTSD was higher in Black women/men ages 18-34 (prevalence=14.0%/6.3%) and 35-49 (12.8%/4.6%) versus 50 and older (8.7%/5.1%). Those ages 35-49 were more likely than younger/older Black adults to have severe interference in work, relationships, and activities domains. In middle age, PTSD was associated with unemployment, lower education, poverty, and stress in Black men, and unemployment, divorce, poverty, stress, and discrimination in Black women. Discussion: Black women experience a disproportionate burden of PTSD in middle age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey L Jones
- Informatics, Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center, 20122Veteran Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Jane Rafferty
- Program for Research on Black Americans, 51331Institute of Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- School of Social Work, 143265University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Susan D Cochran
- Departments of Epidemiology and Statistics, Fielding School of Public Health, 25808University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- UCLA BRITE Center for Science, Research & Policy, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jamie Abelson
- Program for Research on Black Americans, 51331Institute of Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- School of Social Work, 143265University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Matthew R Hanna
- Department of Psychology, 5926The New School for Social Research, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vickie M Mays
- UCLA BRITE Center for Science, Research & Policy, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Departments of Psychology and Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, 8783University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Fani N, Harnett NG, Bradley B, Mekawi Y, Powers A, Stevens JS, Ressler KJ, Carter SE. Racial Discrimination and White Matter Microstructure in Trauma-Exposed Black Women. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:254-261. [PMID: 34776124 PMCID: PMC8714668 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Experiences of racial discrimination are linked to a range of negative brain health outcomes, but little is known about how these experiences impact neural architecture, including white matter microstructure, which may partially mediate these outcomes. Our goal was to examine associations between racially discriminatory experiences and white matter structural integrity in a sample of Black American women. METHODS We recruited 116 Black American women as part of a long-standing study of trauma. Participants completed assessments of racial discrimination, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder and underwent diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values were extracted from major white matter tracts throughout the brain. RESULTS Experiences of racial discrimination were associated with significantly lower fractional anisotropy in multiple white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum, cingulum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus (ps < .004), even after accounting for variance associated with trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, and demographic- and scanner-related factors. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination are independently related to decrements in white matter microarchitecture throughout the brain. In individuals who have experienced other types of adversity, racial discrimination clearly has additive and distinctive deleterious effects on white matter structure. Our findings suggest a pathway through which racial discrimination can contribute to brain health disparities in Black Americans; the deleterious contributions of racial discrimination on the microstructure of major white matter pathways may increase vulnerability for the development of neurodegenerative disorders as well as the development of mental health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
| | - Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
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Webb EK, Bird CM, deRoon-Cassini TA, Weis CN, Huggins AA, Fitzgerald JM, Miskovich T, Bennett K, Krukowski J, Torres L, Larson CL. Racial Discrimination and Resting-State Functional Connectivity of Salience Network Nodes in Trauma-Exposed Black Adults in the United States. JAMA Netw Open 2022; 5:e2144759. [PMID: 35072718 PMCID: PMC8787596 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.44759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance For Black US residents, experiences of racial discrimination are still pervasive and frequent. Recent empirical work has amplified the lived experiences and narratives of Black people and further documented the detrimental effects of racial discrimination on both mental and physical health; however, there is still a need for further research to uncover the mechanisms connecting experiences of racial discrimination with adverse health outcomes. Objective To examine neurobiological mechanisms that may offer novel insight into the association of racial discrimination with adverse health outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study included 102 Black adults who had recently experienced a traumatic injury. In the acute aftermath of the trauma, participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Individuals were recruited from the emergency department at a Midwestern level 1 trauma center in the United States between March 2016 and July 2020. Data were analyzed from February to May 2021. Exposures Self-reported lifetime exposure to racial discrimination, lifetime trauma exposure, annual household income, and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were evaluated. Main Outcomes and Measures Seed-to-voxel analyses were conducted to examine the association of racial discrimination with connectivity of salience network nodes (ie, amygdala and anterior insula). Results A total of 102 individuals were included, with a mean (SD) age of 33 (10) years and 58 (57%) women. After adjusting for acute PTSD symptoms, annual household income, and lifetime trauma exposure, greater connectivity between the amygdala and thalamus was associated with greater exposure to discrimination (t(97) = 6.05; false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected P = .03). Similarly, racial discrimination was associated with greater connectivity between the insula and precuneus (t(97) = 4.32; FDR-corrected P = .02). Conclusions and Relevance These results add to the mounting literature that racial discrimination is associated with neural correlates of vigilance and hyperarousal. The study findings extend this theory by showing that this association is apparent even when accounting for socioeconomic position, lifetime trauma, and symptoms of psychological distress related to an acute trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Kate Webb
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
| | - Claire M. Bird
- Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Terri A. deRoon-Cassini
- Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Carissa N. Weis
- Institute for Health and Equity, Department of Epidemiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Ashley A. Huggins
- Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | | | | | | | - Jessica Krukowski
- Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Lucas Torres
- Department of Psychology, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Woody ML, Bell EC, Cruz NA, Wears A, Anderson RE, Price RB. Racial Stress and Trauma and the Development of Adolescent Depression: A Review of the Role of Vigilance Evoked by Racism-Related Threat. CHRONIC STRESS 2022; 6:24705470221118574. [PMID: 35966451 PMCID: PMC9373112 DOI: 10.1177/24705470221118574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
There are known disparities in the burden of illness and access/quality of care
for African, Latino/a, Asian, and Native American (ALANA) patients diagnosed
with depressive disorders, which may occur because of health inequities. Racial
stress and trauma (RST), or the significant fear and distress that can be
imparted from exposure to racism, is one such inequity linked to the development
of depression. The current review summarizes past research examining the
association between racism, RST, and depression, as well as avenues in which RST
becomes biologically embedded in ALANA individuals. We describe multimodal
research that supports vigilance as a potential mediator of the association
between RST and depression and consider the nuanced role that vigilance plays
during experiences with racism. Finally, we describe methodological advances in
the assessment of vigilance evoked by RST and the clinical implications that may
be generated by future improvements. In each of these areas, we present examples
of how ongoing and future research can be leveraged to provide support for
psychosocial programs that facilitate autonomous community healing and
resilience, increase calls for public policy changes, and support clinical
interventions that lessen the burden of racism on ALANA communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary L. Woody
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Nicolas A. Cruz
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Anna Wears
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Riana E. Anderson
- Health Behavior and Health Education Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rebecca B. Price
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Tracy DK, Joyce DW, Albertson DN, Shergill SS. Kaleidoscope. Br J Psychiatry 2021; 219:624-625. [PMID: 35048826 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2021.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Motley RO, Rogers C. Insights on Neural Response to Racist Threats. JAMA Psychiatry 2021; 78:947-948. [PMID: 34319373 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.1254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert O Motley
- Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
| | - Cynthia Rogers
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
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