1
|
Glass DJ, Reiches M, Clarkin P. Coming of age in war: Early life adversity, age at menarche, and mental health. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 169:107153. [PMID: 39128396 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107153] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Armed conflict and forced migration (ACFM) represent a set of extreme environments that are increasingly common for children and adolescents to experience. Adolescence may constitute a sensitive period (puberty and psychoneurological maturation) through which ACFM adversity leaves a lasting mark. Adolescence has become a focal point for analysis and intervention as it relates to the effects of early life adversity on puberty, linear growth, and mental health. Research in public health and psychological science suggests early life adversity (ELA) may accelerate puberty, heightening risks for mental health disorders. However, it is not well substantiated whether ACFM-derived adversities accelerate or delay relative pubertal timing. Secondly, ACFM provides salient context through which to probe the relationships between nutritional, psychosocial, and demographic changes and their respective impact on puberty and mental health. We conducted a narrative review which 1) examined constructions of early life adversity and their proposed influence on puberty 2) reviewed empirical findings (n = 29 studies, n = 36 samples) concerning effects of ACFM ELA on age at menarche and 3) discussed proposed relationships between early life adversity, puberty, and mental ill-health. Contrary to prior research, we found war-derived early life adversity was more consistently associated with pubertal delay than acceleration and may exert counterintuitive effects on mental health. We show that ELA cannot be operationalized in the same way across contexts and populations, especially in the presence of extreme forms of human stress and resilience. We further discuss the ethics of puberty research among conflict-affected youth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Delaney J Glass
- University of Washington, Department of Anthropology, Seattle, WA, USA; University of Toronto - St. George, Department of Anthropology, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Owens C, Hadley C. The relationship between mental well-being and wealth varies by wealth type, place and sex/gender: Evidence from Namibia. Am J Hum Biol 2024; 36:e24064. [PMID: 38459957 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of livelihood strategies and place on mental well-being. Identifying different socioeconomic factors that impact mental well-being across contexts is pressing given the global rise in mental health disorders. Numerous studies in the population and social sciences have emphasized the protective role of material wealth on human health and well-being; however, scholars frequently assess wealth as a one-dimensional variable, which may fail to capture diverse forms of wealth. Acknowledging different forms of wealth may be particularly important in settings where agricultural economies coexist with cash economies. Using data from the 2013 Namibia Demographic Health Survey (n = 13 377), we use a newly developed measure of success in agricultural activities, an agricultural wealth index, or AWI, generated by Hackman et al., (2021). To examine the role of different forms of wealth on mental health symptoms. We find mental well-being, assessed through three survey questions, is lower among urban dwellers and females and shows varied associations with wealth type and sex/gender. In general, success in agricultural activities is associated with better mental well-being, while the association with market success is null or and conditional upon sex/gender and place. This study adds to recent work on the value of using multidimensional measures of wealth and raises important questions about why wealth type and sex/gender differentially impact mental well-being.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Owens
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
- Department of Quantitative Theory and Methods, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Craig Hadley
- Department of Quantitative Theory and Methods, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Masih M, Wagstaff C, Kaur-Aujla H. The global psychological and physical effects of domestic abuse and violence on South Asian women: a qualitative systematic review. Front Glob Womens Health 2024; 5:1365883. [PMID: 39045141 PMCID: PMC11263282 DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2024.1365883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The purpose of this review is to systematically extract and analyse global academic literature to determine the physical and psychological effects of domestic abuse and violence on South Asian women. Design This review employs a qualitative systematic approach and thematic analysis to synthesize the narratives of affected women found in the literature. Given that domestic violence is often concealed and downplayed by various social factors, statistical reports and prevalence data offer only a limited view of the issue due to underreporting. Therefore, qualitative literature is deemed more dependable in this subjective domain as it captures and interprets the experiences and meanings within this under-studied group. Data sources Embase, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, Web Of Science, MEDLINE, and ASSIA were searched. Review methods All included studies were critically appraised using the CASP tool for qualitative research. Thematic analysis was conducted to develop six themes. Studies excluded did not address the research question, although intersecting population issues could be valuable topics for further research. Results The literature indicates severe mental and physical health consequences of domestic violence and abuse, with some traits persisting long-term. The analysis underscores the significant role of resilience, suggesting that individuals can overcome traumatic social experiences without enduring lifelong labels or a deficit model. Conclusion The findings provide support for future interventions aimed at recognizing signs of abuse and preventing severe psychological and physical consequences, particularly among South Asian women. Further research is needed to understand the impact on children and other family members affected by the victim's abuse, which falls beyond the scope of this review.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Harjinder Kaur-Aujla
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences School of Nursing and Midwifery University of Birmingham Edgbaston, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hollon SD. What we got wrong about depression and its treatment. Behav Res Ther 2024; 180:104599. [PMID: 38925002 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The paradigm is shifting with respect to how we think about depression and its treatment. Some of that shift can be attributed to new findings with respect to its epidemiology and genetics and the rest can be attributed to the incorporation of a new perspective derived from evolutionary theory. In brief, depression is far more prevalent than previously recognized with the bulk of additional cases involving individuals who do not go on to become recurrent. Nonpsychotic unipolar depression (but not bipolar mania which likely is a "true" disease) appears to be an adaptation that evolved to facilitate rumination in the service of resolving complex social problems in our ancestral past. Cognitive behavior therapy appears to structure that rumination so that patients at elevated risk for recurrence do not get "stuck" blaming themselves for their misfortunes, whereas antidepressant medications may suppress symptoms at the expense of prolonging the underlying episode such that patients remain at elevated risk for relapse whenever they try to discontinue. This means that patients not otherwise at risk for recurrence may be put on medications that they do not need and kept on them indefinitely whether they need to be or not.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven D Hollon
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lynn CD, Schell LM. Why religion and spirituality are important in human biological research. Am J Hum Biol 2024:e24106. [PMID: 38767192 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.24106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of human biology includes exploration of all the genetic and environmental influences on human variation and life history, including impacts of sociocultural and physical environments. Religious practice and spirituality may be one of these influences. There are more than 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and children, accounting for 84% of the world's 6.9 billion people. Furthermore, 70% of Americans consider themselves spiritual in some way, including 22% who do not consider themselves religious, and the numbers for Europe are lower but proportionally similar. Such a high rate of religious affiliation and spiritual belief suggests that religion and spirituality could be sociocultural influences on human variation, but human biologists have scarcely attended to their impacts, as indicated by the limited numbers of relevant articles in the two flagship human biology journals. In this article, we discuss why human biologists may have overlooked this important force for human variability and highlight foundational work from human biology and other disciplines that can give our colleagues directions forward. We review the impacts of religion and spirituality at population and individual levels and call for human biologists to attend to the many aspects of religion and spirituality that can impact human biology and are much more than simply influences of denominational affiliation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Lynn
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Lawrence M Schell
- Department of Anthropology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Westropp JL, Stella JL, Buffington CAT. Interstitial cystitis-an imbalance of risk and protective factors? FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2024; 5:1405488. [PMID: 38784787 PMCID: PMC11112028 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2024.1405488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Interstitial cystitis (IC) presents as a chronic pain condition with variable combinations of symptoms depending on the species and individual patient. It is diagnosed by the presence of lower urinary tract signs and symptoms in combination with a variety of comorbid health problems, a history of life adversities, and the absence of other conditions that could cause the lower urinary tract signs. IC occurs naturally in humans and cats as a dimensional condition, with patients presenting with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms. Most patients appear to recover without specific treatment. A number of rodent models of IC have been used to study its causes and treatments. Unfortunately, current therapies generally fail to ameliorate IC symptoms long-term. The recent classification of IC as a chronic primary pain disorder calls for a rethinking of current clinical and research approaches to it. Beginning when a patient encounters a clinician, precipitating, perpetuating, and palliating risk factors can be addressed until a cause or reliably effective therapy is identified, and identifying predisposing and preventive factors can inform epidemiological studies and health promotion interventions. Predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating risk factors, including environmental, psychological, and biological, increase the activity of the central threat response system (CTRS), which plays a clinically important role in IC symptoms. Studies in cats and rodent models have revealed that environmental enrichment (EE), in the absence of bladder-directed therapies, leads to amelioration of IC symptoms, implying a central role for the CTRS in symptom precipitation and perpetuation. Conceptually moving the source of IC pain to the brain as a motivational state rather than one resulting from peripheral nociceptive input offers both clinicians and researchers novel opportunities to improve care for patients with IC and for researchers to use more ecologically valid rodent models. It may even be that IC results from an excess of risk to protective factors, making this imbalance a targetable cause rather than a consequence of IC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jodi L. Westropp
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Judith L. Stella
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, W. Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - C. A. Tony Buffington
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Hunt A, Merola GP, Carpenter T, Jaeggi AV. Evolutionary perspectives on substance and behavioural addictions: Distinct and shared pathways to understanding, prediction and prevention. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 159:105603. [PMID: 38402919 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Addiction poses significant social, health, and criminal issues. Its moderate heritability and early-life impact, affecting reproductive success, poses an evolutionary paradox: why are humans predisposed to addictive behaviours? This paper reviews biological and psychological mechanisms of substance and behavioural addictions, exploring evolutionary explanations for the origin and function of relevant systems. Ancestrally, addiction-related systems promoted fitness through reward-seeking, and possibly self-medication. Today, psychoactive substances disrupt these systems, leading individuals to neglect essential life goals for immediate satisfaction. Behavioural addictions (e.g. video games, social media) often emulate ancestrally beneficial behaviours, making them appealing yet often irrelevant to contemporary success. Evolutionary insights have implications for how addiction is criminalised and stigmatised, propose novel avenues for interventions, anticipate new sources of addiction from emerging technologies such as AI. The emerging potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists targeting obesity suggest the satiation system may be a natural counter to overactivation of the reward system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hunt
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | | | - Tom Carpenter
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Glass DJ, al-Tameemi Z, Farquhar S. Advancing an individual-community health nexus: Survey, visual, and narrative meanings of mental and physical health for Arab emerging adults. SSM - MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 4:100281. [PMID: 38188867 PMCID: PMC10767648 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Delaney J. Glass
- The University of Washington, Departments of Anthropology and Epidemiology, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Herman R, Clark T. It's not a virus! Reconceptualizing and de-pathologizing music performance anxiety. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1194873. [PMID: 38022988 PMCID: PMC10667921 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1194873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians, affecting significant numbers of performers in terms of both their personal and professional functioning. Although numerous interventions exist to target MPA, its prevalence remains unchanged since the first large-scale studies of the 1980s, indicating that available interventions are having limited impact. This review synthesizes and critiques existing literature in order to investigate possible reasons for the limited efficacy of current approaches to managing MPA. Key concepts discussed include conceptual and methodological challenges surrounding defining MPA, theoretical perspectives on MPA's etiology and manifestation, and the coping strategies and interventions used to manage MPA. MPA has predominantly been investigated pathologically and defined as a negative construct manifesting in unwanted symptoms. Based on this conceptualization, interventions largely seek to manage MPA through ameliorating symptoms. This review discusses possible reasons why this approach has broadly not proved successful, including the issue of relaxation being both unrealistic and counterproductive for peak performance, issues associated with intentionally changing one's state creating resistance thus exacerbating anxiety, and focusing on the presence of, rather than response to, symptoms. Despite 50 years of research, MPA remains an unsolved enigma and continues to adversely impact musicians both on and off the stage. Reconceptualizing MPA as a normal and adaptive response to the pressures of performance may offer a new perspective on it, in terms of its definition, assessment and management, with practical as well as theoretical implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Herman
- Centre for Performance Science, Royal College of Music, London, United Kingdom
| | - Terry Clark
- Mount Royal Conservatory, Calgary, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Elshahat S, Moffat T, Morshed M, Alkhawaldeh H, Madani K, Mohamed A, Nadeem N, Emira S, Newbold KB, Donnelly M. A Scoping Review of the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Mental Health Among Immigrants in Western Countries: An Integrated Bio-Psycho-Socio-Cultural Lens. J Immigr Minor Health 2023; 25:1137-1151. [PMID: 37402074 DOI: 10.1007/s10903-023-01518-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological evidence suggests that regular physical activity (PA) positively impacts individuals' mental health (MH). The PA-MH relationship may be critical among immigrants owing to psycho-social-cultural influences. This scoping review of 61 studies employed a holistic bio-psycho-socio-cultural framework to thoroughly investigate the complex relationship between PA (across life domains) and immigrants' MH in Western countries. A systematic search of five electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Anthropology Plus) was conducted to locate relevant articles. No limitations were applied to study design, age, gender, home country, MH condition or PA type. A bio-psycho-socio-cultural-informed conceptual model guided the analysis of the multi-domain PA-MH relationship. Immigrant PA-MH studies were conducted and reported most commonly in the USA (38%), Australia (18%), and Canada (11%). Overall, PA was positively related to MH. Each domain-specific PA appeared to be associated with unique MH-promoting pathways/mechanisms. Leisure-related PA may support MH by enhancing self-agency and minimizing risky behaviors, whilst travel- and domestic-related PA may promote self-accomplishment and physical engagement. Ethnic sports appeared to enhance resilience. Occupational-related PA was associated with either positive or negative MH, depending on the type of occupation. A bio-psycho-socio-cultural-informed model is required to gain an encompassing and integrated understanding of immigrants' health. The first iteration of such a model is presented here, along with an illustration of how the model may be used to deepen analysis and understanding of the multi-domain PA-MH relationship among immigrants and inform public health planners and practitioners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Elshahat
- Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Chester New Hall, Hamilton, ON, Ontario, L8S 4L9, Canada.
| | - Tina Moffat
- Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University, Chester New Hall, Hamilton, ON, Ontario, L8S 4L9, Canada
| | - Mahira Morshed
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | | | - Keon Madani
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Aya Mohamed
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Naya Nadeem
- Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Sara Emira
- Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - K Bruce Newbold
- School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Donnelly
- Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Block B, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Peckham H. Introducing the Neuroplastic Narrative: a non-pathologizing biological foundation for trauma-informed and adverse childhood experience aware approaches. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1103718. [PMID: 37283710 PMCID: PMC10239852 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1103718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Most people accessing mental health services have adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and/or histories of complex trauma. In recognition of this, there are calls to move away from medical model approaches and move toward trauma-informed approaches which privilege the impact of life experience over underlying pathology in the etiology of emotional and psychological suffering. Trauma-informed approaches lack a biological narrative linking trauma and adversity to later suffering. In its absence, this suffering is diagnosed and treated as a mental illness. This study articulates the Neuroplastic Narrative, a neuroecological theory that fills this gap, conceptualizing emotional and psychological suffering as the cost of surviving and adapting to the impinging environments of trauma and adversity. The Neuroplastic Narrative privileges lived experience and recognizes that our experiences become embedded in our biology through evolved mechanisms that ultimately act to preserve survival in the service of reproduction. Neuroplasticity refers to the capacity of neural systems to adapt and change. Our many evolved neuroplastic mechanisms including epigenetics, neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and white matter plasticity allow us to learn from, and adapt to, past experiences. This learning and adaption in turn allows us to better anticipate and physiologically prepare for future experiences that (nature assumes) are likely to occur, based on past experiences. However, neuroplastic mechanisms cannot discriminate between experiences; they function to embed experience regardless of the quality of that experience, generating vicious or virtuous cycles of psychobiological anticipation, to help us survive or thrive in futures that resemble our privileged or traumatic pasts. The etiology of suffering that arises from this process is not a pathology (a healthy brain is a brain that can adapt to experience) but is the evolutionary cost of surviving traumatizing environments. Misidentifying this suffering as a pathology and responding with diagnosis and medication is not trauma-informed and may cause iatrogenic harm, in part through perpetuating stigma and exacerbating the shame which attends complex trauma and ACEs. As an alternative, this study introduces the Neuroplastic Narrative, which is situated within an evolutionary framework. The Neuroplastic Narrative complements both Life History and Attachment Theory and provides a non-pathologizing, biological foundation for trauma-informed and Adverse Childhood Experience aware approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haley Peckham
- Centre for Mental Health Nursing, School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Syme KL, Hagen EH. Bargaining and interdependence: Common parent‐offspring conflict resolution strategies among Chon Chuuk and their implications for suicidal behavior. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristen L. Syme
- Department of Anthropology Washington State University, Washington Vancouver USA
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam the Netherlands
- Institute of Security and Global Affairs Leiden University The Hague Netherlands
| | - Edward H. Hagen
- Department of Anthropology Washington State University, Washington Vancouver USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Soper C, Shackelford TK. Are depression and suicidality evolved signals? Evidently, no. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
|
14
|
Lewis ME. Exploring adolescence as a key life history stage in bioarchaeology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 179:519-534. [PMCID: PMC9825885 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Adolescence is a unique period in the life history of an individual. It is characterized by a myriad of changes that bioarchaeologists are only just coming to appreciate, related to sexual maturation, linear growth, immunological transformation, and emotional and cognitive development. New methods allow us to measure this age of transition through the stages of the adolescent growth, as a proxy for the physical development associated with sexual maturation (puberty). This review outlines ways bioarchaeologists may draw on research developments from the fields of human biology, evolutionary theory and neurobiology to advance a more holistic approach to the study of adolescence in the past. It considers current theoretical and analytical approaches to highlight the research potential of this critical stage of life history. This synthesis integrates the most recent research in the medical sciences concerned with body and brain development, and outlines the biological processes involved with sexual and physical maturation of the adolescent. The goal of this review is to help inform potentially rewarding areas of research that bioarchaeologists can contribute to and draw from, as well as the challenges and limitations, theoretical and methodological questions, and ways in which we can develop the study of adolescence in the discipline going forward.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary E. Lewis
- Department of ArchaeologyUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zug R, Uller T. Evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits: A transcriptional regulation perspective. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e43. [PMID: 37588924 PMCID: PMC10426018 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.42] [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: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary changes in brain and craniofacial development have endowed humans with unique cognitive and social skills, but also predisposed us to debilitating disorders in which these traits are disrupted. What are the developmental genetic underpinnings that connect the adaptive evolution of our cognition and sociality with the persistence of mental disorders with severe negative fitness effects? We argue that loss of function of genes involved in transcriptional regulation represents a crucial link between the evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits. The argument is based on the haploinsufficiency of many transcriptional regulator genes, which makes them particularly sensitive to loss-of-function mutations. We discuss how human brain and craniofacial traits evolved through partial loss of function (i.e. reduced expression) of these genes, a perspective compatible with the idea of human self-domestication. Moreover, we explain why selection against loss-of-function variants supports the view that mutation-selection-drift, rather than balancing selection, underlies the persistence of psychiatric disorders. Finally, we discuss testable predictions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roman Zug
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chaudhry MM, Banta JE, McCleary K, Mataya R, Banta JM. Psychological distress, structural barriers, and health services utilization among U.S. adults: National Health interview survey, 2011–2017. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/00207411.2022.2123694] [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: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maham M. Chaudhry
- School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
- Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Jim E. Banta
- School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Karl McCleary
- School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Ron Mataya
- School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - James M. Banta
- School of Business, La Sierra University, Riverside, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Taylor H, Vestergaard MD. Developmental Dyslexia: Disorder or Specialization in Exploration? Front Psychol 2022; 13:889245. [PMID: 35814102 PMCID: PMC9263984 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.889245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We raise the new possibility that people diagnosed with developmental dyslexia (DD) are specialized in explorative cognitive search, and rather than having a neurocognitive disorder, play an essential role in human adaptation. Most DD research has studied educational difficulties, with theories framing differences in neurocognitive processes as deficits. However, people with DD are also often proposed to have certain strengths - particularly in realms like discovery, invention, and creativity - that deficit-centered theories cannot explain. We investigate whether these strengths reflect an underlying explorative specialization. We re-examine experimental studies in psychology and neuroscience using the framework of cognitive search, whereby many psychological processes involve a trade-off between exploration and exploitation. We report evidence of an explorative bias in DD-associated cognitive strategies. High DD prevalence and an attendant explorative bias across multiple areas of cognition suggest the existence of explorative specialization. An evolutionary perspective explains the combination of findings and challenges the view that individuals with DD have a disorder. In cooperating groups, individual specialization is favored when features that confer fitness benefits are functionally incompatible. Evidence for search specialization suggests that, as with some other social organisms, humans mediate the exploration-exploitation trade-off by specializing in complementary strategies. The existence of a system of collective cognitive search that emerges through collaboration would help to explain our species' exceptional adaptiveness. It also aligns with evidence for substantial variability during our evolutionary history and the notion that humans are adapted not to a particular habitat but to variability itself. Specialization creates interdependence and necessitates balancing complementary strategies. Reframing DD therefore underscores the urgency of changing certain cultural practices to ensure we do not inhibit adaptation. Key improvements would remove cultural barriers to exploration and nurture explorative learning in education, academia, and the workplace, as well as emphasize collaboration over competition. Specialization in complementary search abilities represents a meta-adaptation; through collaboration, this likely enables human groups (as a species and as cultural systems) to successfully adapt. Cultural change to support this system of collaborative search may therefore be essential in confronting the challenges humanity now faces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen Taylor
- Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Human, Social and Political Science, School of the Humanities and Social Sciences, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Vianna Franco MP, Molnár O, Dorninger C, Laciny A, Treven M, Weger J, Albuquerque EDME, Cazzolla Gatti R, Villanueva Hernandez LA, Jakab M, Marizzi C, Menéndez LP, Poliseli L, Rodríguez HB, Caniglia G. Diversity regained: Precautionary approaches to COVID-19 as a phenomenon of the total environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 825:154029. [PMID: 35202694 PMCID: PMC8861146 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
As COVID-19 emerged as a phenomenon of the total environment, and despite the intertwined and complex relationships that make humanity an organic part of the Bio- and Geospheres, the majority of our responses to it have been corrective in character, with few or no consideration for unintended consequences which bring about further vulnerability to unanticipated global events. Tackling COVID-19 entails a systemic and precautionary approach to human-nature relations, which we frame as regaining diversity in the Geo-, Bio-, and Anthropospheres. Its implementation requires nothing short of an overhaul in the way we interact with and build knowledge from natural and social environments. Hence, we discuss the urgency of shifting from current to precautionary approaches to COVID-19 and look, through the lens of diversity, at the anticipated benefits in four systems crucially affecting and affected by the pandemic: health, land, knowledge and innovation. Our reflections offer a glimpse of the sort of changes needed, from pursuing planetary health and creating more harmonious forms of land use to providing a multi-level platform for other ways of knowing/understanding and turning innovation into a source of global public goods. These exemplary initiatives introduce and solidify systemic thinking in policymaking and move priorities from reaction-based strategies to precautionary frameworks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco P Vianna Franco
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Orsolya Molnár
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria.
| | - Christian Dorninger
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria; Institute of Social Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Schottenfeldgasse 29, Vienna 1070, Austria
| | - Alice Laciny
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Marco Treven
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Jacob Weger
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Eduardo da Motta E Albuquerque
- Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Pres. Antônio Carlos, 6627 - Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Roberto Cazzolla Gatti
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni, 33, 40126 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | | | - Manuel Jakab
- Department for Academic Communication, Sigmund Freud University, Freudpl. 1, Vienna 1020, Austria
| | - Christine Marizzi
- BioBus, 1361 Amsterdam Avenue, Ste 340, New York, NY, 10027, United States
| | - Lumila Paula Menéndez
- Department of Anthropology of the Americas, University of Bonn, Regina-Pacis-Weg 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Luana Poliseli
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | | | - Guido Caniglia
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Martinstrasse 12, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Détári A, Egermann H. Towards a Holistic Understanding of Musician's Focal Dystonia: Educational Factors and Mistake Rumination Contribute to the Risk of Developing the Disorder. Front Psychol 2022; 13:882966. [PMID: 35615203 PMCID: PMC9125209 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.882966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Musicians' Focal Dystonia (MFD) is a task-specific neurological movement disorder, affecting 1-2% of highly skilled musicians. The condition can impair motor function by creating involuntary movements, predominantly in the upper extremities or the embouchure. The pathophysiology of the disorder is not fully understood, and complete recovery is extremely rare. While most of the literature views the condition through a neurological lens, a handful of recent studies point out certain psychological traits and the presence of adverse playing-related experiences and preceding trauma as possible contributors to the onset. The nature and the frequency of these factors, however, are under-researched. The present quasi-experimental study aimed to compare musicians with and without MFD in terms of the frequency of various adverse psychosocial and psychological factors to explore their contribution to the onset of the condition. Professional musicians with MFD (n = 107) and without MFD (n = 68) were recruited from online platforms, musicians' unions, and organisations to fill out a survey. The survey was based on two previously conducted interview studies and included the Student-Instructor Relationship Scale (SIRS), the Mistake Rumination Scale (MRS), the Trauma History Screen, and self-constructed questions about the received music education, early success, and personal experiences. To identify potential risk factors, independent samples t-tests were conducted and found that there are significant differences in musicians with and without MFD in terms of mistake rumination, early success, and the received music education. A logistic regression showed that six factors contributed to the construct to various extents; we observed a significant model [χ2 (80) = 22.681, p < 0.001], which predicted 71.2% of the cases correctly. This exploratory study shows that psychological and psychosocial factors might play a role in the development of MFD. Understanding these in more detail could inform preventative strategies and complement the current therapeutic approaches to support this vulnerable population better.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Détári
- York Music Psychology Group, Department of Music, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Hauke Egermann
- York Music Psychology Group, Department of Music, University of York, York, United Kingdom
- Institut für Musik und Musikwissenschaft, Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Frankenhuis WE, Amir D. What is the expected human childhood? Insights from evolutionary anthropology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:473-497. [PMID: 34924077 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In psychological research, there are often assumptions about the conditions that children expect to encounter during their development. These assumptions shape prevailing ideas about the experiences that children are capable of adjusting to, and whether their responses are viewed as impairments or adaptations. Specifically, the expected childhood is often depicted as nurturing and safe, and characterized by high levels of caregiver investment. Here, we synthesize evidence from history, anthropology, and primatology to challenge this view. We integrate the findings of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cross-cultural investigations on three forms of threat (infanticide, violent conflict, and predation) and three forms of deprivation (social, cognitive, and nutritional) that children have faced throughout human evolution. Our results show that mean levels of threat and deprivation were higher than is typical in industrialized societies, and that our species has experienced much variation in the levels of these adversities across space and time. These conditions likely favored a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, or the ability to tailor development to different conditions. This body of evidence has implications for recognizing developmental adaptations to adversity, for cultural variation in responses to adverse experiences, and for definitions of adversity and deprivation as deviation from the expected human childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Willem E Frankenhuis
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Germany
| | - Dorsa Amir
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Siciliano RE, Anderson AS, Compas BE. Autonomic nervous system correlates of posttraumatic stress symptoms in youth: Meta-analysis and qualitative review. Clin Psychol Rev 2022; 92:102125. [PMID: 35078039 PMCID: PMC8858870 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Physiological dysregulation is a key diagnostic criterion for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD is defined by trauma exposure, symptom presentations are varied. Similarly, findings of autonomic nervous system (ANS), including parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), function in youth exposed to trauma are mixed (e.g., hyporeactivity and hyperreactivity). The present meta-analysis quantitatively assesses the relation between ANS measures broadly, and PNS- and SNS-specific measures, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in youth (ages 4.98 to 19.55 years) across 38 cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (N = 3488). Findings demonstrate that heightened ANS activity is related to increased PTSS during stress tasks (r = 0.07), while decreased SNS activity at rest corresponded to increased PTSS (r = -0.09). The correlation between PNS measures and PTSS was non-significant. The moderation effect of age on the relation between PNS activity measured during stress tasks and PTSS approached significance, such that younger children showed a stronger negative relation between symptoms and PNS activity compared to older youth. Qualitative review of included studies revealed significant variability across sample and stressor characteristics and study methodology. Findings indicate the importance of autonomic dysregulation in youth with PTSS. Additional considerations for future research are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E. Siciliano
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Allegra S. Anderson
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Bruce E. Compas
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Payen A, Chen MJ, Carter TG, Kilmer RP, Bennett JM. Childhood ADHD, Going Beyond the Brain: A Meta-Analysis on Peripheral Physiological Markers of the Heart and the Gut. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:738065. [PMID: 35299964 PMCID: PMC8921263 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.738065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosed in children. Questions regarding its increased diagnostic rates and pharmacological treatments in developing children have led to a more holistic review of the multi-system pathophysiology observed in ADHD. The dopaminergic neurotransmitter system, known for its influence on reward-motivated behaviors and motor control, and the frontostriatal systems, that mediate motor, cognition, and behavior, are associated with ADHD's development. However, studies have shown that these neural systems do not wholly account for ADHD's multilayered and heterogeneous symptom presentation. For instance, the literature suggests that emotional dysregulation, the inability to regulate one's emotional responses to provoking stimuli, is associated with increased risk for social impairment in ADHD. A broader examination of physiological systems in children with ADHD has found potential markers in the heart-brain and gut-brain axes that correspond with certain behaviors associated with emotional dysregulation in recent studies. Hence, the purpose of this meta-analysis is to aggregate ten applicable published case studies and analyze task-related heart rate reactivity (HRR; n = 5 studies) and gut microbiota (n = 5 studies) data in children with and without ADHD. Data from a total of 531 youth with ADHD and 603 youth without ADHD revealed significant small and medium effect sizes for higher Chao1 levels and Actinobacteria levels in the ADHD group, respectively, but no evidence of altered task-related HRR. Thus, further research into multi-system psychophysiological measures of emotional dysregulation and ADHD is warranted. The clinical, empirical, and educational implications of these findings are discussed. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier PROSPERO (CRD42021236819).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ameanté Payen
- Health Psychology PhD Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Michelle J. Chen
- Health Psychology PhD Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - T. Grace Carter
- Health Psychology PhD Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Ryan P. Kilmer
- Health Psychology PhD Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
- Department of Psychological Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Jeanette M. Bennett
- Health Psychology PhD Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
- Department of Psychological Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Jeanette M. Bennett,
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
In enhancement ethics, evolutionary theory has been largely perceived as supporting liberal views on enhancement, in which decisions to enhance are predominantly regulated by the principle of individual autonomy. In this article, I critique this perception in light of recent scientific developments. Cultural evolutionary theory suggests a picture in which individual interests are entangled with community interests, and this undermines the applicability of the principle of autonomy. This is particularly relevant for enhancement ethics given how-I argue-decisions to enhance are often influenced by desires to increase social status. The service view on enhancement, based on principles of service and trust, offers, I propose, better guidance for the challenges of social living.
Collapse
|
24
|
Zhang J, Liu K, Sun L, Yang L, Liu X, Zhu Y, Wei R, Jin Z, Wang L, Ma Y, Wang S, Liu A, Tao F. Exposure to antibiotics and mental disorders in children: a community-based cross-sectional study. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2021; 43:3237-3253. [PMID: 33547614 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-00840-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Although exposure to antibiotics at a critical developmental time window has been implicated in mental health in observational and experimental studies, very limited bio-monitoring data are available for exposure to antibiotics associated with child mental disorders. The goal of our study was to examine the association between urinary exposure of children to antibiotics and mental health. The participants were 278 children from 256 eligible families in the urban-rural fringe of Fuyang city in China since June in 2017. A single-point urine sample was collected to measure the antibiotic concentrations to characterize the exposure levels. A total of 45 antibiotics from nine classes and their two metabolites were monitored through liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. We used multivariable regressions to estimate the covariate-adjusted associations between urine-antibiotic concentrations and mental impairments, as assessed using the parent version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Among the participants, ciprofloxacin was associated with an increased risk of mental disorders at both lower concentrations (OR = 4.06; 95% CI 1.69-9.78) and higher concentrations OR = 6.04; 95% CI 2.59-14.08). After categorizing the detected antibiotics, the positive associations were observed between abnormal score in total difficulties and higher levels exposure to fluoroquinolones (OR = 2.83, 95% CI 1.38-5.80) and antibiotics preferred for veterinary use (PVAs) (OR = 3.20; 95% CI 1.41-7.27), respectively. Our findings suggest that ciprofloxacin, fluoroquinolones and PVAs, probably from contaminated food or environment, may be associated with child mental disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhang
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle/Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, No 81 Meishan Road, Anhui, 230032, China
| | - Kaiyong Liu
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
- MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle/Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, No 81 Meishan Road, Anhui, 230032, China.
| | - Liang Sun
- Fuyang Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Fuyang, 236000, Anhui, China
| | - Linsheng Yang
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Xinji Liu
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Yitian Zhu
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Rong Wei
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Zhongxiu Jin
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Li Wang
- School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Ying Ma
- School of Health Management, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Sufang Wang
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Annuo Liu
- School of Nursing, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Fangbiao Tao
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Population Health Across Life Cycle/Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Population Health and Aristogenics, No 81 Meishan Road, Anhui, 230032, China
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Hollon SD, Andrews PW, Thomson JA. Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depression From an Evolutionary Perspective. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:667592. [PMID: 34290628 PMCID: PMC8287180 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.667592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary medicine attempts to solve a problem with which traditional medicine has struggled historically; how do we distinguish between diseased states and "healthy" responses to disease states? Fever and diarrhea represent classic examples of evolved adaptations that increase the likelihood of survival in response to the presence of pathogens in the body. Whereas, the severe mental disorders like psychotic mania or the schizophrenias may involve true "disease" states best treated pharmacologically, most non-psychotic "disorders" that revolve around negative affects like depression or anxiety are likely adaptations that evolved to serve a function that increased inclusive fitness in our ancestral past. What this likely means is that the proximal mechanisms underlying the non-psychotic "disorders" are "species typical" and neither diseases nor disorders. Rather, they are coordinated "whole body" responses that prepare the individual to respond in a maximally functional fashion to the variety of different challenges that our ancestors faced. A case can be made that depression evolved to facilitate a deliberate cognitive style (rumination) in response to complex (often social) problems. What this further suggests is that those interventions that best facilitate the functions that those adaptations evolved to serve (such as rumination) are likely to be preferred over those like medications that simply anesthetize the distress. We consider the mechanisms that evolved to generate depression and the processes utilized in cognitive behavior therapy to facilitate those functions from an adaptationist evolutionary perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steven D. Hollon
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Paul W. Andrews
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - J. Anderson Thomson
- Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Health, and Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Fructose and Uric Acid as Drivers of a Hyperactive Foraging Response: A Clue to Behavioral Disorders Associated with Impulsivity or Mania? EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021; 42:194-203. [PMID: 33994772 DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Several behavioral disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, and aggressive behaviors are linked with sugar intake and obesity. The reason(s) for this association has been unclear. Here we present a hypothesis supporting a role for fructose, a component of sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and uric acid (a fructose metabolite), in increasing the risk for these behavioral disorders. Recent studies have shown that the reason fructose intake is strongly associated with development of metabolic syndrome is that fructose intake activates an evolutionary-based survival pathway that stimulates foraging behavior and the storage of energy as fat. While modest intake may aid animals that would like to store fat as a protective response from food shortage or starvation, we propose that high intake of sugar and HFCS causes a hyperactive foraging response that stimulates craving, impulsivity, risk taking and aggression that increases the risk for ADHD, bipolar disease and aggressive behavior. High glycemic carbohydrates and salty foods may also contribute as they can be converted to fructose in the body. Some studies suggest uric acid produced during fructose metabolism may mediate some of these effects. Chronic stimulation of the pathway could lead to desensitization of hedonic responses and induce depression. In conclusion, a hyperactive foraging response driven by high glycemic carbohydrates and sugars may contribute to affective disorders.
Collapse
|
27
|
Zefferman MR, Mathew S. Combat stress in a small-scale society suggests divergent evolutionary roots for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2020430118. [PMID: 33876754 PMCID: PMC8054015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020430118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Military personnel in industrialized societies often develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during combat. It is unclear whether combat-related PTSD is a universal evolutionary response to danger or a culture-specific syndrome of industrialized societies. We interviewed 218 Turkana pastoralist warriors in Kenya, who engage in lethal cattle raids, about their combat experiences and PTSD symptoms. Turkana in our sample had a high prevalence of PTSD symptoms, but Turkana with high symptom severity had lower prevalence of depression-like symptoms than American service members with high symptom severity. Symptoms that facilitate responding to danger were better predicted by combat exposure, whereas depressive symptoms were better predicted by exposure to combat-related moral violations. The findings suggest that some PTSD symptoms stem from an evolved response to danger, while depressive PTSD symptoms may be caused by culturally specific moral norm violations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Zefferman
- Department of Defense Analysis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943;
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281
| | - Sarah Mathew
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Life History Is a Major Source of Adaptive Individual and Species Differences: a Critical Commentary on Zietsch and Sidari (2020). EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-021-00280-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
29
|
Kočárová R, Horáček J, Carhart-Harris R. Does Psychedelic Therapy Have a Transdiagnostic Action and Prophylactic Potential? Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:661233. [PMID: 34349678 PMCID: PMC8327748 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.661233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Addressing global mental health is a major 21st-century challenge. Current treatments have recognized limitations; in this context, new ones that are prophylactic and effective across diagnostic boundaries would represent a major advance. The view that there exists a core of transdiagnostic overlap between psychiatric disorders has re-emerged in recent years, and evidence that psychedelic therapy holds promise for a range of psychiatric disorders supports the position that it may be transdiagnostically effective. Here, we propose that psychedelic therapy's core, transdiagnostically relevant action lies in its ability to increase neuronal and mental plasticity, thus enhancing the potential for change, which we consider to be a key to its therapeutic benefits. Moreover, we suggest that enhanced plasticity via psychedelics, combined with a psychotherapeutic approach, can aid healthy adaptability and resilience, which are protective factors for long-term well-being. We present candidate neurological and psychological markers of this plasticity and link them with a predictive processing model of the action of psychedelics. We propose that a model of psychedelic-induced plasticity combined with an adequate therapeutic context has prophylactic and transdiagnostic potential, implying that it could have a broad, positive impact on public health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rita Kočárová
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.,Beyond Psychedelics, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jiří Horáček
- Department of Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia.,Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Zefferman MR, Mathew S. An evolutionary theory of moral injury with insight from Turkana warriors. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
|