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Bryant EM, Richardson R, Graham BM. The relationship between salivary Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 and cortisol reactivity and psychological outcomes prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS REPORTS 2023; 13:100606. [PMID: 37304226 PMCID: PMC10246939 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100606] [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: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) is a biomarker that is associated with depression, anxiety and stress in rodents. In humans, we have previously demonstrated that salivary FGF2 increased following stress in a similar pattern to cortisol, and FGF2 (but not cortisol) reactivity predicted repetitive negative thinking, a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental illness. The current study assessed the relationship between FGF2, cortisol, and mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We employed a longitudinal correlational design using a convenience sample. We assessed whether FGF2 and cortisol reactivity following the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST) were associated with DASS-21 depression, anxiety and stress, measured at the time of the TSST in 2019-20 (n = 87; time 1), and then again in May 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19 in Sydney (n = 34 of the original sample; time 2). Results FGF2 reactivity (but not absolute FGF2 levels) at time 1 predicted depression, anxiety, and stress across timepoints. Cortisol reactivity at time 1 was associated with stress over timepoints, and absolute cortisol levels were associated with depression across timepoints. Limitations The sample was comprised of mostly healthy participants from a student population, and there was high attrition between timepoints. The outcomes need to be replicated in larger, more diverse, samples. Conclusions FGF2 and cortisol may be uniquely predictive of mental health outcomes in healthy samples, potentially allowing for early identification of at-risk individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Bryant
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Rick Richardson
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Bronwyn M Graham
- University of New South Wales, School of Psychology, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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Poletti S, Paolini M, Ernst J, Bollettini I, Melloni E, Vai B, Harrington Y, Bravi B, Calesella F, Lorenzi C, Zanardi R, Benedetti F. Long-term effect of childhood trauma: Role of inflammation and white matter in mood disorders. Brain Behav Immun Health 2022; 26:100529. [PMID: 36237478 PMCID: PMC9550612 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are severe psychiatric illnesses that share among their environmental risk factors the exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Exposure to ACE has been associated with long-term changes in brain structure and the immune response. In the lasts decades, brain abnormalities including alterations of white matter (WM) microstructure and higher levels of peripheral immune/inflammatory markers have been reported in BD and MDD and an association between inflammation and WM microstructure has been shown. However, differences in these measures have been reported by comparing the two diagnostic groups. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interplay between ACE, inflammation, and WM in BD and MDD. We hypothesize that inflammation will mediate the association between ACE and WM and that this will be different in the two groups. A sample of 200 patients (100 BD, 100 MDD) underwent 3T MRI scan and ACE assessment through Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. A subgroup of 130 patients (75 MDD and 55 BD) underwent blood sampling for the assessment of immune/inflammatory markers. We observed that ACE associated with higher peripheral levels of IL-2, IL-17, bFGF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, and PDGF-BB only in the BD group. Further, higher levels of CCL3 and IL-2 associated with lower FA in BD. ACE were found to differently affect WM microstructure in the two diagnostic groups and to be negatively associated with FA and AD in BD patients. Mediation analyses showed a significant indirect effect of ACE on WM microstructure mediated by IL-2. Our findings suggest that inflammation may mediate the detrimental effect of early experiences on brain structure and different mechanisms underlying brain alterations in BD and MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Poletti
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy,Corresponding author. San Raffaele Turro, Via Stamira d’Ancona 20, 20127, Milano, Italy.
| | - Marco Paolini
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Julia Ernst
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Irene Bollettini
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Elisa Melloni
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Benedetta Vai
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Yasmin Harrington
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Beatrice Bravi
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Federico Calesella
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Cristina Lorenzi
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaella Zanardi
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- Psychiatry & Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milano, Italy
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Revisiting the Stress Concept: Implications for Affective Disorders. J Neurosci 2020; 40:12-21. [PMID: 31896560 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0733-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 64.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last 50 years, the concept of stress has evolved significantly, and our understanding of the underlying neurobiology has expanded dramatically. Rather than consider stress biology to be relevant only under unusual and threatening conditions, we conceive of it as an ongoing, adaptive process of assessing the environment, coping with it, and enabling the individual to anticipate and deal with future challenges. Though much remains to be discovered, the fundamental neurocircuitry that underlies these processes has been broadly delineated, key molecular players have been identified, and the impact of this system on neuroplasticity has been well established. More recently, we have come to appreciate the critical interaction between the brain and the rest of the body as it pertains to stress responsiveness. Importantly, this system can become overloaded due to ongoing environmental demands on the individual, be they physical, physiological, or psychosocial. The impact of this overload is deleterious to brain health, and it results in vulnerability to a range of brain disorders, including major depression and cognitive deficits. Thus, stress biology is one of the best understood systems in affective neuroscience and is an ideal target for addressing the pathophysiology of many brain-related diseases. The story we present began with the discovery of glucocorticoid receptors in hippocampus and has extended to other brain regions in both animal models and the human brain with the further discovery of structural and functional adaptive plasticity in response to stressful and other experiences.
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Turner CA, Flagel SB, Blandino P, Watson SJ, Akil H. Utilizing a unique animal model to better understand human temperament. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2017; 14:108-114. [PMID: 28966969 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Individual differences in temperament are associated with psychopathology in humans. Moreover, the relationship between temperament and anxiety-, depression-, PTSD- and addiction-related behaviors can be modeled in animals. This review will highlight these relationships with a focus on individual differences in the response to stressors, fear conditioning and drugs of abuse using animals that differ in their response to a novel environment. We will discuss behavioral and neurobiological commonalities amongst these behaviors with a focus on the hippocampus and, in particular, growth factors as promising novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cortney A Turner
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
| | - Shelly B Flagel
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
| | - Peter Blandino
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
| | - Stanley J Watson
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
| | - Huda Akil
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. 48109
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