1
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Tyra AT, Young DA, Ginty AT. Emotion regulation tendencies and cardiovascular responses to repeated acute psychological stress. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 194:112261. [PMID: 37914039 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.112261] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Poor emotion regulation has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) through maladaptive cardiovascular responses to psychological stress. However, there has been scant research examining the relationship between emotion regulation and habituation of cardiovascular responses to recurrent stress, which may be more directly applicable to the experience of stress in everyday life. The aims of the current study were to examine the associations between emotion regulation tendencies and cardiovascular stress reactivity, as well as habituation of cardiovascular reactivity across repeated stressors. A sample of 453 participants (mean (SD) age = 19.5 (1.3) years; 62 % women) completed a repeated stress paradigm, which consisted of two 10-minute baselines and two identical 4-minute stress tasks, separated by a 10-minute recovery period. Heart rate (HR) was measured continuously; systolic/diastolic blood pressures (SBP/DBP) were measured every 2 min. At the end of the visit, participants completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Results indicate that impulse control difficulties when distressed (a DERS subscale) were significantly associated with blunted SBP, DBP, and HR reactivity to both stressors, as well as impaired HR habituation across the stressors. None of the ERQ subscales (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) were found to be associated with cardiovascular stress reactivity or habituation. The outcomes of this study demonstrate a potential underlying physiological pathway through which impulse control difficulties when distressed may contribute to CVD risk. This study also reveals the importance of extending traditional cardiovascular stress reactivity protocols to include multiple exposures of the same stress task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra T Tyra
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
| | - Danielle A Young
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
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2
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Loheide-Niesmann L, Vrijkotte TGM, De Rooij SR, Wiers RW, Huizink A. Associations between autonomic nervous system activity and risk-taking and internalizing behavior in young adolescents. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13882. [PMID: 34145912 PMCID: PMC8459221 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Dysregulated autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity has been associated with adolescent risk‐taking and internalizing behavior, but previous results in community samples have been mixed. We investigated whether ANS activity was associated with higher risk‐taking and internalizing behavior in young adolescents (age 11/12; n = 875), and whether adolescents' gender, parents' parenting style or a combination of both moderated these associations. Adolescents and their parents were recruited as part of the population‐based, longitudinal Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study. Risk‐taking behavior was assessed with the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and the personality characteristics sensation seeking and impulsivity, measured with the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS). Internalizing behavior was assessed via the SURPS subscales anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness. Authoritative (AUTH‐SW) and authoritarian (AUTH‐S) parenting styles were measured with the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire. Resting ANS activity was assessed via heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Hierarchical, multivariable regression analyses showed higher RSA, but not heart rate, being associated with higher risk‐taking behavior and sensation seeking. The associations between ANS activity and risk‐taking variables were not significantly moderated by gender, parenting, or interactions between gender and parenting. Our findings suggest that RSA activity may be a relevant factor in mild to moderate risk‐taking behavior in adolescents from the general population, regardless of their gender or the type of parenting they experience. Dysregulated autonomic nervous system activity has been associated with adolescent risk‐taking and internalizing behavior, but previous results in community samples have been mixed. Our findings suggest that in adolescents from the general population, respiratory sinus arrhythmia activity may be a relevant factor in mild to moderate risk‐taking behavior but not in internalizing behavior, regardless of adolescents' gender or the type of parenting they experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Loheide-Niesmann
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical, Neuro- & Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tanja G M Vrijkotte
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne R De Rooij
- Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical, Neuro- & Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Location AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Reinout W Wiers
- Addiction Development and Psychopathology (ADAPT)-Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anja Huizink
- Department of Clinical, Neuro- & Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Whittaker AC, Chauntry AJ. Blunted cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress predicts low behavioral but not self-reported perseverance: A replication study. Psychophysiology 2020; 58:e13707. [PMID: 33068034 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that individuals with poor behavioral perseverance show low or blunted physiological responses to acute psychological stress. For example, a recent preliminary laboratory study demonstrated that blunted responders give up sooner and take fewer attempts when endeavoring to complete an impossible puzzle, but do not self-report poor perseverance. This present research is a replication of the previous study with an increased sample size, longer recovery periods between tasks and addition of social evaluation to the cold pressor. Participants (147) completed a self-report perseverance questionnaire (Short Grit Scale) and behavioral perseverance tasks (impossible Euler puzzle and socially evaluated cold-pressor (SECPT)). The number of attempts and time spent trying to complete the unsolvable puzzle, and duration of hand submergent during the SECPT, were recorded as behavioral perseverance measures. Difference in blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR) from baseline to a 10-min paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT) were computed as reactivity. As previously, reactivity did not relate to self-reported perseverance and blunted BP reactivity to the PASAT was associated with less time persevering at the unsolvable puzzle. Additionally, blunted BP and PR reactivity to the PASAT related to poorer perseverance during the SECPT. These findings, replicating the previous study, increase confidence that blunted reactivity is a physiological marker of poor behavioral perseverance. Moreover, given that self-reported perseverance does not relate to reactivity, this suggests that blunted responders are not conscious of this detriment in perseverance, but likely need additional support when persistence is critical (e.g., during behavior change).
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Whittaker
- School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
| | - A J Chauntry
- School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
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4
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Creaven AM, Higgins NM, Ginty AT, Gallagher S. Social support, social participation, and cardiovascular reactivity to stress in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Biol Psychol 2020; 155:107921. [PMID: 32598908 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
This study tested two hypotheses of associations between dimensions of social connectedness and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress: (1) high social support predicts diminished cardiovascular responses to stress (i.e., the stress-buffering model of social support), and (2) diminished cardiovascular responses predict lower social participation, a form of motivated behaviour. Participants (N = 606) in the main Midlife in the United States study completed measures of social support and social participation and underwent psychophysiological stress testing. In unadjusted analyses, social support was positively, rather than inversely, associated with reactivity. Results withstood adjustment for several control variables, but not for depressive symptoms, which was associated with diminished reactivity. Further, diminished reactivity was associated with lower social participation, but not in fully adjusted models. No robust evidence was observed for either the stress-buffering model, or for an association between diminished reactivity and lower social participation. The implications for our understanding of links between social connectedness and cardiovascular reactivity are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Marie Creaven
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, & Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.
| | - Niamh M Higgins
- Department of Psychology, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, South Circular Road, Limerick, Ireland.
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, TX, United States.
| | - Stephen Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, & Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland.
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Daubenmier J, Epel ES, Moran PJ, Thompson J, Mason AE, Acree M, Goldman V, Kristeller J, Hecht FM, Mendes WB. A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mindfulness-Based Weight Loss Intervention on Cardiovascular Reactivity to Social-Evaluative Threat Among Adults with Obesity. Mindfulness (N Y) 2019; 10:2583-2595. [PMID: 32266044 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-019-01232-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Objective Mindfulness-based interventions have been found to reduce psychological and physiological stress reactivity. In obesity, however, stress reactivity is complex, with studies showing both exaggerated and blunted physiological responses to stressors. A nuanced view of stress reactivity is the "challenge and threat" framework, which defines adaptive and maladaptive patterns of psychophysiological stress reactivity. We hypothesized that mindfulness training would facilitate increased challenge-related appraisals, emotions, and cardiovascular reactivity, including sympathetic nervous system activation paired with increased cardiac output (CO) and reduced total peripheral resistance (TPR) compared to a control group, which would exhibit an increased threat pattern of psychophysiological reactivity to repeated stressors. Methods Adults (N=194) with obesity were randomized to a 5.5-month mindfulness-based weight loss intervention or an active control condition with identical diet-exercise guidelines. Participants were assessed at baseline and 4.5 months later using the Trier Social Stress Task. Electrocardiogram, impedance cardiography, and blood pressure were acquired at rest and during the speech and verbal arithmetic tasks to assess pre-ejection period (PEP), CO, and TPR reactivity. Results Mindfulness participants showed significantly greater maintenance of challenge-related emotions and cardiovascular reactivity patterns (higher CO and lower TPR) from pre to post-intervention compared to control participants, but groups did not differ in PEP. Findings were independent of changes in body mass index. Conclusions Mindfulness training may increase the ability to maintain a positive outlook and mount adaptive cardiovascular responses to repeated stressors among persons with obesity though findings need to be replicated in other populations and using other forms of mindfulness interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elissa S Epel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco
| | | | | | - Ashley E Mason
- Department of Medicine, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
| | - Michael Acree
- Department of Medicine, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine
| | | | | | | | - Wendy B Mendes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco
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Chauntry AJ, Williams SE, Whittaker AC. Blunted cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress predict low behavioral but not self‐reported perseverance. Psychophysiology 2019; 56:e13449. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aiden J. Chauntry
- School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
- School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine Loughborough University Loughborough UK
| | - Sarah E. Williams
- School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
| | - Anna C. Whittaker
- School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport University of Stirling Stirling UK
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7
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O'Súilleabháin PS, Hughes BM, Oommen AM, Joshi L, Cunningham S. Vulnerability to stress: Personality facet of vulnerability is associated with cardiovascular adaptation to recurring stress. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 144:34-39. [PMID: 31229589 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
It is increasingly suggested that personality traits are critical to understanding patterns of cardiovascular stress adaptation. However, studies have focused on higher-order traits with no research having examined underlying facet effects to repeated stress. The examination of facets provides a more granular examination, which has the potential to identify specific personality components that are relevant within the context of psychophysiological stress adaptation. This study objective was to determine if the underlying facets which encapsulate the dimension of emotional stability, are associated with cardiovascular adaptation to recurring stress. Continuous cardiovascular monitoring and psychometric measures were collated from 79 healthy young male and female adults, across a protocol of recurring active stress tasks. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the facet of vulnerability was associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure adaptation across the protocol. More specifically, vulnerability was negatively associated with adaptation to recurring stress, such that those highest in vulnerability displayed a sensitization to the recurring stressor. No significant effects emerged for any other facet. Importantly, this research adds to the existing literature examining stress adaptation and has implications for future research on the relevance of examining facet effects. This study is the first to implicate the personality facet of vulnerability which encapsulates an individual's tendency to feel unable to cope with stress and becoming hopeless when faced with emergency situations, in the context of cardiovascular stress adaptation. Taken together, this study suggests that the facet of vulnerability is a critical component to consider in the context of cardiovascular stress adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Páraic S O'Súilleabháin
- Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland; School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Brian M Hughes
- School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Anup M Oommen
- Glycoscience Group, NCBES National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Lokesh Joshi
- Glycoscience Group, NCBES National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Stephen Cunningham
- Glycoscience Group, NCBES National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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8
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Herman AM, Critchley HD, Duka T. The role of emotions and physiological arousal in modulating impulsive behaviour. Biol Psychol 2018; 133:30-43. [PMID: 29391179 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Impulsivity received considerable attention in the context of drug misuse and certain neuropsychiatric conditions. Because of its great health and well-being importance, it is crucial to understand factors which modulate impulsive behaviour. As a growing body of literature indicates the role of emotional and physiological states in guiding our actions and decisions, we argue that current affective state and physiological arousal exert a significant influence on behavioural impulsivity. As 'impulsivity' is a heterogeneous concept, in this paper, we review key theories of the topic and summarise information about distinct impulsivity subtypes and their methods of assessment, pointing out to the differences between the various components of the construct. Moreover, we review existing literature on the relationship between emotional states, arousal and impulsive behaviour and suggest directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra M Herman
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.
| | - Hugo D Critchley
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom; Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Theodora Duka
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.
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Carroll D, Ginty AT, Whittaker AC, Lovallo WR, de Rooij SR. The behavioural, cognitive, and neural corollaries of blunted cardiovascular and cortisol reactions to acute psychological stress. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 77:74-86. [PMID: 28254428 PMCID: PMC6741350 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent research shows that blunted cardiovascular and cortisol reactions to acute psychological stress are associated with adverse behavioural and health outcomes: depression, obesity, bulimia, and addictions. These outcomes may reflect suboptimal functioning of the brain's fronto-limbic systems that are needed to regulate motivated behaviour in the face of challenge. In support of this, brain imaging data demonstrate fronto-limbic hypoactivation during acute stress exposure. Those demonstrating blunted reactions also show impairments of motivation, including lower cognitive ability, more rapid cognitive decline, and poorer performance on motivation-dependent tests of lung function. Persons exhibiting blunted stress reactivity display well established temperament characteristics, including neuroticism and impulsivity, characteristic of various behavioural disorders. Notably, the outcomes related to blunted stress reactivity are similar to those that define Reward Deficiency Syndrome. Accordingly, some individuals may be characterised by a broad failure in cardiovascular and cortisol responding to both stress and reward, reflecting fronto-limbic dysregulation. Finally, we proffer a model of blunted stress reactivity, its antecedents and sequelae, and identify future research priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Carroll
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798, USA
| | - Anna C Whittaker
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - William R Lovallo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and VA Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Susanne R de Rooij
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Ginty AT, Kraynak TE, Fisher JP, Gianaros PJ. Cardiovascular and autonomic reactivity to psychological stress: Neurophysiological substrates and links to cardiovascular disease. Auton Neurosci 2017; 207:2-9. [PMID: 28391987 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Psychologically stressful experiences evoke changes in cardiovascular physiology that may influence risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). But what are the neural circuits and intermediate physiological pathways that link stressful experiences to cardiovascular changes that might in turn confer disease risk? This question is important because it has broader implications for our understanding of the neurophysiological pathways that link stressful and other psychological experiences to physical health. This review highlights selected findings from brain imaging studies of stressor-evoked cardiovascular reactivity and CVD risk. Converging evidence across these studies complements animal models and patient lesion studies to suggest that a network of cortical, limbic, and brainstem areas for central autonomic and physiological control are important for generating and regulating stressor-evoked cardiovascular reactivity via visceromotor and viscerosensory mechanisms. Emerging evidence further suggests that these brain areas may play a role in stress-related CVD risk, specifically by their involvement in mediating metabolically-dysregulated or extreme stressor-evoked cardiovascular reactions. Contextually, the research reviewed here offers an example of how brain imaging and health neuroscience methods can be integrated to address open and mechanistic questions about the neurophysiological pathways linking psychological stress and physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
| | - Thomas E Kraynak
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James P Fisher
- School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabiliation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
| | - Peter J Gianaros
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Ginty AT, Masters NA, Nelson EB, Kaye KT, Conklin SM. Cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress and abuse history: the role of occurrence, frequency, and type of abuse. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2016; 30:155-162. [PMID: 27425575 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2016.1210791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Extreme cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress have been associated with traumatic life experiences. Previous studies have focused on the occurrence or frequency of abuse rather than type of abuse. We examined how occurrence, frequency, and the type of abuse history are related to cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to acute psychological stress. DESIGN The study consisted of between group and continuous analyses to examine the association between occurrence, type, and frequency of abuse with cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress. METHODS Data from 64 participants were collected. Heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were measured at baseline and during a standard mental arithmetic stress task. RESULTS Individuals who experienced abuse showed diminished CVR to acute psychological stress; this was driven specifically by the history of sexual abuse. Frequency of abuse did not relate to stress reactions. CONCLUSIONS These findings accord with previous work suggesting a relationship between traumatic life experience and hypoarousal in physiological reactivity and extend previous findings by suggesting the relationship may be driven by sexual abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie T Ginty
- a Department of Psychiatry , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA , USA
| | - Nicole A Masters
- b Neuroscience Program , Allegheny College , Meadville , PA , USA
| | - Eliza B Nelson
- c Schools of Medicine & Psychology and Neuroscience , University of St Andrews , St Andrews , UK
| | - Karen T Kaye
- d Department of Psychology , Brandeis University , Waltham , MA , USA
| | - Sarah M Conklin
- b Neuroscience Program , Allegheny College , Meadville , PA , USA.,e Department of Psychology , Allegheny College , Meadville , PA , USA.,f Global Health Studies Program , Allegheny College , Meadville , PA , USA
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12
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Blunted cardiac stress reactors exhibit relatively high levels of behavioural impulsivity. Physiol Behav 2016; 159:40-4. [PMID: 26988282 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Blunted physiological reactions to acute psychological stress are associated with a range of adverse health and behavioural outcomes. This study examined whether extreme stress reactors differ in their behavioural impulsivity. Individuals showing blunted (N=23) and exaggerated (N=23) cardiovascular reactions to stress were selected by screening a healthy student population (N=276). Behavioural impulsivity was measured via inhibitory control and motor impulsivity tasks. Blunted reactors exhibited greater impulsivity than exaggerated reactors on both stop-signal, F(1,41)=4.99, p=0.03, ηp(2)=0.108, and circle drawing, F(1,43)=4.00, p=0.05, η p(2)=0.085, tasks. Individuals showing blunted cardiovascular stress reactions are characterized by greater impulsivity which may contribute to their increased susceptibility to outcomes such as obesity and addiction.
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Ginty AT, Brindle RC, Carroll D. Cardiac stress reactions and perseverance: Diminished reactivity is associated with study non-completion. Biol Psychol 2015; 109:200-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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