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Vitale EM, Smith AS. Neurobiology of Loneliness, Isolation, and Loss: Integrating Human and Animal Perspectives. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:846315. [PMID: 35464141 PMCID: PMC9029604 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.846315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In social species such as humans, non-human primates, and even many rodent species, social interaction and the maintenance of social bonds are necessary for mental and physical health and wellbeing. In humans, perceived isolation, or loneliness, is not only characterized by physical isolation from peers or loved ones, but also involves negative perceptions about social interactions and connectedness that reinforce the feelings of isolation and anxiety. As a complex behavioral state, it is no surprise that loneliness and isolation are associated with dysfunction within the ventral striatum and the limbic system - brain regions that regulate motivation and stress responsiveness, respectively. Accompanying these neural changes are physiological symptoms such as increased plasma and urinary cortisol levels and an increase in stress responsivity. Although studies using animal models are not perfectly analogous to the uniquely human state of loneliness, studies on the effects of social isolation in animals have observed similar physiological symptoms such as increased corticosterone, the rodent analog to human cortisol, and also display altered motivation, increased stress responsiveness, and dysregulation of the mesocortical dopamine and limbic systems. This review will discuss behavioral and neuropsychological components of loneliness in humans, social isolation in rodent models, and the neurochemical regulators of these behavioral phenotypes with a neuroanatomical focus on the corticostriatal and limbic systems. We will also discuss social loss as a unique form of social isolation, and the consequences of bond disruption on stress-related behavior and neurophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika M. Vitale
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Adam S. Smith
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
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Kakarala SE, Roberts KE, Rogers M, Coats T, Falzarano F, Gang J, Chilov M, Avery J, Maciejewski PK, Lichtenthal WG, Prigerson HG. The neurobiological reward system in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD): A systematic review. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2020; 303:111135. [PMID: 32629197 PMCID: PMC7442719 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) is a debilitating condition affecting between 7% and 10% of bereaved individuals. Past imaging and psychological studies have proposed links between PGD's characteristic symptoms - in particular, profound yearning - and the neural reward system. We conducted a systematic review to investigate this connection. On December 19, 2019, we searched six bibliographic databases for data on the neurobiology of grief and disordered grief. We excluded studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, animal studies, and reviews. After abstract and full-text screening, twenty-four studies were included in the final review. We found diverse evidence for the activation of several reward-related regions of the brain in PGD. The data reviewed suggest that compared to normative grief, PGD involves a differential pattern of activity in the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC); likely differential activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), rostral or subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and basal ganglia overall, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc); and possible differential activity in the insula. It also appears that oxytocin signaling is altered in PGD, though the exact mechanism is unclear. Our findings appear to be consistent with, though not confirmative of, conceptualizing PGD as a disorder of reward, and identify directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Kakarala
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - K E Roberts
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - M Rogers
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - T Coats
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - F Falzarano
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - J Gang
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - M Chilov
- Medical Library, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - J Avery
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1305 York Ave., New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - P K Maciejewski
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1305 York Ave., New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - W G Lichtenthal
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E. 68th St., New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - H G Prigerson
- Cornell Center for Research on End-of-life Care, Weill Cornell Medicine, 420 E. 70th St., New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1320 York Ave., New York, NY 10021, USA.
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Papazoglou K, Blumberg DM, Collins PI, Schlosser MD, Bonanno GA. Inevitable Loss and Prolonged Grief in Police Work: An Unexplored Topic. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1178. [PMID: 32547465 PMCID: PMC7271661 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present manuscript presents foundational constructs related to death and loss (i.e., grief, bereavement, prolonged grief) providing empirical findings from recent research on the impact of death and loss on police officers’ health, behavior, and overall functioning. Police officers are routinely exposed to death. In many instances, officers’ contact with decedents includes, among others, victims of accidents, catastrophes, or violent crimes and witnessing the intense emotional suffering of relatives of the deceased. Additionally, it is not uncommon for officers to experience the loss of fellow officers from on-duty deaths and permanent, career-ending injuries. Simultaneously, like everyone, police officers have to cope with deaths of loved ones in their personal lives. The result is that officers’ health and well-being are likely compromised because of the systematic exposure to on- and off-duty deaths. In this perspective paper, death and loss in law enforcement are explored in an attempt to raise awareness and increase attention to this area of police work. In addition, the authors list a number of prophylactic intervention strategies that would support officers cope with the impact of loss and death and promote their own resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel M Blumberg
- California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Peter I Collins
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Threat & Behavioural Assessment Team, Criminal Behaviour Analysis Section, Ontario Provincial Police, Orillia, ON, Canada
| | - Michael D Schlosser
- Police Training Institute of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - George A Bonanno
- Teachers College, Columbia University of New York, New York, NY, United States
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Schneck N, Tu T, Haufe S, Bonanno GA, GalfaIvy H, Ochsner KN, Mann JJ, Sajda P. Ongoing monitoring of mindwandering in avoidant grief through cortico-basal-ganglia interactions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 14:163-172. [PMID: 30535245 PMCID: PMC6374603 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An avoidant grief style is marked by repeated and often unsuccessful attempts to prevent thinking about loss. Prior work shows avoidant grief involves monitoring the external environment in order to avoid reminders of the loss. Here we sought to determine whether avoidant grievers also monitor the internal environment in attempts to minimize conscious awareness of loss-related thoughts. Individuals bereaved of a first-degree relative, spouse or partner within the last 14 months participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (N = 29). We first applied machine learning to train neural patterns for attentional control and representation of the deceased (N = 23). The attentional pattern was trained using fMRI data from a modified Stroop task assessing selective attention to reminders of the deceased. The representational pattern was trained using fMRI data from a task presenting pictures and stories of the deceased. We observed spontaneous fluctuations in these processes occurring during a neutral mindwandering fMRI task (N = 27). At higher levels of avoidant grieving, activation of attentional control disrupted the relationship between the representational process and thoughts of loss. These findings show that avoidant grief involves attentional control to reduce the likelihood that deceased-related representations reach full conscious awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Schneck
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tao Tu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stefan Haufe
- Machine Learning Group, Institute of Software Engineering and Theoretical Computer Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - George A Bonanno
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hanga GalfaIvy
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kevin N Ochsner
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - J John Mann
- Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul Sajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Radiology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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