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Jones BO, Paladino MS, Cruz AM, Spencer HF, Kahanek PL, Scarborough LN, Georges SF, Smith RJ. Punishment resistance for cocaine is associated with inflexible habits in rats. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 11:100148. [PMID: 38859977 PMCID: PMC11164474 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2024.100148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Addiction is characterized by continued drug use despite negative consequences. In an animal model, a subset of rats continues to self-administer cocaine despite footshock consequences, showing punishment resistance. We sought to test the hypothesis that punishment resistance arises from failure to exert goal-directed control over habitual cocaine seeking. While habits are not inherently permanent or maladaptive, continued use of habits under conditions that should encourage goal-directed control makes them maladaptive and inflexible. We trained male and female Sprague Dawley rats on a seeking-taking chained schedule of cocaine self-administration. We then exposed them to four days of punishment testing in which footshock was delivered randomly on one-third of trials. Before and after punishment testing (four days pre-punishment and ≥ four days post-punishment), we assessed whether cocaine seeking was goal-directed or habitual using outcome devaluation via cocaine satiety. We found that punishment resistance was associated with continued use of habits, whereas punishment sensitivity was associated with increased goal-directed control. Although punishment resistance for cocaine was not predicted by habitual responding pre-punishment, it was associated with habitual responding post-punishment. In parallel studies of food self-administration, we similarly observed that punishment resistance was associated with habitual responding post-punishment but not pre-punishment in males, although it was associated with habitual responding both pre- and post-punishment in females, indicating that punishment resistance was predicted by habitual responding in food-seeking females. These findings indicate that punishment resistance is related to habits that have become inflexible and persist under conditions that should encourage a transition to goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley O Jones
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Morgan S Paladino
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Adelis M Cruz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Haley F Spencer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Payton L Kahanek
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Lauren N Scarborough
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sandra F Georges
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Rachel J Smith
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Fermin ASR, Sasaoka T, Maekawa T, Ono K, Chan HL, Yamawaki S. Insula-cortico-subcortical networks predict interoceptive awareness and stress resilience. Asian J Psychiatr 2024; 95:103991. [PMID: 38484483 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.103991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interoception, the neural sensing of visceral signals, and interoceptive awareness (IA), the conscious perception of interoception, are crucial for life survival functions and mental health. Resilience, the capacity to overcome adversity, has been associated with reduced interoceptive disturbances. Here, we sought evidence for our Insula Modular Active Control (IMAC) model that suggest that the insula, a brain region specialized in the processing of interoceptive information, realizes IA and contributes to resilience and mental health via cortico-subcortical connections. METHODS 64 healthy participants (32 females; ages 18-34 years) answered questionnaires that assess IA and resilience. Mental health was evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory II that assesses depressive mood. Participants also underwent a 15 minute resting-state functional resonance imaging session. Pearson correlations and mediation analyses were used to investigate the relationship between IA and resilience and their contributions to depressive mood. We then performed insula seed-based functional connectivity analyzes to identify insula networks involved in IA, resilience and depressive mood. RESULTS We first demonstrated that resilience mediates the relationship between IA and depressive mood. Second, shared and distinct intra-insula, insula-cortical and insula-subcortical networks were associated with IA, resilience and also predicted the degree of experienced depressive mood. Third, while resilience was associated with stronger insula-precuneus, insula-cerebellum and insula-prefrontal networks, IA was linked with stronger intra-insula, insula-striatum and insula-motor networks. CONCLUSIONS Our findings help understand the roles of insula-cortico-subcortical networks in IA and resilience. These results also highlight the potential use of insula networks as biomarkers for depression prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan S R Fermin
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
| | - Takafumi Sasaoka
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Toru Maekawa
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Kentaro Ono
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hui-Ling Chan
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Shigeto Yamawaki
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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Di Bello M, Chang C, McIntosh R. Dynamic vagal-mediated connectivity of cortical and subcortical central autonomic hubs predicts chronotropic response to submaximal exercise in healthy adults. Brain Cogn 2024; 175:106134. [PMID: 38266398 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite accumulation of a substantial body of literature supporting the role of exercise on frontal lobe functioning, relatively less is understood of the interconnectivity of ventromedial prefrontal cortical (vmPFC) regions that underpin cardio-autonomic regulation predict cardiac chronotropic competence (CC) in response to sub-maximal exercise. METHODS Eligibility of 161 adults (mean age = 48.6, SD = 18.3, 68% female) was based upon completion of resting state brain scan and sub-maximal bike test. Sliding window analysis of the resting state signal was conducted over 45-s windows, with 50% overlap, to assess how changes in photoplethysmography-derived HRV relate to vmPFC functional connectivity with the whole brain. CC was assessed based upon heart rate (HR) changes during submaximal exercise (HR change /HRmax (206-0.88 × age) - HRrest). RESULTS During states of elevated HRV the vmPFC showed greater rsFC with an 83-voxel region of the hypothalamus (p < 0.001, uncorrected). Beta estimates of vmPFC connectivity extracted from a 6-mm sphere around this region emerged as the strongest predictor of CC (b = 0.283, p <.001) than age, BMI, and resting HRV F(8,144) = 6.30, p <.001. CONCLUSION Extensive glutamatergic innervation of the hypothalamus by the vmPFC allows for top-down control of the hypothalamus and its various autonomic efferents which facilitate chronotropic response during sub-maximal exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Di Bello
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Catie Chang
- Department of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Roger McIntosh
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA.
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Nass BYS, Dibbets P, Markus CR. Mediating effect of coping dispositions on the association between trauma and gastrointestinal symptoms. Stress Health 2024:e3380. [PMID: 38324223 DOI: 10.1002/smi.3380] [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: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are two gastrointestinal (GI) conditions known to be exacerbated by traumatic life experiences. One way in which these experiences might influence individuals' susceptibility to GI pathology, is by reducing their ability to deal with adversities effectively and predisposing them to passive coping styles that leave them vulnerable to the somatic effects of trauma. To validate this hypothesis, the present cross-sectional study assessed the mediating effect of coping dispositions on the association between trauma and GI disease activity in an adult sample of 189 bowel patients (94 IBD, 95 IBS) and 92 controls. Results confirmed that GI patients exhibit significantly more cumulative trauma, pervasive feelings of uncontrollability and passive coping strategies than controls. Moreover, the use of passive coping styles was positively associated with the accumulation of trauma and the expression of GI symptoms. Using hierarchical regression and mediation analyses, we found support for the sequential model postulating passive coping styles as (partial) mediators of trauma-induced (GI) disease manifestations. Specifically, out of all coping styles associated with cumulative trauma, behavioural disengagement most powerfully mediated the effect of trauma on GI symptom severity, accounting for 12% (IBD) to 14% (IBS) of its total effect. A somewhat smaller mediating role was observed for social support coping, the reduced reliance on which explained 7% (IBS) to 10% (IBD) of trauma's total effect. Finally, neuroticism acted as a channel through which past traumatization affected subjects' proneness to behavioural disengagement and, consequently, their GI disease activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boukje Y S Nass
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Dr. Rath Health Foundation, Heerlen, The Netherlands
| | - Pauline Dibbets
- Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - C Rob Markus
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Handel SN, Smith RJ. Making and breaking habits: Revisiting the definitions and behavioral factors that influence habits in animals. J Exp Anal Behav 2024; 121:8-26. [PMID: 38010353 PMCID: PMC10842199 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Habits have garnered significant interest in studies of associative learning and maladaptive behavior. However, habit research has faced scrutiny and challenges related to the definitions and methods. Differences in the conceptualizations of habits between animal and human studies create difficulties for translational research. Here, we review the definitions and commonly used methods for studying habits in animals and humans and discuss potential alternative ways to assess habits, such as automaticity. To better understand habits, we then focus on the behavioral factors that have been shown to make or break habits in animals, as well as potential mechanisms underlying the influence of these factors. We discuss the evidence that habitual and goal-directed systems learn in parallel and that they seem to interact in competitive and cooperative manners. Finally, we draw parallels between habitual responding and compulsive drug seeking in animals to delineate the similarities and differences in these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia N Handel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Rachel J Smith
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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Cohodes EM, Sisk LM, Keding TJ, Mandell JD, Notti ME, Gee DG. Characterizing experiential elements of early-life stress to inform resilience: Buffering effects of controllability and predictability and the importance of their timing. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:2288-2301. [PMID: 37496155 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423000822] [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] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Key theoretical frameworks have proposed that examining the impact of exposure to specific dimensions of stress at specific developmental periods is likely to yield important insight into processes of risk and resilience. Utilizing a sample of N = 549 young adults who provided a detailed retrospective history of their lifetime exposure to numerous dimensions of traumatic stress and ratings of their current trauma-related symptomatology via completion of an online survey, here we test whether an individual's perception of their lifetime stress as either controllable or predictable buffered the impact of exposure on trauma-related symptomatology assessed in adulthood. Further, we tested whether this moderation effect differed when evaluated in the context of early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood stress. Consistent with hypotheses, results highlight both stressor controllability and stressor predictability as buffering the impact of traumatic stress exposure on trauma-related symptomatology and suggest that the potency of this buffering effect varies across unique developmental periods. Leveraging dimensional ratings of lifetime stress exposure to probe heterogeneity in outcomes following stress - and, critically, considering interactions between dimensions of exposure and the developmental period when stress occurred - is likely to yield increased understanding of risk and resilience following traumatic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lucinda M Sisk
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Taylor J Keding
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Mandell
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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Liu Y, Zhao X, Hu W, Ren Y, Wei Z, Ren X, Tang Z, Wang N, Chen H, Li Y, Shi Z, Qin S, Yang J. Neural habituation during acute stress signals a blunted endocrine response and poor resilience. Psychol Med 2023; 53:7735-7745. [PMID: 37309913 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to acute stress is associated with psychiatric symptoms. Although the prefrontal cortex and limbic areas are important regulators of the HPA axis, whether the neural habituation of these regions during stress signals both blunted HPA axis responses and psychiatric symptoms remains unclear. In this study, neural habituation during acute stress and its associations with the stress cortisol response, resilience, and depression were evaluated. METHODS Seventy-seven participants (17-22 years old, 37 women) were recruited for a ScanSTRESS brain imaging study, and the activation changes between the first and last stress blocks were used as the neural habituation index. Meanwhile, participants' salivary cortisol during test was collected. Individual-level resilience and depression were measured using questionnaires. Correlation and moderation analyses were conducted to investigate the association between neural habituation and endocrine data and mental symptoms. Validated analyses were conducted using a Montreal Image Stress Test dataset in another independent sample (48 participants; 17-22 years old, 24 women). RESULTS Neural habituation of the prefrontal cortex and limbic area was negatively correlated with cortisol responses in both datasets. In the ScanSTRESS paradigm, neural habituation was both positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with resilience. Moreover, resilience moderated the relationship between neural habituation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and cortisol response. CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that neural habituation of the prefrontal cortex and limbic area could reflect motivation dysregulation during repeated failures and negative feedback, which might further lead to maladaptive mental states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhenni Wei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xi Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zihan Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Haopeng Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yizhuo Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Zhenhao Shi
- Center for Studies of Addiction, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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Schoenfeld TJ, Rhee D, Smith JA, Padmanaban V, Brockett AT, Jacobs HN, Cameron HA. Rewarded Maze Training Increases Approach Behavior in Rats Through Neurogenesis-Dependent Growth of Ventral Hippocampus-Prelimbic Circuits. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 3:725-733. [PMID: 37881563 PMCID: PMC10593943 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Learning complex navigation routes increases hippocampal volume in humans, but it is not clear whether this growth impacts behaviors outside the learning situation or what cellular mechanisms are involved. Methods We trained rats with pharmacogenetic suppression of adult neurogenesis and littermate controls in 3 mazes over 3 weeks and tested novelty approach behavior several days after maze exposure. We then measured hippocampus and prelimbic cortex volumes using magnetic resonance imaging and assessed neuronal and astrocyte morphology. Finally, we investigated the activation and behavioral role of the ventral CA1 (vCA1)-to-prelimbic pathway using immediate-early genes and DREADDs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs). Results Maze training led to volume increase of both the vCA1 region of the hippocampus and the prelimbic region of the neocortex compared with rats that followed fixed paths. Growth was also apparent in individual neurons and astrocytes in these 2 regions, and behavioral testing showed increased novelty approach in maze-trained rats in 2 different tests. Suppressing adult neurogenesis prevented the effects on structure and approach behavior after maze training without affecting maze learning itself. The vCA1 neurons projecting to the prelimbic area were more activated by novelty in maze-trained animals, and suppression of this pathway decreased approach behavior. Conclusions Rewarded navigational learning experiences induce volumetric and morphologic growth in the vCA1 and prelimbic cortex and enhance activation of the circuit connecting these 2 regions. Both the structural and behavioral effects of maze training require ongoing adult neurogenesis, suggesting a role for new neurons in experience-driven increases in novelty exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. Schoenfeld
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Psychological Science and Neuroscience, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Diane Rhee
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jesse A. Smith
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Varun Padmanaban
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Adam T. Brockett
- Department of Psychology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
| | - Hannah N. Jacobs
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Heather A. Cameron
- Section on Neuroplasticity, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
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Luo X, Yu T, Yang Z, Wang D. Psychotic-Like Experiences and Suicidal Ideation Among Adolescents: The Chain Mediating Role of Insomnia Symptoms and Resilience. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2023; 16:3519-3530. [PMID: 37675191 PMCID: PMC10478937 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s426363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Individuals who experience psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are at significant risk of suicide-related behaviors. This two-wave longitudinal study aimed to investigate the relationships among PLEs, insomnia symptoms, resilience, and suicidal ideation (SI) among adolescents. Methods A total of 2231 college students [mean age (standard deviation) = 20.02 (1.39) years] completed two web-based surveys. Participants completed self-report measures of sample characteristics, PLEs, insomnia symptoms, resilience, and SI. Results The findings indicated a significantly positive correlation between PLEs and SI that was sequentially mediated by insomnia symptoms and resilience. Furthermore, insomnia symptoms and resilience played a chain-mediating role between PLEs and adolescent SI. Conclusion These findings suggest potential mechanism for the PLEs-SI link, which helps us better understand how PLEs can influence individual SI and provides important information for early prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Luo
- School of Educational Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China
- Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Taowen Yu
- Department of Applied Psychology, Changsha Normal University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zilu Yang
- College of Education, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongfang Wang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Educational Science, Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
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10
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Zhou H, Zhu Z, Feng X, Zhang R. Low mindfulness is related to poor sleep quality from middle adolescents to emerging adults: a process model involving resilience and emotional dysfunction. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:626. [PMID: 37641001 PMCID: PMC10463593 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05092-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Transitions from middle adolescence into merging adulthood, a life stage between age 15-25, has a high prevalence of sleep problems. Mindfulness is a trait defined as being attentive to the present moment which positively relates to sleep quality. In this study, we aimed to investigate how resilience and emotional dysfunction may influence the relationship between trait mindfulness and sleep quality. METHODS The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales were used to measure the key variables through an online survey of 497 participants between middle adolescence and emerging adults (317 females, mean age 18.27 ± 0.76 years). A process model was built to investigate the mediating roles of resilience and emotional dysfunction in the impact of trait mindfulness on sleep quality, together with the relationships between their specific components. RESULTS We found a positive association between mindfulness and sleep quality through resilience and through emotional dysfunction, and through the sequential pathway from resilience to emotional dysfunction. Of note, acting with awareness (mindfulness facet) showed significant indirect effects on sleep quality, mediated by resilience and emotional dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS Our findings may unveil the underlying mechanisms of how low mindfulness induces poor sleep quality. The findings indicate that conceiving mindfulness as a multifaceted construct facilitates comprehension of its components, relationships with other variables, and underscores its potential clinical significance given its critical implications for mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaiyuan Zhou
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ziqing Zhu
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiangang Feng
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Ruibin Zhang
- Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy Laboratory, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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Nahum M, Sinvani RT, Afek A, Ben Avraham R, Jordan JT, Ben Shachar MS, Ben Yehuda A, Berezin Cohen N, Davidov A, Gilboa Y. Inhibitory control and mood in relation to psychological resilience: an ecological momentary assessment study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13151. [PMID: 37573400 PMCID: PMC10423230 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40242-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Psychological resilience, the ability to adapt to adversity, is theorized to rely on intact inhibitory control (IC) mechanisms, which underlie one's ability to maintain goal-directed behavior by inhibiting prepotent responses. However, no study to date has explored daily fluctuations of IC performance in relation to resilience. Here, we examined the association between IC and mood measured daily in relation to psychological resilience in young adults in a stressful situation. Baseline resilience was obtained from 144 female and male soldiers during their basic combat training. Then, participants completed an ecological momentary assessment protocol, in which they reported their momentary mood and completed a short IC assessment twice/day for 2 weeks. A hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed that psychological resilience moderated the relationship between momentary IC and momentary mood, such that better IC was associated with better mood only for those with higher, but not lower, self-reported psychological resilience at baseline. These results show that psychological resilience is manifested in the everyday association between IC and mood. Furthermore, they lend important support to cognitive models of resilience and may have significant contribution to our understanding of resilient behavior in real life.Trial Registration: MOH_2018-0-13_002451.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mor Nahum
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Occupational Therapy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Rachel-Tzofia Sinvani
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Occupational Therapy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Anat Afek
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Occupational Therapy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Rina Ben Avraham
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Occupational Therapy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Joshua T Jordan
- Department of Psychology, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA, USA
| | | | - Ariel Ben Yehuda
- Department of Health and Well-Being, Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Ramat Gan, Israel
- "Shalvata" Mental Health Center, "Clalit" Health Services, Hod-Hasharon, Israel
| | - Noa Berezin Cohen
- Department of Health and Well-Being, Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Alex Davidov
- Mental Health Section, Medical Services Center, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yafit Gilboa
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Occupational Therapy, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
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12
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Kim EJ, Kim JJ. Neurocognitive effects of stress: a metaparadigm perspective. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2750-2763. [PMID: 36759545 PMCID: PMC9909677 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01986-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Stressful experiences, both physical and psychological, that are overwhelming (i.e., inescapable and unpredictable), can measurably affect subsequent neuronal properties and cognitive functioning of the hippocampus. At the cellular level, stress has been shown to alter hippocampal synaptic plasticity, spike and local field potential activity, dendritic morphology, neurogenesis, and neurodegeneration. At the behavioral level, stress has been found to impair learning and memory for declarative (or explicit) tasks that are based on cognition, such as verbal recall memory in humans and spatial memory in rodents, while facilitating those that are based on emotion, such as differential fear conditioning in humans and contextual fear conditioning in rodents. These vertically related alterations in the hippocampus, procedurally observed after subjects have undergone stress, are generally believed to be mediated by recurrently elevated circulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis effector hormones, glucocorticoids, directly acting on hippocampal neurons densely populated with corticosteroid receptors. The main purposes of this review are to (i) provide a synopsis of the neurocognitive effects of stress in a historical context that led to the contemporary HPA axis dogma of basic and translational stress research, (ii) critically reappraise the necessity and sufficiency of the glucocorticoid hypothesis of stress, and (iii) suggest an alternative metaparadigm approach to monitor and manipulate the progression of stress effects at the neural coding level. Real-time analyses can reveal neural activity markers of stress in the hippocampus that can be used to extrapolate neurocognitive effects across a range of stress paradigms (i.e., resolve scaling and dichotomous memory effects issues) and understand individual differences, thereby providing a novel neurophysiological scaffold for advancing future stress research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Joo Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeansok J Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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13
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Schaffer J, Fogelman N, Seo D, Sinha R. Chronic pain, chronic stress and substance use: overlapping mechanisms and implications. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1145934. [PMID: 37415830 PMCID: PMC10320206 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1145934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic pain is among the most common reasons adults in the U.S. seek medical care. Despite chronic pain's substantial impact on individuals' physical, emotional, and financial wellness, the biologic underpinnings of chronic pain remain incompletely understood. Such deleterious impact on an individuals' wellness is also manifested in the substantial co-occurrence of chronic stress with chronic pain. However, whether chronic stress and adversity and related alcohol and substance misuse increases risk of developing chronic pain, and, if so, what the overlapping psychobiological processes are, is not well understood. Individuals suffering with chronic pain find alleviation through prescription opioids as well as non-prescribed cannabis, alcohol, and other drugs to control pain, and use of these substances have grown significantly. Substance misuse also increases experience of chronic stress. Thus, given the evidence showing a strong correlation between chronic stress and chronic pain, we aim to review and identify overlapping factors and processes. We first explore the predisposing factors and psychologic features common to both conditions. This is followed by examining the overlapping neural circuitry of pain and stress in order to trace a common pathophysiologic processes for the development of chronic pain and its link to substance use. Based on the previous literature and our own findings, we propose a critical role for ventromedial prefrontal cortex dysfunction, an overlapping brain area associated with the regulation of both pain and stress that is also affected by substance use, as key in the risk of developing chronic pain. Finally, we identify the need for future research in exploring the role of medial prefrontal circuits in chronic pain pathology. Critically, in order to alleviate the enormous burden of chronic pain without exacerbating the co-occurring substance misuse crisis, we emphasize the need to find better approaches to treat and prevent chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - R. Sinha
- Department of Psychiatry and the Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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14
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Jones BO, Paladino MS, Cruz AM, Spencer HF, Kahanek PL, Scarborough LN, Georges SF, Smith RJ. Punishment resistance for cocaine is associated with inflexible habits in rats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.08.544242. [PMID: 37333299 PMCID: PMC10274925 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.08.544242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Addiction is characterized by continued drug use despite negative consequences. In an animal model, a subset of rats continues to self-administer cocaine despite footshock consequences, showing punishment resistance. We sought to test the hypothesis that punishment resistance arises from failure to exert goal-directed control over habitual cocaine seeking. While habits are not inherently permanent or maladaptive, continued use of habits under conditions that should encourage goal-directed control makes them maladaptive and inflexible. We trained male and female Sprague Dawley rats on a seeking-taking chained schedule of cocaine self-administration (2 h/day). We then exposed them to 4 days of punishment testing, in which footshock (0.4 mA, 0.3 s) was delivered randomly on one-third of trials, immediately following completion of seeking and prior to extension of the taking lever. Before and after punishment testing (4 days pre-punishment and ≥4 days post-punishment), we assessed whether cocaine seeking was goal-directed or habitual using outcome devaluation via cocaine satiety. We found that punishment resistance was associated with continued use of habits, whereas punishment sensitivity was associated with increased goal-directed control. Although punishment resistance was not predicted by habitual responding pre-punishment, it was associated with habitual responding post-punishment. In parallel studies of food self-administration, we similarly observed that punishment resistance was associated with habitual responding post-punishment but not pre-punishment. These findings indicate that punishment resistance is related to habits that have become inflexible and persist under conditions that should encourage a transition to goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley O. Jones
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Morgan S. Paladino
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Adelis M. Cruz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Haley F. Spencer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Payton L. Kahanek
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Lauren N. Scarborough
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sandra F. Georges
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Rachel J. Smith
- Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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15
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Norbury A, Seeley SH, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Feder A. Functional neuroimaging of resilience to trauma: convergent evidence and challenges for future research. Psychol Med 2023; 53:3293-3305. [PMID: 37264949 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Resilience is broadly defined as the ability to adapt successfully following stressful life events. Here, we review functional MRI studies that investigated key psychological factors that have been consistently linked to resilience to severe adversity and trauma exposure. These domains include emotion regulation (including cognitive reappraisal), reward responsivity, and cognitive control. Further, we briefly review functional imaging evidence related to emerging areas of study that may potentially facilitate resilience: namely social cognition, active coping, and successful fear extinction. Finally, we also touch upon ongoing issues in neuroimaging study design that will need to be addressed to enable us to harness insight from such studies to improve treatments for - or, ideally, guard against the development of - debilitating post-traumatic stress syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes Norbury
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Mental Health Neuroscience Department, Applied Computational Psychiatry Lab, Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saren H Seeley
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Adriana Feder
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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16
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Cohodes EM, McCauley S, Pierre JC, Hodges HR, Haberman JT, Santiuste I, Rogers MK, Wang J, Mandell JD, Gee DG. Development and validation of the Dimensional Inventory of Stress and Trauma Across the Lifespan (DISTAL): A novel assessment tool to facilitate the dimensional study of psychobiological sequelae of exposure to adversity. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22372. [PMID: 37073593 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research underscore the profound impact of adversity on brain and behavioral development. Recent theoretical models have highlighted the importance of considering specific features of adversity that may have dissociable effects at distinct developmental timepoints. However, existing measures do not query these dimensions in sufficient detail to support the proliferation of this approach. The Dimensional Inventory of Stress and Trauma Across the Lifespan (DISTAL) was developed with the aim to thoroughly and retrospectively assess the timing, severity (of exposure and reaction), type, persons involved, controllability, predictability, threat, deprivation, proximity, betrayal, and discrimination inherent in an individual's exposure to adversity. Here, we introduce this instrument, present descriptive statistics drawn from a sample of N = 187 adults who completed the DISTAL, and provide initial information about its psychometric properties. This novel measure facilitates the expansion of research focused on assessing the relative impact of exposure to key dimensions of adversity on the brain and behavior across development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sarah McCauley
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jasmyne C Pierre
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - H R Hodges
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jason T Haberman
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Isabel Santiuste
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Marisa K Rogers
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jenny Wang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Mandell
- Program in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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17
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Bercum FM, Gomez MJN, Saddoris MP. Prefrontal cortex neurons in adult rats exposed to early life stress fail to appropriately signal the consequences of motivated actions. Physiol Behav 2023; 263:114107. [PMID: 36740134 PMCID: PMC10023442 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) can set the stage for susceptibility to cognitive and emotional dysfunction in adulthood by disrupting typical neural development. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) continues to mature during early life, making this region particularly vulnerable to disruption for animals who experience ELS. Despite this, the effects of ELS experience on in vivo PFC function in awake and behaving adult animals are currently poorly understood. To assess this, we employed an instrumental conflict task to assess how hungry adult rats, either ELS (wet bedding) or unstressed Controls, were able to flexibly alter their motivation for food reward seeking (lever presses) in situations that were either threatening or safe. During this task, in vivo electrophysiological recordings (both single unit and local field potentials [LFPs]) were made in the rats' ventral-medial PFC (vmPFC). We found that ELS rats were less motivated to lever press for rewards than Controls in the threat situations during repeated extinction sessions. In recordings taken during this suppression task, Control vmPFC neurons displayed reliable differences between motivated actions, such as between rewarded and unrewarded presses, but ELS neurons failed to differentiate these action-outcome differences. We also found differences in task-related LFP activity between groups; in particular, prior ELS experience appears to induce abnormal changes in low-frequency oscillations during shock-associated threat stimuli prior to presses, as well as diminished higher-frequency oscillations following rewarded presses. Collectively, we demonstrate that ELS experience produces persistent impairment in motivational regulation that is associated with significant changes in in vivo PFC signals. Specifically, ELS-experienced adults fail to appropriately update motivated action strategies under threat conditions, and likewise fail to appropriately monitor and update action/outcome relationships in motivated behavior. These ELS-related changes may therefore lay the foundation for heightened susceptibility to mental-health disorders in adults such as substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florencia M Bercum
- Department Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Place, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Maria J Navarro Gomez
- Department Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Place, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Michael P Saddoris
- Department Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Place, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA.
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18
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Kieckhaefer C, Schilbach L, Bzdok D. Social belonging: brain structure and function is linked to membership in sports teams, religious groups, and social clubs. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:4405-4420. [PMID: 36161309 PMCID: PMC10110433 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human behavior across the life span is driven by the psychological need to belong, right from kindergarten to bingo nights. Being part of social groups constitutes a backbone for communal life and confers many benefits for the physical and mental health. Capitalizing on the neuroimaging and behavioral data from ∼40,000 participants from the UK Biobank population cohort, we used structural and functional analyses to explore how social participation is reflected in the human brain. Across 3 different types of social groups, structural analyses point toward the variance in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, fusiform gyrus, and anterior cingulate cortex as structural substrates tightly linked to social participation. Functional connectivity analyses not only emphasized the importance of default mode and limbic network but also showed differences for sports teams and religious groups as compared to social clubs. Taken together, our findings establish the structural and functional integrity of the default mode network as a neural signature of social belonging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Kieckhaefer
- LVR Klinikum Düsseldorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Bergische Landstraße 2, 40629 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- LVR Klinikum Düsseldorf, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Bergische Landstraße 2, 40629 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Medical Faculty, Ludwig Maximilians University, Bavariaring 19, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, 3801 rue University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, 3775 rue University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, 6666 rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal, Quebec H2S 3H1, Canada
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19
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Blythe JS, Mansueto AC, Duken SB, Cremers HR. The generalization of behavioral control over physical threats to social stressors in humans: A pilot fMRI study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 329:111598. [PMID: 36680844 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral control, the ability to manage one's exposure to a given stressor, influences the impacts of both the present and future stressors. Behavioral control over a stressor may decrease stress caused by the stressor, and promote resilience towards future stressors. A lack of behavioral control may exacerbate the stress response and lead to learned helplessness, a generalized view that one cannot control other, unrelated stressors in their environment. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) may detect the presence of behavioral control over a stressor and communicate this to subcortical regions involved in stress responses, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Building on previous research in animals and humans, we piloted a paradigm to investigate how behavioral control over a physical threat (electric shocks), generalized to responses for a subsequent social stressor (anticipation of public speaking). Our manipulation of behavioral control effected perceived control between groups, increased stress across but not between groups, and no effects generalized to the subsequent social stressor in behavioral, physiological, or neural responses. We discuss refinements to the paradigm to strengthen the manipulation, the potential impacts of statistical power on the present results, and metrics to measure the generalization of behavioral control in addition to vmPFC-subcortical connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S Blythe
- University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Psychology, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Leiden University, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden University, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Alessandra C Mansueto
- University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Psychology, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Department of Developmental Psychology, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychological Methods, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Center for Urban Mental Health, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands; University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), Postbus 15791, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sascha B Duken
- University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Psychology, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henk R Cremers
- University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Psychology, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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20
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Neural effects of controllability as a key dimension of stress exposure. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:218-227. [PMID: 35034670 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Cross-species evidence suggests that the ability to exert control over a stressor is a key dimension of stress exposure that may sensitize frontostriatal-amygdala circuitry to promote more adaptive responses to subsequent stressors. The present study examined neural correlates of stressor controllability in young adults. Participants (N = 56; Mage = 23.74, range = 18-30 years) completed either the controllable or uncontrollable stress condition of the first of two novel stressor controllability tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition. Participants in the uncontrollable stress condition were yoked to age- and sex-matched participants in the controllable stress condition. All participants were subsequently exposed to uncontrollable stress in the second task, which is the focus of fMRI analyses reported here. A whole-brain searchlight classification analysis revealed that patterns of activity in the right dorsal anterior insula (dAI) during subsequent exposure to uncontrollable stress could be used to classify participants' initial exposure to either controllable or uncontrollable stress with a peak of 73% accuracy. Previous experience of exerting control over a stressor may change the computations performed within the right dAI during subsequent stress exposure, shedding further light on the neural underpinnings of stressor controllability.
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21
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Choi JJ, Martins JS, Hwang S, Sinha R, Seo D. Neural correlates linking trauma and physical symptoms. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2022; 327:111560. [PMID: 36327865 PMCID: PMC9757618 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2022.111560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Trauma and chronic pain frequently co-occur, but the underlying neurological mechanisms are poorly understood. The current study investigated the neural correlates of stress and physical symptoms in trauma patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and follow-up smartphone surveys. Participants were 10 patients diagnosed with Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders and 18 demographically-matched healthy controls who completed a fMRI stress provocation task in which they viewed stressful and neutral-relaxing images. Subsequently, participants completed daily smartphone surveys which prospectively monitored their stress and physical symptoms for 30 days. The trauma group experienced a significantly higher frequency of physical symptoms than controls during the follow-up period. During stress, trauma patients exhibited increased activity in the hippocampus, insula, and sensorimotor areas, but decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), and dorsal striatum relative to controls. In all participants, higher physical symptom frequency was significantly associated with a hyperactive left hippocampal response to stress. The current study reports that trauma is characterized by greater physical symptoms and decreased prefrontal but increased limbic responses to stress. Our findings suggest that trauma may increase physical health symptoms by compromising hippocampal function, which could also increase vulnerability to stress- and pain-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
| | - Jorge S Martins
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America; William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Seungju Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Dongju Seo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
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22
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McGovern DJ, Ly A, Ecton KL, Huynh DT, Prévost ED, Gonzalez SC, McNulty CJ, Rau AR, Hentges ST, Daigle TL, Tasic B, Baratta MV, Root DH. Ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons mediate nonassociative consequences of stress. Mol Psychiatry 2022:10.1038/s41380-022-01858-3. [PMID: 36437312 PMCID: PMC10375863 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01858-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to trauma is a risk factor for the development of a number of mood disorders, and may enhance vulnerability to future adverse life events. Recent data demonstrate that ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons expressing the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2) signal and causally contribute to behaviors that involve aversive or threatening stimuli. However, it is unknown whether VTA VGluT2 neurons regulate transsituational outcomes of stress and whether these neurons are sensitive to stressor controllability. This work adapted an operant mouse paradigm to examine the impact of stressor controllability on VTA VGluT2 neuron function as well as the role of VTA VGluT2 neurons in mediating transsituational stressor outcomes. Uncontrollable (inescapable) stress, but not physically identical controllable (escapable) stress, produced social avoidance and exaggerated fear in male mice. Uncontrollable stress in females led to exploratory avoidance of a novel brightly lit environment. Both controllable and uncontrollable stressors increased VTA VGluT2 neuronal activity, and chemogenetic silencing of VTA VGluT2 neurons prevented the behavioral sequelae of uncontrollable stress in male and female mice. Further, we show that stress activates multiple genetically-distinct subtypes of VTA VGluT2 neurons, especially those that are VGluT2+VGaT+, as well as lateral habenula neurons receiving synaptic input from VTA VGluT2 neurons. Our results provide causal evidence that mice can be used for identifying stressor controllability circuitry and that VTA VGluT2 neurons contribute to transsituational stressor outcomes, such as social avoidance, exaggerated fear, or anxiety-like behavior that are observed within trauma-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon J McGovern
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - Annie Ly
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - Koy L Ecton
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - David T Huynh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - Emily D Prévost
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - Shamira C Gonzalez
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - Connor J McNulty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US
| | - Andrew R Rau
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, 80523, CO, US
- Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, 59812, MT, US
| | - Shane T Hentges
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, 80523, CO, US
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, 99164, WA, US
| | - Tanya L Daigle
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, 615 Westlake. Avenue North, Seattle, 98109, WA, US
| | - Bosiljka Tasic
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, 615 Westlake. Avenue North, Seattle, 98109, WA, US
| | - Michael V Baratta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US.
| | - David H Root
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, 2860 Wilderness Pl, Boulder, 80301, CO, US.
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23
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Wallace TL, Martin WJ, Arnsten AF. Kappa opioid receptor antagonism protects working memory performance from mild stress exposure in Rhesus macaques. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 21:100493. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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24
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Johnson SB, Lingg RT, Skog TD, Hinz DC, Romig-Martin SA, Viau V, Narayanan NS, Radley JJ. Activity in a prefrontal-periaqueductal gray circuit overcomes behavioral and endocrine features of the passive coping stress response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2210783119. [PMID: 36306326 PMCID: PMC9636920 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2210783119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The question of how the brain links behavioral and biological features of defensive responses has remained elusive. The importance of this problem is underscored by the observation that behavioral passivity in stress coping is associated with elevations in glucocorticoid hormones, and each may carry risks for susceptibility to a host of stress-related diseases. Past work implicates the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the top-down regulation of stress-related behaviors; however, it is unknown whether such changes have the capacity to buffer against the longer-lasting biological consequences associated with aversive experiences. Using the shock probe defensive burying test in rats to naturalistically measure behavioral and endocrine features of coping, we observed that the active behavioral component of stress coping is associated with increases in activity along a circuit involving the caudal mPFC and midbrain dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (PAG). Optogenetic manipulations of the caudal mPFC-to-dorsolateral PAG pathway bidirectionally modulated active (escape and defensive burying) behaviors, distinct from a rostral mPFC-ventrolateral PAG circuit that instead limited passive (immobility) behavior. Strikingly, under conditions that biased rats toward a passive coping response set, including exaggerated stress hormonal output and increased immobility, excitation of the caudal mPFC-dorsolateral PAG projection significantly attenuated each of these features. These results lend insight into how the brain coordinates response features to overcome passive coping and may be of importance for understanding how activated neural systems promote stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane B. Johnson
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Ryan T. Lingg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Timothy D. Skog
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Dalton C. Hinz
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Sara A. Romig-Martin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Victor Viau
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2, Canada
| | - Nandakumar S. Narayanan
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Jason J. Radley
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242
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Grau JW, Hudson KE, Tarbet MM, Strain MM. Behavioral studies of spinal conditioning: The spinal cord is smarter than you think it is. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY. ANIMAL LEARNING AND COGNITION 2022; 48:435-457. [PMID: 35901417 PMCID: PMC10391333 DOI: 10.1037/xan0000332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In 1988 Robert Rescorla published an article in the Annual Review of Neuroscience that addressed the circumstances under which learning occurs, some key methodological issues, and what constitutes an example of learning. The article has inspired a generation of neuroscientists, opening the door to a wider range of learning phenomena. After reviewing the historical context for his article, its key points are briefly reviewed. The perspective outlined enabled the study of learning in simpler preparations, such as the spinal cord. The period after 1988 revealed that pain (nociceptive) stimuli can induce a lasting sensitization of spinal cord circuits, laying down a kind of memory mediated by signal pathways analogous to those implicated in brain dependent learning and memory. Evidence suggests that the spinal cord is sensitive to instrumental response-outcome (R-O) relations, that learning can induce a peripheral modification (muscle memory) that helps maintain the learned response, and that learning can promote adaptive plasticity (a form of metaplasticity). Conversely, exposure to uncontrollable stimulation disables the capacity to learn. Spinal cord neurons can also abstract that stimuli occur in a regular (predictable) manner, a capacity that appears linked to a neural oscillator (central pattern generator). Disrupting communication with the brain has been shown to transform how GABA affects neuronal function (an example of ionic plasticity), releasing a brake that enables plasticity. We conclude by presenting a framework for understanding these findings and the implications for the broader study of learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- James W. Grau
- Cellular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
| | - Kelsey E. Hudson
- Cellular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843 USA
| | - Megan M. Tarbet
- McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX
| | - Misty M. Strain
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229
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26
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Gee DG, Sisk LM, Cohodes EM, Bryce NV. Leveraging the science of stress to promote resilience and optimize mental health interventions during adolescence. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5693. [PMID: 36171218 PMCID: PMC9519553 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33416-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
| | - Lucinda M Sisk
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Emily M Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Nessa V Bryce
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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27
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Wang Y, Wu R, Li L, Ma J, Yang W, Dai Z. Common and distinct neural substrates of the compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding dimensions of self-compassion. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:2667-2680. [DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00723-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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28
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Brivio P, Gallo MT, Gruca P, Lason M, Litwa E, Fumagalli F, Papp M, Calabrese F. Resilience to chronic mild stress-induced anhedonia preserves the ability of the ventral hippocampus to respond to an acute challenge. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022:10.1007/s00406-022-01470-0. [PMID: 36018382 PMCID: PMC10359391 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-022-01470-0] [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: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Stress is a major precipitating factor for psychiatric disorders and its effects may depend on its duration and intensity. Of note, there are differences in individual susceptibility to stress, with some subjects displaying vulnerability and others showing resistance. Furthermore, the ability to react to stressful-life events can alter the response to a subsequent new stressor. Hence, we investigated whether the vulnerability and resilience to the chronic mild stress (CMS) paradigm, in terms of the hedonic phenotype, are paralleled by a different response when facing a novel acute challenge. Specifically, rats submitted to CMS were stratified based on their sucrose intake into vulnerable (anhedonic rats showing reduce intake of sucrose) and resilient (rats not showing the anhedonic-like behavior) subgroups and then further exposed to an acute restraint stress (ARS). Then, neuronal activation was investigated by measuring the gene expression of early immediate (IEG) genes such as Arc and Cfos and early response (ERG) genes, such as Gadd45β, Sgk1, Dusp1, and Nr4a1, in brain regions that play a crucial role in the stress response. We found that resilient rats preserve the ability to increase ERG expression following the ARS selectively in the ventral hippocampus. Conversely, such ability is lost in vulnerable rats. Interestingly, the recovery from the anhedonic phenotype observed in vulnerable rats after 3 weeks of rest from the CMS procedure also parallels the restoration of the ability to adequately respond to the challenge. In conclusion, these findings support the role of the ventral subregion of the hippocampus in the management of both chronic and acute stress response and point to this brain subregion as a critical target for a potential therapeutic strategy aimed at promoting stress resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Brivio
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Gallo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Piotr Gruca
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Magdalena Lason
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ewa Litwa
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Fabio Fumagalli
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariusz Papp
- Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Francesca Calabrese
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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Dai W, Yang M, Xia P, Xiao C, Huang S, Zhang Z, Cheng X, Li W, Jin J, Zhang J, Wu B, Zhang Y, Wu PH, Lin Y, Wu W, Zhao H, Zhang Y, Lin WJ, Ye X. A functional role of meningeal lymphatics in sex difference of stress susceptibility in mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4825. [PMID: 35974004 PMCID: PMC9381547 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32556-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental health conditions. Meningeal lymphatics are essential for drainage of molecules in the cerebrospinal fluid to the peripheral immune system. Their potential role in depression-like behaviour has not been investigated. Here, we show in mice, sub-chronic variable stress as a model of depression-like behaviour impairs meningeal lymphatics in females but not in males. Manipulations of meningeal lymphatics regulate the sex difference in the susceptibility to stress-induced depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice, as well as alterations of the medial prefrontal cortex and the ventral tegmental area, brain regions critical for emotional regulation. Together, our findings suggest meningeal lymphatic impairment contributes to susceptibility to stress in mice, and that restoration of the meningeal lymphatics might have potential for modulation of depression-like behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiping Dai
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengqian Yang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pei Xia
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuan Xiao
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuying Huang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhan Zhang
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Cheng
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenchang Li
- Department of Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian Jin
- Department of Rehabilitation, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingyun Zhang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Binghuo Wu
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pei-Hui Wu
- Department of Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yangyang Lin
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen Wu
- Department of Rehabilitation, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hu Zhao
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Wei-Jye Lin
- Brain Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital and Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Xiaojing Ye
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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30
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Perellón-Alfonso R, Redondo-Camós M, Abellaneda-Pérez K, Cattaneo G, Delgado-Gallén S, España-Irla G, Solana Sánchez J, Tormos JM, Pascual-Leone A, Bartrés-Faz D. Prefrontal reactivity to TMS perturbation as a toy model of mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Heliyon 2022; 8:e10208. [PMID: 35991299 PMCID: PMC9383955 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychosocial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led many individuals to suffer adverse mental health consequences, however, others show no negative effects. We hypothesized that the electroencephalographic (EEG) response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could serve as a toy-model of an individual's capacity to resist psychological stress, in this case linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from 74 participants who underwent mental health monitoring and concurrent electroencephalography with transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) and left inferior parietal lobule (L-IPL). Within the following 19 months, mental health was reassessed at three timepoints during lock-down confinement and different phases of de-escalation in Spain. Compared with participants who remained stable, those who experienced increased mental distress showed, months earlier, significantly larger late EEG responses locally after L-DLPFC stimulation (but not globally nor after L-IPL stimulation). This response, together with years of formal education, was significantly predictive of mental health status during the pandemic. These findings reveal that the effect of TMS perturbation offers a predictive toy model of psychosocial stress response, as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Perellón-Alfonso
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Redondo-Camós
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.,Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kilian Abellaneda-Pérez
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriele Cattaneo
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.,Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Selma Delgado-Gallén
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.,Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Goretti España-Irla
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.,Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Solana Sánchez
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.,Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José M Tormos
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.,Fundació Institut d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.,Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, Hebrew Senior Life, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.,Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la UAB, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
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Jang M, Jung T, Jeong Y, Byun Y, Noh J. Oxytocin modulation in the medial prefrontal cortex of pair-exposed rats during fear conditioning. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 141:105752. [PMID: 35367716 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Social buffering is the phenomenon, in which stress and fear reactions caused by exposure to stressful stimuli when animals are exposed to homogeneous relationships are attenuated. Social buffering reduces fear memory behavior such as escape, avoidance, and freezing behavior in rodents due to social existence. Here, we aimed to determine alterations of fear behavior and neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in response to the presence of another rat in fear-exposed conditions and to confirm the role of oxytocin in mPFC in regulating social buffering. METHODS We performed a passive avoidance test and determined positive c-Fos expression in single- and pair-exposed rats. Anisomycin (a protein synthesis inhibitor) and oxytocin receptor regulators (carbetocin; agonist and atosiban; antagonist) were microinjected into the mPFC to clarify the role of oxytocin in the mPFC. RESULTS While single-exposed rats showed a significant increase in both freezing and passive avoidance behaviors compared to control rats, pair-exposed rats showed significantly less fear behavior compared to single-exposed rats. The c-Fos expression in the prelimbic (PL) mPFC was significantly increased in pair-exposed rats compared to that in control and single-exposed rats. The pair-exposed effect was blocked by anisomycin injections into the PL mPFC of pair-exposed rats. Furthermore, when a carbetocin was injected into the PL mPFC in single-exposed rats, fear behavior was decreased, and these changes were blocked by atosiban. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that reduction of fear-related behavior induced by acute pair-exposure is mediated by oxytocin receptors in the PL mPFC. Pair exposure with conspecifics during fear-inducing situations helps coping with fear by significantly increasing the role of oxytocin in the PL mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minji Jang
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Taesub Jung
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Yujeong Jeong
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Younsoo Byun
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyun Noh
- Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 16890, Republic of Korea.
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Palamarchuk IS, Vaillancourt T. Integrative Brain Dynamics in Childhood Bullying Victimization: Cognitive and Emotional Convergence Associated With Stress Psychopathology. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:782154. [PMID: 35573445 PMCID: PMC9097078 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.782154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bullying victimization is a form of psychological stress that is associated with poor outcomes in the areas of mental health and learning. Although the emotional maladjustment and memory impairment following interpersonal stress are well documented, the mechanisms of complex cerebral dysfunctions have neither been outlined nor studied in depth in the context of childhood bullying victimization. As a contribution to the cross-disciplinary field of developmental psychology and neuroscience, we review the neuropathophysiology of early life stress, as well as general psychological stress to synthesize the data and clarify the versatile dynamics within neuronal networks linked to bullying victimization. The stress-induced neuropsychological cascade and associated cerebral networks with a focus on cognitive and emotional convergence are described. The main findings are that stress-evoked neuroendocrine reactivity relates to neuromodulation and limbic dysregulation that hinder emotion processing and executive functioning such as semantic cognition, cognitive flexibility, and learning. Developmental aspects and interacting neural mechanisms linked to distressed cognitive and emotional processing are pinpointed and potential theory-of-mind nuances in targets of bullying are presented. The results show that childhood stress psychopathology is associated with a complex interplay where the major role belongs to, but is not limited to, the amygdala, fusiform gyrus, insula, striatum, and prefrontal cortex. This interplay contributes to the sensitivity toward facial expressions, poor cognitive reasoning, and distress that affect behavioral modulation and emotion regulation. We integrate the data on major brain dynamics in stress neuroactivity that can be associated with childhood psychopathology to help inform future studies that are focused on the treatment and prevention of psychiatric disorders and learning problems in bullied children and adolescents.
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Neurophysiologic Reactions during Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Session in Adolescents with Different Risk of Internet Addiction. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19052759. [PMID: 35270451 PMCID: PMC8910522 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19052759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine electroencephalogram (EEG) in a session of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV BF) in adolescents with different Internet addiction (IA) risks. In total, 100 healthy adolescents aged 16–17 years with minimal risk of IA (Group I, 35%), pronounced risk of IA (Group II, 51%), and stable pattern of IA (Group III, 14%) using the Chen Internet Addiction Scale were examined. HRV and EEG parameters were determined at baseline (5 min), and then during the short-term HRV BF session (5 min), in order to increase the total power (TP, ms2) of the HRV spectrum. Against the background of an increase in the TP and a decrease in sympathetic activity, an increase in alpha EEG was revealed, especially in Groups I and II. The greatest increase in the power of beta1-activity of EEG in the frontal, central, and temporal brain regionswas found in Groups I and II. In adolescents with a pronounced risk of IA, HRV BF is accompanied by a severe activation of the brain systems, while in persons with a stable type of IA, the least brain reactivity is shown, especially in the beta1 EEG band.
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Role of Stress-Related Dopamine Transmission in Building and Maintaining a Protective Cognitive Reserve. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020246. [PMID: 35204009 PMCID: PMC8869980 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
This short review presents the hypothesis that stress-dependent dopamine (DA) transmission contributes to developing and maintaining the brain network supporting a cognitive reserve. Research has shown that people with a greater cognitive reserve are better able to avoid symptoms of degenerative brain changes. The paper will review evidence that: (1) successful adaptation to stressors involves development and stabilization of effective but flexible coping strategies; (2) this process requires dynamic reorganization of functional networks in the adult brain; (3) DA transmission is amongst the principal mediators of this process; (4) age- and disease-dependent cognitive impairment is associated with dysfunctional connectivity both between and within these same networks as well as with reduced DA transmission.
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Abstract
Sleep homeostasis is a complex neurobiologic phenomenon involving a number of molecular pathways, neurotransmitter release, synaptic activity, and factors modulating neural networks. Sleep plasticity allows for homeostatic optimization of neural networks and the replay-based consolidation of specific circuits, especially important for cognition, behavior, and information processing. Furthermore, research is currently moving from an essentially brain-focused to a more comprehensive view involving other systems, such as the immune system, hormonal status, and metabolic pathways. When dysfunctional, these systems contribute to sleep loss and fragmentation as well as to sleep need. In this chapter, the implications of neural plasticity and sleep homeostasis for the diagnosis and treatment of some major sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep deprivation, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, REM sleep behavior disorder, and narcolepsy are discussed in detail with their therapeutical implications. This chapter highlights that sleep is necessary for the maintenance of an optimal brain function and is sensitive to both genetic background and environmental enrichment. Even in pathologic conditions, sleep acts as a resilient plastic state that consolidates prior information and prioritizes network activity for efficient brain functioning.
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Ventura R, Cabib S, Babicola L, Andolina D, Di Segni M, Orsini C. Interactions Between Experience, Genotype and Sex in the Development of Individual Coping Strategies. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:785739. [PMID: 34987364 PMCID: PMC8721137 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.785739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Coping strategies, the first line of defense against adversities, develop through experience. There is consistent evidence that both genotype and sex contribute to the development of dysfunctional coping, leading to maladaptive outcomes of adverse experiences or to adaptive coping that fosters rapid recovery even from severe stress. However, how these factors interact to influence the development of individual coping strategies is just starting to be investigated. In the following review, we will consider evidence that experience, sex, and genotype influence the brain circuits and neurobiological processes involved in coping with adversities and discuss recent results pointing to the specific effects of the interaction between early experiences, genotype, and stress in the development of functional and dysfunctional coping styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Ventura
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Cabib
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Lucy Babicola
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Diego Andolina
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Di Segni
- Department of Experimental Neurosciences, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Orsini
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Research in Neurobiology D. Bovet, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Nashed MG, Waye S, Hasan SMN, Nguyen D, Wiseman M, Zhang J, Lau H, Dinesh OC, Raymond R, Greig IR, Bambico FR, Nobrega JN. Antidepressant activity of pharmacological and genetic deactivation of the small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel subtype-3. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:253-266. [PMID: 34982171 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-021-06045-w] [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: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE The voltage-insensitive, small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channel is a key regulator of neuronal depolarization and is implicated in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. OBJECTIVE We ascertained whether the SK channel is impaired in the chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) model and whether it can serve as a molecular target of antidepressant action. METHODS We assessed the depressive-like behavioral phenotype of CUS-exposed rats and performed post-mortem SK channel binding and activity-dependent zif268 mRNA analyses on their brains. To begin an assessment of SK channel subtypes involved, we examined the effects of genetic and pharmacological inhibition of the SK3 channel using conditional knockout mice and selective SK3 channel negative allosteric modulators (NAMs). RESULTS We found that [125I]apamin binding to SK channels is increased in the prefrontal cortex and decreased in the hippocampus, an effect that was associated with reciprocal levels of zif268 mRNA transcripts indicating abnormal regional cell activity in this model. We found that genetic and pharmacological manipulations significantly decreased immobility in the forced swim test without altering general locomotor activity, a hallmark of antidepressant-like activity. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings link depression-related neural and behavioral pathophysiology with abnormal SK channel functioning and suggest that this can be reversed by the selective inhibition of SK3 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina G Nashed
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Shannon Waye
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - S M Nageeb Hasan
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Diana Nguyen
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Micaela Wiseman
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Jing Zhang
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Harry Lau
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - O Chandani Dinesh
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Roger Raymond
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Iain R Greig
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, Scotland
| | - Francis Rodriguez Bambico
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - José N Nobrega
- Behavioural Neurobiology Laboratory, Research Imaging Center, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada
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Perellón-Alfonso R, Redondo-Camós M, Abellaneda-Pérez K, Cattaneo G, Delgado-Gallén S, España-Irla G, Sánchez JS, Tormos JM, Pascual-Leone A, Bartrés-Faz D. TMS-Evoked Prefrontal Perturbation as a Toy Model of Brain Resilience to Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic. RESEARCH SQUARE 2021:rs.3.rs-1139350. [PMID: 34931185 PMCID: PMC8687479 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1139350/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Psychosocial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led many individuals to suffer adverse mental health consequences, however, others show no negative effects. We hypothesized that the electroencephalographic (EEG) response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could serve as a toy-model of an individual's capacity to resist psychological stress, in this case linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed data from 74 participants who underwent mental health monitoring and concurrent electroencephalography with transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) and left inferior parietal lobule (L-IPL). Within the following 19 months, mental health was reassessed at three time points during lock-down confinement and different phases of de-escalation in Spain. Compared with participants who remained stable, those who experienced increased mental distress showed, months earlier, significantly larger late EEG responses locally after L-DLPFC stimulation (but not globally nor after L-IPL stimulation). This response, together with years of formal education, was significantly predictive of mental health status during the pandemic. These findings reveal that the effect of TMS perturbation offers a predictive toy model of psychosocial stress resilience, as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and point to the L-DLPFC as a promising target for resilience promotion.
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Meine LE, Meier J, Meyer B, Wessa M. Don't stress, it's under control: Neural correlates of stressor controllability in humans. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118701. [PMID: 34758383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal research has repeatedly shown that control is a key variable in the brain's stress response. Uncontrollable stress triggers a release of monoamines, impairing prefrontal functions while enhancing subcortical circuits. Conversely, control over an adverse event involves prefrontally mediated downregulation of monoamine nuclei and is considered protective. However, it remains unclear to what extent these findings translate to humans. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, we subjected participants to controllable and uncontrollable aversive but non-painful electric stimuli, as well as to a control condition without aversive stimulation. In each trial, a symbol signalled whether participants could terminate the stressor through correct performance in a button-matching task or whether the stressor would be randomly terminated, i.e., uncontrollable. Along with neural responses, we assessed participants' accuracy, reaction times, and heart rate. To relate neural activations and subjective experience, we asked participants to rate perceived control, helplessness, and stress. Results were largely in line with our hypotheses. The vmPFC was generally deactivated by aversive stimulation, but this effect was attenuated when participants could terminate the stressor compared to when their responses had no effect. Furthermore, activation in stress-responsive regions, including the bilateral insula, was reduced during controllable trials. Under uncontrollable aversive stimulation, greater vmPFC recruitment was linked to reduced feelings of helplessness. An investigation of condition-dependant differences in vmPFC connectivity yielded no significant results. Our findings further corroborate animal research and emphasise the role of the vmPFC in controllability-dependant regulation of stress responses. Based on the results, we discuss future directions in the context of resilience research and mental health promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Meine
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Wallstraße 3, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jana Meier
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Research Group Wessa, Wallstraße 7, 55122 Mainz, Germany
| | - Benjamin Meyer
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Research Group Kalisch, Wallstraße 7, 55122 Mainz, Germany; Neuroimaging Center, Focus Program Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstraße 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Michèle Wessa
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Wallstraße 3, 55122 Mainz, Germany; Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Research Group Wessa, Wallstraße 7, 55122 Mainz, Germany.
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Suzuki Y, Tanaka SC. Functions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in emotion regulation under stress. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18225. [PMID: 34521947 PMCID: PMC8440524 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97751-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) contributes to regulation of emotion. However, the adaptive response of the vmPFC under acute stress is not understood. We used fMRI to analyse brain activity of people viewing and rating the emotional strength of emotional images after acute social stress. Here, we show that the vmPFC is strongly activated by highly emotional images, indicating its involvement in emotional regulation, and that the midbrain is activated as a main effect of stress during the emotional response. vmPFC activation also exhibits individual differences in behavioural scores reflecting individual reactions to stress. Moreover, functional connectivity between the vmPFC and midbrain under stress reflects stress-induced emotion regulation. Those results suggest that the functions of the network including the vmPFC in emotion regulation is affected by stress depending on the individuals' level of reaction to the stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukihiro Suzuki
- Faculty of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan. .,Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory Group, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institutes International, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Saori C Tanaka
- Faculty of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan. .,Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory Group, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institutes International, Kyoto, Japan.
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Methods and Challenges in Investigating Sex-Specific Consequences of Social Stressors in Adolescence in Rats: Is It the Stress or the Social or the Stage of Development? Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2021; 54:23-58. [PMID: 34455576 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a time of social learning and social restructuring that is accompanied by changes in both the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The activation of these axes by puberty and stressors, respectively, shapes adolescent development. Models of social stress in rats are used to understand the consequences of perturbations of the social environment for ongoing brain development. This paper reviews the challenges in investigating the sex-specific consequences of social stressors, sex differences in the models of social stress used in rats and the sex-specific effects on behaviour and provides an overview of sex differences in HPA responding to stressors, the variability in pubertal development and in strains of rats that require consideration in conducting such research, and directions for future research.
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Logan TK, Walker R. The Impact of Stalking-Related Fear and Gender on Personal Safety Outcomes. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2021; 36:NP7465-NP7487. [PMID: 30741095 DOI: 10.1177/0886260519829280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Research has consistently found that more women worry about their personal safety and feel vulnerable to most every crime compared with men suggesting there is a gender fear gap. Environmental risk and prior victimization history impact concerns about personal safety. However, few studies include stalking as part of the victimization history. Two reasons studies may not include stalking are that adding more questions to a research assessment increases participant burden and measurement of stalking has not always been clear. The current study used a community sample of 2,719 men and women and a five-item stalking assessment to examine the prevalence and impact of stalking and stalking-related fear on concern about personal safety, perceived vulnerability to an attack, perceptions that risk of victimization is higher due to personal characteristics, discomfort when thinking about safety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms controlling for victimization history, age, and environment risk by gender. Overall, 30% of women and 12% of men experienced stalking using the extreme fear standard which is double the national rates. Stalking-related fear, for both women and men, was associated with all of the outcome measures. Furthermore, there were significant main effects of gender after controlling for stalking-related fear on three of the outcomes consistent with the gender fear gap. Based on these results, research studies should consider including stalking as part of the victimization history as it is likely to impact health and mental health outcomes as well as personal safety concerns and responses for both men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- T K Logan
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA
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Mueller CJ, Classe F, Stürmer B, Kuchinke L, Stelzel C. Neurocognitive Effects of Self-Determined Choice and Emotional Arousal on Time Estimation. Adv Cogn Psychol 2021; 17:161-175. [PMID: 37711395 PMCID: PMC10498777 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0326-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Even though effects of emotion and motivation on cognition are well documented, the interaction of all three factors is rarely investigated. Here, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to examine the effects of self-determined choice-as an experimental manipulation of intrinsic motivation - and emotional stimulus content on task preparation and engagement in a temporal production task. Behavioral results indicated a modulation of time processing depending on choice and emotional content. Underlying EEG signals revealed differential modulations by choice on the contingent negative variation (CNV) during task and response preparation and by emotional content on the late positive potential (LPP) in response to the onset of an emotional picture during temporal production. Also, we obtained preliminary evidence for interaction effects of choice and emotional content on the LPP. The feedback-related negativity (FRN) in response to information regarding temporal production success was also affected by interactions of choice and emotional content. These findings indicate that besides separate effects of motivation and emotion, there may be time windows during task engagement in which both factors jointly affect cognitive processing. These results are interpreted as dynamic modulations of attentional resource allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina J Mueller
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany motivation autonomy1
| | - Franz Classe
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany motivation autonomy1
| | - Birgit Stürmer
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany motivation autonomy1
| | - Lars Kuchinke
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany motivation autonomy1
| | - Christine Stelzel
- International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin, Germany motivation autonomy1
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Yuan R, Nechvatal JM, Buckmaster CL, Ayash S, Parker KJ, Schatzberg AF, Lyons DM, Menon V. Long-term effects of intermittent early life stress on primate prefrontal-subcortical functional connectivity. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1348-1356. [PMID: 33495547 PMCID: PMC8134590 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-00956-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Correlational studies of humans suggest that exposure to early life stress has long-term effects on neural circuits involved in vulnerability and resilience to mental health disorders. Stress-related mental health disorders are more prevalent in women than in men. Here, female squirrel monkeys are randomized to intermittently stressful (IS) social separations or a non-separated (NS) control condition conducted from 17 to 27 weeks of age. Nine years later in mid-life adulthood, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was employed to parcellate prefrontal cortex (PFC). Resulting subdivisions were then used to characterize functional connectivity within PFC, and between PFC subdivisions and subcortical regions that are known to be altered by stress. Extensive hyper-connectivity of medial and orbitofrontal PFC with amygdala, hippocampus, and striatum was observed in IS compared to NS monkeys. Functional hyper-connectivity in IS monkeys was associated with previously reported indications of diminished anxiety-like behavior induced by prepubertal stress. Hyper-connectivity of PFC with amygdala and with hippocampus was also associated with increased ventral striatal dopamine D2 and/or D3 receptor (DRD2/3) availability assessed with positron emission tomography (PET) of [11C]raclopride binding in adulthood. Ventral striatal DRD2/3 availability has been linked to cognitive control, which plays a key role in stress coping as an aspect of emotion regulation. These findings provide causal support for enduring neurobiological effects of early life stress and suggest novel targets for new treatments of stress-related mental health disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Yuan
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA
| | - Jordan M. Nechvatal
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.240952.80000000087342732Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford, USA
| | - Christine L. Buckmaster
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA
| | - Sarah Ayash
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.410607.4Translational Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center, Hanns-Dieter-Huesch Weg 19, 55128 Mainz, Germany ,grid.509458.50000 0004 8087 0005Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Hanns-Dieter-Huesch Weg 19, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Karen J. Parker
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Alan F. Schatzberg
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - David M. Lyons
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, USA. .,Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford, USA. .,Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Cooper JA, Nuutinen MR, Lawlor VM, DeVries BAM, Barrick EM, Hossein S, Cole DJ, Leonard CV, Hahn EC, Teer AP, Shields GS, Slavich GM, Ongur D, Jensen JE, Du F, Pizzagalli DA, Treadway MT. Reduced adaptation of glutamatergic stress response is associated with pessimistic expectations in depression. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3166. [PMID: 34039978 PMCID: PMC8155144 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23284-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a significant risk factor for the development of major depressive disorder (MDD), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Preclinically, adaptive and maladaptive stress-induced changes in glutamatergic function have been observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Here, we examine stress-induced changes in human mPFC glutamate using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in two healthy control samples and a third sample of unmedicated participants with MDD who completed the Maastricht acute stress task, and one sample of healthy control participants who completed a no-stress control manipulation. In healthy controls, we find that the magnitude of mPFC glutamate response to the acute stressor decreases as individual levels of perceived stress increase. This adaptative glutamate response is absent in individuals with MDD and is associated with pessimistic expectations during a 1-month follow-up period. Together, this work shows evidence for glutamatergic adaptation to stress that is significantly disrupted in MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Elyssa M Barrick
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Shabnam Hossein
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Daniel J Cole
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Emma C Hahn
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrew P Teer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - George M Slavich
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dost Ongur
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - J Eric Jensen
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Fei Du
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Michael T Treadway
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Tashjian SM, Zbozinek TD, Mobbs D. A Decision Architecture for Safety Computations. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:342-354. [PMID: 33674206 PMCID: PMC8035229 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Accurately estimating safety is critical to pursuing nondefensive survival behaviors. However, little attention has been paid to how the human brain computes safety. We conceptualize a model that consists of two components: (i) threat-oriented evaluations that focus on threat value, imminence, and predictability; and (ii) self-oriented evaluations that focus on the agent's experience, strategies, and ability to control the situation. Our model points to the dynamic interaction between these two components as a mechanism of safety estimation. Based on a growing body of human literature, we hypothesize that distinct regions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) respond to threat and safety to facilitate survival decisions. We suggest safety is not an inverse of danger, but reflects independent computations that mediate defensive circuits and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Tashjian
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Tomislav D Zbozinek
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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Heaslip GP, Davis H, Barber BL. Extracurricular activity participation in early adolescence predicts coping efficacy one year later. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00049530.2021.1884000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel P. Heaslip
- School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
| | - Helen Davis
- School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
| | - Bonnie L. Barber
- Griffith Health Executive, Griffith University, Southport, Australia
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Wang KS, Delgado MR. The Protective Effects of Perceived Control During Repeated Exposure to Aversive Stimuli. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:625816. [PMID: 33613186 PMCID: PMC7887306 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.625816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to perceive and exercise control is a major contributor to our mental and physical wellbeing. When faced with uncontrollable aversive stimuli, organisms develop heightened anxiety and become unwilling to exert effort to avoid the stimuli. In contrast, when faced with controllable aversive stimuli, organisms demonstrate behavioral vigor via avoidance attempts toward trying to seek and exercise control over the environment. As such, controllability confers protective effects against reduced avoidance motivation trigged by aversive environments. These observations beg the question of whether controllability can be potent enough to reverse passivity following repeated exposure to uncontrollable aversive stimuli and how this protective effect is encoded neurally. Human participants performed a Control in Aversive Domain (CAD) task where they were first subjected to a series of repeated uncontrollable aversive stimuli (i.e., aversive tones) across several contexts that were followed by a series of controllable aversive stimuli in a novel context. Faced with persistent uncontrollability, participants significantly reduced their avoidance attempts over time and biased toward giving up. However, the subsequent presence of controllability rescued participants' avoidance behavior. Strikingly, participants who responded more strongly to the protective effects of control also had greater ventromedial prefrontal cortical (vmPFC) activation-a region previously observed to be associated with encoding the subjective value of control. Taken together, these findings highlighted the protective effect conferred by perceived control against passivity and offered insights into the potential role of the vmPFC in controllable environments, with implications for understanding the beneficial influence of perceived control on adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kainan S. Wang
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Cremers H, Keedy S, Coccaro E. The development of an fMRI protocol to investigate vmPFC network functioning underlying the generalization of behavioral control. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2021; 307:111197. [PMID: 33077339 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Experiencing behavioral control over stress can have long-lasting and generalizing effects. Animal research has shown that vmPFC-subcortical interactions are critical for behavioral control; however, research in humans is sparse. Therefore a paradigm was developed in which participants (n = 18) were first assigned to a controllable or uncontrollable version of a signal detection task associated with mild shocks. Subsequently, subjects underwent an fMRI task on the anticipation of speaking in public while measuring self-reported stress, heart rate, and vmPFC network topology. The signal detection task results revealed faster responses to potential shock trials and a trend difference between the controllable and uncontrollable group. The speech anticipation procedure did not show significant between-group differences on self-reported stress or heart rate. fMRI results indicated higher vmPFC efficiency in the controllable threat group at baseline and recovery but similar to the uncontrollable group during speech anticipation. The current report establishes the feasibility of the protocol. However, to evaluate the generalization effect of controllability on the behavioral, physiological, and neural levels further, adequately-powered follow-up research is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk Cremers
- University of Amsterdam, Department of Clinical Psychology, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Biological Science Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States.
| | - Sarah Keedy
- Biological Science Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
| | - Emil Coccaro
- Biological Science Division, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States
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