1
|
Schmidt NM, Hennig J, Munk AJL. Interplay between sexual excitation and inhibition: impact on sexual function and neural correlates of erotic stimulus processing in women. Front Behav Neurosci 2024; 18:1386006. [PMID: 38813468 PMCID: PMC11133591 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1386006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Background As outlined by the dual control model (DCM), individual differences in the regulation of sexual arousal following sexual stimulation depend on two distinct neurophysiological processes: sexual excitation (SE) and sexual inhibition (SI). Although associations with sexual function, behavior, and cue processing have been demonstrated in previous research, underlying neural correlates remain insufficiently explored. Moreover, interactive effects of SE/SI as proposed by the DCM, as well as factors impacting SE/SI properties, such as the use of oral contraceptives (OCs), have not received adequate attention in existing research. Methods 90 healthy, sexually active women (n = 51 using OCs, n = 39 naturally cycling) completed an Emotional-Picture-Stroop-Paradigm (EPSP) while a 64-channel EEG was recorded. LPP amplitudes toward erotic and neutral stimuli were consecutively computed as a marker of motivational salience and approach motivation. Additionally, women provided self-reports of SE/SI and sexual function. Moderation analyses were performed to assess interactive effects of SE/SI in predicting LPP amplitudes and sexual function. Results Sexual function was negatively associated with SI levels but unrelated to SE. Higher SI was associated with reduced LPP amplitudes in response to erotic stimuli. This negative association was, however, attenuated for women high in SE, suggesting interactive effects of SE/SI. Furthermore, women using OCs reported lower SE compared to naturally cycling women. Conclusion The observed findings provide additional psychophysiological evidence supporting the DCM and underscore the relevance of interactive SE/SI effects in stimulus processing and approach motivation. They also highlight the possible impact of OCs on psychosexual variables that warrants further research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Norina M. Schmidt
- Department of Differential and Biological Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zelionkaitė I, Gaižauskaitė R, Uusberg H, Uusberg A, Ambrasė A, Derntl B, Grikšienė R. The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device is related to early emotional reactivity: An ERP study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 162:106954. [PMID: 38241970 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106954] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Despite the evidence of altered emotion processing in oral contraceptive (OC) users, the impact of hormonal intrauterine devices (IUD) on emotional processing remains unexplored. Our study aimed to investigate how behavioural performance and event-related potentials (ERPs) linked with emotion reactivity and its regulation are associated with hormonal profiles of women using different types of hormonal contraception and naturally cycling women. Women using OCs (n = 25), hormonal IUDs (n = 33), and naturally cycling women in their early follicular (NCF, n = 33) or mid-luteal (NCL, n = 28) phase of the menstrual cycle were instructed to view emotional pictures (neutral, low and high negativity) and use cognitive reappraisal to up- or down-regulate negative emotions, while their electroencephalogram was recorded. Participants rated perceived negativity after each picture and their emotional arousal throughout the task. Saliva samples were collected to assess levels of 17β-estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone. As expected, emotional arousal increased throughout the task and correlated positively with perceived negativity. Perceived negativity and the amplitudes of the middle (N2/P3) and later (LPP) latency ERP components increased with increasing stimuli negativity. Emotion regulation modulated perceived negativity and the amplitudes of very late ERP components (parietal and frontal LPP). Moreover, IUD-users showed a higher negative amplitude of the frontal N2 in comparison to all three other groups, with the most consistent differences during up-regulation. Finally, testosterone correlated positively with the N2 peak in IUD-users and NCL women. Overall, our findings suggest that IUD-use and testosterone might be related to altered preconscious processing during the emotion regulation task requiring attention to the stimulus. The study underscores the need for additional research into how different hormonal contraceptives are linked to socio-emotional functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ingrida Zelionkaitė
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio ave. 7, 10257, Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Rimantė Gaižauskaitė
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio ave. 7, 10257, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Helen Uusberg
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18, 50090, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andero Uusberg
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18, 50090, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Aistė Ambrasė
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Women's Mental Health & Brain Function, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, University of Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72016, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Women's Mental Health & Brain Function, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, University of Tübingen, Calwerstraße 14, 72016, Tübingen, Germany; DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), Partner site Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ramunė Grikšienė
- Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio ave. 7, 10257, Vilnius, Lithuania
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Sartin-Tarm A, Lorenz T. Sexual Trauma Moderates Hormonal Mediators of Women’s Sexual Function. CURRENT SEXUAL HEALTH REPORTS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11930-022-00337-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
|
4
|
Sex differences in cognitive processing: An integrative review of electrophysiological findings. Biol Psychol 2022; 172:108370. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
|
5
|
Schmidt NM, Hennig J, Munk AJL. Event-Related Potentials in Women on the Pill: Neural Correlates of Positive and Erotic Stimulus Processing in Oral Contraceptive Users. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:798823. [PMID: 35058744 PMCID: PMC8764149 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.798823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Aims: Exposure toward positive emotional cues with - and without - reproductive significance plays a crucial role in daily life and regarding well-being as well as mental health. While possible adverse effects of oral contraceptive (OC) use on female mental and sexual health are widely discussed, neural processing of positive emotional stimuli has not been systematically investigated in association with OC use. Considering reported effects on mood, well-being and sexual function, and proposed associations with depression, it was hypothesized that OC users showed reduced neural reactivity toward positive and erotic emotional stimuli during early as well as later stages of emotional processing and also rated these stimuli as less pleasant and less arousing compared to naturally cycling (NC) women. Method: Sixty-two female subjects (29 NC and 33 OC) were assessed at three time points across the natural menstrual cycle and corresponding time points of the OC regimen. Early (early posterior negativity, EPN) and late (late positive potential, LPP) event-related potentials in reaction to positive, erotic and neutral stimuli were collected during an Emotional Picture Stroop Paradigm (EPSP). At each appointment, subjects provided saliva samples for analysis of gonadal steroid concentration. Valence and arousal ratings were collected at the last appointment. Results: Oral contraceptive users had significantly lower endogenous estradiol and progesterone concentrations compared to NC women. No significant group differences in either subjective stimulus evaluations or neural reactivity toward positive and erotic emotional stimuli were observed. For the OC group, LPP amplitudes in reaction to erotic vs. neutral pictures differed significantly between measurement times across the OC regimen. Discussion: In this study, no evidence regarding alterations of neural reactivity toward positive and erotic stimuli in OC users compared to NC was found. Possible confounding factors and lines for future research are elaborated and discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Norina M. Schmidt
- Department of Differential and Biological Psychology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rehbein E, Kogler L, Hornung J, Morawetz C, Bayer J, Krylova M, Sundström-Poromaa I, Derntl B. Estradiol administration modulates neural emotion regulation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 134:105425. [PMID: 34607175 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Variations of sex hormones during the menstrual cycle can lead to changes in emotion processing. The ability to successfully regulate one's emotions is associated with better social abilities and mental health. While women show better performance in fear extinction learning under high estradiol (E2) compared to women under low E2 levels, little is known about the effect of E2 on emotion regulation. We explored whether E2 modulates emotion regulation in a functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm and administered E2 valerate to 32 young naturally cycling women during their early follicular phase in a double-blind, placebo-controlled within-subject design. This standardized experimental control allowed us to explore the specific effect of E2 on emotion regulation while controlling for other hormones varying throughout the menstrual cycle. Behaviorally, no difference between conditions appeared. However, on the neural level, E2 administration was associated with lower activation in the right lingual- and left calcarine gyrus, right orbitofrontal cortex and left hippocampus relative to placebo. With respect to the main effect of down-regulation higher activation of the right superior frontal gyrus and left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex was seen; which is in accordance to previous literature. An interaction between drug condition and emotion regulation appeared for the left inferior frontal gyrus extending into the middle frontal gyrus indicating lower activation during down-regulation in the E2 condition than the placebo condition. On the behavioral level, women reported less negative affect in the E2 condition. The results fit well to a previously described psychoneuroendocrinological model in which E2 plays an important modulatory role on emotional processes and risk factors of mental health in women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Rehbein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Lydia Kogler
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jonas Hornung
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Janine Bayer
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marina Krylova
- Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Jena, Jena, Germany; Medical Physics Group, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Jena University Hospital - Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
| | | | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Innovative Neuroimaging, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Lead Graduate School, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Delgado-Rodríguez R, Versace F, Hernández-Rivero I, Guerra P, Fernández-Santaella MC, Miccoli L. Food addiction symptoms are related to neuroaffective responses to preferred binge food and erotic cues. Appetite 2021; 168:105687. [PMID: 34509546 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
It has been proposed that some individuals succumb to maladaptive eating behaviors because, like those with addiction, they attribute high incentive salience to food-associated cues. Here, we tested whether women that attribute high incentive salience to food-associated cues report high food addiction symptomatology. In 76 college women, we assessed self-reported food addiction symptoms using the Yale Food Addiction Scale and we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs, a direct measure of brain activity) to preferred food, erotic, unpleasant, and neutral images. We used the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP, a component of the ERPs) as an index of the incentive salience attributed to the images. Using a multivariate classification algorithm (k-means cluster analysis), we identified two neuroaffective reactivity profiles that have been previously associated with individual differences in the tendency to attribute incentive salience to cues and with differences in vulnerability to addictive behaviors. Results showed that women with elevated LPP responses to preferred food cues relative to erotic images report higher food addiction symptoms than women with low LPP responses to preferred food cues relative to other motivationally relevant stimuli. These results support the hypothesis that individual differences in the tendency to attribute incentive salience to food cues play an important role in modulating food addiction symptomatology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Versace
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Isabel Hernández-Rivero
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), (University of Granada), Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - Pedro Guerra
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), (University of Granada), Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - M Carmen Fernández-Santaella
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), (University of Granada), Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| | - Laura Miccoli
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), (University of Granada), Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rana AK, Sharma S, Singh D. Differential activation of Gsk-3β in the cortex and the hippocampus induces cognitive and behavioural impairments in middle-aged ovariectomized rat. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2020; 4:100019. [PMID: 35755628 PMCID: PMC9216607 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2020.100019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (Gsk-3β) aberration act as a crucial pathogenic factor in several neurological conditions. However its role in menopause associated behavioural impairments is still not unclear. The present study was designed to understand the role of Gsk-3β in the progression of neurobehavioural impairments in middle-aged ovariectomized (ovx) rats. The animals showed a significant impairment in spatial and recognition memory, along with anxiety and depression-like behaviour following 22 weeks of ovx. The genomic expression of ERα, ERβ, Nrf2, HO-1, TNFα, and IL-6 was altered in both the cortex and the hippocampus of ovx rats. Protein expression of p-Gsk-3β(Ser9) was significantly downregulated in the cortex after ovx. However, the hippocampus showed a surprisingly opposite trend in the levels of p-Gsk-3β(Ser9) as that of the cortex. Differential activation of Gsk-3β and its downstream proteins such as β-catenin and p-mTOR were also altered following ovx. The study concluded that differential activation of Gsk-3β, along with oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the cortex and the hippocampus, leads to the induction of cognitive and behaviour impairments in ovx rats. Cognitive and behaviour impairment was displayed by rats after ovariectomy (ovx). Estrogen receptors differentially expressed in the cortex and the hippocampus region of ovx rats. Differential activation of Gsk-3β was observed in the cortex and the hippocampus after ovx. Expression of β-catenin and p-mTOR also altered in both the regions of the rat brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anil Kumar Rana
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Supriya Sharma
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Damanpreet Singh
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India
- Corresponding author. Pharmacology and Toxicology Laboratory, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, 176061, Himachal Pradesh, India.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Strahler J, Hermann A, Schmidt NM, Stark R, Hennig J, Munk AJ. Food cue-elicited brain potentials change throughout menstrual cycle: Modulation by eating styles, negative affect, and premenstrual complaints. Horm Behav 2020; 124:104811. [PMID: 32592725 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While there is evidence for increased food intake and craving during the luteal phase, underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. The present study investigated electrophysiological responses to food pictures as a function of menstrual cycle phase. In addition, the moderating effects of progesterone, eating behaviors (restraint, emotional, orthorexic), negative affect, and premenstrual complaints were explored. METHODS Using a within-subject design, 35 free-cycling women watched and rated pictures of food (high and low caloric) and control items during the follicular, the ovulatory, and the luteal phase (counterbalanced), while EEG was recorded to examine the late positive potentials (LPP). Salivary gonadal hormones and affect were examined at each occasion. Eating behaviors and premenstrual complaints were assessed once. RESULTS For parietal regions, average LPPs were comparable between cycle phases but slightly larger LPP amplitudes were elicited by high caloric food pictures as compared to the neutral category. Descriptively, both food categories elicited larger parietal LPPs than neutral pictures during the luteal phase. Analyses of LPPs for central-parietal regions showed no effect of picture category or cycle phase, except higher amplitudes in the right area during the luteal phase. During the luteal phase, progesterone and functional interference from premenstrual symptoms (but not age, BMI, picture ratings, affect, estradiol, or eating behaviors) significantly predicted larger parietal LPPs towards high caloric (but not low caloric) pictures. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest a heightened food cue reactivity during the luteal phase, which may relate to higher ovarian hormone secretion and more functional impact of premenstrual symptoms. This research contributes to a better understanding of menstrual health and the identification of preventive strategies for premenopausal women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Strahler
- Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
| | - A Hermann
- Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - N M Schmidt
- Differential and Biological Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - R Stark
- Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - J Hennig
- Differential and Biological Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - A J Munk
- Differential and Biological Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|