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Liem DG, Woo YC. Encouraging online consumers into making better food choices: The power of nature exposure on healthy food choices. Appetite 2024; 199:107382. [PMID: 38723667 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND online environments can influence food desire and choices. We tested if online calming nature and stressful street environments can affect desire for healthy and unhealthy foods. METHOD we asked 238 participants (40 ± 14 yrs) to rate their desire (100 mm VAS) for 7 low calorie nutrient rich foods (Healthy) and 7 high calorie nutrient poor foods (Unhealthy), and perceived stress (state anxiety in STAI), before and after imagining themselves in a control, nature park, or busy street condition. RESULTS participants who imagined themselves being in a nature park had a significant higher desire for Healthy foods, than participants in the busy street condition (p < 0.05). Participants in the busy street condition decreased their desire for Healthy foods after they imagined themselves in a busy street (p < 0.05)). However, perceived stress did not impact the association between condition and desire for low calorie foods nor high calorie foods. CONCLUSION this study suggests that online environments can have an impact on healthy food desires, which could be of importance for the increased number of food choices which are made in online environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Djin Gie Liem
- Deakin University, CASS Food Research Centre, Australia.
| | - Yu Chu Woo
- Deakin University, CASS Food Research Centre, Australia.
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2
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Borchers LR, Gifuni AJ, Ho TC, Kirshenbaum JS, Gotlib IH. Threat- and reward-related brain circuitry, perceived stress, and anxiety in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal investigation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae040. [PMID: 38874967 PMCID: PMC11219304 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae040] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to heightened anxiety in adolescents. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) are implicated in response to stress and may contribute to anxiety. The role of threat- and reward-related circuitry in adolescent anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, is not clear. Ninety-nine adolescents underwent resting-state fMRI ∼1 year before the pandemic. Following shelter-in-place orders, adolescents reported their perceived stress and, 1 month later, their anxiety. Generalized multivariate analyses identified BLA and NAcc seed-based whole-brain functional connectivity maps with perceived stress. In the resulting significant clusters, we examined the association between seed-based connectivityand subsequent anxiety. Perceived stress was associated with bilateral BLA and NAcc connectivity across distributed clusters that included prefrontal, limbic, temporal, and cerebellar regions. Several NAcc connectivity clusters located in ventromedial prefrontal, parahippocampal, and temporal cortices were positively associated with anxiety; NAcc connectivity with the inferior frontal gyrus was negatively associated. BLA connectivity was not associated with anxiety. These results underscore the integrative role of the NAcc in responding to acute stressors and its relation to anxiety in adolescents. Elucidating the involvement of subcortical-cortical circuitry in adolescents' capacity to respond adaptively to environmental challenges can inform treatment for anxiety-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren R Borchers
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
| | - Anthony J Gifuni
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
- Psychiatry Department and Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H4H 1R3, Canada
| | - Tiffany C Ho
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Jaclyn S Kirshenbaum
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, United States
| | - Ian H Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
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3
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Freymueller J, Schmid HL, Senkler B, Lopez Lumbi S, Zerbe S, Hornberg C, McCall T. Current methodologies of greenspace exposure and mental health research-a scoping review. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1360134. [PMID: 38510363 PMCID: PMC10951718 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1360134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Greenspaces can provide an important resource for human mental health. A growing body of literature investigates the interaction and the influence of diverse greenspace exposures. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex connection between greenspace and mental health, a variety of perspectives and methodological combinations are needed. The aim of this review is to assess the current methodologies researching greenspace and mental health. Methods A scoping review was conducted. Four electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science) were searched for relevant studies. A wide range of greenspace and mental health keywords were included to provide a comprehensive representation of the body of research. Relevant information on publication characteristics, types of greenspaces, mental health outcomes, and measurements of greenspace exposure and mental health was extracted and assessed. Results 338 studies were included. The included studies encompassed a multitude of methods, as well as outcomes for both greenspace and mental health. 28 combinations were found between seven categories each for greenspace and mental health assessment. Some pairings such as geoinformation systems for greenspace assessment and questionnaires investigating mental health were used much more frequently than others, implying possible research gaps. Furthermore, we identified problems and inconsistences in reporting of greenspace types and mental health outcomes. Discussion The identified methodological variety is a potential for researching the complex connections between greenspace and mental health. Commonly used combinations can provide important insights. However, future research needs to emphasize other perspectives in order to understand how to create living environments with mental health benefits. For this purpose, interdisciplinary research is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julius Freymueller
- Medical School OWL, Department of Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Hannah-Lea Schmid
- Medical School OWL, Department of Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Ben Senkler
- Medical School OWL, Department of Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Susanne Lopez Lumbi
- Medical School OWL, Department of Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Stefan Zerbe
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
- Institute of Geography, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Claudia Hornberg
- Medical School OWL, Department of Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Timothy McCall
- Medical School OWL, Department of Sustainable Environmental Health Sciences, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- School of Public Health, Department of Environment and Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Xiang XJ, Chen SQ, Zhang XQ, Chen CH, Zhang SY, Cai HR, Ding SL. Possible rodent equivalent of the posterior cingulate cortex (area 23) interconnects with multimodal cortical and subcortical regions. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1194299. [PMID: 37383104 PMCID: PMC10293749 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1194299] [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: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Posterior cingulate cortex (area 23, A23) in human and monkeys is a critical component of the default mode network and is involved in many diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, autism, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia. However, A23 has not yet identified in rodents, and this makes modeling related circuits and diseases in rodents very difficult. Using a comparative approach, molecular markers and unique connectional patterns this study has uncovered the location and extent of possible rodent equivalent (A23~) of the primate A23. A23 ~ but not adjoining areas in the rodents displays strong reciprocal connections with anteromedial thalamic nucleus. Rodent A23 ~ reciprocally connects with the medial pulvinar and claustrum as well as with anterior cingulate, granular retrosplenial, medial orbitofrontal, postrhinal, and visual and auditory association cortices. Rodent A23 ~ projects to dorsal striatum, ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, zona incerta, pretectal nucleus, superior colliculus, periaqueductal gray, and brainstem. All these findings support the versatility of A23 in the integration and modulation of multimodal sensory information underlying spatial processing, episodic memory, self-reflection, attention, value assessment and many adaptive behaviors. Additionally, this study also suggests that the rodents could be used to model monkey and human A23 in future structural, functional, pathological, and neuromodulation studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Jun Xiang
- Department of Psychology, School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sheng-Qiang Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xue-Qin Zhang
- Department of Psychology, School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chang-Hui Chen
- Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shun-Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui-Ru Cai
- Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Song-Lin Ding
- Department of Psychology, School of Health Management, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, United States
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Jiang X, Hu Y, Larsen L, Chang CY, Sullivan WC. Impacts of urban green infrastructure on attentional functioning: insights from an fMRI study. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1047993. [PMID: 37287788 PMCID: PMC10242057 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1047993] [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: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies using various measures, technologies, and participant groups have found that exposure to urban green infrastructure can help alleviate the daily attentional fatigue that human experience. Although we have made significant progress in understanding the effects of exposure to urban green infrastructure on attention restoration, two important gaps in our knowledge remain. First, we do not fully understand the neural processes underlying attention restoration that exposure to urban green infrastructure elicits. Second, we are largely unaware of how typical patterns of urban green infrastructure, such as combinations of trees and bioswales, affect recovery from attentional fatigue. This knowledge is crucial to guide the design and management of urban landscapes that effectively facilitate attention restoration. To address these gaps in our knowledge, we conducted a controlled experiment in which 43 participants were randomly assigned to one of three video treatment categories: no green infrastructure (No GI), trees, or trees and bioswales. We assessed attentional functioning using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and the Sustained Attention Response Task (SART). Participants exposed to urban settings with trees exhibited improved top-down attentional functioning, as evidenced by both fMRI and SART results. Those exposed to urban settings with trees and bioswales demonstrated some attention-restorative neural activity, but without significant improvements in SART performance. Conversely, participants exposed to videos of urban environments without green infrastructure displayed increased neural vigilance, suggesting a lack of attention restoration, accompanied by reduced SART performance. These consistent findings offer empirical support for the Attention Restoration Theory, highlighting the effectiveness of tree exposure in enhancing attentional functioning. Future research should investigate the potential impact of bioswales on attention restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangrong Jiang
- School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xihua University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yifan Hu
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Linda Larsen
- Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Chun-Yen Chang
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - William C. Sullivan
- Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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Mavros P, J Wälti M, Nazemi M, Ong CH, Hölscher C. A mobile EEG study on the psychophysiological effects of walking and crowding in indoor and outdoor urban environments. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18476. [PMID: 36323718 PMCID: PMC9628500 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20649-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental psychologists have established multiple psychological benefits of interaction with natural, compared to urban, environments on emotion, cognition, and attention. Yet, given the increasing urbanisation worldwide, it is equally important to understand how differences within different urban environments influence human psychological experience. We developed a laboratory experiment to examine the psychophysiological effects of the physical (outdoor or indoor) and social (crowded versus uncrowded) environment in healthy young adults, and to validate the use of mobile electroencephalography (EEG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) measurements during active walking. Participants (N = 42) were randomly assigned into a walking or a standing group, and watched six 1-min walk-through videos of green, urban indoor and urban outdoor environments, depicting high or low levels of social density. Self-reported emotional states show that green spaces is perceived as more calm and positive, and reduce attentional demands. Further, the outdoor urban space is perceived more positively than the indoor environment. These findings are consistent with earlier studies on the psychological benefits of nature and confirm the effectiveness of our paradigm and stimuli. In addition, we hypothesised that even short-term exposure to crowded scenes would have negative psychological effects. We found that crowded scenes evoked higher self-reported arousal, more negative self-reported valence, and recruited more cognitive and attentional resources. However, in walking participants, they evoked higher frontal alpha asymmetry, suggesting more positive affective responses. Furthermore, we found that using recent signal-processing methods, the EEG data produced a comparable signal-to-noise ratio between walking and standing, and that despite differences between walking and standing, skin-conductance also captured effectively psychophysiological responses to stimuli. These results suggest that emotional responses to visually presented stimuli can be measured effectively using mobile EEG and EDA in ambulatory settings, and that there is complex interaction between active walking, the social density of urban spaces, and direct and indirect affective responses to such environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Mavros
- Singapore-ETH Centre, Future Cities Laboratory, CREATE campus, 1 CREATE Way, #06-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore.
| | - Michel J Wälti
- Singapore-ETH Centre, Future Cities Laboratory, CREATE campus, 1 CREATE Way, #06-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Mohsen Nazemi
- Singapore-ETH Centre, Future Cities Laboratory, CREATE campus, 1 CREATE Way, #06-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Crystal Huiyi Ong
- Singapore-ETH Centre, Future Cities Laboratory, CREATE campus, 1 CREATE Way, #06-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
- National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Christoph Hölscher
- Singapore-ETH Centre, Future Cities Laboratory, CREATE campus, 1 CREATE Way, #06-01 CREATE Tower, Singapore, 138602, Singapore
- Chair of Cognitive Science, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
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Wang J, Chen G, Hou J, Wei D, Liu P, Nie L, Fan K, Wang L, Xu Q, Song Y, Wang M, Huo W, Jing T, Li W, Guo Y, Wang C, Mao Z. Associations of residential greenness, ambient air pollution, biological sex, and glucocorticoids levels in rural China. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 242:113945. [PMID: 35999771 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To evaluate the associations between residential greenness and glucocorticoid levels and whether air pollutants and sex modify the relationship between greenness and glucocorticoid level in Chinese rural adults. METHODS We collected cross-sectional survey data from 6055 participants from the Henan Rural cohort. The three-year average residential greenness for participants was assessed using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values from a satellite platform. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was employed to quantify the concentrations of glucocorticoids, which were measured by morning blood draw after at least 8 hr of fasting. A random forest model was employed to obtain the average concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. A general linear regression model was performed to estimate the associations of NDVI500-m values with cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and cortisone. Furthermore, interaction plots were used to present the interaction effects of particulate matter, sex, and green space on glucocorticoid levels. RESULTS After adjusting for multiple variables, an elevated average NDVI500-m value in the total population was associated with a decrease in cortisol levels (β = -0.063, 95 % confidence interval (CI): - 0.118, - 0.008), and 11-deoxycortisol levels (β = -0.118, 95 % CI: -0.190, -0.047), as well as an increase in cortisone levels (β = 0.130, 95 % CI: 0.079, 0.181). By adding the interaction terms of air pollutants and residential greenness into the regression model, interaction effects between air pollutants and residential greenness were found (cortisol, PM2.5: P interaction=:0.018; PM10: P interaction=0.016; 11-deoxycortisol, all pollutants: P interaction< 0.001), suggesting that the protective effect of residential greenness on serum glucocorticoids disappeared accompanying with increased concentrations of particulate matter. Moreover, trends towards modification in the association between green space and glucocorticoid levels were also evident by sex, but these did not reach statistical significance (for all glucocorticoids: P interaction> 0.05). CONCLUSION Long-term exposure to green space was negatively correlated with cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol levels, and positively correlated with cortisone levels. There may be sex differences in these associations. Moreover, the protective effect of residential greenness on serum glucocorticoids was altered by high levels of particulate matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Gongbo Chen
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Jian Hou
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Dandan Wei
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Pengling Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Luting Nie
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Keliang Fan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Lulu Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Qingqing Xu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Yu Song
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Mian Wang
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Wenqian Huo
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Tao Jing
- School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Wenjie Li
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Yuming Guo
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Chongjian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China
| | - Zhenxing Mao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China.
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Runkle JD, Matthews JL, Sparks L, McNicholas L, Sugg MM. Racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy complications and the protective role of greenspace: A retrospective birth cohort study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 808:152145. [PMID: 34871679 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Greenspace may positively impact pregnancy health for racially and economically minoritized populations; few studies have examined local availability and accessibility of green/park space in reducing maternal morbidity. The objective of this retrospective birth cohort study was to examine the association between residential exposure to greenspace and adverse pregnancy health outcomes in a Southern US state characterized by high poverty and racial disparities in maternal health (2013-2017). National data from the Protected Area database - United States (PAD-US) and ParkServe estimated three publicly available and accessible residential greenspace measures-a more direct proxy than using remotely-sensed greenness indicators (e.g., normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI))-(a) percent area of greenspace (M1), (b) area of available greenspace per person (M2), (c) total population within a 10-minute walk (M3). Generalized Estimating Equations with logistic regression were used to examine the association between individual greenspace metrics and South Carolina hospital deliveries (n = 238,922 deliveries) for women with correlated maternal health outcomes for gestational hypertension (GHTN), gestational diabetes (GD), severe maternal morbidity (SMM), preeclampsia (PRE), mental disorders (MD), depressive disorders (DD), and preterm birth (PTB). Lowest compared to highest tertiles of all three metrics were associated with increased risk for MD, DD, and a monotonic increase in GD, particularly for black women. Women with the lowest access to M2 and M3 were more at risk for PRE, PTB, and MD. We observed that women in low-income, majority-black communities in the lowest versus highest tertile of M2 were more likely to experience a DD, MD, SMM, or PTB compared to primarily high-income majority-white communities. Available and accessible green/park space may present as an effective nature-based intervention to reduce maternal complications, particularly for gestational diabetes and other pregnancy health risks for which there are currently few known evidence-based primary prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Runkle
- North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, North Carolina State University, 151 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801, USA.
| | - Jessica L Matthews
- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 151 Patton Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801, USA.
| | - Laurel Sparks
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Leo McNicholas
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Margaret M Sugg
- Department of Geography and Planning, Appalachian State University, P.O. Box 32066, Boone, NC 28608, USA.
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Ancora LA, Blanco-Mora DA, Alves I, Bonifácio A, Morgado P, Miranda B. Cities and neuroscience research: A systematic literature review. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:983352. [PMID: 36440407 PMCID: PMC9684645 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.983352] [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: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cities are becoming the socio-economic hubs for most of the world's population. Understanding how our surroundings can mentally affect everyday life has become crucial to integrate environmental sustainability into urban development. The present review aims to explore the empirical studies investigating neural mechanisms underlying cognitive and emotional processes elicited by the exposure to different urban built and natural spaces. It also tries to identify new research questions and to leverage neurourbanism as a framework to achieve healthier and sustainable cities. METHODS By following the PRISMA framework, we conducted a structured search on PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Only articles related to how urban environment-built or natural-affects brain activity through objective measurement (with either imaging or electrophysiological techniques) were considered. Further inclusion criteria were studies on human adult populations, peer-reviewed, and in English language. RESULTS Sixty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. They were qualitatively assessed and analyzed to determine the main findings and emerging concepts. Overall, the results suggest that urban built exposure (when compared to natural spaces) elicit activations in brain regions or networks strongly related to perceptual, attentional, and (spatial) cognitive demands. The city's-built environment also triggers neural circuits linked to stress and negative affect. Convergence of these findings was observed across neuroscience techniques, and for both laboratory and real-life settings. Additionally, evidence also showed associations between neural social stress processing with urban upbringing or current city living-suggesting a mechanistic link to certain mood and anxiety disorders. Finally, environmental diversity was found to be critical for positive affect and individual well-being. CONCLUSION Contemporary human-environment interactions and planetary challenges imply greater understanding of the neurological underpinnings on how the urban space affects cognition and emotion. This review provides scientific evidence that could be applied for policy making on improved urban mental health. Several studies showed that high-quality green or blue spaces, and bio-diverse urban areas, are important allies for positive neural, cognitive, and emotional processes. Nonetheless, the spatial perception in social contexts (e.g., city overcrowding) deserves further attention by urban planners and scientists. The implications of these observations for some theories in environmental psychology and research are discussed. Future work should take advantage of technological advancements to better characterize behavior, brain physiology, and environmental factors and apply them to the remaining complexity of contemporary cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo A Ancora
- Institute of Physiology, Lisbon School of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Inês Alves
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Lisbon School of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Bonifácio
- Centre of Geographical Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paulo Morgado
- Centre of Geographical Studies, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Bruno Miranda
- Institute of Physiology, Lisbon School of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.,Institute of Molecular Medicine, Lisbon School of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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Tuovinen N, Yalcin-Siedentopf N, Welte AS, Siedentopf CM, Steiger R, Gizewski ER, Hofer A. Neurometabolite correlates with personality and stress in healthy emerging adults: A focus on sex differences. Neuroimage 2021; 247:118847. [PMID: 34954024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Personality traits have been linked with both brain structure and function. However, the exact relationship between personality traits and other behavioural measures with neurometabolites, measured with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, is not clear. Here we investigated the association between behavioural measures (i.e., personality traits, resilience, perceived stress, self-esteem, hopelessness, psychological distress) and metabolite ratios (i.e., of choline-containing compounds [Cho], creatine and phosphocreatine [Cr], and N-acetyl-aspartate [NAA]) in the posterior cingulate cortex (pCC) and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and surrounding white matter (WM) regions in healthy emerging adults (N = 57, 26 women, mean age=23.40 years, SD=2.50). The pCC and the dACC were selected for their known involvement as important brain network hubs and their association to five factor personality dimensions and other psychological measures. Spectral analysis as well as statistics for demographic, clinical, and imaging data were performed. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to test the relationship between metabolite ratios and behavioural scores in the entire sample as well as in female and male participants separately. The entire sample showed significant (p<0.05) negative correlates of stress with the NAA/Cr ratio in the pCC, and of extraversion with WM metabolite ratios. In regards of sex differences, a significantly higher NAA/Cho ratio in the pCC (p<0.05), the dACC (p<0.01), and in the left and right posterior WM matter (p<0.05), and a lower Cho/Cr ratio in the dACC (p<0.01) was detected in women. Moreover, the two sexes differed in regards of metabolite correlates of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, stress, hopelessness, and self-esteem, and in multiple regression model predictions. Our results point to a role of the ACC in conscientiousness through its involvement in higher-order cognitive control as part of the salience network and internally directed thoughts as part of the default mode network (DMN). Furthermore, the two sexes differ in terms of metabolite correlates of openness and conscientiousness in the pCC, suggesting mental process involvement through the DMN, and of agreeableness in the dACC, possibly through involvement in social cognitive processes, particularly in women. Additionally, our results suggest that the ACC is linked to the so-called Alpha-factor of personality. Our findings on stress correlates contribute to the existing literature of the involvement of the ACC as part of the limbic system. In addition, our results suggest a possible role of the pCC in stress-regulatory processes through a possible co-involvement of stress, hopelessness, and self-esteem in the pCC in men, where higher self-esteem may help to cope with stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noora Tuovinen
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Nursen Yalcin-Siedentopf
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Anna-Sophia Welte
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Christian M Siedentopf
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Neuroradiology, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Ruth Steiger
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Neuroradiology, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria; Medical University of Innsbruck, Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Elke R Gizewski
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Neuroradiology, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria; Medical University of Innsbruck, Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
| | - Alex Hofer
- Medical University of Innsbruck, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Division of Psychiatry I, Anichstrasse 35, Innsbruck 6020, Austria.
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Park S, Choi Y, Kim G, Kim E, Kim S, Paek D. Physiological and Psychological Assessments for the Establishment of Evidence-Based Forest Healing Programs. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:9283. [PMID: 34501872 PMCID: PMC8430466 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to establish a health and medical foundation for forest healing programs and provide a basis for developing an evaluation system for such programs. While the number of visitors to forests and interest in forest healing effects are increasing, few studies have examined the various indicators of the persistent changes in forest healing effects. Therefore, this study conducted pre-, post-, and follow-up experiments on 87 health and clinical indicators in a sample of 88 adolescent participants. The relationships between pre-, post-, and follow-up experiment results for each indicator were analyzed. Of the 87 indicators, 46 showed significant changes, including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, serotonin, vitamin D, CD16+CD56 count, interferon-γ, resilience, and self-esteem. The findings are significant for studying diverse participants and indicators and lay the foundation for developing forest healing programs by clarifying aspects such as the indicators suitable for short-term observation versus the indicators requiring long-term observation. Based on these analyses, the results of this study are expected to be useful when conducting research to establish an evidence-based forest healing program in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujin Park
- Future Forest Strategy Department, Forest Human Service Division, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea; (S.P.); (Y.C.); (G.K.); (E.K.); (S.K.)
- Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Yeji Choi
- Future Forest Strategy Department, Forest Human Service Division, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea; (S.P.); (Y.C.); (G.K.); (E.K.); (S.K.)
| | - Geonwoo Kim
- Future Forest Strategy Department, Forest Human Service Division, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea; (S.P.); (Y.C.); (G.K.); (E.K.); (S.K.)
| | - Eunsoo Kim
- Future Forest Strategy Department, Forest Human Service Division, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea; (S.P.); (Y.C.); (G.K.); (E.K.); (S.K.)
| | - Soojin Kim
- Future Forest Strategy Department, Forest Human Service Division, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul 02455, Korea; (S.P.); (Y.C.); (G.K.); (E.K.); (S.K.)
| | - Domyung Paek
- Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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12
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Lu Y, Chen L, Liu X, Yang Y, Sullivan WC, Xu W, Webster C, Jiang B. Green spaces mitigate racial disparity of health: A higher ratio of green spaces indicates a lower racial disparity in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in the USA. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 152:106465. [PMID: 33684736 PMCID: PMC9754786 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
There is striking racial disparity in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection rates in the United States. We hypothesize that the disparity is significantly smaller in areas with a higher ratio of green spaces. County level data on the SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of black and white individuals in 135 of the most urbanized counties across the United States were collected. The total population in these counties is 132,350,027, comprising 40.3% of the U.S. population. The ratio of green spaces by land-cover type in each county was extracted from satellite imagery. A hierarchical regression analysis measured cross-sectional associations between racial disparity in infection rates and green spaces, after controlling for socioeconomic, demographic, pre-existing chronic disease, and built-up area factors. We found a higher ratio of green spaces at the county level is significantly associated with a lower racial disparity in infection rates. Four types of green space have significant negative associations with the racial disparity in SARS-CoV-2 infection rates. A theoretical model with five core mechanisms and one circumstantial mechanism is presented to interpret the findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lu
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Long Chen
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Xueming Liu
- Virtual Reality Lab of Urban Environments and Human Health, HKUrbanLabs, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Yuwen Yang
- Virtual Reality Lab of Urban Environments and Human Health, HKUrbanLabs, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Division of Landscape Architecture, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - William C Sullivan
- Smart, Healthy Communities Initiative, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
| | - Wenyan Xu
- Virtual Reality Lab of Urban Environments and Human Health, HKUrbanLabs, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Division of Landscape Architecture, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Chris Webster
- HKUrbanLabs, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Bin Jiang
- Virtual Reality Lab of Urban Environments and Human Health, HKUrbanLabs, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Division of Landscape Architecture, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
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Bratman GN, Olvera‐Alvarez HA, Gross JJ. The affective benefits of nature exposure. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory N. Bratman
- Environment and Well‐Being Lab School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | | | - James J. Gross
- Department of Psychology Stanford University Stanford CA USA
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Investigating the mental health implications of urban environments with neuroscientific methods and mobile technologies: A systematic literature review. Health Place 2021; 70:102597. [PMID: 34107446 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102597] [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: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization is an ongoing global process that is influencing and shaping individual mental health and well-being. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current literature containing state-of-the-art neuroscientific and mobile technologies that have been used to investigate the mental health implications of urban environments. Searches for peer-reviewed primary research articles were conducted in PubMed and SCOPUS, returning 33,443 papers; 90 empirical articles published from 1981 to 2021 were included in the final synthesis. Central findings suggest virtual reality and mobile electroencephalography to be the most commonly used methods, and demanding mood, affect, and health phenomena or states to be the most common concepts of study in both physical built settings and natural urban spaces. Recommendations for both future practice and study noting particular opportunities for future methodological contributions are discussed.
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Javelle F, Laborde S, Hosang TJ, Metcalfe AJ, Zimmer P. The Importance of Nature Exposure and Physical Activity for Psychological Health and Stress Perception: Evidence From the First Lockdown Period During the Coronavirus Pandemic 2020 in France and Germany. Front Psychol 2021; 12:623946. [PMID: 33746842 PMCID: PMC7969516 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.623946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study aims to compare physical activity and nature exposure levels between people living in France and Germany during the lockdown. Furthermore, the secondary aim is to observe the relationship between perceived stress, psychological health, physical activity, and nature exposure in Germany and France during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related lockdown of April/May 2020. Methods: The study includes 419 participants who have completed the Perceived Stress Scale 10, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF, the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire, the modified Nature Exposure Scale, and complementary questions related to the lockdown period from April 19 to May 11, 2020. Multiple regression models were constructed to evaluate the relationship of nature exposure and physical exercise with overall stress perception and psychological health in France and Germany when considering a broad range of covariates. Results: Exposure to nature during the lockdown (ηp 2 = 0.034, p < 0.001), amount of physical activity ηp 2 = 0.014, p < 0.001), and psychological health (ηp 2 = 0.041, p < 0.001) were greater in German compared with French participants. Godin Index and Nature Exposure Scale total score were both inversely correlated to stress perception and positively correlated to psychological health. The stress and psychological health regression models explained 10% of the results' variance. Physical activity (Godin Index) was a significant for both models. Nature Exposure Scale total score was a significant predictor only for psychological health. When including all significant covariates, the regression models explained 30.7% for the perceived stress and 42.1% for the psychological health total overall variance. Conclusion: Physical activity and nature exposure are significant predictors of psychological health. Even though both variables are associated with stress perception, only physical activity is a significant predictor of stress perception. Our results suggest that physical activity and nature exposure were key factors to go through the lockdown period in France and Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Javelle
- Clinical Exercise-Neuroimmunology Group, Department for Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sylvain Laborde
- Department of Performance Psychology, Institute of Psychology, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Jean Hosang
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alan James Metcalfe
- Clinical Exercise-Neuroimmunology Group, Department for Molecular and Cellular Sports Medicine, Institute for Cardiovascular Research and Sports Medicine, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany
| | - Philipp Zimmer
- Department for Performance and Health (Sports Medicine), Institute for Sport and Sport Science, Technical University Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
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