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Módis LV, Aradi Z, Horváth IF, Pikó P, Papp G, Osváth M, Szántó A, Bugán A. Spirituality is associated with immune parameters and disease activity in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12473. [PMID: 38816520 PMCID: PMC11139944 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62801-w] [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] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of spirituality in health and disease is a complex and emerging area of research. Incorporating spirituality into the bio-psycho-social model of health and disease leading to the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model provides a more comprehensive framework. In this context, chronic disorders like primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) are of interest due to their intricate interactions between biological, psychological, and spiritual factors. This study explored the relationship between spirituality, immune parameters, and disease activity in pSS patients. Data from 108 patients were analyzed, including self-assessed spirituality (answering to direct questions and completing the Spiritual Transcendence Scale), immunological parameters and disease activity scores. The findings revealed several associations. Individuals with spiritual attitudes or engaged in regular prayer/meditation showed lower serum levels of autoantibodies specific to pSS and lower disease activity scores. Spiritual engagement was also linked to decreased perceived skin and tracheal dryness, suggesting potential benefits for physical symptoms. These findings suggest that spirituality may play a significant role in modulating immune responses and disease activity in pSS patients. The study underscores the importance of considering spirituality as an integral part of the holistic approach to health and disease, further expanding the understanding of the interconnectedness of biological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- László V Módis
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Behavioural Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
- Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Teaching Hospital, Nagykálló Sántha Kálmán Member Hospital, Nagykálló, 4320, Hungary.
| | - Zsófia Aradi
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Fanny Horváth
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Péter Pikó
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4028, Hungary
- National Laboratory for Health Security, Center for Epidemiology and Surveillance, Semmelweis University, Budapest, 1089, Hungary
| | | | - Mátyás Osváth
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Behavioural Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Antónia Szántó
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Antal Bugán
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Behavioural Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
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Park B, Lee S, Jang Y, Park HY. Affective dysfunction mediates the link between neuroimmune markers and the default mode network functional connectivity, and the somatic symptoms in somatic symptom disorder. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 118:90-100. [PMID: 38360374 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.02.017] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Somatic symptom disorder (SSD) is characterized by physical symptoms and associated functional impairments that are often comorbid with depression and anxiety disorders. In this study, we explored relationships between affective symptoms and the functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) in SSD patients, as well as the impact of peripheral inflammation. We employed mediation analyses to investigate the potential pathways between these factors. METHODS We recruited a total of 119 individuals (74 unmedicated SSD patients and 45 healthy controls), who were subjected to comprehensive psychiatric and clinical evaluations, blood tests, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning. We assessed neuroimmune markers (interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), tryptophan, serotonin, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)), clinical indicators of somatic symptoms, depression, anxiety, anger, alexithymia, and functional connectivity (FC) within the DMN regions. Data were analyzed using correlation and mediation analysis, with a focus on exploring potential relations between clinical symptoms, blood indices, and DMN FCs. RESULTS Patients with SSD had higher clinical scores as well as IL-6 and TNF-α levels compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). The SSD group exhibited lower FC strength between the left inferior parietal lobule and left prefrontal cortex (Pfalse discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05). Exploratory correlation analysis revealed that somatic symptom scores were positively correlated with affective symptom scores, negatively correlated with the FC strength between the intra prefrontal cortex regions, and correlated with levels of IL-6, TNF- α, and tryptophan (uncorrected P < 0.01). Mediation analysis showed that levels of anxiety and trait anger significantly mediated the relations between DMN FC strength and somatic symptoms. In addition, the DMN FC mediated the level of trait anger with respect to somatic symptoms (all PFDR < 0.05). The levels of depression and trait anger exhibited significant mediating effects as suppressors of the relations between the level of 5-HIAA and somatic symptom score (all PFDR < 0.05). Further, the level of 5-HIAA had a mediating effect as a suppressor on the relation between DMN FC and state anger. Meanwhile, the levels of hs-CRP and IL-6 had full mediating effects as suppressors when explaining the relations of DMN FC strengths with the level of depression (all PFDR < 0.05). The patterns of valid mediation pathways were different in the control group. CONCLUSIONS Affective symptoms may indirectly mediate the associations between DMN connectivity, somatic symptoms, and neuroimmune markers. Inflammatory markers may also mediate the impact of DMN connectivity on affective symptoms. These results emphasize the importance of affective dysregulation in understanding the mechanisms of SSD and have potential implications for the development of tailored therapeutic approaches for SSD patients with affective symptoms. Furthermore, in SSD research using DMN FC or neuroimmune markers, considering and incorporating such mediating effects of affective symptoms suggests the possibility of more accurate prediction and explanation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bumhee Park
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Office of Biostatistics, Medical Research Collaborating Center, Ajou Research Institute for Innovative Medicine, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seulgi Lee
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuna Jang
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Youn Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea; Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Meyer-Arndt L, Brasanac J, Gamradt S, Bellmann-Strobl J, Maurer L, Mai K, Steward T, Spranger J, Schmitz-Hübsch T, Paul F, Gold SM, Weygandt M. Body mass, neuro-hormonal stress processing, and disease activity in lean to obese people with multiple sclerosis. J Neurol 2024; 271:1584-1598. [PMID: 38010499 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-12100-7] [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: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Overweight and obesity can worsen disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). Although psychobiological stress processing is increasingly recognized as important obesity factor that is tightly connected to proinflammatory metabolic hormones and cytokines, its role for MS obesity remains unexplored. Consequently, we investigated the interplay between body mass index (BMI), neural stress processing (functional connectivity, FC), and immuno-hormonal stress parameters (salivary cortisol and T cell glucocorticoid [GC] sensitivity) in 57 people with MS (six obese, 19 over-, 28 normal-, and four underweight; 37 females, 46.4 ± 10.6 years) using an Arterial-Spin-Labeling MRI task comprising a rest and stress stage, along with quantitative PCR. Our findings revealed significant positive connections between BMI and MS disease activity (i.e., higher BMI was accompanied by higher relapse rate). BMI was positively linked to right supramarginal gyrus and anterior insula FC during rest and negatively to right superior parietal lobule and cerebellum FC during stress. BMI showed associations with GC functioning, with higher BMI associated with lower CD8+ FKBP4 expression and higher CD8+ FKBP5 expression on T cells. Finally, the expression of CD8+ FKBP4 positively correlated with the FC of right supramarginal gyrus and left superior parietal lobule during rest. Overall, our study provides evidence that body mass is tied to neuro-hormonal stress processing in people with MS. The observed pattern of associations between BMI, neural networks, and GC functioning suggests partial overlap between neuro-hormonal and neural-body mass networks. Ultimately, the study underscores the clinical importance of understanding multi-system crosstalk in MS obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lil Meyer-Arndt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jelena Brasanac
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Gamradt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Judith Bellmann-Strobl
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Maurer
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Max Rubner Center for Cardiovascular-Metabolic-Renal Research, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, 13347, Berlin, Germany
| | - Knut Mai
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, 13347, Berlin, Germany
| | - Trevor Steward
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Redmond Barry Building #817, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Joachim Spranger
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Max Rubner Center for Cardiovascular-Metabolic-Renal Research, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Berlin, 13347, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tanja Schmitz-Hübsch
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Friedemann Paul
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan M Gold
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 12203, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis (INIMS), Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Weygandt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, 13125, Berlin, Germany.
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
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