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Persaud UD, Manning KJ, Wu R, Springate BA, Steffens DC. The Role of State Versus Trait Anxiety on Cognition in Older Adults With Major Depressive Disorder. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2024; 32:1130-1140. [PMID: 38677962 DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2024.03.014] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Anxiety superimposed on late life depression (LLD) results in greater changes to prefrontal and medial temporal brain regions compared to depression alone. Yet, the combined impact of anxiety and depression on cognition in LLD has not been thoroughly investigated. The current study investigated whether annual changes in state and trait anxiety were associated with cognitive changes in older adults with major depression. We hypothesized that the presence of anxiety among older depressed adults would be associated with worse cognitive performance in the domains of memory and executive functioning over time. DESIGN Three-year longitudinal observational study of older adults with LLD who were offered antidepressant treatment. SETTING Academic Health Center. METHODS Participants included 124 adults aged 60+ who met criteria for major depression at baseline. The association between anxiety and cognition was examined with separate multilevel linear models that addressed both between-subject and within-person effects of state and trait anxiety on cognitive functioning tests. RESULTS Individuals who experienced annual increases in anxiety above his/her personal average also experienced cognitive decline. Increases in state anxiety were associated with declines in memory and global cognition. By contrast, increases in trait anxiety were associated with declines in mental flexibility and memory. These findings remained significant even when controlling for changes in depression over time. CONCLUSION In LLD, individual increases in state and trait anxiety were associated with cognitive declines in different domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Usha D Persaud
- Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Health, Department of Psychology, New York, NY
| | - Kevin J Manning
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine (KJM, BAS, DCS), Farmington, CT.
| | - Rong Wu
- Biostatistics Center, The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut (RW), Farmington, CT
| | - Beth A Springate
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine (KJM, BAS, DCS), Farmington, CT
| | - David C Steffens
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine (KJM, BAS, DCS), Farmington, CT
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Metz S, Mengering L, Lipka R, Rosada C, Otte C, Heekeren H, Wingenfeld K. The effects of yohimbine and hydrocortisone on selective attention to fearful faces: An fMRI study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 165:107031. [PMID: 38581746 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107031] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Selective attention to salient emotional information can enable an advantage in the face of danger. The present study aims to investigate the influence of the stress neuromodulators, norepinephrine and cortisol, on selective attention processes to fearful faces and its neuronal activation. METHODS AND MATERIALS We used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. 167 healthy men between 18 and 35 years (mean [SD] age: 25.23 [4.24] years) participated in the study. Participants received either: (A) yohimbine (n= 41), (B) hydrocortisone (n = 41), (C) yohimbine and hydrocortisone (n = 42) or (D) placebo only (n= 43) and participated in a dot-probe task with fearful and neutral faces in an fMRI scanner. RESULTS We found an attentional bias toward fearful faces across all groups and related neuronal activation in the left cuneus. We did not find any differences between experimental treatment groups in selective attention and its neuronal activation. DISCUSSION Our results provide evidence that fearful faces lead to an attentional bias with related neuronal activation in the left cuneus. We did not replicate formerly reported activation in the amygdala, intraparietal sulcus, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and thalamus. Suitability of the dot-probe task for fMRI studies and insignificant treatment effects are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Metz
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Medical Psychology, Luisenstraße 57, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Leon Mengering
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
| | - Renée Lipka
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Catarina Rosada
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany
| | - Hauke Heekeren
- Universität Hamburg, Mittelweg 177, Hamburg 20148, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin 12203, Germany.
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Rosada C, Lipka R, Metz S, Otte C, Heekeren H, Wingenfeld K. Effects of stress-related neuromodulators on amygdala and hippocampus resting state functional connectivity. J Psychopharmacol 2024; 38:604-614. [PMID: 38902928 PMCID: PMC11290027 DOI: 10.1177/02698811241260972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human stress response is characterized by increases in neuromodulators, including norepinephrine (NE) and cortisol. Both neuromodulators can enter the brain and affect neurofunctional responses. Two brain areas associated with stress are the amygdala and the hippocampus. The precise influence of NE and cortisol on the amygdala and hippocampal resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) is poorly understood. AIMS To investigate the influence of NE and cortisol on the amygdala and hippocampal RSFC. METHODS We recruited 165 participants who received 10 mg yohimbine and/or 10 mg hydrocortisone in a randomized, placebo-controlled design. With seed-based analyses, we compared RSFC of the hippocampus and amygdala separately between the three groups that received medication versus placebo. RESULTS We found no differences between yohimbine and placebo condition or between hydrocortisone and placebo condition regarding amygdala or hippocampal FC. Compared with placebo, the yohimbine/hydrocortisone condition showed increased amygdala and hippocampal RSFC with the cerebellum. Also, they had increased hippocampal RSFC with the amygdala and cerebral white matter. DISCUSSION The group with elevated NE and cortisol showed significantly increased RSFC between the amygdala, hippocampus, and cerebellum compared to placebo. These three brain areas are involved in associative learning and emotional memory, suggesting a critical role for this network in the human stress response. Our results show that NE and cortisol together may influence the strength of this association. Compared to placebo, we found no differences in the groups receiving only one medication, suggesting that increasing one neuromodulator alone may not induce differences in neurofunctional responses. The study procedure has been registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT04359147).
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Rosada
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Renée Lipka
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sophie Metz
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
- DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
- DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), Berlin, Germany
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4
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Ai Y, Hummel T, Nie H, Yang J, Han P. Reduced neural responses to pleasant odor stimuli after acute psychological stress is associated with cortisol reactivity. Neuroimage 2023; 284:120474. [PMID: 38008298 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120474] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute stress alters olfactory perception. However, little is known about the neural processing of olfactory stimuli after acute stress exposure and the role of cortisol in such an effect. Here, we used an event-related olfactory fMRI paradigm to investigate brain responses to odors of different valence (unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral) in healthy young adults following an acute stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) induction (N = 22) or a non-stressful resting condition (N = 22). We obtained the odor pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity ratings after the acute stress induction or resting condition. We also measured the participants' perceived stress and salivary cortisol at four time points during the procedure. We found a stress-related decrease in brain activation in response to the pleasant, but not to the neutral or unpleasant odor stimuli in the right piriform cortex extending to the right amygdala, the right orbitofrontal cortex, and the right insula. In addition, activation of clusters within the regions of interest were negatively associated with individual baseline-to-peak increase in salivary cortisol levels after stress. We also found increased functional connectivity between the right piriform cortex and the right insula after stress when the pleasant odor was presented. The strength of the connectivity was positively correlated with increased perceived stress levels immediately after stress exposure. These results provide novel evidence for the effects of acute stress in attenuating the neural processing of a pleasant olfactory stimulus. Together with previous findings, the effect of acute stress on human olfactory perception appears to depend on both the valence and the concentration (e.g., peri-threshold or suprathreshold levels) of odor stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ai
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Interdisciplinary Centre Smell and Taste, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Haoyu Nie
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Pengfei Han
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
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Sherman BE, Harris BB, Turk-Browne NB, Sinha R, Goldfarb EV. Hippocampal Mechanisms Support Cortisol-Induced Memory Enhancements. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7198-7212. [PMID: 37813570 PMCID: PMC10601369 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0916-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress can powerfully influence episodic memory, often enhancing memory encoding for emotionally salient information. These stress-induced memory enhancements stand at odds with demonstrations that stress and the stress-related hormone cortisol can negatively affect the hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory encoding. To resolve this apparent conflict and determine whether and how the hippocampus supports memory encoding under cortisol, we combined behavioral assays of associative memory, high-resolution fMRI, and pharmacological manipulation of cortisol in a within-participant, double-blinded procedure (in both sexes). Behaviorally, hydrocortisone promoted the encoding of subjectively arousing, positive associative memories. Neurally, hydrocortisone led to enhanced functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions, which predicted subsequent memory enhancements for emotional associations. Cortisol also modified the relationship between hippocampal representations and associative memory: whereas hippocampal signatures of distinctiveness predicted memory under placebo, relative integration predicted memory under cortisol. Together, these data provide novel evidence that the human hippocampus contains the necessary machinery to support emotional associative memory enhancements under cortisol.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our daily lives are filled with stressful events, which powerfully shape the way we form episodic memories. For example, stress and stress-related hormones can enhance our memory for emotional events. However, the mechanisms underlying these memory benefits are unclear. In the current study, we combined functional neuroimaging, behavioral tests of memory, and double-blind, placebo-controlled hydrocortisone administration to uncover the effects of the stress-related hormone cortisol on the function of the human hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory. We identified novel ways in which cortisol can enhance hippocampal function to promote emotional memories, highlighting the adaptive role of cortisol in shaping memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brynn E Sherman
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104
| | - Bailey B Harris
- Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Nicholas B Turk-Browne
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
| | - Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
- National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut 06477
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6
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Zoladz PR, Cordes CN, Weiser JN, Reneau KE, Boaz KM, Helwig SJ, Virden EM, Thebeault CK, Pfister CL, Getnet BA, Niese TD, Parker SL, Stanek ML, Long KE, Norrholm SD, Rorabaugh BR. Pre-Learning Stress That Is Temporally Removed from Acquisition Impairs Fear Learning. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:775. [PMID: 37372060 DOI: 10.3390/biology12060775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have examined the time-dependent effects of stress on fear learning. Previously, we found that stress immediately before fear conditioning enhanced fear learning. Here, we aimed to extend these findings by assessing the effects of stress 30 min prior to fear conditioning on fear learning and fear generalization. Two hundred and twenty-one healthy adults underwent stress (socially evaluated cold pressor test) or a control manipulation 30 min before completing differential fear conditioning in a fear-potentiated startle paradigm. One visual stimulus (CS+), but not another (CS-), was associated with an aversive airblast to the throat (US) during acquisition. The next day, participants were tested for their fear responses to the CS+, CS-, and several generalization stimuli. Stress impaired the acquisition of fear on Day 1 but had no significant impact on fear generalization. The stress-induced impairment of fear learning was particularly evident in participants who exhibited a robust cortisol response to the stressor. These findings are consistent with the notion that stress administered 30 min before learning impairs memory formation via corticosteroid-related mechanisms and may help us understand how fear memories are altered in stress-related psychological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip R Zoladz
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Chloe N Cordes
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Jordan N Weiser
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Kassidy E Reneau
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Kayla M Boaz
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Sara J Helwig
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Emma M Virden
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Caitlin K Thebeault
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Cassidy L Pfister
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Bruktawit A Getnet
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Taylor D Niese
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Sydney L Parker
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Mercedes L Stanek
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Kristen E Long
- Psychology Program, The School of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USA
| | - Seth D Norrholm
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Boyd R Rorabaugh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755, USA
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Sherman BE, Harris BB, Turk-Browne NB, Sinha R, Goldfarb EV. Hippocampal mechanisms support cortisol-induced memory enhancements. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.08.527745. [PMID: 36798309 PMCID: PMC9934703 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.08.527745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Stress can powerfully influence episodic memory, often enhancing memory encoding for emotionally salient information. These stress-induced memory enhancements stand at odds with demonstrations that stress and the stress-related hormone cortisol can negatively affect the hippocampus, a brain region important for episodic memory encoding. To resolve this apparent conflict and determine whether and how the hippocampus supports memory encoding under cortisol, we combined behavioral assays of associative memory, high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and pharmacological manipulation of cortisol in a within-participant, double-blinded procedure. Hydrocortisone led to enhanced functional connectivity between hippocampal subregions, which predicted subsequent memory enhancements for emotional information. Cortisol also modified the relationship between hippocampal representations and memory: whereas hippocampal signatures of distinctiveness predicted memory under placebo, relative integration predicted memory under cortisol. Together, these data provide novel evidence that the human hippocampus contains the necessary machinery to support emotional memory enhancements under stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Elizabeth V Goldfarb
- Department of Psychology, Yale University
- Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University
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8
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Miguel-Hidalgo JJ. Role of stress-related glucocorticoid changes in astrocyte-oligodendrocyte interactions that regulate myelin production and maintenance. Histol Histopathol 2023; 38:1-8. [PMID: 35652516 PMCID: PMC9843868 DOI: 10.14670/hh-18-476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Repeated activation of stress responses and elevated corticosteroids result in alterations of neuronal physiology and metabolism, and lead to disturbances of normal connectivity between neurons in various brain regions. In addition, stress responses are also associated with anomalies in the function of glial cells, particularly astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, which in turn may further contribute to the mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction. The actions of corticosteroids on astrocytes are very likely mediated by the presence of intracellular and cell membrane-bound CORT receptors. Although apparently less abundant than in astrocytes, activation of CORT receptors in oligodendrocytes also leads to structural changes that are reflected in myelin maintenance and plasticity. The close interactions between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes through extracellular matrix molecules, soluble factors and astrocyte-oligodendrocyte gap junctions very likely mediate part of the disturbances in myelin structure, leading to plastic myelin adaptations or pathological myelin disruptions that may significantly influence brain connectivity. Likewise, the intimate association of the tips of some astrocytes processes with a majority of nodes of Ranvier in the white matter suggest that stress and overexposure to corticosteroids may lead to remodeling of node of Ranvier and their specific extracellular milieu.
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Ojha A, Miller JG, King LS, Davis EG, Humphreys KL, Gotlib IH. Empathy for others versus for one's child: Associations with mothers' brain activation during a social cognitive task and with their toddlers' functioning. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22313. [PMID: 36282757 PMCID: PMC9608359 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22313] [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: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Caregivers who are higher in dispositional empathy tend to have children with better developmental outcomes; however, few studies have considered the role of child-directed (i.e., "parental") empathy, which may be relevant for the caregiver-child relationship. We hypothesized that mothers' parental empathy during their child's infancy will be a stronger predictor of their child's social-emotional functioning as a toddler than will mothers' dispositional empathy. We further explored whether parental and dispositional empathy have shared or distinct patterns of neural activation during a social-cognitive movie-watching task. In 118 mother-infant dyads, greater parental empathy assessed when infants were 6 months old was associated with more social-emotional competencies and fewer problems in the children 1 year later, even after adjusting for dispositional empathy. In contrast, dispositional empathy was not associated with child functioning when controlling for parental empathy. In a subset of 20 mothers, insula activation was positively associated with specific facets of both dispositional and parental empathy, whereas right temporoparietal junction activation was associated only with parental empathy. Thus, dispositional and parental empathy appear to be dissociable by both brain and behavioral metrics. Parental empathy may be a viable target for interventions, especially for toddlers at risk for developing social-emotional difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Ojha
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, PA
- Center for Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, PA
| | | | - Lucy S. King
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Elena G. Davis
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Kathryn L. Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Ian H. Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
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Bini J, Parikh L, Lacadie C, Hwang JJ, Shah S, Rosenberg SB, Seo D, Lam K, Hamza M, De Aguiar RB, Constable T, Sherwin RS, Sinha R, Jastreboff AM. Stress-level glucocorticoids increase fasting hunger and decrease cerebral blood flow in regions regulating eating. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103202. [PMID: 36126514 PMCID: PMC9486604 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The neural regulation of appetite and energy homeostasis significantly overlaps with the neurobiology of stress. Frequent exposure to repeated acute stressors may cause increased allostatic load and subsequent dysregulation of the cortico-limbic striatal system leading to inefficient integration of postprandial homeostatic and hedonic signals. It is therefore important to understand the neural mechanisms by which stress generates alterations in appetite that may drive weight gain. OBJECTIVE To determine glucocorticoid effects on metabolic, neural and behavioral factors that may underlie the association between glucocorticoids, appetite and obesity risk. METHODS A randomized double-blind cross-over design of overnight infusion of hydrocortisone or saline followed by a fasting morning perfusion magnetic resonance imaging to assess regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) was completed. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) hunger, cortisol and metabolic hormones were also measured. RESULTS Hydrocortisone relative to saline significantly decreased whole brain voxel based CBF responses in the hypothalamus and related cortico-striatal-limbic regions. Hydrocortisone significantly increased hunger VAS pre-scan, insulin, glucose and leptin, but not other metabolic hormones versus saline CBF groups. Hydrocortisone related increases in hunger were predicted by less reduction of CBF (hydrocortisone minus saline) in the medial OFC, medial brainstem and thalamus, left primary sensory cortex and right superior and medial temporal gyrus. Hunger ratings were also positively associated with plasma insulin on hydrocortisone but not saline day. CONCLUSIONS Increased glucocorticoids at levels akin to those experienced during psychological stress, result in increased fasting hunger and decreased regional cerebral blood flow in a distinct brain network of prefrontal, emotional, reward, motivation, sensory and homeostatic regions that underlie control of food intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Bini
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Lisa Parikh
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Cheryl Lacadie
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Janice J Hwang
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Saloni Shah
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Samuel B Rosenberg
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Dongju Seo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Katherine Lam
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Muhammad Hamza
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Renata Belfort De Aguiar
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Todd Constable
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Robert S Sherwin
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
| | - Ania M Jastreboff
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.
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11
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The infralimbic mineralocorticoid blockage prevents the stress-induced impairment of aversive memory extinction in rats. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:343. [PMID: 35999226 PMCID: PMC9399104 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02118-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals deal with adversity and return to a normal lifestyle when adversity ends. Nevertheless, in specific cases, traumas may be preceded by memory distortions in stress-related malaises, and memory extinction impairment is strictly associated with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Glucocorticoids (GCs), the central stress mediator, target mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors and coordinate stress responses. Despite MRs being present in brain regions essential to cognition, emotions, and initial stress processing, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), most studies attempt to elucidate the stress-induced deleterious actions of GCs via GR. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the relationship between stress, infralimbic mPFC (IL), and memory and how MR-mediated intracellular signaling influences this relationship and modulates memory extinction. We observed that acutely restraint-stressed male Wistar rats showed high corticosterone (CORT) levels, and previous intra-IL-spironolactone administration (a selective MR antagonist) decreased it 60 min after the stress started. Intra-IL-CORT118335, a novel mixed MR/GR selective modulator, increased CORT throughout stress exposure. Ten days after stress, all rats increased freezing in the memory retrieval test and acquired the aversive contextual memory. During the extinction test, intra-IL injection of spironolactone, but not CORT118335, prevented the stress-impaired memory extinction, suggesting that the IL-MR activity controls CORT concentration, and it is crucial to the establishment of late extinction impairment. Also, the concomitant GR full activation overrode MR blockage. It increased CORT levels leading to the stress-induced extinction memory impairment, reinforcing that the MR/GR balance is crucial to predicting stress-induced behavioral outcomes.
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Romero-Martínez Á, Sarrate-Costa C, Moya-Albiol L. A Systematic Review of the Role of Oxytocin, Cortisol, and Testosterone in Facial Emotional Processing. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:1334. [PMID: 34943249 PMCID: PMC8698823 DOI: 10.3390/biology10121334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A topic of interest is the way decoding and interpreting facial emotional expressions can lead to mutual understanding. Facial emotional expression is a basic source of information that guarantees the functioning of other higher cognitive processes (e.g., empathy, cooperativity, prosociality, or decision-making, among others). In this regard, hormones such as oxytocin, cortisol, and/or testosterone have been found to be important in modifying facial emotion processing. In fact, brain structures that participate in facial emotion processing have been shown to be rich in receptors for these hormones. Nonetheless, much of this research has been based on correlational designs. In recent years, a growing number of researchers have tried to carry out controlled laboratory manipulation of these hormones by administering synthetic forms of these hormones. The main objective of this study was to carry out a systematic review of studies that assess whether manipulation of these three hormones effectively promotes significant alterations in facial emotional processing. To carry out this review, PRISMA quality criteria for reviews were followed, using the following digital databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Dialnet, Psicodoc, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library, and focusing on manuscripts with a robust research design (e.g., randomized, single- or double-blind, and/or placebo-controlled) to increase the value of this systematic review. An initial identification of 6340 abstracts and retrieval of 910 full texts led to the final inclusion of 101 papers that met all the inclusion criteria. Only about 18% of the manuscripts included reported a direct effect of hormone manipulation. In fact, emotional accuracy seemed to be enhanced after oxytocin increases, but it diminished when cortisol and/or testosterone increased. Nonetheless, when emotional valence and participants' gender were included, hormonal manipulation reached significance (in around 53% of the articles). In fact, these studies offered a heterogeneous pattern in the way these hormones altered speed processing, attention, and memory. This study reinforces the idea that these hormones are important, but not the main modulators of facial emotion processing. As our comprehension of hormonal effects on emotional processing improves, the potential to design good treatments to improve this ability will be greater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel Romero-Martínez
- Department of Psychobiology, University of Valencia, Avenida Blasco Ibañez, 21, 46010 Valencia, Spain; (C.S.-C.); (L.M.-A.)
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Heinbockel H, Quaedflieg CWEM, Schneider TR, Engel AK, Schwabe L. Stress enhances emotional memory-related theta oscillations in the medial temporal lobe. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100383. [PMID: 34504907 PMCID: PMC8414174 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Stressful events impact memory formation, in particular for emotionally arousing stimuli. Although these stress effects on emotional memory formation have potentially far-reaching implications, the underlying neural mechanisms are not fully understood. Specifically, the temporal processing dimension of the mechanisms involved in emotional memory formation under stress remains elusive. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine the neural processes underlying stress effects on emotional memory formation with high temporal and spatial resolution and a particular focus on theta oscillations previously implicated in mnemonic binding. Healthy participants (n = 53) underwent a stress or control procedure before encoding emotionally neutral and negative pictures, while MEG was recorded. Memory for the pictures was probed in a recognition test 24 h after encoding. In this recognition test, stress did not modulate the emotional memory enhancement but led to significantly higher confidence in memory for negative compared to neutral stimuli. Our neural data revealed that stress increased memory-related theta oscillations specifically in medial temporal and occipito-parietal regions. Further, this stress-related increase in theta power emerged during memory formation for emotionally negative but not for neutral stimuli. These findings indicate that acute stress can enhance, in the medial temporal lobe, oscillations at a frequency that is ideally suited to bind the elements of an ongoing emotional episode, which may represent a mechanism to facilitate the storage of emotionally salient events that occurred in the context of a stressful encounter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik Heinbockel
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Conny W E M Quaedflieg
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, 6229 ER, the Netherlands
| | - Till R Schneider
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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Jaszczyk A, Juszczak GR. Glucocorticoids, metabolism and brain activity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:113-145. [PMID: 33727030 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The review integrates different experimental approaches including biochemistry, c-Fos expression, microdialysis (glutamate, GABA, noradrenaline and serotonin), electrophysiology and fMRI to better understand the effect of elevated level of glucocorticoids on the brain activity and metabolism. The available data indicate that glucocorticoids alter the dynamics of neuronal activity leading to context-specific changes including both excitation and inhibition and these effects are expected to support the task-related responses. Glucocorticoids also lead to diversification of available sources of energy due to elevated levels of glucose, lactate, pyruvate, mannose and hydroxybutyrate (ketone bodies), which can be used to fuel brain, and facilitate storage and utilization of brain carbohydrate reserves formed by glycogen. However, the mismatch between carbohydrate supply and utilization that is most likely to occur in situations not requiring energy-consuming activities lead to metabolic stress due to elevated brain levels of glucose. Excessive doses of glucocorticoids also impair the production of energy (ATP) and mitochondrial oxidation. Therefore, glucocorticoids have both adaptive and maladaptive effects consistently with the concept of allostatic load and overload.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneta Jaszczyk
- Department of Animal Behavior and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 05-552 Jastrzebiec, 36a Postepu str., Poland
| | - Grzegorz R Juszczak
- Department of Animal Behavior and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 05-552 Jastrzebiec, 36a Postepu str., Poland.
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15
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Harrewijn A, Vidal-Ribas P, Clore-Gronenborn K, Jackson SM, Pisano S, Pine DS, Stringaris A. Associations between brain activity and endogenous and exogenous cortisol - A systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 120:104775. [PMID: 32592873 PMCID: PMC7502528 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
To arrive at a coherent understanding of the relation between glucocorticoids and the human brain, we systematically reviewed the literature for studies examining the associations between endogenous or exogenous cortisol and human brain function. Higher levels of endogenous cortisol during psychological stress were related to increased activity in the middle temporal gyrus and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), decreased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and altered function (i.e., mixed findings, increased or decreased) in the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, endogenous cortisol response to psychological stress was related to increased activity in the inferior temporal gyrus and altered function in the amygdala during emotional tasks that followed psychological stress. Exogenous cortisol administration was related to increased activity in the postcentral gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and ACC, and altered function in the amygdala and hippocampus during conditioning, emotional and reward-processing tasks after cortisol administration. These findings were in line with those from animal studies on amygdala activity during and after stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Harrewijn
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Pablo Vidal-Ribas
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 6710 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Katharina Clore-Gronenborn
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, 9501 Euclid Ave. EC10, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA; Genetic Epidemiology Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Sarah M Jackson
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Simone Pisano
- Department of Neuroscience, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Via Mario Fiore 6, Naples, Italy; Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Via Pansini 5, Naples, Italy
| | - Daniel S Pine
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Argyris Stringaris
- Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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Awasthi S, Pan H, LeDoux JE, Cloitre M, Altemus M, McEwen B, Silbersweig D, Stern E. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and functionally linked neurocircuitry modulate emotion processing and HPA axis dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 28:102442. [PMID: 33070099 PMCID: PMC7569227 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Task-based functional cooccurrence (tbFC) elucidates role of BNST in human PTSD neurocircuitry. The BNST is hyperactive during the processing of trauma-related words in PTSD. BNST activity correlates to PTSD symptom severity and reduced diurnal cortisol index. The BNST has positive tbFC with negative emotion- and stress-related neurocircuitry. The BNST has negative tbFC with executive function and stress regulation neurocircuitry.
Background The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) plays an important role in rodent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but evidence to support its relevance to human PTSD is limited. We sought to understand the role of the BNST in human PTSD via fMRI, behavioral, and physiological measurements. Methods 29 patients with PTSD (childhood sexual abuse) and 23 healthy controls (HC) underwent BOLD imaging with an emotional word paradigm. Symptom severity was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale and HPA-axis dysfunction was assessed by measuring the diurnal cortisol amplitude index (DCAI). A data-driven multivariate analysis was used to determine BNST task-based functional co-occurrence (tbFC) across individuals. Results In the trauma-versus-neutral word contrast, patients showed increased activation compared to HC in the BNST, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), caudate heads, and midbrain, and decreased activation in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Symptom severity positively correlated with activity in the BNST, caudate head, amygdala, hippocampus, dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus (dACG), and PCG, and negatively with activity in the medial orbiotofrontal cortex (mOFC) and DLPFC. Patients and HC showed marked differences in the relationship between the DCAI and BOLD activity in the BNST, septal nuclei, dACG, and PCG. Patients showed stronger tbFC between the BNST and closely linked limbic and subcortical regions, and a loss of negative tbFC between the BNST and DLPFC. Conclusions Based upon novel data, we present a new model of dysexecutive emotion processing and HPA-axis dysfunction in human PTSD that incorporates the role of the BNST and functionally linked neurocircuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Awasthi
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hong Pan
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph E LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marylene Cloitre
- National Center for PTSD, Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Margaret Altemus
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - David Silbersweig
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Emily Stern
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Blocking under stress: Sustained attention to stimuli without predictive value? Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 168:107158. [PMID: 31911197 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Learning is blocked when a stimulus is followed by an outcome that is identical to what was expected and thus contains no new information. This classic 'blocking' effect exemplifies that learning is driven by the predictive value of stimuli, which in turn should guide the allocation of attentional resources. Stress is known to be a powerful modulator of learning and memory. However, whether stress may affect attentional processing during predictive learning is largely unknown. Here, we combined electroencephalography and eye-tracking with an experimental stress manipulation and a fear conditioning paradigm designed to probe the blocking effect, to determine if and how stress impacts efficient attentional processing during predictive learning. Participants' explicit ratings indicated, irrespective of stress, a blocking effect. The control group further showed preferential attentional processing of predictive vs. unpredictive stimuli, reflected in differential fixation durations and a differential N2pc. Stress abolished this differentiation and led even to sustained attention, indicated by higher late positive potentials, to stimuli with low predictive value. Moreover, stress resulted in an overall increase in the P3b during the blocking phase, suggesting increased attentional processing, presumably due to impaired access to previously learned associations. Together, our results suggest that while control participants paid particular attention to predictive stimuli and reduced attention to unpredictive stimuli, in line with the classic blocking effect, stress before learning reduced this preferential processing. Thus, the present findings highlight the role of attention allocation for predictive fear learning and suggest that stress may impair efficient information processing against the background of prior experiences.
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Zerbes G, Schwabe L. Across time and space: spatial-temporal binding under stress. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 26:473-484. [PMID: 31732708 PMCID: PMC6859825 DOI: 10.1101/lm.050237.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Successful episodic memory requires binding of event details across spatial and temporal gaps. The neural processes underlying mnemonic binding, however, are not fully understood. Moreover, although acute stress is known to modulate memory, if and how stress changes mnemonic integration across time and space is unknown. To elucidate these issues, we exposed participants to a stressor or a control manipulation shortly before they completed, while electroencephalography was recorded, an encoding task that systematically varied the demands for spatial and temporal integration. Associative memory was tested 24 h later. While early event-related potentials, including the P300 and Late Positive Component, distinguished different levels of spatiotemporal discontinuity, only later Slow Waves were linked to subsequent remembering. Furthermore, theta oscillations were specifically associated with successful mnemonic binding. Although acute stress per se left mnemonic integration largely unaffected, autonomic activity facilitated object memory and glucocorticoids enhanced detail memory, indicative for mnemonic integration. At the neural level, stress amplified the effects of spatiotemporal discontinuity on early information processing. Together, our results indicate that temporal and spatial gaps recruit early neural processes, providing attentional resources. The actual binding success, however, appears to depend on later processes as well as theta power and may be shaped by major stress response systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gundula Zerbes
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 20146, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg 20146, Germany
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Abstract
It is a generally accepted observation that individuals act differently under stress. Recent task-based neuroimaging studies have shown that individuals under stress favor the intuitive and fast system over the deliberative and reflective system. In the present study, using a within-subjects design in thirty young adults, we examined whether and how acute social stress impacts regional neural activity in resting state. The results showed that stress induced lower coherence regional homogeneity (Cohe-ReHo) values in left hippocampus and right superior frontal gyrus, both of which are regions associated with deliberative decision making. Stress-induced cortisol change was significantly and positively correlated with the change in Cohe-ReHo value in the right midbrain, a region involved in habitual decision making. These results extend previous findings by demonstrating that stress modulates local synchrony in brain regions implicated in deliberative and intuitive decision making. Our findings might be useful in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying stress-related mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Chang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, 9 Arts Link, Singapore, 117570, Singapore.
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Hillerer KM, Slattery DA, Pletzer B. Neurobiological mechanisms underlying sex-related differences in stress-related disorders: Effects of neuroactive steroids on the hippocampus. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 55:100796. [PMID: 31580837 PMCID: PMC7115954 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Men and women differ in their vulnerability to a variety of stress-related illnesses, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are not well understood. This is likely due to a comparative dearth of neurobiological studies that assess male and female rodents at the same time, while human neuroimaging studies often don't model sex as a variable of interest. These sex differences are often attributed to the actions of sex hormones, i.e. estrogens, progestogens and androgens. In this review, we summarize the results on sex hormone actions in the hippocampus and seek to bridge the gap between animal models and findings in humans. However, while effects of sex hormones on the hippocampus are largely consistent in animals and humans, methodological differences challenge the comparability of animal and human studies on stress effects. We summarise our current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie sex-related differences in behavior and discuss implications for stress-related illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina M Hillerer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Salzburger Landeskrankenhaus (SALK), Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Clinical Research Center Salzburg (CRCS), Salzburg, Austria.
| | - David A Slattery
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Belinda Pletzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Resting-state functional connectivity after hydrocortisone administration in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2019; 29:936-946. [PMID: 31262544 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In a previous study, we found that - in contrast to healthy individuals - patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) showed better memory retrieval performance after hydrocortisone administration compared to placebo. As these results suggest an altered function of corticosteroid receptors in the brain in PTSD and BPD, we examined the effect of hydrocortisone on brain activation in both disorders. We recruited 40 female healthy controls, 20 female unmedicated patients with PTSD and 18 female unmedicated patients with BPD. We conducted a placebo-controlled cross-over study, in which all participants underwent two resting state MRI measurements after they received either a placebo or 10 mg hydrocortisone orally and in randomized order. There was a time interval of one week between the measurements. We analysed resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) with the hippocampus and the amygdala as seed regions. Compared to healthy controls, both patient groups showed reduced hippocampus RSFC to dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Positive hippocampus dmPFC RSFC correlated negatively with childhood trauma (r = -0.47) and with severity of clinical symptoms, measured with the Borderline Symptom List (r = -0.44) and the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (r = -0.45). We found neither differences in amygdala RSFC nor an effect of hydrocortisone administration. Childhood trauma might lead to decreased positive hippocampus dmPFC RSFC. This might explain symptoms of PTSD and BPD that are characterized by dysfunctional fear regulation.
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Lovallo WR, Cohoon AJ, Acheson A, Vincent AS, Sorocco KH. Cortisol stress reactivity in women, diurnal variations, and hormonal contraceptives: studies from the Family Health Patterns Project. Stress 2019; 22:421-427. [PMID: 30896268 PMCID: PMC6525075 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1581760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Women have smaller cortisol responses to psychological stress than men do, and women taking hormonal contraceptives (HC+) have smaller responses than HC- women. Cortisol secretion undergoes substantial diurnal variation, with elevated levels in the morning and lower levels in the afternoon, and these variations are accompanied by differences in response to acute stress. However, the impact of HC use on these diurnal relationships has not been examined. We tested saliva cortisol values in 744 healthy young adults, 351 men and 393 women, 254 HC- and 139 HC+, who were assigned to morning (9:00 am) or afternoon (1:00 pm) test sessions that were held both on a rest day and on a stress day that included public speaking and mental arithmetic challenges. Saliva cortisol responses to stress were largest in men and progressively smaller in HC- and in HC+ women (F = 23.26, p < .0001). In the morning test sessions, HC+ women had significantly elevated rest day cortisol levels (t = 5.99, p ≪ .0001, Cohen's d = 0.95) along with a complete absence of response on the stress day. In the afternoon sessions, both HC+ and HC- women had normal rest-day cortisol levels and normal responses to the stressors. Heart rates at rest and during stress did not vary by time of day or HC status. Cortisol stress responses in HC+ women are absent in the morning and normal in size by early afternoon. Studies of stress reactivity should account for time of day in evaluating cortisol responses in women using hormonal contraceptives.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R Lovallo
- a Behavioral Sciences Laboratories , Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
| | - Andrew J Cohoon
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
| | - Ashley Acheson
- c Department of Psychiatry , University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences , Little Rock , AK , USA
| | - Andrea S Vincent
- d Cognitive Science Research Center , University of Oklahoma , Norman , OK , USA
| | - Kristen H Sorocco
- a Behavioral Sciences Laboratories , Veterans Affairs Medical Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
- e Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine , University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center , Oklahoma City , OK , USA
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Lovallo WR, Acheson A, Cohoon AJ, Sorocco KH, Vincent AS, Hodgkinson CA, Goldman D. Working memory reflects vulnerability to early life adversity as a risk factor for substance use disorder in the FKBP5 cortisol cochaperone polymorphism, rs9296158. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218212. [PMID: 31185043 PMCID: PMC6559710 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life adversity (ELA) negatively affects health behaviors in adulthood, but pathways from ELA exposure to behavioral outcomes are poorly understood. ELA in childhood and adolescence may translate into adult outcomes by way of modified glucocorticoid signaling. The cortisol cotransporter, FKBP5 has a G-to-A substitution (rs9296158) that hinders cortisol trafficking within target cells, and this impaired glucocorticoid signaling may shape the long-term response to ELA. We used performance on the Stroop test to assess working memory in 546 healthy young adults who had experienced 0, 1, or > 1 forms of ELA in childhood and adolescence and were genotyped for the FKBP5 rs9296158 G-to-A polymorphism. We observed a robust Gene x Environment interaction (F = 9.49, p < .0001) in which increased ELA exposure led to progressively greater Stroop interference in persons carrying AG and AA genotypes of FKBP5 with no such effect in GG carriers. Further work is needed to explore the modification of cognitive function resulting from ELA. Impairments in working memory illustrate how ELA may use glucocorticoid pathways to influence working memory with potential implications for decision-making and risky behavior including substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- William R. Lovallo
- Behavioral Sciences Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Ashley Acheson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States of America
| | - Andrew J. Cohoon
- Behavioral Sciences Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America
| | - Kristen H. Sorocco
- Behavioral Sciences Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America
- Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States of America
| | - Andrea S. Vincent
- Cognitive Science Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States of America
| | - Colin A. Hodgkinson
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, NIH, NIAAA, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
| | - David Goldman
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, NIH, NIAAA, Bethesda, MD, United States of America
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Wijdicks EF, Rooke TW, Hunder GG, Dacy MD. Cortisone in Popular Culture: Roueché, Ray, and Hench. MAYO CLINIC PROCEEDINGS: INNOVATIONS, QUALITY & OUTCOMES 2019; 3:215-220. [PMID: 31193896 PMCID: PMC6543452 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article, the authors offer a new perspective on how the administration of Compound E (ie, cortisone) to a volunteer Mayo Clinic patient with rheumatoid arthritis and the patient’s subsequent miraculous improvement led not only to a major, successful clinical trial but also a Nobel Prize. The early and late side effects as an undesirable outcome of treatment of corticosteroids would soon follow. Corticosteroid side effects became known in popular culture, first through an indepth article in The New Yorker by medical journalist Berton Roueché, and later through a major fiction film, Bigger than Life, directed by Nicholas Ray. The film used cortisone as a plot device to “unmask” what the filmmaker perceived to be the lie of middle class prosperity in America of the 1950s. Bigger than Life is also a cinematic argument against the use of cortisone. Dr. Philip Hench was also connected to Bigger than Life, and the Ray-Hench connection is further explored based on newly found material. The discovery of “wonder drug” cortisone and its potential side effects—all carefully described in the Roueché article but exaggerated in Nicholas Ray’s film in the 1950s—show how medicine can be portrayed in popular culture.
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Laures-Gore J, Cahana-Amitay D, Buchanan TW. Diurnal Cortisol Dynamics, Perceived Stress, and Language Production in Aphasia. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:1416-1426. [PMID: 31021679 DOI: 10.1044/2018_jslhr-l-18-0276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The current study investigated diurnal cortisol dynamics in adults with and without aphasia, along with subjective reports of stress and measures of language production. Dysregulation of cortisol, a common biomarker of stress, is associated with cognitive dysfunction in different clinical populations. However, little is known about the consequences of stress-induced cortisol disturbances for stroke survivors, including those with aphasia. Method Nineteen participants with aphasia and 14 age-matched neurotypical adults were tested. Saliva samples were collected from participants to assess the cortisol awakening response, a marker of the integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Participants also completed 2 subjective stress questionnaires. Language was evaluated using 3 short, picture description narratives, analyzed for discourse (dys)fluency and productivity markers. Results In contrast to neurotypical participants, adults with aphasia did not show the predictable cortisol awakening response. Participants with aphasia also showed an unusual heightened level of cortisol upon awakening. Additionally, neurotypical participants demonstrated an association between intact language performance and the cortisol awakening response, whereas the participants with aphasia did not, although they did perceive the language tasks as stressful. Conclusion This study indicates that the functionality of the HPA axis, as indexed by cortisol, contributes to optimal language performance in healthy adults. The absence of an awakening response among participants with aphasia suggests that stroke leads to dysregulation of the HPA axis, although the degree to which this impairment affects language deficits in this population requires further investigation.
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Abstract
This review examines the putative link between glucocorticoid and hippocampal abnormalities in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Increased glucocorticoid receptor (GR) sensitivity in PTSD may permit enhanced negative feedback inhibition of cortisol at the pituitary, hypothalamus, or other brain regions comprising the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and would be expected to affect other physiological systems that are regulated by glucocorticoids. Molecular and transcriptional studies of cortisol are consistent with the hypothesis that cortisol actions may be amplified in PTSD as a result of enhanced GR sensitivity in monocytes and some brain regions, although cortisol levels themselves are unchanged and oftentimes lower than normal. Concurrently, magnetic resonance imaging studies have demonstrated that individuals with PTSD have smaller hippocampal volume than individuals without PTSD. Initial hypotheses regarding the mechanism underlying hippocampal alterations in PTSD focused on elevated glucocorticoid levels in combination with extreme stress as the primary cause, but this explanation has not been well supported in human studies. Lack of data from neuroimaging studies preclude a firm link between PTSD onset and hippocampal volume changes. Rather, the available evidence is consistent with the possibility that smaller hippocampal volume (like reduced cortisol levels and enhanced GR sensitivity) may be a vulnerability factor for developing the disorder; limitations of hippocampal-based models of PTSD are described. We further review neuroimaging studies examining hippocampal structure and function following manipulation of glucocorticoid levels and also examining changes in the hippocampus in relationship to other brain regions. Evidence that the GR may be an important therapeutic target for the treatment of PTSD, especially for functions subserved by the hippocampus, is discussed. Implications of the current review for future research are described, with an emphasis on the need to integrate findings of glucocorticoid abnormalities with functional-imaging paradigms to formulate a comprehensive model of HPA-axis functioning in PTSD.
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Dunlop BW, Wong A. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in PTSD: Pathophysiology and treatment interventions. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 89:361-379. [PMID: 30342071 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Questions of how altered functioning of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis contribute to the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been the focus of extensive animal and human research. As a rule, results have been inconsistent across studies, likely due to a variety of confounding variables that have received inadequate attention. Important confounding factors include the effects of early life stress, biological sex, and the glucocorticoid used for interventions. In this manuscript we review: 1) the literature on identified abnormalities of HPA axis function in PTSD, both in terms of basal functioning and as part of challenge paradigms; 2) the role of HPA axis function pre- and immediately post-trauma as a risk factor for PTSD development; 3) the impact of HPA axis genes' allelic variants and epigenetic modifications on PTSD risk; 4) the contributions of HPA axis components to fear learning and extinction; and 5) therapeutic manipulations of the HPA axis to both prevent and treat PTSD, including the role of glucocorticoids as part of medication enhanced psychotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boadie W Dunlop
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Andrea Wong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Pilot for novel context generalization paradigm. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2019; 62:49-56. [PMID: 30193203 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2018.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Following an aversive experience, fears often generalize across contexts. Contextual fear generalization is modeled in a laboratory paradigm in which one context (CTX+) is paired with an aversive unconditional stimulus (US), while the other context (CTX-) is not. The current study sought to validate a novel paradigm assessing contextual fear generalization, and to determine the extent to which stress and anxiety symptoms enhanced contextual fear generalization. METHODS Fifty-nine participants were randomized to a stress induction or control arithmetic test, followed by a differential context fear conditioning paradigm. One to three days later, participants completed a generalization gradient test with CTX+, CTX, and four generalization contexts. RESULTS We found successful contextual fear conditioning on measures of US expectancy, self-report fear and valence, and startle reflex, and linear generalization across the contextual gradient on expectancies and self-report measures. Acute stress induction impaired learning of the US-CTX + association during context fear acquisition. Anxiety significantly predicted greater contextual fear generalization as measured by US expectancy. LIMITATIONS Our study provides pilot data introducing a novel fear conditioning paradigm to assess contextual generalization of fear. There is a need for further replication to validate its utility. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that individuals high in anxiety show greater contextual fear generalization as measured by US expectancy. Results are discussed in terms of potential mechanisms that contribute to pervasive anxiety.
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Fleischer J, Metz S, Düsenberg M, Grimm S, Golde S, Roepke S, Renneberg B, Wolf OT, Otte C, Wingenfeld K. Neural correlates of glucocorticoids effects on autobiographical memory retrieval in healthy women. Behav Brain Res 2019; 359:895-902. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Glucocorticoid response to stress induction prior to learning is negatively related to subsequent motor memory consolidation. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 158:32-41. [PMID: 30639727 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Hippocampal activity during early motor sequence learning is critical to trigger subsequent sleep-related consolidation processes. Based on previous evidence that stress-induced cortisol release modulates hippocampal activity, the current study investigates whether exposure to stress prior to motor sequence learning influences the ensuing learning and overnight consolidation process. Seventy-four healthy young adults were exposed to a stressor (i.e., the socially evaluated cold pressor test, SECPT) or a control procedure before initial training on a bimanual motor sequence learning task. Participants were retested on the motor task 24 h (including a night of sleep) after training to assess memory consolidation. Our results indicate that the SECPT, as compared to the control condition, induced significant physiological stress responses as evidenced by increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as elevated salivary cortisol concentrations. Cortisol concentration in the stress group reached peak levels immediately before and stayed significantly elevated for the full duration of initial motor learning before returning to baseline during the consolidation period. Stress induction prior to learning did not, on average, influence initial performance nor subsequent motor memory consolidation as indicated by similar overnight gains in performance in both groups. However, higher levels of stress-induced cortisol prior to training were correlated to smaller overnight gains in performance speed. These results indicate that the glucocorticoid response to a stressful encounter experienced prior to hippocampal-mediated motor learning is negatively related to subsequent memory consolidation processes.
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Raeder F, Merz CJ, Tegenthoff M, Wolf OT, Margraf J, Zlomuzica A. Post-exposure cortisol administration does not augment the success of exposure therapy: A randomized placebo-controlled study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 99:174-182. [PMID: 30245330 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 08/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Cortisol administration prior to treatment can promote the efficacy of exposure-based treatments in specific phobia: cortisol has been proposed to reduce fear retrieval at the beginning of exposure and to enhance the acquisition and consolidation of corrective information learned during exposure. Whether cortisol exerts a beneficial therapeutic effect when given after exposure, e.g., by targeting the consolidation of new corrective information, has not been addressed so far to date. Here, we examined whether post-exposure cortisol administration promotes fear reduction and reduces return of fear following contextual change in specific phobia. Furthermore, the effect of cortisol on return of fear following contextual change (i.e., contextual renewal) was assessed. Patients with spider phobia (N = 43) were treated with a single session of in-vivo exposure, followed by cortisol administration (20 mg hydrocortisone) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Return of fear was assessed with behavioral approach tests (BATs) in the familiar therapy context (versus a novel unfamiliar context) at one-month and seven-month follow-up assessment. Exposure was effective in reducing fear from pre-treatment to post-treatment (i.e., 24 h after exposure) on fear-related behavioral (approach behavior during the BAT), psychophysiological (heart rate during the BAT) and subjective (fear during the BAT, spider-fear related questionnaires) measures of therapeutic outcome, with no add-on benefit of cortisol administration. Cortisol had no effect on contextual renewal at one-month follow-up. However, in a subsample (N = 21) that returned to the seven-month follow-up, an adverse effect of cortisol on fear renewal was found, with cortisol-treated patients showing an increase in subjective fear at the final approach distance of the BAT from post-treatment to seven-month follow-up. These and previous findings underline the importance of considering the exact timing of cortisol application when used as an add-on treatment for extinction-based psychotherapy: post-exposure cortisol administration does not seem to be effective, but might promote fear renewal at the subjective level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Raeder
- Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Christian J Merz
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Martin Tegenthoff
- Department of Neurology, Ruhr-University Bochum, BG-Kliniken Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jürgen Margraf
- Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Armin Zlomuzica
- Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
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Smith AM, Race E, Davis FC, Thomas AK. Retrieval practice improves item memory but not source memory in the context of stress. Brain Cogn 2018; 133:24-32. [PMID: 30579631 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Smith, Floerke, and Thomas (2016) demonstrated that learning by repeated testing, or retrieval practice, reduced stress-related memory impairment when compared to learning by repeatedly studying material. In the present experiment, we tested whether, relative to study practice, retrieval practice would improve post-stress memory by increasing access to both item and source information. Participants learned two wordlists, which were temporally segregated to facilitate distinction between the two lists. Participants returned one week later for stress induction and two memory tests. Each test featured a recognition test that was given to assess item memory accessibility, and a list-discrimination task that was given to assess source memory. Relative to study practice, successful retrieval practice during learning reduced false alarms but did not improve source memory on the post-stress test. Results are discussed as they relate to current theories surrounding stress effects and retrieval practice effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Smith
- Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 3000, Medford, MA 02155, United States.
| | - Elizabeth Race
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 490 Boston Ave, Medford, MA 02155, United States
| | - F Caroline Davis
- Center for Applied Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 3000, Medford, MA 02155, United States; U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), General Greene Avenue, Natick, MA 01760, United States
| | - Ayanna K Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 490 Boston Ave, Medford, MA 02155, United States
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Tertil M, Skupio U, Barut J, Dubovyk V, Wawrzczak-Bargiela A, Soltys Z, Golda S, Kudla L, Wiktorowska L, Szklarczyk K, Korostynski M, Przewlocki R, Slezak M. Glucocorticoid receptor signaling in astrocytes is required for aversive memory formation. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:255. [PMID: 30487639 PMCID: PMC6261947 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0300-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 09/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress elicits the release of glucocorticoids (GCs) that regulate energy metabolism and play a role in emotional memory. Astrocytes express glucocorticoid receptors (GR), but their contribution to cognitive effects of GC's action in the brain is unknown. To address this question, we studied how astrocyte-specific elimination of GR affects animal behavior known to be regulated by stress. Mice with astrocyte-specific ablation of GR presented impaired aversive memory expression in two different paradigms of Pavlovian learning: contextual fear conditioning and conditioned place aversion. These mice also displayed compromised regulation of genes encoding key elements of the glucose metabolism pathway upon GR stimulation. In particular, we identified that the glial, but not the neuronal isoform of a crucial stress-response molecule, Sgk1, undergoes GR-dependent regulation in vivo and demonstrated the involvement of SGK1 in regulation of glucose uptake in astrocytes. Together, our results reveal astrocytes as a central element in GC-dependent formation of aversive memory and suggest their relevance for stress-induced alteration of brain glucose metabolism. Consequently, astrocytes should be considered as a cellular target of therapies of stress-induced brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Tertil
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Urszula Skupio
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Justyna Barut
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Valentyna Dubovyk
- Team Brain Microcircuits in Psychiatric Diseases, BioMed X Innovation Center, Heidelberg, 69120 Germany
| | - Agnieszka Wawrzczak-Bargiela
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Zbigniew Soltys
- 0000 0001 2162 9631grid.5522.0Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, 30-387 Poland
| | - Slawomir Golda
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Lucja Kudla
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Lucja Wiktorowska
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Klaudia Szklarczyk
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Michal Korostynski
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Ryszard Przewlocki
- 0000 0001 1958 0162grid.413454.3Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343 Poland
| | - Michal Slezak
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, 31-343, Poland. .,Team Brain Microcircuits in Psychiatric Diseases, BioMed X Innovation Center, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.
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Buchanan TW, Lovallo WR. The role of genetics in stress effects on health and addiction. Curr Opin Psychol 2018; 27:72-76. [PMID: 30292777 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Advances in stress research have yielded new insights into how stress exposure, in combination with genetics, can contribute to poor health outcomes. We review these topics with a special emphasis on early life stress and vulnerability to addiction. The direct effects of stress and our compensatory responses can modify our physiology and behavior during future stress episodes. These consequences can influence health, including an increased propensity for addiction. The relation between stress and health is not uniform across individuals. Some people succumb to stress-related disorders while others are resilient. Specific genetic polymorphisms affect how an individual appraises and responds to stress, potentially mediating the impact of stress on health. These genetic vulnerabilities can influence responses to the external environment, shape motivated behavior, and have an impact on health throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony W Buchanan
- Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, 3700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
| | - William R Lovallo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and VA Medical Center, 755 Research Parkway, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
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Smith AM, Thomas AK. Reducing the Consequences of Acute Stress on Memory Retrieval. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2017.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Gossett EW, Wheelock MD, Goodman AM, Orem TR, Harnett NG, Wood KH, Mrug S, Granger DA, Knight DC. Anticipatory stress associated with functional magnetic resonance imaging: Implications for psychosocial stress research. Int J Psychophysiol 2018; 125:35-41. [PMID: 29454000 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Stress tasks performed during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) elicit a relatively small cortisol response compared to stress tasks completed in a traditional behavioral laboratory, which may be due to apprehension of fMRI that elicits an anticipatory stress response. The present study investigated whether anticipatory stress is greater prior to research completed in an MRI environment than in a traditional behavioral laboratory. Anticipatory stress (indexed by cortisol) was greater prior to testing in the MRI environment than traditional behavioral laboratory. Furthermore, anticipation of fMRI elicited a cortisol response commensurate with the response to the stress task in the behavioral laboratory. However, in the MRI environment, post-stress cortisol was significantly lower than baseline cortisol. Taken together, these findings suggest the stress elicited by anticipation of fMRI may lead to acute elevations in cortisol prior to scanning, which may in turn disrupt the cortisol response to stress tasks performed during scanning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan W Gossett
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Muriah D Wheelock
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Adam M Goodman
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Tyler R Orem
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Kimberly H Wood
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Sylvie Mrug
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, United States; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, United States; Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States
| | - David C Knight
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235H, 1720 2nd Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35294, United States.
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Mareckova K, Holsen L, Admon R, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Seidman LJ, Buka SL, Klibanski A, Goldstein J. Neural - hormonal responses to negative affective stimuli: Impact of dysphoric mood and sex. J Affect Disord 2017; 222:88-97. [PMID: 28688266 PMCID: PMC5560420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maladaptive responses to negative affective stimuli are pervasive, including clinically ill and healthy people, and men and women respond differently at neural and hormonal levels. Inspired by the Research Domain Criteria initiative, we used a transdiagnostic approach to investigate the impact of sex and dysphoric mood on neural-hormonal responses to negative affective stimuli. METHODS Participants included 99 individuals with major depressive disorder, psychosis and healthy controls. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was complemented with real-time acquisition of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and -gonadal (HPG) hormones. fMRI data were analyzed in SPM8 and task-related connectivity was assessed using generalized psychophysiological interaction. RESULTS Across all participants, elevated cortisol response predicted lower brain activity in orbitofrontal cortex and hypothalamus-amygdala connectivity. In those with worse dysphoric mood, elevated cortisol response predicted lower activity in hypothalamus and hippocampus. In women, elevated cortisol response was associated with lower activity in medial prefrontal cortex and low hypothalamo-hippocampal connectivity. In women with high dysphoric mood, elevated cortisol response was associated with low hypothalamo-hippocampal connectivity. There were no interactions with diagnosis or medication. LIMITATIONS There was limited power to correct for multiple comparisons across total number of ROIs and connectivity targets; cortisol responses were relatively low. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the pathophysiology in neural-hormonal responses to negative affective stimuli is shared across healthy and clinical populations and varies as a function of sex and dysphoric mood. Our findings may contribute to the development of hormonal adjunctive therapeutics that are sex-dependent, underscoring the importance of one's sex to precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- K. Mareckova
- Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston, MA, USA,CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - L. Holsen
- Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston, MA, USA
| | - R. Admon
- McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, HMS, Boston, MA USA
| | - S. Whitfield-Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - LJ Seidman
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Public Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center; Department of Psychiatry, HMS, Boston, MA, USA
| | - SL Buka
- Department of Community Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - A. Klibanski
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Medicine, Neuroendocrine Unit; HMS, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J.M. Goldstein
- Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School (HMS), Boston, MA, USA,Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Agostini A, Ballotta D, Righi S, Moretti M, Bertani A, Scarcelli A, Sartini A, Ercolani M, Nichelli P, Campieri M, Benuzzi F. Stress and brain functional changes in patients with Crohn's disease: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017; 29:1-10. [PMID: 28560758 DOI: 10.1111/nmo.13108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Crohn's disease (CD) patients, stress is believed to influence symptoms generation. Stress may act via central nervous system pathways to affect visceral sensitivity and motility thus exacerbating gastrointestinal symptoms. The neural substrate underpinning these mechanisms needs to be investigated in CD. We conducted an explorative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in order to investigate potential differences in the brain stress response in CD patients compared to controls. METHODS 17 CD patients and 17 healthy controls underwent a fMRI scan while performing a stressful task consisting in a Stroop color-word interference task designed to induce mental stress in the fMRI environment. KEY RESULTS Compared to controls, in CD patients the stress task elicited greater blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals in the midcingulate cortex (MCC). CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES The MCC integrate "high" emotional processes with afferent sensory information ascending from the gut. In light of these integrative functions, the stress-evoked MCC hyperactivity in CD patients might represent a plausible neural substrate for the association between stress and symptomatic disease. The MCC dysfunction might be involved in mechanisms of central disinhibition of nociceptive inputs leading to amplify the visceral sensitivity. Finally, the stress-evoked MCC hyperactivity might affect the regulation of intestinal motility resulting in exacerbation of disease symptoms and the autonomic and neuroendocrine regulation of inflammation resulting in enhanced inflammatory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Agostini
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic, and Specialty Medicine, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - D Ballotta
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - S Righi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - M Moretti
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic, and Specialty Medicine, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - A Bertani
- Department of Gastroenterology, IBD Unit, Policlinico Hospital, Modena, Italy
| | - A Scarcelli
- Department of Gastroenterology, IBD Unit, Policlinico Hospital, Modena, Italy
| | - A Sartini
- Department of Gastroenterology, IBD Unit, Policlinico Hospital, Modena, Italy
| | - M Ercolani
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic, and Specialty Medicine, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - P Nichelli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - M Campieri
- Department of Clinical Medicine, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - F Benuzzi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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39
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Affiliation(s)
- Conny W. E. M. Quaedflieg
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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40
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Kluen LM, Agorastos A, Wiedemann K, Schwabe L. Noradrenergic Stimulation Impairs Memory Generalization in Women. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 29:1279-1291. [PMID: 28253079 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Memory generalization is essential for adaptive decision-making and action. Our ability to generalize across past experiences relies on medial-temporal lobe structures, known to be highly sensitive to stress. Recent evidence suggests that stressful events may indeed interfere with memory generalization. Yet, the mechanisms involved in this generalization impairment are unknown. We tested here whether a pharmacological elevation of major stress mediators-noradrenaline and glucocorticoids-is sufficient to disrupt memory generalization. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled design, healthy men and women received orally a placebo, hydrocortisone, the α2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine that leads to increased noradrenergic stimulation, or both drugs, before they completed an associative learning task probing memory generalization. Drugs left learning performance intact. Yohimbine, however, led to a striking generalization impairment in women, but not in men. Hydrocortisone, in turn, had no effect on memory generalization, neither in men nor in women. The present findings indicate that increased noradrenergic activity, but not cortisol, is sufficient to disrupt memory generalization in a sex-specific manner, with relevant implications for stress-related mental disorders characterized by generalization deficits.
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41
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Iskandar S, Reddy M, Afzal MR, Rajasingh J, Atoui M, Lavu M, Atkins D, Bommana S, Umbarger L, Jaeger M, Pimentel R, Dendi R, Emert M, Turagam M, Di Biase L, Natale A, Lakkireddy D. Use of Oral Steroid and its Effects on Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence and Inflammatory Cytokines Post Ablation - The Steroid AF Study. J Atr Fibrillation 2017; 9:1604. [PMID: 29250282 DOI: 10.4022/jafib.1604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2016] [Revised: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background Use of corticosteroids before and after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation can decrease acute inflammation and reduce AF recurrence. Purpose To assess the efficacy of oral prednisone in improving the outcomes of pulmonary vein isolation with radiofrequency ablation and its effect on inflammatory cytokine. Methods A total of 60 patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing radiofrequency ablation were randomized (1:1) to receive either 3 doses of 60 mg daily of oral prednisone or a placebo. Inflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1, IL6, IL-8) were measured at baseline, prior to ablation, immediately after ablation, and 24 hours post ablation. Patients underwent 30 day event monitoring at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post procedure. Results Immediate post ablation levels of inflammatory cytokines were lower in the steroid group when compared to the placebo group; IL-6: 9.0 ±7 vs 15.8 ±13 p=0.031; IL-8: 10.5 ±9 vs 15.3 ±8; p=0.047 respectively. Acute PV reconnection rates during the procedure (7/23% vs 10/36%; p = 0.39), and RF ablation time (51±13 vs 56±11 min, p = 0.11) trended to be lower in the placebo group than the steroid group. There was no difference in the incidence of early recurrence of AF during the blanking period and freedom from AF off AAD at 12 months between both groups (5/17% vs 8/27%; p = 0.347 and 21/70% vs 18/60%; p=0.417 in placebo and steroid groups respectively). Conclusion Although oral corticosteroids have significant effect in lowering certain cytokines, it did not impact the clinical outcomes of AF ablation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandia Iskandar
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Madhu Reddy
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Muhammad R Afzal
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Johnson Rajasingh
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Moustapha Atoui
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Madhav Lavu
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Donita Atkins
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Sudha Bommana
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Linda Umbarger
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Misty Jaeger
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Rhea Pimentel
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Raghuveer Dendi
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Martin Emert
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Mohit Turagam
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
| | - Luigi Di Biase
- Department of Electrophysiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
| | - Andrea Natale
- Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, St David's Medical Center, Austin, Texas
| | - Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy
- Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Kansas Hospital & Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
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42
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Joint Impact of Early Life Adversity and COMT Val158Met (rs4680) Genotypes on the Adult Cortisol Response to Psychological Stress. Psychosom Med 2017; 79:631-637. [PMID: 28452825 PMCID: PMC5489380 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Exposure to stress during critical periods of development can diminish stress reactivity by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. Genetic characteristics may further modify this effect of early adversity, leading to a gene by environment (G × E) interaction on stress reactivity in adulthood. Val-allele carriers of a common polymorphism of the COMT gene (Val158Met, rs4680) have rapid removal of catecholamines in the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, and reward centers. Carriers of the Val and Met alleles may therefore respond differently to the environment and differ in the long-term impact of exposure to early life adversity (ELA). METHODS We measured saliva cortisol reactivity to public speaking and mental arithmetic stress in 252 healthy young adults exposed to low, medium, and high levels of ELA and who were genotyped for the Val158Met polymorphism. RESULTS Cortisol responses showed a G × E interaction (F(4,243) = 2.78, p = .028); simple effects tests showed that Met/Met carriers had progressively smaller cortisol responses with greater levels of ELA. In comparison, Val/Val homozygotes had blunted responses that did not vary with ELA exposure. CONCLUSIONS Met/Met homozygotes seem sensitive to stressful events in childhood and adolescence, leading to environmental programming of the stress axis. Glucocorticoid responsivity may represent a common pathway revealing targeted genetic vulnerabilities to the long-term effects of early life stress. The results suggest that further G × E studies of ELA are warranted in relation to health behaviors and health outcomes in adulthood.
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43
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Lopes MW, Leal RB, Guarnieri R, Schwarzbold ML, Hoeller A, Diaz AP, Boos GL, Lin K, Linhares MN, Nunes JC, Quevedo J, Bortolotto ZA, Markowitsch HJ, Lightman SL, Walz R. A single high dose of dexamethasone affects the phosphorylation state of glutamate AMPA receptors in the human limbic system. Transl Psychiatry 2016; 6:e986. [PMID: 27959333 PMCID: PMC5290343 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GC) released during stress response exert feedforward effects in the whole brain, but particularly in the limbic circuits that modulates cognition, emotion and behavior. GC are the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant medication worldwide and pharmacological GC treatment has been paralleled by the high incidence of acute and chronic neuropsychiatric side effects, which reinforces the brain sensitivity for GC. Synapses can be bi-directionally modifiable via potentiation (long-term potentiation, LTP) or depotentiation (long-term depression, LTD) of synaptic transmission efficacy, and the phosphorylation state of Ser831 and Ser845 sites, in the GluA1 subunit of the glutamate AMPA receptors, are a critical event for these synaptic neuroplasticity events. Through a quasi-randomized controlled study, we show that a single high dexamethasone dose significantly reduces in a dose-dependent manner the levels of GluA1-Ser831 phosphorylation in the amygdala resected during surgery for temporal lobe epilepsy. This is the first report demonstrating GC effects on key markers of synaptic neuroplasticity in the human limbic system. The results contribute to understanding how GC affects the human brain under physiologic and pharmacologic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M W Lopes
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Floranópolis, Brazil
| | - R B Leal
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Floranópolis, Brazil,Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - R Guarnieri
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Epilepsy Center of Santa Catarina, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Neurosurgery Unit, Governador Celso Ramos Hospital, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - M L Schwarzbold
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - A Hoeller
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Floranópolis, Brazil
| | - A P Diaz
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - G L Boos
- Anesthesiology Division, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - K Lin
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Epilepsy Center of Santa Catarina, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - M N Linhares
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Neurosurgery Unit, Governador Celso Ramos Hospital, Florianópolis, Brazil,Department of Surgery, HU, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - J C Nunes
- Pathology Division, HU, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - J Quevedo
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA,Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA,Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Z A Bortolotto
- Laboratory of Neurosciences, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, University of Southern Santa Catarina, Criciúma, Brazil,Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - H J Markowitsch
- Physiological Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - S L Lightman
- Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK,Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - R Walz
- Center for Applied Neuroscience, Hospital Universitário, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Epilepsy Center of Santa Catarina, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil,Departamento de Clínica Médica, 3 andar, Hospital Universitário, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis CEP 88.040-970, Brazil. E-mail:
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44
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Schwabe L. Memory under stress: from single systems to network changes. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 45:478-489. [PMID: 27862513 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Stressful events have profound effects on learning and memory. These effects are mainly mediated by catecholamines and glucocorticoid hormones released from the adrenals during stressful encounters. It has been known for long that both catecholamines and glucocorticoids influence the functioning of the hippocampus, a critical hub for episodic memory. However, areas implicated in other forms of memory, such as the insula or the dorsal striatum, can be affected by stress as well. Beyond changes in single memory systems, acute stress triggers the reconfiguration of large scale neural networks which sets the stage for a shift from thoughtful, 'cognitive' control of learning and memory toward more reflexive, 'habitual' processes. Stress-related alterations in amygdala connectivity with the hippocampus, dorsal striatum, and prefrontal cortex seem to play a key role in this shift. The bias toward systems proficient in threat processing and the implementation of well-established routines may facilitate coping with an acute stressor. Overreliance on these reflexive systems or the inability to shift flexibly between them, however, may represent a risk factor for psychopathology in the long-run.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
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45
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Vogel S, Schwabe L. Stress in the zoo: Tracking the impact of stress on memory formation over time. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 71:64-72. [PMID: 27240149 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although stress is well known to modulate human memory, precisely how memory formation is altered by a stressful encounter remains unclear. Stress effects on cognition are mainly mediated by the rapidly acting sympathetic nervous system, resulting in the release of catecholamines, and the slower acting hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis secreting cortisol, which induces its effects on cognition through fast, non-genomic actions and delayed, genomic actions. Importantly, these different waves of the physiological stress response are thought to dynamically alter neural processing in brain regions important for memory such as the amygdala and the hippocampus. However, the precise time course of stress effects on memory formation is still unclear. To track the development of stress effects on memory over time, we tested individuals who underwent a stressful experience or a control procedure before a 2-h walk through a zoo, while an automatic camera continuously photographed the events they encoded. In a recognition memory test one week later, participants were presented with target photographs of their own zoo tour and lure photographs from an alternate tour. Stressed participants showed better memory for the experimental treatment than control participants, and this memory enhancement for the stressful encounter itself was directly linked to the sympathetic stress response. Moreover, stress enhanced memory for events encoded 41-65min after stressor onset, which was associated with the cortisol stress response, most likely arising from non-genomic cortisol actions. However, memory for events encoded long after the stressor, when genomic cortisol actions had most likely developed, remained unchanged. Our findings provide novel insights into how stress effects on memory formation develop over time, depending on the activity of major physiological stress response systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Vogel
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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46
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Kinner VL, Wolf OT, Merz CJ. Cortisol alters reward processing in the human brain. Horm Behav 2016; 84:75-83. [PMID: 27170428 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Dysfunctional reward processing is known to play a central role for the development of psychiatric disorders. Glucocorticoids that are secreted in response to stress have been shown to attenuate reward sensitivity and thereby might promote the onset of psychopathology. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms mediating stress hormone effects on reward processing as well as potential sex differences remain elusive. In this neuroimaging study, we administered 30mg cortisol or a placebo to 30 men and 30 women and subsequently tested them in the Monetary Incentive Delay Task. Cortisol attenuated anticipatory neural responses to a verbal and a monetary reward in the left pallidum and the right anterior parahippocampal gyrus. Furthermore, in men, activation in the amygdala, the precuneus, the anterior cingulate, and in hippocampal regions was reduced under cortisol, whereas in cortisol-treated women a signal increase was observed in these regions. Behavioral performance also indicated that reward learning in men is impaired under high cortisol concentrations, while it is augmented in women. These findings illustrate that the stress hormone cortisol substantially diminishes reward anticipation and provide first evidence that cortisol effects on the neural reward system are sensitive to sex differences, which might translate into different vulnerabilities for psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie L Kinner
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
| | - Oliver T Wolf
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
| | - Christian J Merz
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
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Buades-Rotger M, Serfling G, Harbeck B, Brabant G, Krämer UM. Prednisolone increases neural reactivity to negative socio-emotional stimuli in healthy young men. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 26:1176-89. [PMID: 27178366 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Exogenous glucocorticoids are known to trigger affective changes, but these are highly variable across individuals. A better understanding of how synthetic glucocorticoids impact the processing of negative emotions in the human brain might help to predict such changes. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we sought to uncover the slow effects of a synthetic glucocorticoid infusion on the neural response to socio-emotional scenes using a within-participant, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. In two separate sessions, 20 young males were given either an intravenous prednisolone dose (250mg) or placebo in a cross-over, randomized order. Four hours later, they were scanned while viewing drawings of persons in a neutral or negative emotional situation. On the next morning participants provided a blood sample for serum cortisol measurement, which served as a manipulation check. Prednisolone strongly suppressed morning cortisol, and heightened brain reactivity to emotional stimuli in left amygdala, left caudate head, right inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral supplementary motor area, and right somatosensory cortex. Amygdala reactivity was related to lower self-reported fatigue and higher irritability in the prednisolone condition. Moreover, prednisolone blunted inferior frontal and amygdala connectivity with other regions of the emotion-processing neural circuitry. Our results suggest specific brain pathways through which exogenous glucocorticoids may labilize affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macià Buades-Rotger
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Georg Serfling
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Birgit Harbeck
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Georg Brabant
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ulrike M Krämer
- Department of Neurology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Psychology II, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
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48
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Early-Life Adversity Interacts with FKBP5 Genotypes: Altered Working Memory and Cardiac Stress Reactivity in the Oklahoma Family Health Patterns Project. Neuropsychopharmacology 2016; 41:1724-32. [PMID: 26632991 PMCID: PMC4869048 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 10/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to stress during critical periods of development can have adverse effects on adult health behaviors, and genetic vulnerabilities may enhance these stress effects. We carried out an exploratory examination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics of 252 healthy young adults for the impact of early-life adversity (ELA) in relation to the G-to-A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs9296158, of the FKBP5 gene. FKBP5 is a molecular cochaperone that contributes to the functional status of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and to the quality of corticosteroid signaling. FKBP5 expression is upregulated by cortisol exposure during stressful episodes, with greater upregulation seen in A-allele carriers. As such, FKBP5 expression and GR function may be environmentally sensitive in A-allele carriers and therefore suitable for the study of gene-by-environment (G × E) interactions. Compared with FKBP5, GG homozygotes (N=118), A-allele carriers (N = 132) without psychiatric morbidity had progressively worse performance on the Stroop color-word task with increasing levels of ELA exposure (Genotype × ELA, F=5.14, P=0.007), indicating a G × E interaction on working memory in early adulthood. In addition, heart rate response to mental stress was diminished overall in AA/AG-allele carriers (F=5.15, P=0.024). Diminished working memory and attenuated autonomic responses to stress are both associated with risk for alcoholism and other substance use disorders. The present data suggest that FKBP5 in the GR pathway may be a point of vulnerability to ELA, as seen in this group of non-traumatized young adults. FKBP5 is accordingly a potential target for more extensive studies of the impact of ELA on health and health behaviors in adulthood.
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49
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Young KD, Preskorn SH, Victor T, Misaki M, Bodurka J, Drevets WC. The Effect of Mineralocorticoid and Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonism on Autobiographical Memory Recall and Amygdala Response to Implicit Emotional Stimuli. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2016; 19:pyw036. [PMID: 27207909 PMCID: PMC5043643 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyw036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acutely elevated cortisol levels in healthy humans impair autobiographical memory recall and alter hemodynamic responses of the amygdala to emotionally valenced stimuli. It is hypothesized that the effects of the cortisol on cognition are influenced by the ratio of mineralocorticoid receptor to glucocorticoid receptor occupation. The current study examined the effects of acutely blocking mineralocorticoid receptors and glucocorticoid receptors separately on 2 processes known to be affected by altering levels of cortisol: the specificity of autobiographical memory recall, and the amygdala hemodynamic response to sad and happy faces. METHODS We employed a within-subjects design in which 10 healthy male participants received placebo, the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone (600mg) alone, and the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone (600mg) alone in a randomized, counter-balanced order separated by 1-week drug-free periods. RESULTS On autobiographical memory testing, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism impaired, while glucocorticoid receptor antagonism improved, recall relative to placebo, as evinced by changes in the percent of specific memories recalled. During fMRI, the amygdala hemodynamic response to masked sad faces was greater under both mineralocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid receptor antagonism relative to placebo, while the response to masked happy faces was attenuated only during mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism relative to placebo. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest both mineralocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid receptor antagonism (and potentially any deviation from the normal physiological mineralocorticoid receptor/glucocorticoid receptor ratio achieved under the circadian pattern) enhances amygdala-based processing of sad stimuli and may shift the emotional processing bias away from the normative processing bias and towards the negative valence. In contrast, autobiographical memory was enhanced by conditions of reduced glucocorticoid receptor occupancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kymberly D Young
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA (Dr Young) Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK (Drs Young, Preskorn, Victor, Misaki, Bodurka, and Drevets); Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS (Dr Preskorn); Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Norman, OK (Dr Bodurka); Janssen Research and Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (Dr Drevets).
| | - Sheldon H Preskorn
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA (Dr Young) Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK (Drs Young, Preskorn, Victor, Misaki, Bodurka, and Drevets); Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS (Dr Preskorn); Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Norman, OK (Dr Bodurka); Janssen Research and Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (Dr Drevets)
| | - Teresa Victor
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA (Dr Young) Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK (Drs Young, Preskorn, Victor, Misaki, Bodurka, and Drevets); Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS (Dr Preskorn); Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Norman, OK (Dr Bodurka); Janssen Research and Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (Dr Drevets)
| | - Masaya Misaki
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA (Dr Young) Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK (Drs Young, Preskorn, Victor, Misaki, Bodurka, and Drevets); Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS (Dr Preskorn); Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Norman, OK (Dr Bodurka); Janssen Research and Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (Dr Drevets)
| | - Jerzy Bodurka
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA (Dr Young) Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK (Drs Young, Preskorn, Victor, Misaki, Bodurka, and Drevets); Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS (Dr Preskorn); Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Norman, OK (Dr Bodurka); Janssen Research and Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (Dr Drevets)
| | - Wayne C Drevets
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA (Dr Young) Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK (Drs Young, Preskorn, Victor, Misaki, Bodurka, and Drevets); Kansas University School of Medicine, Wichita, KS (Dr Preskorn); Biomedical Engineering Center, University of Oklahoma College of Engineering, Norman, OK (Dr Bodurka); Janssen Research and Development, LLC, of Johnson & Johnson, Inc., New Brunswick, NJ (Dr Drevets)
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Henckens MJAG, Klumpers F, Everaerd D, Kooijman SC, van Wingen GA, Fernández G. Interindividual differences in stress sensitivity: basal and stress-induced cortisol levels differentially predict neural vigilance processing under stress. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 11:663-73. [PMID: 26668010 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress exposure is known to precipitate psychological disorders. However, large differences exist in how individuals respond to stressful situations. A major marker for stress sensitivity is hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis function. Here, we studied how interindividual variance in both basal cortisol levels and stress-induced cortisol responses predicts differences in neural vigilance processing during stress exposure. Implementing a randomized, counterbalanced, crossover design, 120 healthy male participants were exposed to a stress-induction and control procedure, followed by an emotional perception task (viewing fearful and happy faces) during fMRI scanning. Stress sensitivity was assessed using physiological (salivary cortisol levels) and psychological measures (trait questionnaires). High stress-induced cortisol responses were associated with increased stress sensitivity as assessed by psychological questionnaires, a stronger stress-induced increase in medial temporal activity and greater differential amygdala responses to fearful as opposed to happy faces under control conditions. In contrast, high basal cortisol levels were related to relative stress resilience as reflected by higher extraversion scores, a lower stress-induced increase in amygdala activity and enhanced differential processing of fearful compared with happy faces under stress. These findings seem to reflect a critical role for HPA-axis signaling in stress coping; higher basal levels indicate stress resilience, whereas higher cortisol responsivity to stress might facilitate recovery in those individuals prone to react sensitively to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes J A G Henckens
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Floris Klumpers
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daphne Everaerd
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sabine C Kooijman
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Guido A van Wingen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1070 AW Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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