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Schwartz JA, Calvi JL, Allen SL, Granger DA. Adrenocortical Responses to Daily Stressors Are Calibrated by Early Life Adversity: An Investigation of the Adaptive Calibration Model. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 21:14747049231212357. [PMID: 37964553 PMCID: PMC10647968 DOI: 10.1177/14747049231212357] [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: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies examining the impact of early adversity on physiological responsivity to environmental challenges in later life yield a complex pattern of findings and ambiguity regarding the direction of effect, with some studies reporting heightened responses and others reporting dampened responses. One potential reason for these mixed findings is an oversimplified theoretical model surrounding the connection between early life stressor exposure and subsequent stress responsivity. The adaptive calibration model offersa contemporary set of assumptions aimed at providing a better understanding of the ways that early life experiences shape the stress response system to better align with current and future environments. The current study utilized a large subsample from the National Study of Daily Experiences (N = 1,605) to examine the extent to which the association between daily stressor exposure and cortisol levels varies across levels of early life adversity. Results revealed that those individuals who experienced extremely low levels of early life adversity displayed the greatest increase in cortisol levels across the day as daily stressor exposure increased. Alternatively, those individuals who experienced extremely high levels of early life adversity displayed almost no change in diurnal production of cortisol as daily stressor exposure increased. The results are discussed within the evolutionary-developmental context of the adaptive calibration model along with suggestions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Schwartz
- College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Jessica L. Calvi
- Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Samantha L. Allen
- College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Douglas A. Granger
- School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Gryksa K, Schmidtner AK, Masís-Calvo M, Rodríguez-Villagra OA, Havasi A, Wirobski G, Maloumby R, Jägle H, Bosch OJ, Slattery DA, Neumann ID. Selective breeding of rats for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour: A unique model for comorbid depression and social dysfunctions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105292. [PMID: 37353047 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Animal models of selective breeding for extremes in emotionality are a strong experimental approach to model psychopathologies. They became indispensable in order to increase our understanding of neurobiological, genetic, epigenetic, hormonal, and environmental mechanisms contributing to anxiety disorders and their association with depressive symptoms or social deficits. In the present review, we extensively discuss Wistar rats selectively bred for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour on the elevated plus-maze. After 30 years of breeding, we can confirm the prominent differences between HAB and LAB rats in trait anxiety, which are accompanied by consistent differences in depressive-like, social and cognitive behaviours. We can further confirm a single nucleotide polymorphism in the vasopressin promotor of HAB rats causative for neuropeptide overexpression, and show that low (or high) anxiety and fear levels are unlikely due to visual dysfunctions. Thus, HAB and LAB rats continue to exist as a reliable tool to study the multiple facets underlying the pathology of high trait anxiety and its comorbidity with depression-like behaviour and social dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Gryksa
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Anna K Schmidtner
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Marianella Masís-Calvo
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Odir A Rodríguez-Villagra
- Centro de Investigación en Neurosciencias, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica.
| | - Andrea Havasi
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Gwendolyn Wirobski
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Rodrigue Maloumby
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Herbert Jägle
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Oliver J Bosch
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
| | - David A Slattery
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Heinrich-Hoffmann-Straße 10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Inga D Neumann
- Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology, Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstr. 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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Baumeister D, Peters E, Pruessner J, Howes O, Chadwick P. The effects of voice content on stress reactivity: A simulation paradigm of auditory verbal hallucinations. Schizophr Res 2022; 243:225-231. [PMID: 31377050 PMCID: PMC9205337 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Psychosis is associated with increased subjective and altered endocrine and autonomic nervous system stress-reactivity. Psychosis patients often experience auditory verbal hallucinations, with negative voice content being particularly associated with distress. The present study developed a voice-simulation paradigm and investigated the effect of simulated voices with neutral and negative content on psychophysiological stress-reactivity, and the effect of mindful voice-appraisals on stress-reactivity. METHOD Eighty-four healthy participants completed the Montreal Imaging Stress Task with simultaneous presentation of one of three randomly allocated auditory stimuli conditions: negative voices, neutral voices or non-voice ambient sounds. Subjective stress-levels and mindful voice-appraisals were assessed using questionnaire measures, and cortisol and α-amylase levels were measured using saliva samples. RESULTS ANOVA revealed a significant effect of condition on subjective stress-levels (p = .002), but not cortisol (p = .63) or α-amylase (p = .73). Post-hoc analyses showed that negative voices increased subjective stress-levels relative to neutral voices (p = .002) and ambient sounds (p = .01), which did not differ from each other (p = .41). Mindful voice-appraisals were associated with less distress across conditions (p = .003), although negative voices were also associated with less mindful appraisals (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS Negative voice content, rather than voices or auditory stimuli per se, is linked to greater subjective but not physiological stress-reactivity. Mindful appraisals may partially moderate this effect. These findings highlight the importance of voice content for the impact of voice-hearing, and highlight the potential value of mindfulness training to treat voice distress in psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baumeister
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychology, London, UK; Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Emmanuelle Peters
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychology, London, UK,South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent, UK
| | - Jens Pruessner
- Department of Psychology, University of Constance, Constance, Germany
| | - Oliver Howes
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent, UK,Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, London, UK
| | - Paul Chadwick
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychology, London, UK,Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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Baumeister D, Pillinger T, Howes O, Peters E. Psychophysiological stress-reactivity in clinical and non-clinical voice-hearers. Schizophr Res 2021; 235:52-59. [PMID: 34315061 PMCID: PMC8429638 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosis is associated with dysregulation of psychophysiological stress-reactivity, including in subjective, autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) parameters. AIMS This study investigated whether dysregulated psychophysiological stress-reactivity is specifically associated with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) or psychosis more generally by comparing voice-hearers with and without a need for care. METHOD Clinical (n = 20) and non-clinical voice-hearers (n = 23), as well as a healthy control group with no voices (n = 23), were compared on HPA and ANS responses, and subjective reactivity, to a psychophysiological stress paradigm, the socially evaluative cold pressor test. RESULTS Measures of HPA function in both clinical and non-clinical voice-hearers diverged from non-voice-hearing controls. Clinical participants showed a blunted peak response compared to both non-clinical groups (p = 0.02), whilst non-clinical voice-hearers showed, at trend-level, reduced cortisol levels during stress exposure compared to both clinical voice-hearers (p = 0.07) and healthy controls (p = 0.07), who unexpectedly did not differ from each other (p = 0.97). Clinical participants showed greater subjective stress levels than both non-clinical groups (p < 0.001), as well as greater anticipatory stress (p = 0.001) and less recovery. There were no differences between groups on parameters of the ANS (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Dysregulated psychophysiological stress-function is present in clinical voice-hearers, and partially discriminates them from non-clinical voice-hearers. Overall, the present findings identified specific potential psychophysiological markers of risk and resilience in auditory verbal hallucinations and need for care.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Baumeister
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychology, London, UK; Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Toby Pillinger
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, London, UK
| | - Oliver Howes
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychosis Studies, London, UK
| | - Emmanuelle Peters
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Department of Psychology, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
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Brown ED, Holochwost SJ, Laurenceau JP, Garnett ML, Anderson KE. Deconstructing Cumulative Risk: Poverty and Aspects of Instability Relate Uniquely to Young Children's Basal Cortisol. Child Dev 2021; 92:1067-1082. [PMID: 33400295 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study deconstructs cumulative risk to probe unique relations to basal cortisol for family income and four distinct aspects of poverty-related instability. Participants were 288 children aged 3-5 years who attended Head Start preschool. Parents reported on poverty risks. Children provided samples of salivary cortisol at four times of day on 6 days. Results of hierarchical linear modeling with piecewise latent growth curves representing basal cortisol indicated unique relations for family income, household chaos, neighborhood risk, attachment-disruptive residential changes, and non-attachment changes. The findings support an equifinality implied by cumulative risk models in demonstrating that multiple risks relate to cortisol dysregulation yet also suggest the utility of considering unique effects of different risks for neurophysiological stress response functioning.
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Biological sensitivity to context: A test of the hypothesized U-shaped relation between early adversity and stress responsivity. Dev Psychopathol 2020; 32:641-660. [PMID: 31347484 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579419000518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
We conducted signal detection analyses to test for curvilinear, U-shaped relations between early experiences of adversity and heightened physiological responses to challenge, as proposed by biological sensitivity to context theory. Based on analysis of an ethnically diverse sample of 338 kindergarten children (4-6 years old) and their families, we identified levels and types of adversity that, singly and interactively, predicted high (top 25%) and low (bottom 25%) rates of stress reactivity. The results offered support for the hypothesized U-shaped curve and conceptually replicated and extended the work of Ellis, Essex, and Boyce (2005). Across both sympathetic and adrenocortical systems, a disproportionate number of children growing up under conditions characterized by either low or high adversity (as indexed by restrictive parenting, family stress, and family economic condition) displayed heightened stress reactivity, compared with peers growing up under conditions of moderate adversity. Finally, as hypothesized by the adaptive calibration model, a disproportionate number of children who experienced exceptionally stressful family conditions displayed blunted cortisol reactivity to stress.
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Holochwost SJ, Kolacz J, Mills-Koonce WR. Towards an understanding of neurophysiological self-regulation in early childhood: A heuristic and a new approach. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:734-752. [PMID: 33164204 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Self-regulation in early childhood encompasses both "top down," volitional processes, as well as the "bottom up" activity of three neurophysiological systems: the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In this paper we briefly review the structure, function, and early development of each of these systems and then explain why neurophysiological self-regulation is most accurately defined as a function of their joint activity. We note that while there are a number of predictive models that employ this definition, the field would benefit from a straightforward heuristic and aligned methods of visualization and analysis. We then present one such heuristic, which we call neurophysiological space, and outline how it may facilitate a new, collaborative approach to building a better understanding of self-regulation in early childhood. We conclude with a presentation of early education as one setting in which our heuristic and methods could be applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Holochwost
- Lehman College, City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Jacek Kolacz
- Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - W Roger Mills-Koonce
- School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Holochwost SJ, Towe-Goodman N, Rehder PD, Wang G, Mills-Koonce WR. Poverty, Caregiving, and HPA-Axis Activity in Early Childhood. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2020; 56:100898. [PMID: 32377027 PMCID: PMC7202478 DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2020.100898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The association between poverty and the activity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in early childhood is well established. Both ecological and transactional theories suggest that one way in which poverty may influence children's HPA-axis activity is through its effects on parents' behaviors, and over the past three decades a substantial literature has accumulated indicating that variations in these behaviors are associated with individual differences in young children's HPA-axis activity. More recent research suggests that non-parental caregiving behaviors are associated with HPA-axis activity in early childhood as well. Here we systematically review the literature on the association between both parental and non-parental caregiving behaviors in the context of poverty and the activity of the HPA-axis in early childhood. We conclude by noting commonalities across these two literatures and their implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J. Holochwost
- Corresponding author: Science of Learning Institute Johns Hopkins University, 167 Krieger Hall, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, U.S.A. (410) 516-5983.
| | - Nissa Towe-Goodman
- Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Sheryl-Mar North, Room 111, Campus Box 8040, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8040, U.S.A
| | - Peter D. Rehder
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 319 College Avenue, 248 Stone Building, Greensboro, NC 27412, U.S.A
| | - Guan Wang
- School of Education, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 301K Peabody Hall, CB 3500, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500, U.S.A
| | - W. Roger Mills-Koonce
- School of Education, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 301K Peabody Hall, CB 3500, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500, U.S.A
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Puhakka IJA, Peltola MJ. Salivary cortisol reactivity to psychological stressors in infancy: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 115:104603. [PMID: 32171123 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Measurement of salivary cortisol is a practical and non-invasive tool for studying stress reactivity to various types of stressors even in young infants. Whereas studies using physical stressors during the first months of life have found robust cortisol responses to painful stimuli, research with older infants using psychological stressors (e.g., parental separation) has produced mixed findings, limiting our understanding of potential developmental changes in cortisol reactivity across infancy. In the present study, we used meta-analysis to systematically investigate whether psychological stressor paradigms are associated with measurable cortisol responses in infants under 18 months of age and whether the magnitude of the responses is moderated by the type of psychological stressor (i.e., separation, frustration, novelty, or disruption of parental interaction), infant age, and other potential moderators. Across 47 studies (N = 4095, age range: 3-18 months), we found that commonly used psychological stressor paradigms are associated with a small (Hedges' g = .11) increase in salivary cortisol levels in typically developing infants. Stressor type moderated the effect sizes, and when effect sizes in each category were analyzed separately, only the separation studies were associated with a consistent increase in cortisol following the stressor. Age did not moderate the effect sizes either in the full set of studies or within the separate stressor types. These meta-analytic results indicate that the normative cortisol response to psychological stressors across infancy is small and emphasize the need for standardized stressor paradigms to assess cortisol responses systematically across infancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilmari J A Puhakka
- Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University, Finland; Human Information Processing Laboratory, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014, Finland
| | - Mikko J Peltola
- Human Information Processing Laboratory, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014, Finland.
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Thompson SF, Zalewski M, Kiff CJ, Lengua LJ. A state-trait model of cortisol in early childhood: Contextual and parental predictors of stable and time-varying effects. Horm Behav 2018; 98:198-209. [PMID: 29305885 PMCID: PMC5829009 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
This study examined state-trait models of diurnal cortisol (morning level and diurnal slope), and whether income, cumulative risk and parenting behaviors predicted variance in trait and state levels of cortisol. The sample of 306 mothers and their preschool children included 29% families at or near poverty, 27% families below the median income, and the remaining families at middle and upper income. Diurnal cortisol, income, cumulative risk, and parenting were measured at 4 time points, once every 9months, starting when children were 36-40months. State-trait models fit the data, suggesting significant state but not trait variance in cortisol. Low income and cumulative risk were related to trait levels of diurnal cortisol with little evidence of time-varying or state effects. Stable levels of parenting predicted trait levels of diurnal cortisol and time-varying levels of parenting predicted time-varying state levels of diurnal cortisol. Findings highlight the allostatic process of adaptation to risk as well as time-specific reactivity to variability in experience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Cara J Kiff
- UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, United States
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