Interaction of HPA axis genetics and early life stress shapes emotion recognition in healthy adults

Emotion recognition and regulation in males: Role of sex and stress steroids

Understanding emotions in males is crucial given their higher susceptibility to substance use, interpersonal violence, and suicide compared to females. Steroid hormones are assumed to be critical biological factors that affect and modulate emotion-related behaviors, together with psychological and social factors. This review explores whether males' abilities to recognize emotions of others and regulate their own emotions are associated with testosterone, cortisol, and their interaction. Higher levels of testosterone were associated with improved recognition and heightened sensitivity to threatening faces. In contrast, higher cortisol levels positively impacted emotion regulation ability. Indirect evidence from neuroimaging research suggested a link between higher testosterone levels and difficulties in cognitive emotion regulation. However, this notion must be investigated in future studies using different emotion regulation strategies and considering social status. The present review contributes to the understanding of how testosterone and cortisol affect psychological well-being and emotional behavior in males.

Stress and emotion recognition predict the relationship between a history of maltreatment and sensitive parenting behaviors: A moderated-moderation

Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma.

Effect of Tai Chi on Young Adults with Subthreshold Depression via a Stress-Reward Complex: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Subthreshold depression is a highly prevalent mood disorder in young adults. Mind-body exercises, such as Tai Chi, have been adopted as interventions for clinical depressive symptoms. However, the possible effect and underlying mechanism of Tai Chi on subthreshold depression of young individuals remain unclear. This randomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi training and tested the combined stress and reward circuitry model for subthreshold depression.

RESULTS

A total of 103 participants completed this trial, with 49 in the 12-week 24-style Tai Chi group and 54 participants in control group. Our results showed significantly lower scores on depressive symptoms (P = 0.002) and anxiety symptoms (P = 0.009) and higher scores on quality of life (P = 0.002) after Tai Chi training. There were significant reductions in salivary cortisol levels (P = 0.007) and putamen gray matter volume (P < 0.001) in the Tai Chi group. The changes in cortisol levels and putamen gray matter volume had direct (bootstrapping confidence interval [- 0.91, - 0.11]) and indirect effects (bootstrapping confidence interval [- 0.65, - 0.19]) on the changes induced by Tai Chi training on depressive symptoms, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The stress-reward complex results indicated an interaction between lowering stress levels and increasing reward circuitry activity associated with the alleviation of depressive symptoms among participants. The 12-week Tai Chi training was effective in improving the symptoms and quality of life of young adults with subthreshold depression. Trial Registration Chinese Registry of Clinical Trials (Registration Number: ChiCTR1900028289, Registered December 12, 2019).

Emotion Recognition in Adults With a History of Childhood Maltreatment: A Systematic Review

Child maltreatment has many well-documented lasting effects on children. Among its consequences, it affects children's recognition of emotions. More and more studies are recognizing the lasting effect that a history of maltreatment can have on emotion recognition. A systematic literature review was conducted to better understand this relationship. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol was used and four databases were searched, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and FRANCIS, using three cross-referenced key words: child abuse, emotion recognition, and adults. The search process identified 23 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The review highlights the wide variety of measures used to assess child maltreatment as well as the different protocols used to measure emotion recognition. The results indicate that adults with a history of childhood maltreatment show a differentiated reaction to happiness, anger, and fear. Happiness is less detected, whereas negative emotions are recognized more rapidly and at a lower intensity compared to adults not exposed to such traumatic events. Emotion recognition is also related to greater brain activation for the maltreated group. However, the results are less consistent for adults who also have a diagnosis of mental health problems. The systematic review found that maltreatment affects the perception of emotions expressed on both adult and child faces. However, more research is needed to better understand how a history of maltreatment is related to adults' perception of children's emotions.

Necroptosis Contributes to LPS-Induced Activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in a Piglet Model

Stressors cause activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and a systemic inflammatory response. As a newly proposed cell death manner in recent years, necroptosis occurs in a variety of tissue damage and inflammation. However, the role of necroptosis in HPA axis activation remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of necroptosis and its role in HPA activation in a porcine stress model induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Several typical stress behaviors like fever, anorexia, shivering and vomiting were observed in piglets after LPS injection. HPA axis was activated as shown by increased plasma cortisol concentration and mRNA expression of pituitary corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) and adrenal steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). The mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal gland was elevated by LPS, accompanied by the activation of necroptosis indicated by higher mRNA expression of necroptosis signals including receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIP) 1, RIP3, and phosphorylated mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). Furthermore, necrostatin-1 (Nec-1), an inhibitor of necroptosis, inhibited necroptosis indicated by decreased mRNA levels of RIP1, RIP3, MLKL, and phosphoglycerate mutase family member 5 (PGAM5) in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal gland. Nec-1 also decreased the mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-β and inhibited the activation of the HPA axis indicated by lower plasma cortisol concentration and mRNA expression of adrenal type 2 melanocortin receptor (MC2R) and StAR. These findings suggest that necroptosis is present and contributes to HPA axis activation induced by LPS. These findings provide a potential possibility for necroptosis as an intervention target for alleviating HPA axis activation and stress responses.

The interplay between genetic variation and gene expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 and blood cortisol levels on verbal memory and hippocampal volumes

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is the main physiological stress response system and regulating the release of cortisol. The two corticoid receptors encoded by the genes NR3C1 and NR3C2 are the main players in regulating the physiological response to cortisol. This biological system has been linked to neurocognitive processes and memory, yet the mechanisms remain largely unclear. In two independent general population studies (SHIP, total sample size > 5500), we aim to diseantangle the effects of genetic variation, gene expression and cortisol on verbal memory and memory associated brain volume. Especially for NR3C1 results exhibited a consistent pattern of direct an interactive effects. All three biological layers, genetic variation (rs56149945), gene expression for NR3C1 and cortisol levels, were directly associated with verbal memory. Interactions between these components showed significant effects on verbal memory as well as hippocampal volume. For NR3C2 such a complex association pattern could not be observed. Our analyses revealed that different components of the stress response system are acting together on different aspects of cognition. Complex phenotypes, such as cognition and memory function are regulated by a complex interplay between different genetic and epigenetic features. We promote the glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1 as a main target to focus in the context of verbal memory and provided a mechanistic concept of the interaction between various biological layers spanning NR3C1 function and its effects on memory. Especially the NR3C1 transcript seemed to be a key element in this complex system.

Emotional dysregulation mediates the impact of childhood trauma on psychological distress: First Italian data during the early phase of COVID-19 outbreak

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic represents an unprecedented traumatic stressor to mental health. Psychological distress is considered a reliable proxy for psychopathology and can be negatively influenced by childhood trauma through sensitization effects. Emotion dysregulation has been proposed as a potential mediator of this mechanism. We aimed to test this hypothesis in a national Italian sample assessed in the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between psychological distress and childhood trauma in 500 healthy participants assessed through a survey-based study, after the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic lockdown in Italy. Levels of psychological distress and history of childhood trauma were obtained using the Kessler-10 (K10) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, respectively. We used bootstrapped mediation analysis to test the mediator role of emotional dysregulation, measured through the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, on the effect of childhood trauma on psychological distress.

RESULTS

In total, 190 (38%) reported psychological distress related to the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. Individuals with psychological distress experienced more childhood trauma, specifically emotional abuse (F = 23.51, df = 1, p < 0.001) and neglect (F = 10.98, df = 1, p = 0.001). After modelling the effect of emotional dysregulation, the impact of childhood trauma on coronavirus disease 2019-related psychological distress resulted in indirect effects and mediated by deficits in emotion regulation mechanisms (bootstrapped lower level of confidence interval = 0.345, upper level of confidence interval = 0.598).

CONCLUSION

Childhood trauma is associated with increased vulnerability to the stressful effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. Our data suggest that emotional dysregulation may represent a dimension mediating the impact of childhood trauma on coronavirus disease 2019-related psychological distress and may be considered as specific target for interventions aiming at empowering resilience.

Mediation role of alexithymia, sensory processing sensitivity and emotional-mental processes between childhood trauma and adult psychopathology: a self-report study

BACKGROUND

There is overwhelming evidence for a strong association between childhood trauma and adult psychopathology. This study aimed to investigate the mediation roles of alexithymia, sensory processing sensitivity, and emotional-mental processes in the relationship between childhood traumas and adult psychopathology.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 337 people (78.9% female, 21.1% male) aged between 20 and 64 years. Participants filled the scales online via a Google form. Reading Mind in the Eyes (EYES), Sensory Processing Sensitivity Scale (SPS), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-26), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were used. PROCESS (Model 4) macro was used to examine the mediating role of sensory processing sensitivity, alexithymia, and the EYES test results in the relationship between childhood trauma and psychopathology.

RESULTS

The results of mediation analysis demonstrated that sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and adult psychopathology. However, the EYES test (mentalization) did not mediate in this relationship.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that childhood traumas may relate to more psychological symptoms in individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia. Our study may contribute to the understanding of what may lead to a person's vulnerability to experiencing psychological symptoms after childhood trauma. It may be crucial that future treatment and intervention programs should include sensory sensitivity and alexithymia. Sensory processing sensitivity and alexithymia can be examined in the treatment of psychological problems of individuals who have experienced childhood trauma.

The role of childhood trauma, HPA axis reactivity and FKBP5 genotype on cognition in healthy individuals

Cognitive impairment has been associated with both childhood adversity and abnormalities of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. An interaction exists between the functional polymorphism rs1360780 in the FKBP5 gene and childhood maltreatment, influencing a variety of clinical outcomes. Our goal was to study the relationship between different types of childhood trauma, HPA axis functionality, rs1360780 genotype and cognitive function in 198 healthy individuals who participated in the study. We obtained clinical data, childhood maltreatment scores and neurocognitive performance by clinical assessment; HPA negative feedback was analysed using the dexamethasone suppression test ratio (DSTR) after administration of 0.25 mg of dexamethasone; and the FKBP5 rs1360780 polymorphism was genotyped in DNA obtained from blood samples. The results showed a significant influence of physical neglect on measures of neurocognition as well as an interaction between the DSTR and physical and emotional neglect. Regarding social cognition, a significant association was found with sexual and physical abuse as well as with rs1360780 risk-allele carrier status. Moreover, an interaction between the rs1360780 genotype and the presence of physical abuse was significantly associated with social cognition results. Our results suggest a specific impact of different kinds of childhood maltreatment on measures of neurocognition and social cognition, which might be influenced by HPA axis reactivity and genetic variants in HPA axis-related genes such as FKBP5. Disentangling the relationship between these elements and their influence on cognitive performance might help identify susceptible individuals with higher stress vulnerability and develop preventive interventions.

Chronic early trauma impairs emotion recognition and executive functions in youth; specifying biobehavioral precursors of risk and resilience

Exposure to chronic early trauma carries lasting effects on children's well-being and adaptation. Guided by models on resilience, we assessed the interplay of biological, emotional, cognitive, and relational factors in shaping two regulatory outcomes in trauma-exposed youth: emotion recognition (ER) and executive functions (EF). A unique war-exposed cohort was followed from early childhood to early adolescence. At preadolescence (11-13 years), ER and EF were assessed and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), biomarker of parasympathetic regulation, was quantified. Mother-child dyadic reciprocity, child's avoidance symptoms, and cortisol (CT) were measured in early childhood. Trauma-exposed youth displayed impaired ER and EF abilities. Conditional process analysis described two differential indirect paths leading from early trauma to regulatory outcomes. ER was mediated by avoidance symptoms in early childhood and modulated by cortisol, such that this path was evident only for preadolescents with high, but not low, CT. In comparison, EF was mediated by the degree of dyadic reciprocity experienced in early childhood and modulated by RSA, observed only among youth with lower RSA. Findings pinpoint trauma-related disruptions to key regulatory support systems in preadolescence as mediated by early-childhood relational, clinical, and physiological factors and highlight the need to specify biobehavioral precursors of resilience toward targeted early interventions.

Facial emotion mimicry in older adults with and without cognitive impairments due to Alzheimer's disease

Facial expression of humans is one of the main channels of everyday communication. The reported research work investigated communication regarding the pattern of emotional expression of healthy older adults and with mild cognitive impairments (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD). It focuses on mimicking of displayed emotional facial expression on a sample of 25 older adults (healthy, MCI and AD patients). The adequacy of the patients' individual facial expressions in six basic emotions was measured with the Kinect 3D recording of the participants' facial expressions and compared to their own typical emotional facial expressions. The reactions were triggered by mimicking 49 still pictures of emotional facial expressions. No statistically significant differences in terms of frequency nor adequacy of emotional facial expression were reported in healthy and MCI groups. Unique patterns of emotional expressions have been observed in the AD group. Further investigating the pattern of older adults' facial expression may decrease the misunderstandings and increase the quality of life of the patients.

Long-term Effects of Maternal Separation on Anxiety-Like Behavior and Neuroendocrine Parameters in Adult Balb/c Mice

Introduction: Disruption of maternal care using maternal separation (MS) models has provided significant evidence of the deleterious long-term effects of early life stress. Several preclinical studies investigating MS showed multiple behavioral and biomolecular alterations. However, there is still conflicting results from MS studies, which represents a challenge for reliability and replicability of those findings. Objective: To address that, this study was conducted to investigate whether MS would affect anxiety-like behaviors using a battery of classical tasks, as well as central and peripheral stress-related biomarkers. Methods: Male Balb/c mice were exposed to MS from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 14 for 180-min per day. Two independent cohorts were performed to evaluate both baseline and anxiety-like behavior responses to MS at PND60. We performed composite scores to evaluate MS effects on anxiety and risk assessment phenotypes. Also, we assessed mRNA gene expression in the medial pre-frontal cortex (mPFC) of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors (GR and MR) using real-time PCR and peripheral corticosterone levels (CORT) to investigate possible neurobiological correlates to anxiety behaviors. Results: We found increased anxiety-like behavior and decreased risk assessment and exploratory behaviors in MS mice. The animals exposed to MS also presented a decrease in MR mRNA expression and higher levels of CORT compared to controls. Conclusions: Our findings reinforce the body of evidence suggesting that long-term MS induces effects on anxiety and risk assessment phenotypes following the exposure to a standardized MS protocol. Moreover, MS affected the expression of MR mRNA and induced significant changes on CORT response. This data highlights that the reprograming MS effects on HPA axis could be mediate by MR gene expression in mPFC and chronic overactivity of peripheral CORT levels.

Recognition of children's emotional facial expressions among mothers reporting a history of childhood maltreatment

Several studies have shown that child maltreatment is associated with both positive and negative effects on the recognition of facial emotions. Research has provided little evidence of a relation between maltreatment during childhood and young adults' ability to recognize facial displays of emotion in children, an essential skill for a sensitive parental response. In this study, we examined the consequences of different forms of maltreatment experienced in childhood on emotion recognition during parenthood. Participants included sixty-three mothers of children aged 2 to 5 years. Retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment were assessed using the short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Emotion recognition was measured using a morphed facial emotion identification task of all six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise). A Path Analysis via Structural Equation Model revealed that a history of physical abuse is related to a decreased ability to recognize both fear and sadness in children, whereas emotional abuse and sexual abuse are related to a decreased ability to recognize anger in children. In addition, emotional neglect is associated with an increased ability to recognize anger, whereas physical neglect is associated with less accuracy in recognizing happiness in children's facial emotional expressions. These findings have important clinical implications and expand current understanding of the consequences of childhood maltreatment on parents' ability to detect children's needs.

Women's socioeconomic position in ontogeny is associated with improved immune function and lower stress, but not with height

Immune function, height and resource accumulation comprise important life history traits in humans. Resource availability models arising from life history theory suggest that socioeconomic conditions influence immune function, growth and health status. In this study, we tested whether there are associations between family income during ontogeny, adult height, cortisol level and immune response in women. A hepatitis B vaccine was administered to 66 young Latvian women from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and blood samples were then collected to measure the level of antibodies that the women produced in response to the vaccination. Cortisol levels were measured from plasma samples pre- and post-vaccination. Women from wealthier families had lower cortisol levels, and women from the highest family income group had the highest levels of antibody titers against hepatitis B vaccine. No significant relationships were observed between cortisol level and immune function, nor between family income and height. The results show that income level during ontogeny is associated with the strength of immune response and with psychoneuroendocrine pathways underlying stress perception in early adulthood. The findings indicate that the quality of the developmental niche is associated with the condition-dependent expression of immune function and stress response.

Salivary cortisol response to psychosocial stress in the late evening depends on CRHR1 genotype

The activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is induced by stress. Imbalances in this system increase the risk of developing stress related disorders including mental illness. Variants in the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs110402 of the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type I (CRHR1) gene have been shown in interaction with childhood maltreatment to increase the vulnerability to develop depressive symptoms in adulthood. In this study, the direct contribution of polymorphism of the CRHR1 gene (rs110402) to the salivary cortisol response to stress independently from childhood adversity was investigated. Healthy young men between the ages of 18 and 30, free from childhood maltreatment and early trauma, were genotyped (n = 121). To increase the power of the genetic analysis, only homozygous carriers of the common C (n = 31) and of the rare T (n = 21) allele were selected for this study and exposed to a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) in the late evening (22.30 to 22.40). Salivary samples for the assessment of cortisol and its inactive metabolite cortisone were taken early in the evening (20.00), just before (22.30) and immediately after (22.40) as well as 15 minutes after stress exposure (22.55). Participants with the TT genotype showed higher cortisol levels 15 minutes post stress compared to participants with the CC genotype. No genotype differences were found for cortisone. Interestingly, TT participants reported lower subjective perceived stress levels before the TSST, but not after stress exposure. These results confirm that variants of rs110402 in the CRHR1 gene contribute to an increased stress response. Contrary to previous findings, however, this effect could be observed in subjects reporting no exposure to childhood maltreatment or early trauma.

Stressor-Cortisol Concordance Among Individuals at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis: Novel Findings from the NAPLS Cohort

Whilst elevations in basal cortisol levels have been reported among individuals at-risk for psychosis, the extent to which this represents hyperresponsivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to psychosocial stressors encountered in the natural environment is currently unclear. We aimed to examine stressor-cortisol concordance among youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis in the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study 2 (NAPLS 2) and the relationship with clinical outcome. At baseline, CHR (N = 457) and healthy (N = 205) individuals provided salivary cortisol samples and completed daily stressor, life event, and childhood trauma measures. CHR youth were categorised as remitted, symptomatic, progression of positive symptoms, or psychosis conversion at the two-year follow-up. Within-group regression models tested associations between psychosocial stressors and cortisol; standardised beta coefficients (Stβ) were subsequently derived to enable within-group pooling of effect sizes across stressor types. After adjustment for potential confounders, all CHR subgroups reported greater exposure to life events and daily stressors, and more distress in relation to these events, relative to controls. All CHR groups were also more likely to experience childhood trauma; only CHR converters, however, were characterised by elevated basal cortisol. Daily stressor distress was significantly associated with cortisol in controls (β = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.12-1.08) and CHR youth who converted to psychosis (β = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.05-1.78). In controls only, life event exposure was associated with cortisol (β = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.08-0.83). When pooled across stressors, stressor-cortisol concordance was substantially higher among CHR converters (Stβ = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.44) relative to CHR progressed (Stβ = 0.02, 95% CI: -0.11 to 0.15), symptomatic (Stβ = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.11 to 0.12), and remitted groups (Stβ = 0.00, 95% CI: -0.13 to 0.13); however, unexpectedly, healthy controls showed intermediate levels of concordance (Stβ = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.26). In conclusion, whilst all CHR subgroups showed increased psychosocial stress exposure and distress relative to controls, only those who later converted to psychosis were characterised by significantly elevated basal cortisol levels. Moreover, only CHR converters showed a higher magnitude of stressor-cortisol concordance compared to controls, although confidence intervals overlapped considerably between these two groups. These findings do not support the notion that all individuals at CHR for psychosis show HPA hyperresponsiveness to psychosocial stressors. Instead, CHR individuals vary in their response to stressor exposure/distress, perhaps driven by genetic or other vulnerability factors.

Childhood maltreatment moderates the relationship between emotion recognition and maternal sensitive behaviors

BACKGROUND

Sensitivity is defined as parents ability to perceive, react and respond to children signals. Having a history of childhood maltreatment changes the way adults perceive visual emotions. These perceptual characteristics could have important consequences on how these parents respond to their children.

OBJECTIVE

The current study examines how a history of childhood maltreatment moderates the relationship between maternal emotion recognition in child faces and sensitive behaviors toward their child during free-play and a structured task.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Participants included 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years.

METHODS

Mothers were exposed to a set of photographs of child faces showing morphed images of the six basic emotional expressions. Mother-child interactions were then coded for sensitive behaviors. Mothers' history of childhood maltreatment was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Maltreatment severity was related to poorer abilities in emotion recognition. However, the association between emotion recognition and sensitive behavior was moderate by history of childhood maltreatment. For mothers exposed to a severe form of childhood maltreatment, a better emotion recognition was related to less sensitive behaviors toward the child, both during free-play and the structured task.

CONCLUSION

This relationship is unique to these mothers and is inconsistent with Ainsworth's definition of sensitivity. These results have important implications as they suggest mothers with a history of severe maltreatment would need tailored interventions which take into account their particular reactions to children's emotions.