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Fricke K, Alexander N, Jacobsen T, Vogel S. Comparison of two reaction-time-based and one foraging-based behavioral approach-avoidance tasks in relation to interindividual differences and their reliability. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22376. [PMID: 38104189 PMCID: PMC10725419 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49864-x] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Approaching rewards and avoiding punishments is a fundamental aspect of behavior, yet individuals differ in the extent of these behavioral tendencies. One popular method to assess differences in approach-avoidance tendencies and even modify them, is using behavioral tasks in which spontaneous responses to differently valenced stimuli are assessed (e.g., the visual joystick and the manikin task). Understanding whether these reaction-time-based tasks map onto the same underlying constructs, how they predict interindividual differences in theoretically related constructs and how reliable they are, seems vital to make informed judgements about current findings and future studies. In this preregistered study, 168 participants (81 self-identified men, 87 women) completed emotional face versions of these tasks as well as an alternative, foraging-based paradigm, the approach-avoidance-conflict task, and answered self-report questionnaires regarding anxiety, aggression, depressive symptoms, behavioral inhibition and activation. Importantly, approach-avoidance outcome measures of the two reaction-time-based tasks were unrelated with each other, showed little relation to self-reported interindividual differences and had subpar internal consistencies. In contrast, the approach-avoidance-conflict task was related to behavioral inhibition and aggression, and had good internal consistencies. Our study highlights the need for more research into optimizing behavioral approach-avoidance measures when using task-based approach-avoidance measures to assess interindividual differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Fricke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
- Medical School Hamburg, ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Nina Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Jacobsen
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Vogel
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
- Medical School Hamburg, ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
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Giovanniello J, Bravo-Rivera C, Rosenkranz A, Matthew Lattal K. Stress, associative learning, and decision-making. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 204:107812. [PMID: 37598745 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to acute and chronic stress has significant effects on the basic mechanisms of associative learning and memory. Stress can both impair and enhance associative learning depending on type, intensity, and persistence of the stressor, the subject's sex, the context that the stress and behavior is experienced in, and the type of associative learning taking place. In some cases, stress can cause or exacerbate the maladaptive behavior that underlies numerous psychiatric conditions including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and others. Therefore, it is critical to understand how the varied effects of stress, which may normally facilitate adaptive behavior, can also become maladaptive and even harmful. In this review, we highlight several findings of associative learning and decision-making processes that are affected by stress in both human and non-human subjects and how they are related to one another. An emerging theme from this work is that stress biases behavior towards less flexible strategies that may reflect a cautious insensitivity to changing contingencies. We consider how this inflexibility has been observed in different associative learning procedures and suggest that a goal for the field should be to clarify how factors such as sex and previous experience influence this inflexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Bravo-Rivera
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, San Juan, PR 00935, United States.
| | - Amiel Rosenkranz
- Center for Neurobiology of Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders, Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, United States.
| | - K Matthew Lattal
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, United States.
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Fricke K, Alexander N, Jacobsen T, Krug H, Wehkamp K, Vogel S. The effects of hydrocortisone and yohimbine on human behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:1705-1717. [PMID: 37314480 PMCID: PMC10265560 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06396-6] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Balancing approach of positive and avoidance of negative stimuli is essential when faced with approach-avoidance conflicts, e.g., situations with both positive and negative outcomes. This balance is disturbed in several mental disorders, e.g., excessive avoidance in anxiety disorders, and heightened approach in substance use disorders. Since stress is assumed to impact these disorders' etiology and maintenance, it seems crucial to understand how stress influences behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts. Indeed, some studies suggested altered approach-avoidance behavior under acute stress, but the mechanism underlying these effects is unknown. OBJECTIVES Investigate how the pharmacological manipulation of major stress mediators (cortisol and noradrenaline) influences task-based approach-avoidance conflict behavior in healthy individuals. METHODS Ninety-six participants (48 women, 48 men) received either 20mg hydrocortisone, 20mg yohimbine, both, or placebo before performing a task targeting foraging under predation in a fully crossed double-blind between-subject design. Moreover, we investigated effects of gender and endogenous testosterone and estradiol levels on approach-avoidance behavior. RESULTS While biological stress markers (cortisol concentration, alpha amylase activity) indicated successful pharmacological manipulation, behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts was not affected as expected. Although yohimbine administration affected risky foraging latency under predation, we found no main effect of hydrocortisone or their interaction on behavior. In contrast, we found gender differences for almost all behavioral outcome measures, which might be explained by differences in endogenous testosterone levels. CONCLUSIONS The investigated major stress mediators were not sufficient to imitate previously shown stress effects on approach-avoidance conflict behavior. We discuss potential reasons for our findings and implications for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Fricke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Nina Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Jacobsen
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut-Schmidt-University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Holstenhofweg 85, 22043, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Henriette Krug
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kai Wehkamp
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Vogel
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
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Martin S, Oltra A, Del Monte J. Psychiatric and non-psychiatric population vulnerabilities in time of a crisis: the unsuspected aggression factor. BMC Psychiatry 2023; 23:386. [PMID: 37264352 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-04843-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In March 2020, France faced a health crisis due to the COVID-19 outbreak that, like previous infectious disease crises, involved high psychological and emotional stress, a series of factors that influenced the ongoing mental health crisis. METHODS We recruited 384 respondents to complete an online questionnaire during the second month of isolation: 176 psychotherapy recipients (68 were currently attending psychiatric care) and 208 healthy controls. We measured demographic characteristics, impulsivity, aggression, hopelessness, suicidal risk, and the global level of anxiety and depression in order to estimate potential discrepancies in clinical measures across these populations. RESULTS Our results indicate that the group currently undergoing psychiatric care was prone to loneliness and social isolation. Regarding clinical and nonclinical population, there were differences in suicidal risk, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness but mainly in aggression. Regression analysis also demonstrated that aggression surprisingly influenced anxiety levels. Patients undergoing therapy compared with patients who were not displayed differences only in suicidal risk, anxiety, and hopelessness, with those undergoing therapy having higher scores. The outpatient group undergoing therapy had a significantly lower level of impulsivity. Moreover, the regression to predict anxiety and depression levels from correlated factors highlighted the potentially heightened role of aggression in predicting anxiety in the clinical group. CONCLUSION New research into stress reactions should assess other clinical signals, such as aggression, and examine preventive mental health interventions in times of crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Martin
- Center for Research and Bioethics, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, BMC, entrance A11, 75224, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Psycho.Tcce, Clinical psychology Private practice, Montpellier, France.
| | - Anna Oltra
- Clinical psychology Private practice, Toulouse, France
| | - Jonathan Del Monte
- Psychosocial Laboratory, Aix-Marseille University, Aix Marseille, France
- Clinical Psychology Department, Nîmes University, Nîmes, France
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Furukawa M, Tada H, Raju R, Wang J, Yokoi H, Yamada M, Shikama Y, Matsushita K. Long-Term Soft-Food Rearing in Young Mice Alters Brain Function and Mood-Related Behavior. Nutrients 2023; 15:2397. [PMID: 37242280 PMCID: PMC10222696 DOI: 10.3390/nu15102397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between caloric and nutrient intake and overall health has been extensively studied. However, little research has focused on the impact of the hardness of staple foods on health. In this study, we investigated the effects of a soft diet on brain function and behavior in mice from an early age. Mice fed a soft diet for six months exhibited increased body weight and total cholesterol levels, along with impaired cognitive and motor function, heightened nocturnal activity, and increased aggression. Interestingly, when these mice were switched back to a solid diet for three months, their weight gain ceased, total cholesterol levels stabilized, cognitive function improved, and aggression decreased, while their nocturnal activity remained high. These findings suggest that long-term consumption of a soft diet during early development can influence various behaviors associated with anxiety and mood regulation, including weight gain, cognitive decline, impaired motor coordination, increased nocturnal activity, and heightened aggression. Therefore, the hardness of food can impact brain function, mental well-being, and motor skills during the developmental stage. Early consumption of hard foods may be crucial for promoting and maintaining healthy brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masae Furukawa
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
| | - Hirobumi Tada
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Wellness, Shigakkan University, Obu 474-8651, Japan;
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan
| | - Resmi Raju
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
| | - Jingshu Wang
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
| | - Haruna Yokoi
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
| | - Mitsuyoshi Yamada
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
- Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya 464-8651, Japan
| | - Yosuke Shikama
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
| | - Kenji Matsushita
- Department of Oral Disease Research, Geroscience Research Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu 474-8511, Japan; (R.R.); (J.W.); (H.Y.); (M.Y.); (Y.S.)
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Yan P, Liu J, Ma H, Feng Y, Cui J, Bai Y, Huang X, Zhu Y, Wei S, Lai J. Effects of glycogen synthase kinase-3β activity inhibition on cognitive, behavioral, and hippocampal ultrastructural deficits in adulthood associated with adolescent methamphetamine exposure. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1129553. [PMID: 36949769 PMCID: PMC10025487 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1129553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) has been implicated in the maintenance of synaptic plasticity, memory process, and psychostimulant-induced behavioral effects. Hyperactive GSK3β in the Cornu Ammonis 1 (CA1) subregion of the dorsal hippocampus (DHP) was associated with adolescent methamphetamine (METH) exposure-induced behavioral and cognitive deficits in adulthood. This study aimed to evaluate the possible therapeutic effects of GSK3β inhibition in adulthood on adolescent METH exposure-induced long-term neurobiological deficits. Methods Adolescent male mice were treated with METH from postnatal day (PND) 45-51. In adulthood, three intervention protocols (acute lithium chloride systemic administration, chronic lithium chloride systemic administration, and chronic SB216763 administration within CA1) were used for GSK3β activity inhibition. The effect of GSK3β intervention on cognition, behavior, and GSK3β activity and synaptic ultrastructure in the DHP CA1 subregion were detected in adulthood. Results In adulthood, all three interventions reduced adolescent METH exposure-induced hyperactivity (PND97), while only chronic systemic and chronic within CA1 administration ameliorated the induced impairments in spatial (PND99), social (PND101) and object (PND103) recognition memory. In addition, although three interventions reversed the aberrant GSK3β activity in the DHP CA1 subregion (PND104), only chronic systemic and chronic within CA1 administration rescued adolescent METH exposure-induced synaptic ultrastructure changes in the DHP CA1 subregion (PND104) in adulthood. Conclusion Rescuing synaptic ultrastructural abnormalities in the dHIP CA1 subregion by chronic administration of a GSK3β inhibitor may be a suitable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of behavioral and cognitive deficits in adulthood associated with adolescent METH abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Yan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jincen Liu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Haotian Ma
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yue Feng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jingjing Cui
- Forensic Identification Institute, The Fourth People’s Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China
| | - Yuying Bai
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xin Huang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yongsheng Zhu
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Shuguang Wei
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Shuguang Wei,
| | - Jianghua Lai
- NHC Key Laboratory of Forensic Science, School of Forensic Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Jianghua Lai,
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Wang J, Sun D, Jiang J, Wang H, Cheng X, Ruan Q, Wang Y. The effect of courage on stress: The mediating mechanism of behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation in high-risk occupations. Front Psychol 2022; 13:961387. [PMID: 36059774 PMCID: PMC9434112 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.961387] [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] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Employees in high-risk occupations are exposed to tremendous work acute stress or prolonged stress disorders that are likely to undermine the health and organizational effectiveness. Based on positive psychology, courage which refers to behavioral approach despite the experience of fear could buffer the negative effects on stress. However, there is little known about the mechanisms by which courage decreases the risk of stress. Motivational systems may play an underlying role in this process, as behavioral inhibition system (BIS) is inhibited and behavioral activation system (BAS) is evoked by risk or threat. The current study aimed to examine the mediating effects of behavioral inhibition and activation on the relationship between courage and stress in the high-risk occupations. This study recruited 1,761 high-risk employees aged from 18 to 27 (M = 19.32; SD = 4.14) with a cluster sampling method who completed Courage Measure (CM), the BIS/BAS Scales and the Psychological Stress Evaluation Test (PSET). The correlation and mediation analyses examined the inter-variable correlations as well as the underlying mechanism between courage and stress. The results support the hypothesis and reveal that the behavioral inhibition mediates the association between courage and stress (Bindirect = −0.02, p < 0. 01, 95%CI = −0.03 to −0.003). The behavioral activation of fun seeking mediates the association between courage and stress as well (Bindirect = −0.04, p < 0. 01, 95%CI = −0.058 to −0.029). These findings suggest that behavioral inhibition and activation of fun seeking play imperative mechanism underpinning the buffering effect of courage on stress. Other theoretical and applied implications for desensitizing stress in the high-risk occupations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Wang
- Department of Developmental Psychology of Armyman, School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Dingyu Sun
- College of Basic Medicine, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Jiang
- School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Huizhong Wang
- School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaotong Cheng
- Unit 32298 of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Weifang, China
| | - Qianying Ruan
- Department of Blood Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yichao Wang
- Graduate School, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Yichao Wang,
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Wong AH, Wirth FM, Pittig A. Avoidance of learnt fear: Models, potential mechanisms, and future directions. Behav Res Ther 2022; 151:104056. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Tourists’ Safety Perception Clues in the Urban Forest Environment: Visual Quality, Facility Completeness, Accessibility—A Case Study of Urban Forests in Fuzhou, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19031293. [PMID: 35162315 PMCID: PMC8835610 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The service quality and safety perception of urban forests are important factors that influence tourists to choose them as recreation destinations. This study aims to propose a theoretical model of multivariate relationships to explore the relationship between service quality (including visual quality, facility completeness, and accessibility) and safety perception to examine whether visual quality, facility completeness, and accessibility on tourists’ safety perception in the urban forest and to explain the specific reasons for the impact. We collected sample data from many urban forest green spaces in Fuzhou through a two-stage field survey (N = 891), and controlling for potential confounders, a structural equation model was used to estimate relationships. Safety perception was divided into safety environment perception, control perception, and safety emotion. Visual quality of an urban forest positively affected safety emotion. Traffic accessibility positively affected control perception. Facility completeness had a positive impact on safety emotion and control perception. Both safety emotion and control perception played an important intermediary role in improving the perception of a safe environment in the multivariate model. Visual quality, facility completeness, and accessibility all had a positive impact on tourists’ safety perception of urban forests. The findings suggest that improving the service quality of a green space can effectively improve tourists’ evaluation of the safety of the urban forest environment. Specifically, tourists’ psychological tolerance to threats and their self-confidence in survival can be enhanced by improving the service quality of a green space.
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Schaack AK, Mocchi M, Przybyl KJ, Redei EE. Immediate stress alters social and object interaction and recognition memory in nearly isogenic rat strains with differing stress reactivity. Stress 2021; 24:911-919. [PMID: 34374625 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2021.1958203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress prior to learning and recall is known to affect both processes depending on the learning paradigm, the sex of the animal, and their reactivity to stress. Male and female animals of the inbred Wistar-Kyoto More Immobile (WMI) and Less Immobile (WLI) strains were tested in the modified novel object and spatial recognition paradigm and in the social interaction-recognition paradigm immediately after a 30 min restraint stress. The WMI strain shows enhanced stress reactivity compared to its near isogenic WLI control and thus, represents a genetically stress-susceptible rodent model. Without stress, there were no strain differences in social or object recognition, but there were sex differences in both types of investigation. Immediate stress generally increased object investigation, but decreased social interaction in all groups, except the WMI males, who exhibited increased aggression toward the juveniles. While stress increased plasma corticosterone and decreased testosterone levels in WLI males as expected, it increased testosterone in the aggressive WMI males, despite elevated levels of corticosterone. Stress generally decreased recognition, except the spatial recognition of WMI females, which paradoxically improved after stress. The strain-specific effects of immediate stress indicate that stress unlocks the vulnerability encoded by the stable genetic differences between WLIs and WMIs to result in the observed phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice K Schaack
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Madaline Mocchi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Katherine J Przybyl
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Eva E Redei
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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Palamarchuk IS, Vaillancourt T. Mental Resilience and Coping With Stress: A Comprehensive, Multi-level Model of Cognitive Processing, Decision Making, and Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:719674. [PMID: 34421556 PMCID: PMC8377204 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.719674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aversive events can evoke strong emotions that trigger cerebral neuroactivity to facilitate behavioral and cognitive shifts to secure physiological stability. However, upon intense and/or chronic exposure to such events, the neural coping processes can be maladaptive and disrupt mental well-being. This maladaptation denotes a pivotal point when psychological stress occurs, which can trigger subconscious, "automatic" neuroreactivity as a defence mechanism to protect the individual from potential danger including overwhelming unpleasant feelings and disturbing or threatening thoughts.The outcomes of maladaptive neural activity are cognitive dysfunctions such as altered memory, decision making, and behavior that impose a risk for mental disorders. Although the neurocognitive phenomena associated with psychological stress are well documented, the complex neural activity and pathways related to stressor detection and stress coping have not been outlined in detail. Accordingly, we define acute and chronic stress-induced pathways, phases, and stages in relation to novel/unpredicted, uncontrollable, and ambiguous stressors. We offer a comprehensive model of the stress-induced alterations associated with multifaceted pathophysiology related to cognitive appraisal and executive functioning in stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna S Palamarchuk
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tracy Vaillancourt
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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12
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Overgeneralization of fear, but not avoidance, following acute stress. Biol Psychol 2021; 164:108151. [PMID: 34302889 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Research has demonstrated the spreading of fear from threat-related stimuli to perceptually similar, but innocuous, stimuli. Less is known, however, about the generalization of avoidance behavior. Given that stress is known to affect learning and memory, we were interested in the effect of acute stress on (over)generalization of fear and avoidance responses. On the first day, one geometrical shape was paired with a mild electrical stimulus (CS+), whereas another shape was not (CS-). One day later, after participants had been exposed to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test or a control task, generalization of avoidance responses and fear (shock expectancy and skin conductance responses) was tested to a range of perceptual generalization stimuli. Generalization gradients were observed across different outcome measures. Stress enhanced generalization of shock expectancy to the stimulus most similar to the CS+. Our findings confirm that stress can affect the generalization of fear, but further studies are warranted.
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Psychological and Gender Differences in a Simulated Cheating Coercion Situation at School. SOCIAL SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/socsci10070265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze gender, anxiety, and psychological inflexibility differences of high school students’ behaviors in a simulated situation of peer coercion into academic cheating. Method: A total of 1147 volunteer adolescents participated, (Men: N = 479; Mage = 16.3; Women: N = 668; Mage = 16.2). The participants saw 15 s animated online video presenting peer coercion into an academic cheating situation, including a questionnaire about their reactions to face the situation. They also answered the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory for children and adolescents and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y). Gender was associated with the behaviors facing the situation. Higher state anxiety and inflexibility were present in those participants that avoided aggressive behaviors facing the situation; on the other hand, trait anxiety was present in those who reacted aggressively. Finally, higher anxiety and inflexibility were associated with the used moral disengagement mechanisms, but also with peers’ perception as sanctioning or being against the participants’ decision. The most aggressive students were more flexible and less stressed than those who tried to solve assertively. Expectations about peers seem to be relevant to the decision-making facing moral dilemmas and peer victimization.
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Gorlova A, Ortega G, Waider J, Bazhenova N, Veniaminova E, Proshin A, Kalueff AV, Anthony DC, Lesch KP, Strekalova T. Stress-induced aggression in heterozygous TPH2 mutant mice is associated with alterations in serotonin turnover and expression of 5-HT6 and AMPA subunit 2A receptors. J Affect Disord 2020; 272:440-451. [PMID: 32553388 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The contribution of gene-environment interactions that lead to excessive aggression is poorly understood. Environmental stressors and mutations of the gene encoding tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) are known to influence aggression. For example, TPH2 null mutant mice (Tph2-/-) are naturally highly aggressive, while heterozygous mice (Tph2+/-) lack a behavioral phenotype and are considered endophenotypically normal. Here we sought to discover whether an environmental stressor would affect the phenotype of the genetically 'susceptible' heterozygous mice (Tph2+/-). METHODS Tph2+/- male mice or Tph2+/+ controls were subjected to a five-day long rat exposure stress paradigm. Brain serotonin metabolism and the expression of selected genes encoding serotonin receptors, AMPA receptors, and stress markers were studied. RESULTS Stressed Tph2+/- mice displayed increased levels of aggression and social dominance, whereas Tph2+/+ animals became less aggressive and less dominant. Brain tissue concentrations of serotonin, its precursor hydroxytryptophan and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were significantly altered in all groups in the prefrontal cortex, striatum, amygdala, hippocampus and dorsal raphe after stress. Compared to non-stressed animals, the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptophan was elevated in the amygdala though decreased in the other brain structures. The overexpression of the AMPA receptor subunit, GluA2, and downregulation of 5-HT6 receptor, as well as overexpression of c-fos and glycogen-synthase-kinase-3β (GSK3-β), were found in most structures of the stressed Tph2+/- mice. LIMITATIONS Rescue experiments would help to verify causal relationships of reported changes. CONCLUSIONS The interaction of a partial TPH2 gene deficit with stress results in pathological aggression and molecular changes, and suggests that the presence of genetic susceptibility can augment aggression in seemingly resistant phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gorlova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Gabriela Ortega
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Waider
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Natalia Bazhenova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Veniaminova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Andrey Proshin
- PK Anokhin Research Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China with Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia; Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University and Almazov Medical Research Center, Institute of Experimental Medicine, St. Petersburg Russia
| | - Daniel C Anthony
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; Department of Pharmacology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tatyana Strekalova
- Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia.
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Fricke K, Vogel S. How interindividual differences shape approach-avoidance behavior: Relating self-report and diagnostic measures of interindividual differences to behavioral measurements of approach and avoidance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 111:30-56. [PMID: 31954150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Responding to stimuli in ambiguous environments is partially governed by approach-avoidance tendencies. Imbalances in these approach-avoidance behaviors are implicated in many mental disorders including anxiety disorders, phobias and substance use disorders. While factors biasing human behavior in approach-avoidance conflicts have been researched in numerous experiments, a much-needed comprehensive overview integrating those findings is missing. Here, we systematically searched the existing literature on individual differences in task-based approach-avoidance behavior and aggregated the current evidence for the effect of self-reported approach/avoidance traits, anxiety and anxiety disorders, specific phobias, depression, aggression, anger and psychopathy, substance use and related disorders, eating disorders and habits, trauma, acute stress and, finally, hormone levels (mainly testosterone, oxytocin). We highlight consistent findings, underrepresented research areas and unexpected results, and detail the amount of controversy between studies. We discuss potential reasons for ambiguous results in some research areas, offer practical advice for future studies and highlight potential variables such as task-related researcher decisions that may influence how interindividual differences and disorders drive automatic approach-avoidance biases in behavioral experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Fricke
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Susanne Vogel
- Department of Psychology, Medical School Hamburg, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
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Pittig A, Wong AH, Glück VM, Boschet JM. Avoidance and its bi-directional relationship with conditioned fear: Mechanisms, moderators, and clinical implications. Behav Res Ther 2020; 126:103550. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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