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Westerman HB, Suarez GL, Richmond-Rakerd LS, Nusslock R, Klump KL, Burt SA, Hyde LW. Exposure to community violence as a mechanism linking neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and neural responses to reward. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae029. [PMID: 38619118 PMCID: PMC11079326 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae029] [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: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
A growing literature links socioeconomic disadvantage and adversity to brain function, including disruptions in reward processing. Less research has examined exposure to community violence (ECV) as a specific adversity related to differences in reward-related brain activation, despite the prevalence of community violence exposure for those living in disadvantaged contexts. The current study tested whether ECV was associated with reward-related ventral striatum (VS) activation after accounting for familial factors associated with differences in reward-related activation (e.g. parenting and family income). Moreover, we tested whether ECV is a mechanism linking socioeconomic disadvantage to reward-related activation in the VS. We utilized data from 444 adolescent twins sampled from birth records and residing in neighborhoods with above-average levels of poverty. ECV was associated with greater reward-related VS activation, and the association remained after accounting for family-level markers of disadvantage. We identified an indirect pathway in which socioeconomic disadvantage predicted greater reward-related activation via greater ECV, over and above family-level adversity. These findings highlight the unique impact of community violence exposure on reward processing and provide a mechanism through which socioeconomic disadvantage may shape brain function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi B Westerman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Gabriela L Suarez
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | | | - Robin Nusslock
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Kelly L Klump
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - S Alexandra Burt
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Luke W Hyde
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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2
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Gotlib IH, Buthmann JL, Uy JP. The growing interdisciplinarity of developmental psychopathology: Implications for science and training. Dev Psychopathol 2024:1-11. [PMID: 38516854 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579424000580] [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] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The field of developmental psychopathology has grown exponentially over the past decades, and has become increasingly multifaceted. The initial focus on understanding abnormal child psychology has broadened to the study of the origins of psychopathology, with the goals of preventing and alleviating disorder and promoting healthy development. In this paper, we discuss how technological advances and global events have expanded the questions that researchers in developmental psychopathology can address. We do so by describing a longitudinal study that we have been conducting for the past dozen years. We originally planned to examine the effects of early adversity on trajectories of brain development, endocrine function, and depressive symptoms across puberty; it has since become an interdisciplinary study encompassing diverse domains like inflammation, sleep, biological aging, the environment, and child functioning post-pandemic, that we believe will advance our understanding of neurobehavioral development. This increase in the breadth in our study emerged from an expansion of the field; we encourage researchers to embrace these dynamic changes. In this context, we discuss challenges, opportunities, and institutional changes related to the growing interdisciplinarity of the field with respect to training the next generation of investigators to mitigate the burden of mental illness in youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian H Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Jessica P Uy
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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3
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Geiger LT, Balouek JA, Farrelly LA, Chen AS, Tang M, Bennett SN, Nestler EJ, Garcia BA, Maze I, Peña CJ. Early-life stress alters chromatin modifications in VTA to prime stress sensitivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.14.584631. [PMID: 38559030 PMCID: PMC10980038 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.14.584631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Early-life stress increases sensitivity to subsequent stress, which has been observed among humans, other animals, at the level of cellular activity, and at the level of gene expression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying such long-lasting sensitivity are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that persistent changes in transcription and transcriptional potential were maintained at the level of the epigenome, through changes in chromatin. We used a combination of bottom-up mass spectrometry, viral-mediated epigenome-editing, behavioral quantification, and RNA-sequencing in a mouse model of early-life stress, focusing on the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a brain region critically implicated in motivation, reward learning, stress response, and mood and drug disorders. We find that early-life stress in mice alters histone dynamics in VTA and that a majority of these modifications are associated with an open chromatin state that would predict active, primed, or poised gene expression, including enriched histone-3 lysine-4 methylation and the H3K4 monomethylase Setd7. Mimicking ELS through over-expression of Setd7 and enrichment of H3K4me1 in VTA recapitulates ELS-induced behavioral and transcriptional hypersensitivity to future stress. These findings enrich our understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms linking early-life environmental experiences to long-term alterations in stress reactivity within the brain's reward circuitry, with implications for understanding and potentially treating mood and anxiety disorders in humans.
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Miller GE, Carroll AL, Armstrong CC, Craske MG, Zinbarg RE, Bookheimer SY, Ka-Yi Chat I, Vinograd M, Young KS, Nusslock R. Major stress in early childhood strengthens the association between peripheral inflammatory activity and corticostriatal responsivity to reward. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 117:215-223. [PMID: 38244947 PMCID: PMC10932835 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe, chronic stress during childhood accentuates vulnerability to mental and physical health problems across the lifespan. To explain this phenomenon, the neuroimmune network hypothesis proposes that childhood stressors amplify signaling between peripheral inflammatory cells and developing brain circuits that support processing of rewards and threats. Here, we conducted a preliminary test of the basic premises of this hypothesis. METHODS 180 adolescents (mean age = 19.1 years; 68.9 % female) with diverse racial and ethnic identities (56.1 % White; 28.3 % Hispanic; 26.1 % Asian) participated. The Childhood Trauma Interview was administered to quantify early adversity. Five inflammatory biomarkers were assayed in antecubital blood - C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-a, and interleukins-6, -8, and -10 - and were averaged to form a composite score. Participants also completed a functional MRI task to measure corticostriatal responsivity to the anticipation and acquisition of monetary rewards. RESULTS Stress exposure and corticostriatal responsivity interacted statistically to predict the inflammation composite. Among participants who experienced major stressors in the first decade of life, higher inflammatory activity covaried with lower corticostriatal responsivity during acquisition of monetary rewards. This relationship was specific to participants who experienced major stress in early childhood, implying a sensitive period for exposure, and were evident in both the orbitofrontal cortex and the ventral striatum, suggesting the broad involvement of corticostriatal regions. The findings were independent of participants' age, sex, racial and ethnic identity, family income, and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, the results are consistent with hypotheses suggesting that major stress in childhood alters brain-immune signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory E Miller
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, United States; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, United States.
| | - Ann L Carroll
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, United States
| | - Casey C Armstrong
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, United States
| | - Michelle G Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Richard E Zinbarg
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, United States; The Family Institute at Northwestern University, United States
| | - Susan Y Bookheimer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Iris Ka-Yi Chat
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Temple University, United States
| | - Meghan Vinograd
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Katherine S Young
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, United States; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, United States
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5
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Gildawie KR, Wang K, Budge KE, Byrnes EM. Effects of Maternal Separation on Effort-based Responding for Sucrose Are Associated with c-Fos Expression in the Nucleus Accumbens Core. Neuroscience 2024; 537:174-188. [PMID: 38036058 PMCID: PMC10872495 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.11.030] [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: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
In both people and animals, exposure to adverse experiences early in life can alter neurodevelopment and lead to long-term behavioral effects, including effects on reward processing. In the current study, we use a well-validated rodent model of maternal neglect, maternal separation (MS), to investigate the impact of early life adversity on reward learning and motivation and identify associated modifications in cellular activation in reward-relevant areas. Litters of Long-Evans rats were separated from the dam for either 15 min (brief) or 180 min (prolonged)/day from postnatal day (PND)2 to PND14. As adults, offspring were trained to lever press for a sucrose pellet using fixed ratio (FR) schedules and motivation was tested using a progressive ratio (PR) schedule over 10 daily sessions to assess sustained effects on effort-based responding. Immunohistochemical staining for c-Fos was conducted in a subset of animals that underwent an additional PR session. While there were no effects on reward learning, both MS180 males and females demonstrated increased effort-based responding on the first day of PR testing, while only MS180 males demonstrated a sustained increase in effort across all 10 days. MS180-induced changes in c-Fos expression in the dorsal and ventral striatum were observed, with subregion-specific effects along the rostrocaudal axis. Moreover, regression analyses suggest that motivated responding for a sucrose food reward in MS180-exposed, but not MS15-exposed animals, was associated with increased c-Fos expression in the rostral nucleus accumbens core. These findings implicate specific striatal regions in sex-specific modulation of sustained effort-based reward behavior following early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsea R Gildawie
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Katherine Wang
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Kerri E Budge
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Byrnes
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
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6
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Borchers LR, Yuan JP, Leong JK, Jo B, Chahal R, Ryu J, Nam A, Coury SM, Gotlib IH. Sex-Specific Vulnerability to Externalizing Problems: Sensitivity to Early Stress and Nucleus Accumbens Activation Over Adolescence. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)00038-6. [PMID: 38272286 PMCID: PMC11266527 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure and sensitivity to early-life stress (ELS) are related to increased risk for psychopathology in adolescence. While cross-sectional studies have reported blunted nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation in the context of these associations, researchers have not yet assessed the effects of ELS on developmental trajectories of activation. We examined whether trajectories are affected by stress and the moderating role of biological sex in predicting vulnerability to symptoms of psychopathology. METHODS Adolescents (n = 173) completed 3 assessments at 2-year intervals across puberty (ages 9-18 years). At baseline, we assessed objective ELS and stress sensitivity using the Traumatic Events Screening Inventory for Children. At all time points, we assessed NAcc activation using the Monetary Incentive Delay task and externalizing, internalizing, and total problems using the Youth Self-Report. We examined correlations between NAcc trajectories (extracted using linear mixed-effects models) with ELS and stress sensitivity and conducted multivariate regression analysis to examine the interaction of NAcc trajectories and biological sex in predicting symptoms of psychopathology. RESULTS Symptoms increased over adolescence. Stress sensitivity, but not objective ELS, was associated with decreasing trajectories of NAcc activation. Biological sex interacted with NAcc trajectories to predict psychopathology; boys, but not girls, with decreasing NAcc activation had more severe externalizing problems in adolescence. These findings were replicated in the putamen and caudate but not in the medial prefrontal cortex or control brain regions. CONCLUSIONS NAcc activation may be a sex-specific marker of externalizing problems in adolescence. Efforts to reduce stress sensitivity may help to decrease symptoms of psychopathology in adolescent boys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren R Borchers
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
| | - Justin P Yuan
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Josiah K Leong
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
| | - Booil Jo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Rajpreet Chahal
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Joshua Ryu
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Andrew Nam
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Saché M Coury
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
| | - Ian H Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California
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7
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Harhen NC, Bornstein AM. Interval Timing as a Computational Pathway From Early Life Adversity to Affective Disorders. Top Cogn Sci 2024; 16:92-112. [PMID: 37824831 PMCID: PMC10842617 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12701] [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: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Adverse early life experiences can have remarkably enduring negative consequences on mental health, with numerous, varied psychiatric conditions sharing this developmental origin. Yet, the mechanisms linking adverse experiences to these conditions remain poorly understood. Here, we draw on a principled model of interval timing to propose that statistically optimal adaptation of temporal representations to an unpredictable early life environment can produce key characteristics of anhedonia, a transdiagnostic symptom associated with affective disorders like depression and anxiety. The core observation is that early temporal unpredictability produces broader, more imprecise temporal expectations. As a result, reward anticipation is diminished, and associative learning is slowed. When agents with such representations are later introduced to more stable environments, they demonstrate a negativity bias, responding more to the omission of reward than its receipt. Increased encoding of negative events has been proposed to contribute to disorders with anhedonia as a symptom. We then examined how unpredictability interacts with another form of adversity, low reward availability. We found that unpredictability's effect was most strongly felt in richer environments, potentially leading to categorically different phenotypic expressions. In sum, our formalization suggests a single mechanism can help to link early life adversity to a range of behaviors associated with anhedonia, and offers novel insights into the interactive impacts of multiple adversities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora C. Harhen
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - Aaron M. Bornstein
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine
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8
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Martinez GJ, Appleton M, Kipp ZA, Loria AS, Min B, Hinds TD. Glucocorticoids, their uses, sexual dimorphisms, and diseases: new concepts, mechanisms, and discoveries. Physiol Rev 2024; 104:473-532. [PMID: 37732829 PMCID: PMC11281820 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00021.2023] [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: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The normal stress response in humans is governed by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis through heightened mechanisms during stress, raising blood levels of the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol. Glucocorticoids are quintessential compounds that balance the proper functioning of numerous systems in the mammalian body. They are also generated synthetically and are the preeminent therapy for inflammatory diseases. They act by binding to the nuclear receptor transcription factor glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which has two main isoforms (GRα and GRβ). Our classical understanding of glucocorticoid signaling is from the GRα isoform, which binds the hormone, whereas GRβ has no known ligands. With glucocorticoids being involved in many physiological and cellular processes, even small disruptions in their release via the HPA axis, or changes in GR isoform expression, can have dire ramifications on health. Long-term chronic glucocorticoid therapy can lead to a glucocorticoid-resistant state, and we deliberate how this impacts disease treatment. Chronic glucocorticoid treatment can lead to noticeable side effects such as weight gain, adiposity, diabetes, and others that we discuss in detail. There are sexually dimorphic responses to glucocorticoids, and women tend to have a more hyperresponsive HPA axis than men. This review summarizes our understanding of glucocorticoids and critically analyzes the GR isoforms and their beneficial and deleterious mechanisms and the sexual differences that cause a dichotomy in responses. We also discuss the future of glucocorticoid therapy and propose a new concept of dual GR isoform agonist and postulate why activating both isoforms may prevent glucocorticoid resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genesee J Martinez
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Malik Appleton
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Zachary A Kipp
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Analia S Loria
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
| | - Booki Min
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States
| | - Terry D Hinds
- Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
- Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
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9
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Hosseini-Kamkar N, Varvani Farahani M, Nikolic M, Stewart K, Goldsmith S, Soltaninejad M, Rajabli R, Lowe C, Nicholson AA, Morton JB, Leyton M. Adverse Life Experiences and Brain Function: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2340018. [PMID: 37910106 PMCID: PMC10620621 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.40018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Adverse life experiences have been proposed to contribute to diverse mental health problems through an association with corticolimbic functioning. Despite compelling evidence from animal models, findings from studies in humans have been mixed; activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses have failed to identify a consistent association of adverse events with brain function. Objective To investigate the association of adversity exposure with altered brain reactivity using multilevel kernel density analyses (MKDA), a meta-analytic approach considered more robust than ALE to small sample sizes and methodological differences between studies. Data Sources Searches were conducted using PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception through May 4, 2022. The following search term combinations were used for each database: trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), abuse, maltreatment, poverty, adversity, or stress; and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or neuroimaging; and emotion, emotion regulation, memory, memory processing, inhibitory control, executive functioning, reward, or reward processing. Study Selection Task-based fMRI studies within 4 domains (emotion processing, memory processing, inhibitory control, and reward processing) that included a measure of adverse life experiences and whole-brain coordinate results reported in Talairach or Montreal Neurological Institute space were included. Conference abstracts, books, reviews, meta-analyses, opinions, animal studies, articles not in English, and studies with fewer than 5 participants were excluded. Data Extraction and Synthesis Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guideline, 2 independent reviewers assessed abstracts and full-text articles for entry criteria. A third reviewer resolved conflicts and errors in data extraction. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and data analysis occurred from August to November 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures Peak activation x-axis (left-right), y-axis (posterior-anterior), and z-axis (inferior-superior) coordinates were extracted from all studies and submitted to MKDA meta-analyses. Results A total of 83 fMRI studies were included in the meta-analysis, yielding a combined sample of 5242 participants and 801 coordinates. Adversity exposure was associated with higher amygdala reactivity (familywise error rate corrected at P < .001; x-axis = 22; y-axis = -4; z-axis = -17) and lower prefrontal cortical reactivity (familywise error rate corrected at P < .001; x-axis = 10; y-axis = 60; z-axis = 10) across a range of task domains. These altered responses were only observed in studies that used adult participants and were clearest among those who had been exposed to severe threat and trauma. Conclusions and Relevance In this meta-analysis of fMRI studies of adversity exposure and brain function, prior adversity exposure was associated with altered adult brain reactivity to diverse challenges. These results might better identify how adversity diminishes the ability to cope with later stressors and produces enduring susceptibility to mental health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Hosseini-Kamkar
- Now with: Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Maja Nikolic
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kaycee Stewart
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Mahdie Soltaninejad
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Reza Rajabli
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cassandra Lowe
- Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew A Nicholson
- Now with: Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - J Bruce Morton
- Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marco Leyton
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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10
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Freeman C, Carpentier L, Weinberg A. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Neural Responses to Reward: A Quasi-experiment. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:891-898. [PMID: 36948399 PMCID: PMC10028216 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has been a prolonged period of stress due to social isolation, illness, death, and other major life disruptions. Neural reward sensitivity, essential for healthy functioning, may become reduced under major naturalistic stressors, though few studies have examined this. The present study sought to test whether neural responses to rewards were significantly blunted by the stress of the pandemic. METHODS We compared 2 groups of young adult participants, who completed a monetary reward task while an electroencephalogram was recorded, at 2 time points, 1 to 3 years apart. Our measure of reward sensitivity was the reward positivity (RewP), a neural marker enhanced to gain relative to loss feedback. The magnitude of the RewP is sensitive to stress exposure and can prospectively predict depression. The pre-pandemic group (n = 41) completed both time points before the pandemic, while the pandemic group (n = 39) completed the baseline visit before the pandemic and the follow-up visit during its second year. RESULTS The pandemic group reported having experienced significant stressors over the course of the pandemic. We did not observe a significant decrease in the RewP from baseline to follow-up in the pre-pandemic group. In contrast, in the pandemic group, the RewP was significantly blunted at the follow-up visit to the extent that it no longer distinguished gain from loss feedback. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that prolonged naturalistic stressors can result in adaptations in neural responses to rewards. Our findings also highlight a possible mechanism linking stress to the development of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Freeman
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Loran Carpentier
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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11
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Boyle CC, Bower JE, Eisenberger NI, Irwin MR. Stress to inflammation and anhedonia: Mechanistic insights from preclinical and clinical models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105307. [PMID: 37419230 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Anhedonia, as evidenced by impaired pleasurable response to reward, reduced reward motivation, and/or deficits in reward-related learning, is a common feature of depression. Such deficits in reward processing are also an important clinical target as a risk factor for depression onset. Unfortunately, reward-related deficits remain difficult to treat. To address this gap and inform the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies, it is critical to understand the mechanisms that drive impairments in reward function. Stress-induced inflammation is a plausible mechanism of reward deficits. The purpose of this paper is to review evidence for two components of this psychobiological pathway: 1) the effects of stress on reward function; and 2) the effects of inflammation on reward function. Within these two areas, we draw upon preclinical and clinical models, distinguish between acute and chronic effects of stress and inflammation, and address specific domains of reward dysregulation. By addressing these contextual factors, the review reveals a nuanced literature which might be targeted for additional scientific inquiry to inform the development of precise interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe C Boyle
- Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, USA.
| | - Julienne E Bower
- Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, USA; Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Michael R Irwin
- Norman Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA, USA
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12
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Kosted R, Kirsch DE, Le V, Fromme K, Lippard ETC. Subjective response to alcohol: Interactive effects of early life stress, parental risk for mood and substance use disorders, and drinking context. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 229:173591. [PMID: 37353164 PMCID: PMC10902860 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress, specifically childhood maltreatment, and parental risk for mood and substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with increased risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD). There is limited data on how these factors interact to contribute to alcohol-related outcomes. Prior work has suggested early life stress may increase sensitivity to psychostimulants and that subjective response to alcohol is heritable. It is unclear if early life stress alters sensitivity to alcohol and interacts with parental risk for mood/SUDs, which in turn may act as a risk factor for AUD. The current study uses within-subjects placebo-controlled alcohol administration methods to investigate the effects of childhood maltreatment on subjective response to alcohol in young adults with and without parental risk of mood/SUDs. Additionally, we explored interactions with drinking context (i.e., drinking in a bar vs. non-bar context). Within individuals with parental risk for mood/SUDs, there was a positive relation between total Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) score and how drunk individuals reported feeling across both alcohol and placebo conditions (parental risk group-by-CTQ interaction p = .01; main effect of CTQ within individuals with parental risk for mood/SUDs p = .005). When exploring interactions with drinking context (bar vs. non-bar context), we observed a significant drinking context-by-parental risk-by-CTQ interaction (p = .03), with CTQ score positively associated with greater positive valence/positive arousal feelings in the parental risk group if they consumed their beverages in the bar context (p = .004) but not if they consumed their beverages in the non-bar context. Results suggest childhood maltreatment may contribute to variation in subjective response to the positive effects of alcohol-possibly mediated by alcohol cues and/or expectancies-in young adults with parental risk for mood/SUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Kosted
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Dylan E Kirsch
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Vanessa Le
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Kim Fromme
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Elizabeth T C Lippard
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA; Institute of Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.
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13
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Abstract
The transition from childhood to adulthood represents the developmental time frame in which the majority of psychiatric disorders emerge. Recent efforts to identify risk factors mediating the susceptibility to psychopathology have led to a heightened focus on both typical and atypical trajectories of neural circuit maturation. Mounting evidence has highlighted the immense neural plasticity apparent in the developing brain. Although in many cases adaptive, the capacity for neural circuit alteration also induces a state of vulnerability to environmental perturbations, such that early-life experiences have long-lasting implications for cognitive and emotional functioning in adulthood. The authors outline preclinical and neuroimaging studies of normative human brain circuit development, as well as parallel efforts covered in this issue of the Journal, to identify brain circuit alterations in psychiatric disorders that frequently emerge in developing populations. Continued translational research into the interactive effects of neurobiological development and external factors will be crucial for identifying early-life risk factors that may contribute to the emergence of psychiatric illness and provide the key to optimizing treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Meyer
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York
| | - Francis S Lee
- The Department of Psychiatry and the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York
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14
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Burani K, Brush CJ, Shields GS, Klein DN, Nelson B, Slavich GM, Hajcak G. Cumulative lifetime acute stressor exposure interacts with reward responsiveness to predict longitudinal increases in depression severity in adolescence. Psychol Med 2023; 53:4507-4516. [PMID: 37698514 PMCID: PMC10388334 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722001386] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Life stress and blunted reward processing each have been associated with the onset and maintenance of major depressive disorder. However, much of this work has been cross-sectional, conducted in separate lines of inquiry, and focused on recent life stressor exposure, despite the fact that theories of depression posit that stressors can have cumulative effects over the lifespan. To address these limitations, we investigated whether acute and chronic stressors occurring over the lifespan interacted with blunted reward processing to predict increases in depression over time in healthy youth. METHOD Participants were 245 adolescent girls aged 8-14 years old (Mage = 12.4, s.d. = 1.8) who were evaluated at baseline and two years later. The reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential measure of reward responsiveness, was assessed at baseline using the doors task. Cumulative lifetime exposure to acute and chronic stressors was assessed two years later using the Stress and Adversity Inventory for Adolescents (Adolescent STRAIN). Finally, depressive symptoms were assessed at both baseline and follow-up using the Children's Depression Inventory. RESULTS As hypothesized, greater lifetime acute stressor exposure predicted increases in depressive symptoms over two years, but only for youth exhibiting a blunted RewP. This interaction, however, was not found for chronic stressors. CONCLUSIONS Lifetime acute stressor exposure may be particularly depressogenic for youth exhibiting a blunted RewP. Conversely, a robust RewP may be protective in the presence of greater acute lifetime stressor exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kreshnik Burani
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - C. J. Brush
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Grant S. Shields
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
| | - Daniel N. Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Brady Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - George M. Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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15
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Norbury A, Seeley SH, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Feder A. Functional neuroimaging of resilience to trauma: convergent evidence and challenges for future research. Psychol Med 2023; 53:3293-3305. [PMID: 37264949 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723001162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Resilience is broadly defined as the ability to adapt successfully following stressful life events. Here, we review functional MRI studies that investigated key psychological factors that have been consistently linked to resilience to severe adversity and trauma exposure. These domains include emotion regulation (including cognitive reappraisal), reward responsivity, and cognitive control. Further, we briefly review functional imaging evidence related to emerging areas of study that may potentially facilitate resilience: namely social cognition, active coping, and successful fear extinction. Finally, we also touch upon ongoing issues in neuroimaging study design that will need to be addressed to enable us to harness insight from such studies to improve treatments for - or, ideally, guard against the development of - debilitating post-traumatic stress syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes Norbury
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Queen Square Institute of Neurology and Mental Health Neuroscience Department, Applied Computational Psychiatry Lab, Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saren H Seeley
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Adriana Feder
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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16
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Shan Q, Yu X, Tian Y. Adolescent social isolation shifts the balance of decision-making strategy from goal-directed action to habitual response in adulthood via suppressing the excitatory neurotransmission onto the direct pathway of the dorsomedial striatum. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1595-1609. [PMID: 35524719 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse experience, such as social isolation, during adolescence is one of the major causes of neuropsychiatric disorders that extend from adolescence into adulthood, such as substance addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and eating disorders leading to obesity. A common behavioral feature of these neuropsychiatric disorders is a shift in the balance of decision-making strategy from goal-directed action to habitual response. This study has verified that adolescent social isolation directly shifts the balance of decision-making strategy from goal-directed action to habitual response, and that it cannot be reversed by simple regrouping. This study has further revealed that adolescent social isolation induces a suppression in the excitatory neurotransmission onto the direct-pathway medium spiny neurons of the dorsomedial striatum (DMS), and that chemogenetically compensating this suppression effect shifts the balance of decision-making strategy from habitual response back to goal-directed action. These findings suggest that the plasticity in the DMS causes the shift in the balance of decision-making strategy, which would potentially help to develop a general therapy to treat the various neuropsychiatric disorders caused by adolescent social isolation. Such a study is especially necessary under the circumstances that social distancing and lockdown have caused during times of world-wide, society-wide pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Shan
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Yu
- Laboratory for Synaptic Plasticity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, China
| | - Yao Tian
- Chern Institute of Mathematics, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
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17
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Suor JH, Granros M, Calentino AE, Luan Phan K, Burkhouse KL. The interplay of childhood maltreatment and maternal depression in relation to the reward positivity in youth. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:168-178. [PMID: 36914290 PMCID: PMC10014903 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Guided by developmental psychopathology and dual-risk frameworks, the present study examined the interplay between childhood maltreatment and maternal major depression history in relation to neural reward responsiveness in youth. The sample consisted of 96 youth (ages 9-16; M = 12.29 years, SD = 2.20; 68.8% female) drawn from a large metropolitan city. Youth were recruited based on whether their mothers had a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) and were categorized into two groups: youth with mothers with a history of MDD (high risk; HR; n = 56) and youth with mothers with no history of psychiatric disorders (low risk; LR; n = 40). The reward positivity (RewP), an event-related potential component, was utilized to measure reward responsiveness and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire measured childhood maltreatment. We found a significant two-way interaction between childhood maltreatment and risk group in relation to RewP. Simple slope analysis revealed that in the HR group, greater childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with reduced RewP. The relationship between childhood maltreatment and RewP was not significant among the LR youth. The present findings demonstrate that the association between childhood maltreatment and blunted reward responsiveness is dependent on whether offspring have mothers with histories of MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer H Suor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maria Granros
- Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alison E Calentino
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Psychology, The Stony Brook University, Stony Book, NY, USA
| | - K Luan Phan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Katie L Burkhouse
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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18
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Winding TN, Nielsen ML, Grytnes R. Perceived stress in adolescence and labour market participation in young adulthood - a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:186. [PMID: 36707825 PMCID: PMC9883957 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15120-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is a key-developmental stage for physical, neurological, psychological, and social changes. In this developmental stage, a large number of people struggle with mental health problems like stress, anxiety, or depression. Psychological vulnerability in adolescence has previously been found to be negatively related to future low labour market participation. However, studies are lacking that investigate the impact of stress during adolescence on labour market participation in early adulthood using register data. The aim of this prospective study was therefore to examine the association between perceived stress during adolescence and labour market participation in young men and women in early adulthood. METHODS A Danish cohort of 3038 participants born in 1989 was followed with use of questionnaires from age 15 to age 28. The exposure, self-reported perceived stress, was collected by questionnaires at ages 15, 18, and 21. The outcome, labour market participation, was based on register information on social benefits, such as unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, and disability benefits, collected on a weekly basis during a 4-year period. Information about the socioeconomic confounders was also gleaned from registers. RESULTS The study found consistent associations between perceived stress from age 15 to age 21 and low labour market participation from age 25 to age 29 in both women and men after adjusting for mental health and socioeconomic confounders. The strongest associations between perceived stress and low labour market participation were seen among men who reported stress several times during adolescence. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that although, women in general, reported being more stressed than men during adolescence and had lower labour market participation in early adulthood, there was a small group of men who had experienced stress during adolescence who were at particularly high risk of being marginalised in the labour market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trine Nøhr Winding
- Department of Occupational Medicine, University Research Clinic, Goedstrup Hospital, Møllegade 16, 1.st, Herning, 7400, Denmark.
| | - Mette Lykke Nielsen
- grid.5117.20000 0001 0742 471XDepartment of Culture & Learning, Centre for Youth Research, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Regine Grytnes
- Department of Occupational Medicine, University Research Clinic, Goedstrup Hospital, Møllegade 16, 1.st, Herning, 7400 Denmark
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19
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Sex differences in addiction-relevant behavioral outcomes in rodents following early life stress. ADDICTION NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 6. [PMID: 37101684 PMCID: PMC10124992 DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2023.100067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
In humans, exposure to early life stress (ELS) is an established risk factor for the development of substance use disorders (SUDs) during later life. Similarly, rodents exposed to ELS involving disrupted mother-infant interactions, such as maternal separation (MS) or adverse caregiving due to scarcity-adversity induced by limited bedding and nesting (LBN) conditions, also exhibit long-term alterations in alcohol and drug consumption. In both humans and rodents, there is a range of addiction-related behaviors that are associated with drug use and even predictive of subsequent SUDs. In rodents, these include increased anxiety-like behavior, impulsivity, and novelty-seeking, altered alcohol and drug intake patterns, as well as disrupted reward-related processes involving consummatory and social behaviors. Importantly, the expression of these behaviors often varies throughout the lifespan. Moreover, preclinical studies suggest that sex differences play a role in how exposure to ELS impacts reward and addiction-related phenotypes as well as underlying brain reward circuitry. Here, addiction-relevant behavioral outcomes and mesolimbic dopamine (DA) dysfunction resulting from ELS in the form of MS and LBN are discussed with a focus on age- and sex-dependent effects. Overall, these findings suggest that ELS may increase susceptibility for later life drug use and SUDs by interfering with the normal maturation of reward-related brain and behavioral function.
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20
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Lampraki C, Spini D, Jopp DS. Life Span Development of Self-Continuity in late Adulthood: The Impact of Chronological Age, Loss of Partner and Aversive Childhood Events. SELF AND IDENTITY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15298868.2022.2157869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charikleia Lampraki
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dario Spini
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lausanne
| | - Daniela S. Jopp
- Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
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21
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Keogh TM, Howard S, Gallagher S. Behavioural clusters characteristic of cardiovascular reactivity profiles relate to poorer health outcomes. Br J Health Psychol 2022; 28:513-531. [PMID: 36458587 DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Blunted cardiovascular reactivity is associated with a distinct behavioural profile of greater exposure to early life adversity, coupled with higher levels of behavioural disengagement and symptoms of depression. The present study sought to extend on this work by investigating if behavioural clusters with distinct patterns of reactivity were related to health and behavioural outcomes at baseline and at a 4-year follow-up. METHODS Hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted using longitudinal data drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS 2) Biomarker Project and the MIDUS 3 follow-up 4 years later. During MIDUS, 2 participants (N = 513) underwent a standardized stress testing protocol and had their blood pressure and heart rate monitored throughout. In addition, hierarchical cluster analyses were conducted on responses from measures of early life adversity, behavioural disengagement and depression. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to determine whether cluster membership was related to health and behavioural outcomes which were taken at both time points. RESULTS Three behavioural clusters emerged with statistically different blood pressure reactivity patterns. The cluster characterized by greater exposure to early life adversity, higher levels of behavioural disengagement and depressive symptoms, had relatively lower blood pressure reactivity patterns compared with both the exaggerated reactivity cluster and the cluster similar to the sample mean. In fully adjusted models, this cluster was associated with hypertension (p = .050) and depressed affect (p = .033), while Cluster 1 characteristic of an exaggerated blood pressure reactivity profile was associated with depressed affect (p < .001). Cluster membership did not significantly predict future health status. CONCLUSION This study extends research on behavioural clusters characteristic of reactivity profiles to demonstrate how they relate to health and behavioural outcomes during MIDUS 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracey M. Keogh
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
- Health Research Institute University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
| | - Siobhán Howard
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
- Health Research Institute University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
| | - Stephen Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
- Health Research Institute University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
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22
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Lampraki C, Jopp DS, Spini D. The mediating role of self-continuity on the link between childhood adversity and loneliness in later life. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1039504. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1039504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Many factors may influence adaptation to critical life events such as divorce and bereavement in the second half of life, including having faced childhood adversity. However, pathways to reduced adaptation success are poorly understood. Self-continuity, an identity mechanism that incorporates life changes into a coherent life story, may contribute to better adaptation to adult critical life events, such as feeling less socially and emotionally lonely. We investigated the mediating role of self-continuity channeling the effects of childhood adversity on later life adaptation outcomes among individuals who had experienced divorce or bereavement. Data were derived from the longitudinal LIVES Intimate Partner Loss Study conducted in Switzerland from 2012 to 2016. The sample consisted of individuals who had experienced divorce (n = 416, Mage = 57.35) or bereavement (n = 339, Mage = 71.36) in later life, and a continuously married control group (n = 925, Mage = 67.04). Multilevel moderated mediations were used. Self-continuity mediated the effect of childhood adversity on emotional loneliness for all marital groups, but to a greater extent among divorcees. Self-continuity also mediated the effect of childhood adversity on social loneliness; however, this effect did not differ by marital group. In conclusion, childhood adversity was associated to greater loneliness in later life through self-continuity. Divorcees were the most impacted group regarding emotional loneliness, as they experienced lower levels of self-continuity. Interventions that aim to reinforce self-continuity may help overcome social and emotional loneliness, especially for individuals who have experienced the loss of their partner through divorce.
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23
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Burani K, Brush CJ, Shields GS, Klein DN, Nelson BD, Slavich GM, Hajcak G. Greater Cumulative Lifetime Stressor Exposure Predicts Blunted Reward Positivity in Adolescent Girls Followed for 2 Years. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1017-1024. [PMID: 35688415 PMCID: PMC11216030 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although research has found that life stress is associated with reward-related brain activity, few studies have examined how cumulative stressors occurring over the entire lifetime affect reward processing during adolescence. METHODS To address this issue, we investigated how lifetime stressor exposure related to reward processing, indexed by the reward positivity, in 240 adolescent girls between ages 8 and 14 years (mean age = 12.4). Participants were followed for 2 years. They completed a reward task at baseline and follow-up and the Stress and Adversity Inventory at follow-up. RESULTS As hypothesized, greater lifetime stressor exposure was related to a blunted reward positivity at the follow-up session while controlling for baseline age, baseline reward positivity, and time between assessments. Furthermore, this association was evident for acute but not chronic lifetime stressors. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the development of adaptive reward processing may be adversely affected by experiencing major life stressors. The results may thus have implications for understanding how stressors increase risk for psychopathology, such as major depressive disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kreshnik Burani
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
| | | | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas
| | - Daniel N Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - Brady D Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
| | - George M Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Greg Hajcak
- Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
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24
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Vijayakumar N, Cheng TW, Flannery JE, Flournoy JC, Ross G, Mobasser A, Op de Macks Z, Fisher PA, Pfeifer JH. Differential neural sensitivity to social inclusion and exclusion in adolescents in foster care. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 34:102986. [PMID: 35290856 PMCID: PMC8921471 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Foster care youth and controls differ in neural sensitivity to social interactions. Foster care youth have greater lateral prefrontal response to exclusion. They also have less neural response to inclusion. Some of these neural patterns are driven by adverse childhood experiences. Neural patterns are also related to externalizing problems in foster care youth.
Objectives Adolescents in foster care may exhibit differential patterns of brain functioning that contribute to their pervasive socioemotional challenges. However, there has been limited investigation of implicated neural processes, particularly in the social domain. Thus, the current study investigated neural responses to exclusionary and inclusionary peer interactions in adolescents in foster-care. Methods Participants comprised adolescents aged 11–18 years in foster care (N = 69) and a community sample (N = 69). They completed an fMRI adaptation of Cyberball, a virtual ball-throwing paradigm, that included periods of exclusion and over-inclusion. To investigate neural sensitivity to peer social experiences, we quantified neural responses that scaled with consecutive inclusionary and exclusionary interactions (using parametric modulators). Results Relative to the community sample, adolescents in foster care exhibited increasing response to consecutive exclusionary events in lateral prefrontal regions and decreasing response to consecutive inclusionary events in the intraparietal sulcus and temporo-occipital cortex. Further, exploratory analyses revealed that dorsolateral prefrontal activation to exclusion was related to externalizing problems, particularly in the foster care sample. Conclusions Findings highlight greater neural sensitivity to exclusionary, and lesser sensitivity to inclusionary, peer interactions in adolescents in foster care. Engagement of prefrontal clusters may reflect greater salience and emotion regulatory processes during exclusion, while parietal and temporal clusters may reflect reduced attention and behavioural engagement during inclusion. Thus foster care involvement is associated with broad changes in neural responses during peer interactions, and further these potentially relate to externalizing problems that have been identified in this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nandita Vijayakumar
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia; Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, USA.
| | | | | | - John C Flournoy
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, USA; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, USA
| | - Garrett Ross
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Florida, USA
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25
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Keogh TM, Howard S, Gallagher S, Ginty AT. Cluster analysis reveals distinct patterns of childhood adversity, behavioral disengagement, and depression that predict blunted heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress. Ann Behav Med 2022; 57:61-73. [PMID: 35568985 PMCID: PMC9773378 DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is considerable evidence documenting associations between early life adversity, behavioral disengagement, and depression with blunted cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. However, while often examined as independent predictors, it is also likely that a combination of these factors uniquely relate to cardiovascular reactivity. PURPOSE The present study employed multivariate cluster analysis to examine if distinct combinations of these outcomes relate to cardiovascular stress reactivity. METHODS Participants (N = 467) were predominantly female (60.6%) with a mean age of 19.30 years (SD = 0.82). Measures of early life adversity, behavioral disengagement, and depression were completed; in addition, participants had their blood pressure and heart rate monitored throughout a standardized stress testing session. Cardiovascular reactivity was calculated as the difference between mean stress and mean baseline cardiovascular values. RESULTS Analyses revealed two clusters with distinct patterns of exposure to early life adversity, levels of behavioral disengagement and depression, uniquely related to cardiovascular reactivity. In unadjusted models, Cluster 1 that was characterized by greater exposure to early life adversity, higher levels of behavioral disengagement and depression, was associated with lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) reactivity. Cluster 2 was characterized by reactivity values similar to the sample means. In fully adjusted models, Cluster 1 predicted heart rate reactivity to stress. CONCLUSIONS The present study identifies a behavioral cluster that is characteristic of a blunted heart rate reactivity profile, significantly extending the research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Siobhán Howard
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland,Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Stephen Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland,Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
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Pechtel P, Harris J, Karl A, Clunies-Ross C, Bower S, Moberly NJ, Pizzagalli DA, Watkins ER. Emerging ecophenotype: reward anticipation is linked to high-risk behaviours after sexual abuse. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:1035-1043. [PMID: 35438797 PMCID: PMC9629466 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescents frequently engage in high-risk behaviours (HRB) following childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Aberrant reward processes are implicated in HRB, and their underlying fronto-striatal networks are vulnerable to neurodevelopmental changes during adversity representing a promising candidate for understanding links between CSA and HRB. We examined whether fronto-striatal responses during reward anticipation and feedback (i) are altered in depressed adolescents with CSA compared to depressed, non-abused peers and (ii) moderate the relationship between CSA and HRB irrespective of depression. Forty-eight female adolescents {14 with CSA and depression [CSA + major depressive disorder (MDD)]; 17 with MDD but no CSA (MDD); 17 healthy, non-abused controls} completed a monetary reward task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. No differences in fronto-striatal response to reward emerged between CSA + MDD and MDD. Critically, high left nucleus accumbens activation during reward anticipation was associated with greater HRB in CSA + MDD compared to MDD and controls. Low left putamen activation during reward feedback was associated with the absence of HRB in CSA + MDD compared to MDD. Striatal reward responses appear to play a key role in HRB for adolescents with CSA irrespective of depression, providing initial support for a CSA ecophenotype. Such information is pivotal to identify at-risk youth and prevent HRB in adolescents after CSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Pechtel
- Correspondence should be addressed to Pia Pechtel, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Sir Henry Wellcome Building for Mood Disorders Research, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QQ, UK. E-mail:
| | - Jennifer Harris
- Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Anke Karl
- Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Caroline Clunies-Ross
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Children and Family Health Devon, Exeter EX2 4NU, UK
| | - Susie Bower
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Children and Family Health Devon, Exeter EX2 4NU, UK
| | - Nicholas J Moberly
- Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont MA 02478, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA,McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478 USA
| | - Edward R Watkins
- Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES), University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
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Hendrikse CJ, Plessis S, Luckhoff HK, Vink M, Heuvel LL, Scheffler F, Phahladira L, Smit R, Asmal L, Seedat S, Emsley R. Childhood trauma exposure and reward processing in healthy adults: A functional neuroimaging study. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:1452-1462. [PMID: 35434795 PMCID: PMC9546243 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The association between childhood trauma exposure and risk of developing psychopathology may in part be mediated by the effects of chronic stress on dopaminergic neurotransmission. However, little is known about the differential effects of distinct trauma types on reward processing, particularly in adults without concurrent medical or psychiatric disorders. We examined the association of childhood trauma exposure, including the differential effects of abuse and neglect, with reward processing in healthy adults (n = 114). Functional magnetic resonance imaging during a monetary incentive delay task was used to assess neural activity in the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex in relation to reward anticipation and reward outcome, respectively. Exposure to childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire‐Short Form. We found a significant effect for abuse on ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation, adjusting for age, sex, scanner site, educational level, and household monthly income. There were no effects for abuse or neglect, independently or combined, on orbitofrontal cortex activation during reward outcome. Our findings suggest differential effects of childhood abuse on ventral striatum activation during reward anticipation in healthy adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stéfan Plessis
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit South African Medical Research Council / Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
| | | | - Matthijs Vink
- Departments of Experimental and Developmental Psychology Utrecht University Utrecht Netherlands
| | - Leigh Luella Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit South African Medical Research Council / Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
| | - Freda Scheffler
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
| | | | - Retha Smit
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
| | - Laila Asmal
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
- Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit South African Medical Research Council / Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
| | - Robin Emsley
- Department of Psychiatry Stellenbosch University Cape Town South Africa
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28
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Güroğlu B. The power of friendship: The developmental significance of friendships from a neuroscience perspective. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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29
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Moog NK, Heim CM, Entringer S, Simhan HN, Wadhwa PD, Buss C. Transmission of the adverse consequences of childhood maltreatment across generations: Focus on gestational biology. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 215:173372. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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30
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Loued-Khenissi L, Trofimova O, Vollenweider P, Marques-Vidal P, Preisig M, Lutti A, Kliegel M, Sandi C, Kherif F, Stringhini S, Draganski B. Signatures of life course socioeconomic conditions in brain anatomy. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:2582-2606. [PMID: 35195323 PMCID: PMC9057097 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) plays a significant role in health and disease. At the same time, early-life conditions affect neural function and structure, suggesting the brain may be a conduit for the biological embedding of SES. Here, we investigate the brain anatomy signatures of SES in a large-scale population cohort aged 45-85 years. We assess both gray matter morphometry and tissue properties indicative of myelin content. Higher life course SES is associated with increased volume in several brain regions, including postcentral and temporal gyri, cuneus, and cerebellum. We observe more widespread volume differences and higher myelin content in the sensorimotor network but lower myelin content in the temporal lobe associated with childhood SES. Crucially, childhood SES differences persisted in adult brains even after controlling for adult SES, highlighting the unique contribution of early-life conditions to brain anatomy, independent of later changes in SES. These findings inform on the biological underpinnings of social inequality, particularly as they pertain to early-life conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Loued-Khenissi
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne.,Theory of Pain Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva
| | - Olga Trofimova
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne
| | - Peter Vollenweider
- Department of medicine, Internal medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pedro Marques-Vidal
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martin Preisig
- Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Antoine Lutti
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne
| | - Matthias Kliegel
- Laboratoire du Vieillissement Cognitif, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Sandi
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ferhat Kherif
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne
| | - Silvia Stringhini
- University Centre for General Medicine and Public Health (UNISANTE), Lausanne University, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Unit of Population Epidemiology, Primary Care Division, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bogdan Draganski
- Laboratory for Research in Neuroimaging, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne.,Neurology Department, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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31
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Novick AM, Johnson RL, Lazorwitz A, Belyavskaya A, Berkowitz L, Norton A, Sammel MD, Epperson CN. Discontinuation of hormonal contraception due to changes in mood and decreases in sexual desire: the role of adverse childhood experiences. EUR J CONTRACEP REPR 2022; 27:212-220. [PMID: 35133231 DOI: 10.1080/13625187.2022.2030702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate if adverse childhood experiences are associated with hormonal contraception discontinuation due to mood and sexual side effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Women, ages 18-40 (N = 826), with current and/or previous hormonal contraceptive use completed surveys on demographics, contraceptive history, and the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire. We characterised women into high (≥2 adverse experiences) and low (0 or 1) adverse childhood experience groups. We calculated risk ratios for associations between adverse childhood experiences and outcomes of interest using log binomial generalised linear models, and adjusted for relevant demographic variables. RESULTS Women in the high adverse childhood experiences group (n = 355) were more likely to report having discontinued hormonal contraception due to decreases in sexual desire (adjusted risk ratio 1.44, 1.03-2.00, p = .030). Covariates included age, current hormonal contraception use, and various demographic variables associated with discontinuation. Adverse childhood experiences were not associated with mood or sexual side effects among current (n = 541) hormonal contraceptive users. CONCLUSIONS Self-reported adverse childhood experiences were associated with greater likelihood of discontinuing hormonal contraception due to behavioural side effects, particularly decreases in sexual desire. Identification of risk factors for behavioural side effects can assist patients and clinicians in making informed choices on contraception that minimise risk of early discontinuation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M Novick
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Rachel L Johnson
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Aaron Lazorwitz
- Division of Family Planning, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Anna Belyavskaya
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Lily Berkowitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Aileen Norton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Mary D Sammel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - C Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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32
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Peckins MK, Westerman HB, Burt SA, Murray L, Alves M, Miller AL, Gearhardt AN, Klump KL, Lumeng JC, Hyde LW. A brief child-friendly reward task reliably activates the ventral striatum in two samples of socioeconomically diverse youth. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263368. [PMID: 35113913 PMCID: PMC8812963 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of increased risk-taking behavior, thought to be driven, in part, by heightened reward sensitivity. One challenge of studying reward processing in the field of developmental neuroscience is finding a task that activates reward circuitry, and is short, not too complex, and engaging for youth of a wide variety of ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. In the present study, we tested a brief child-friendly reward task for activating reward circuitry in two independent samples of youth ages 7-19 years old enriched for poverty (study 1: n = 464; study 2: n = 27). The reward task robustly activated the ventral striatum, with activation decreasing from early to mid-adolescence and increasing from mid- to late adolescence in response to reward. This response did not vary by gender, pubertal development, or income-to-needs ratio, making the task applicable for a wide variety of populations. Additionally, ventral striatum activation to the task did not differ between youth who did and did not expect to receive a prize at the end of the task, indicating that an outcome of points alone may be enough to engage reward circuitry. Thus, this reward task is effective for studying reward processing in youth from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa K. Peckins
- Department of Psychology, St. John’s University, Queens, New York, United States of America
| | - Heidi B. Westerman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - S. Alexandra Burt
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Laura Murray
- McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Martha Alves
- Department of Family Medicine, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Alison L. Miller
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Ashley N. Gearhardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Kelly L. Klump
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Julie C. Lumeng
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Luke W. Hyde
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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33
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Keogh TM, Howard S, Gallagher S. Early Life Adversity and Blunted Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Psychological Stress: The Role of Current Depressive Symptoms. Psychosom Med 2022; 84:170-178. [PMID: 34654025 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The pathways underlying the early life adversity and cardiovascular reactivity association remain unclear. The current study examined the role of current depressive symptoms on this relationship. METHODS Mediation analyses were conducted using data from 639 participants drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States 2 Biomarker Project. Responses were derived from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Participants had their systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and heart rate monitored throughout a standardized stress testing protocol. RESULTS The association between early life adversity and reactivity was mediated by current depressive symptoms; all adversity factors were linked to higher levels of current depressive symptoms, which, in turn, were associated with lower cardiovascular reactivity. For emotional abuse, this was noted for SBP (β = -0.06 [95% confidence interval {CI}, -0.13 to -0.01]) and DBP (β = -0.04 [-0.07 to -0.01]), physical abuse (SBP: β = -0.05 [-0.11 to -0.01]; DBP: β = -0.03 [-0.06 to -0.01]), sexual abuse (SBP: β = -0.04 [-0.09 to -0.01]; DBP: β = -0.02 [-0.05 to -0.01]), emotional neglect (SBP: β = -0.04 [-0.09 to -0.01]; DBP: β = -0.02 [-0.05 to -0.01]), physical neglect (SBP: β = -0.09 [-0.17 to -0.02]; DBP: β = -0.05 [-0.09 to -0.02]), and total Childhood Trauma Questionnaire score (SBP: β = -0.02 [-0.03 to -0.00]; DBP: β = -0.01 [-0.02 to -0.00]). CONCLUSIONS The present findings extend research and demonstrate that depression is an underlying mechanism linking early life adversity and blunted cardiovascular reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracey M Keogh
- From the Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory (Keogh, Howard, Gallagher), and Health Research Institute (Keogh, Howard, Gallagher), University of Limerick, Castletroy, Limerick, Ireland
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34
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Kirsch DE, Lippard ET. Early life stress and substance use disorders: The critical role of adolescent substance use. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 215:173360. [PMID: 35219756 PMCID: PMC8983562 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) is a well-established risk factor for many psychiatric and medical disorders, including substance use disorders (SUDs). The relationship between ELS and SUDs is complex and there are likely multiple pathways from ELS to adverse substance use outcomes. The association between ELS and substance use emerges in adolescence. Adolescence is a critical period in development during which substance exposure markedly increases risk for SUDs. Therefore, this review focuses on the literature supporting the hypothesis that ELS increases risk for the development of SUDs through its influence on adolescent substance use. We discuss studies substantiating the role of ELS in adolescent substance use and explore how internalizing and externalizing psychopathology may be antecedents of substance use in adolescence. We examine clinical work suggesting ELS sculpts the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis and developing brain-particularly subcortical brain regions that underlie stress response, mesocorticolimbic brain systems associated with reward sensitivity, and prefrontal regions that underlie executive control-in a way that increases risk for adolescent substance use and SUDs. We further explore how substance use during adolescence alters structure and function of these same systems, and how brain changes following ELS and adolescent substance use may independently, additively, or interactively contribute to risk for addiction. We conclude by discussing how the current literature can inform interventions aimed at reducing risk for SUDs in individuals with a history of ELS.
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Abstract
Anhedonia is a core feature of psychopathological conditions that have recent exposure to stress and trauma as central to their etiology. Indeed, evolutionary accounts of depression suggest that decreased motivation to pursue reward may be an adaptive strategy in the face of social stress, in particular, as it may serve to defuse interpersonal conflict. Through a review of rodent models and research with humans, we show that exposure to stress, particularly when it is chronic, repeated, and/or involves themes of social rejection or defeat, is consistently associated with reduced hedonic capacity ("liking"), motivation to pursue reward ("wanting"), and ability to learn from reward ("reward learning"). Further, across rodent and human research, there is evidence that females show greater stress-induced blunting of reward processing than males. In humans, this sex difference emerges most strongly when examining individual differences in the stress response rather than group differences in stress exposure. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the etiology of, and sex differences in, stress-related psychopathology, including depression and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate L Harkness
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
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36
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Wilkinson MP, Slaney CL, Mellor JR, Robinson ESJ. Investigation of reward learning and feedback sensitivity in non-clinical participants with a history of early life stress. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260444. [PMID: 34890390 PMCID: PMC8664195 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) is an important risk factor for the development of depression. Impairments in reward learning and feedback sensitivity are suggested to be an intermediate phenotype in depression aetiology therefore we hypothesised that healthy adults with a history of ELS would exhibit reward processing deficits independent of any current depressive symptoms. We recruited 64 adults with high levels of ELS and no diagnosis of a current mental health disorder and 65 controls. Participants completed the probabilistic reversal learning task and probabilistic reward task followed by depression, anhedonia, social status, and stress scales. Participants with high levels of ELS showed decreased positive feedback sensitivity in the probabilistic reversal learning task compared to controls. High ELS participants also trended towards possessing a decreased model-free learning rate. This was coupled with a decreased learning ability in the acquisition phase of block 1 following the practice session. Neither group showed a reward induced response bias in the probabilistic reward task however high ELS participants exhibited decreased stimuli discrimination. Overall, these data suggest that healthy participants without a current mental health diagnosis but with high levels of ELS show deficits in positive feedback sensitivity and reward learning in the probabilistic reversal learning task that are distinct from depressed patients. These deficits may be relevant to increased depression vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Paul Wilkinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Chloe Louise Slaney
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jack Robert Mellor
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Susan Jane Robinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Donofry SD, Stillman CM, Hanson JL, Sheridan M, Sun S, Loucks EB, Erickson KI. Promoting brain health through physical activity among adults exposed to early life adversity: Potential mechanisms and theoretical framework. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:688-703. [PMID: 34624365 PMCID: PMC8642290 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, and poverty, profoundly alter neurobehavioral development in a manner that negatively impacts health across the lifespan. Adults who have been exposed to such adversities exhibit premature and more severe age-related declines in brain health. Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether the negative effects of early life adversity (ELA) on brain health can be remediated through intervention in adulthood. Physical activity may represent a low-cost behavioral approach to address the long-term consequences of ELA on brain health. However, there has been limited research examining the impact of physical activity on brain health among adults with a history of ELA. Accordingly, the purpose of this review is to (1) review the influence of ELA on brain health in adulthood and (2) highlight evidence for the role of neurotrophic factors, hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis regulation, inflammatory processes, and epigenetic modifications in mediating the effects of both ELA and physical activity on brain health outcomes in adulthood. We then propose a theoretical framework to guide future research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon D Donofry
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Psychiatric and Behavioral Health Institute, Allegheny Health Network Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
| | - Chelsea M Stillman
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Jamie L Hanson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Margaret Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Shufang Sun
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States; Mindfulness Center, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Eric B Loucks
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States; Mindfulness Center, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Kirk I Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Murdoch University, College of Science, Health, Engineering, and Education, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; PROFITH "PROmoting FITness and Health Through Physical Activity" Research Group, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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38
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Kennedy BV, Hanson JL, Buser NJ, van den Bos W, Rudolph KD, Davidson RJ, Pollak SD. Accumbofrontal tract integrity is related to early life adversity and feedback learning. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2288-2294. [PMID: 34561607 PMCID: PMC8581005 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01129-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, and other forms of early life adversity (ELA) are incredibly common and significantly impact physical and mental development. While important progress has been made in understanding the impacts of ELA on behavior and the brain, the preponderance of past work has primarily centered on threat processing and vigilance while ignoring other potentially critical neurobehavioral processes, such as reward-responsiveness and learning. To advance our understanding of potential mechanisms linking ELA and poor mental health, we center in on structural connectivity of the corticostriatal circuit, specifically accumbofrontal white matter tracts. Here, in a sample of 77 youth (Mean age = 181 months), we leveraged rigorous measures of ELA, strong diffusion neuroimaging methodology, and computational modeling of reward learning. Linking these different forms of data, we hypothesized that higher ELA would be related to lower quantitative anisotropy in accumbofrontal white matter. Furthermore, we predicted that lower accumbofrontal quantitative anisotropy would be related to differences in reward learning. Our primary predictions were confirmed, but similar patterns were not seen in control white matter tracts outside of the corticostriatal circuit. Examined collectively, our work is one of the first projects to connect ELA to neural and behavioral alterations in reward-learning, a critical potential mechanism linking adversity to later developmental challenges. This could potentially provide windows of opportunity to address the effects of ELA through interventions and preventative programming.
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Gee DG. Early Adversity and Development: Parsing Heterogeneity and Identifying Pathways of Risk and Resilience. Am J Psychiatry 2021; 178:998-1013. [PMID: 34734741 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.21090944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Adversity early in life is common and is a major risk factor for the onset of psychopathology. Delineating the neurodevelopmental pathways by which early adversity affects mental health is critical for early risk identification and targeted treatment approaches. A rapidly growing cross-species literature has facilitated advances in identifying the mechanisms linking adversity with psychopathology, specific dimensions of adversity and timing-related factors that differentially relate to outcomes, and protective factors that buffer against the effects of adversity. Yet, vast complexity and heterogeneity in early environments and neurodevelopmental trajectories contribute to the challenges of understanding risk and resilience in the context of early adversity. In this overview, the author highlights progress in four major areas-mechanisms, heterogeneity, developmental timing, and protective factors; synthesizes key challenges; and provides recommendations for future research that can facilitate progress in the field. Translation across species and ongoing refinement of conceptual models have strong potential to inform prevention and intervention strategies that can reduce the immense burden of psychopathology associated with early adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Conn
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40
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Martins J, Czamara D, Sauer S, Rex-Haffner M, Dittrich K, Dörr P, de Punder K, Overfeld J, Knop A, Dammering F, Entringer S, Winter SM, Buss C, Heim C, Binder EB. Childhood adversity correlates with stable changes in DNA methylation trajectories in children and converges with epigenetic signatures of prenatal stress. Neurobiol Stress 2021; 15:100336. [PMID: 34095363 PMCID: PMC8163992 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2021.100336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood maltreatment (CM) is an established major risk factor for a number of negative health outcomes later in life. While epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation (DNAm), have been proposed as a means of embedding this environmental risk factor, little is known about its timing and trajectory, especially in very young children. It is also not clear whether additional environmental adversities, often experienced by these children, converge on similar DNAm changes. Here, we calculated a cumulative adversity score, which additionally to CM includes socioeconomic status (SES), other life events, parental psychopathology and epigenetic biomarkers of prenatal smoking and alcohol consumption. We investigated the effects of CM alone as well as the adversity score on longitudinal DNAm trajectories in the Berlin Longitudinal Child Study. This is a cohort of 173 children aged 3-5 years at baseline of whom 86 were exposed to CM. These children were followed-up for 2 years with extensive psychometric and biological assessments as well as saliva collection at 5 time points providing genome-wide DNAm levels. Overall, only a few DNAm patterns were stable over this timeframe, but less than 10 DNAm regions showed significant changes. At baseline, neither CM nor the adversity score associated with DNAm changes. However, in 6 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), CM and the adversity score significantly moderated DNAm trajectories over time. A number of these DMRs have previously been associated with adverse prenatal exposures. In our study, children exposed to CM also presented with epigenetic signatures indicative of increased prenatal exposure to tobacco and alcohol, as compared to non-CM exposed children. These epigenetic signatures of prenatal exposure strongly correlate with DNAm regions associated with CM and the adversity score. Finally, weighted correlation network analysis revealed a module of CpGs exclusively associated with CM. While our study identifies DNAm loci specifically associated with CM, especially within long non-coding RNAs, the majority of associations were found with the adversity score with convergent association with indicators of adverse prenatal exposures. This study highlights the importance of mapping not only of the epigenome but also the exposome and extending the observational timeframe to well before birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jade Martins
- Dept. of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Darina Czamara
- Dept. of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Susann Sauer
- Dept. of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Monika Rex-Haffner
- Dept. of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Katja Dittrich
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Campus Virchow, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peggy Dörr
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Campus Virchow, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Karin de Punder
- Natura Foundation, Research and Development, Numansdrop, 3281, NC, Netherlands
| | - Judith Overfeld
- Charité − Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea Knop
- Charité − Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Dammering
- Charité − Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Charité − Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- University of California, Irvine, Development, Health, and Disease Research Program, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Sibylle M. Winter
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Campus Virchow, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Augustenburger Platz 1, D-13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Claudia Buss
- Charité − Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- University of California, Irvine, Development, Health, and Disease Research Program, Orange, CA, USA
| | - Christine Heim
- Charité − Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Psychology, Campus Charité Mitte, Luisenstraße 57, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Dept. of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health & Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Elisabeth B. Binder
- Dept. of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
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Golm D, Sarkar S, Mackes NK, Fairchild G, Mehta MA, Rutter M, Sonuga-Barke EJ. The impact of childhood deprivation on adult neuropsychological functioning is associated with ADHD symptom persistence. Psychol Med 2021; 51:2675-2684. [PMID: 32419675 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720001294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Institutional deprivation in early childhood is associated with neuropsychological deficits in adolescence. Using 20-year follow-up data from a unique natural experiment - the large-scale adoption of children exposed to extreme deprivation in Romanian institutions in the 1980s -we examined, for the first time, whether such deficits are still present in adulthood and whether they are associated with deprivation-related symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS Adult neuropsychological functioning was assessed across five domains (inhibitory control, emotion recognition, decision-making, prospective memory and IQ) in 70 previously institutionalized adoptees (mean age = 25.3, 50% female) and 22 non-deprived UK adoptees (comparison group, mean age = 24.6, 41% female). ADHD and ASD symptoms were assessed using parent-completed questionnaires. RESULTS Early institutionalization was associated with impaired performance on all tasks in adulthood. Prospective memory deficits persisted after controlling for IQ. ADHD and ASD symptoms were positively correlated. After controlling for ASD symptoms, ADHD symptoms remained associated with deficits in IQ, prospective memory, proactive inhibition, decision-making quality and emotion recognition. ASD symptoms were not independently associated with neuropsychological deficits when accounting for their overlap with ADHD symptoms. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the link between childhood deprivation and adult ADHD symptoms was statistically explained by deprivation-related differences in adult IQ and prospective memory. CONCLUSIONS These results represent some of the most compelling evidence to date of the enduring power of early, time-limited childhood adversity to impair long-term neuropsychological functioning across the lifespan - effects that are linked specifically to deprivation-related adult ADHD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Golm
- Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Sagari Sarkar
- Cognitive Neuroscience & Neuropsychiatry Section, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nuria K Mackes
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Mitul A Mehta
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Rutter
- MRC Social Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Edmund J Sonuga-Barke
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Hanson JL, Williams AV, Bangasser DA, Peña CJ. Impact of Early Life Stress on Reward Circuit Function and Regulation. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:744690. [PMID: 34744836 PMCID: PMC8563782 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.744690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Early life stress - including experience of child maltreatment, neglect, separation from or loss of a parent, and other forms of adversity - increases lifetime risk of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. A major component of this risk may be early life stress-induced alterations in motivation and reward processing, mediated by changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Here, we review evidence of the impact of early life stress on reward circuit structure and function from human and animal models, with a focus on the NAc. We then connect these results to emerging theoretical models about the indirect and direct impacts of early life stress on reward circuit development. Through this review and synthesis, we aim to highlight open research questions and suggest avenues of future study in service of basic science, as well as applied insights. Understanding how early life stress alters reward circuit development, function, and motivated behaviors is a critical first step toward developing the ability to predict, prevent, and treat stress-related psychopathology spanning mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L. Hanson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Alexia V. Williams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Debra A. Bangasser
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Catherine J. Peña
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
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Yang R, Yu Q, Owen CE, Ibarra Aspe G, Wiggins JL. Contributions of childhood abuse and neglect to reward neural substrates in adolescence. Neuroimage Clin 2021; 32:102832. [PMID: 34649067 PMCID: PMC8517926 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood adverse experiences may come to bear particularly during adolescence, when neural reward systems are developing rapidly and psychopathology spikes. Despite prior work differentiating threat- (abuse) vs. deprivation- (neglect) related adversity, no research has yet identified their relative nor interactive contributions to reward neural substrates during adolescence. In the present study, we leveraged a diverse sample of adolescents with different childhood adversity profiles to examine neural responses to reward in relation to varying degrees of abuse vs. neglect. METHODS Adolescents (N = 45; 23 females; mean age = 14.9 years, SD = 1.9) completed a child-friendly monetary incentive delay task during fMRI acquisition. The self-report Childhood Trauma Questionnaire assessed childhood abuse and neglect. Whole brain ANCOVA analyses evaluated reward anticipation (reward vs. no reward expected) and feedback (hitting vs. missing the target with a reward vs. no reward) in relation to abuse and neglect dimensions. RESULTS Whole-brain analyses revealed that abuse, adjusted for neglect, is associated with greater differences between task conditions (reward vs. no reward, hit vs. miss) in regions associated with threat/emotion regulation (prefrontal and temporal cortices, as well as posterior regions including fusiform and posterior cingulate/precuneus). Additionally, level of neglect modulated neural response associated with abuse in prefrontal and temporoparietal regions, such that youths with high levels of both abuse and neglect showed qualitatively different, more exaggerated neural patterns compared to youths with elevated adversity in only one dimension. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that early experiences of abuse and neglect have a long developmental reach resulting in reward-related neural alterations in adolescence. Moreover, our results bolster theoretical conceptualizations of adversity along threat and deprivation dimensions and provide evidence that "adding up" adverse life events may not be sufficient to capture the qualitatively different neural profiles produced by differing combinations of types of adversity, which may in turn necessitate different treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyu Yang
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, United States
| | - Qiongru Yu
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, United States
| | | | | | - Jillian Lee Wiggins
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, United States; San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, United States
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44
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Surakka A, Vengeliene V, Skorodumov I, Meinhardt M, Hansson AC, Spanagel R. Adverse social experiences in adolescent rats result in persistent sex-dependent effects on alcohol-seeking behavior. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021; 45:1468-1478. [PMID: 34273113 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accumulating clinical evidence suggests that women with prior exposure to adverse childhood experiences are more susceptible to heavy drinking and other health-related behaviors. Yet, preclinical studies investigating sex-dependent effects of adolescent adverse social experiences (ASEs) on later alcohol-seeking behavior are lacking. This is mainly due to the unavailability of valid animal models and a shortage of studies that compare effects in males and females. Therefore, we sought to investigate the sex-dependent effects of ASE on adult alcohol-seeking behavior, locomotion, and reward sensitivity in male and female rats. METHODS We recently developed a rat model for childhood/adolescent peer rejection that allows us to study the long-term consequences of ASEs. Adolescent Wistar rats were reared from postnatal day (pd) 21 to pd 50 either within a group of Fischer 344 rats (ASE) or within a group of Wistar rats (control). Wistar rats housed with Fischer 344 rats do not reciprocate social play in adolescence. This reduced play across adolescence mimics peer rejection and results in chronic dysregulation of social and pain-related behaviors. We tested adult male and female rats in the reinstatement paradigm for cue-induced alcohol-seeking behavior, circadian locomotor activity, and sucrose consumption long after the termination of the peer rejection condition. RESULTS Peer rejection induced persistent sex-dependent changes in alcohol cue-induced reinstatement. Females showed an increased reinstatement effect while peer-rejected males demonstrated a decrease. Sex differences were observed in locomotor activity or reward sensitivity to sucrose. CONCLUSIONS Peer rejection has long-lasting sex-dependent consequences on alcohol-seeking behavior without affecting locomotion or sweet reward sensitivity. Our results suggest that peer-rejected female rats represent a vulnerable population in which to study relapse-like behaviors that are similar to clinical findings, while males seem to buffer the peer rejection effect and demonstrate resilience to later life alcohol-seeking behaviors, as measured by the reinstatement effect. Finally, we provide a novel approach to investigate the molecular and neurobiological underpinnings of ASEs on alcohol and other drug-seeking behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akseli Surakka
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Valentina Vengeliene
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ivan Skorodumov
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marcus Meinhardt
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anita C Hansson
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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45
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Hu W, Liu Y, Li J, Zhao X, Yang J. Early life stress moderated the influence of reward anticipation on acute psychosocial stress responses. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13892. [PMID: 34216019 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that reward anticipation decreases individuals' acute stress responses. However, individuals who have experienced early life stress (ELS) may have a blunted capacity for reward anticipation, which reduces its buffering effect on psychosocial stress responses. To investigate this phenomenon, 66 young adults completed the Trier Social Stress Test following a reward anticipation task, and their ELS levels were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Meanwhile, the current study collected biological and psychological measures of stress by analysing cortisol levels, heart rates, heart rate variability (HRV) as well as subjective stress levels, in response to the Trier Social Stress test. Results showed that reward anticipation successfully decreased acute stress responses in general, and it also improved participants' HRV. However, this effect was more evident in individuals with low ELS than those with high ELS. These findings help us deepen understanding of the role of reward anticipation in fostering resilience under stress and the potentially important implications for individuals who have been exposed to ELS are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiwen Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Lokshina Y, Nickelsen T, Liberzon I. Reward Processing and Circuit Dysregulation in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:559401. [PMID: 34122157 PMCID: PMC8193060 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.559401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Past decades have witnessed substantial progress in understanding of neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to generation of various PTSD symptoms, including intrusive memories, physiological arousal and avoidance of trauma reminders. However, the neurobiology of anhedonia and emotional numbing in PTSD, that have been conceptualized as reward processing deficits - reward wanting (anticipation of reward) and reward liking (satisfaction with reward outcome), respectively, remains largely unexplored. Empirical evidence on reward processing in PTSD is rather limited, and no studies have examined association of reward processing abnormalities and neurocircuitry-based models of PTSD pathophysiology. The manuscript briefly summarizes "state of the science" of both human reward processing, and of PTSD implicated neurocircuitry, as well as empirical evidence of reward processing deficits in PTSD. We then summarize current gaps in the literature and outline key future directions, further illustrating it by the example of two alternative explanations of PTSD pathophysiology potentially affecting reward processing via different neurobiological pathways. Studying reward processing in PTSD will not only advance the understanding of their link, but also could enhance current treatment approaches by specifically targeting anhedonia and emotional symptoms in PTSD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yana Lokshina
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Tetiana Nickelsen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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47
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Baranger DAA, Lindenmuth M, Nance M, Guyer AE, Keenan K, Hipwell AE, Shaw DS, Forbes EE. The longitudinal stability of fMRI activation during reward processing in adolescents and young adults. Neuroimage 2021; 232:117872. [PMID: 33609668 PMCID: PMC8238413 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of functional neuroimaging has been an extremely fruitful avenue for investigating the neural basis of human reward function. This approach has included identification of potential neurobiological mechanisms of psychiatric disease and examination of environmental, experiential, and biological factors that may contribute to disease risk via effects on the reward system. However, a central and largely unexamined assumption of much of this research is that neural reward function is an individual difference characteristic that is relatively stable and trait-like over time. METHODS In two independent samples of adolescents and young adults studied longitudinally (Ns = 145 & 139, 100% female and 100% male, ages 15-21 and 20-22, 2-4 scans and 2 scans respectively), we tested within-person stability of reward-task BOLD activation, with a median of 1 and 2 years between scans. We examined multiple commonly used contrasts of active states and baseline in both the anticipation and feedback phases of a card-guessing reward task. We examined the effects of cortical parcellation resolution, contrast, network (reward regions and resting-state networks), region-size, and activation strength and variability on the stability of reward-related activation. RESULTS In both samples, contrasts of an active state relative to a baseline were more stable (ICC: intra-class correlation; e.g., Win>Baseline; mean ICC = 0.13 - 0.33) than contrasts of two active states (e.g., Win>Loss; mean ICC = 0.048 - 0.05). Additionally, activation in reward regions was less stable than in many non-task networks (e.g., dorsal attention), and activation in regions with greater between-subject variability showed higher stability in both samples. CONCLUSIONS These results show that some contrasts from functional neuroimaging activation during a card guessing reward task have partially trait-like properties in adolescent and young adult samples over 1-2 years. Notably, results suggest that contrasts intended to map cognitive function and show robust group-level effects (i.e. Win > Loss) may be less effective in studies of individual differences and disease risk. The robustness of group-level activation should be weighed against other factors when selecting regions of interest in individual difference fMRI studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A A Baranger
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 121 Meyran Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States.
| | - Morgan Lindenmuth
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 121 Meyran Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Melissa Nance
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 121 Meyran Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Amanda E Guyer
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States; Department of Human Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Kate Keenan
- University of Chicago, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Alison E Hipwell
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 121 Meyran Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States
| | - Daniel S Shaw
- University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Erika E Forbes
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 121 Meyran Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States; University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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Morelli NM, Liuzzi MT, Duong JB, Kryza-Lacombe M, Chad-Friedman E, Villodas MT, Dougherty LR, Wiggins JL. Reward-related neural correlates of early life stress in school-aged children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 49:100963. [PMID: 34020397 PMCID: PMC8144345 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Early life stress likely contributes to dysfunction in neural reward processing systems. However, studies to date have focused almost exclusively on adolescents and adults, measured early life stress retrospectively, and have often failed to control for concurrent levels of stress. The current study examined the contribution of prospectively measured cumulative life stress in preschool-age children on reward-related neural activation and connectivity in school-age children. METHODS Children (N = 46) and caregivers reported children's exposure to early life stress between birth and preschool age (mean = 4.8 years, SD = 0.80). At follow-up (mean age = 7.52 years, SD = .78), participants performed a child-friendly monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Children with higher levels of cumulative early life stress, controlling for concurrent stressful life events, exhibited aberrant patterns of neural activation and connectivity in reward- and emotion-related regions (e.g., prefrontal cortex, temporal pole, culmen), depending on the presence of a potential reward and whether or not the target was hit or missed. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that stress exposure during early childhood may impact neural reward processing systems earlier in development than has previously been demonstrated. Understanding how early life stress relates to alterations in reward processing could guide earlier, more mechanistic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas M Morelli
- San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA, 92120, United States.
| | - Michael T Liuzzi
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, United States.
| | - Jacqueline B Duong
- Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, United States.
| | - Maria Kryza-Lacombe
- San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA, 92120, United States.
| | - Emma Chad-Friedman
- Psychology Department, University of Maryland College Park, Biology/Psychology Building, 4094 Campus Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, United States.
| | - Miguel T Villodas
- San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA, 92120, United States; Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, United States.
| | - Lea R Dougherty
- Psychology Department, University of Maryland College Park, Biology/Psychology Building, 4094 Campus Drive, College Park, MD, 20742, United States.
| | - Jillian Lee Wiggins
- San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, 6363 Alvarado Court, Suite 103, San Diego, CA, 92120, United States; Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, United States.
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Stretton J, Walsh ND, Mobbs D, Schweizer S, van Harmelen A, Lombardo M, Goodyer I, Dalgleish T. How biopsychosocial depressive risk shapes behavioral and neural responses to social evaluation in adolescence. Brain Behav 2021; 11:e02005. [PMID: 33662187 PMCID: PMC8119860 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Understanding the emotional responsivity style and neurocognitive profiles of depression-related processes in at-risk youth may be helpful in revealing those most likely to develop affective disorders. However, the multiplicity of biopsychosocial risk factors makes it difficult to disentangle unique and combined effects at a neurobiological level. METHODS In a population-derived sample of 56 older adolescents (aged 17-20), we adopted partial least squares regression and correlation models to explore the relationships between multivariate biopsychosocial risks for later depression, emotional response style, and fMRI activity, to rejecting and inclusive social feedback. RESULTS Behaviorally, higher depressive risk was associated with both reduced negative affect following negative social feedback and reduced positive affect following positive social feedback. In response to both cues of rejection and inclusion, we observed a general neural pattern of increased cingulate, temporal, and striatal activity in the brain. Secondly, in response to rejection only, we observed a pattern of activity in ostensibly executive control- and emotion regulation-related brain regions encompassing fronto-parietal brain networks including the angular gyrus. CONCLUSION The results suggest that risk for depression is associated with a pervasive emotional insensitivity in the face of positive and negative social feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Stretton
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Nicholas D Walsh
- School of PsychologyFaculty of Social SciencesUniversity of East AngliaNorwichUK
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Division of Humanities and Social SciencesCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - Susanne Schweizer
- Division of Psychology and Language SciencesUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Michael Lombardo
- Department of Psychology and Center for Applied NeuroscienceUniversity of CyprusNicosiaCyprus
| | - Ian Goodyer
- Developmental Psychiatry SectionDepartment of PsychiatryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Tim Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation TrustCambridgeUK
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Merz MP, Turner JD. Is early life adversity a trigger towards inflammageing? Exp Gerontol 2021; 150:111377. [PMID: 33905877 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2021.111377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
There are many 'faces' of early life adversity (ELA), such as childhood trauma, institutionalisation, abuse or exposure to environmental toxins. These have been implicated in the onset and severity of a wide range of chronic non-communicable diseases later in life. The later-life disease risk has a well-established immunological component. This raises the question as to whether accelerated immune-ageing mechanistically links early-life adversity to the lifelong health trajectory resulting in either 'poor' or 'healthy' ageing. Here we examine observational and mechanistic studies of ELA and inflammageing, highlighting common and distinct features in these two life stages. Many biological processes appear in common including reduction in telomere length, increased immunosenescence, metabolic distortions and chronic (viral) infections. We propose that ELA shapes the developing immune, endocrine and nervous system in a non-reversible way, creating a distinct phenotype with accelerated immunosenescence and systemic inflammation. We conclude that ELA might act as an accelerator for inflammageing and age-related diseases. Furthermore, we now have the tools and cohorts to be able to dissect the interaction between ELA and later life phenotype. This should, in the near future, allow us to identify the ecological and mechanistic processes that are involved in 'healthy' or accelerated immune-ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myriam P Merz
- Immune Endocrine and Epigenetics Research Group, Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29 rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, 2 avenue de Université, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Jonathan D Turner
- Immune Endocrine and Epigenetics Research Group, Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29 rue Henri Koch, L-4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
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