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Polemiti E, Hese S, Schepanski K, Yuan J, Schumann G. How does the macroenvironment influence brain and behaviour-a review of current status and future perspectives. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02557-x. [PMID: 38658771 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02557-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The environment influences brain and mental health, both detrimentally and beneficially. Existing research has emphasised the individual psychosocial 'microenvironment'. Less attention has been paid to 'macroenvironmental' challenges, including climate change, pollution, urbanicity, and socioeconomic disparity. Notably, the implications of climate and pollution on brain and mental health have only recently gained prominence. With the advent of large-scale big-data cohorts and an increasingly dense mapping of macroenvironmental parameters, we are now in a position to characterise the relation between macroenvironment, brain, and behaviour across different geographic and cultural locations globally. This review synthesises findings from recent epidemiological and neuroimaging studies, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing evidence between the macroenvironment and the structure and functions of the brain, with a particular emphasis on its implications for mental illness. We discuss putative underlying mechanisms and address the most common exposures of the macroenvironment. Finally, we identify critical areas for future research to enhance our understanding of the aetiology of mental illness and to inform effective interventions for healthier environments and mental health promotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elli Polemiti
- Centre of Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sören Hese
- Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | | | - Jiacan Yuan
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences & Institute of Atmospheric Sciences & CMA-FDU Joint Laboratory of Marine Meteorology & IRDR-ICOE on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gunter Schumann
- Centre of Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), Institute for Science and Technology of Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI), Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Yuan J, Wang Q, Shang S, Lei Y, Lou L. Analysis of brain signal change response in amygdala evoked by skin pressure stimulus. Skin Res Technol 2023; 29:e13238. [PMID: 36397256 PMCID: PMC9838756 DOI: 10.1111/srt.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It was well known that the human body would produce an uncomfortable sensation when the fabric exerted a certain amount of pressure irritation on the skin. The amygdala had long been thought to be the source of negative emotion perception. However, up to now, the brain signal changes in the amygdala evoked by skin exposure pressure had not been known. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this work, a series of gradually increasing contact pressure stimulus from boneless corsets was repeatedly applied to the body's waist and abdomen, and the technology of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was adopted to detect the brain response synchronously. RESULTS The results shown that both subjective comfort score and percent signal changes (PSCs) of amygdala decreased with the increase of skin contact pressure. When the skin pressure applied to the waist and abdomen of the human body exceeded about 1 kPa, blood oxygen level dependent signal in the amygdala was negatively activated. Besides, the degree of response of PSCs was intense than subjective evaluation, and the standard deviations of PSCs between individuals were much smaller than subjective evaluations. CONCLUSION It was suggested that skin contact pressure stimulus caused the attention of the amygdala brain area. The greater the stimulus, the higher the attention, but such attention was caused by negative activation of the amygdala induced by skin discomfort. In addition, skin comfort representation based on brain perception was superior to subjective representation due to its higher response sensitivity and antipsychological interference ability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Silk Culture Inheriting and Products Design Digital Technology, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.,Clothing Engineering Research Center of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qicai Wang
- College of Textile Science and Engineering (Intenational Institute of Silk), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shanshan Shang
- School of Textiles and Fashion, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Yutian Lei
- College of Education Science, Quanzhou Normal University, Fujian, China
| | - Lin Lou
- Key Laboratory of Silk Culture Inheriting and Products Design Digital Technology, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.,Clothing Engineering Research Center of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Materials and Manufacturing Technology (Zhejiang Sci-Tech University), Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
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Imperatori C, Massullo C, De Rossi E, Carbone GA, Theodorou A, Scopelliti M, Romano L, Del Gatto C, Allegrini G, Carrus G, Panno A. Exposure to nature is associated with decreased functional connectivity within the distress network: A resting state EEG study. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1171215. [PMID: 37151328 PMCID: PMC10158085 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1171215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite the well-established evidence supporting the restorative potential of nature exposure, the neurophysiological underpinnings of the restorative cognitive/emotional effect of nature are not yet fully understood. The main purpose of the current study was to investigate the association between exposure to nature and electroencephalography (EEG) functional connectivity in the distress network. Methods Fifty-three individuals (11 men and 42 women; mean age 21.38 ± 1.54 years) were randomly assigned to two groups: (i) a green group and (ii) a gray group. A slideshow consisting of images depicting natural and urban scenarios were, respectively, presented to the green and the gray group. Before and after the slideshow, 5 min resting state (RS) EEG recordings were performed. The exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) software was used to execute all EEG analyses. Results Compared to the gray group, the green group showed a significant increase in positive emotions (F 1; 50 = 9.50 p = 0.003) and in the subjective experience of being full of energy and alive (F 1; 50 = 4.72 p = 0.035). Furthermore, as compared to urban pictures, the exposure to natural images was associated with a decrease of delta functional connectivity in the distress network, specifically between the left insula and left subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (T = -3.70, p = 0.023). Discussion Our results would seem to be in accordance with previous neurophysiological studies suggesting that experiencing natural environments is associated with brain functional dynamics linked to emotional restorative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Imperatori
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Massullo
- Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena De Rossi
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Alessio Carbone
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Giuseppe Alessio Carbone,
| | - Annalisa Theodorou
- Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Luciano Romano
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Del Gatto
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgia Allegrini
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Carrus
- Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Department of Education, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Angelo Panno
- Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Department of Human Sciences, European University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Angelo Panno,
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Baena-Extremera A, García JF, Martínez AC, Martín-Pérez C. Sports in Natural Environment, Sports in Urban Environment: An fMRI Study about Stress and Attention/Awareness. J Sports Sci Med 2021; 20:789-798. [PMID: 35321148 PMCID: PMC8488833 DOI: 10.52082/jssm.2021.789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore, on one side, the differences between a group of athletes exercising outdoor (OG) and another group exercising indoor (IG) in stress and awareness, and, on the other side, between-group differences in the fMRI activations during the visualization of natural environment images versus urban images. In addition, we aimed to analyze the associations between the resulting task-related brain activations and stress and attention-awareness in each group separately. All the participants (N = 49; OG = 21, 11 females, mean age = 40, SD = 6.49; and IG = 25, 11 females, mean age = 40; 6.19) underwent an fMRI scan and completed the Perceived Stress Scale and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Besides, we collected a sample of hair cortisol. Participants viewed three types of images: water nature, green nature and urban images. Two-sample t-test with corrected p=0.001 values were carried out. Further correlational analyses were performed to estimate the associations between task-related brain activations and our pyscho-emotional measures in each group. Fisher tests were used to explore for potential between-group differences in the correlational indexes. In OG, compared to IG, we found a higher activation of the middle occipital cortex and a cluster comprising the supplementary motor area (SMA), the premotor cortex and the pre-SMA while viewing green nature images versus urban images. In OG, more than in IG, the higher activation of the left SMA cluster negatively correlated with perceived stress, while in the IG, more than in OG, the higher premotor cortex activation was positively related to the total score on MAAS. No significant association was found with the hair cortisol levels. Exercising outdoor would relate to better psycho-emotional outcomes, also for athletes. On the other side, the exposition to green nature led to higher activation of brain areas related to motor planning, but also to emotion regulation and emotional response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julio F García
- Department of Education, Research and Evaluation Methodology, University Pontifical Comillas, Spain
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Kühn S, Forlim CG, Lender A, Wirtz J, Gallinat J. Brain functional connectivity differs when viewing pictures from natural and built environments using fMRI resting state analysis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4110. [PMID: 33602960 PMCID: PMC7893012 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83246-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Human beings evolved in “natural” environments. Many intervention studies have shown that exposure to natural environments (compared to built/urban environments) reduces stress and increases cognitive functioning. We set out to test differences in fMRI functional connectivity while showing participants photographs from natural versus built environments (matched in terms of scenicness ratings). No differences in self-reported perceived stress, rumination, valence, arousal or dominance were observed. However, functional connectivity was significantly higher when participants saw natural rather than built environmental photographs in circuits consisting of dorsal attention network (DAN) and ventral attention network (VAN), DAN and default mode network (DMN) and DMN and Somatomotor connections. In addition, we observed lower functional connectivity during the natural environment condition correlated with more years that individuals spent in major cities during upbringing. Future studies, linking changes in cognitive functioning due to nature exposure and alterations in functional connectivity, are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Kühn
- Lise Meiter Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195, Berlin, Germany. .,University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Caroline Garcia Forlim
- University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Anja Lender
- University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Janina Wirtz
- University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Gallinat
- University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf, Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
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Kim GW, Jeong GW. Menopause-related brain activation patterns during visual sexual arousal in menopausal women: An fMRI pilot study using time-course analysis. Neuroscience 2016; 343:449-458. [PMID: 27998777 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The aging process and menopausal transition are important factors in sexual dysfunction of menopausal women. No neuroimaging study has assessed the age- and menopause-related changes on brain activation areas associated with sexual arousal in menopausal women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the time course of regional brain activity associated with sexual arousal evoked by visual stimulation in premenopausal and menopausal women, and further to assess the effect of menopause on the brain areas associated with sexual arousal in menopausal women using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Thirty volunteers consisting of 15 premenopausal and 15 menopausal women underwent the fMRI. For the activation condition, volunteers viewed sexually arousing visual stimulation. The brain areas with significantly higher activation in premenopausal women compared with menopausal women included the thalamus, amygdala, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) using analysis of covariance adjusting for age (p<0.005). Blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal changes in the amygdala while viewing erotic video were positively correlated with estrogen levels in the two groups. Our findings suggest that reduced brain activity of the thalamus, amygdala, and ACC in menopausal women may be associated with menopause-related decrease in sexual arousal. These findings might help elucidate the neural mechanisms associated with sexual dysfunction in menopausal women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwang-Won Kim
- Research Institute for Medical Imaging, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Gwang-Woo Jeong
- Research Institute for Medical Imaging, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea; Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
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Logan AC, Katzman MA, Balanzá-Martínez V. Natural environments, ancestral diets, and microbial ecology: is there a modern "paleo-deficit disorder"? Part I. J Physiol Anthropol 2015; 34:1. [PMID: 25636731 PMCID: PMC4318214 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-015-0041-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Famed microbiologist René J. Dubos (1901-1982) was an early pioneer in the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) construct. In the 1960s, he conducted groundbreaking experimental research concerning the ways in which early-life experience with nutrition, microbiota, stress, and other environmental variables could influence later-life health outcomes. He also wrote extensively on potential health consequences of a progressive loss of contact with natural environments (now referred to as green or blue space), arguing that Paleolithic experiences have created needs, particularly in the mental realm, that might not be met in the context of rapid global urbanization. He posited that humans would certainly adapt to modern urban landscapes and high technology, but there might be a toll to be paid in the form of higher psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression) and diminished quality of life. In particular, there might be an erosion of humanness, exemplified by declines in altruism/empathy. Here in the first of a two-part review, we examine contemporary research related to natural environments and question to what extent Dubos might have been correct in some of his 50-year-old assertions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan C Logan
- CAMNR, 23679 Calabasas Road Suite 542, Calabasas, CA, 91302, USA.
| | - Martin A Katzman
- START Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 32 Park Road, Toronto, ON, M4W 2 N4, Canada.
| | - Vicent Balanzá-Martínez
- Department of Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, University of Valencia Medical School, Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 15, E46010, Valencia, Spain.
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