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Cifre AB, Vieira A, Baker C, Myers A, Rech ME, Kim J, Zhang Y, Alfano CA. Do weighted blankets improve sleep among children with a history of maltreatment? A randomized controlled crossover trial. J Clin Sleep Med 2024; 20:1405-1413. [PMID: 38607244 PMCID: PMC11367729 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.11152] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep disruption is prevalent and persistent among children who experience maltreatment/interpersonal trauma. Weighted blankets have gained popularity in recent years as a potential nonpharmacological intervention for improving sleep in various populations, but their efficacy has not been examined among maltreated children. The current study used a randomized, within-subjects, crossover design to examine whether the use of a weighted blanket improves objective and/or subjective indices of sleep among 30 children, ages 6-15 years (mean = 9.7, standard deviation = 2.9) adopted from foster care. METHODS Participants used a weighted blanket for 2 weeks and their usual (unweighted) blanket for 2 weeks in a counterbalanced order. Sleep outcomes were measured using actigraphy and subjective sleep diaries. RESULTS No differences in actigraphy-based or subjective estimates of total sleep time, sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, or sleep quality ratings were found based on blanket type. Child age, biological sex, timing of participation (school year vs summer months), and maltreatment/trauma history did not impact outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Although we did not find evidence that weighted blankets improve sleep among children with a history of maltreatment/interpersonal trauma, additional well-controlled studies using larger samples of children are needed. CITATION Cifre AB, Vieira A, Baker C, et al. Do weighted blankets improve sleep among children with a history of maltreatment? A randomized controlled crossover trial. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(9):1405-1413.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony B. Cifre
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Alyssa Vieira
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Carter Baker
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Annika Myers
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Megan E. Rech
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Jinu Kim
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Yuexin Zhang
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Candice A. Alfano
- Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
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2
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Jiménez-Sánchez L, Blesa Cábez M, Vaher K, Corrigan A, Thrippleton MJ, Bastin ME, Quigley AJ, Fletcher-Watson S, Boardman JP. Infant attachment does not depend on neonatal amygdala and hippocampal structure and connectivity. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 67:101387. [PMID: 38692007 PMCID: PMC11070590 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101387] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Infant attachment is an antecedent of later socioemotional abilities, which can be adversely affected by preterm birth. The structural integrity of amygdalae and hippocampi may subserve attachment in infancy. We aimed to investigate associations between neonatal amygdalae and hippocampi structure and their whole-brain connections and attachment behaviours at nine months of age in a sample of infants enriched for preterm birth. In 133 neonates (median gestational age 32 weeks, range 22.14-42.14), we calculated measures of amygdala and hippocampal structure (volume, fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, neurite dispersion index, orientation dispersion index) and structural connectivity, and coded attachment behaviours (distress, fretfulness, attentiveness to caregiver) from responses to the Still-Face Paradigm at nine months. After multiple comparisons correction, there were no significant associations between neonatal amygdala or hippocampal structure and structural connectivity and attachment behaviours: standardised β values - 0.23 to 0.18, adjusted p-values > 0.40. Findings indicate that the neural basis of infant attachment in term and preterm infants is not contingent on the structure or connectivity of the amygdalae and hippocampi in the neonatal period, which implies that it is more widely distributed in early life and or that network specialisation takes place in the months after hospital discharge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Jiménez-Sánchez
- Translational Neuroscience PhD Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Manuel Blesa Cábez
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kadi Vaher
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Amy Corrigan
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Mark E Bastin
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alan J Quigley
- Department of Radiology, Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sue Fletcher-Watson
- Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - James P Boardman
- Centre for Reproductive Health, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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3
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McGlone F, Uvnäs Moberg K, Norholt H, Eggart M, Müller-Oerlinghausen B. Touch medicine: bridging the gap between recent insights from touch research and clinical medicine and its special significance for the treatment of affective disorders. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1390673. [PMID: 38881553 PMCID: PMC11177324 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1390673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Interpersonal touch represents the primal sensory experience between humans, fostering social bonding from the cradle to the death bed. In recent decades "affective touch" has been intensely studied, stimulated by the discovery of a population of mechanosensitive unmyelinated C-tactile afferents in mammalian skin. A lack of touch in childhood is associated with negative consequences for psychosocial and physical health and the benefits of professional touch techniques in the prevention and treatment of various diseases have been shown over and over again in clinical studies. However, its application in mainstream clinical applications remains limited. To bridge the gap between recent discoveries in touch research and clinical medicine, we propose the establishment of a new discipline: 'Touch Medicine'. Here, we unfold the potential of Touch Medicine by focusing on the treatment of depression, which in our view is primarily a disorder of the lived body. Controlled studies and systematic reviews have demonstrated the antidepressant, anxiolytic and analgesic effects of specific massage techniques. Underlying mechanisms of action are currently under investigation, ranging from interoceptive, endocrinological, to stress-related or psychological underpinnings. Touch Medicine represents a novel interdisciplinary field connected to various medical specialities such as neonatology, pediatrics, pain medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and geriatrics - but also clinical psychology and psychosomatic medicine might benefit from the integration of these findings into their daily practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis McGlone
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroscience & Biomedical Engineering, School of Science, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, Sweden
| | - Henrik Norholt
- SomAffect - The Somatosensory & Affective Neuroscience Group, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Eggart
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Neuruppin, Germany
- Faculty of Social Work, Health and Nursing, Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences, Weingarten, Germany
| | - Bruno Müller-Oerlinghausen
- Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Neuruppin, Germany
- Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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4
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Uvnäs-Moberg K. The physiology and pharmacology of oxytocin in labor and in the peripartum period. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2024; 230:S740-S758. [PMID: 38462255 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a reproductive hormone implicated in the process of parturition and widely used during labor. Oxytocin is produced within the supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary lobe into the circulation. Oxytocin is released in pulses with increasing frequency and amplitude in the first and second stages of labor, with a few pulses released in the third stage of labor. During labor, the fetus exerts pressure on the cervix of the uterus, which activates a feedforward reflex-the Ferguson reflex-which releases oxytocin. When myometrial contractions activate sympathetic nerves, it decreases oxytocin release. When oxytocin binds to specific myometrial oxytocin receptors, it induces myometrial contractions. High levels of circulating estrogen at term make the receptors more sensitive. In addition, oxytocin stimulates prostaglandin synthesis and release in the decidua and chorioamniotic membranes by activating a specific type of oxytocin receptor. Prostaglandins contribute to cervical ripening and uterine contractility in labor. The oxytocin system in the brain has been implicated in decreasing maternal levels of fear, pain, and stress, and oxytocin release and function during labor are stimulated by a social support. Moreover, studies suggest, but have not yet proven, that labor may be associated with long-term, behavioral and physiological adaptations in the mother and infant, possibly involving epigenetic modulation of oxytocin production and release and the oxytocin receptor. In addition, infusions of synthetic oxytocin are used to induce and augment labor. Oxytocin may be administered according to different dose regimens at increasing rates from 1 to 3 mIU/min to a maximal rate of 36 mIU/min at 15- to 40-minute intervals. The total amount of synthetic oxytocin given during labor can be 5 to 10 IU, but lower and higher amounts of oxytocin may also be given. High-dose infusions of oxytocin may shorten the duration of labor by up to 2 hours compared with no infusion of oxytocin; however, it does not lower the frequency of cesarean delivery. When synthetic oxytocin is administered, the plasma concentration of oxytocin increases in a dose-dependent way: at infusion rates of 20 to 30 mIU/min, plasma oxytocin concentration increases approximately 2- to 3-fold above the basal level. Synthetic oxytocin administered at recommended dose levels is not likely to cross the placenta or maternal blood-brain barrier. Synthetic oxytocin should be administered with caution as high levels may induce tachystole and uterine overstimulation, with potentially negative consequences for the fetus and possibly the mother. Of note, 5 to 10 IU of synthetic oxytocin is often routinely given as an intravenous or intramuscular bolus administration after delivery to induce uterine contractility, which, in turn, induces uterine separation of the placenta and prevents postpartum hemorrhage. Furthermore, it promotes the expulsion of the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Uvnäs-Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden.
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5
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Gee DG, Cohodes EM. Leveraging the developmental neuroscience of caregiving to promote resilience among youth exposed to adversity. Dev Psychopathol 2023; 35:2168-2185. [PMID: 37929292 PMCID: PMC10872788 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423001128] [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] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Early adversity is a major risk factor for the emergence of psychopathology across development. Identifying mechanisms that support resilience, or favorable mental health outcomes despite exposure to adversity, is critical for informing clinical intervention and guiding policy to promote youth mental health. Here we propose that caregivers play a central role in fostering resilience among children exposed to adversity via caregiving influences on children's corticolimbic circuitry and emotional functioning. We first delineate the numerous ways that caregivers support youth emotional learning and regulation and describe how early attachment lays the foundation for optimal caregiver support of youth emotional functioning in a developmental stage-specific manner. Second, we outline neural mechanisms by which caregivers foster resilience-namely, by modulating offspring corticolimbic circuitry to support emotion regulation and buffer stress reactivity. Next, we highlight the importance of developmental timing and sensitive periods in understanding caregiving-related mechanisms of resilience. Finally, we discuss clinical implications of this line of research and how findings can be translated to guide policy that promotes the well-being of youth and families.
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6
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Lapp HE, Salazar MG, Champagne FA. Automated maternal behavior during early life in rodents (AMBER) pipeline. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18277. [PMID: 37880307 PMCID: PMC10600172 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45495-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Mother-infant interactions during the early postnatal period are critical for infant survival and the scaffolding of infant development. Rodent models are used extensively to understand how these early social experiences influence neurobiology across the lifespan. However, methods for measuring postnatal dam-pup interactions typically involve time-consuming manual scoring, vary widely between research groups, and produce low density data that limits downstream analytical applications. To address these methodological issues, we developed the Automated Maternal Behavior during Early life in Rodents (AMBER) pipeline for quantifying home-cage maternal and mother-pup interactions using open-source machine learning tools. DeepLabCut was used to track key points on rat dams (32 points) and individual pups (9 points per pup) in postnatal day 1-10 video recordings. Pose estimation models reached key point test errors of approximately 4.1-10 mm (14.39 pixels) and 3.44-7.87 mm (11.81 pixels) depending on depth of animal in the frame averaged across all key points for dam and pups respectively. Pose estimation data and human-annotated behavior labels from 38 videos were used with Simple Behavioral Analysis (SimBA) to generate behavior classifiers for dam active nursing, passive nursing, nest attendance, licking and grooming, self-directed grooming, eating, and drinking using random forest algorithms. All classifiers had excellent performance on test frames, with F1 scores above 0.886. Performance on hold-out videos remained high for nest attendance (F1 = 0.990), active nursing (F1 = 0.828), and licking and grooming (F1 = 0.766) but was lower for eating, drinking, and self-directed grooming (F1 = 0.534-0.554). A set of 242 videos was used with AMBER and produced behavior measures in the expected range from postnatal 1-10 home-cage videos. This pipeline is a major advancement in assessing home-cage dam-pup interactions in a way that reduces experimenter burden while increasing reproducibility, reliability, and detail of data for use in developmental studies without the need for special housing systems or proprietary software.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Lapp
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keaton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Melissa G Salazar
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keaton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Frances A Champagne
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keaton St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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7
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McParlin Z, Cerritelli F, Manzotti A, Friston KJ, Esteves JE. Therapeutic touch and therapeutic alliance in pediatric care and neonatology: An active inference framework. Front Pediatr 2023; 11:961075. [PMID: 36923275 PMCID: PMC10009260 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2023.961075] [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: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic affective touch has been recognized as essential for survival, nurturing supportive interpersonal interactions, accelerating recovery-including reducing hospitalisations, and promoting overall health and building robust therapeutic alliances. Through the lens of active inference, we present an integrative model, combining therapeutic touch and communication, to achieve biobehavioural synchrony. This model speaks to how the brain develops a generative model required for recovery, developing successful therapeutic alliances, and regulating allostasis within paediatric manual therapy. We apply active inference to explain the neurophysiological and behavioural mechanisms that underwrite the development and maintenance of synchronous relationships through touch. This paper foregrounds the crucial role of therapeutic touch in developing a solid therapeutic alliance, the clinical effectiveness of paediatric care, and triadic synchrony between health care practitioner, caregiver, and infant in a variety of clinical situations. We start by providing a brief overview of the significance and clinical role of touch in the development of social interactions in infants; facilitating a positive therapeutic alliance and restoring homeostasis through touch to allow a more efficient process of allostatic regulation. Moreover, we explain the role of CT tactile afferents in achieving positive clinical outcomes and updating prior beliefs. We then discuss how touch is implemented in treatment sessions to promote cooperative interactions in the clinic and facilitate theory of mind. This underwrites biobehavioural synchrony, epistemic trust, empathy, and the resolution of uncertainty. The ensuing framework is underpinned by a critical application of the active inference framework to the fields of pediatrics and neonatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe McParlin
- Foundation COME Collaboration, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Pescara, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerritelli
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Manzotti
- Foundation COME Collaboration, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Pescara, Italy
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Karl J Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jorge E Esteves
- Foundation COME Collaboration, Clinical-Based Human Research Department, Pescara, Italy
- Malta ICOM Educational, Malta, Finland
- Research Department, University College of Osteopathy, Research Department, London, United Kingdom
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8
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Endevelt-Shapira Y, Feldman R. Mother-Infant Brain-to-Brain Synchrony Patterns Reflect Caregiving Profiles. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020284. [PMID: 36829560 PMCID: PMC9953313 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Biobehavioral synchrony, the coordination of physiological and behavioral signals between mother and infant during social contact, tunes the child's brain to the social world. Probing this mechanism from a two-brain perspective, we examine the associations between patterns of mother-infant inter-brain synchrony and the two well-studied maternal behavioral orientations-sensitivity and intrusiveness-which have repeatedly been shown to predict positive and negative socio-emotional outcomes, respectively. Using dual-electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, we measure inter-brain connectivity between 60 mothers and their 5- to 12-month-old infants during face-to-face interaction. Thirty inter-brain connections show significantly higher correlations during the real mother-infant face-to-face interaction compared to surrogate data. Brain-behavior correlations indicate that higher maternal sensitivity linked with greater mother-infant neural synchrony, whereas higher maternal intrusiveness is associated with lower inter-brain coordination. Post hoc analysis reveals that the mother-right-frontal-infant-left-temporal connection is particularly sensitive to the mother's sensitive style, while the mother-left-frontal-infant-right-temporal connection indexes the intrusive style. Our results support the perspective that inter-brain synchrony is a mechanism by which mature brains externally regulate immature brains to social living and suggest that one pathway by which sensitivity and intrusiveness exert their long-term effect may relate to the provision of coordinated inputs to the social brain during its sensitive period of maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Endevelt-Shapira
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Correspondence: (Y.E.-S.); (R.F.)
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Correspondence: (Y.E.-S.); (R.F.)
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9
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Shin S, You IJ, Jeong M, Bae Y, Wang XY, Cawley ML, Han A, Lim BK. Early adversity promotes binge-like eating habits by remodeling a leptin-responsive lateral hypothalamus-brainstem pathway. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:79-91. [PMID: 36510113 PMCID: PMC9829538 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01208-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Early-life trauma (ELT) is a risk factor for binge eating and obesity later in life, yet the neural circuits that underlie this association have not been addressed. Here, we show in mice that downregulation of the leptin receptor (Lepr) in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and its effect on neural activity is crucial in causing ELT-induced binge-like eating and obesity upon high-fat diet exposure. We also found that the increased activity of Lepr-expressing LH (LHLepr) neurons encodes sustained binge-like eating in ELT mice. Inhibition of LHLepr neurons projecting to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray normalizes these behavioral features of ELT mice. Furthermore, activation of proenkephalin-expressing ventrolateral periaqueductal gray neurons, which receive inhibitory inputs from LHLepr neurons, rescues ELT-induced maladaptive eating habits. Our results identify a circuit pathway that mediates ELT-induced maladaptive eating and may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets for binge eating and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sora Shin
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA, USA.
- FBRI Center for Neurobiology Research, Roanoke, VA, USA.
- Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - In-Jee You
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA, USA
- FBRI Center for Neurobiology Research, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Minju Jeong
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Yeeun Bae
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA, USA
- FBRI Center for Neurobiology Research, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Xiao-Yun Wang
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mikel Leann Cawley
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA, USA
- FBRI Center for Neurobiology Research, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Abraham Han
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA, USA
- FBRI Center for Neurobiology Research, Roanoke, VA, USA
- Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Byung Kook Lim
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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Cohodes EM, McCauley S, Preece DA, Gross JJ, Gee DG. Parental Assistance with Emotion Regulation Moderates Link Between COVID-19 Stress and Child Mental Health. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL FOR THE SOCIETY OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, DIVISION 53 2022:1-18. [PMID: 36399629 PMCID: PMC10192455 DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2140431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted children's mental health. All children have not been affected equally, however, and whether parental emotion socialization might buffer or exacerbate the impact of COVID-19 on children's mental health remains an important question. METHOD During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. N = 200 parents of children ages 0-17 (52.5% female) completed questionnaires related to parental assistance with children's emotion regulation, symptomatology, and exposure to COVID-19-related stress. Parents were 74% Non-Hispanic/Latino/a White, 13% Asian, 4.5% Hispanic/Latino/a, 4% Black/African American, 2.5% Native American, and 1.5% bi/multiracial; 0.5% of participants preferred not to state their race/ethnicity. In a series of linear regression analyses, we examined whether parental assistance with children's execution of emotion regulation strategies - across a variety of prototypically-adaptive and -maladaptive strategies - moderates the association between children's exposure to COVID-19-related stress and symptomatology. RESULTS Results suggest that parental assistance with the execution of prototypically-adaptive strategies (i.e., acceptance, problem solving, behavioral disengagement) and prototypically-maladaptive strategies (i.e., suppression, rumination) may buffer or exacerbate, respectively, the impact of COVID-19-related stress on youth mental health. CONCLUSIONS Though interpretation of findings is constrained by limitations inherent in collecting data during a pandemic, results highlight the importance of supporting parents - who play a critical role of supporting children - during public health emergencies that affect family life. Interventions designed to improve child wellbeing during the ongoing pandemic may benefit from training parents to assist their children with specific emotion regulation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Cohodes
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - Sarah McCauley
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520
| | - David A. Preece
- School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth WA 6009, Australia
| | - James J. Gross
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Jordan Hall, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Building 420, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520
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11
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Bendel-Stenzel LC, An D, Kochanska G. Infants' attachment security and children's self-regulation within and outside the parent-child relationship at kindergarten age: Distinct paths for children varying in anger proneness. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 221:105433. [PMID: 35447426 PMCID: PMC9187604 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105433] [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: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Research in developmental psychology has robustly documented positive associations between parent-child attachment security and the child's self-regulation (SR). This study of 102 community mothers, fathers, and infants contributes to that research by examining the role of attachment security, observed at 15 months using the Attachment Q-Set, as a predictor of two distinct aspects of self-regulation at 67 months: executive functioning (SR-EF), observed in abstract Stroop-like tasks (Day/Night & Snow/Grass and Tapping), and parent-related (SR-PR), observed within the context of the parent-child relationship in response to the mother's (SR-MR) and father's (SR-FR) requests and prohibitions. We also examined child anger proneness, observed at 7 months, as a moderator of those associations. In both mother-child and father-child dyads, child security predicted SR-EF; More secure children performed better in executive functioning tasks. In mother-child dyads, security also predicted SR-MR, but the effect was qualified by the interaction of security and anger proneness, such that the effect was significant only for highly anger-prone children. The effect reflected differential susceptibility: Compared with lower-anger peers, highly anger-prone children developed worse SR-MR if their security was low, but they developed better SR-MR if their security was high. The findings highlight the benefits of a nuanced approach to self-regulation, considering child individuality as interacting with security and examining processes in both mother-child and father-child dyads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilly C Bendel-Stenzel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
| | - Danming An
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Grazyna Kochanska
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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12
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Cheng Z, Su J, Zhang K, Jiang H, Li B. Epigenetic Mechanism of Early Life Stress-Induced Depression: Focus on the Neurotransmitter Systems. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:929732. [PMID: 35865627 PMCID: PMC9294154 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.929732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression has an alarmingly high prevalence worldwide. A growing body of evidence indicates that environmental factors significantly affect the neural development and function of the central nervous system and then induce psychiatric disorders. Early life stress (ELS) affects brain development and has been identified as a major cause of depression. It could promote susceptibility to stress in adulthood. Recent studies have found that ELS induces epigenetic changes that subsequently affect transcriptional rates of differentially expressed genes. The epigenetic modifications involved in ELS include histone modifications, DNA methylation, and non-coding RNA. Understanding of these genetic modifications may identify mechanisms that may lead to new interventions for the treatment of depression. Many reports indicate that different types of ELS induce epigenetic modifications of genes involved in the neurotransmitter systems, such as the dopaminergic system, the serotonergic system, the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system, and the glutamatergic system, which further regulate gene expression and ultimately induce depression-like behaviors. In this article, we review the effects of epigenetic modifications on the neurotransmitter systems in depression-like outcomes produced by different types of ELS in recent years, aiming to provide new therapeutic targets for patients who suffer from depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqian Cheng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, China
| | - Jingyun Su
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Central Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Huiyi Jiang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Huiyi Jiang, ; Bingjin Li,
| | - Bingjin Li
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory on Molecular and Chemical Genetic, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Engineering Lab on Screening of Antidepressant Drugs, Jilin Province Development and Reform Commission, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Huiyi Jiang, ; Bingjin Li,
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13
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Bagheri F, Goudarzi I, Lashkarbolouki T, Elahdadi Salmani M, Goudarzi A, Morley-Fletcher S. The Combined Effects of Perinatal Ethanol and Early-Life Stress on Cognition and Risk-Taking Behavior through Oxidative Stress in Rats. Neurotox Res 2022; 40:925-940. [PMID: 35507233 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-022-00506-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Both prenatal ethanol and early-life stress have been shown to induce reduced risk-taking and explorative behavior as well as cognitive dysfunction in the offspring. In this study, we examined the effect of combined exposure to ethanol and early stress on maternal care, exploratory behavior, memory performances, and oxidative stress in male offspring. Pregnant rats were exposed to ethanol (4 g/kg) from gestational day (GD) 6-to postnatal day (PND) 14 and limited nesting material (LNS) from PND0-PND14 individually or in combination. Maternal behavior was evaluated during diurnal cycle. The level of corticosterone hormone and markers of oxidative stress were evaluated in the pups. Risk-taking and explorative behavior were assessed with the elevated-plus maze (EPM) test and cognitive behavior with the Morris water maze (MWM), novel object recognition (NORT), and object location memory (OLM) tests. In the mothers, perinatal alcohol or LNS either alone or in combination decreased maternal behavior. In the offspring, the combination of the two factors significantly increased the pup's plasma corticosterone concentration in comparison with ethanol and LNS alone. Reduced risk-taking behavior was observed in the ethanol, LNS and ethanol + LNS groups compared with the control group, and this was amplified in the co-exposure of ethanol and LNS groups. The MWM, NORT, and OLM tests revealed spatial and recognition memory impairment in the ethanol and LNS groups. This impairment was more profound in the co-exposure of ethanol and LNS. Also, we observed a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the hippocampus of ethanol and LNS co-exposed animals as compared with individual exposure of ethanol and LNS. While each factor independently produced similar outcomes, the results indicate that the dual exposure paradigm could significantly strengthen the outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iran Goudarzi
- School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
| | | | | | - Afsaneh Goudarzi
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Morley-Fletcher
- UMR 8576, Univ. Lille, CNRS, UGSF - Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale Et Fonctionnelle, 59000, Lille, France
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14
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Manzotti A, Cerritelli F, Lombardi E, Monzani E, Savioli L, Esteves JE, Galli M, La Rocca S, Biasi P, Chiera M, Lista G. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Regulates Autonomic Markers in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:813. [PMID: 35627950 PMCID: PMC9141319 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10050813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been found to be effective in the context of premature infants. Nonetheless, no studies have investigated the immediate effects of OMT on heart rate variability (HRV). As altered HRV reflects poor or worsening newborn's clinical conditions and neurodevelopment, should OMT improve HRV fluctuations, it could become a relevant intervention for improving the care of preterm newborns. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether OMT could affect HRV. The study was carried out at the Buzzi Hospital in Milan. From the neonatal intensive care unit, ninety-six preterm infants (41 males) were enrolled and were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: OMT or Static Touch. The infants were born at 33.5 weeks (±4.3) and had a mean birth weight of 2067 g (±929). The study had as primary outcome the change in the beat-to-beat variance in heart rate measured through root mean square of consecutive RR interval differences (RMSSD); other metrics were used as secondary and exploratory analyses. Despite the lack of statistically significant results regarding the primary outcomeand some study limitations, compared to static touch, OMT seemed to favor a parasympathetic modulation and improved HRV, which could reflect improvement in newborn's clinical conditions and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Manzotti
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children’s Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, 20157 Milan, Italy;
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Cerritelli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Erica Lombardi
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Monzani
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Luca Savioli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Jorge E. Esteves
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, Malta ICOM Educational, GZR 1071 Gzira, Malta
| | - Matteo Galli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Simona La Rocca
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Pamela Biasi
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
- Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Chiera
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, 65121 Pescara, Italy; (A.M.); (E.L.); (E.M.); (L.S.); (J.E.E.); (M.G.); (S.L.R.); (P.B.); (M.C.)
| | - Gianluca Lista
- Division of Neonatology, “V. Buzzi” Children’s Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, 20157 Milan, Italy;
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15
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Turk E, Vroomen J, Fonken Y, Levy J, van den Heuvel MI. In sync with your child: The potential of parent-child electroencephalography in developmental research. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22221. [PMID: 35312051 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Healthy interaction between parent and child is foundational for the child's socioemotional development. Recently, an innovative paradigm shift in electroencephalography (EEG) research has enabled the simultaneous measurement of neural activity in caregiver and child. This dual-EEG or hyperscanning approach, termed parent-child dual-EEG, combines the strength of both behavioral observations and EEG methods. In this review, we aim to inform on the potential of dual-EEG in parents and children (0-6 years) for developmental researchers. We first provide a general overview of the dual-EEG technique and continue by reviewing the first empirical work on the emerging field of parent-child dual-EEG, discussing the limited but fascinating findings on parent-child brain-to-behavior and brain-to-brain synchrony. We then continue by providing an overview of dual-EEG analysis techniques, including the technical challenges and solutions one may encounter. We finish by discussing the potential of parent-child dual-EEG for the future of developmental research. The analysis of multiple EEG data is technical and challenging, but when performed well, parent-child EEG may transform the way we understand how caregiver and child connect on a neurobiological level. Importantly, studying objective physiological measures of parent-child interactions could lead to the identification of novel brain-to-brain synchrony markers of interaction quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Turk
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Jean Vroomen
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Yvonne Fonken
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan Levy
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
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16
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A Review of Family Environment and Neurobehavioral Outcomes Following Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications of Early Adverse Experiences, Family Stress, and Limbic Development. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:488-497. [PMID: 34772505 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a public health crisis, with neurobehavioral morbidity observed years after an injury associated with changes in related brain structures. A substantial literature base has established family environment as a significant predictor of neurobehavioral outcomes following pediatric TBI. The neural mechanisms linking family environment to neurobehavioral outcomes have, however, received less empiric study in this population. In contrast, limbic structural differences as well as challenges with emotional adjustment and behavioral regulation in non-TBI populations have been linked to a multitude of family environmental factors, including family stress, parenting style, and adverse childhood experiences. In this article, we systematically review the more comprehensive literature on family environment and neurobehavioral outcomes in pediatric TBI and leverage the work in both TBI and non-TBI populations to expand our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms. Thus, we summarize the extant literature on the family environment's role in neurobehavioral sequelae in children with TBI and explore potential neural correlates by synthesizing the wealth of literature on family environment and limbic development, specifically related to the amygdala. This review underscores the critical role of environmental factors, especially those predating the injury, in modeling recovery outcomes post-TBI in childhood, and discusses clinical and research implications across pediatric populations. Given the public health crisis of pediatric TBI, along with the context of sparse available medical interventions, a broader understanding of factors contributing to outcomes is warranted to expand the range of intervention targets.
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17
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Tactile stimulation prevents disruptions in male rat copulatory behavior induced by artificial rearing. Int J Impot Res 2022; 35:132-139. [PMID: 35087206 DOI: 10.1038/s41443-022-00530-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Early life social interactions in gregarious mammals provide an important source of stimulation required for the development of species-typical behaviors. In the present study, complete deprivation of maternal and littermate contact through artificial rearing was used to examine the role of early social stimulation on copulatory behavior and the ejaculate in adult rats. We found that artificially reared naïve male rats were sexually motivated; nevertheless, they did not acquire the level of sexual experience that typically occurs during copulatory training. Disrupted expression of sexual experience of artificially reared rats was demonstrated by an inconsistent pattern of ejaculatory behavior across training tests. Artificial tactile stimulation applied during isolation prevented this disruption and rats achieved ejaculation in most copulatory tests. Despite the irregularity of ejaculatory behavior in isolated rats, their sperm count and seminal plug were similar to control maternally reared (sexually experienced) and artificially-reared rats that received tactile stimulation. These results suggest that tactile sensory information provided by the mother and/or littermates to the offspring is crucial for the development of copulatory behavior. The absence of social and/or tactile stimulation during early life compromises the ability of male rats to gain sexual experience in adulthood.
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18
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Sidamon‐Eristoff AE, Cohodes EM, Gee DG, Peña CJ. Trauma exposure and mental health outcomes among Central American and Mexican children held in immigration detention at the United States–Mexico border. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 64:e22227. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.22227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily M. Cohodes
- Department of Psychology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Dylan G. Gee
- Department of Psychology Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
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19
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Karaskiewicz CL, Witczak LR, Lau AR, Dufek ME, Bales KL. Parenting costs time: Changes in pair bond maintenance across pregnancy and infant rearing in a monogamous primate (Plecturocebus cupreus). New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2021; 2021:21-42. [PMID: 34766710 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Relationships support social animals' health, but maintaining relationships is challenging. When transitioning to parenthood, new parents balance pair-bond maintenance with infant care. We studied pair-bond maintenance via affiliation in 22 adult titi monkey pairs (Plecturocebus cupreus) for 16 months centered around their first offspring's birth. Pair affiliation peaked during pregnancy, decreased across the postpartum period, and rose after reaching minimum affiliation 32.6 weeks postpartum. Pairs in which fathers carry infants more than average had lower affiliation at the infant's birth and return to an increase in affiliation sooner. Parents of infants who were slow to independence had higher rates of affiliation. Titi monkey infants actively prefer their fathers; mothers may avoid their infant-carrying mate, suggesting infants play an active role in parental affiliative decline. Our data supports previous findings that affiliation between partners declines following an infant's birth, but demonstrates new knowledge about the extent and duration of affiliative decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe L Karaskiewicz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Lynea R Witczak
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Allison R Lau
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Madison E Dufek
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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20
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Szenczy AK, Bernard K, Raby KL, Garnett M, Dozier M. Foster parent responsiveness and young children's diurnal cortisol production. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1626-1634. [PMID: 33368174 PMCID: PMC8236069 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Foster children are at risk for dysregulated hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, conferring risk for negative health outcomes. Responsive parenting may support young children's HPA axis regulation; however, few studies have examined the association between responsive parenting and cortisol production among children in foster care. In a sample of 97 foster parent-child dyads, we examined whether variation in foster parent responsiveness was linked to children's waking and bedtime levels of cortisol. Children's saliva samples were collected at wake-up and bedtime for three consecutive days. Foster parent responsiveness, as indicated by parent sensitivity, intrusiveness, and positive regard, was assessed during video-recorded semistructured play interactions between foster parents and children. Foster parent responsiveness significantly predicted children's waking cortisol levels (β = 0.26, p = .023). Follow-up analyses revealed that foster parent sensitivity uniquely predicted waking cortisol (β = 0.46, p = .006), over and above other dimensions of parenting, such that children with more sensitive foster parents had higher waking cortisol than children with less sensitive foster parents. The association between foster parent sensitivity and the waking-to-bedtime slope of cortisol across the day was nonsignificant. Findings suggest that sensitive caregiving may support foster children's healthy HPA axis functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - K. Lee Raby
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah
| | - Mallory Garnett
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware
| | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware
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21
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Rêgo DDSB, Pires JM, Foresti ML, Mello L, Leslie ATFS. Does neonatal manipulation on continuous or alternate days change maternal behavior? Int J Dev Neurosci 2021; 81:759-765. [PMID: 34143504 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10136] [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: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal separation and neonatal manipulation of pups produce changes in maternal behavior after the dam-pup reunion. Here, we examined whether continuous versus alternating days of neonatal manipulation during the first 8 postnatal days produces differential changes in maternal and non-maternal behaviors in rats. We found that both maternal separation protocols increased anogenital licking after dam-pup reunion, reflecting increased maternal care of pups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaime Moreira Pires
- Department of Physiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | | | - Luiz Mello
- Department of Physiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.,Instituto D'Or de Pesquisa e Ensino, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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22
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Ionio C, Ciuffo G, Landoni M. Parent-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact and Stress Regulation: A Systematic Review of the Literature. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:4695. [PMID: 33924970 PMCID: PMC8124223 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have focused on neonatal maternal separation (MS) to investigate behavioural and neuroendocrine reactions to lack of contact, but only a few have focused on early separation in the first days or weeks after birth. This literature review investigates the vital importance of contact and touch by exploring how skin-to-skin contact (SSC) regulates stress in the mother-infant relationship. Various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect were searched for literature published between 2015 and 2020. From 1141 articles, 22 were declared eligible. The reviewed articles showed how SSC regulates child stress by biological indicators such as the autonomic nervous system (ANS), heart rate variability (HRV), cortisol, and oxytocin. This research concludes the importance of SSC for stress regulation, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. With no research to date indicating a possible risk of neonatal COVID-19 transmission following SSC, SSC should continue to be practiced for all women, as recommended by the WHO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Ionio
- CRIdee, Psychology Department, Università Cattolica, del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy; (G.C.); (M.L.)
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23
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Plank AC, Frey S, Basedow LA, Solati J, Canneva F, von Hörsten S, Kratz O, Moll GH, Golub Y. Prenatally traumatized mice reveal hippocampal methylation and expression changes of the stress-related genes Crhr1 and Fkbp5. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:183. [PMID: 33758173 PMCID: PMC7988147 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01293-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In our previous study, we found that prenatal trauma exposure leads to an anxiety phenotype in mouse pups, characterized by increased corticosterone levels and increased anxiety-like behavior. In order to understand the mechanisms by which aversive in utero experience leads to these long-lasting behavioral and neuroendocrine changes, we investigated stress reactivity of prenatally traumatized (PT) mice, as well as the expression and methylation levels of several key regulatory genes of the stress axis in the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) of the PT embryo and adult mice. We detected increased corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (Crhr1) and decreased FK506 binding protein 5 (Fkbp5) mRNA levels in the left dHPC of adult PT mice. These alterations were accompanied by a decreased methylation status of the Crhr1 promoter and an increased methylation status of the Fkbp5 promoter, respectively. Interestingly, the changes in Fkbp5 and Crhr1 mRNA levels were not detected in the embryonic dHPC of PT mice. Together, our findings provide evidence that prenatal trauma has a long-term impact on stress axis function and anxiety phenotype associated with altered Crhr1 and Fkbp5 transcripts and promoter methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Christine Plank
- grid.411668.c0000 0000 9935 6525Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6 and 10, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stefan Frey
- grid.411668.c0000 0000 9935 6525Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6 and 10, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lukas Andreas Basedow
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Jalal Solati
- grid.411668.c0000 0000 9935 6525Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6 and 10, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fabio Canneva
- grid.5330.50000 0001 2107 3311Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Palmsanlage 5, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stephan von Hörsten
- grid.5330.50000 0001 2107 3311Department Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen and Preclinical Experimental Animal Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Palmsanlage 5, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Oliver Kratz
- grid.411668.c0000 0000 9935 6525Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6 and 10, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gunther H. Moll
- grid.411668.c0000 0000 9935 6525Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6 and 10, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yulia Golub
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University Hospital Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6 and 10, 91054, Erlangen, Germany. .,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
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24
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Callaghan B, Pini N, Silvers JA, Van Tieghem M, Choy T, O'Sullivan K, Fifer WP, Tottenham N. Child-parent cardiac transference is decreased following disrupted/absent early care. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1279-1294. [PMID: 33590482 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Parental input shapes youth self-regulation development, and a lack of sensitive caregiving is a risk factor for youth mental health problems. Parents may shape youth regulation through their influence over biological (including neural) and behavioral development during childhood at both micro (moment-to-moment) and macro (global) levels. Prior studies have shown that micro-level parent-child interactions shape youth's biology contributing to youth mental health. However, it remains unclear whether prior disrupted/absent care affects those moment-to-moment parent-youth interactions in ways that increase risk for youth psychopathology. In the current study, we calculated transfer entropy on cardiac data from parent-youth dyads where the youth had either been exposed to disrupted care prior to adoption or not. Transfer Entropy (TE) tracks information flow between two signals, enhancing quantification of directional coupling, allowing for the examination of parent-child and child-parent influences. Using this novel approach, we identified lower cardiac information transfer from youth-to-parents in dyads where the youth had been exposed to disrupted/absent early care. Moreover we showed that the degree to which the parent's physiology changed in response to youth's physiology was negatively related to the youth's mental health, representing a potential pathway for elevated mental health risk in populations exposed to disrupted/absent early care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicolò Pini
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Tricia Choy
- University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | | | - William P Fifer
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
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Gilbert P. Creating a Compassionate World: Addressing the Conflicts Between Sharing and Caring Versus Controlling and Holding Evolved Strategies. Front Psychol 2021; 11:582090. [PMID: 33643109 PMCID: PMC7902494 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.582090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For thousands of years, various spiritual traditions and social activists have appealed to humans to adopt compassionate ways of living to address the suffering of life. Yet, along with our potential for compassion and self-sacrifice, the last few thousand years of wars, slavery, tortures, and holocausts have shown humans can be extraordinarily selfish, callous, vicious, and cruel. While there has been considerable engagement with these issues, particularly in the area of moral psychology and ethics, this paper explores an evolutionary analysis relating to evolved resource-regulation strategies that can be called "care and share" versus "control and hold." Control and hold are typical of primates that operate through intimidatory social hierarchies. Care and share are less common in non-human primates, but evolved radically in humans during our hunter-gatherer stage when our ancestors lived in relatively interdependent, small, mobile groups. In these groups, individualistic, self-focus, and self-promoting control and hold strategies (trying to secure and accumulate more than others) were shunned and shamed. These caring and sharing hunter-gatherer lifestyles also created the social contexts for the evolution of new forms of childcare and complex human competencies for language, reasoning, planning, empathy, and self-awareness. As a result of our new 'intelligence', our ancestors developed agriculture that reduced mobility, increased group size, resource availability and storage, and resource competition. These re-introduced competing for, rather than sharing of, resources and advantaged those who now pursue (often aggressively) control and hold strategies. Many of our most typical forms of oppressive and anti-compassionate behavior are the result of these strategies. Rather than (just) thinking about individuals competing with one another, we can also consider these different resource regulation strategies as competing within populations shaping psychophysiological patterns; both wealth and poverty change the brain. One of the challenges to creating a more compassionate society is to find ways to create the social and economic conditions that regulate control and hold strategies and promote care and share. No easy task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Gilbert
- Centre for Compassion Research and Training, College of Health and Social Care Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
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Shuper Engelhard E, Ayana Zaides J, Federman D. The mother’s perspective of body knowledge and expressions as a language in mother-infant relationships. ARTS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2020.101746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Masrouri H, Azadi M, Semnanian S, Azizi H. Early life maternal deprivation attenuates morphine induced inhibition in lateral paragigantocellularis neurons in adult rats. Brain Res Bull 2021; 169:128-135. [PMID: 33482287 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Early life stress can serve as one of the principle sources leading to individual differences in confronting challenges throughout the lifetime. Maternal deprivation (MD), a model of early life stress, can cause persistent alterations in brain function, and it may constitute a risk factor for later incidence of drug addiction. It is becoming more apparent that early life MD predisposes opiate abuse in adulthood. Although several behavioral and molecular studies have addressed this issue, changes in electrophysiological features of the neurons are yet to be understood. The lateral paragigantocellularis (LPGi) nucleus, which participates in the mediation of opiate dependence and withdrawal, may be susceptible to modifications following MD. This study sought to find whether early life MD can alter the discharge activity of LPGi neurons and their response to acute morphine administration in adult rats. Male Wistar rats experienced MD on postnatal days (PNDs) 1-14 for three h per day. Afterward, they were left undisturbed until PND 70, during which the extracellular activities of LPGi neurons were recorded in anesthetized animals at baseline and in response to acute morphine. In both MD and control groups, acute morphine administration induced heterogeneous (excitatory, inhibitory, and no effect) responses in LPGi neurons. At baseline recording, the interspike interval variability of the LPGi neurons was attenuated in both inhibitory and excitatory responses in animals with the history of MD. The extent of morphine-induced discharge inhibition was also lower in deprived animals compared to the control group. These findings suggest that early life MD induces long-term alterations in LPGi neuronal activity in response to acute administration of morphine. Therefore, the MD may alter the vulnerability to develop opiate abuse in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Masrouri
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Azadi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeed Semnanian
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Azizi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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Uvnäs-Moberg K, Gross MM, Agius A, Downe S, Calleja-Agius J. Are There Epigenetic Oxytocin-Mediated Effects on the Mother and Infant during Physiological Childbirth? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249503. [PMID: 33327490 PMCID: PMC7765000 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Studies have shown that long-term positive behavioural and physiological changes are induced in connection with vaginal, physiological birth, and skin-to-skin contact after birth in mothers and babies. Some of these effects are consistent with the effect profile of oxytocin. This scoping review explores whether epigenetic changes of the oxytocin gene and of the oxytocin receptor gene (OTR) are involved in these effects. METHODS We searched Pubmed, Medline, BioMed Central, Cochrane Library, OVID, and Web of Science for evidence of epigenetic changes in connection with childbirth in humans, with a particular focus on the oxytocin system. RESULTS There were no published studies identified that were related to epigenetic changes of oxytocin and its receptor in connection with labour, birth, and skin-to-skin contact after birth in mothers and babies. However, some studies were identified that showed polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor influenced the progress of labour. We also identified studies in which the level of global methylation was measured in vaginal birth and caesarean section, with conflicting results. Some studies identified differences in the level of methylation of single genes linked to various effects, for example, immune response, metabolism, and inflammation. In some of these cases, the level of methylation was associated with the duration of labour or mode of birth. We also identified some studies that demonstrated long-term effects of mode of birth and of skin-to-skin contact linked to changes in oxytocin function. CONCLUSION There were no studies identified that showed epigenetic changes of the oxytocin system in connection with physiological birth. The lack of evidence, so far, regarding epigenetic changes did not exclude future demonstrations of such effects, as there was a definite role of oxytocin in creating long-term effects during the perinatal period. Such studies may not have been performed. Alternatively, the oxytocin linked effects might be indirectly mediated via other receptors and signalling systems. We conclude that there is a significant lack of research examining long-term changes of oxytocin function and long-term oxytocin mediated adaptive effects induced during physiological birth and skin-to-skin contact after birth in mothers and their infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Uvnäs-Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 53223 Skara, Sweden;
| | - Mechthild M. Gross
- Midwifery Research and Education Unit, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hanover, Germany;
| | - Andee Agius
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mater Dei Hospital, MSD2090 Msida, Malta;
| | - Soo Downe
- School of Community Health and Midwifery, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK;
| | - Jean Calleja-Agius
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, MSD2080 Msida, Malta
- Correspondence:
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Gilbert P. Compassion: From Its Evolution to a Psychotherapy. Front Psychol 2020; 11:586161. [PMID: 33362650 PMCID: PMC7762265 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept, benefits and recommendations for the cultivation of compassion have been recognized in the contemplative traditions for thousands of years. In the last 30 years or so, the study of compassion has revealed it to have major physiological and psychological effects influencing well-being, addressing mental health difficulties, and promoting prosocial behavior. This paper outlines an evolution informed biopsychosocial, multicomponent model to caring behavior and its derivative "compassion" that underpins newer approaches to psychotherapy. The paper explores the origins of caring motives and the nature and biopsychosocial functions of caring-attachment behavior. These include providing a secure base (sources of protection, validation, encouragement and guidance) and safe haven (source of soothing and comfort) for offspring along with physiological regulating functions, which are also central for compassion focused therapy. Second, it suggests that it is the way recent human cognitive competencies give rise to different types of "mind awareness" and "knowing intentionality" that transform basic caring motives into potentials for compassion. While we can care for our gardens and treasured objects, the concept of compassion is only used for sentient beings who can "suffer." As psychotherapy addresses mental suffering, cultivating the motives and competencies of compassion to self and others can be a central focus for psychotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Gilbert
- Centre for Compassion Research and Training, College of Health and Social Care Research Centre, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
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Ludwig RJ, Welch MG. How babies learn: The autonomic socioemotional reflex. Early Hum Dev 2020; 151:105183. [PMID: 32971304 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2020.105183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human and animal research has long documented the negative effects of early traumatic events on long-term development and socioemotional behavior. Yet, how and where the body stores these memories remains unclear. Current theories propose that the brain stores such memory in the subcortical limbic system. However, a clear theory of change with testable hypothesis has yet to emerge. AIMS In this paper, we review the classical Pavlovian conditioning learning tradition, along with its functional variant. Then, we review calming cycle theory, which builds upon the idea that mother/infant learning is distinct from other types of learning, requiring a new set of assumptions in light of functional Pavlovian conditioning. CONCLUSION Calming cycle theory states that learning of behaviors associated with subcortical autonomic physiology is separate and distinct from learning of behaviors associated with cortical physiology. Mother/infant autonomic learning starts in the uterine environment via functional Pavlovian co-conditioning that is stored as conditional reflexes within the dyad's autonomic nervous systems. These reflexes are preserved transnatally as autonomic socioemotional reflexes (ASRs), which can be used to monitor mother-infant relational health. The functional Pavlovian co-conditioning mechanism can be exploited to change the physiological/behavioral reflex response. The theory provides a well established learning mechanism, a theory of change and a method of change, along with a set of hypotheses with which to test the theory. We present evidence from a randomized controlled trial with prematurely born infants and their mothers that supports calming cycle theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Ludwig
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St, New York, NY 10032, United States of America
| | - Martha G Welch
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St, New York, NY 10032, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St, New York, NY 10032, United States of America; Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St, New York, NY 10032, United States of America.
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Arakawa H. From Multisensory Assessment to Functional Interpretation of Social Behavioral Phenotype in Transgenic Mouse Models for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:592408. [PMID: 33329141 PMCID: PMC7717939 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.592408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common heterogeneous disorder, defined solely by the core behavioral characteristics, including impaired social interaction and restricted and repeated behavior. Although an increasing number of studies have been performed extensively, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the core symptoms of ASD remain largely unknown. Transgenic mouse models provide a useful tool for evaluating genetic and neuronal mechanisms underlying ASD pathology, which are prerequisites for validating behavioral phenotypes that mimic the core symptoms of human ASD. The purpose of this review is to propose a better strategy for analyzing and interpreting social investigatory behaviors in transgenic mouse models of ASD. Mice are nocturnal, and employ multimodal processing mechanisms for social communicative behaviors, including those that involve olfactory and tactile senses. Most behavioral paradigms that have been developed for measuring a particular ASD-like behavior in mouse models, such as social recognition, preference, and discrimination tests, are based on the evaluation of distance-based investigatory behavior in response to social stimuli. This investigatory behavior in mice is regulated by multimodal processing involving with two different motives: first, an olfactory-based novelty assessment, and second, tactile-based social contact, in a temporally sequential manner. Accurate interpretation of investigatory behavior exhibited by test mice can be achieved by functional analysis of these multimodal, sequential behaviors, which will lead to a better understanding of the specific features of social deficits associated with ASD in transgenic mouse models, at high temporal and spatial resolutions.
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Devine SL, Walker SC, Makdani A, Stockton ER, McFarquhar MJ, McGlone FP, Trotter PD. Childhood Adversity and Affective Touch Perception: A Comparison of United Kingdom Care Leavers and Non-care Leavers. Front Psychol 2020; 11:557171. [PMID: 33240148 PMCID: PMC7683385 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.557171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the United Kingdom, the most common reasons for a child to come under the care of social services are neglect and abuse. Such early childhood adversity is a risk factor for social-isolation and poor mental health in adulthood. Touch is a key channel for nurturing interactions, and previous studies have shown links between early somatosensory input, experience dependent neural plasticity, and later life emotional functioning. The aim of the present study was to test the relationship between childhood neglect/abuse and later life experiences, attitudes, and hedonic ratings of affective touch. Here, affective touch is defined as low force, dynamic touch which C-Tactile afferents (CTs) respond optimally to. We hypothesized that a childhood lacking in early nurturing tactile stimulation would be associated with reduced sensitivity to socially relevant affective touch in adulthood. To test this, 19 care leavers (average 9.32 ± 3.70 years in foster care) and 32 non-care leavers were recruited through opportunity sampling (mean age = 21.25 ± 1.74 years). Participants completed a range of psychophysical somatosensory tests. First, they rated the pleasantness of CT-optimal (3 cm/s) and non-CT-optimal (0.3 and 30 cm/s) stroking touch applied to their forearm, both robotically and by an experimenter. They also made vicarious ratings of the anticipated pleasantness of social tactile interactions depicted in a series of videos. Finally, they filled in the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ). As expected, care leavers reported significantly higher levels of childhood trauma than the control group. They also reported significantly lower levels of positive childhood touch compared to non-care leavers, but their attitudes and experiences of current intimate and affiliative touch did not differ. Across all psychophysical tests, care leavers showed specific reduction in sensitivity to the affective value of CT targeted 3 cm/s touch. The results of this study support the hypothesis that a lack of nurturing touch in early developmental periods leads to blunted sensitivity to the specific social value of affective touch. Future research should investigate the neural and physiological mechanisms underlying the observed effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaunna L Devine
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Susannah C Walker
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Adarsh Makdani
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth R Stockton
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Martyn J McFarquhar
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Francis P McGlone
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.,Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Paula D Trotter
- Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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Moberg KU, Handlin L, Petersson M. Neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in the physiological effects caused by skin-to-skin contact – With a particular focus on the oxytocinergic system. Infant Behav Dev 2020; 61:101482. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Lapp HE, Bartlett AA, Zup SL, Hunter RG, Moore CL. Early experience alters developmental trajectory of central oxytocin systems involved in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in Long-Evans rats. Horm Behav 2020; 126:104822. [PMID: 32730760 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin is important for postnatal developmental experiences for mothers, infants, and transactions between them. Oxytocin is also implicated in adult affiliative behaviors, including social buffering of stress. There is evidence for connections between early life experience and adult oxytocin system functioning, but effects of early experience on behavioral, endocrine, and neurophysiological outcomes related to adult social buffering are not well explored. We use a limited bedding and nesting (LBN) material paradigm as an environmental disruption of early experiences and assessed central oxytocin systems in brain regions related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation (paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus). We also assessed developmentally-appropriate social behaviors and HPA reactivity during social buffering testing in adulthood. LBN litters had larger huddles and more pups visible compared to control litters during the first two weeks of life. LBN also altered the developmental trajectory of oxytocin-expressing cells and oxytocin receptor cells, with increases in oxytocin receptor cells at P15 in LBN pups. By adulthood, LBN females had more and LBN males had fewer oxytocin and oxytocin receptor cells in these areas compared to sex-matched controls. Adult LBN females, but not LBN males, had behavioral changes during social interaction and social buffering testing. The sex-specific effects of early experience on central oxytocin systems and social behavior may contribute to female resilience to early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Lapp
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America.
| | - Andrew A Bartlett
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
| | - Susan L Zup
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
| | - Richard G Hunter
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
| | - Celia L Moore
- University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Psychology, 100 Morrissey Rd., Boston, MA 02125, United States of America
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Rasmussen EB, Newland MC, Hemmelman E. The Relevance of Operant Behavior in Conceptualizing the Psychological Well-Being of Captive Animals. Perspect Behav Sci 2020; 43:617-654. [PMID: 33029580 PMCID: PMC7490306 DOI: 10.1007/s40614-020-00259-7] [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] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The term "psychological well-being" is used in reference to husbandry with animals in human care settings such as research, agriculture, and zoos. This article seeks to clarify and conceptualize the term based upon two approaches that draw from several bodies of literature: the experimental analysis of behavior, experimental psychology, animal welfare and husbandry, farm animal behavior, zoo husbandry, and ethology. One approach focuses on the presence of problem behavior such as stereotypies, depressive-like behavior, and aggression, and emphasizes the conditions under which aberrant behavior in animals under human care occurs. The second approach examines what might be considered wellness by emphasizing opportunities to engage with its environment, or the absence of such opportunities, even if problematic behavior is not exhibited. Here, access to an interactive environment is relatively limited so opportunities for operant (voluntary) behavior could be considered. Designing for operant behavior provides opportunities for variability in both behavior and outcomes. Operant behavior also provides control over the environment, a characteristic that has been a core assumption of well-being. The importance of interactions with one's environment is especially evident in observations that animals prefer opportunities to work for items necessary for sustenance, such as food, over having them delivered freely. These considerations raise the importance of operant behavior to psychological well-being, especially as benefits to animals under human care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin B. Rasmussen
- Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8112 USA
| | | | - Ethan Hemmelman
- Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8112 USA
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Early-life stress affects drug abuse susceptibility in adolescent rat model independently of depression vulnerability. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13326. [PMID: 32769999 PMCID: PMC7414128 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70242-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of substance abuse problems occurs due to a diverse combination of risk factors. Among these risks, studies have reported depression and early-life stress as of importance. These two factors often occur simultaneously, however, there is a lack of understanding of how their combined effect may impact vulnerability to drug abuse in adolescence. The present study used rats with different vulnerability to depression (Wistar and Wistar-Kyoto) to investigate the impact of maternal separation (MS) on emotional state and drug addiction vulnerability during the adolescence period. Mothers and their litters were subjected to MS (180 min/day) from postnatal day 2 to 14. The offspring emotional state was assessed by observing their exploratory behavior. Drug abuse vulnerability was assessed through conditioning to cocaine. MS impacted the emotional state in both strains. Wistar responded with increased exploration, while Wistar-Kyoto increased anxiety-like behaviours. Despite the different coping strategies displayed by the two strains when challenged with the behavioural tests, drug conditioning was equally impacted by MS in both strains. Early-life stress appears to affect drug abuse vulnerability in adolescence independently of a depression background, suggesting emotional state as the main driving risk factor.
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Manzotti A, Cerritelli F, Lombardi E, La Rocca S, Chiera M, Galli M, Lista G. Effects of osteopathic treatment versus static touch on heart rate and oxygen saturation in premature babies: A randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2020; 39:101116. [PMID: 32379655 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been successfully tested in the context of preterm infants. No studies, however, have been conducted to investigate the OMT immediate effects on physiological measurements, such as partial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and heart rate (HR). The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of osteopathic treatment on SpO2 and HR values and to compare it with 10 min of static touch. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety-six preterm infants (41 male), aged 33.5 weeks (±4.3) with mean weight at birth of 2067gr (±929) were recruited from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Buzzi Hospital in Milan, and randomly allocated to two groups: OMT and Static Touch. Each protocol session consisted of: a) 5-min Pre-touch baseline recording, b) 10-min touch procedure, c) 5-min post-touch recording. Primary and secondary outcomes were, respectively, the baseline changes of HR and SpO2. RESULTS The 2 × 2 repeated measure ANOVA for HR showed a statistically significant effect (F (1,94) = 5.34; p < 0.02), revealing that the OMT group decreases the HR value at T2 (p = 0.006). In contrast, SpO2 analysis showed an increase of SpO2 value where the OMT group demonstrated higher values at T2 (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION Results from the present study suggest that a single osteopathic intervention may induce beneficial effects on preterm physiological parameters. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03833635 - Date: February 7, 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Manzotti
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy; Division of Neonatology, "V. Buzzi" Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy; Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Erica Lombardi
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy; Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simona La Rocca
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy; Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Chiera
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy
| | - Matteo Galli
- RAISE Lab, Foundation COME Collaboration, Pescara, Italy; Research Department, SOMA, Istituto Osteopatia Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluca Lista
- Division of Neonatology, "V. Buzzi" Children's Hospital, ASST-FBF-Sacco, Milan, Italy
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Wiltshire TJ, Philipsen JS, Trasmundi SB, Jensen TW, Steffensen SV. Interpersonal Coordination Dynamics in Psychotherapy: A Systematic Review. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10608-020-10106-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of interpersonal coordination (i.e., covariation over time) in different modalities (e.g., physiology, language) during psychotherapy and their importance for understanding the dynamics of psychotherapeutic interaction and efficacy.
Methods
We conducted a systematic review of all studies examining some form of interpersonal coordination in a psychotherapeutic context.
Results
We first summarize details of the included studies such as gender composition, therapy types, and methods used. The collation of these studies provided evidence that, during psychotherapeutic contexts, interpersonal coordination occurs in physiology, movements, interpersonal displays, and language/vocalizations. Further, it also showed that movement coordination was most frequently associated with psychotherapy outcomes, physiological coordination was most frequently associated with empathy, and coordination in a variety of modalities including language/vocalizations were most frequently associated with therapeutic alliance.
Conclusions
We discuss these results, shortcomings with the current literature, and highlight three crucial questions for future research. Research on interpersonal coordination in psychotherapy has potential to advance the both the research and practice of psychotherapy.
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Tottenham N. Early Adversity and the Neotenous Human Brain. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:350-358. [PMID: 31399257 PMCID: PMC6935437 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Human brain development is optimized to learn from environmental cues. The protracted development of the cortex and its connections with subcortical targets has been argued to permit more opportunity for acquiring complex behaviors. This review uses the example of amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex circuitry development to illustrate a principle of human development-namely, that the extension of the brain's developmental timeline allows for the (species-expected) collaboration between child and parent in co-construction of the human brain. The neurobiology underlying affective learning capitalizes on this protracted timeline to develop a rich affective repertoire in adulthood. Humans are afforded this luxuriously slow development in part by the extended period of caregiving provided by parents, and parents aid in scaffolding the process of maturation during childhood. Just as adequate caregiving is a potent effector of brain development, so is adverse caregiving, which is the largest environmental risk factor for adult mental illness. There are large individual differences in neurobiological outcomes following caregiving adversity, indicating that these pathways are probabilistic, rather than deterministic, and prolonged plasticity in human brain development may also allow for subsequent amelioration by positive experiences. The extant research indicates that the development of mental health cannot be considered without consideration of children in the context of their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York.
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Thomas AW, Delevich K, Chang I, Wilbrecht L. Variation in early life maternal care predicts later long range frontal cortex synapse development in mice. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 41:100737. [PMID: 31786477 PMCID: PMC6994474 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Empirical and theoretical work suggests that early postnatal experience may inform later developing synaptic connectivity to adapt the brain to its environment. We hypothesized that early maternal experience may program the development of synaptic density on long range frontal cortex projections. To test this idea, we used maternal separation (MS) to generate environmental variability and examined how MS affected 1) maternal care and 2) synapse density on virally-labeled long range axons of offspring reared in MS or control conditions. We found that MS and variation in maternal care predicted bouton density on dorsal frontal cortex axons that terminated in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and dorsomedial striatum (DMS) with more, fragmented care associated with higher density. The effects of maternal care on these distinct axonal projections of the frontal cortex were manifest at different ages. Maternal care measures were correlated with frontal cortex → BLA bouton density at mid-adolescence postnatal (P) day 35 and frontal cortex → DMS bouton density in adulthood (P85). Meanwhile, we found no evidence that MS or maternal care affected bouton density on ascending orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) or BLA axons that terminated in the dorsal frontal cortices. Our data show that variation in early experience can alter development in a circuit-specific and age-dependent manner that may be relevant to understanding the effects of early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Wren Thomas
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Kristen Delevich
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA
| | - Irene Chang
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA.
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During infant maltreatment, stress targets hippocampus, but stress with mother present targets amygdala and social behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:22821-22832. [PMID: 31636210 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907170116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Infant maltreatment increases vulnerability to physical and mental disorders, yet specific mechanisms embedded within this complex infant experience that induce this vulnerability remain elusive. To define critical features of maltreatment-induced vulnerability, rat pups were reared from postnatal day 8 (PN8) with a maltreating mother, which produced amygdala and hippocampal deficits and decreased social behavior at PN13. Next, we deconstructed the maltreatment experience to reveal sufficient and necessary conditions to induce this phenotype. Social behavior and amygdala deficits (volume, neurogenesis, c-Fos, local field potential) required combined chronic high corticosterone and maternal presence (not maternal behavior). Hippocampal deficits were induced by chronic high corticosterone regardless of social context. Causation was shown by blocking corticosterone during maltreatment and suppressing amygdala activity during social behavior testing. These results highlight (1) that early life maltreatment initiates multiple pathways to pathology, each with distinct causal mechanisms and outcomes, and (2) the importance of social presence on brain development.
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Callaghan BL, Gee DG, Gabard-Durnam L, Telzer EH, Humphreys KL, Goff B, Shapiro M, Flannery J, Lumian DS, Fareri DS, Caldera C, Tottenham N. Decreased Amygdala Reactivity to Parent Cues Protects Against Anxiety Following Early Adversity: An Examination Across 3 Years. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 4:664-671. [PMID: 30952600 PMCID: PMC6612442 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human brain remains highly plastic for a protracted developmental period. Thus, although early caregiving adversities that alter amygdala development can result in enduring emotion regulation difficulties, these trajectories should respond to subsequent enriched caregiving. Exposure to high-quality parenting can regulate (i.e., decrease) children's amygdala reactivity, a process that, over the long term, is hypothesized to enhance emotion regulation. We tested the hypothesis that even following adversity, the parent-child relationship would be associated with decreases in amygdala reactivity to parent cues, which would in turn predict lower future anxiety. METHODS Participants were 102 children (6-10 years of age) and adolescents (11-17 years of age), for whom data were collected at one or two time points and who either had experienced institutional care before adoption (n = 45) or had lived always with their biological parents (comparison; n = 57). We examined how amygdala reactivity to visual cues of the parent at time 1 predicted longitudinal change (from time 1 to time 2) in parent-reported child anxiety across 3 years. RESULTS At time 1, on average, amygdala reactivity decrements to parent cues were not seen in children who had received institutional care but were seen in children in the comparison group. However, some children who previously experienced institutional care did show decreased amygdala reactivity to parent cues (∼40%), which was associated with greater child-reported feelings of security with their parent. Amygdala decreases at time 1 were followed by steeper anxiety reductions from time 1 to time 2 (i.e., 3 years). CONCLUSIONS These data provide a neurobiological mechanism by which the parent-child relationship can increase resilience, even in children at significant risk for anxiety symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget L Callaghan
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York; Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Dylan G Gee
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Eva H Telzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois
| | - Kathryn L Humphreys
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Bonnie Goff
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Mor Shapiro
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jessica Flannery
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Eugene, Oregon
| | - Daniel S Lumian
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
| | - Dominic S Fareri
- Department of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York
| | - Christina Caldera
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York
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Bergman NJ. Birth practices: Maternal-neonate separation as a source of toxic stress. Birth Defects Res 2019; 111:1087-1109. [PMID: 31157520 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Maternal-neonate separation for human newborns has been the standard of care since the last century; low birth weight and preterm infants are still routinely separated from their mothers. With advanced technology, survival is good, but long-term developmental outcomes are very poor for these especially vulnerable newborns. The poor outcomes are similar to those described for adversity in childhood, ascribed to toxic stress. Toxic stress is defined as the absence of the buffering protection of adult support. Parental absence has been strictly enforced in neonatal care units for many reasons and could lead to toxic stress. The understanding of toxic stress comes from discoveries about our genome and epigenetics, the microbiome, developmental neuroscience and the brain connectome, and life history theory. The common factor is the early environment that gives (a) signals to epigenes, (b) sensory inputs to neural circuits, and (c) experiences for reproductive fitness. For human newborns that environment is direct skin-to-skin contact from birth. Highly conserved neuroendocrine behaviors determined by environment are described in this review. The scientific rationale underlying skin-to-skin contact is presented: autonomic development and regulation of the physiology leads to emotional connection and achieving resilience. Maternal-neonate separation prevents these critical neural processes from taking place, but also channel development into an alternative developmental strategy. This enables better coping in a stressful environment in the short term, but with permanently elevated stress systems that negatively impact mental and physical health in the long term. This may explain the increasing incidence of developmental problems in childhood, and also Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Arguments are presented that maternal-neonate separation is indeed a source of toxic stress, and some suggestions are offered toward a "zero separation" paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils J Bergman
- Department of Neonatology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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EEG captures affective touch: CT-optimal touch and neural oscillations. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 18:155-166. [PMID: 29404917 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-017-0560-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Tactile interactions are of developmental importance to social and emotional interactions across species. In beginning to understand the affective component of tactile stimulation, research has begun to elucidate the neural mechanisms that underscore slow, affective touch. Here, we extended this emerging body of work and examined whether affective touch (C tactile [CT]-optimal speed), as compared to nonaffective touch (non-CT-optimal speed) and no touch conditions, modulated EEG oscillations. We report an attenuation in alpha and beta activity to affective and nonaffective touch relative to the no touch condition. Further, we found an attenuation in theta activity specific to the affective, as compared to the nonaffective touch and no touch conditions. Similar to theta, we also observed an attenuation of beta oscillations during the affective touch condition, although only in parietal scalp sites. Decreased activity in theta and parietal-beta ranges may reflect attentional-emotional regulatory mechanisms; however, future work is needed to provide insight into the potential neural coupling between theta and beta and their specific role in encoding slow, tactile stimulation.
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Braren SH, Perry RE, Ursache A, Blair C. Socioeconomic risk moderates the association between caregiver cortisol levels and infant cortisol reactivity to emotion induction at 24 months. Dev Psychobiol 2019; 61:573-591. [PMID: 30820941 PMCID: PMC6488391 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Relations between maternal baseline cortisol and infant cortisol reactivity to an emotion induction procedure at child ages 7, 15, and 24 months were analyzed using data from the Family Life Project (N = 1,292). The emotion induction consisted of a series of standardized and validated tasks, including an arm restraint, toy removal, and mask presentation, intended to elicit responses of fear and frustration. Results revealed that at 7 and 15 months, maternal baseline cortisol was negatively related to child cortisol reactivity, such that children of mothers with lower cortisol exhibited steeper cortisol increases in response to the emotion induction. At 24 months, the association between mother and infant cortisol was moderated by socioeconomic risk, such that maternal baseline cortisol was associated with child cortisol reactivity only in dyads characterized by low socioeconomic risk. Furthermore, at 24 months, children of mothers with low baseline cortisol and low socioeconomic risk exhibited decreasing cortisol responses, whereas children of mothers with low baseline cortisol but high risk exhibited flat cortisol responses. Children in dyads characterized by high baseline maternal cortisol also exhibited flat cortisol responses regardless of socioeconomic risk. The role of caregiver physiology in the regulation of the child's stress response in the context of adversity is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen H. Braren
- Department of Applied Psychology, 246 Greene Street, Kimball Hall, 8 Floor, New York University, New York, NY, 10012, United States
| | - Rosemarie E. Perry
- Department of Applied Psychology, 246 Greene Street, Kimball Hall, 8 Floor, New York University, New York, NY, 10012, United States
| | - Alexandra Ursache
- Department of Population Health, 227 East 30th Street, 7 Floor, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, United States
| | - Clancy Blair
- Department of Applied Psychology, 246 Greene Street, Kimball Hall, 8 Floor, New York University, New York, NY, 10012, United States
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Opendak M, Sullivan RM. Unique infant neurobiology produces distinctive trauma processing. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100637. [PMID: 30889546 PMCID: PMC6969239 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Trauma experienced in early life has unique neurobehavioral outcomes related to later life psychiatric sequelae. Recent evidence has further highlighted the context of infant trauma as critical, with trauma experienced within species-atypical aberrations in caregiving quality as particularly detrimental. Using data from primarily rodent models, we review the literature on the interaction between trauma and attachment in early life, which highlights the role of the caregiver's presence in engagement of attachment brain circuitry and suppressing threat processing by the amygdala. Together these data suggest that infant trauma processing and its enduring effects are impacted by both the immaturity of brain areas for processing trauma and the unique functioning of the early-life brain, which is biased towards forming robust attachments regardless of the quality of care. Understanding the critical role of the caregiver in further altering early life brain processing of trauma is important for developing age-relevant treatment and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Opendak
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA.
| | - Regina M Sullivan
- Emotional Brain Institute, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA; Child Study Center, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA
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Harrison TM, Chen CY, Stein P, Brown R, Heathcock JC. Neonatal Skin-to-Skin Contact: Implications for Learning and Autonomic Nervous System Function in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease. Biol Res Nurs 2019; 21:296-306. [DOI: 10.1177/1099800419827599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background: Infants with complex congenital heart disease (CCHD) often develop neurodevelopmental disabilities. Cognitive abilities are associated with vagally mediated autonomic function. Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) interventions enhance infant neurodevelopment and autonomic function in other high-risk populations. Aim: To examine the effects of a neonatal SSC intervention on learning and autonomic function in 3-month-old infants: infants with CCHD who received neonatal SSC ( n = 10), typically developing (TD) infants ( n = 16), and infants with CCHD without SSC ( n = 10). Methods: This secondary data analysis measured cognitive function using the mobile paradigm (MP), a classic measure of learning based on operant conditioning. Autonomic function was assessed with heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV). Data were analyzed with repeated-measures general linear mixed modeling with α = .10 for this exploratory study. Results: Learning rates were TD = 75%, cardiac-SSC = 70%, and cardiac-control = 40%. Learners demonstrated significant reductions in HRV during the MP; nonlearners exhibited no change. TD and cardiac-SSC groups exhibited increases in HR and reductions in HRV during the MP. No significant changes occurred in the cardiac-control group. Nonlinear HRV during the MP differed only in the TD group. Conclusions: Findings suggest improvements in cognitive and autonomic development in 3-month-old infants with CCHD who received neonatal SSC. Learning and autonomic function results in infants with CCHD who had not received SSC suggest reduced capacity to muster the physiologic resources to carry out this cognitive task. Findings provide preliminary evidence in support of implementation of SSC with infants with CCHD and support additional research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chao-Ying Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Phyllis Stein
- Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Roger Brown
- Medical Research Consulting, Middleton, WI, USA
| | - Jill C. Heathcock
- The Ohio State University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Columbus, OH, USA
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Abraham E, Hendler T, Zagoory-Sharon O, Feldman R. Interoception sensitivity in the parental brain during the first months of parenting modulates children's somatic symptoms six years later: The role of oxytocin. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 136:39-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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49
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Damián JP, Hötzel MJ, Banchero G, Ungerfeld R. Growing without a mother during rearing affects the response to stressors in rams. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2018.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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50
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Harvey MW, Farrell AK, Imami L, Carré JM, Slatcher RB. Maternal attachment avoidance is linked to youth diurnal cortisol slopes in children with asthma. Attach Hum Dev 2018; 21:23-37. [PMID: 30406724 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2018.1541514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Prior evidence suggests that an individual's attachment orientation is linked to the health and health-related biology of his/her romantic relationship partners. The current study examined whether this effect extends to parent-child relationships. Specifically, we investigated the association between maternal attachment anxiety and avoidance and diurnal cortisol of offspring. In a sample of 138 youth with asthma and their primary caregivers, caregivers reported their attachment orientations, and their children (aged 10-17) supplied four saliva samples per day over four days to assess diurnal cortisol patterns. Growth curve analyses revealed no links to caregiver attachment anxiety, but caregiver attachment avoidance was significantly associated with children's diurnal cortisol slopes, such that greater attachment avoidance predicted flatter diurnal cortisol slopes. Maternal warmth did not mediate this link. These results support the possibility that an individual's adult attachment orientation may "get under the skin" of family members to influence their health-related biology. Future research should seek to determine the causal direction of this association and mechanisms of this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Harvey
- a Department of Phsychology , Wayne State University , Detroit , USA
| | - Allison K Farrell
- a Department of Phsychology , Wayne State University , Detroit , USA
| | - Ledina Imami
- a Department of Phsychology , Wayne State University , Detroit , USA
| | - Justin M Carré
- b Departmnt of Psychology , Nipissing University , North Bay , Ontario , Canada
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