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Espiritu AI, Soliman Y, Blair M, Santo J, Casserly C, Racosta JM, Morrow SA. Self-reported cognitive function mediates the relationship between employment status and cognitive functioning in persons with multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2024; 87:105645. [PMID: 38761696 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105645] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in people with MS (PwMS). Evidence is lacking for the self-reported CI's mediation effect on employment status and objective cognitive performance. Self-reported CI was found to be unreliable and seemed to be more associated with depression rather than formal cognitive performance. We hypothesized that the link between subjective and objective assessments of cognitive functions, mood, and employment status may be more complex in PwMS than previously reported. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study are the following: (Romero-Pinel et al., 2022) to determine whether employment status could affect performance in cognitive function testing and (Rao et al., 1991) whether their relationship may be mediated by self-reported CI; and (Deluca et al., 2013) to determine whether self-reported depression interacts with self-reported CI in influencing performance in various cognitive domains in PwMS. METHODOLOGY A retrospective study was performed involving PwMS who completed the self-report Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-depression scale (HADS-D), Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) and had data regarding employment status. Included PwMS were classified as employed or unemployed. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was taken due to the advantage of examining multiple cognitive outcomes simultaneously while accounting for shared associations. First, a latent factor of memory and executive functioning modeled the error-free associations between both factors and a processing speed task (SDMT). Next, the model tested for the indirect effect of self-reported cognition (MSNQ) on employment status differences in each outcome (memory, speed, and executive functioning). Finally, we tested interactions between MSNQ and HADS-D on each of the outcomes. RESULTS We included 590 PwMS: 72.5% female, mean age 44.2 years (SD = 10.5), mean disease duration 8.6 years (SD 9.0). The majority (n = 455, 77.1%) had relapsing MS; 357 (60.5%) were employed. About half (n = 301, 51%) did not report CI on the MSNQ; of those, 213 (70.8%) were employed. The mean MSNQ for employed PwMS was 24.5 (SD = 10.7) and 29.8 (SD = 11.2) for unemployed PwMS. Employed PwMS had significantly better memory (β = .16, p < .05), executive functioning (β = .25, p < .05), and processing speed (β = .22, p < .05). MSNQ partially indirectly mediated the effect of employment status on memory (Δβ = .03, p < .05) and executive functioning (Δβ = .03, p < .05) and processing speed (Δβ = .04, p < .05), indicating that self-report CI partially explains the influence of employment status on these cognitive domains. The association between MSNQ with both memory and executive functioning was moderated by depression, meaning that in PwMS with high HADS-D scores, MSNQ was more strongly related to worse memory and executive functioning. The final model was an acceptable fit to the data (χ2(87) = 465.07, p < .05; CFI = .90, RMSEA = .08, 90% CI [.06, .09], SRMR = .05) explaining 41.20%, 38.50% and 33.40% of the variability in memory, executive functioning, and processing speed, respectively. CONCLUSION Self-reported CI partially explains the associations between employment status and objective cognitive assessment in PwMS. Depression may moderate the relationship between self-reported cognitive assessment and objective cognitive performance. Thus, employment status and mood may guide the interpretation of self-reported CI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian I Espiritu
- Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Clinical Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines; Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yasmin Soliman
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Centre, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mervin Blair
- Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby, Ontario, Canada; Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Parkwood Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care Centre, London, ON, Canada
| | - Jonathan Santo
- Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha, United States
| | - Courtney Casserly
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Centre, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Juan M Racosta
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Centre, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah A Morrow
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, London Health Sciences Centre, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Concussion Canadian Center, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Parkwood Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care Centre, London, ON, Canada; Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada.
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Hao Y, Hu L. Lower Childhood Socioeconomic Status Is Associated with Greater Neural Responses to Ambient Auditory Changes in Adulthood. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:979-996. [PMID: 38579240 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Humans' early life experience varies by socioeconomic status (SES), raising the question of how this difference is reflected in the adult brain. An important aspect of brain function is the ability to detect salient ambient changes while focusing on a task. Here, we ask whether subjective social status during childhood is reflected by the way young adults' brain detecting changes in irrelevant information. In two studies (total n = 58), we examine electrical brain responses in the frontocentral region to a series of auditory tones, consisting of standard stimuli (80%) and deviant stimuli (20%) interspersed randomly, while participants were engaged in various visual tasks. Both studies showed stronger automatic change detection indexed by MMN in lower SES individuals, regardless of the unattended sound's feature, attended emotional content, or study type. Moreover, we observed a larger MMN in lower-SES participants, although they did not show differences in brain and behavior responses to the attended task. Lower-SES people also did not involuntarily orient more attention to sound changes (i.e., deviant stimuli), as indexed by the P3a. The study indicates that individuals with lower subjective social status may have an increased ability to automatically detect changes in their environment, which may suggest their adaptation to their childhood environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hao
- University of Pennsylvania
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Kałwak W, Weziak-Bialowolska D, Wendołowska A, Bonarska K, Sitnik-Warchulska K, Bańbura A, Czyżowska D, Gruszka A, Opoczyńska-Morasiewicz M, Izydorczyk B. Young adults from disadvantaged groups experience more stress and deterioration in mental health associated with polycrisis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8757. [PMID: 38627525 PMCID: PMC11021532 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59325-8] [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: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The recent polycrisis (COVID-19, Ukraine war, climate change, economic crisis) has been associated with mental health through cumulative stress, with young people being particularly vulnerable. We surveyed 403 college students from Poland to examine their psychological responses to the experienced crises. The results showed that polycrisis was associated with worse mental health of college students from disadvantaged groups (based on gender, sexual orientation, and financial situation) compared to other college students, in four areas: sense of proximity to the crises, stress caused by the crises, sense of responsibility for mitigating the crises, and experiencing everyday moral dilemmas regarding the crises. These young adults also suffered more in terms of negative affectivity, depressive symptoms, and subjective physical and mental health. Our findings suggest that when discussing public mental health perspectives, it is important to consider consequences of cumulative stress and its greater impact on young people from disadvantaged groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weronika Kałwak
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska
- Department of Quantitative Methods and Information Technology, Kozminski University, ul. Jagiellonska 57/59, 03-301, Warsaw, Poland
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, 12 Arrow St, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Anna Wendołowska
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Karolina Bonarska
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Sitnik-Warchulska
- Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, ul. Prof. Stefana Łojasiewicza 4, 30-348, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Bańbura
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Dorota Czyżowska
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Gruszka
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | | | - Bernadetta Izydorczyk
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, ul. Romana Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
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Filigrana P, Moon JY, Gallo LC, Fernández-Rhodes L, Perreira KM, Daviglus ML, Thyagarajan B, Garcia-Bedoya OL, Cai J, Lipton RB, Kaplan RC, Gonzalez HM, Isasi CR. Childhood and Life-Course Socioeconomic Position and Cognitive Function in the Adult Population of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Am J Epidemiol 2023; 192:2006-2017. [PMID: 37420108 PMCID: PMC10988221 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwad157] [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: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The Hispanic/Latino population experiences socioeconomic adversities across the lifespan and is at greater risk of cognitive impairment, yet little is known about the role of life-course socioeconomic position (SEP) in cognitive function in this population. Using baseline data (2008-2011) from adults (aged 45-74 years) of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, we assessed the association between childhood SEP and socioeconomic mobility with cognitive function, and whether this association was mediated by midlife SEP. Childhood SEP was assessed using parental education. An index combining participants' education and household income represented midlife SEP. Socioeconomic mobility was categorized as stable low, downward or upward mobility, and stable high-SEP. Cognitive function measures were modeled using survey linear regression with inverse-probability weighting, accounting for covariates. We used mediation analysis to estimate the indirect effect of childhood SEP on cognition through midlife SEP. High childhood SEP was associated with global cognition in adulthood (coefficient for parental education beyond high school vs. less than high school = 0.26, 95% confidence interval: 0.15, 0.37). This association was partially mediated through midlife SEP (indirect effect coefficient = 0.16, 95% confidence interval: 0.15, 0.18). Low SEP through the life course was associated with the lowest cognitive function. This study provides evidence that life-course SEP influences cognitive performance in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Filigrana
- Correspondence to Dr. Paola Filigrana, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Belfer Building-Room 1308, Bronx, NY 10461 (e-mail: )
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Gianaros PJ, Miller PL, Manuck SB, Kuan DCH, Rosso AL, Votruba-Drzal EE, Marsland AL. Beyond Neighborhood Disadvantage: Local Resources, Green Space, Pollution, and Crime as Residential Community Correlates of Cardiovascular Risk and Brain Morphology in Midlife Adults. Psychosom Med 2023; 85:378-388. [PMID: 37053093 PMCID: PMC10239348 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Residing in communities characterized by socioeconomic disadvantage confers risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Residing in disadvantaged communities may also confer the risk of neurodegenerative brain changes via cardiometabolic pathways. This study tested whether features of communities-apart from conventional socioeconomic characteristics-relate not only to cardiometabolic risk but also to relative tissue reductions in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. METHODS Participants were 699 adults aged 30 to 54 years (340 women; 22.5% non-White) whose addresses were geocoded to compute community indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage, as well as air and toxic chemical pollutant exposures, homicide rates, concentration of employment opportunities, land use (green space), and availability of supermarkets and local resources. Participants also underwent assessments of cortical and hippocampal volumes and cardiometabolic risk factors (adiposity, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and lipids). RESULTS Multilevel structural equation modeling demonstrated that cardiometabolic risk was associated with community disadvantage ( β = 0.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01 to 0.18), as well as chemical pollution ( β = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.19), homicide rates ( β = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.01 to 0.18), employment opportunities ( β = -0.16, 95% CI = -0.27 to -0.04), and green space ( β = -0.12, 95% CI = -0.20 to -0.04). Moreover, cardiometabolic risk indirectly mediated the associations of several of these community features and brain tissue volumes. Some associations were nonlinear, and none were explained by participants' individual-level socioeconomic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Features of communities other than conventional indicators of socioeconomic disadvantage may represent nonredundant correlates of cardiometabolic risk and brain tissue morphology in midlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Gianaros
- From the Department of Psychology (Gianaros, Manuck, Votruba-Drza, Marsland) and Learning and Research Development Center (Miller, Votruba-Drza), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Corning Incorporated (Kuan), Corning, New York; and Department of Epidemiology (Rosso), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Jorgensen NA, Muscatell KA, McCormick EM, Prinstein MJ, Lindquist KA, Telzer EH. Neighborhood disadvantage, race/ethnicity and neural sensitivity to social threat and reward among adolescents. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:6731858. [PMID: 36178870 PMCID: PMC9949505 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiences within one's social environment shape neural sensitivity to threatening and rewarding social cues. However, in racialized societies like the USA, youth from minoritized racial/ethnic backgrounds can have different experiences and perceptions within neighborhoods that share similar characteristics. The current study examined how neighborhood disadvantage intersects with racial/ethnic background in relation to neural sensitivity to social cues. A racially diverse (59 Hispanic/Latine, 48 White, 37 Black/African American, 15 multi-racial and 6 other) and primarily low to middle socioeconomic status sample of 165 adolescents (88 female; Mage = 12.89) completed a social incentive delay task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. We tested for differences in the association between neighborhood disadvantage and neural responses to social threat and reward cues across racial/ethnic groups. For threat processing, compared to White youth, neighborhood disadvantage was related to greater neural activation in regions involved in salience detection (e.g. anterior cingulate cortex) for Black youth and regions involved in mentalizing (e.g. temporoparietal junction) for Latine youth. For reward processing, neighborhood disadvantage was related to greater brain activation in reward, salience and mentalizing regions for Black youth only. This study offers a novel exploration of diversity within adolescent neural development and important insights into our understanding of how social environments may 'get under the skull' differentially across racial/ethnic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A Jorgensen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510-3270, USA
| | - Keely A Muscatell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510-3270, USA
| | - Ethan M McCormick
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, RB Leiden 2300, The Netherlands
| | - Mitchell J Prinstein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510-3270, USA
| | - Kristen A Lindquist
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510-3270, USA
| | - Eva H Telzer
- Correspondence should be addressed to Eva H. Telzer, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Box #3270, 235 E. Cameron Ave, Chapel Hill, NC 27510-3270, USA. E-mail:
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Xu B, Wei S, Yin X, Jin X, Yan S, Jia L. The relationship between childhood emotional neglect experience and depressive symptoms and prefrontal resting functional connections in college students: The mediating role of reappraisal strategy. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:927389. [PMID: 36969801 PMCID: PMC10037214 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.927389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood emotional neglect (CEN) has a relatively high incidence rate and substantially adverse effects. Many studies have found that CEN is closely related to emotion regulation and depression symptoms. Besides, the functional activity of the prefrontal lobe may also be related to them. However, the relationships between the above variables have not been thoroughly studied. This study recruited two groups of college students, namely, those with primary CEN (neglect group) and those without childhood trauma (control group), to explore the relationships among CEN, adulthood emotion regulation, depressive symptoms, and prefrontal resting functional connections. The methods used in this study included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The results showed that compared with the control group, the neglect group utilized the reappraisal strategy less frequently and displayed more depressive symptoms. The prefrontal functional connections with other brain regions in the neglect group were more robust than those in the control group using less stringent multiple correction standards. Across the two groups, the functional connection strength between the right orbitofrontal gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus significantly negatively correlated with the ERQ reappraisal score and positively correlated with the BDI-II total score; the ERQ reappraisal score wholly mediated the relationship between the functional connection strength and the BDI-II total score. It suggests that primary CEN may closely correlate with more depressive symptoms in adulthood. Furthermore, the more robust spontaneous activity of the prefrontal lobe may also be closely associated with more depressive symptoms by utilizing a reappraisal strategy less frequently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Xu
- *Correspondence: Bin Xu ✉
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Frank GKW, Shott ME, Sternheim LC, Swindle S, Pryor TL. Persistence, Reward Dependence, and Sensitivity to Reward Are Associated With Unexpected Salience Response in Girls but Not in Adult Women: Implications for Psychiatric Vulnerabilities. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2022; 7:1170-1182. [PMID: 33872764 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescence is a critical period for the development of not only personality but also psychopathology. These processes may be specific to sex, and brain reward circuits may have a role. Here, we studied how reward processing and temperament associations differ across adolescent and adult females. METHODS A total of 29 adolescent girls and 41 adult women completed temperament assessments and performed a classical taste conditioning paradigm during brain imaging. Data were analyzed for the dopamine-related prediction error response. In addition, unexpected stimulus receipt or omission and expected receipt response were also analyzed. Heat maps identified cortical-subcortical brain response associations. RESULTS Adolescents showed stronger prediction error and unexpected receipt and omission responses (partial η2 = 0.063 to 0.166; p = .001 to .043) in insula, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and striatum than adults. Expected stimulus receipt response was similar between groups. In adolescents versus adults, persistence was more strongly positively related to prediction error (OFC, insula, striatum; Fisher's z = 1.704 to 3.008; p = .001 to .044) and unexpected stimulus receipt (OFC, insula; Fisher's z = 1.843 to 2.051; p = .014 to .033) and negatively with omission (OFC, insula, striatum; Fisher's z = -1.905 to -3.069; p = .001 to .028). Reward sensitivity and reward dependence correlated more positively with unexpected stimulus receipt and more negatively with stimulus omission response in adolescents. Adolescents showed significant correlations between the striatum and FC for unexpected stimulus receipt and omission that correlated with persistence but were absent in adults. CONCLUSIONS Associations between temperamental traits and brain reward response may provide neurotypical markers that contribute to developing adaptive or maladaptive behavior patterns when transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido K W Frank
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California; Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, California.
| | - Megan E Shott
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Lot C Sternheim
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Skylar Swindle
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California
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Suryoputri N, Kiesow H, Bzdok D. Population variation in social brain morphology: Links to socioeconomic status and health disparity. Soc Neurosci 2022; 17:305-327. [PMID: 35658811 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2083230] [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] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Health disparity across layers of society involves reasons beyond the healthcare system. Socioeconomic status (SES) shapes people's daily interaction with their social environment and is known to impact various health outcomes. Using generative probabilistic modeling, we investigate health satisfaction and complementary indicators of socioeconomic lifestyle in the human social brain. In a population cohort of ~10,000 UK Biobank participants, our first analysis probed the relationship between health status and subjective social standing (i.e., financial satisfaction). We identified volume effects in participants unhappy with their health in regions of the higher associative cortex, especially the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and bilateral temporo-parietal junction (TPJ). Specifically, participants in poor subjective health showed deviations in dmPFC and TPJ volume as a function of financial satisfaction. The second analysis on health status and objective social standing (i.e., household income) revealed volume deviations in regions of the limbic system for individuals feeling unhealthy. In particular, low-SES participants dissatisfied with their health showed deviations in volume distributions in the amygdala and hippocampus bilaterally. Thus, our population-level evidence speaks to the possibility that health status and socioeconomic position have characteristic imprints in social brain differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathania Suryoputri
- Department of Medical Engineering and Technomathematics, FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Jülich, Germany
| | - Hannah Kiesow
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Kweon H, Aydogan G, Dagher A, Bzdok D, Ruff CC, Nave G, Farah MJ, Koellinger PD. Human brain anatomy reflects separable genetic and environmental components of socioeconomic status. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm2923. [PMID: 35584223 PMCID: PMC9116589 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm2923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) correlates with brain structure, a relation of interest given the long-observed relations of SES to cognitive abilities and health. Yet, major questions remain open, in particular, the pattern of causality that underlies this relation. In an unprecedently large study, here, we assess genetic and environmental contributions to SES differences in neuroanatomy. We first establish robust SES-gray matter relations across a number of brain regions, cortical and subcortical. These regional correlates are parsed into predominantly genetic factors and those potentially due to the environment. We show that genetic effects are stronger in some areas (prefrontal cortex, insula) than others. In areas showing less genetic effect (cerebellum, lateral temporal), environmental factors are likely to be influential. Our results imply a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors that influence the SES-brain relation and may eventually provide insights relevant to policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeokmoon Kweon
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gökhan Aydogan
- Zürich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Alain Dagher
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2A7, Canada
- Mila-Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montreal, QC H2S 3H1, Canada
| | - Christian C. Ruff
- Zürich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gideon Nave
- Marketing Department, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Martha J. Farah
- Center for Neuroscience & Society, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Corresponding author. (M.J.F.); (P.D.K.)
| | - Philipp D. Koellinger
- Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
- La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Corresponding author. (M.J.F.); (P.D.K.)
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Schoon I, Henseke G. Social Inequalities in Young People's Mental Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Do Psychosocial Resource Factors Matter? Front Public Health 2022; 10:820270. [PMID: 35359768 PMCID: PMC8964111 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.820270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected young people aged 16–25 years and has brought about a major increase in mental health problems. Although there is persisting evidence regarding SES differences in mental health status, there is still little knowledge of the processes linking SES to young people's mental health, in particular during the current pandemic. Guided by a stress process model this study examines the role of different psychosocial resource factors in mitigating the vulnerability to mental distress among disadvantaged young people and specifies a range of possible mediating pathways. The research draws on a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 16–25 year-olds who participated in the Youth Economic Activity and Health (YEAH) online survey conducted in the UK between February and October 2021. Mental health was measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist for anxiety and depression. Socio-economic disadvantage was indicated by parental education and receipt of free school meals. Experience of stress was indicated by financial strain. Psychosocial resource factors included indicators of optimism, self-efficacy, and social support. We controlled for age, gender, living arrangements, and economic activity of the young person (being in education, employment or NEET). The findings suggest sequential mediating processes where SES influences are partially mediated via financial strain and the psychosocial resource factors. In addition, the psychosocial resource factors showed independent effects supporting mental health in the face of socio-economic adversity. Moreover, social support played a significant role in boosting self-efficacy and optimism, which in turn reduce mental distress. The findings highlighting the importance of specifying the assumed mediating processes, and to consider multiple resource factors instead of single aspects to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the processes linking SES to young people's mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Schoon
- Social Research Institute, Institute of Education, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Ingrid Schoon
| | - Golo Henseke
- Institute of Education, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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12
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Alvarez GM, Rudolph MD, Cohen JR, Muscatell KA. Lower Socioeconomic Position Is Associated with Greater Activity in and Integration within an Allostatic-Interoceptive Brain Network in Response to Affective Stimuli. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1906-1927. [PMID: 35139207 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Socioeconomic inequities shape physical health and emotional well-being. As such, recent work has examined the neural mechanisms through which socioeconomic position (SEP) may influence health. However, there remain critical gaps in knowledge regarding the relationships between SEP and brain function. These gaps include a lack of research on: (1) the association between SEP and brain functioning in later life, (2) relationships between SEP and functioning of the whole brain beyond specific regions of interest, and (3) how neural responses to positive affective stimuli differ by SEP. The current study addressed these gaps by examining the association between SEP (i.e., education, income) and neural responses to affective stimuli among 122 mid- to late-life adults. During MRI scanning, participants viewed 30 positive, 30 negative, and 30 neutral images; activation and network connectivity analyses explored associations between SEP and neural responses to these affective stimuli. Analyses revealed that those with lower SEP showed greater neural activity to both positive and negative images in regions within the allostatic-interoceptive network, a system of regions implicated in representing and regulating physiological states of the body and the external environment. There were no positive associations between SEP and neural responses to negative or positive images. In addition, graph-theory network analyses showed that individuals with lower SEP demonstrated greater global efficiency within the allostatic-interoceptive network and executive control network, across all task conditions. The findings suggest that lower SEP is associated with enhanced neural sensitivity to affective cues that may be metabolically costly to maintain over time and suggest a mechanism by which SEP might get "under the skull" to influence mental and physical well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jessica R Cohen
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.,Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Carrboro, NC
| | - Keely A Muscatell
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.,Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Carrboro, NC
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13
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Socioeconomic Status and Inflammation in Women with Early-stage Breast Cancer: Mediation by Body Mass Index. Brain Behav Immun 2022; 99:307-316. [PMID: 34673177 PMCID: PMC9802182 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US, and women of low socioeconomic status (SES) show markedly poorer outcomes than those of high SES. SES may influence health through inflammation, although links between SES and inflammatory biomarkers have not been investigated in women with breast cancer. This study tested the hypothesis that breast cancer patients of lower SES would show higher levels of inflammation than those of higher SES. BMI was examined as a mediator of this association. METHODS Women recently diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (N = 194) were recruited before neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples for immune assessment. SES was indexed by participants' self-reported education and annual household income, BMI was determined by height and weight measurements, and blood was assayed for inflammatory biomarkers linked with cancer outcomes: IL-6, CRP, TNF-α, and sTNF-RII. General linear models tested associations between SES and inflammation, and mediation models examined indirect effects through BMI. RESULTS Consistent with hypotheses, education status was associated with CRP, (F(2,185) = 4.72, p = 0.001), and sTNF-RII, (F(2,185) = 4.19, p = 0.02), such that lower education was associated with higher levels of both biomarkers. Further, BMI mediated the associations between education and CRP, (95% CIs [-0.62, -0.11; -0.76, -0.21]), sTNF-RII, (95% CIs [-0.09, -0.01; -0.10, -0.02]), and IL-6, (95% CIs [-0.32, -0.05; -0.38, -0.09]). Annual household income was not significantly associated with inflammation (ps > 0.25), and indirect effects on inflammation through BMI were not significant. CONCLUSIONS Lower education was associated with higher levels of inflammation in this sample, which may presage poor breast cancer-related and clinical outcomes. SES should inform the development of interventions targeting BMI and inflammation in breast cancer.
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14
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Taebi A, Kiesow H, Vogeley K, Schilbach L, Bernhardt BC, Bzdok D. Population variability in social brain morphology for social support, household size and friendship satisfaction. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:635-647. [PMID: 32507896 PMCID: PMC7393310 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The social brain hypothesis proposes that the complexity of human brains has coevolved with increasing complexity of social interactions in primate societies. The present study explored the possible relationships between brain morphology and the richness of more intimate 'inner' and wider 'outer' social circles by integrating Bayesian hierarchical modeling with a large cohort sample from the UK Biobank resource (n = 10 000). In this way, we examined population volume effects in 36 regions of the 'social brain', ranging from lower sensory to higher associative cortices. We observed strong volume effects in the visual sensory network for the group of individuals with satisfying friendships. Further, the limbic network displayed several brain regions with substantial volume variations in individuals with a lack of social support. Our population neuroscience approach thus showed that distinct networks of the social brain show different patterns of volume variations linked to the examined social indices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arezoo Taebi
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Hannah Kiesow
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Kai Vogeley
- Cognitive Neuroscience (INM-3), Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Leonhard Schilbach
- Independent Max Planck Research Group for Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry, 80804 Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 80336 Munich, Germany.,LVR Clinic Düsseldorf, 40629 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, H3A 0G4 Montreal, Canada
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, H3A 0G4 Montreal, Canada.,Mila-Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, H2S 3H1 Montreal, Canada
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15
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Kiesow H, Uddin LQ, Bernhardt BC, Kable J, Bzdok D. Dissecting the midlife crisis: disentangling social, personality and demographic determinants in social brain anatomy. Commun Biol 2021; 4:728. [PMID: 34140617 PMCID: PMC8211729 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02206-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In any stage of life, humans crave connection with other people. In midlife, transitions in social networks can relate to new leadership roles at work or becoming a caregiver for aging parents. Previous neuroimaging studies have pinpointed the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to undergo structural remodelling during midlife. Social behavior, personality predisposition, and demographic profile all have intimate links to the mPFC according in largely disconnected literatures. Here, we explicitly estimated their unique associations with brain structure using a fully Bayesian framework. We weighed against each other a rich collection of 40 UK Biobank traits with their interindividual variation in social brain morphology in ~10,000 middle-aged participants. Household size and daily routines showed several of the largest effects in explaining variation in social brain regions. We also revealed male-biased effects in the dorsal mPFC and amygdala for job income, and a female-biased effect in the ventral mPFC for health satisfaction. Hannah Kiesow et al. combine 40 behavioral indicators and neuroimaging data from the UK Biobank to investigate how the transitions in midlife in the domains of social, personality, and demographic determinants impact brain anatomy. Through Bayesian analyses, the authors were able to disentangle which specific traits, relative to other considered candidate traits, contributed the most to explaining differences in social brain volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Kiesow
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Lucina Q Uddin
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Joseph Kable
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada. .,Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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16
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Lemes V, Gaya AR, Sadarangani KP, Aguilar-Farias N, Rodriguez-Rodriguez F, Martins CMDL, Fochesatto C, Cristi-Montero C. Physical Fitness Plays a Crucial Mediator Role in Relationships Among Personal, Social, and Lifestyle Factors With Adolescents' Cognitive Performance in a Structural Equation Model. The Cogni-Action Project. Front Pediatr 2021; 9:656916. [PMID: 34195161 PMCID: PMC8236613 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2021.656916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The beneficial relationship between physical fitness and cognitive performance is affected and modulated by a wide diversity of factors that seem to be more sensitive during the development stage, particularly during early adolescence. This study aimed to examine the role of physical fitness considering the multivariate association between age, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), school vulnerability index (SVI), body mass index z-score (BMIz), physical activity, and sleep problems with the cognitive performance in boys and girls. Method: Participants were 1,196 adolescents aged 10-14 years (50.7% of boys) from Chile. Three physical fitness components and eight cognitive tasks were measured. BMIz was determined using growth references by age and sex, whereas questionaries were used to assess sleep problems, physical activity, and HRQOL. SVI was established according to the score given by the Chilean Government to educational establishments. We performed a structural equation model (SEM) to test multivariate associations among study' variables by sex. Results: Fitness was positively associated with boys' and girls' cognitive performance (β = 0.23 and β = 0.17; p = 0.001, respectively). Moreover, fitness presented a significant mediator role in the relationships between BMIz, SVI, and physical activity with cognitive performance (indirect effect). Additionally, SVI showed a negative association both direct and indirect effect in all three fitness components and all cognitive tasks, being this relationship stronger in girls than in boys. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that physical fitness and all its components play a crucial mediator role in the associations between several factors associated with adolescents' cognitive performance. Thereby, educational and health strategies should prioritise improving physical fitness through physical activity. They also should address other factors such as school vulnerability, obesity, and the early gender gap in a comprehensive approach boosting cognitive performance among early adolescents. Trial registration: Research Registry (ID: researchregistry5791).
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanilson Lemes
- Projeto Esporte Brasil – PROESP-Br, Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia e Dança, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Secretaria de Estado da Educação de Santa Catarina – SED-SC, EEB Gracinda Augusta Machado, Imbituba, Brazil
| | - Anelise R. Gaya
- Projeto Esporte Brasil – PROESP-Br, Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia e Dança, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Kabir P. Sadarangani
- Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Providencia, Chile
- Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud y Odontología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
| | - Nicolas Aguilar-Farias
- Department of Physical Education, Sports, and Recreation, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- UFRO Activate Research Group, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile
| | | | - Clarice Maria de Lucena Martins
- Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health, and Leisure - CIAFEL, Porto University, Porto, Portugal
- Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
| | - Camila Fochesatto
- Projeto Esporte Brasil – PROESP-Br, Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia e Dança, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Carlos Cristi-Montero
- IRyS Group, Physical Education School, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
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17
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Sánchez-Díaz CT, Strayhorn S, Tejeda S, Vijayasiri G, Rauscher GH, Molina Y. What mediates the racial/ethnic disparity in psychosocial stress among breast cancer patients? Cancer Causes Control 2021; 32:357-367. [PMID: 33559770 PMCID: PMC7946668 DOI: 10.1007/s10552-021-01392-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prior studies have observed greater levels of psychosocial stress (PSS) among non-Hispanic (nH) African American and Hispanic women when compared to nH White patients after a breast cancer diagnosis. We aimed to determine the independent and interdependent roles of socioeconomic position (SEP) and unmet support in the racial disparity in PSS among breast cancer patients. METHODS Participants were recruited from the Breast Cancer Care in Chicago study (n = 989). For all recently diagnosed breast cancer patients, aged 25-79, income, education, and tract-level disadvantage and affluence were summed to create a standardized socioeconomic position (SEP) score. Three measures of PSS related to loneliness, perceived stress, and psychological consequences of a breast cancer diagnosis were defined based on previously validated scales. Five domains of unmet social support needs (emotional, spiritual, informational, financial, and practical) were defined from interviews. We conducted path models in MPlus to estimate the extent to which PSS disparities were mediated by SEP and unmet social support needs. RESULTS Black and Hispanic patients reported greater PSS compared to white patients and greater unmet social support needs (p = 0.001 for all domains). Virtually all of the disparity in PSS could be explained by SEP. A substantial portion of the mediating influence of SEP was further transmitted by unmet financial and practical needs among Black patients and by unmet emotional needs for Hispanic patients. CONCLUSIONS SEP appeared to be a root cause of the racial/ethnic disparities in PSS within our sample. Our findings further suggest that different interventions may be necessary to alleviate the burden of SEP for nH AA (i.e., more financial support) and Hispanic patients (i.e., more emotional support).
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Affiliation(s)
- C T Sánchez-Díaz
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - S Strayhorn
- Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - S Tejeda
- Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - G Vijayasiri
- Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - G H Rauscher
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1603 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
- Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Y Molina
- Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
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18
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Miller GE, White SF, Chen E, Nusslock R. Association of Inflammatory Activity With Larger Neural Responses to Threat and Reward Among Children Living in Poverty. Am J Psychiatry 2021; 178:313-320. [PMID: 33207936 PMCID: PMC8016707 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20050635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Children exposed to severe, chronic stress are vulnerable to mental and physical health problems across the lifespan. To explain how these problems develop, the neuroimmune network hypothesis suggests that early-life stress initiates a positive feedback loop between peripheral inflammatory cells and networked brain regions involved in threat and reward processing. The authors sought to test this hypothesis by studying a sample of urban children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. METHODS The authors examined the basic predictions of the neuroimmune network hypothesis in 207 children (mean age=13.9 years, 63% female; 33% Black; 30% Hispanic), focusing on poverty as a stressor. The children had fasting blood drawn to quantify five inflammatory biomarkers-C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukins-6, -8, and -10-which were averaged to form a composite score. Children also completed two functional MRI tasks, which measured amygdala responsivity to angry facial expressions and ventral striatum responsivity to monetary rewards. RESULTS Poverty status and neural responsivity interacted statistically to predict inflammation. Among children living in poverty, amygdala threat responsivity was positively associated with inflammation, and the same was true for ventral striatum responsivity to reward. As children's socioeconomic conditions improved, these brain-immune associations became weaker. In sensitivity analyses, these patterns were robust to alternative measures of socioeconomic status and were independent of age, sex, racial and ethnic identity, and pubertal status. The associations were also condition specific; no interactions were apparent for amygdala responsivity to neutral faces, or striatal responsivity to monetary losses. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that childhood poverty is associated with accentuated neural-immune signaling, consistent with the neuroimmune network hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory E. Miller
- Institute for Policy Research & Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
| | | | - Edith Chen
- Institute for Policy Research & Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
| | - Robin Nusslock
- Institute for Policy Research & Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
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19
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Brosso SN, Sheeran P, Lazard AJ, Muscatell KA. Harnessing Neuroimaging to Reduce Socioeconomic Disparities in Chronic Disease: A Conceptual Framework for Improving Health Messaging. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:576749. [PMID: 33633551 PMCID: PMC7901919 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.576749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES)-related health disparities persist for numerous chronic diseases, with lower-SES individuals exhibiting greater risk of morbidity and mortality compared to their higher-SES counterparts. One likely contributor is disparities in health messaging efforts, which are currently less effective for motivating health behavior change among those lower in SES. Drawing on communication neuroscience and social neuroscience research, we describe a conceptual framework to improve health messaging effectiveness in lower SES communities. The framework is based on evidence that health-message-induced activity in the ventral striatum (VS) and subdivisions of the medial pre-frontal cortex (MPFC) predicts behavior change. Additionally, we draw from social neuroscience work showing that activity in these regions during valuation and the processing of self-related vs. social information, differs as a function of SES. Bringing together these previously disparate lines of work, we argue that health messages emphasizing the benefits to close others (vs. the self) of engaging in behavior change will be more effective among lower SES individuals. We also outline a research agenda based on our framework. Ultimately, we hope that this framework utilizing a “brain-as-predictor” approach generates novel insights about the neural underpinnings of message-induced behavior change among lower SES individuals, and helps to close the gap in SES-based health disparities by harnessing the power of neuroimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha N Brosso
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Paschal Sheeran
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Allison J Lazard
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.,Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Keely A Muscatell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.,Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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20
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Smoking mediates the relationship between SES and brain volume: The CARDIA study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239548. [PMID: 32956388 PMCID: PMC7505457 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Investigate whether socioeconomic status (SES) was related to brain volume in aging related regions, and if so, determine whether this relationship was mediated by lifestyle factors that are known to associate with risk of dementia in a population-based sample of community dwelling middle-aged adults. METHODS We studied 645 (41% black) participants (mean age 55.3±3.5) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. SES was operationalized as a composite measure of annual income and years of education. Gray matter volume was estimated within the insular cortex, thalamus, cingulate, frontal, inferior parietal, and lateral temporal cortex. These regions are vulnerable to age-related atrophy captured by the Spatial Pattern of Atrophy for Recognition of Brain Aging (SPARE-BA) index. Lifestyle factors of interest included physical activity, cognitive activity (e.g. book/newspaper reading), smoking status, alcohol consumption, and diet. Multivariable linear regressions tested the association between SES and brain volume. Sobel mediation analyses determined if this association was mediated by lifestyle factors. All models were age, sex, and race adjusted. RESULTS Higher SES was positively associated with brain volume (β = .109 SE = .039; p < .01) and smoking status significantly mediated this relationship (z = 2.57). With respect to brain volume, smoking accounted for 27% of the variance (β = -.179 SE = .065; p < .01) that was previously attributed to SES. CONCLUSION Targeting smoking cessation could be an efficacious means to reduce the health disparity of low SES on brain volume and may decrease vulnerability for dementia.
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21
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LeWinn KZ, Shih EW. Social Experience and the Developing Brain: Opportunities for Social Epidemiologists in the Era of Population-Based Neuroimaging. CURR EPIDEMIOL REP 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40471-019-00222-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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22
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Shaked D, Millman ZB, Moody DLB, Rosenberger WF, Shao H, Katzel LI, Davatzikos C, Gullapalli RP, Seliger SL, Erus G, Evans MK, Zonderman AB, Waldstein SR. Sociodemographic disparities in corticolimbic structures. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216338. [PMID: 31071128 PMCID: PMC6508895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This study sought to examine the interactive relations of socioeconomic status and race to corticolimbic regions that may play a key role in translating stress to the poor health outcomes overrepresented among those of lower socioeconomic status and African American race. Participants were 200 community-dwelling, self-identified African American and White adults from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span SCAN study. Brain volumes were derived using T1-weighted MP-RAGE images. Socioeconomic status by race interactions were observed for right medial prefrontal cortex (B = .26, p = .014), left medial prefrontal cortex (B = .26, p = .017), left orbital prefrontal cortex (B = .22, p = .037), and left anterior cingulate cortex (B = .27, p = .018), wherein higher socioeconomic status Whites had greater volumes than all other groups. Additionally, higher versus lower socioeconomic status persons had greater right and left hippocampal (B = -.15, p = .030; B = -.19, p = .004, respectively) and amygdalar (B = -.17, p = .015; B = -.21; p = .002, respectively) volumes. Whites had greater right and left hippocampal (B = -.17, p = .012; B = -.20, p = .003, respectively), right orbital prefrontal cortex (B = -.34, p < 0.001), and right anterior cingulate cortex (B = -.18, p = 0.011) volumes than African Americans. Among many factors, the higher levels of lifetime chronic stress associated with lower socioeconomic status and African American race may adversely affect corticolimbic circuitry. These relations may help explain race- and socioeconomic status-related disparities in adverse health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Shaked
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Zachary B. Millman
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Danielle L. Beatty Moody
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - William F. Rosenberger
- Department of Statistics, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Hui Shao
- Department of Statistics, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Leslie I. Katzel
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Christos Davatzikos
- Section for Biomedical Image Analysis, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Rao P. Gullapalli
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Stephen L. Seliger
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Guray Erus
- Section for Biomedical Image Analysis, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michele K. Evans
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alan B. Zonderman
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shari R. Waldstein
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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23
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Feng C, Forthman KL, Kuplicki R, Yeh HW, Stewart JL, Paulus MP. Neighborhood affluence is not associated with positive and negative valence processing in adults with mood and anxiety disorders: A Bayesian inference approach. Neuroimage Clin 2019; 22:101738. [PMID: 30870735 PMCID: PMC6416773 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Survey-based studies show that neighborhood disadvantage is associated with community reported mental health problems. However, fewer studies have examined whether neighborhood characteristics have measurable impact on mental health status of individuals in general and whether neighborhood characteristics impact positive/negative valence processing at both behavioral and brain levels. This study addressed these questions by investigating effects of census-based neighborhood affluence on self-reported symptoms, brain functions, and structures associated with positive/negative valence processing in a sample of individuals with mood and anxiety disorders (n = 262). Employing a Bayesian inference approach, our investigation demonstrates that neighborhood affluence fails to be associated with positive/negative valence processing measured across multiple modalities, with the only effects of neighborhood affluence identified in trait anxiety scores. These findings highlight that while community-based relationships between neighborhood characteristics and mental health problems are strong, it is much less clear that these characteristics have a measurable impact on the individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunliang Feng
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States of America
| | - Katherine L Forthman
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States of America; University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United States of America
| | - Rayus Kuplicki
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States of America
| | - Hung-Wen Yeh
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States of America
| | - Jennifer L Stewart
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States of America
| | - Martin P Paulus
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United States of America.
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24
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Inagaki TK. Neural mechanisms of the link between giving social support and health. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1428:33-50. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tristen K. Inagaki
- Department of Psychology; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
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