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Beevor HJ, Ginty AT, Veldhuijzen van Zanten JJCS, Williams SE. Mastery imagery ability moderates the relationship between heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress and perceptions of stress and physiological arousal. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14486. [PMID: 37973366 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14486] [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: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Imagery has been associated with cardiovascular and psychological responses to stress; however, the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully understood. The present study examined if the ability to image mastering challenging or difficult situations moderated the relationship between heart rate reactivity and perceptions of stress and physiological arousal experienced during acute stress. Four hundred and fifty-eight participants completed a standardized laboratory stress protocol with heart rate being measured throughout. After completing an acute psychological stress task, participants rated how stressed and physiologically aroused they felt (i.e., intensity) and whether they perceived the stress and physiological arousal as being helpful/unhelpful to performance (i.e., interpretation). Mastery imagery ability was assessed by questionnaire. Moderation analyses controlling for gender demonstrated that imagery ability moderated the relationship between heart rate reactivity and interpretation of stress (β = 0.015, p = .003) and perceived physiological arousal (β = 0.013, p = .004). Simple slope analysis indicated that in those with higher imagery ability, heart rate reactivity was associated with stress and arousal being perceived as more positive toward performance. Imagery ability did not moderate the relationship between heart rate reactivity and perceived stress intensity or physiological arousal intensity (p's > .05), but imagery ability did predict lower perceived stress intensity (β = -0.217, p < .001) and perceived physiological arousal intensity (β = -0.172, p < .001). Higher mastery imagery ability may possibly help individuals perceive responses to stress as more beneficial for performance and thus be an effective coping technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry J Beevor
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | | | - Sarah E Williams
- School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Douton JE, Carelli RM. Unraveling Sex Differences in Affect Processing: Unique Oscillatory Signaling Dynamics in the Infralimbic Cortex and Nucleus Accumbens Shell. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:354-362. [PMID: 38298775 PMCID: PMC10829636 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Negative affect is prevalent in psychiatric diseases such as depression and addiction. Projections from the infralimbic cortex (IL) to the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) are causally linked to learned negative affect as 20 Hz optogenetic stimulation of this circuit reduces conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in male but not female rats. However, the prior study did not provide insight into how innate versus learned negative affect are processed in these areas across sex. Methods To address this issue, local field potential activity was simultaneously recorded in the IL and NAcSh in response to intraoral infusion of rewarding (saccharin) and aversive (quinine) tastants and following induction of a CTA in male and female Sprague Dawley rats. Results Local field potential oscillatory activity within each brain region to saccharin varied across sex. In males, CTA increased IL resting-state power, which was correlated with the strength of the learned aversion, and reduced beta power and IL-NAcSh coherence. In females, CTA increased gamma power in the NAcSh. Similar effects were observed in males and females after CTA in theta-low gamma phase-amplitude coupling. Finally, while quinine produced similar effects in oscillatory power across sex, females showed differences in phase-amplitude coupling within the NAcSh that may be linked to aversion resistance. Conclusions We revealed sex-specific hedonic processing in the IL and NAcSh and how oscillatory signaling is disrupted in learned negative affect, revealing translationally relevant insight into potential treatment strategies that can help to reduce the deleterious effects of learned negative affect in psychiatric illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquin E. Douton
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Regina M. Carelli
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Tyra AT, Young DA, Ginty AT. Emotion regulation tendencies and cardiovascular responses to repeated acute psychological stress. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 194:112261. [PMID: 37914039 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.112261] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Poor emotion regulation has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) through maladaptive cardiovascular responses to psychological stress. However, there has been scant research examining the relationship between emotion regulation and habituation of cardiovascular responses to recurrent stress, which may be more directly applicable to the experience of stress in everyday life. The aims of the current study were to examine the associations between emotion regulation tendencies and cardiovascular stress reactivity, as well as habituation of cardiovascular reactivity across repeated stressors. A sample of 453 participants (mean (SD) age = 19.5 (1.3) years; 62 % women) completed a repeated stress paradigm, which consisted of two 10-minute baselines and two identical 4-minute stress tasks, separated by a 10-minute recovery period. Heart rate (HR) was measured continuously; systolic/diastolic blood pressures (SBP/DBP) were measured every 2 min. At the end of the visit, participants completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Results indicate that impulse control difficulties when distressed (a DERS subscale) were significantly associated with blunted SBP, DBP, and HR reactivity to both stressors, as well as impaired HR habituation across the stressors. None of the ERQ subscales (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) were found to be associated with cardiovascular stress reactivity or habituation. The outcomes of this study demonstrate a potential underlying physiological pathway through which impulse control difficulties when distressed may contribute to CVD risk. This study also reveals the importance of extending traditional cardiovascular stress reactivity protocols to include multiple exposures of the same stress task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra T Tyra
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
| | - Danielle A Young
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
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Hurley SW, Douton JE, Carelli RM. Neuronal Ensembles in the Infralimbic Cortex Dynamically Process Distinct Aspects of Hedonic Value. J Neurosci 2023; 43:8032-8042. [PMID: 37816597 PMCID: PMC10669753 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0253-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Hedonic processing is critical for guiding appropriate behavior, and the infralimbic cortex (IL) is a key neural substrate associated with this function in rodents and humans. We used deep brain in vivo calcium imaging and taste reactivity in freely behaving male and female Sprague Dawley rats to examine whether the infralimbic cortex is involved in encoding innate versus conditioned hedonic states. In experiment 1, we examined the IL neuronal ensemble responsiveness to intraoral innately rewarding (sucrose) versus aversive (quinine) tastants. Most IL neurons responded to either sucrose only or both sucrose and quinine, with fewer neurons selectively processing quinine. Among neurons that responded to both stimuli, some appear to encode hedonic processing. In experiment 2, we examined how IL neurons process devalued sucrose using conditioned taste aversion (CTA). We found that neurons that responded exclusively to sucrose were disengaged while additional quinine-exclusive neurons were recruited. Moreover, tastant-specific neurons that did not change their neuronal activity after CTA appeared to encode objective hedonic value. However, other neuronal ensembles responded to both tastants and appear to encode distinct aspects of hedonic processing. Specifically, some neurons responded differently to quinine and sucrose and shifted from appetitive-like to aversive-like activity after CTA, thus encoding the subjective hedonic value of the stimulus. Conversely, neurons that responded similarly to both tastants were heightened after CTA. Our findings show dynamic shifts in IL ensembles encoding devalued sucrose and support a role for parallel processing of objective and subjective hedonic value.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Disrupted affective processing contributes to psychiatric disorders including depression, substance use disorder, and schizophrenia. We assessed how the infralimbic cortex, a key neural substrate involved in affect generation and affect regulation, processes innate and learned hedonic states using deep brain in vivo calcium imaging in freely behaving rats. We report that unique infralimbic cortex ensembles encode stimulus subjective and objective hedonic value. Further, our findings support similarities and differences in innate versus learned negative affective states. This study provides insight into the neural mechanisms underlying affect generation and helps to establish a foundation for the development of novel treatment strategies to reduce negative affective states that arise in many psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth W Hurley
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Joaquin E Douton
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
| | - Regina M Carelli
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599
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Chang J, Song D, Yu R. The double-edged sword of the hippocampus-ventromedial prefrontal cortex resting-state connectivity in stress susceptibility and resilience: A prospective study. Neurobiol Stress 2023; 27:100584. [PMID: 37965440 PMCID: PMC10641247 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus has long been considered a pivotal region implicated in both stress susceptibility and resilience. A wealth of evidence from animal and human studies underscores the significance of hippocampal functional connectivity with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in these stress-related processes. However, there remains a scarcity of research that explores and contrasts the roles of hippocampus-vmPFC connectivity in stress susceptibility and resilience when facing a real-life traumatic event from a prospective standpoint. In the present study, we investigated the contributions of undirected and directed connectivity between the hippocampus and vmPFC to stress susceptibility and resilience within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings revealed that the left hippocampus-left vmPFC connectivity prior to the pandemic exhibited a negative correlation with both stress susceptibility and resilience. Specifically, individuals with stronger left hippocampus-left vmPFC connectivity reported experiencing fewer stress-related feelings during the outbreak period of the epidemic but displayed lower levels of stress resilience five months later. Our application of spectral dynamic causal modeling unveiled an additional inhibitory connectivity pathway from the left hippocampus to the left vmPFC in the context of stress susceptibility, which was notably absent in stress resilience. Furthermore, we observed a noteworthy positive association between self-inhibition of the vmPFC and stress susceptibility, with this effect proving substantial enough to predict an individual's susceptibility to stress; conversely, these patterns did not manifest in the realm of stress resilience. These findings enrich our comprehension of stress susceptibility and stress resilience and might have implications for innovative approaches to managing stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Chang
- Institute of Psychology, School of Public Policy, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Di Song
- Department of Management, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Department of Management, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
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O'Riordan A, Young DA, Tyra AT, Ginty AT. Extraversion is associated with lower cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 189:20-29. [PMID: 37146652 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2023.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Extraversion has been associated with positive physical health outcomes, with adaptive cardiovascular responses to stress being one potential physiological mechanism. The present study examined the influence of extraversion on both cardiovascular reactivity and cardiovascular habituation to an acute psychological stress task (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)) in a sample of healthy undergraduate students. METHODS A sample of 467 undergraduate students completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI) to assess trait extraversion and attended a single stress testing session. The testing session included two identical stress-testing protocols, each consisting of a 10-minute baseline and 4-minute PASAT. Cardiovascular parameters including heart rate (HR), systolic/diastolic blood pressure (S/DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded throughout the testing session. State measures of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA), as well as post task measures of self-reported stress were used to assess psychological experiences of the stress task. RESULTS Extraversion was significantly associated with lower self-reported stress in response to the initial stress exposure, but not the second stress exposure. Higher levels of extraversion were associated with lower SBP, DBP, MAP and HR reactivity in responses to both exposures to the stressor. However, no significant associations were observed between extraversion and cardiovascular habituation to recurring psychological stress. CONCLUSION Extraversion is associated with lower cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress and this relationship persists upon repeated exposures to the same stressor. Cardiovascular responses to stress may indicate a potential mechanism facilitating the association between extraversion and positive physical health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam O'Riordan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States.
| | - Danielle A Young
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States
| | - Alexandra T Tyra
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, United States
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O' Riordan A, Howard S, Gallagher S. Blunted cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress and prospective health: a systematic review. Health Psychol Rev 2023; 17:121-147. [PMID: 35445639 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2022.2068639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Novel research demonstrates that lower or 'blunted' cardiovascular reactions to stress are associated with a range of adverse outcomes. The aim of the current review was (1) to examine the prospective outcomes predicted by blunted cardiovascular reactivity and (2) to identify a range of blunted cardiovascular reaction levels that predict these outcomes. Electronic databases were systematically searched (Medline, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, CINAHL, PubMed, Web of Science). Studies were included if they examined the prospective influence of blunted cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress (SBP, DBP or HR) on a negative health, behavioural or psychological outcome. A total of 23 studies were included in the review. Blunted reactivity predicted (1) adverse cardiovascular health, primarily in cardiac samples (e.g., myocardial infarction, carotid atherosclerosis) and (2) outcomes associated with motivational and behavioural dysregulation in healthy samples (e.g., obesity, smoking addiction, depression). The cardiovascular reactivity threshold levels that were predictive of adverse health outcomes ranged between -3.00-12.59 bpm (14.41% to 136.59% lower than the sample mean) and -2.4-5.00 mmhg (65.99% to 133.80% lower than sample mean), for HR and DBP respectively. We posit that blunted reactions lower than, or equal to, the ranges reported here may be utilised by clinicians and researchers to identify individuals who are at increased risk of adverse cardiovascular health outcomes, as well as outcomes associated with motivational and behavioural dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam O' Riordan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
- Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Siobhán Howard
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
- Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Stephen Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Social Issues Research, Study of Anxiety, Stress and Health Laboratory, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
- Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
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Howard S, Gallagher S, Ginty AT, Whittaker AC. Life event stress is associated with blunted cardiovascular responding to both personally salient and personally non-salient laboratory tasks. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14199. [PMID: 36282024 PMCID: PMC10078599 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14199] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Life event stress has been associated with blunted cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. However, recent studies have suggested that blunted reactivity to stress only arises when the laboratory tasks are not personally salient to the individual. We re-analyzed data from 136 healthy young adults where we had previously reported a negative association between life event stress and cardiovascular reactivity to two combined stressors. Participants completed a mental arithmetic task and a personally salient speech task, following a formal baseline period with Finometer-assessed cardiovascular parameters. The reanalyses examined reactivity to the verbal mental arithmetic (personally non-salient) and speech (personally salient) tasks separately and found that life event stress was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure reactivity, to both the personally non-salient, β = -.20, p = .023, and personally salient stressors, β = -.24, p = .004. Life event stress was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure reactivity to the personally salient stressor only, β = -.20, p = .021, and was not associated with heart rate reactivity. This study provides evidence against the argument that blunted reactivity to stress emerges as a result of stressor context, with findings indicating that low reactors show lower reactivity to both personally salient and personally non-salient stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siobhán Howard
- SASHLab, Centre for Social Issues Research, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Stephen Gallagher
- SASHLab, Centre for Social Issues Research, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Baylor Behavioral Medicine Lab, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | - Anna C Whittaker
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
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Li X, Qureshi MNI, Laplante DP, Elgbeili G, Jones SL, King S, Rosa-Neto P. Neural correlates of disaster-related prenatal maternal stress in young adults from Project Ice Storm: Focus on amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1094039. [PMID: 36816508 PMCID: PMC9929467 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1094039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Studies have shown that prenatal maternal stress alters volumes of the amygdala and hippocampus, and alters functional connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. However, it remains unclear whether prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) affects volumes and functional connectivity of these structures at their subdivision levels. Methods T1-weighted MRI and resting-state functional MRI were obtained from 19-year-old young adult offspring with (n = 39, 18 male) and without (n = 65, 30 male) exposure to PNMS deriving from the 1998 ice storm. Volumes of amygdala nuclei, hippocampal subfields and prefrontal subregions were computed, and seed-to-seed functional connectivity analyses were conducted. Results Compared to controls, young adult offspring exposed to disaster-related PNMS had larger volumes of bilateral whole amygdala, driven by the lateral, basal, central, medial, cortical, accessory basal nuclei, and corticoamygdaloid transition; larger volumes of bilateral whole hippocampus, driven by the CA1, HATA, molecular layer, fissure, tail, CA3, CA4, and DG; and larger volume of the prefrontal cortex, driven by the left superior frontal. Inversely, young adult offspring exposed to disaster-related PNMS had lower functional connectivity between the whole amygdala and the prefrontal cortex (driven by bilateral frontal poles, the left superior frontal and left caudal middle frontal); and lower functional connectivity between the hippocampal tail and the prefrontal cortex (driven by the left lateral orbitofrontal). Conclusion These results suggest the possibility that effects of disaster-related PNMS on structure and function of subdivisions of offspring amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex could persist into young adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Li
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada,Mental Health and Society Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada,Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Montreal, QC, Canada,Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Muhammad Naveed Iqbal Qureshi
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Montreal, QC, Canada,Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - David P. Laplante
- Centre for Child Development and Mental Health, Lady Davis Institute-Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Guillaume Elgbeili
- Mental Health and Society Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sherri Lee Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Suzanne King
- Mental Health and Society Division, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada,*Correspondence: Suzanne King,
| | - Pedro Rosa-Neto
- Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory, McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging, Montreal, QC, Canada,Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Liddell BJ, Das P, Malhi GS, Nickerson A, Felmingham KL, Askovic M, Aroche J, Coello M, Cheung J, Den M, Outhred T, Bryant RA. Refugee visa insecurity disrupts the brain's default mode network. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2023; 14:2213595. [PMID: 37289090 PMCID: PMC10251781 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2213595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research has largely focused on the psychological consequences of refugee trauma exposure, but refugees living with visa insecurity face an uncertain future that also adversely affects psychological functioning and self-determination. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine how refugee visa insecurity affects the functional brain. METHOD We measured resting state brain activity via fMRI in 47 refugees with insecure visas (i.e. temporary visa status) and 52 refugees with secure visas (i.e. permanent visa status) residing in Australia, matched on key demographic, trauma exposure and psychopathology. Data analysis comprised independent components analysis to identify active networks and dynamic functional causal modelling tested visa security group differences in network connectivity. RESULTS We found that visa insecurity specifically affected sub-systems within the default mode network (DMN) - an intrinsic network subserving self-referential processes and mental simulations about the future. The insecure visa group showed less spectral power in the low frequency band in the anterior ventromedial DMN, and reduced activity in the posterior frontal DMN, compared to the secure visa group. Using functional dynamic causal modelling, we observed positive coupling between the anterior and posterior midline DMN hubs in the secure visa group, while the insecure visa group displayed negative coupling that correlated with self-reported fear of future deportation. CONCLUSIONS Living with visa-related uncertainty appears to undermine synchrony between anterior-posterior midline components of the DMN responsible for governing the construction of the self and making mental representations of the future. This could represent a neural signature of refugee visa insecurity, which is marked by a perception of living in limbo and a truncated sense of the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pritha Das
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
- CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
| | - Gin S. Malhi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
- CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
| | | | - Kim L. Felmingham
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mirjana Askovic
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Sydney, Australia
| | - Jorge Aroche
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Sydney, Australia
| | - Mariano Coello
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Miriam Den
- School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Tim Outhred
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Academic Department of Psychiatry, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
- CADE Clinic, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia
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Mattera A, Cavallo A, Granato G, Baldassarre G, Pagani M. A Biologically Inspired Neural Network Model to Gain Insight Into the Mechanisms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. Front Psychol 2022; 13:944838. [PMID: 35911047 PMCID: PMC9326218 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.944838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a well-established therapeutic method to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, how EMDR exerts its therapeutic action has been studied in many types of research but still needs to be completely understood. This is in part due to limited knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying EMDR, and in part to our incomplete understanding of PTSD. In order to model PTSD, we used a biologically inspired computational model based on firing rate units, encompassing the cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. Through the modulation of its parameters, we fitted real data from patients treated with EMDR or classical exposure therapy. This allowed us to gain insights into PTSD mechanisms and to investigate how EMDR achieves trauma remission.
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12
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Grossman YS, Fillinger C, Manganaro A, Voren G, Waldman R, Zou T, Janssen WG, Kenny PJ, Dumitriu D. Structure and function differences in the prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala circuit mediate trait vulnerability in a novel model of acute social defeat stress in male mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:788-799. [PMID: 34799681 PMCID: PMC8782864 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01229-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Stressful life events are ubiquitous and well-known to negatively impact mental health. However, in both humans and animal models, there is large individual variability in how individuals respond to stress, with some but not all experiencing long-term adverse consequences. While there is growing understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of the stress response, much less is known about how neurocircuits shaped by lifetime experiences are activated during an initial stressor and contribute to this selective vulnerability versus resilience. We developed a model of acute social defeat stress (ASDS) that allows classification of male mice into "susceptible" (socially avoidant) versus "resilient" (expressing control-level social approach) one hour after exposure to six minutes of social stress. Using circuit tracing and high-resolution confocal imaging, we explored differences in activation and dendritic spine density and morphology in the prelimbic cortex to basolateral amygdala (PL→BLA) circuit in resilient versus susceptible mice. Susceptible mice had greater PL→BLA recruitment during ASDS and activated PL→BLA neurons from susceptible mice had more and larger mushroom spines compared to resilient mice. We hypothesized identified structure/function differences indicate an overactive PL→BLA response in susceptible mice and used an intersectional chemogenetic approach to inhibit the PL→BLA circuit during or prior to ASDS. We found in both cases that this blocked ASDS-induced social avoidance. Overall, we show PL→BLA structure/function differences mediate divergent behavioral responses to ASDS in male mice. These results support PL→BLA circuit overactivity during stress as a biomarker of trait vulnerability and potential target for prevention of stress-induced psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael S Grossman
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Clementine Fillinger
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alessia Manganaro
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - George Voren
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Waldman
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tiffany Zou
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - William G Janssen
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Paul J Kenny
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dani Dumitriu
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Sackler Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Columbia Population Research Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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13
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Hilberdink CE, van Zuiden M, Schrantee A, Korosi A, Kaiser A, Zhutovsky P, Ginty AT, Ensink JBM, Lindauer RJL, Vrijkotte TGM, de Rooij SR. Dysregulated functional brain connectivity in response to acute social-evaluative stress in adolescents with PTSD symptoms. Eur J Psychotraumatol 2021; 12:1880727. [PMID: 33968316 PMCID: PMC8075091 DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.1880727] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with dysregulated neural, cortisol, and cardiac stress reactivity and recovery. This understanding is predominantly based on studies in adults applying emotional-cognitive and trauma-related stimuli inducing negative emotions or perceived threat. Despite large numbers of adolescents with PTSD, few studies are available on neurobiological stress reactivity in this population. Moreover, no previous studies investigated neural reactivity to social-evaluative stress. Objective: To investigate functional brain connectivity, cortisol and cardiac reactivity to acute social-evaluative stress, and additional cortisol measures in trauma-exposed adolescents with and without high PTSD symptoms. Method: A speech preparation task to induce acute social-evaluative stress elicited by anticipatory threat, was used in a subsample of the Amsterdam Born Child and their Development (ABCD) birth cohort, consisting of trauma-exposed adolescents with (n = 20) and without (n = 29) high PTSD symptoms. Psychophysiological interaction analyses were performed to assess group differences in functional connectivity of the hippocampus, mPFC and amygdala during social-evaluative stress and recovery, measured by fMRI. Additionally, perceived stress, heart rate and cortisol stress reactivity and recovery, cortisol awakening response and day curve were compared. Results: The stressor evoked significant changes in heart rate and perceived stress, but not cortisol. The PTSD symptom and control groups differed in functional connectivity between the hippocampus and cerebellum, middle and inferior frontal gyrus, and the mPFC and inferior frontal gyrus during social-evaluative stress versus baseline. Mostly, the same patterns were found during recovery versus baseline. We observed no significant group differences in amygdala connectivity, and cortisol and cardiac measures. Conclusions: Our findings suggest threat processing in response to social-evaluative stress is disrupted in adolescents with PTSD symptoms. Our findings are mainly but not entirely in line with findings in adults with PTSD, which denotes the importance to investigate adolescents with PTSD as a separate population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E Hilberdink
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mirjam van Zuiden
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anouk Schrantee
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Aniko Korosi
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Centre for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Antonia Kaiser
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Zhutovsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Annie T Ginty
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Judith B M Ensink
- Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JBME, RJLL), Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ramon J L Lindauer
- Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JBME, RJLL), Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tanja G M Vrijkotte
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Susanne R de Rooij
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Public Health and Occupational Health, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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14
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Gao W, Biswal B, Chen S, Wu X, Yuan J. Functional coupling of the orbitofrontal cortex and the basolateral amygdala mediates the association between spontaneous reappraisal and emotional response. Neuroimage 2021; 232:117918. [PMID: 33652140 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotional regulation is known to be associated with activity in the amygdala. The amygdala is an emotion-generative region that comprises of structurally and functionally distinct nuclei. However, little is known about the contributions of different frontal-amygdala sub-region pathways to emotion regulation. Here, we investigated how functional couplings between frontal regions and amygdala sub-regions are involved in different spontaneous emotion regulation processes by using an individual-difference approach and a generalized psycho-physiological interaction (gPPI) approach. Specifically, 50 healthy participants reported their dispositional use of spontaneous cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression in daily life and their actual use of these two strategies during the performance of an emotional-picture watching task. Results showed that functional coupling between the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) was associated with higher scores of both dispositional and actual uses of reappraisal. Similarly, functional coupling between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the centromedial amygdala (CMA) was associated with higher scores of both dispositional and actual uses of suppression. Mediation analyses indicated that functional coupling of the right OFC-BLA partially mediated the association between reappraisal and emotional response, irrespective of whether reappraisal was measured by dispositional use (indirect effect(SE)=-0.2021 (0.0811), 95%CI(BC)= [-0.3851, -0.0655]) or actual use (indirect effect(SE)=-0.1951 (0.0796), 95%CI(BC)= [-0.3654, -0.0518])). These findings suggest that spontaneous reappraisal and suppression involve distinct frontal- amygdala functional couplings, and the modulation of BLA activity from OFC may be necessary for changing emotional response during spontaneous reappraisal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Gao
- The Affect Cognition and Regulation Laboratory (ACRLab), Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bharat Biswal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, United States
| | - ShengDong Chen
- School of Psychology, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - XinRan Wu
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - JiaJin Yuan
- The Affect Cognition and Regulation Laboratory (ACRLab), Institute of Brain and Psychological Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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15
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Frequency and perceptions of life stress are associated with reduced cardiovascular stress-response adaptation. Int J Psychophysiol 2020; 157:51-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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16
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Retrospectively reported childhood physical abuse, systemic inflammation, and resting corticolimbic connectivity in midlife adults. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 82:203-213. [PMID: 31445966 PMCID: PMC6956859 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.08.186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood abuse confers risk for psychopathology and pathophysiology in midlife through intermediate pathways that remain unclear. Systemic inflammation was tested in the present study as one pathway that may link physical abuse in childhood to the adult functioning of corticolimbic brain circuits broadly implicated in risk for poor mental and physical health. Midlife adults (N = 303; 30-51 years of age; 149 women) without psychiatric, immune, or cardiovascular diagnoses provided retrospective reports of childhood physical abuse. Functional connectivity between corticolimbic brain areas (amygdala, hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex [vmPFC], anterior cingulate cortex [ACC]) was measured at rest using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Circulating levels of interleukin(IL)-6, a pro-inflammatory cytokine previously linked to childhood abuse and corticolimbic functionality, were measured via blood draw. Consistent with prior studies, retrospectively reported childhood physical abuse was associated positively with circulating IL-6, and negatively with connectivity between the amygdala and vmPFC. IL-6 was also associated negatively with several corticolimbic functional connections, including amygdala-vmPFC connectivity. Moreover, path analyses revealed an indirect effect of IL-6 that partially explained the association between childhood physical abuse and adult amygdala-vmPFC connectivity. Consistent with recent neurobiological models of early life influences on disease risk across the lifespan, associations between childhood physical abuse and adulthood corticolimbic circuit functionality may be partially explained by inflammatory processes.
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