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Röhr AK, Kohn N, Bergs R, Clemens B, Lampert A, Spehr M, Habel U, Wagels L. Increased anger and stress and heightened connectivity between IFG and vmPFC in victims during social interaction. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8471. [PMID: 38605132 PMCID: PMC11009292 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57585-y] [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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Self-identification as a victim of violence may lead to increased negative emotions and stress and thus, may change both structure and function of the underlying neural network(s). In a trans-diagnostic sample of individuals who identified themselves as victims of violence and a matched control group with no prior exposure to violence, we employed a social exclusion paradigm, the Cyberball task, to stimulate the re-experience of stress. Participants were partially excluded in the ball-tossing game without prior knowledge. We analyzed group differences in brain activity and functional connectivity during exclusion versus inclusion in exclusion-related regions. The victim group showed increased anger and stress levels during all conditions. Activation patterns during the task did not differ between groups but an enhanced functional connectivity between the IFG and the right vmPFC distinguished victims from controls during exclusion. This effect was driven by aberrant connectivity in victims during inclusion rather than exclusion, indicating that victimization affects emotional responses and inclusion-related brain connectivity rather than exclusion-related brain activity or connectivity. Victims may respond differently to the social context itself. Enhanced negative emotions and connectivity deviations during social inclusion may depict altered social processing and may thus affect social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kristin Röhr
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Nils Kohn
- Donders Institute, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Rene Bergs
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Clemens
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany
| | - Angelika Lampert
- Institute of Neurophysiology, Uniklinik RWTH, Aachen, Germany
- Scientific Center for Neuropathic Pain Aachen - SCN Aachen, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Marc Spehr
- Department of Chemosensation, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany
| | - Lisa Wagels
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
- Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) - Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich, Germany.
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Palamarchuk IS, Slavich GM, Vaillancourt T, Rajji TK. Stress-related cellular pathophysiology as a crosstalk risk factor for neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders. BMC Neurosci 2023; 24:65. [PMID: 38087196 PMCID: PMC10714507 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-023-00831-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we examine biological processes linking psychological stress and cognition, with a focus on how psychological stress can activate multiple neurobiological mechanisms that drive cognitive decline and behavioral change. First, we describe the general neurobiology of the stress response to define neurocognitive stress reactivity. Second, we review aspects of epigenetic regulation, synaptic transmission, sex hormones, photoperiodic plasticity, and psychoneuroimmunological processes that can contribute to cognitive decline and neuropsychiatric conditions. Third, we explain mechanistic processes linking the stress response and neuropathology. Fourth, we discuss molecular nuances such as an interplay between kinases and proteins, as well as differential role of sex hormones, that can increase vulnerability to cognitive and emotional dysregulation following stress. Finally, we explicate several testable hypotheses for stress, neurocognitive, and neuropsychiatric research. Together, this work highlights how stress processes alter neurophysiology on multiple levels to increase individuals' risk for neurocognitive and psychiatric disorders, and points toward novel therapeutic targets for mitigating these effects. The resulting models can thus advance dementia and mental health research, and translational neuroscience, with an eye toward clinical application in cognitive and behavioral neurology, and psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna S Palamarchuk
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1H4, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Division of Neurology, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - George M Slavich
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tracy Vaillancourt
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tarek K Rajji
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1H4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Toronto Dementia Research Alliance, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Vaillancourt T, Farrell AH, Brittain H, Krygsman A, Vitoroulis I, Pepler D. Bullying before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 53:101689. [PMID: 37690185 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The rates of bullying during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of unprecedented public health and social restrictions, were compared to earlier times when students attended school in person. Several studies indicated a notable decrease in the prevalence of bullying victimization and perpetration during the pandemic, particularly when online learning was implemented. But studies from countries with fewer social restrictions indicated increases in rates of bullying during the pandemic. Mixed results regarding prevalence rates for some bullying forms (e.g., cyberbullying) were also found. Racialized youth and LGBTQ+ youth reliably reported higher rates of bullying victimization during the pandemic, consistent with pre-pandemic patterns. Reasons for the inconsistencies in findings likely relate to diverse methods, timeframes, and sampling techniques, as well as different experiences with pandemic social restrictions. More longitudinal studies are needed to assess whether bullying involvement did in fact "change" during, compared to before, the pandemic. The findings point to the importance of peer relationships and hint at the potential of increased teacher supervision as a bullying prevention strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Vaillancourt
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Ann H Farrell
- Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines Ontario, Canada
| | - Heather Brittain
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amanda Krygsman
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Irene Vitoroulis
- Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Debra Pepler
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Ferraz De Camargo L, Rice K, Thorsteinsson EB. Bullying victimization CBT: a proposed psychological intervention for adolescent bullying victims. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1122843. [PMID: 37674744 PMCID: PMC10478092 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1122843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kylie Rice
- School of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
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Eid E, Fekih-Romdhane F, Sarray El Dine A, Malaeb D, Hallit S, Obeid S. Does Problematic Use of Social Network Mediate the Association between Bullying Victimization and Loneliness among Lebanese Adolescents? CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:children10030599. [PMID: 36980157 PMCID: PMC10046980 DOI: 10.3390/children10030599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
(1) Background: Bullying victimization has been associated with several behavioral outcomes, particularly loneliness. Similarly, an increase in social network use has been identified in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been shown to be associated with bullying and loneliness. Investigating the mediating factors of loneliness among bullied adolescents is useful for taking preventive measures in the Lebanese population. This study aims to examine the association between bullying victimization and loneliness among Lebanese adolescents while considering the indirect effect of problematic social network use. (2) Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study, between January and April 2022, that enrolled 379 adolescent Lebanese students (64.9% females, mean age 16.07 ± 1.19 years) who were current residents of Lebanon (15 to 18 years), and were from the five governorates of Lebanon (Beirut, Mount Lebanon, North, South and Bekaa). The snowball method was applied to select our sample; an electronic copy of the questionnaire was created using the Google Forms software and an online strategy was designed to collect the data. (3) Results: Negative social comparison and addictive consequences of problematic use of social network mediated the association between bullying victimization and loneliness. Higher bullying victimization was significantly associated with higher negative social comparison and addictive consequences of problematic use of social network, which in turn were significantly associated with more loneliness. Finally, higher bullying victimization was directly significantly associated with more loneliness. (4) Conclusions: Studying the mediating factors of loneliness in bullied adolescents can improve our understanding of this topic, allowing us to propose new interventions to prevent psychological problems in adolescents. Future studies are needed to further clarify the physiological processes that underlie the associations between social triggers and loneliness during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia Eid
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib P.O. Box 60096, Lebanon
| | - Feten Fekih-Romdhane
- Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Tunis 1068, Tunisia
- Department of Psychiatry "Ibn Omrane", The Tunisian Center of Early Intervention in Psychosis, Razi Hospital, Manouba 2010, Tunisia
| | - Abir Sarray El Dine
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese International University, Mazraa, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon
| | - Diana Malaeb
- School of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman P.O. Box 4184, United Arab Emirates
- School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Mazraa, Beirut P.O. Box 146404, Lebanon
| | - Souheil Hallit
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib P.O. Box 60096, Lebanon
- School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Jounieh P.O. Box 446, Lebanon
- Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman 11937, Jordan
| | - Sahar Obeid
- Social and Education Sciences Department, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Jbeil P.O. Box 36, Lebanon
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Zhang Y, Sun X, Dou C, Li X, Zhang L, Qin C. Distinct neuronal excitability alterations of medial prefrontal cortex in early-life neglect model of rats. Animal Model Exp Med 2022; 5:274-280. [PMID: 35748035 PMCID: PMC9240726 DOI: 10.1002/ame2.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECT Early-life neglect has irreversible emotional effects on the central nervous system. In this work, we aimed to elucidate distinct functional neural changes in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of model rats. METHODS Maternal separation with early weaning was used as a rat model of early-life neglect. The excitation of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in rat mPFC was recorded and analyzed by whole-cell patch clamp. RESULTS Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons of mPFC were distinguished by typical electrophysiological properties. The excitation of mPFC glutamatergic neurons was significantly increased in male groups, while the excitation of mPFC GABAergic neurons was significant in both female and male groups, but mainly in terms of rest membrane potential and amplitude, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in medial prefrontal cortex showed different excitability changes in a rat model of early-life neglect, which can contribute to distinct mechanisms for emotional and cognitive manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative MedicineInstitute of Laboratory Animal SciencesChinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); Comparative Medicine CenterPeking Union Medical College (PUMC)BeijingChina
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource CenterBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal modelBeijingChina
- Changping National laboratory (CPNL)BeijingChina
| | - Xiuping Sun
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative MedicineInstitute of Laboratory Animal SciencesChinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); Comparative Medicine CenterPeking Union Medical College (PUMC)BeijingChina
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource CenterBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal modelBeijingChina
- Changping National laboratory (CPNL)BeijingChina
| | - Changsong Dou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative MedicineInstitute of Laboratory Animal SciencesChinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); Comparative Medicine CenterPeking Union Medical College (PUMC)BeijingChina
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource CenterBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal modelBeijingChina
- Changping National laboratory (CPNL)BeijingChina
| | - Xianglei Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative MedicineInstitute of Laboratory Animal SciencesChinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); Comparative Medicine CenterPeking Union Medical College (PUMC)BeijingChina
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource CenterBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal modelBeijingChina
- Changping National laboratory (CPNL)BeijingChina
| | - Ling Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative MedicineInstitute of Laboratory Animal SciencesChinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); Comparative Medicine CenterPeking Union Medical College (PUMC)BeijingChina
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource CenterBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal modelBeijingChina
- Changping National laboratory (CPNL)BeijingChina
| | - Chuan Qin
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative MedicineInstitute of Laboratory Animal SciencesChinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS); Comparative Medicine CenterPeking Union Medical College (PUMC)BeijingChina
- National Human Diseases Animal Model Resource CenterBeijingChina
- Beijing Engineering Research Center for Experimental Animal Models of Human Critical DiseasesBeijingChina
- International Center for Technology and Innovation of animal modelBeijingChina
- Changping National laboratory (CPNL)BeijingChina
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