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Hrivikova K, Marko M, Karailievova L, Romanova Z, Oravcova H, Riecansky I, Jezova D. Neuroendocrine response to a psychosocial stress test is not related to schizotypy but cortisol elevation predicts inflexibility of semantic memory retrieval. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 154:106287. [PMID: 37182519 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
An altered stress response can contribute to the transition from preclinical psychotic symptoms to the clinical manifestation of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The present study was aimed at testing the hypotheses that (i) the autonomic and neuroendocrine responses under psychosocial stress are dysregulated in individuals with high psychosis proneness (schizotypy); (ii) the magnitude of post-stress autonomic activation and cortisol release predicts alterations in semantic memory retrieval. The study was performed in 73 healthy individuals of both sexes with either high or low schizotypal traits preselected out of 609 individuals using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. A psychosocial stress procedure based on public speech was used as a stress model. We found that individuals with high schizotypy engaged in less adaptive emotional stress-coping strategies than low schizotypy individuals. Yet, the neuroendocrine, immune, and sympathetic activation in response to the stress test was not different between the groups. Irrespective of the exposure to the stressor, individuals with high schizotypy were less fluent when retrieving associations from semantic memory. In addition, we demonstrated that acute psychosocial stress reduced the flexibility of semantic memory retrieval. The post-stress mental inflexibility was reliably predicted by the concomitant elevation of cortisol concentrations in saliva. The present study thus brings novel evidence indicating that the acute psychosocial challenge impairs retrieval flexibility in the semantic domain, which may be due to neuroendocrine activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Hrivikova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - M Marko
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Applied Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - L Karailievova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Z Romanova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - H Oravcova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Pharmacology and toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - I Riecansky
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - D Jezova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Romanova Z, Karailievova L, Garafova A, Hlavacova N, Oravcova H, Jezova D. Testosterone but not cortisol concentrations in hair correlate between mothers and their prepubertal children under real-life stress conditions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 143:105844. [PMID: 35772281 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to test the hypothesis that there is an association between the neuroendocrine state, reflected by testosterone and cortisol concentrations in hair, of the mother and her child under difficult real-life stress conditions (COVID-19 pandemic). The research sample consisted of 45 healthy mothers and their prepubertal children (7 - 11 years) of both sexes. The hair samples of mother-child dyads were collected twice to obtain cumulative stress hormone concentrations from April till the end of June and July till the end of September 2020. Thus, 90 mother-child pairs were analyzed. The results showed that both cortisol and testosterone concentrations were significantly higher in the hair of mothers compared to those in their children. The results of cortisol concentrations in hair do not support the hypothesis stated above. In line with our hypothesis are the results of hair testosterone measurements showing a positive correlation between testosterone concentrations in mothers and their children. With respect to the known relationship of testosterone with aggressive behavior, an important finding is that above-mentioned correlation was particularly strong in women with intense subjective feelings of anger in the investigated three months period. Women with strongly prevalent subjective feelings of sadness failed to show a significant correlation between hair cortisol concentrations in mothers and their children, in spite of the known relationship of cortisol to depressive mood. It may be suggested that chronic testosterone secretion reflects the association between the neuroendocrine function of the mother and her child under real-life stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Romanova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - L Karailievova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - A Garafova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Slovak Medical University, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Bratislava, Antolska 11, 851 07 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - N Hlavacova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - H Oravcova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Odbojarov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - D Jezova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
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Romanova Z, Hrivikova K, Riecansky I, Jezova D. Salivary testosterone, testosterone/cortisol ratio and non-verbal behavior in stress. Steroids 2022; 182:108999. [PMID: 35257713 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2022.108999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between hormone release and non-verbal communication under stress conditions is still not sufficiently explored. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that salivary testosterone concentrations and testosterone/cortisol (T/C) ratios correlate positively with assertive behavior representing a non-aggressive form of dominance during an acute stress situation. As a stress model, a socially evaluated cold pressor test was investigated in healthy men. The non-verbal behavior was analyzed according to the ethological coding system for interviews described by Troisi (1999). Salivary testosterone concentrations did not change throughout the stress test. The T/C ratios decreased significantly over time only in subjects showing high stress perception. The duration of affiliative and the frequency of flight behavior was higher in subjects with high stress perception compared to those with low stress perception. A significant positive correlation between the duration of prosocial behavior and values of T/C ratios was found in the whole sample. The area under the curve values of testosterone positively correlated with the duration of assertive behavior in the group with high stress perception and negatively in the other group. Our findings allow suggesting that the changes in non-verbal behavior during acute psychosocial stress situations may be more pronounced in subjects showing high stress perception. Obtained results motivate further research on a better understanding of the consequences of the lack of sense of full facial expressions, such as wearing face masks, on the balance between hormones and non-verbal behavior under stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Romanova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - K Hrivikova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - I Riecansky
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - D Jezova
- Laboratory of Pharmacological Neuroendocrinology, Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Vinnikov D, Romanova Z, Ussatayeva G, Tulekov Z, Dushimova Z, Khussainova I, Dushpanova A. Occupational burnout in oncologists in Kazakhstan. Occup Med (Lond) 2021; 71:375-380. [PMID: 34458908 DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqab121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although burnout levels in oncologists are likely high, its predictors remain poorly understood. AIMS This study was aimed to verify the prevalence of occupational burnout in oncology doctors and nurses in the major cancer centre in Kazakhstan and to elucidate its predictors to plan future prevention activities. METHODS In the leading tertiary-level cancer centre in Kazakhstan, we recruited 256 subjects (67% doctors and 33% nurses, 62% women, median age 37.5 [interquartile range 15] years) and offered them Maslach Burnout Inventory to quantify emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA). Demographics, fatigue, health-related quality of life with SF-8 and lifestyle were tested as predictors of burnout in multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS Number of subjects with high EE was 121 (47%), high DP was 161 (63%) and high PA was 152 (59%). Fatigue, worse mental component score (MCS), being single and not exercising regularly predicted more burnout in EE. Fatigue, worse physical component score (PCS) and worse MCS predicted more burnout in DP. Finally, more burnout in PA was independently associated with fatigue, worse PCS, being married or divorced and having a university or academic degree. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of occupational burnout in oncologists was high, necessitating early burnout prevention programmes, addressing, among other, fatigue reduction and regular exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Vinnikov
- School of Public Health, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.,Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Z Romanova
- School of Public Health, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - G Ussatayeva
- School of Public Health, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Z Tulekov
- School of Public Health, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Z Dushimova
- Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - I Khussainova
- Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - A Dushpanova
- School of Public Health, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan.,Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
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