Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-07-01DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2361237
Lena Sophie Pfeifer, Carina Zoellner, Oliver T Wolf, Gregor Domes, Christian J Merz
Compared to the in-person Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), virtual reality (VR) variants reduce resource-intensity and improve standardization but induce stress with smaller effect sizes. However, higher cortisol reactivity is given for more immersive TSST-VRs. Immersivity depends on the VR-system, but perceived immersion may be targeted by exposure to, or interaction with the VR. We investigated whether stress reactivity towards the openly accessible OpenTSST VR can be enhanced by prior exposure to a sensorimotor game completed in VR as mediated by increased immersion. Therefore, N = 58 healthy participants underwent the OpenTSST VR or its inbuilt control condition (placebo TSST-VR, pTSST-VR). Beforehand, participants completed a sensorimotor game either in VR or in real life. Stress was measured by means of self-reports, salivary cortisol concentrations, and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity. Perceived immersion was assessed with the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ). The TSST-VR-group showed higher subjective stress than the pTSST-VR-group. Even though area under the curve measures indicated significant differences in cortisol levels between TSST-VR and pTSST-VR, this effect was not replicated in omnibus-analyses. Likewise, sAA was not responsive to stress. Our data suggests the OpenTSST VR does not reliably trigger physiological stress reactivity. Likewise, participants playing the VR-game before exposure to the TSST-VR did not show enhanced stress reactivity. Importantly, playing the VR-game did not lead to increased immersion (indicated by the IPQ), either. The key question resulting from our study is which manipulation may be fruitful to obtain a comparable stress response toward the TSST-VR compared to the in-person TSST.
{"title":"Prior exposure to a sensorimotor game in virtual reality does not enhance stress reactivity toward the OpenTSST VR.","authors":"Lena Sophie Pfeifer, Carina Zoellner, Oliver T Wolf, Gregor Domes, Christian J Merz","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2361237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2024.2361237","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Compared to the in-person Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), virtual reality (VR) variants reduce resource-intensity and improve standardization but induce stress with smaller effect sizes. However, higher cortisol reactivity is given for more immersive TSST-VRs. Immersivity depends on the VR-system, but perceived immersion may be targeted by exposure to, or interaction with the VR. We investigated whether stress reactivity towards the openly accessible OpenTSST VR can be enhanced by prior exposure to a sensorimotor game completed in VR as mediated by increased immersion. Therefore, <i>N</i> = 58 healthy participants underwent the OpenTSST VR or its inbuilt control condition (placebo TSST-VR, pTSST-VR). Beforehand, participants completed a sensorimotor game either in VR or in real life. Stress was measured by means of self-reports, salivary cortisol concentrations, and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity. Perceived immersion was assessed with the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ). The TSST-VR-group showed higher subjective stress than the pTSST-VR-group. Even though area under the curve measures indicated significant differences in cortisol levels between TSST-VR and pTSST-VR, this effect was not replicated in omnibus-analyses. Likewise, sAA was not responsive to stress. Our data suggests the OpenTSST VR does not reliably trigger physiological stress reactivity. Likewise, participants playing the VR-game before exposure to the TSST-VR did not show enhanced stress reactivity. Importantly, playing the VR-game did not lead to increased immersion (indicated by the IPQ), either. The key question resulting from our study is which manipulation may be fruitful to obtain a comparable stress response toward the TSST-VR compared to the in-person TSST.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141472413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-05-06DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2327333
Rachel Gilgoff, Summer Mengelkoch, Jorina Elbers, Krista Kotz, Arielle Radin, Isha Pasumarthi, Reanna Murthy, Sayantani Sindher, Nadine Burke Harris, George M Slavich
Although dysregulated stress biology is becoming increasingly recognized as a key driver of lifelong disparities in chronic disease, we presently have no validated biomarkers of toxic stress physiology; no biological, behavioral, or cognitive treatments specifically focused on normalizing toxic stress processes; and no agreed-upon guidelines for treating stress in the clinic or evaluating the efficacy of interventions that seek to reduce toxic stress and improve human functioning. We address these critical issues by (a) systematically describing key systems and mechanisms that are dysregulated by stress; (b) summarizing indicators, biomarkers, and instruments for assessing stress response systems; and (c) highlighting therapeutic approaches that can be used to normalize stress-related biopsychosocial functioning. We also present a novel multidisciplinary Stress Phenotyping Framework that can bring stress researchers and clinicians one step closer to realizing the goal of using precision medicine-based approaches to prevent and treat stress-associated health problems.
{"title":"The Stress Phenotyping Framework: A multidisciplinary biobehavioral approach for assessing and therapeutically targeting maladaptive stress physiology.","authors":"Rachel Gilgoff, Summer Mengelkoch, Jorina Elbers, Krista Kotz, Arielle Radin, Isha Pasumarthi, Reanna Murthy, Sayantani Sindher, Nadine Burke Harris, George M Slavich","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2327333","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2327333","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although dysregulated stress biology is becoming increasingly recognized as a key driver of lifelong disparities in chronic disease, we presently have no validated biomarkers of toxic stress physiology; no biological, behavioral, or cognitive treatments specifically focused on normalizing toxic stress processes; and no agreed-upon guidelines for treating stress in the clinic or evaluating the efficacy of interventions that seek to reduce toxic stress and improve human functioning. We address these critical issues by (a) systematically describing key systems and mechanisms that are dysregulated by stress; (b) summarizing indicators, biomarkers, and instruments for assessing stress response systems; and (c) highlighting therapeutic approaches that can be used to normalize stress-related biopsychosocial functioning. We also present a novel multidisciplinary Stress Phenotyping Framework that can bring stress researchers and clinicians one step closer to realizing the goal of using precision medicine-based approaches to prevent and treat stress-associated health problems.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11219250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140871610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-07-02DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2330009
Sara Garces-Arilla, Magdalena Mendez-Lopez, Camino Fidalgo, Alicia Salvador, Vanesa Hidalgo
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol release appear to have contrasting effects on stress perception during stressful tasks. This study aimed to investigate anticipatory examination stress in college students by considering DHEA, cortisol, psycho-emotional aspects and examination performance. Seventy-six students (66 females, 10 males; age range 18-25 years) provided saliva samples and completed questionnaires in two sessions 48 hours apart. During the second session, the students performed the examination. The questionnaires used were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and the Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory. DHEA, cortisol, anxiety and negative affect showed an anticipatory rise before the examination (all ps < 0.001). This rise of DHEA and cortisol was associated with lower positive affect (p = 0.001 and p = 0.043, respectively). However, only the DHEA anticipatory levels were linked to poorer examination marks (p = 0.020). Higher levels of the DHEA/cortisol ratio in anticipation of the examination were related to lower scores on the support-seeking strategy (p = 0.022). There was no association between DHEA and cortisol levels and anxiety, negative affect, active and avoidant coping strategies, or academic record. These results suggest that how DHEA and cortisol respond in anticipation of examination stress significantly impacts students' emotional well-being during examination periods and how they cope with stress. They also suggest that levels of DHEA in anticipation of an academic stressor have detrimental effects on stress management.
{"title":"Examination-related anticipatory levels of dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol predict positive affect, examination marks and support-seeking in college students.","authors":"Sara Garces-Arilla, Magdalena Mendez-Lopez, Camino Fidalgo, Alicia Salvador, Vanesa Hidalgo","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2330009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2024.2330009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol release appear to have contrasting effects on stress perception during stressful tasks. This study aimed to investigate anticipatory examination stress in college students by considering DHEA, cortisol, psycho-emotional aspects and examination performance. Seventy-six students (66 females, 10 males; age range 18-25 years) provided saliva samples and completed questionnaires in two sessions 48 hours apart. During the second session, the students performed the examination. The questionnaires used were the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and the Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory. DHEA, cortisol, anxiety and negative affect showed an anticipatory rise before the examination (all <i>p</i>s < 0.001). This rise of DHEA and cortisol was associated with lower positive affect (<i>p</i> = 0.001 and <i>p</i> = 0.043, respectively). However, only the DHEA anticipatory levels were linked to poorer examination marks (<i>p</i> = 0.020). Higher levels of the DHEA/cortisol ratio in anticipation of the examination were related to lower scores on the support-seeking strategy (<i>p</i> = 0.022). There was no association between DHEA and cortisol levels and anxiety, negative affect, active and avoidant coping strategies, or academic record. These results suggest that how DHEA and cortisol respond in anticipation of examination stress significantly impacts students' emotional well-being during examination periods and how they cope with stress. They also suggest that levels of DHEA in anticipation of an academic stressor have detrimental effects on stress management.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141477928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-06-24DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2365864
Alyshia B Davis, Kelsey R Lloyd, Justin L Bollinger, Eric S Wohleb, Teresa M Reyes
Both obesity and high fat diets (HFD) have been associated with an increase in inflammatory gene expression within the brain. Microglia play an important role in early cortical development and may be responsive to HFD, particularly during sensitive windows, such as adolescence. We hypothesized that HFD during adolescence would increase proinflammatory gene expression in microglia at baseline and potentiate the microglial stress response. Two stressors were examined, a physiological stressor [lipopolysaccharide (LPS), IP] and a psychological stressor [15 min restraint (RST)]. From 3 to 7 weeks of age, male and female mice were fed standard control diet (SC, 20% energy from fat) or HFD (60% energy from fat). On P49, 1 h before sacrifice, mice were randomly assigned to either stressor exposure or control conditions. Microglia from the frontal cortex were enriched using a Percoll density gradient and isolated via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), followed by RNA expression analysis of 30 genes (27 target genes, three housekeeping genes) using Fluidigm, a medium throughput qPCR platform. We found that adolescent HFD induced sex-specific transcriptional response in cortical microglia, both at baseline and in response to a stressor. Contrary to our hypothesis, adolescent HFD did not potentiate the transcriptional response to stressors in males, but rather in some cases, resulted in a blunted or absent response to the stressor. This was most apparent in males treated with LPS. However, in females, potentiation of the LPS response was observed for select proinflammatory genes, including Tnfa and Socs3. Further, HFD increased the expression of Itgam, Ikbkb, and Apoe in cortical microglia of both sexes, while adrenergic receptor expression (Adrb1 and Adra2a) was changed in response to stressor exposure with no effect of diet. These data identify classes of genes that are uniquely affected by adolescent exposure to HFD and different stressor modalities in males and females.
{"title":"Adolescent high fat diet alters the transcriptional response of microglia in the prefrontal cortex in response to stressors in both male and female mice.","authors":"Alyshia B Davis, Kelsey R Lloyd, Justin L Bollinger, Eric S Wohleb, Teresa M Reyes","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2365864","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2365864","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Both obesity and high fat diets (HFD) have been associated with an increase in inflammatory gene expression within the brain. Microglia play an important role in early cortical development and may be responsive to HFD, particularly during sensitive windows, such as adolescence. We hypothesized that HFD during adolescence would increase proinflammatory gene expression in microglia at baseline and potentiate the microglial stress response. Two stressors were examined, a physiological stressor [lipopolysaccharide (LPS), IP] and a psychological stressor [15 min restraint (RST)]. From 3 to 7 weeks of age, male and female mice were fed standard control diet (SC, 20% energy from fat) or HFD (60% energy from fat). On P49, 1 h before sacrifice, mice were randomly assigned to either stressor exposure or control conditions. Microglia from the frontal cortex were enriched using a Percoll density gradient and isolated via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), followed by RNA expression analysis of 30 genes (27 target genes, three housekeeping genes) using Fluidigm, a medium throughput qPCR platform. We found that adolescent HFD induced sex-specific transcriptional response in cortical microglia, both at baseline and in response to a stressor. Contrary to our hypothesis, adolescent HFD did not potentiate the transcriptional response to stressors in males, but rather in some cases, resulted in a blunted or absent response to the stressor. This was most apparent in males treated with LPS. However, in females, potentiation of the LPS response was observed for select proinflammatory genes, including <i>Tnfa</i> and <i>Socs3</i>. Further, HFD increased the expression of <i>Itgam</i>, <i>Ikbkb</i>, and <i>Apoe</i> in cortical microglia of both sexes, while adrenergic receptor expression (<i>Adrb1</i> and <i>Adra2a</i>) was changed in response to stressor exposure with no effect of diet. These data identify classes of genes that are uniquely affected by adolescent exposure to HFD and different stressor modalities in males and females.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11228993/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141443732","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-02-28DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2320780
I C Ravaglia, V Jasodanand, S Bhatnagar, L A Grafe
Repeated stress is associated with an increased risk of developing psychiatric illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is more common in women, yet the neurobiology behind this sex difference is unknown. Habituation to repeated stress is impaired in PTSD, and recent preclinical studies have shown that female rats do not habituate as fully as male rats to repeated stress, which leads to impairments in cognition and sleep. Further research should examine sex differences after repeated stress in other relevant measures, such as body temperature and neural activity. In this study, we analyzed core body temperature and EEG power spectra in adult male and female rats during restraint, as well as during sleep transitions following stress. We found that core body temperature of male rats habituated to repeated restraint more fully than female rats. Additionally, we found that females had a higher average beta band power than males on both days of restraint, indicating higher levels of arousal. Lastly, we observed that females had lower delta band power than males during sleep transitions on Day 1 of restraint, however, females demonstrated higher delta band power than males by Day 5 of restraint. This suggests that it may take females longer to initiate sleep recovery compared with males. These findings indicate that there are differences in the physiological and neural processes of males and females after repeated stress. Understanding the way that the stress response is regulated in both sexes can provide insight into individualized treatment for stress-related disorders.
{"title":"Sex differences in body temperature and neural power spectra in response to repeated restraint stress.","authors":"I C Ravaglia, V Jasodanand, S Bhatnagar, L A Grafe","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2320780","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2320780","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Repeated stress is associated with an increased risk of developing psychiatric illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is more common in women, yet the neurobiology behind this sex difference is unknown. Habituation to repeated stress is impaired in PTSD, and recent preclinical studies have shown that female rats do not habituate as fully as male rats to repeated stress, which leads to impairments in cognition and sleep. Further research should examine sex differences after repeated stress in other relevant measures, such as body temperature and neural activity. In this study, we analyzed core body temperature and EEG power spectra in adult male and female rats during restraint, as well as during sleep transitions following stress. We found that core body temperature of male rats habituated to repeated restraint more fully than female rats. Additionally, we found that females had a higher average beta band power than males on both days of restraint, indicating higher levels of arousal. Lastly, we observed that females had lower delta band power than males during sleep transitions on Day 1 of restraint, however, females demonstrated higher delta band power than males by Day 5 of restraint. This suggests that it may take females longer to initiate sleep recovery compared with males. These findings indicate that there are differences in the physiological and neural processes of males and females after repeated stress. Understanding the way that the stress response is regulated in both sexes can provide insight into individualized treatment for stress-related disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10989713/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139984473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-04-02DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2317856
Isha R Gore, Elizabeth Gould
In humans, exposure to early life adversity has profound implications for susceptibility to developing neuropsychiatric disorders later in life. Studies in rodents have shown that stress experienced during early postnatal life can have lasting effects on brain development. Glucocorticoids and sex steroids are produced in endocrine glands and the brain from cholesterol; these molecules bind to nuclear and membrane-associated steroid receptors. Unlike other steroids that can also be made in the brain, neurosteroids bind specifically to neurotransmitter receptors, not steroid receptors. The relationships among steroids, neurosteroids, and stress are multifaceted and not yet fully understood. However, studies demonstrating altered levels of progestogens, androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, and their neuroactive metabolites in both developmental and adult stress paradigms strongly suggest that these molecules may be important players in stress effects on brain circuits and behavior. In this review, we discuss the influence of developmental and adult stress on various components of the brain, including neurons, glia, and perineuronal nets, with a focus on sex steroids and neurosteroids. Gaining an enhanced understanding of how early adversity impacts the intricate systems of brain steroid and neurosteroid regulation could prove instrumental in identifying novel therapeutic targets for stress-related conditions.
{"title":"Developmental and adult stress: effects of steroids and neurosteroids.","authors":"Isha R Gore, Elizabeth Gould","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2317856","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2317856","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In humans, exposure to early life adversity has profound implications for susceptibility to developing neuropsychiatric disorders later in life. Studies in rodents have shown that stress experienced during early postnatal life can have lasting effects on brain development. Glucocorticoids and sex steroids are produced in endocrine glands and the brain from cholesterol; these molecules bind to nuclear and membrane-associated steroid receptors. Unlike other steroids that can also be made in the brain, neurosteroids bind specifically to neurotransmitter receptors, not steroid receptors. The relationships among steroids, neurosteroids, and stress are multifaceted and not yet fully understood. However, studies demonstrating altered levels of progestogens, androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids, and their neuroactive metabolites in both developmental and adult stress paradigms strongly suggest that these molecules may be important players in stress effects on brain circuits and behavior. In this review, we discuss the influence of developmental and adult stress on various components of the brain, including neurons, glia, and perineuronal nets, with a focus on sex steroids and neurosteroids. Gaining an enhanced understanding of how early adversity impacts the intricate systems of brain steroid and neurosteroid regulation could prove instrumental in identifying novel therapeutic targets for stress-related conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11046567/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140337618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-04-26DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2321595
Laura R Stroud, Nancy C Jao, L G Ward, Sharon Y Lee, Carmen J Marsit
Perinatal stress is associated with altered placental methylation, which plays a critical role in fetal development and infant outcomes. This proof-of-concept pilot study investigated the impact of lifetime trauma exposure and perinatal PTSD symptoms on epigenetic regulation of placenta glucocorticoid signaling genes (NR3C1 and FKBP5). Lifetime trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms during pregnancy were assessed in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of pregnant women (N = 198). Participants were categorized into three groups: (1) No Trauma (-T); (2) Trauma, No Symptoms (T - S); and (3) Trauma and Symptoms (T + S). Placental tissue was analyzed via bisulfite pyrosequencing for degree of methylation at the NR3C1 promoter and FKBP5 regulatory regions. Analyses of covariance were used to test group differences in percentages of NR3C1 and FKBP5 methylation overall and at each CpG site. We found a significant impact of PTSD symptoms on placental NR3C1 methylation. Compared to the -T group, the T + S group had greater NR3C1 methylation overall and at CpG6, CpG8, CpG9, and CpG13, but lower methylation at CpG5. The T + S group had significantly higher NR3C1 methylation overall and at CpG8 compared to the T - S group. There were no differences between the T - S group and - T group. Additionally, no group differences emerged for FKBP5 methylation. Pregnant trauma survivors with PTSD symptoms exhibited differential patterns of placental NR3C1 methylation compared to trauma survivors without PTSD symptoms and pregnant women unexposed to trauma. Results highlight the critical importance of interventions to address the mental health of pregnant trauma survivors.
围产期压力与胎盘甲基化的改变有关,而胎盘甲基化在胎儿发育和婴儿结局中起着至关重要的作用。这项概念验证试验研究调查了终生创伤暴露和围产期创伤后应激障碍症状对胎盘糖皮质激素信号基因(NR3C1和FKBP5)表观遗传调控的影响。研究人员对不同种族/族裔的孕妇样本(N = 198)进行了孕期终生创伤暴露和创伤后应激障碍症状的评估。参与者被分为三组:(1) 无创伤 (-T);(2) 有创伤、无症状 (T - S);(3) 有创伤和症状 (T + S)。胎盘组织通过亚硫酸氢盐热测序分析 NR3C1 启动子和 FKBP5 调控区的甲基化程度。我们使用协方差分析来检验 NR3C1 和 FKBP5 整体甲基化百分比以及各 CpG 位点甲基化百分比的组间差异。我们发现创伤后应激障碍症状对胎盘 NR3C1 甲基化有明显影响。与 -T 组相比,T + S 组的 NR3C1 甲基化程度总体较高,CpG6、CpG8、CpG9 和 CpG13 的甲基化程度也较高,但 CpG5 的甲基化程度较低。与 T - S 组相比,T + S 组的总体 NR3C1 甲基化程度和 CpG8 的甲基化程度明显更高。T - S 组和 - T 组之间没有差异。此外,FKBP5 甲基化也没有出现组间差异。与没有创伤后应激障碍症状的创伤幸存者和未受过创伤的孕妇相比,有创伤后应激障碍症状的创伤幸存者的胎盘 NR3C1 甲基化表现出不同的模式。研究结果凸显了干预创伤幸存者孕妇心理健康的重要性。
{"title":"Differential impact of prenatal PTSD symptoms and preconception trauma exposure on placental <i>NR3C1</i> and <i>FKBP5</i> methylation.","authors":"Laura R Stroud, Nancy C Jao, L G Ward, Sharon Y Lee, Carmen J Marsit","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2321595","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2321595","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Perinatal stress is associated with altered placental methylation, which plays a critical role in fetal development and infant outcomes. This proof-of-concept pilot study investigated the impact of lifetime trauma exposure and perinatal PTSD symptoms on epigenetic regulation of placenta glucocorticoid signaling genes (<i>NR3C1</i> and <i>FKBP5).</i> Lifetime trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms during pregnancy were assessed in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of pregnant women (<i>N</i> = 198). Participants were categorized into three groups: (1) No Trauma (-T); (2) Trauma, No Symptoms (T - S); and (3) Trauma and Symptoms (T + S). Placental tissue was analyzed via bisulfite pyrosequencing for degree of methylation at the <i>NR3C1</i> promoter and <i>FKBP5</i> regulatory regions. Analyses of covariance were used to test group differences in percentages of <i>NR3C1</i> and <i>FKBP5</i> methylation overall and at each CpG site. We found a significant impact of PTSD symptoms on placental <i>NR3C1</i> methylation. Compared to the -T group, the T + S group had greater <i>NR3C1</i> methylation overall and at CpG6, CpG8, CpG9, and CpG13, but lower methylation at CpG5. The T + S group had significantly higher N<i>R3C1</i> methylation overall and at CpG8 compared to the T - S group. There were no differences between the T - S group and - T group. Additionally, no group differences emerged for <i>FKBP5</i> methylation. Pregnant trauma survivors with PTSD symptoms exhibited differential patterns of placental <i>NR3C1</i> methylation compared to trauma survivors without PTSD symptoms and pregnant women unexposed to trauma. Results highlight the critical importance of interventions to address the mental health of pregnant trauma survivors.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11238900/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140858912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-02-20DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2316042
Victoria F Keeton, Thomas J Hoffmann, Kalisha Moneé Goodwin, Bree Powell, Sophia Tupuola, Sandra J Weiss
Exposure to social adversity has been associated with cortisol dysregulation during pregnancy and in later childhood; less is known about how prenatal exposure to social stressors affects postnatal cortisol of infants. In a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal study, we tested whether a pregnant woman's reports of social adversity during the third trimester were associated with their infant's resting cortisol at 1, 6, and 12 months postnatal. Our hypothesis was that prenatal exposure to social adversity would be associated with elevation of infants' cortisol. Measures included prenatal survey reports of social stressors and economic hardship, and resting cortisol levels determined from infant saliva samples acquired at each postnatal timepoint. Data were analyzed using linear mixed effects models. The final sample included 189 women and their infants (46.56% assigned female sex at birth). Prenatal economic hardship was significantly associated with infant cortisol at 6 months postnatal; reports of social stressors were not significantly associated with cortisol at any time point. Factors associated with hardship, such as psychological distress or nutritional deficiencies, may alter fetal HPA axis development, resulting in elevated infant cortisol levels. Developmental changes unique to 6 months of age may explain effects at this timepoint. More work is needed to better comprehend the complex pre- and post-natal physiologic and behavioral factors that affect infant HPA axis development and function, and the modifying role of environmental exposures.
{"title":"Prenatal exposure to social adversity and infant cortisol in the first year of life.","authors":"Victoria F Keeton, Thomas J Hoffmann, Kalisha Moneé Goodwin, Bree Powell, Sophia Tupuola, Sandra J Weiss","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2316042","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2316042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exposure to social adversity has been associated with cortisol dysregulation during pregnancy and in later childhood; less is known about how prenatal exposure to social stressors affects postnatal cortisol of infants. In a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal study, we tested whether a pregnant woman's reports of social adversity during the third trimester were associated with their infant's resting cortisol at 1, 6, and 12 months postnatal. Our hypothesis was that prenatal exposure to social adversity would be associated with elevation of infants' cortisol. Measures included prenatal survey reports of social stressors and economic hardship, and resting cortisol levels determined from infant saliva samples acquired at each postnatal timepoint. Data were analyzed using linear mixed effects models. The final sample included 189 women and their infants (46.56% assigned female sex at birth). Prenatal economic hardship was significantly associated with infant cortisol at 6 months postnatal; reports of social stressors were not significantly associated with cortisol at any time point. Factors associated with hardship, such as psychological distress or nutritional deficiencies, may alter fetal HPA axis development, resulting in elevated infant cortisol levels. Developmental changes unique to 6 months of age may explain effects at this timepoint. More work is needed to better comprehend the complex pre- and post-natal physiologic and behavioral factors that affect infant HPA axis development and function, and the modifying role of environmental exposures.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11006384/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139914027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2361253
Jingyi Zhang, Wen-Chin Li, Graham Braithwaite, James Blundell
Commercial pilots endure multiple stressors in their daily and occupational lives which are detrimental to psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. The Quick coherence technique (QCT) is an effective intervention tool to improve stress resilience and psychophysiological balance based on a five-minute paced breathing exercise with heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. The current research reports on the application of QCT training within an international airline to improve commercial pilots' psychological health and support cognitive functions. Forty-four commercial pilots volunteered in a one-month training programme to practise self-regulated QCT in day-to-day life and flight operations. Pilots' stress index, HRV time-domain and frequency-domain parameters were collected to examine the influence of QCT practice on the stress resilience process. The results demonstrated that the QCT improved psychophysiological indicators associated with stress resilience and cognitive functions, in both day-to-day life and flight operation settings. HRV fluctuations, as measured through changes in RMSSD and LF/HF, revealed that the resilience processes were primarily controlled by the sympathetic nervous system activities that are important in promoting pilots' energy mobilization and cognitive functions, thus QCT has huge potential in facilitating flight performance and aviation safety. These findings provide scientific evidence for implementing QCT as an effective mental support programme and controlled rest strategy to improve pilots' psychological health, stress management, and operational performance.
{"title":"Practice effects of a breathing technique on pilots' cognitive and stress associated heart rate variability during flight operations.","authors":"Jingyi Zhang, Wen-Chin Li, Graham Braithwaite, James Blundell","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2024.2361253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2024.2361253","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Commercial pilots endure multiple stressors in their daily and occupational lives which are detrimental to psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. The Quick coherence technique (QCT) is an effective intervention tool to improve stress resilience and psychophysiological balance based on a five-minute paced breathing exercise with heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback. The current research reports on the application of QCT training within an international airline to improve commercial pilots' psychological health and support cognitive functions. Forty-four commercial pilots volunteered in a one-month training programme to practise self-regulated QCT in day-to-day life and flight operations. Pilots' stress index, HRV time-domain and frequency-domain parameters were collected to examine the influence of QCT practice on the stress resilience process. The results demonstrated that the QCT improved psychophysiological indicators associated with stress resilience and cognitive functions, in both day-to-day life and flight operation settings. HRV fluctuations, as measured through changes in RMSSD and LF/HF, revealed that the resilience processes were primarily controlled by the sympathetic nervous system activities that are important in promoting pilots' energy mobilization and cognitive functions, thus QCT has huge potential in facilitating flight performance and aviation safety. These findings provide scientific evidence for implementing QCT as an effective mental support programme and controlled rest strategy to improve pilots' psychological health, stress management, and operational performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141302079","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-01-01Epub Date: 2023-12-22DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2293698
Xinyuan Li, Muhammad Naveed Iqbal Qureshi, David P Laplante, Guillaume Elgbeili, Vincent Paquin, Sherri Lee Jones, Suzanne King, Pedro Rosa-Neto
Studies show that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is related to risk for child autism, and to atypical amygdala functional connectivity in the autistic child. Yet, it remains unclear whether amygdala functional connectivity mediates the association between PNMS and autistic traits, particularly in young adult offspring. We recruited women who were pregnant during, or within 3 months of, the 1998 Quebec ice storm crisis, and assessed three aspects of PNMS: objective hardship (events experienced during the ice storm), subjective distress (post-traumatic stress symptoms experienced as a result of the ice storm) and cognitive appraisal. At age 19, 32 young adults (21 females) self-reported their autistic-like traits (i.e., aloof personality, pragmatic language impairment and rigid personality), and underwent structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI scans. Seed-to-voxel analyses were conducted to map the amygdala functional connectivity network. Mediation analyses were implemented with bootstrapping of 20,000 resamplings. We found that greater maternal objective hardship was associated with weaker functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the right postcentral gyrus, which was then associated with more pragmatic language impairment. Greater maternal subjective distress was associated with weaker functional connectivity between the right amygdala and the left precentral gyrus, which was then associated with more aloof personality. Our results demonstrate that the long-lasting effect of PNMS on offspring autistic-like traits may be mediated by decreased amygdala-sensorimotor circuits. The differences between amygdala-sensory and amygdala-motor pathways mediating different aspects of PNMS on different autism phenotypes need to be studied further.
{"title":"Decreased amygdala-sensorimotor connectivity mediates the association between prenatal stress and broad autism phenotype in young adults: Project Ice Storm.","authors":"Xinyuan Li, Muhammad Naveed Iqbal Qureshi, David P Laplante, Guillaume Elgbeili, Vincent Paquin, Sherri Lee Jones, Suzanne King, Pedro Rosa-Neto","doi":"10.1080/10253890.2023.2293698","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10253890.2023.2293698","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Studies show that prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is related to risk for child autism, and to atypical amygdala functional connectivity in the autistic child. Yet, it remains unclear whether amygdala functional connectivity mediates the association between PNMS and autistic traits, particularly in young adult offspring. We recruited women who were pregnant during, or within 3 months of, the 1998 Quebec ice storm crisis, and assessed three aspects of PNMS: objective hardship (events experienced during the ice storm), subjective distress (post-traumatic stress symptoms experienced as a result of the ice storm) and cognitive appraisal. At age 19, 32 young adults (21 females) self-reported their autistic-like traits (i.e., aloof personality, pragmatic language impairment and rigid personality), and underwent structural MRI and resting-state functional MRI scans. Seed-to-voxel analyses were conducted to map the amygdala functional connectivity network. Mediation analyses were implemented with bootstrapping of 20,000 resamplings. We found that greater maternal objective hardship was associated with weaker functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the right postcentral gyrus, which was then associated with more pragmatic language impairment. Greater maternal subjective distress was associated with weaker functional connectivity between the right amygdala and the left precentral gyrus, which was then associated with more aloof personality. Our results demonstrate that the long-lasting effect of PNMS on offspring autistic-like traits may be mediated by decreased amygdala-sensorimotor circuits. The differences between amygdala-sensory and amygdala-motor pathways mediating different aspects of PNMS on different autism phenotypes need to be studied further.</p>","PeriodicalId":51173,"journal":{"name":"Stress-The International Journal on the Biology of Stress","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138832863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}