Role of corticosterone in altered neurobehavioral responses to acute stress in a model of compromised hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function
Multiple physiological systems are recruited to aid an organism in overcoming or adapting to stress. Proper engagement of these systems is crucial not only for the adequate response to threat, but also for enabling an organism to return to biological equilibrium once the stressor is terminated (or escaped from). Consequently, many pathological conditions are characterized by inadequate or improper responses to stress (de Kloet et al., 2006; McEwen, 1998; Pariante and Lightman, 2008). Exposure to stress rapidly activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which triggers brain and body-wide physiological changes ...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 11, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Scott A. Kinlein, Derrick J. Phillips, Chandler R. Keller, Ilia N. Karatsoreos Source Type: research
Systematic review, meta-analysis of basal cortisol levels in Borderline Personality Disorder compared to non-psychiatric controls
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a debilitating psychiatric illness that is common in both the general population and in clinical settings, with a life-time prevalence of 5.9% (Grant et al., 2008; Lenzenweger et al., 2007). BPD is characterised by a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood. These symptoms must persist and cause marked distress and or functional impairment within a variety of contexts, although symptoms often fluctuate markedly over short periods of time (Association, A.P. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: N Thomas, C Gurvich, A Hudaib, E Gavrilidis, J Kulkarni Source Type: research
Post-learning Stress Reduces the Misinformation Effect: Effects of Psychosocial Stress on Memory Updating
Episodic memory representations can be altered after learning new and related information (for a review: Lee et al., 2017). This characteristic of memory can be viewed as adaptive because it allows encoded memories to be modified and updated with relevant information (Nader and Hardt, 2009; Schacter et al., 2011). However, it can also lead to distortions, causing false memories. One of the most prominent presentations of memory distortion is the misinformation effect, when misleading information presented after an event changes the memory of that original event (Loftus, 2005). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Jonas P. Nitschke, Sonja Chu, Jens C. Pruessner, Jennifer A. Bartz, Signy Sheldon Source Type: research
Chronic stress exposure and daily stress appraisals relate to biological aging marker p16INK4a
An emergent literature suggests that exposure to adverse social conditions is associated with accelerated biological aging, offering one mechanism through which adversity may increase risk for age-related diseases, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Chronic stress, via prolonged or repeated activation of the sympathoadrenal system, is thought to increase disease risk through its cumulative impact on key biological aging pathways (Epel, 2009; Robles and Carroll, 2011; Shalev et al., 2014). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kelly E. Rentscher, Judith E. Carroll, Rena L. Repetti, Steven W. Cole, Bridget M. Reynolds, Theodore F. Robles Source Type: research
Sociodemographic Correlates of Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length during Mid- to Late-Life: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Telomere attrition is a hallmark indicator of biological aging (Kennedy et al., 2014; Lopez-Otin et al., 2013), and leukocyte telomere length has been proposed as a biomarker of aging (Aubert and Lansdorp, 2008). Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes and promote chromosomal stability (Blackburn et al., 2015). Due to the end replication problem, telomeres naturally shorten with mitosis (Blackburn, 2005). Oxidative damage and DNA replication stress also contribute to telomere loss (Blackburn et al., 2015; von Zglinicki, 2002). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Belinda Needham Source Type: research
Altered Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function: A Relevant Factor in the Comorbidity of Atopic Eczema and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?
Atopic eczema (AE) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with key symptoms such as eczematous and inflammatory eruptions of the skin and intense pruritus (Brown, 2016; Lawton, 2014). AE typically manifests in early infancy (with an onset before the age of 5 in 90% of the patients) and represents one of the most common chronic childhood disorders (Weidinger and Novak, 2016). Notably, about 50% of all individuals with AE have specific allergic sensitization indicating that atopy is not a necessary feature of AE (Flohr et al., 2004). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: A. Buske-Kirschbaum, K. Trikojat, F. Tesch, J. Schmitt, V. Roessner, H. Luksch, A. Roesen-Wolff, F. Plessow Source Type: research
Genetic and Peripheral Markers of the Oxytocin System and Parental Care Jointly Support the Cross-Generational Transmission of Bonding across Three Generations
Studies have repeatedly shown that oxytocin (OT), a nine-amino-acid neuropeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus, plays a critical role in human social affiliations and in the formation of attachment bonds, particularly the parent-infant bond (Feldman et al., 2011; Feldman et al., 2007; Gordon et al., 2010). Children experiencing high-quality caregiving from their parents, as measured by direct observations of sensitive parenting that is characterized by enhanced positive affect, social gaze, affectionate touch, and warm vocalizations, showed higher levels of peripheral OT and better social competencies (Feldman et al., 20...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Takeo Fujiwara, Omri Weisman, Manami Ochi, Kokoro Shirai, Kenji Matsumoto, Emiko Noguchi, Ruth Feldman Source Type: research
Maternal high fat diet programs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in adult rat offspring
Epidemiological and animal studies suggest that, besides the parental heredity and adult lifestyle, the specific environmental factors that a developing offspring experiences in early life may also have a tremendous impact on the development and health problems throughout the life (Barker 2004). Early life challenges such as mother-infant separation and neonatal immune challenge has been reported to increase adult susceptibility to obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and cardiovascular dysfunction (Gluckman and Hanson 2004; Craft et al., 2006; Warner and Ozanne 2010; Liang et al., 2011). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: XiaoTing Niu, XiaoYun Wu, AnNa Ying, Bei Shao, XiaoFeng Li, WanLi Zhang, ChengCheng Lin, YuanShao Lin Source Type: research
Altered overnight levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in men and women with posttraumatic stress disorder
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition with a lifetime prevalence of approximately 8% (Kessler et al., 1995). In addition to severely impairing psychological wellbeing, PTSD is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular, autoimmune and metabolic disorders, and premature mortality (Boscarino, 2006; Cohen et al., 2009, O ’Donovan et al., 2015). Inflammation can drive the development of multiple physical diseases and has been proposed as a mechanism linking PTSD with ill health (O’Donovan et al., 2013). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 5, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Andreas K üffer, Laura D. Straus, Aric A. Prather, Sabra S. Inslicht, Anne Richards, Judy K. Shigenaga, Erin Madden, Thomas J. Metzler, Thomas C. Neylan, Aoife O’Donovan Source Type: research
Effects of internet-based stress management on acute cortisol stress reactivity: preliminary evidence using the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)
Chronic stress has been associated with several somatic diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular illness including myocardial infarction, stroke, and depression (Cohen et al., 2007). Although the mechanisms by which chronic stress can increase vulnerability and ultimately contribute to illness are not fully understood, heightened reactivity of physiological systems to everyday stressors or an impaired ability to recover from acute stress have been discussed as mediating factors within the allostatic load model (McEwen, 1998). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Gregor Domes, Tobias St ächele, Bernadette von Dawans, Markus Heinrichs Source Type: research
Daily oxytocin patterns in relation to psychopathy and childhood trauma in residential youth
Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that has received much attention due its relation to social behaviors, such as social affiliation, pair bonding, emotion recognition, trust, empathy, altruism, and attachment (Campbell, 2008, 2010; Lee et al., 2009a; Veening& Olivier, 2013). Several approaches have been proposed to better understand the underlying mechanisms of oxytocin in social behaviors. Particularly, it has been suggested that oxytocin might play a role in the development of the social brain as it is involved in the processing of social sensory input in the neocortex during the first postnatal years (Vaidyanathan& Hammock, 20...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - December 1, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Iro Fragkaki, Maaike Verhagen, Antonius Eduard van Herwaarden, Maaike Cima Source Type: research
Detection of Estradiol in Rat Brain Tissues: Contribution of Local Versus Systemic Production
Estrogens have important effects on brain structure, function and behavior. Estrogens influence not only reproductive behaviors, but also affect mood, cognitive performance, synaptic plasticity, neurodegenerative disease, and functional recovery following brain injury (Erickson et al., 2007; Garcia-Segura, 2008; Gibbs, 2010; Greene, 2000; Sherwin and Henry, 2008; Walf and Frye, 2006). Estrogens are derived from cholesterol, which is converted in the mitochondria to 17 α-hydroxypregnenolone and then is transferred to smooth endoplasmic reticulum, converted to dehydroepiandrosterone and then to androgens (androstenedione an...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 30, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Junyi Li, Robert B. Gibbs Source Type: research
Temporal dynamics of cortisol-associated changes in mRNA expression of glucocorticoid responsive genes FKBP5, GILZ, SDPR, PER1, PER2 and PER3in healthy humans
The glucocorticoid cortisol, regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, plays an essential role in both stress-related and baseline homeostasis. In peripheral tissues, it exerts its function mainly through binding to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), encoded by NR3C1. The GR is a ligand-activated transcription factor predominantly located in the cytoplasm in a multiprotein complex consisting of chaperones and co-chaperones (Wochnik et al., 2005). Activation of the GR leads to up- and down-regulation of target gene expression, both through direct interaction between activated GR dimers and glucocorticoid re...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 30, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: T ürkan Yurtsever, Fabian Streit, Jerome C. Foo, Slavena Trifonova, Robert Kumsta, Claude P. Muller, Jonathan D. Turner, Jobst Meyer, Andrea B. Schote Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research
Childhood urbanicity and hair steroid hormone levels in ten-year-old children
Urban areas may be stressful living environments for humans (Mizrahi, 2016). They are characterized by high population density, encounters with strangers and unclear dominance order, factors that may increase the threat of social evaluation and thus social stress (Van Os et al., 2000). Living in a socially stressful environment is considered to be a major contributor to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (Champagne, 2013) and has been linked to earlier sexual maturation in females (i.e. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 29, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: B.E Evans, R Beijers, C Hagquist, C de Weerth Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research
Investigating associations between momentary stress and cortisol in daily life: What have we learned so far?
Psychosocial stress reliably activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, resulting in elevations of circulating cortisol. Kirschbaum et al. (1993) demonstrated this psychoneuroendocrinological association using a specific laboratory-based motivated performance-related stressor in a social-evaluative setting including uncontrollability, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). A meta-analysis later demonstrated that TSST-like stressors were indeed the most potent activators of cortisol responses to stress when compared to other stressors such as cognitive tasks, noise exposure or emotion induction without un...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 27, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Wolff Schlotz Source Type: research
