Limbic response to stress linking life trauma and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function
Lifetime trauma exposure has been shown to significantly impact physical and psychological well-being, increasing risk for stress-related disorders and negative health outcomes (Bevans et al., 2008; McEwen, 2002; Sinha, 2008). Studies have identified the neurobiological underpinnings of trauma exposure; this line of studies has largely found altered function associated with trauma in two stress-related pathways, the hypothalamic –pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis system (Fries et al., 2005) and limbic brain regions (McEwen, 2001; Williams et al., 2006). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 17, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Dongju Seo, Arielle G. Rabinowitz, Ryan J. Douglas, Rajita Sinha Source Type: research
Discrimination Exposure and DNA Methylation of Stress-Related Genes in Latina Mothers
The accumulation of stress over the lifespan can contribute to biological vulnerability and directly affect health outcomes for mothers and their children. Latina women, who have the highest fertility rate among all ethnic groups and represent the largest minority group in the US (Center, 2015), are exposed to a multitude of stressful events and sociocultural factors, including discrimination (Ay ón, 2015). Extant research in Latinas has largely focused on varied levels of exposure to risk and protective factors in the perinatal period including socio-determinants of health (e.g., socioeconomic background), prenatal care,...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 16, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Hudson P. Santos, Benjamin C. Nephew, Arjun Bhattacharya, Xianming Tan, Laura Smith, Reema Alyamani, Elizabeth M. Martin, Krista Perreira, Rebecca C. Fry, Christopher Murgatroyd Source Type: research
Corrigendum to “Genetic and environmental influences on pubertal hormones in human hair across development” [Psychoneuroendocrinology 90 (2018) 76–84]
The authors regret that the units of measurement reported for the hair hormones was incorrect. We originally write on page. 78 of the Method section, and in the Online Supplement, that the lower limit of detection for hair hormones was 0.1 pg/ml. This should have read that the lower limit of detection was 0.1 pg/mg. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 15, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Andrew D. Grotzinger, Daniel A. Briley, Laura E. Engelhardt, Frank D. Mann, Megan W. Patterson, Jennifer L. Tackett, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, K. Paige Harden Tags: Corrigendum Source Type: research
Emerging role of the P2X7-NLRP3-IL1 β pathway in mood disorders
It is now well established that mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) show high lifetime prevalence rates resulting in significant impact on quality of life to patients and their families (Hirschfeld, 2012). This is compounded by the negative social stigma associated with mental health, resulting in delayed medical assistance, causing debilitating neuropsychological conditions, sometimes leading to suicidal ideation and death. When patients with mood disorders do seek medical attention, a large proportion of the patient pool either do not respond adequately or with only a very lim...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Anindya Bhattacharya, Declan N.C Jones Source Type: research
Impact of Early Life Adversity on the Stress Biobehavioral Response During Nicotine Withdrawal
Accumulating evidence demonstrates an association between exposure to early life adversity (ELA), including emotional, physical and sexual abuse, with subsequent risk for addiction (Harrison, Fulkerson et al. 1997, Bensley, Spieker et al. 1999, Widom, Weiler et al. 1999, Lovallo 2013). ELA also predicts acceleration and maintenance of tobacco, marijuana and alcohol use (Kaplan and Johnson 1992, Wills, Vaccaro et al. 1996, Harrison, Fulkerson et al. 1997, Anda, Croft et al. 1999, Edwards, Anda et al. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Mustafa al ’Absi, Motohiro Nakajima, Andrine Lemieux Source Type: research
Emerging role of the P2 × 7-NRLP3-IL1β pathway in mood disorders
It is now well established that mood disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) show high lifetime prevalence rates resulting in significant impact on quality of life to patients and their families (Hirschfeld, 2012). This is compounded by the negative social stigma associated with mental health, resulting in delayed medical assistance, causing debilitating neuropsychological conditions, sometimes leading to suicidal ideation and death. When patients with mood disorders do seek medical attention, a large proportion of the patient pool either do not respond adequately or with only a very lim...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 14, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Anindya Bhattacharya, Declan N.C Jones Source Type: research
Modulating Kynurenine Monooxygenase in Microglia: the need for further characterization
In their paper, Garrison et al. studied the effects of inhibiting kynurenine monooxygenase (KMO) on microglia activation. The authors observed attenuation of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitrite after genetic and pharmacological inhibition of KMO, and identified subsequent kynurenine (KYN) accumulation as the likely source of this effect. There are several concerns about the study that should be discussed. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: P.K. Moon, P.S. Minhas Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research
Multiple Forms of Discrimination, Social Status, and Telomere Length: Interactions within Race
Previous research has demonstrated inverse associations between experiences of interpersonal discrimination and telomere length, a marker of cellular aging. Here, we investigate within-race interactions between multiple indices of interpersonal discrimination and sociodemographic characteristics in relation to telomere length in African American and White adults. Participants were from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span study (Baltimore, Maryland). Ages ranged from 30-64 years old and all self-identified as either African American (n = 176) or White (n = 165). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 12, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Elizabeth J. Pantesco, Daniel K. Leibel, Jason J. Ashe, Shari R. Waldstein, Leslie I. Katzel, Hans B. Liu, Nan-ping Weng, Michele K. Evans, Alan B. Zonderman, Danielle L. Beatty Moody Source Type: research
Obesity, perceived weight discrimination, and hair cortisol: a population-based study
Obesity is recognized as a global health issue, and associations with a wide range of adverse psychological and physiological correlates have long been established (Ng et al., 2014). Recent years have seen a growing interest in the relationship between obesity and stress, with symptoms of metabolic syndrome – a cluster of comorbidities that often accompany obesity – closely mirroring those of Cushing's syndrome, a disorder caused by overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol (Anagnostis et al., 2009). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 11, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Sarah E. Jackson, Andrew Steptoe Source Type: research
The Psychobiology of Stress and Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a type of domestic violence defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression (including coercive acts) by a current or former intimate partner” (Breiding et al., 2015). It is a global public health problem that occurs across age, genders, and sexual orientation, permeating racial, cultural, geogr aphic, socioeconomic, educational and religious boundaries (Huecker and Smock, 2018). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 11, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Ilona S. Yim, Yasmin B. Kofman Source Type: research
Stress and Immune Biomarkers Interact with Parenting Behavior to Shape Anxiety Symptoms in Trauma-Exposed Youth
The relations between stress and the immune system in general and their interdependence in the context of chronic trauma in particular have been extensively studied (Boscarino, 2004; Heim et al., 2008; Segerstrom and Miller, 2004a, 2004b, 2004b). Stress-induced hormonal alterations have been linked with changes in the immune system as well as with behavioral, emotional, and cognitive processes that lead to physical illness and psychiatric problems (De Bellis and Zisk, 2014; Lupien et al., 2009). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Karen Yirmiya, Amir Djalovski, Shai Motsan, Orna Zagoory-Sharon, Ruth Feldman Source Type: research
Psychotherapeutic treatment and HPA axis regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), defined as a pathological response to traumatic events involving exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), is a highly distressing condition with lifetime prevalence rates of 11.0% for women and 5.4% for men (Kilpatrick et al., 2013). Numerous biological alterations that are associated with the development and maintenance of PTSD have been identified (Michopoulos et al., 2015; Zoladz and Diamond, 2013). (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 9, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Sarah Schumacher, Helen Niemeyer, Sinha Engel, Jan Christopher Cwik, Christine Knaevelsrud Source Type: research
Sex Hormones and Incident Dementia in Older Men: The Health in Men Study
Dementia affects approximately 6.5% of adults over the age of 65 and its burden is projected to rise (Wu et al., 2017). As current treatments are mostly symptomatic, prevention is key to reducing the burden of dementia. It has been suggested that more than a third of dementia cases could be prevented by systematically addressing potentially modifiable risk factors from across the life-span (Livingston et al., 2017). One potentially modifiable factor not included in these analyses was testosterone status. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 9, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Andrew H. Ford, Bu B. Yeap, Leon Flicker, Graeme J. Hankey, S.A. Paul Chubb, Jonathan Golledge, Osvaldo P. Almeida Source Type: research
Role of DHEA and Cortisol in Prefrontal-Amygdalar Development and Working Memory
Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are the most abundant adrenal hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and exert potent, pleiotropic effects on human physiology including regulation of immune, metabolic and cognitive function (Kamin and Kertes 2017). The role of cortisol in supporting acute stress responses by drawing upon the brain and the body ’s energy reserves (i.e. increasing the body’s catabolic state) has been extensively investigated (Nicolaides et al., 2014). Notably, cortisol may lead to increased neurotoxicity (and other adverse physical effects) when it remains elevated for long ...
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Nasr Farooqi, Martina Scotti, Jimin Lew, Kelly N. Botteron, Sherif Karama, James T. McCracken, Tuong-Vi Nguyen Source Type: research
Beyond the West: Chemosignaling of Emotions Transcends Ethno-Cultural Boundaries
The human sense of smell has long been underestimated, from the ancient Greeks, to Sigmund Freud, and beyond (Le Gu érer, 2002). Currently, pseudoscientific ideas about poor human olfaction are being replaced by empirical studies showing excellent human smell skills (McGann, 2017). Indeed, one capacity humans share with super smeller species is social communication (Stevenson, 2010): Human body odor can convey a person’s identity (Kuhn and Natsch, 2008), gender (Penn et al. 2007), age (e.g., Haze et al., 2001), sickness (Olsson et al. (Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology)
Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Jasper H.B. de Groot, Lisanne A.E.M. van Houtum, Ilse Gortemaker, Yuting Ye, Wei Chen, Wen Zhou, Monique A.M. Smeets Source Type: research
