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Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Jan 2024Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol release appear to have contrasting effects on stress perception during stressful tasks. This study aimed to investigate...
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 s < 0.001). This rise of DHEA and cortisol was associated with lower positive affect ( = 0.001 and = 0.043, respectively). However, only the DHEA anticipatory levels were linked to poorer examination marks ( = 0.020). Higher levels of the DHEA/cortisol ratio in anticipation of the examination were related to lower scores on the support-seeking strategy ( = 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.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Hydrocortisone; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Young Adult; Students; Adult; Adolescent; Saliva; Stress, Psychological; Affect; Anxiety; Adaptation, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires; Anticipation, Psychological; Universities
PubMed: 38952223
DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2024.2330009 -
BMC Public Health Jun 2024Weight stigma has negative consequences for both physiological and psychological health. Studies on weight stigma in adolescence, particularly from general populations,...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Weight stigma has negative consequences for both physiological and psychological health. Studies on weight stigma in adolescence, particularly from general populations, are scarce in the Mediterranean area. The main aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of experienced and internalized weight stigma among a representative sample of adolescents from the Spanish city of Terrassa, and to determine its association with sociodemographic variables and weight status.
METHODS
Drawing on data from the initial assessment of a longitudinally funded project on weight stigma in adolescents, a cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted using random multistage cluster sampling. Weight stigma experiences, their frequency and sources, and weight bias internalization with the Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBISM) were assessed in a sample of 1016 adolescents. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) between sociodemographic variables, weight status and having experienced weight stigma, and having reported high scores of WBISM (WBISM ≥ 4) were estimated by multiple logistic regression models.
RESULTS
The prevalence of weight-related stigma experiences was 43.2% in the sample (81.8 in adolescents with obesity) and the prevalence of high levels of weight bias internalization was 19.4% (50.7 in adolescents with obesity). Other kids and school were the most prevalent sources of weight stigma, with society and family being other significant sources of stigma reported by girls. A significantly higher risk of having experienced weight stigma was observed in girls (AOR = 2.6) and in older adolescents (AOR = 1.9). Compared to normal weight adolescents, all weight statuses showed higher risk, being 3.4 times higher in adolescents with underweight and reaching 11.4 times higher risk in those with obesity. Regarding high levels of weight bias internalization, girls had a risk 6.6 times higher than boys. Once again, a "J-shaped" pattern was observed, with a higher risk at the lowest and highest weight statuses. The risk was 6.3 times higher in adolescents with underweight, and 13.1 times higher in adolescents with obesity compared to those with normal weight.
CONCLUSIONS
Considering the high prevalence of experienced and internalized weight stigma among adolescents in Spain, especially in adolescents with obesity and girls, it seems important to implement preventive strategies in different settings and address all sources of stigma.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Female; Male; Spain; Cross-Sectional Studies; Social Stigma; Prevalence; Body Weight; Obesity
PubMed: 38951859
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19246-7 -
Nature Communications Jun 2024While light can affect emotional and cognitive processes of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), no light-encoding was hitherto identified in this region. Here,...
While light can affect emotional and cognitive processes of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), no light-encoding was hitherto identified in this region. Here, extracellular recordings in awake mice revealed that over half of studied mPFC neurons showed photosensitivity, that was diminished by inhibition of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), or of the upstream thalamic perihabenular nucleus (PHb). In 15% of mPFC photosensitive neurons, firing rate changed monotonically along light-intensity steps and gradients. These light-intensity-encoding neurons comprised four types, two enhancing and two suppressing their firing rate with increased light intensity. Similar types were identified in the PHb, where they exhibited shorter latency and increased sensitivity. Light suppressed prelimbic activity but boosted infralimbic activity, mirroring the regions' contrasting roles in fear-conditioning, drug-seeking, and anxiety. We posit that prefrontal photosensitivity represents a substrate of light-susceptible, mPFC-mediated functions, which could be ultimately studied as a therapeutical target in psychiatric and addiction disorders.
Topics: Animals; Prefrontal Cortex; Light; Mice; Retinal Ganglion Cells; Male; Neurons; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Photic Stimulation; Action Potentials
PubMed: 38951486
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49794-w -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Jun 2024Plant vernacular names can provide clues about the popular use of a species in different regions and are valuable sources of information about the culture or vocabulary...
Phytochemical analysis and investigation of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic activities of hydroethanolic extracts of Alternanthera dentata, Ocimum carnosum, and Plectranthus barbatus, three species with vernacular names derived from analgesic drugs.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Plant vernacular names can provide clues about the popular use of a species in different regions and are valuable sources of information about the culture or vocabulary of a population. Several medicinal plants in Brazil have received names of medicines and brand-name products.
AIM OF THE STUDY
The present work aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and pharmacological activity in the central nervous system of three species known popularly by brand names of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and digestive drugs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Hydroethanolic extracts of Alternanthera dentata (AD), Ocimum carnosum (OC), and Plectranthus barbatus (PB) aerial parts were submitted to phytochemical analysis by HPLC-PAD-ESI-MS/MS and evaluated in animal models at doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg. Mice were tested on hot plate, acetic acid-induced writing, formalin-induced licking, and intestinal transit tests. Aspirin and morphine were employed as standard drugs.
RESULTS
The three extracts did not change the mice's response on the hot plate. Hydroethanolic extracts of AD and PB reduced the number of writhes and licking time, while OC was only effective on the licking test at dose of 1000 mg/kg. In addition, AD and OC reduced intestinal transit, while PB increased gut motility.
CONCLUSIONS
Pharmacological tests supported some popular uses, suggesting peripheral antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects, while the phytochemical analysis showed the presence of several flavonoids in the three hydroethanolic extracts and steroids in PB, with some barbatusterol derivatives described for the first time in the species.
PubMed: 38950795
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118508 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024
PubMed: 38947909
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1439041 -
Psychoneuroendocrinology Jun 2024Recent research has increasingly acknowledged the impact of oral contraceptives on affective behavior and stress responses; however, the underlying mechanisms are still...
Recent research has increasingly acknowledged the impact of oral contraceptives on affective behavior and stress responses; however, the underlying mechanisms are still not well understood. Studies have previously shown that steroid hormones modulate automatic approach and avoidance behavior. Here, we thus investigated the effects of oral contraceptives on approach and avoidance behavior and whether these effects are modulated by stress. The study comprised 130 female participants, half of whom were using oral contraceptives, while the other half were not using any hormonal contraception (NC). The participants completed the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT), which measures automatic approach and avoidance behavior to socio-affective signals. The AAT was run once before and once after a stress manipulation using the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test. OC users showed absent avoidance behavior to social threat signals and a stress-induced increase in approach behavior to positive social signals. The latter was found in particular in women taking androgenic acting OC, demonstrating that different OC preparations need to be taken into account in research on OC effects. However, OC and NC group did not differ in their cortisol stress response. Overall, the results suggest that OC usage impacts on approach and avoidance behavior to social signals, which might also contribute to the development of affective side effects.
PubMed: 38943719
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107111 -
European Neuropsychopharmacology : the... Jun 2024An estimated 30 % of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients exhibit resistance to conventional antidepressant treatments. Identifying reliable biomarkers of...
Multimodal brain-derived subtypes of Major depressive disorder differentiate patients for anergic symptoms, immune-inflammatory markers, history of childhood trauma and treatment-resistance.
An estimated 30 % of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients exhibit resistance to conventional antidepressant treatments. Identifying reliable biomarkers of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represents a major goal of precision psychiatry, which is hampered by the clinical and biological heterogeneity. To uncover biologically-driven subtypes of MDD, we applied an unsupervised data-driven framework to stratify 102 MDD patients on their neuroimaging signature, including extracted measures of cortical thickness, grey matter volumes, and white matter fractional anisotropy. Our novel analytical pipeline integrated different machine learning algorithms to harmonize data, perform data dimensionality reduction, and provide a stability-based relative clustering validation. The obtained clusters were characterized for immune-inflammatory peripheral biomarkers, TRD, history of childhood trauma and depressive symptoms. Our results indicated two different clusters of patients, differentiable with 67 % of accuracy: one cluster (n = 59) was associated with a higher proportion of TRD, and higher scores of energy-related depressive symptoms, history of childhood abuse and emotional neglect; this cluster showed a widespread reduction in cortical thickness (d = 0.43-1.80) and volumes (d = 0.45-1.05), along with fractional anisotropy in the fronto-occipital fasciculus, stria terminalis, and corpus callosum (d = 0.46-0.52); the second cluster (n = 43) was associated with cognitive and affective depressive symptoms, thicker cortices and wider volumes. Multivariate analyses revealed distinct brain-inflammation relationships between the two clusters, with increase in pro-inflammatory markers being associated with decreased cortical thickness and volumes. Our stratification of MDD patients based on structural neuroimaging identified clinically-relevant subgroups of MDD with specific symptomatic and immune-inflammatory profiles, which can contribute to the development of tailored personalized interventions for MDD.
PubMed: 38936143
DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.05.015 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Jun 2024Dementia remains an underdiagnosed syndrome, and there is a need to improve the early detection of cognitive decline. This narrative review examines the role of... (Review)
Review
Dementia remains an underdiagnosed syndrome, and there is a need to improve the early detection of cognitive decline. This narrative review examines the role of neuropsychological assessment in the characterization of cognitive changes associated with dementia syndrome at different states. The first section describes the early indicators of cognitive decline and the major barriers to their identification. Further, the optimal cognitive screening conditions and the most widely accepted tests are described. The second section analyzes the main differences in cognitive performance between Alzheimer's disease and other subtypes of dementia. Finally, the current challenges of neuropsychological assessment in aging/dementia and future approaches are discussed. Essentially, we find that current research is beginning to uncover early cognitive changes that precede dementia, while continuing to improve and refine the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders that cause dementia. However, neuropsychology faces several barriers, including the cultural diversity of the populations, a limited implementation in public health systems, and the adaptation to technological advances. Nowadays, neuropsychological assessment plays a fundamental role in characterizing cognitive decline in the different stages of dementia, but more efforts are needed to develop harmonized procedures that facilitate its use in different clinical contexts and research protocols.
PubMed: 38929971
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13123442 -
Brain Sciences Jun 2024As cancer progresses, patients may experience physical decline, which can impair their ability to carry out essential daily tasks. The aim of this study was to analyze...
As cancer progresses, patients may experience physical decline, which can impair their ability to carry out essential daily tasks. The aim of this study was to analyze the levels of physical activity in patients with advanced cancer undergoing systemic treatment and its relationship with sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors. A prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study was carried out in 15 oncology departments in Spain. Patients with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic cancer who were candidates for systemic treatment were included. Participants completed demographic information and psychological scales. In total, 508 patients were included in the study, the majority of whom were male, over the age of 65, and diagnosed with bronchopulmonary tumors (36%) and metastatic disease. Based on their physical activity levels, participants were categorized as sedentary (20%, = 190), engaging in light physical activity (43%, = 412), or demonstrating moderate physical activity (37%, = 351). Patients who were over 65 years old; had a worse baseline status (ECOG ≥ 1); lacked a partner; had a lower educational level; or were retired or unemployed were found to have lower levels of physical activity. Those with sedentary physical activity reported higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, depression, somatization, and physical symptoms, as well as worse functional status, global health status, and well-being. Understanding the complex interplay between physical activity and sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors can help neuroscientists develop tailored exercise interventions that address the unique needs of advanced cancer patients.
PubMed: 38928572
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060573 -
Brain Sciences Jun 2024This study was designed to examine the relationships among the impulsivity construct as a personality trait, the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and...
This study was designed to examine the relationships among the impulsivity construct as a personality trait, the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and testosterone in a sample of 120 healthy middle-aged males (M = 44.39; = 12.88). The sum of the three BIS-11 scales, the SR, and the five UPPS-P scales correlated with DHEA-S 0.23 ( < 0.006) and testosterone 0.19 ( < 0.04), controlling for age. Partial correlations showed that DHEA-S was significantly related to motor impulsivity (0.24; < 0.008), Sensitivity to Reward (0.29; < 0.002), Lack of Premeditation (0.26; < 0.05), and, to a lesser extent, Sensation Seeking (0.19; < 0.04) and Positive Urgency (0.19; < 0.04). Testosterone correlated with attention impulsivity (0.18; < 0.04), Sensation Seeking (0.18; < 0.04), and Positive Urgency (0.22; < 0.01). Sensitivity to Reward, Negative Urgency, and Positive Urgency were significant predictors of DHEA-S (R = 0.28), and Positive Urgency for testosterone (R = 0.09). Non-parametric LOESS graphical analyses for local regression allowed us to visualize the non-linear relationships between the impulsivity scales with the two androgens, including non-significant trends. We discuss the implications of these results for impulsive biological personality traits, the limitations of our analyses, and the possible development of future research.
PubMed: 38928569
DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060569