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Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Aug 2015Recent insights into the role of the human microbiota in cognitive and affective functioning have led to the hypothesis that probiotic supplementation may act as an... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Recent insights into the role of the human microbiota in cognitive and affective functioning have led to the hypothesis that probiotic supplementation may act as an adjuvant strategy to ameliorate or prevent depression.
OBJECTIVE
Heightened cognitive reactivity to normal, transient changes in sad mood is an established marker of vulnerability to depression and is considered an important target for interventions. The present study aimed to test if a multispecies probiotic containing Bifidobacterium bifidum W23, Bifidobacterium lactis W52, Lactobacillus acidophilus W37, Lactobacillus brevis W63, Lactobacillus casei W56, Lactobacillus salivarius W24, and Lactococcus lactis (W19 and W58) may reduce cognitive reactivity in non-depressed individuals.
DESIGN
In a triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, pre- and post-intervention assessment design, 20 healthy participants without current mood disorder received a 4-week probiotic food-supplement intervention with the multispecies probiotics, while 20 control participants received an inert placebo for the same period. In the pre- and post-intervention assessment, cognitive reactivity to sad mood was assessed using the revised Leiden index of depression sensitivity scale.
RESULTS
Compared to participants who received the placebo intervention, participants who received the 4-week multispecies probiotics intervention showed a significantly reduced overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood, which was largely accounted for by reduced rumination and aggressive thoughts.
CONCLUSION
These results provide the first evidence that the intake of probiotics may help reduce negative thoughts associated with sad mood. Probiotics supplementation warrants further research as a potential preventive strategy for depression.
Topics: Adolescent; Affect; Bifidobacterium; Cognition; Depressive Disorder; Dietary Supplements; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus acidophilus; Male; Probiotics; Social Behavior; Young Adult
PubMed: 25862297
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.04.003 -
AMA Journal of Ethics Dec 2019This image of a silhouetted figure looking out over a body of water at sunset aims to promote reflection about patients' feelings of sadness, despair, helplessness, and...
This image of a silhouetted figure looking out over a body of water at sunset aims to promote reflection about patients' feelings of sadness, despair, helplessness, and uncertainty upon being diagnosed.
Topics: Disease; Emotions; Humans; Medicine in the Arts; Sadness
PubMed: 31876476
DOI: 10.1001/amajethics.2019.1103 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jan 2016The symptoms for Major Depression (MD) defined in the DSM-5 differ markedly from symptoms assessed in common rating scales, and the empirical question about core...
BACKGROUND
The symptoms for Major Depression (MD) defined in the DSM-5 differ markedly from symptoms assessed in common rating scales, and the empirical question about core depression symptoms is unresolved. Here we conceptualize depression as a complex dynamic system of interacting symptoms to examine what symptoms are most central to driving depressive processes.
METHODS
We constructed a network of 28 depression symptoms assessed via the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-30) in 3,463 depressed outpatients from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. We estimated the centrality of all IDS-30 symptoms, and compared the centrality of DSM and non-DSM symptoms; centrality reflects the connectedness of each symptom with all other symptoms.
RESULTS
A network with 28 intertwined symptoms emerged, and symptoms differed substantially in their centrality values. Both DSM symptoms (e.g., sad mood) and non-DSM symptoms (e.g., anxiety) were among the most central symptoms, and DSM criteria were not more central than non-DSM symptoms.
LIMITATIONS
Many subjects enrolled in STAR*D reported comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions which may have affected symptom presentation.
CONCLUSION
The network perspective neither supports the standard psychometric notion that depression symptoms are equivalent indicators of MD, nor the common assumption that DSM symptoms of depression are of higher clinical relevance than non-DSM depression symptoms. The findings suggest the value of research focusing on especially central symptoms to increase the accuracy of predicting outcomes such as the course of illness, probability of relapse, and treatment response.
Topics: Adult; Comorbidity; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychometrics; Symptom Assessment
PubMed: 26458184
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.005 -
Endocrinology Sep 2020Organisms that inhabit the temperate zone exhibit various seasonal adaptive behaviors, including reproduction, hibernation, molting, and migration. Day length, known as... (Review)
Review
Organisms that inhabit the temperate zone exhibit various seasonal adaptive behaviors, including reproduction, hibernation, molting, and migration. Day length, known as photoperiod, is the most noise-free and widely used environmental cue that enables animals to anticipate the oncoming seasons and adapt their physiologies accordingly. Although less clear, some human traits also exhibit seasonality, such as birthrate, mood, cognitive brain responses, and various diseases. However, the molecular basis for human seasonality is poorly understood. Herein, we first review the underlying mechanisms of seasonal adaptive strategies of animals, including seasonal reproduction and stress responses during the breeding season. We then briefly summarize our recent discovery of signaling pathways involved in the winter depression-like phenotype in medaka fish. We believe that exploring the regulation of seasonal traits in animal models will provide insight into human seasonality and aid in the understanding of human diseases such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Affect; Animals; Hormones; Humans; Light; Photoperiod; Reproduction; Risk Factors; Seasonal Affective Disorder; Seasons
PubMed: 32738138
DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa130 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2020Previous studies have indicated that a sad mood and sleep deprivation increase mind wandering, but it is unclear whether these associations reflect reduced effort in...
Previous studies have indicated that a sad mood and sleep deprivation increase mind wandering, but it is unclear whether these associations reflect reduced effort in concentrating on the task at hand or diminished cognitive control. In an internet-based experiment, participants completed a sleep disturbance questionnaire followed by a complex span task and a 2-back task with thought-sampling probes. Subsequently, participants underwent a positive, neutral, or negative mood induction prior to repeating the 2-back. The results (N = 504) replicated the finding of increased task-unrelated thoughts following sad mood induction, B = 0.56 (SE = 0.14), p < 0.01, d = 0.31. Unguided thoughts were increased following sad mood induction, B = 0.31 (0.13), p = 0.02, but working memory did not significantly moderate this association (p = 0.31). People reported a lower degree of trying to concentrate on the 2-back after the sad mood induction, B = -0.07 (0.04), p = 0.04, but actual performance was not affected (p = 0.46). Sleep disturbances showed small associations with task-unrelated, B = 0.23 (0.08), p < 0.01, and unguided thoughts, B = 0.32 (0.08), p < 0.01. This study strengthens the evidence that a sad mood and poor sleep relate to mind wandering.
Topics: Adult; Affect; Attention; Cognition; Executive Function; Female; Humans; Male; Memory; Sadness; Sleep; Sleep Deprivation; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32488119
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65739-x -
Annual International Conference of the... 2015We collected and analyzed subjective and objective data using surveys and wearable sensors worn day and night from 68 participants for ~30 days each, to address...
We collected and analyzed subjective and objective data using surveys and wearable sensors worn day and night from 68 participants for ~30 days each, to address questions related to the relationships among sleep duration, sleep irregularity, self-reported Happy-Sad mood and other daily behavioral factors in college students. We analyzed this behavioral and physiological data to (i) identify factors that classified the participants into Happy-Sad mood using support vector machines (SVMs); and (ii) analyze how accurately sleep duration and sleep regularity for the past 1-5 days classified morning Happy-Sad mood. We found statistically significant associations amongst Sad mood and poor health-related factors. Behavioral factors including the frequency of negative social interactions, and negative emails, and total academic activity hours showed the best performance in separating the Happy-Sad mood groups. Sleep regularity and sleep duration predicted daily Happy-Sad mood with 65-80% accuracy. The number of nights giving the best prediction of Happy-Sad mood varied for different individuals.
Topics: Affect; Electronic Mail; Female; Happiness; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Sleep; Students; Young Adult
PubMed: 26737854
DOI: 10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319954 -
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Aug 2023Inflammation and depressed mood constitute clinically relevant vulnerability factors for enhanced interoceptive sensitivity and chronic visceral pain, but their putative... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Inflammation and depressed mood constitute clinically relevant vulnerability factors for enhanced interoceptive sensitivity and chronic visceral pain, but their putative interaction remains untested in human mechanistic studies. We tested interaction effects of acute systemic inflammation and sad mood on the expectation and experience of visceral pain by combining experimental endotoxemia with a mood induction paradigm.
METHODS
The double-blind, placebo-controlled, balanced crossover fMRI-trial in N = 39 healthy male and female volunteers involved 2 study days with either intravenous administration of low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.4 ng/kg body weight; inflammation condition) or saline (placebo condition). On each study, day two scanning sessions were conducted in an experimentally induced negative (i.e., sad) and in a neutral mood state, accomplished in balanced order. As a model of visceral pain, rectal distensions were implemented, which were initially calibrated to be moderately painful. In all sessions, an identical series of visceral pain stimuli was accomplished, signaled by predictive visual conditioning cues to assess pain anticipation. We assessed neural activation during the expectation and experience of visceral pain, along with unpleasantness ratings in a condition combining an inflammatory state with sad mood and in control conditions. All statistical analyses were accomplished using sex as covariate.
RESULTS
LPS administration led to an acute systemic inflammatory response (inflammation X time interaction effects for TNF-α, IL-6, and sickness symptoms, all p <.001). The mood paradigm effectively induced distinct mood states (mood X time interaction, p <.001), with greater sadness in the negative mood conditions (both p <.001) but no difference between LPS and saline conditions. Significant main and interaction effects of inflammation and negative mood were observed for pain unpleasantness (all p <.05). During cued pain anticipation, a significant inflammation X mood interaction emerged for activation of the bilateral caudate nucleus and right hippocampus (all p < 0.05). Main effects of both inflammation and mood were observed in multiple regions, including insula, midcingulate cortex, prefrontal gyri, and hippocampus for inflammation, and midcingulate, caudate, and thalamus for mood (all p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Results support an interplay of inflammation and sad mood on striatal and hippocampal circuitry engaged during visceral pain anticipation as well as on pain experience. This may reflect a nocebo mechanism, which may contribute to altered perception and interpretation of bodily signals. At the interface of affective neuroscience and the gut-brain axis, concurrent inflammation and negative mood may be vulnerability factors for chronic visceral pain.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Affect; Brain; Healthy Volunteers; Inflammation; Lipopolysaccharides; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Visceral Pain; Cross-Over Studies
PubMed: 37302437
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.06.005 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Oct 2018Identification of reliable targets for therapeutic interventions is essential for developing evidence-based therapies. Attention biases toward negative-valenced...
BACKGROUND
Identification of reliable targets for therapeutic interventions is essential for developing evidence-based therapies. Attention biases toward negative-valenced information and lack of protective positive bias toward positive-valenced stimuli have been implicated in depression. However, extant research has typically used tasks with narrow stimuli arrays and unknown or poor psychometric properties. Here, we recorded eye-tracking data of depressed and non-depressed participants during a free viewing task to address these limitations.
METHODS
Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 20) and undergraduate students with high (n = 23) and low (n = 20) levels of depression freely viewed 60 different face-based matrices for six seconds each. Each matrix included eight sad and eight happy facial expressions. Gaze patterns on sad and happy areas of interest (AOIs) were explored. Internal consistency for the entire sample and one-week test-retest reliability in the student sub-sample were assessed.
RESULTS
Compared to undergraduates with low levels of depression, patients with MDD and students with high levels of depression dwelled significantly longer on sad faces. Results also showed a significantly longer dwell time on the happy AOI relative to the sad AOI only in the low depression group. The two depressed groups dwelled equally on the two AOIs. The task demonstrated high internal consistency and acceptable one-week test-retest reliability.
LIMITATIONS
Only sad and happy facial expressions were used. Relative small sample size.
CONCLUSION
Relative to non-depressed participants, depressed participants showed prolonged dwelling on sad faces and lack of bias toward happy faces. These biases present viable targets for gaze-contingent attention bias modification therapy.
Topics: Adult; Attentional Bias; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major; Eye Movements; Facial Expression; Facial Recognition; Female; Happiness; Humans; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Sadness; Students; Young Adult
PubMed: 29870821
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.05.047 -
Annals of Medicine 2023Light therapy (LT) for Seasonal Affective Disorders (SAD) has been a well-known and effective treatment for 40 years. The psychiatric university clinic of Groningen,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Light therapy (LT) for Seasonal Affective Disorders (SAD) has been a well-known and effective treatment for 40 years. The psychiatric university clinic of Groningen, the Netherlands was an early adopter and started research and treatment of SAD in 1987. Research projects on mechanisms, the role of the circadian system, treatment optimization, and investigating new areas for the effects of light treatment have been carried out ever since, leading to a widespread interest across the country.
OBJECTIVE
To provide an overview and description of the historical development of LT for mental disorders in the Netherlands.
METHODS
A non-systematic, review of research on light treatment for mental problems in the Netherlands, published since 1987 was conducted.
RESULTS
The fields of LT and chronotherapy are strongly based in the scientific interests of both chrono-biologists and therapists in the Netherlands. LT has shown effectiveness in treating mood disorders. Likewise, results for other mental disorders have shown some promise, but so far, the outcomes are not always unequivocal and have not always been based on robust data. Ongoing research is discussed.
CONCLUSIONS
LT, and in addition exposure to the right light at the right time is an important issue in mental health. Over the past 3 decades research on light and LT in the Netherlands has become well established and is still growing.
Topics: Humans; Netherlands; Mental Disorders; Seasonal Affective Disorder; Mood Disorders; Phototherapy
PubMed: 37857364
DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2023.2269574