Occupational role stress is associated with higher cortisol reactivity to acute stress.

PubMed

Wirtz, Petra H; Ehlert, Ulrike; Kottwitz, Maria U; La Marca, Roberto; Semmer, Norbert K

2013-04-01

We investigated whether occupational role stress is associated with differential levels of the stress hormone cortisol in response to acute psychosocial stress. Forty-three medication-free nonsmoking men aged between 22 and 65 years (mean ± SEM: 44.5 ± 2) underwent an acute standardized psychosocial stress task combining public speaking and mental arithmetic in front of an audience. We assessed occupational role stress in terms of role conflict and role ambiguity (combined into a measure of role uncertainty) as well as further work characteristics and psychological control variables including time pressure, overcommitment, perfectionism, and stress appraisal. Moreover, we repeatedly measured salivary cortisol and blood pressure levels before and after stress exposure, and several times up to 60 min thereafter. Higher role uncertainty was associated with a more pronounced cortisol stress reactivity (p = .016), even when controlling for the full set of potential confounders (p < .001). Blood pressure stress reactivity was not associated with role uncertainty. Our findings suggest that occupational role stress in terms of role uncertainty acts as a background stressor that is associated with increased HPA-axis reactivity to acute stress. This finding may represent a potential mechanism regarding how occupational role stress may precipitate adverse health outcomes.

Young Children's Acute Stress After a Burn Injury: Disentangling the Role of Injury Severity and Parental Acute Stress.

PubMed

Haag, Ann-Christin; Landolt, Markus A

2017-09-01

Although injury severity and parental stress are strong predictors of posttraumatic adjustment in young children after burns, little is known about the interplay of these variables. This study aimed at clarifying mediation processes between injury severity and mother's, father's, and young child's acute stress. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships between injury severity and parental and child acute stress. Parents of 138 burn-injured children (ages 1-4 years) completed standardized questionnaires on average 19 days postinjury. Sixteen children (11.7%) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, preschool criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (excluding time criterion). The model revealed a significant mediation of maternal acute stress, with the effect of injury severity on a child's acute stress mediated by maternal acute stress. Paternal acute stress failed to serve as a mediating variable. Our findings confirm mothers' crucial role in the posttraumatic adjustment of young children. Clinically, mothers' acute stress should be monitored. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Acute restraint stress induces endothelial dysfunction: role of vasoconstrictor prostanoids and oxidative stress.

PubMed

Carda, Ana P P; Marchi, Katia C; Rizzi, Elen; Mecawi, André S; Antunes-Rodrigues, José; Padovan, Claudia M; Tirapelli, Carlos R

2015-01-01

We hypothesized that acute stress would induce endothelial dysfunction. Male Wistar rats were restrained for 2 h within wire mesh. Functional and biochemical analyses were conducted 24 h after the 2-h period of restraint. Stressed rats showed decreased exploration on the open arms of an elevated-plus maze (EPM) and increased plasma corticosterone concentration. Acute restraint stress did not alter systolic blood pressure, whereas it increased the in vitro contractile response to phenylephrine and serotonin in endothelium-intact rat aortas. NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME; nitric oxide synthase, NOS, inhibitor) did not alter the contraction induced by phenylephrine in aortic rings from stressed rats. Tiron, indomethacin and SQ29548 reversed the increase in the contractile response to phenylephrine induced by restraint stress. Increased systemic and vascular oxidative stress was evident in stressed rats. Restraint stress decreased plasma and vascular nitrate/nitrite (NOx) concentration and increased aortic expression of inducible (i) NOS, but not endothelial (e) NOS. Reduced expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, but not COX-2, was observed in aortas from stressed rats. Restraint stress increased thromboxane (TX)B(2) (stable TXA(2) metabolite) concentration but did not affect prostaglandin (PG)F2α concentration in the aorta. Restraint reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, whereas concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were not affected. The major new finding of our study is that restraint stress increases vascular contraction by an endothelium-dependent mechanism that involves increased oxidative stress and the generation of COX-derived vasoconstrictor prostanoids. Such stress-induced endothelial dysfunction could predispose to the development of cardiovascular diseases.

Does Acute Stress Disorder Predict Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Bank Robbery?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Maj; Elklit, Ask

2013-01-01

Unfortunately, the number of bank robberies is increasing and little is known about the subsequent risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Several studies have investigated the prediction of PTSD through the presence of acute stress disorder (ASD). However, there have only been a few studies following nonsexual assault. The present study…

Stress does not increase blood–brain barrier permeability in mice

PubMed Central

Roszkowski, Martin

2016-01-01

Several studies have reported that exposure to acute psychophysiological stressors can lead to an increase in blood–brain barrier permeability, but these findings remain controversial and disputed. We thoroughly examined this issue by assessing the effect of several well-established paradigms of acute stress and chronic stress on blood–brain barrier permeability in several brain areas of adult mice. Using cerebral extraction ratio for the small molecule tracer sodium fluorescein (NaF, 376 Da) as a sensitive measure of blood–brain barrier permeability, we find that neither acute swim nor restraint stress lead to increased cerebral extraction ratio. Daily 6-h restraint stress for 21 days, a model for the severe detrimental impact of chronic stress on brain function, also does not alter cerebral extraction ratio. In contrast, we find that cold forced swim and cold restraint stress both lead to a transient, pronounced decrease of cerebral extraction ratio in hippocampus and cortex, suggesting that body temperature can be an important confounding factor in studies of blood–brain barrier permeability. To additionally assess if stress could change blood–brain barrier permeability for macromolecules, we measured cerebral extraction ratio for fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (70 kDa). We find that neither acute restraint nor cold swim stress affected blood–brain barrier permeability for macromolecules, thus corroborating our findings that various stressors do not increase blood–brain barrier permeability. PMID:27146513

Impairments of spatial working memory and attention following acute psychosocial stress.

PubMed

Olver, James S; Pinney, Myra; Maruff, Paul; Norman, Trevor R

2015-04-01

Few studies have investigated the effect of an acute psychosocial stress paradigm on impaired attention and working memory in humans. Further, the duration of any stress-related cognitive impairment remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of an acute psychosocial stress paradigm, the Trier Social Stress, on cognitive function in healthy volunteers. Twenty-three healthy male and female subjects were exposed to an acute psychosocial stress task. Physiological measures (salivary cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure) and subjective stress ratings were measured at baseline, in anticipation of stress, immediately post-stress and after a period of rest. A neuropsychological test battery including spatial working memory and verbal memory was administered at each time point. Acute psychosocial stress produced significant increases in cardiovascular and subjective measures in the anticipatory and post-stress period, which recovered to baseline after rest. Salivary cortisol steadily declined over the testing period. Acute psychosocial stress impaired delayed verbal recall, attention and spatial working memory. Attention remained impaired, and delayed verbal recall continued to decline after rest. Acute psychosocial stress is associated with an impairment of a broad range of cognitive functions in humans and with prolonged abnormalities in attention and memory. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of acute and chronic psychological stress on platelet aggregation in mice.

PubMed

Matsuhisa, Fumikazu; Kitamura, Nobuo; Satoh, Eiki

2014-03-01

Although psychological stress has long been known to alter cardiovascular function, there have been few studies on the effect of psychological stress on platelets, which play a pivotal role in cardiovascular disease. In the present study, we investigated the effects of acute and chronic psychological stress on the aggregation of platelets and platelet cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)]i). Mice were subjected to both transportation stress (exposure to novel environment, psychological stress) and restraint stress (psychological stress) for 2 h (acute stress) or 3 weeks (2 h/day) (chronic stress). In addition, adrenalectomized mice were subjected to similar chronic stress (both transportation and restraint stress for 3 weeks). The aggregation of platelets from mice and [Ca(2+)]i was determined by light transmission assay and fura-2 fluorescence assay, respectively. Although acute stress had no effect on agonist-induced platelet aggregation, chronic stress enhanced the ability of the platelet agonists thrombin and ADP to stimulate platelet aggregation. However, chronic stress failed to enhance agonist-induced increase in [Ca(2+)]i. Adrenalectomy blocked chronic stress-induced enhancement of platelet aggregation. These results suggest that chronic, but not acute, psychological stress enhances agonist-stimulated platelet aggregation independently of [Ca(2+)]i increase, and the enhancement may be mediated by stress hormones secreted from the adrenal glands.

Effect of acute acoustic stress on anorectal function sensation in healthy human.

PubMed

Gonlachanvit, S; Rhee, J; Sun, W M; Chey, W D

2005-04-01

Little is known about the effects of acute acoustic stress on anorectal function. To determine the effects of acute acoustic stress on anorectal function and sensation in healthy volunteers. Ten healthy volunteers (7 M, 3 F, mean age 34 +/- 3 years) underwent anorectal manometry, testing of rectal compliance and sensation using a barostat with and without acute noise stress on separate days. Rectal perception was assessed using an ascending method of limits protocol and a 5-point Likert scale. Arousal and anxiety status were evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Acoustic stress significantly increased anxiety score (P < 0.05). Rectal compliance was significantly decreased with acoustic stress compared with control P (P < 0.000001). In addition, less intraballoon volume was needed to induce the sensation of severe urgency with acoustic stress (P < 0.05). Acoustic stress had no effect on hemodynamic parameters, anal sphincter pressure, threshold for first sensation, sensation of stool, or pain. Acute acoustic stimulation increased anxiety scores, decreased rectal compliance, and enhanced perception of severe urgency to balloon distention but did not affect anal sphincter pressure in healthy volunteers. These results may offer insight into the pathogenesis of stress-in-induced diarrhoea and faecal urgency.

Acute stress induces selective alterations in cost/benefit decision-making.

PubMed

Shafiei, Naghmeh; Gray, Megan; Viau, Victor; Floresco, Stan B

2012-09-01

Acute stress can exert beneficial or detrimental effects on different forms of cognition. In the present study, we assessed the effects of acute restraint stress on different forms of cost/benefit decision-making, and some of the hormonal and neurochemical mechanisms that may underlie these effects. Effort-based decision-making was assessed where rats chose between a low effort/reward (1 press=2 pellets) or high effort/reward option (4 pellets), with the effort requirement increasing over 4 blocks of trials (2, 5, 10, and 20 lever presses). Restraint stress for 1 h decreased preference for the more costly reward and induced longer choice latencies. Control experiments revealed that the effects on decision-making were not mediated by general reductions in motivation or preference for larger rewards. In contrast, acute stress did not affect delay-discounting, when rats chose between a small/immediate vs larger/delayed reward. The effects of stress on decision-making were not mimicked by treatment with physiological doses of corticosterone (1-3 mg/kg). Blockade of dopamine receptors with flupenthixol (0.25 mg/kg) before restraint did not attenuate stress-induced effects on effort-related choice, but abolished effects on choice latencies. These data suggest that acute stress interferes somewhat selectively with cost/benefit evaluations concerning effort costs. These effects do not appear to be mediated solely by enhanced glucocorticoid activity, whereas dopaminergic activation may contribute to increased deliberation times induced by stress. These findings may provide insight into impairments in decision-making and anergia associated with stress-related disorders, such as depression.

Acute Stress Induces Selective Alterations in Cost/Benefit Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Shafiei, Naghmeh; Gray, Megan; Viau, Victor; Floresco, Stan B

2012-01-01

Acute stress can exert beneficial or detrimental effects on different forms of cognition. In the present study, we assessed the effects of acute restraint stress on different forms of cost/benefit decision-making, and some of the hormonal and neurochemical mechanisms that may underlie these effects. Effort-based decision-making was assessed where rats chose between a low effort/reward (1 press=2 pellets) or high effort/reward option (4 pellets), with the effort requirement increasing over 4 blocks of trials (2, 5, 10, and 20 lever presses). Restraint stress for 1 h decreased preference for the more costly reward and induced longer choice latencies. Control experiments revealed that the effects on decision-making were not mediated by general reductions in motivation or preference for larger rewards. In contrast, acute stress did not affect delay-discounting, when rats chose between a small/immediate vs larger/delayed reward. The effects of stress on decision-making were not mimicked by treatment with physiological doses of corticosterone (1–3 mg/kg). Blockade of dopamine receptors with flupenthixol (0.25 mg/kg) before restraint did not attenuate stress-induced effects on effort-related choice, but abolished effects on choice latencies. These data suggest that acute stress interferes somewhat selectively with cost/benefit evaluations concerning effort costs. These effects do not appear to be mediated solely by enhanced glucocorticoid activity, whereas dopaminergic activation may contribute to increased deliberation times induced by stress. These findings may provide insight into impairments in decision-making and anergia associated with stress-related disorders, such as depression. PMID:22569506

Acute stress reactions after submarine accidents.

PubMed

Eid, Jarle; Johnsen, Bjørn Helge

2002-05-01

The aim of the present study was to explore contextual and individual factors associated with acute stress reactions in three Norwegian submarine crews exposed to different significant peacetime maneuver accidents. Approximately 2 to 3 weeks after the accidents, crew members completed the Coping Style Questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Symptom Scale. Although exposed subjects (N = 47) revealed more posttraumatic stress symptoms than nonexposed crew members on shore leave (N = 7), they showed less acute stress reactions than survivors from a surface ship accident in the Norwegian Navy. Inspection of individual cases revealed that 4% of the exposed submariners showed high loads of acute stress symptoms. Unit cohesion and habitual coping styles emerged as resilience factors, whereas previous exposure to critical incidents and personal experience of not coping in the accident situation emerged as vulnerability factors, explaining 32% of the acute stress reactions reported by submarine crew members.

Acute psychosocial stress reduces pain modulation capabilities in healthy men.

PubMed

Geva, Nirit; Pruessner, Jens; Defrin, Ruth

2014-11-01

Anecdotes on the ability of individuals to continue to function under stressful conditions despite injuries causing excruciating pain suggest that acute stress may induce analgesia. However, studies exploring the effect of acute experimental stress on pain perception show inconsistent results, possibly due to methodological differences. Our aim was to systematically study the effect of acute stress on pain perception using static and dynamic, state-of-the-art pain measurements. Participants were 29 healthy men who underwent the measurement of heat-pain threshold, heat-pain intolerance, temporal summation of pain, and conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Testing was conducted before and during exposure to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST), inducing acute psychosocial stress. Stress levels were evaluated using perceived ratings of stress and anxiety, autonomic variables, and salivary cortisol. The MIST induced a significant stress reaction. Although pain threshold and pain intolerance were unaffected by stress, an increase in temporal summation of pain and a decrease in CPM were observed. These changes were significantly more robust among individuals with stronger reaction to stress ("high responders"), with a significant correlation between the perception of stress and the performance in the pain measurements. We conclude that acute psychosocial stress seems not to affect the sensitivity to pain, however, it significantly reduces the ability to modulate pain in a dose-response manner. Considering the diverse effects of stress in this and other studies, it appears that the type of stress and the magnitude of its appraisal determine its interactions with the pain system. Copyright © 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prolonged Effects of Acute Stress on Decision-Making under Risk: A Human Psychophysiological Study

PubMed Central

Yamakawa, Kaori; Ohira, Hideki; Matsunaga, Masahiro; Isowa, Tokiko

2016-01-01

This study investigates the prolonged effects of physiological responses induced by acute stress on risk-taking in decision-making. Participants were divided into a Stress group (N = 14) and a Control group (N = 12). The Trier Social Stress Test was administered as an acute stressor, and reading was administered as a control task; thereafter, participants performed a decision-making task in which they needed to choose a sure option or a gamble option in Gain and Loss frame trials 2 h after (non-) exposure to the stressor. Increased cortisol, adrenaline, heart rate (HR), and subjective stress levels validated acute stress manipulation. Stressed participants made fewer risky choices only in the Gain domain, whereas no effect of stress was shown in the Loss domain. Deceleration of HR reflecting attention was greater for Gains compared with Losses only in the Stress group. Risk avoidance was determined by increased levels of cortisol caused by acute stress. These results suggest that processes regarding glucocorticoid might be involved in the prolonged effects of acute stress on the evaluation of risks and the monitoring of outcomes in decision-making. PMID:27679566

Acute stress shifts the balance between controlled and automatic processes in prospective memory.

PubMed

Möschl, Marcus; Walser, Moritz; Plessow, Franziska; Goschke, Thomas; Fischer, Rico

2017-10-01

In everyday life we frequently rely on our abilities to postpone intentions until later occasions (prospective memory; PM) and to deactivate completed intentions even in stressful situations. Yet, little is known about the effects of acute stress on these abilities. In the present work we investigated the impact of acute stress on PM functioning under high task demands. (1) Different from previous studies, in which intention deactivation required mostly low processing demands, we used salient focal PM cues to induce high processing demands during intention-deactivation phases. (2) We systematically manipulated PM-monitoring demands in a nonfocal PM task that required participants to monitor for either one or six specific syllables that could occur in ongoing-task words. Eighty participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test, a standardized stress induction protocol, or a standardized control situation, before performing a computerized PM task. Our primary interests were whether PM performance, PM-monitoring costs, aftereffects of completed intentions and/or commission-error risk would differ between stressed and non-stressed individuals and whether these effects would differ under varying task demands. Results revealed that PM performance and aftereffects of completed intentions during subsequent performance were not affected by acute stress induction, replicating previous findings. Under high demands on intention deactivation (focal condition), however, acute stress produced a nominal increase in erroneous PM responses after intention completion (commission errors). Most importantly, under high demands on PM monitoring (nonfocal condition), acute stress led to a substantial reduction in PM-monitoring costs. These findings support ideas of selective and demand-dependent effects of acute stress on cognitive functioning. Under high task demands, acute stress might induce a shift in processing strategy towards resource-saving behavior, which seems to increase the

Acute psychosocial stress differentially influences salivary endocrine and immune measures in undergraduate students.

PubMed

Campisi, Jay; Bravo, Yesika; Cole, Jennifer; Gobeil, Kyle

2012-10-10

Undergraduate students routinely experience acute psychosocial stress when interviewing for post-collegiate employment. While numerous studies have demonstrated that acute stress can increase release of immune-relevant molecules in blood, fewer studies have examined if acute stress also increases immune-relevant molecules into saliva. Saliva, and the biomolecules found in saliva often serve important immune defense roles and can be used to non-invasively screen for many systemic diseases. Therefore, the current study examined saliva concentrations of endocrine and immune molecules following exposure to an acute psychosocial stressor (mock job interview) in undergraduates. Heart rate, blood pressure, salivary cortisol, salivary immunoglobulin-A (S-IgA), and salivary C-reactive protein (S-CRP) were compared in healthy college undergraduates (n=15) before and after completion of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The TSST induced significant increases in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and salivary cortisol. Additional analyses revealed a non-significant (p=0.1) increase in the level of S-IgA following the TSST. A significant decrease in S-IgA was observed during the recovery period. No change in S-CRP was observed following the TSST. These results suggest that acute stress experienced by undergraduates when interviewing for a job activates the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and that cortisol levels increase in saliva. Stress-induced elevations in cortisol might be responsible for the decreased S-IgA observed following the recovery period. Collectively, these data provide further insight into the interaction between psychosocial stress, endocrine, and immune functioning. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhanced nitric oxide generation from nitric oxide synthases as the cause of increased peroxynitrite formation during acute restraint stress: Effects on carotid responsiveness to angiotensinergic stimuli in type-1 diabetic rats.

PubMed

Moreira, Josimar D; Pernomian, Larissa; Gomes, Mayara S; Moreira, Rafael P; do Prado, Alejandro F; da Silva, Carlos H T P; de Oliveira, Ana M

2016-07-15

Diabetes mellitus is associated with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species accumulation. Behavioral stress increases nitric oxide production, which may trigger a massive impact on vascular cells and accelerate cardiovascular complications under oxidative stress conditions such as Diabetes. For this study, type-1 Diabetes mellitus was induced in Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. After 28 days, cumulative concentration-response curves for angiotensin II were obtained in endothelium-intact carotid rings from diabetic rats that underwent to acute restraint stress for 3h. The contractile response evoked by angiotensin II was increased in carotid arteries from diabetic rats. Acute restraint stress did not alter angiotensin II-induced contraction in carotid arteries from normoglycaemic rats. However acute stress combined with Diabetes increased angiotensin II-induced contraction in carotid rings. Western blot experiments and the inhibition of nitric oxide synthases in functional assays showed that neuronal, endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase isoforms contribute to the increased formation of peroxynitrite and contractile hyperreactivity to angiotensin II in carotid rings from stressed diabetic rats. In summary, these findings suggest that the increased superoxide anion generation in carotid arteries from diabetic rats associated to the increased local nitric oxide synthases expression and activity induced by acute restrain stress were responsible for exacerbating the local formation of peroxynitrite and the contraction induced by angiotensin II. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dorsal CA1 interneurons contribute to acute stress-induced spatial memory deficits.

PubMed

Yu, Jing-Ying; Fang, Ping; Wang, Chi; Wang, Xing-Xing; Li, Kun; Gong, Qian; Luo, Ben-Yan; Wang, Xiao-Dong

2018-06-01

Exposure to severely stressful experiences disrupts the activity of neuronal circuits and impairs declarative memory. GABAergic interneurons coordinate neuronal network activity, but their involvement in stress-evoked memory loss remains to be elucidated. Here, we provide evidence that interneurons in area CA1 of the dorsal hippocampus partially modulate acute stress-induced memory deficits. In adult male mice, both acute forced swim stress and restraint stress impaired hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and increased the density of c-fos-positive interneurons in the dorsal CA1. Selective activation of dorsal CA1 interneurons by chemogenetics disrupted memory performance in the spatial object recognition task. In comparison, anxiety-related behavior, spatial working memory and novel object recognition memory remained intact when dorsal CA1 interneurons were overactivated. Moreover, chemogenetic activation of dorsal CA1 interneurons suppressed the activity of adjacent pyramidal neurons, whereas a single exposure to forced swim stress but not restraint stress increased the activity of CA1 pyramidal neurons. However, chemogenetic inhibition of dorsal CA1 interneurons led to spatial memory impairments and failed to attenuate acute stress-induced memory loss. These findings suggest that acute stress may overactivate interneurons in the dorsal CA1, which reduces the activity of pyramidal neurons and in turn disrupts long-term memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of acute psychological stress on response inhibition: An event-related potential study.

PubMed

Qi, Mingming; Gao, Heming; Liu, Guangyuan

2017-04-14

This study aimed to investigate the effect of acute psychological stress on response inhibition and its electrophysiological correlates using a dual-task paradigm. Acute stress was induced by a primary task (mental arithmetic task), which consisted of a stress block and a control block. Response inhibition was measured using a secondary task (Go/NoGo task). In each trial, a Go/NoGo stimulus was presented immediately after the mental arithmetic task. The results revealed increased subjective stress and negative affect for the stress relative to control block, suggesting that the mental arithmetic task triggered a reliable stress response. ERPs locked to the Go/NoGo stimuli revealed that decreased P2 and increased N2 components were evoked for the stress block compared to the control block. These results demonstrated that acute psychological stress alters the response inhibition process by reducing the early selective attention process and enhancing the cognitive control process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Leptin concentrations in response to acute stress predict subsequent intake of comfort foods

PubMed Central

Tomiyama, A. Janet; Schamarek, Imke; Lustig, Robert H.; Kirschbaum, Clemens; Puterman, Eli; Havel, Peter J.; Epel, Elissa S.

2012-01-01

Both animals and humans show a tendency toward eating more “comfort food” (high fat, sweet food) after acute stress. Such stress eating may be contributing to the obesity epidemic, and it is important to understand the underlying psychobiological mechanisms. Prior investigations have studied what makes individuals eat more after stress; this study investigates what might make individuals eat less. Leptin has been shown to increase following a laboratory stressor, and is known to affect eating behavior. This study examined whether leptin reactivity accounts for individual differences in stress eating. To test this, we exposed forty women to standardized acute psychological laboratory stress (Trier Social Stress Test) while blood was sampled repeatedly for measurements of plasma leptin. We then measured food intake after the stressor in 29 of these women. Increasing leptin during the stressor predicted lower intake of comfort food. These initial findings suggest that acute changes in leptin may be one of the factors modulating down the consumption of comfort food following stress. PMID:22579988

Low-Grade Inflammation and Ambulatory Cortisol in Adolescents: Interaction Between Interviewer-Rated Versus Self-Rated Acute Stress and Chronic Stress.

PubMed

Schreier, Hannah M C; Chen, Edith

To determine whether the association between self-rated or interviewer-rated recent acute stress exposures and low-grade inflammation and daily cortisol production in adolescents is moderated by chronic stress ratings. Acute and chronic stress exposures were assessed in 261 adolescents aged 13 to 16 years using a semistructured life stress interview. The negative impact of acute stressors was independently rated by both adolescents (self-rated) and interviewers (interviewer-rated). Markers of inflammation (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ra, C-reactive protein) were measured from peripheral blood samples obtained via antecubital venipuncture. Participants collected 4 saliva samples at home on each of 6 consecutive days for the analysis of diurnal salivary cortisol profiles. There were no main effects of acute stressors (self- and interviewer-rated) and chronic family or peer stress on adolescent inflammation markers and cortisol (p values > .10). However, the interaction between interviewer-rated acute stress and chronic family stress was significantly associated with adolescent inflammation markers (IL-6, IL-1ra). Specifically, as chronic family stress increased, the association between acute stressor impact (interviewer-rated) and inflammation markers became more positive (IL-6 (B = .054, SE = .023, p = .022); IL-1ra (B = .030, SE = .014, p = .034)). Interactions between self-rated acute stress and chronic family stress were not associated with any biological measures (p values > .10). Interactions between acute stressor impact (both self- and interviewer-rated) and chronic peer stress were also not significantly associated with any biological measures (p values > .05). Among adolescents, interviewer-based ratings of acute stressor impact may allow for better prediction of health-relevant inflammation markers than adolescents' own ratings.

Low-Grade Inflammation and Ambulatory Cortisol in Adolescents: Interaction between Interviewer-rated versus Self-rated Acute Stress and Chronic Stress

PubMed Central

Schreier, Hannah M. C.; Chen, Edith

2016-01-01

Objective To determine whether the association between self-rated or interviewer-rated recent acute stress exposures and low-grade inflammation and daily cortisol production in adolescents is moderated by chronic stress ratings. Methods Acute and chronic stress exposures were assessed in 261 adolescents aged 13-16 using a semi-structured life stress interview. The negative impact of acute stressors was independently rated by both adolescents (self-rated) and interviewers (interviewer-rated). Markers of inflammation (IL-6, IL-1ra, CRP) were measured from peripheral blood samples obtained via antecubital venipuncture. Participants collected 4 saliva samples at home on each of six consecutive days for the analysis of diurnal salivary cortisol profiles. Results There were no main effects of acute stressors (self- and interviewer-rated) and chronic family or peer stress on adolescent inflammation markers and cortisol (ps > .10). However, the interaction between interviewer-rated acute stress and chronic family stress was significantly associated with adolescent inflammation markers (IL-6, IL-1ra). Specifically, as chronic family stress increased, the association between acute stressor impact (interviewer-rated) and inflammation markers became more positive (IL-6 (B = .054, SE = .023, p = .022); IL-1ra (B = .030, SE = .014, p = .034)). Interactions between self-rated acute stress and chronic family stress were not associated with any biological measures (ps > .10). Interactions between acute stressor impact (both self- and interviewer-rated) and chronic peer stress were also not significantly associated with any biological measures (ps > .05). Conclusions Among adolescents, interviewer-based ratings of acute stressor impact may allow for better prediction of health-relevant inflammation markers than adolescents’ own ratings. PMID:27490853

Response inhibition and cognitive appraisal in clients with acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Abolghasemi, Abass; Bakhshian, Fereshteh; Narimani, Mohammad

2013-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to compare response inhibition and cognitive appraisal in clients with acute stress disorder, clients with posttraumatic stress disorder, and normal individuals. This was a comparative study. The sample consisted of 40 clients with acute stress disorder, 40 patients with posttraumatic stress disorder, and 40 normal individuals from Mazandaran province selected through convenience sampling method. Data were collected using Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Stroop Color-Word Test, Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory, and the Impact of Event Scale. Results showed that individuals with acute stress disorder are less able to inhibit inappropriate responses and have more impaired cognitive appraisals compared to those with posttraumatic stress disorder. Moreover, results showed that response inhibition and cognitive appraisal explain 75% of the variance in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and 38% of the variance in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The findings suggest that response inhibition and cognitive appraisal are two variables that influence the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder symptoms. Also, these results have important implications for pathology, prevention, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder.

Perceived stress at work is associated with attenuated DHEA-S response during acute psychosocial stress.

PubMed

Lennartsson, Anna-Karin; Theorell, Töres; Kushnir, Mark M; Bergquist, Jonas; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg H

2013-09-01

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) have been suggested to play a protective role during acute psychosocial stress, because they act as antagonists to the effects of the stress hormone cortisol. This study aims to investigate whether prolonged psychosocial stress, measured as perceived stress at work during the past week, is related to the capacity to produce DHEA and DHEA-S during acute psychosocial stress. It also aims to investigate whether prolonged perceived stress affects the balance between production of cortisol and DHEA-S during acute psychosocial stress. Thirty-six healthy subjects (19 men and 17 women, mean age 37 years, SD 5 years), were included. Perceived stress at work during the past week was measured by using the Stress-Energy (SE) Questionnaire. The participants were divided into three groups based on their mean scores; Low stress, Medium stress and High stress. The participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and blood samples were collected before, directly after the stress test, and after 30 min of recovery. General Linear Models were used to investigate if the Medium stress group and the High stress group differ regarding stress response compared to the Low stress group. Higher perceived stress at work was associated with attenuated DHEA-S response during acute psychosocial stress. Furthermore, the ratio between the cortisol production and the DHEA-S production during the acute stress test were higher in individuals reporting higher perceived stress at work compared to individuals reporting low perceived stress at work. There was no statistical difference in DHEA response between the groups. This study shows that prolonged stress, measured as perceived stress at work during the past week, seems to negatively affect the capacity to produce DHEA-S during acute stress. Given the protective functions of DHEA-S, attenuated DHEA-S production during acute stress may lead to higher risk for adverse

Oxidative stress adaptation with acute, chronic, and repeated stress.

PubMed

Pickering, Andrew M; Vojtovich, Lesya; Tower, John; A Davies, Kelvin J

2013-02-01

Oxidative stress adaptation, or hormesis, is an important mechanism by which cells and organisms respond to, and cope with, environmental and physiological shifts in the level of oxidative stress. Most studies of oxidative stress adaption have been limited to adaptation induced by acute stress. In contrast, many if not most environmental and physiological stresses are either repeated or chronic. In this study we find that both cultured mammalian cells and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster are capable of adapting to chronic or repeated stress by upregulating protective systems, such as their proteasomal proteolytic capacity to remove oxidized proteins. Repeated stress adaptation resulted in significant extension of adaptive responses. Repeated stresses must occur at sufficiently long intervals, however (12-h or more for MEF cells and 7 days or more for flies), for adaptation to be successful, and the levels of both repeated and chronic stress must be lower than is optimal for adaptation to acute stress. Regrettably, regimens of adaptation to both repeated and chronic stress that were successful for short-term survival in Drosophila nevertheless also caused significant reductions in life span for the flies. Thus, although both repeated and chronic stress can be tolerated, they may result in a shorter life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Having your cake and eating it too: a habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress exposure and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness.

PubMed

Tryon, M S; DeCant, Rashel; Laugero, K D

2013-04-10

Stress has been tied to changes in eating behavior and food choice. Previous studies in rodents have shown that chronic stress increases palatable food intake which, in turn, increases visceral fat and inhibits acute stress-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. The effect of chronic stress on eating behavior in humans is less understood, but it may be linked to HPA responsivity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of chronic social stress and acute stress reactivity on food choice and food intake. Forty-one women (BMI=25.9±5.1 kg/m(2), age range=41 to 52 years) were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test or a control task (nature movie) to examine HPA responses to an acute laboratory stressor and then invited to eat from a buffet containing low- and high-calorie snacks. Women were also categorized as high chronic stress or low chronic stress based on Wheaton Chronic Stress Inventory scores. Women reporting higher chronic stress and exhibiting low cortisol reactivity to the acute stress task consumed significantly more calories from chocolate cake on both stress and control visits. Chronic stress in the low cortisol reactor group was also positively related to total fat mass, body fat percentage, and stress-induced negative mood. Further, women reporting high chronic stress consumed significantly less vegetables, but only in those aged 45 years and older. Chronic stress in women within the higher age category was positively related to total calories consumed at the buffet, stress-induced negative mood and food craving. Our results suggest an increased risk for stress eating in persons with a specific chronic stress signature and imply that a habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Impact of acute psychological stress on cardiovascular risk factors in face of insulin resistance.

PubMed

Jones, Kristian T; Shelton, Richard C; Wan, Jun; Li, Li

2016-11-01

Individuals with insulin resistance (IR) are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Psychological stress may contribute to develop CVD in IR, although mechanisms are poorly understood. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that individuals with IR have enhanced emotional and physiological responses to acute psychological stress, leading to increased CVD risk. Sixty participants were enrolled into the study, and classified into IR group (n = 31) and insulin sensitive group (n = 29) according to the Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, which was calculated based on an oral glucose tolerance test. The Trier social stress test, a standardized experimental stress paradigm, was performed on each participant, and emotional and physiological responses were examined. Blood was collected from each subject for insulin, cytokines, and cortisol measurements. Compared with the insulin-sensitive group, individuals with IR had significantly lower ratings of energy and calm, but higher fatigue levels in response to acute stressors. Individuals with IR also showed blunted heart rate reactivity following stress. In addition, the IR status was worsened by acute psychological stress as demonstrated by further increased insulin secretion. Furthermore, individuals with IR showed significantly increased levels of leptin and interleukin-6, but decreased levels of adiponectin, at baseline, stress test, and post-stress period. Our findings in individuals with IR under acute stress would allow a better understanding of the risks for developing CVD and to tailor the interventions for better outcomes.

Impact of Acute Psychological Stress on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Face of Insulin Resistance

PubMed Central

Jones, Kristian T.; Shelton, Richard C.; Wan, Jun; Li, Li

2016-01-01

Individuals with insulin resistance (IR) are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Psychological stress may contribute to develop CVD in IR although mechanisms are poorly understood. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that individuals with IR have enhanced emotional and physiological responses to acute psychological stress, leading to increased CVD risk. Sixty participants were enrolled into the study, and classified into IR group (n=31) and insulin sensitive group (n=29) according to the Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, which was calculated based on an oral glucose tolerance test. The Trier social stress test, a standardized experimental stress paradigm, was performed on each participant, and emotional and physiological responses were examined. Blood was collected from each subject for insulin, cytokines and cortisol measurements. Compared with insulin sensitive group, individuals with IR had significantly lower ratings of energy and calm, but higher fatigue levels in response to acute stressors. Individuals with IR also showed blunted heart rate reactivity following stress. In addition, the IR status was worsened by acute psychological stress as demonstrated by further increased insulin secretion. Furthermore, individuals with IR showed significantly increased levels of leptin and interleukin-6, but decreased levels of adiponectin, at baseline, stress test and post-stress period. Our findings in individuals with IR under acute stress would allow a better understanding of the risks for developing CVD and to tailor the interventions for better outcomes. PMID:27588343

Rigid patterns of effortful choice behavior after acute stress in rats.

PubMed

Hart, Evan E; Stolyarova, Alexandra; Conoscenti, Michael A; Minor, Thomas R; Izquierdo, Alicia

2017-01-01

Physical effort is a common cost of acquiring rewards, and decreased effort is a feature of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Stress affects performance on several tests of cognition and decision making in both humans and nonhumans. Only a few recent reports show impairing effects of stress in operant tasks involving effort and cognitive flexibility. Brain regions affected by stress, such as the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala, are also implicated in mediating effortful choices. Here, we assessed effort-based decision making after an acute stress procedure known to induce persistent impairment in shuttle escape and elevated plasma corticosterone. In these animals, we also probed levels of polysialyted neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), a marker of structural plasticity, in medial frontal cortex and amygdala. We found that animals that consistently worked for high magnitude rewards continued to do so, even after acute shock stress. We also found that PSA-NCAM was increased in both regions after effortful choice experience but not after shock stress alone. These findings are discussed with reference to the existing broad literature on cognitive effects of stress and in the context of how acute stress may bias effortful decisions to a rigid pattern of responding.

Acute stress induces increases in salivary IL-10 levels.

PubMed

Szabo, Yvette Z; Newton, Tamara L; Miller, James J; Lyle, Keith B; Fernandez-Botran, Rafael

2016-09-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the stress-reactivity of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, in saliva and to determine how salivary IL-10 levels change in relation to those of IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, following stress. Healthy young adults were randomly assigned to retrieve a negative emotional memory (n = 46) or complete a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (n = 45). Saliva samples were taken 10 min before (baseline) and 50 min after (post-stressor) onset of a 10-min stressor, and were assayed using a high sensitivity multiplex assay for cytokines. Measurable IL-10 levels (above the minimum detectable concentration) were found in 96% of the baseline samples, and 98% of the post-stressor samples. Flow rate-adjusted salivary IL-10 levels as well as IL-1β/IL-10 ratios showed moderate but statistically significant increases in response to stress. Measurement of salivary IL-10 and pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokine ratios may be useful, noninvasive tools, in stress research.

Intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways are involved in rat testis by cold water immersion-induced acute and chronic stress.

PubMed

Juárez-Rojas, Adriana Lizbeth; García-Lorenzana, Mario; Aragón-Martínez, Andrés; Gómez-Quiroz, Luis Enrique; Retana-Márquez, María del Socorro

2015-01-01

Testicular apoptosis is activated by stress, but it is not clear which signaling pathway is activated in response to stress. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intrinsic, extrinsic, or both apoptotic signaling pathways are activated by acute and chronic stress. Adult male rats were subjected to cold water immersion-induced stress for 1, 20, 40, and 50 consecutive days. The seminiferous tubules:apoptotic cell ratio was assayed on acute (1 day) and chronic (20, 40, 50 days) stress. Apoptotic markers, including cleaved-caspase 3 and 8, the pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were also determined after acute and chronic stress induction. Additionally, epididymal sperm quality was evaluated, as well as corticosterone and testosterone levels. An increase in tubule apoptotic cell count percentage after an hour of acute stress and during chronic stress induction was observed. The apoptotic cells rate per tubule increment was only detected one hour after acute stress, but not with chronic stress. Accordingly, there was an increase in Bax, cleaved caspase-8 and caspase-3 pro-apoptotic proteins with a decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 in both acutely and chronically stressed male testes. In addition, sperm count, viability, as well as total and progressive motility were low in chronically stressed males. Finally, the levels of corticosterone increased whereas testosterone levels decreased in chronically stressed males. Activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway was shown by cleaved caspase-8 increase whereas the intrinsic apoptotic pathway activation was determined by the increase of Bax, along with Bcl-2 decrease, making evident a cross-talk between these two pathways with the activation of caspase-3. These results suggest that both acute and chronic stress can potentially activate the intrinsic/extrinsic apoptosis pathways in testes. Chronic stress also reduces the quality of epididymal spermatozoa, possibly due to a decrease in testosterone.

Stressful life events and acute kidney injury in intensive and semi-intensive care unities.

PubMed

Diniz, Denise Para; Marques, Daniella Aparecida; Blay, Sérgio Luis; Schor, Nestor

2012-03-01

Several studies point out that pathophysiological changes related to stress may influence renal function and are associated with disease onset and evolution. However, we have not found any studies about the influence of stress on renal function and acute kidney injury. To evaluate the association between stressful life events and acute kidney injury diagnosis, specifying the most stressful classes of events for these patients in the past 12 months. Case-control study. The study was carried out at Hospital São Paulo, in Universidade Federal de São Paulo and at Hospital dos Servidores do Estado de São Paulo, in Brazil. Patients with acute kidney injury and no chronic disease, admitted to the intensive or semi-intensive care units were included. Controls included patients in the same intensive care units with other acute diseases, except for the acute kidney injury, and also with no chronic disease. Out of the 579 patients initially identified, 475 answered to the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) questionnaire and 398 were paired by age and gender (199 cases and 199 controls). The rate of stressful life events was statistically similar between cases and controls. The logistic regression analysis to detect associated effects of the independent variables to the stressful events showed that: increasing age and economic classes A and B in one of the hospitals (Hospital São Paulo - UNIFESP) increased the chance of a stressful life event (SLE). This study did not show association between the Acute Kidney Injury Group with a higher frequency of stressful life events, but that old age, higher income, and type of clinical center were associated.

Protective effect of exercise and sildenafil on acute stress and cognitive function.

PubMed

Ozbeyli, Dilek; Gokalp, Ayse Gizem; Koral, Tolga; Ocal, Onur Yuksel; Dogan, Berkay; Akakin, Dilek; Yuksel, Meral; Kasimay, Ozgur

2015-11-01

There are contradictory results about the effects of exercise and sildenafil on cognitive functions. To investigate the effects of sildenafil pretreatment and chronic exercise on anxiety and cognitive functions. Wistar rats (n=42) were divided as sedentary and exercise groups. A moderate-intensity swimming exercise was performed for 6 weeks, 5 days/week, 1h/day. Some of the rats were administered orogastrically with sildenafil (25mg/kg/day) either acutely or chronically. Exposure to cat odor was used for induction of stress. The level of anxiety was evaluated by elevated plus maze test, while object recognition test was used to determine cognitive functions. Brain tissues were removed for the measurement of myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide levels, lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence, and for histological analysis. Increased MPO and MDA levels in sedentary-stressed rats were decreased with sildenafil applications. Chronic exercise inhibited the increase in MPO levels. Increased nitric oxide and lucigenin chemiluminescence levels in sedentary-stressed rats, were diminished with chronic sildenafil pretreatment. The time spent in the open arms of the plus maze was declined in sedentary-stressed rats, while chronic sildenafil pretreatment increased the time back to that in non-stressed rats. Acute sildenafil application to exercised rats prolonged the time spent in open arms as compared to non-treated exercise group. The time spent with the novel object, which was decreased in sedentary-stressed rats, was increased with sildenafil pretreatment. Our results suggest that sildenafil pretreatment or exercise exerts a protective effect against acute stress and improves cognitive functions by decreasing oxidative damage. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chronic and acute effects of stress on energy balance: are there appropriate animal models?

PubMed

Harris, Ruth B S

2015-02-15

Stress activates multiple neural and endocrine systems to allow an animal to respond to and survive in a threatening environment. The corticotropin-releasing factor system is a primary initiator of this integrated response, which includes activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The energetic response to acute stress is determined by the nature and severity of the stressor, but a typical response to an acute stressor is inhibition of food intake, increased heat production, and increased activity with sustained changes in body weight, behavior, and HPA reactivity. The effect of chronic psychological stress is more variable. In humans, chronic stress may cause weight gain in restrained eaters who show increased HPA reactivity to acute stress. This phenotype is difficult to replicate in rodent models where chronic psychological stress is more likely to cause weight loss than weight gain. An exception may be hamsters subjected to repeated bouts of social defeat or foot shock, but the data are limited. Recent reports on the food intake and body composition of subordinate members of group-housed female monkeys indicate that these animals have a similar phenotype to human stress-induced eaters, but there are a limited number of investigators with access to the model. Few stress experiments focus on energy balance, but more information on the phenotype of both humans and animal models during and after exposure to acute or chronic stress may provide novel insight into mechanisms that normally control body weight. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Chronic and acute effects of stress on energy balance: are there appropriate animal models?

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Stress activates multiple neural and endocrine systems to allow an animal to respond to and survive in a threatening environment. The corticotropin-releasing factor system is a primary initiator of this integrated response, which includes activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The energetic response to acute stress is determined by the nature and severity of the stressor, but a typical response to an acute stressor is inhibition of food intake, increased heat production, and increased activity with sustained changes in body weight, behavior, and HPA reactivity. The effect of chronic psychological stress is more variable. In humans, chronic stress may cause weight gain in restrained eaters who show increased HPA reactivity to acute stress. This phenotype is difficult to replicate in rodent models where chronic psychological stress is more likely to cause weight loss than weight gain. An exception may be hamsters subjected to repeated bouts of social defeat or foot shock, but the data are limited. Recent reports on the food intake and body composition of subordinate members of group-housed female monkeys indicate that these animals have a similar phenotype to human stress-induced eaters, but there are a limited number of investigators with access to the model. Few stress experiments focus on energy balance, but more information on the phenotype of both humans and animal models during and after exposure to acute or chronic stress may provide novel insight into mechanisms that normally control body weight. PMID:25519732

Acute and past subjective stress influence working memory and related neural substrates.

PubMed

Luettgau, Lennart; Schlagenhauf, Florian; Sjoerds, Zsuzsika

2018-05-28

Stress has been proposed to affect cognitive control capacities, including working memory (WM) maintenance. This effect may depend on variability in stress reactivity and past subjective stress. However, as most studies employed between-subjects designs, evidence for within-subject stress effects remains scarce. To understand the role of intra-individual stress effects on WM, we adopted a within-subject design to study how acute stress, variability in stress reactivity, and past subjective stress influence behavioral and neural WM mechanisms. Thirty-four healthy males performed a WM task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a control versus acute stress condition following the Trier Social Stress Test, a validated psychosocial stressor method. We tested for stress effects on WM performance and related neural activation by associating them with individual acute stress responsivity and past subjective stress experience using retrospective self-report questionnaires. We found no evidence of an effect of acute stress or related stress-reactivity on intra-individual WM performance. However, past subjective stress negatively influenced acute stress-induced changes to WM. On the neural level, acute stress reduced WM-related activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). The observed negative influence of inter-individual variability in past subjective stress experience on changes in WM performance, suggests that past subjective stress might induce vulnerability for impairing effects of acute stress on cognitive functioning. Because acute stress reduced WM-related dlPFC activation while WM performance remained unaffected, acute stress might boost neural processing efficiency in this group of high performing healthy individuals. Our study suggests that measures of past subjective stress should be considered when studying and interpreting the effects of acute stress on cognition. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Acute stress enhances learning and memory by activating acid-sensing ion channels in rats.

PubMed

Ye, Shunjie; Yang, Rong; Xiong, Qiuju; Yang, Youhua; Zhou, Lianying; Gong, Yeli; Li, Changlei; Ding, Zhenhan; Ye, Guohai; Xiong, Zhe

2018-04-15

Acute stress has been shown to enhance learning and memory ability, predominantly through the action of corticosteroid stress hormones. However, the valuable targets for promoting learning and memory induced by acute stress and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) play an important role in central neuronal systems and involves in depression, synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. In the current study, we used a combination of electrophysiological and behavioral approaches in an effort to explore the effects of acute stress on ASICs. We found that corticosterone (CORT) induced by acute stress caused a potentiation of ASICs current via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) not mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs). Meanwhile, CORT did not produce an increase of ASICs current by pretreated with GF109203X, an antagonist of protein kinase C (PKC), whereas CORT did result in a markedly enhancement of ASICs current by bryostatin 1, an agonist of PKC, suggesting that potentiation of ASICs function may be depended on PKC activating. More importantly, an antagonist of ASICs, amiloride (10 μM) reduced the performance of learning and memory induced by acute stress, which is further suggesting that ASICs as the key components involves in cognitive processes induced by acute stress. These results indicate that acute stress causes the enhancement of ASICs function by activating PKC signaling pathway, which leads to potentiated learning and memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oxidative stress response to acute hypobaric hypoxia and its association with indirect measurement of increased intracranial pressure: a field study

PubMed Central

Strapazzon, Giacomo; Malacrida, Sandro; Vezzoli, Alessandra; Dal Cappello, Tomas; Falla, Marika; Lochner, Piergiorgio; Moretti, Sarah; Procter, Emily; Brugger, Hermann; Mrakic-Sposta, Simona

2016-01-01

High altitude is the most intriguing natural laboratory to study human physiological response to hypoxic conditions. In this study, we investigated changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative stress biomarkers during exposure to hypobaric hypoxia in 16 lowlanders. Moreover, we looked at the potential relationship between ROS related cellular damage and optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) as an indirect measurement of intracranial pressure. Baseline measurement of clinical signs and symptoms, biological samples and ultrasonography were assessed at 262 m and after passive ascent to 3830 m (9, 24 and 72 h). After 24 h the imbalance between ROS production (+141%) and scavenging (−41%) reflected an increase in oxidative stress related damage of 50–85%. ONSD concurrently increased, but regression analysis did not infer a causal relationship between oxidative stress biomarkers and changes in ONSD. These results provide new insight regarding ROS homeostasis and potential pathophysiological mechanisms of acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia, plus other disease states associated with oxidative-stress damage as a result of tissue hypoxia. PMID:27579527

Effects of acute handling stress on short-term central expression of orexigenic/anorexigenic genes in zebrafish.

PubMed

Cortés, Raul; Teles, Mariana; Oliveira, Miguel; Fierro-Castro, Camino; Tort, Lluis; Cerdá-Reverter, José Miguel

2018-02-01

Physiological mechanisms driving stress response in vertebrates are evolutionarily conserved. These mechanisms involve the activation of both the hypothalamic-sympathetic-chromaffin cell (HSC) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes. In fish, the reduction of food intake levels is a common feature of the behavioral response to stress but the central mechanisms coordinating the energetic response are not well understood yet. In this work, we explore the effects of acute stress on key central systems regulating food intake in fish as well as on total body cortisol and glucose levels. We show that acute stress induced a rapid increase in total body cortisol with no changes in body glucose, at the same time promoting a prompt central response by activating neuronal pathways. All three orexigenic peptides examined, i.e., neuropeptide y (npy), agouti-related protein (agrp), and ghrelin, increased their central expression level suggesting that these neuronal systems are not involved in the short-term feeding inhibitory effects of acute stress. By contrast, the anorexigenic precursors tested, i.e., cart peptides and pomc, exhibited increased expression after acute stress, suggesting their involvement in the anorexigenic effects.

Cardiovascular Effects of Stress During Acutely Increased Free Fatty Acids in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Cross-Over Study in Humans.

PubMed

Rezaei, Safoura Sheikh; Litschauer, Brigitte; Gouya, Gazaleh; Baumgartner-Parzer, Sabina; Stulnig, Thomas; Wolzt, Michael

2018-06-01

Increased free fatty acids stimulate sympathetic nervous system activity, impair endothelium-dependent vasodilation, and increase regional blood flow. The aim of this study was to assess if fatty acids acutely elevated by infusion of intralipid/heparin affect cardiovascular reactivity employing two stressors eliciting either a cardiac (Stroop test) or vascular (Cold Face test) dominated pressor response. Two stress tasks were performed in 20 healthy subjects (10 women, 10 men) before and during a 180-min intralipid/heparin or saline infusion as placebo on alternate trial days in a randomized crossover study design. Blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac index, and total peripheral resistance index were measured. At baseline, the Stroop test did not affect hemodynamic parameters, and the Cold Face test had an impact on hemodynamic parameters except for heart rate. Plasma fatty acids concentrations increased to 810% (t=11.0, p<0.001) of baseline and C-peptide increased by 17% (t=4.66, p<0.001) during intralipid/heparin infusion. This was paralleled by increased cardiac index (F=9.98; p<0.005 vs. saline) and reduced total peripheral resistance index (F=4.46; p<0.05 vs saline). There was no effect of intralipid/heparin or saline infusion on Stroop test or Cold Face test reactivity of hemodynamic parameters. An acute increase in free fatty acids does not affect the magnitude or pattern of stress response in healthy volunteers, but primarily alter the underlying cardiovascular tone by decreasing total peripheral resistance index and increasing cardiac index to maintain a constant blood pressure. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Peritraumatic dissociation, acute stress, and early posttraumatic stress disorder in victims of general crime.

PubMed

Birmes, P; Carreras, D; Ducassé, J L; Charlet, J P; Warner, B A; Lauque, D; Schmitt, L

2001-09-01

To compare the relation between peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress and the early development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in victims of general crime. A total of 48 subjects were assessed within 24 hours of the trauma, using the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire Self-Report Version (PDEQ-SRV). They were followed longitudinally to assess acute stress (2 weeks after the assault,) using the Standford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire (SASRQ), and posttraumatic stress (at 5 weeks), using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Among PTSD subjects mean PDEQ scores were significantly higher (mean 3, SD 0.9) than in those without PTSD (mean 2.3, SD 0.7) (t = 2.78, df 46, P = 0.007). Among PTSD subjects, mean SASRQ scores were significantly higher (mean 97.9, SD 29.2) than in those without PTSD (mean 54.8, SD 28.2) (t = 4.9, df 46, P = 0.00007). High levels of peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress following violent assault are risk factors for early PTSD. Identifying acute reexperiencing can help the clinician identify subjects at highest risk.

History of chronic stress modifies acute stress-evoked fear memory and acoustic startle in male rats.

PubMed

Schmeltzer, Sarah N; Vollmer, Lauren L; Rush, Jennifer E; Weinert, Mychal; Dolgas, Charles M; Sah, Renu

2015-01-01

Chronicity of trauma exposure plays an important role in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thus, exposure to multiple traumas on a chronic scale leads to worse outcomes than acute events. The rationale for the current study was to investigate the effects of a single adverse event versus the same event on a background of chronic stress. We hypothesized that a history of chronic stress would lead to worse behavioral outcomes than a single event alone. Male rats (n = 14/group) were exposed to either a single traumatic event in the form of electric foot shocks (acute shock, AS), or to footshocks on a background of chronic stress (chronic variable stress-shock, CVS-S). PTSD-relevant behaviors (fear memory and acoustic startle responses) were measured following 7 d recovery. In line with our hypothesis, CVS-S elicited significant increases in fear acquisition and conditioning versus the AS group. Unexpectedly, CVS-S elicited reduced startle reactivity to an acoustic stimulus in comparison with the AS group. Significant increase in FosB/ΔFosB-like immunostaining was observed in the dentate gyrus, basolateral amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex of CVS-S rats. Assessments of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a stress-regulatory transmitter associated with chronic PTSD, revealed selective reduction in the hippocampus of CVS-S rats. Collectively, our data show that cumulative stress potentiates delayed fear memory and impacts defensive responding. Altered neuronal activation in forebrain limbic regions and reduced NPY may contribute to these phenomena. Our preclinical studies support clinical findings reporting worse PTSD outcomes stemming from cumulative traumatization in contrast to acute trauma.

Behavioral economic analysis of stress effects on acute motivation for alcohol.

PubMed

Owens, Max M; Ray, Lara A; MacKillop, James

2015-01-01

Due to issues of definition and measurement, the heavy emphasis on subjective craving in the measurement of acute motivation for alcohol and other drugs remains controversial. Behavioral economic approaches have increasingly been applied to better understand acute drug motivation, particularly using demand curve modeling via purchase tasks to characterize the perceived reinforcing value of the drug. This approach has focused on using putatively more objective indices of motivation, such as units of consumption, monetary expenditure, and price sensitivity. To extend this line of research, the current study used an alcohol purchase task to determine if, compared to a neutral induction, a personalized stress induction would increase alcohol demand in a sample of heavy drinkers. The stress induction significantly increased multiple measures of the reinforcing value of alcohol to the individual, including consumption at zero price (intensity), the maximum total amount of money spent on alcohol (Omax), the first price where consumption was reduced to zero (breakpoint), and the general responsiveness of consumption to increases in price (elasticity). These measures correlated only modestly with craving and mood. Self-reported income was largely unrelated to demand but moderated the influence of stress on Omax. Moderation based on CRH-BP genotype (rs10055255) was present for Omax, with T allele homozygotes exhibiting more pronounced increases in response to stress. These results provide further support for a behavioral economic approach to measuring acute drug motivation. The findings also highlight the potential relevance of income and genetic factors in understanding state effects on the perceived reinforcing value of alcohol. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The effects of acute foot shock stress on empathy levels in rats.

PubMed

Karakilic, Aslı; Kizildag, Servet; Kandis, Sevim; Guvendi, Guven; Koc, Basar; Camsari, Gamze B; Camsari, Ulas M; Ates, Mehmet; Arda, Sevil Gonenc; Uysal, Nazan

2018-09-03

Empathy defined as the ability to understand and the share the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of another, is an important skill in survival and reproduction. Among many factors that affect empathy include psychological stress, anxiety states. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of acute psychological stress on empathic behavior and its association with oxytocin and vasopressin levels in amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Rats were subjected to 0.2 mA (low) and 1.6 mA (high) intensity of foot shock stress for duration of 20 min. Empathic behavior was found to be improved as a response to low intensity stress, but not to high intensity stress. As a response to lower intensity stress, vasopressin was increased in prefrontal cortex and amygdala; oxytocin was increased in only prefrontal cortex, and corticosterone levels increased in general. Anxiety indicators did not change in low intensity stress group yet; high intensity stress group demonstrated a lesser degree of anxiety response. High intensity stress group stayed unexpectedly more active in middle area of elevated plus maze test equipment, which may support impaired executive decision making abilities in the setting of high anxiety states. Further research is needed to investigate gender effects, the role of dopaminergic system and other stress related pathways in acute stress. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silymarin Prevents Restraint Stress-Induced Acute Liver Injury by Ameliorating Oxidative Stress and Reducing Inflammatory Response.

PubMed

Kim, Sou Hyun; Oh, Dal-Seok; Oh, Ji Youn; Son, Tae Gen; Yuk, Dong Yeon; Jung, Young-Suk

2016-04-01

Silymarin is a flavonoid extracted from the milk thistle Silybum marianum. It has been reported to prevent liver injuries induced by various chemicals or toxins. Our recent study suggested that silymarin induces hepatic synthesis of glutathione by increasing cysteine availability, which may consequently contribute to increased antioxidant capacity of the liver. In the present study, we investigated the effects of silymarin on acute liver injury induced by restraint stress. Silymarin (100 mg/kg) was orally administered to BALB/c mice every 12 h (3 times in total). After the last dose, mice were subjected to restraint stress for 6 h, and serum levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, and hepatic levels of lipid peroxidation were determined. Hepatic levels of sulfur-containing metabolites such as methionine, S-adenosylmethionine, cysteine, and glutathione were also measured. The level of pro-inflammatory mediators in both liver and serum was determined. To study the mechanism of the effects of silymarin, we assessed Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation and apoptotic signaling. Restraint stress induced severe oxidative stress and increased mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory mediators; both effects of restraint stress were significantly inhibited by silymarin. Moreover, administration of silymarin significantly prevented acute liver injury induced by restraint stress by blocking JNK activation and subsequently apoptotic signaling. In conclusion, these results suggest that the inhibition of restraint stress-induced liver injury by silymarin is due at least in part to its anti-oxidant activity and its ability to suppress the inflammatory response.

Sex-specific hippocampal 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is disrupted in response to acute stress

PubMed Central

Papale, Ligia A.; Li, Sisi; Madrid, Andy; Zhang, Qi; Chen, Li; Chopra, Pankaj; Jin, Peng; Keleş, Sündüz; Alisch, Reid S.

2016-01-01

Environmental stress is among the most important contributors to increased susceptibility to develop psychiatric disorders. While it is well known that acute environmental stress alters gene expression, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely unknown. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is a novel environmentally sensitive epigenetic modification that is highly enriched in neurons and is associated with active neuronal transcription. Recently, we reported a genome-wide disruption of hippocampal 5hmC in male mice following acute stress that was correlated to altered transcript levels of genes in known stress related pathways. Since sex-specific endocrine mechanisms respond to environmental stimulus by altering the neuronal epigenome, we examined the genome-wide profile of hippocampal 5hmC in female mice following exposure to acute stress and identified 363 differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) linked to known (e.g., Nr3c1 and Ntrk2) and potentially novel genes associated with stress response and psychiatric disorders. Integration of hippocampal expression data from the same female mice found stress-related hydroxymethylation correlated to altered transcript levels. Finally, characterization of stress-induced sex-specific 5hmC profiles in the hippocampus revealed 778 sex-specific acute stress-induced DhMRs some of which were correlated to altered transcript levels that produce sex-specific isoforms in response to stress. Together, the alterations in 5hmC presented here provide a possible molecular mechanism for the adaptive sex-specific response to stress that may augment the design of novel therapeutic agents that will have optimal effectiveness in each sex. PMID:27576189

The effect of obesity on inflammatory cytokine and leptin production following acute mental stress.

PubMed

Caslin, H L; Franco, R L; Crabb, E B; Huang, C J; Bowen, M K; Acevedo, E O

2016-02-01

Obesity may contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by eliciting chronic systemic inflammation and impairing the immune response to additional stressors. There has been little assessment of the effect of obesity on psychological stress, an independent risk factor for CVD. Therefore, it was of interest to examine interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), and leptin following an acute mental stress task in nonobese and obese males. Twenty college-aged males (21.3 ± 0.56 years) volunteered to participate in a 20-min Stroop color-word and mirror-tracing task. Subjects were recruited for obese (body mass index: BMI > 30) and nonobese (BMI < 25) groups, and blood samples were collected for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis. The acute mental stress task elicited an increase in heart rate, catecholamines, and IL-1β in all subjects. Additionally, acute mental stress increased cortisol concentrations in the nonobese group. There was a significant reduction in leptin in obese subjects 30 min posttask compared with a decrease in nonobese subjects 120 min posttask. Interestingly, the relationship between the percent change in leptin and IL-1Ra at 120 min posttask in response to an acute mental stress task was only observed in nonobese individuals. This is the first study to suggest that adiposity in males may impact leptin and inflammatory signaling mechanisms following acute mental stress. © 2015 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Chronic intermittent psychosocial stress (social defeat/overcrowding) in mice increases the severity of an acute DSS-induced colitis and impairs regeneration.

PubMed

Reber, S O; Obermeier, F; Straub, R H; Straub, H R; Falk, W; Neumann, I D

2006-10-01

Ulcerative colitis is a multifactorial disease, with immunological, genetic, and environmental factors playing an important role in its pathogenesis. Here we investigated the consequences of exposure to chronic psychosocial stress on the severity of a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in male C57BL/6 mice. Chronic stress was induced by repeated exposure to social defeat (SD, 2 h) and overcrowding (OC, 24 h) during 19 consecutive days. SD/OC mice showed a diminished body weight gain, thymus-atrophy, and adrenal hypertrophy, but similar light-phase plasma corticosterone concentrations, compared with unstressed mice. In contrast, the rise in dark-phase corticosterone concentration was significantly attenuated in SD/OC mice, whereas plasma ACTH concentrations and hypothalamic CRH mRNA expression did not differ between stressed and nonstressed groups. Additionally, adrenal cells from SD/OC mice showed a decreased in vitro response to ACTH stimulation. Subsequent treatment with 1% DSS for 7 d resulted in a more severe intestinal inflammation in SD/OC mice, as reflected by an increase in body weight loss, histological damage scores, and secretion of IL-6, TNFalpha, and interferon-gamma from mesenteric lymph node cells and by decreased colon length. The impaired health status of stressed mice was also reflected by a significantly lower survival rate after termination of the DSS treatment. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrate that chronic intermittent exposure to a psychosocial stressor before the induction of acute DSS-colitis results in adrenal insufficiency, increases in the severity of the acute inflammation, and impairs the healing phase.

Salivary Markers of Inflammation in Response to Acute Stress

PubMed Central

Slavish, Danica C.; Graham-Engeland, Jennifer E.; Smyth, Joshua M.; Engeland, Christopher G.

2014-01-01

There is burgeoning interest in the ability to detect inflammatory markers in response to stress within naturally occurring social contexts and/or across multiple time points per day within individuals. Salivary collection is a less invasive process than current methods of blood collection and enables intensive naturalistic methodologies, such as those involving extensive repeated measures per day over time. Yet the reliability and validity of saliva-based to blood-based inflammatory biomarkers in response to stress remains unclear. We review and synthesize the published studies that have examined salivary markers of inflammation following exposure to an acute laboratory stressor. Results from each study are reviewed by analyte (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, CRP) and stress type (social-cognitive and exercise-physical), after which methodological issues and limitations are addressed. Although the literature is limited, several inflammatory markers (including IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) have been reliably determined from saliva and have increased significantly in response to stress across multiple studies, with effect sizes ranging from very small to very large. Although CRP from saliva has been associated with CRP in circulating blood more consistently than other biomarkers have been associated with their counterparts in blood, evidence demonstrating it reliably responds to acute stress is absent. Although the current literature is presently too limited to allow broad assertion that inflammatory biomarkers determined from saliva are valuable for examining acute stress responses, this review suggests that specific targets may be valid and highlights specific areas of need for future research. PMID:25205395

Cannabinoids & Stress: impact of HU-210 on behavioral tests of anxiety in acutely stressed mice.

PubMed

Kinden, Renee; Zhang, Xia

2015-05-01

Anxiety disorders are one of the most prevalent classes of mental disorders affecting the general population, but current treatment strategies are restricted by their limited efficacy and side effect profiles. Although the cannabinoid system is speculated to be a key player in the modulation of stress responses and emotionality, the vast majority of current research initiatives had not incorporated stress exposure into their experimental designs. This study was the first to investigate the impact of exogenous cannabinoid administration in an acutely stressed mouse model, where CD1 mice were pre-treated with HU-210, a potent CB1R agonist, prior to acute stress exposure and subsequent behavioral testing. Exogenous cannabinoid administration induced distinct behavioral phenotypes in stressed and unstressed mice. While low doses of HU-210 were anxiolytic in unstressed subjects, this effect was abolished when mice were exposed to an acute stressor. The administration of higher HU-210 doses in combination with acute stress exposure led to severe locomotor deficits that were not previously observed at the same dose in unstressed subjects. These findings suggest that exogenous cannabinoids and acute stress act synergistically in an anxiogenic manner. This study underlies the importance of including stress exposure into future anxiety-cannabinoid research due to the differential impact of cannabinoid administration on stressed and unstressed subjects. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spikes in acute workload are associated with increased injury risk in elite cricket fast bowlers.

PubMed

Hulin, Billy T; Gabbett, Tim J; Blanch, Peter; Chapman, Paul; Bailey, David; Orchard, John W

2014-04-01

To determine if the comparison of acute and chronic workload is associated with increased injury risk in elite cricket fast bowlers. Data were collected from 28 fast bowlers who completed a total of 43 individual seasons over a 6-year period. Workloads were estimated by summarising the total number of balls bowled per week (external workload), and by multiplying the session rating of perceived exertion by the session duration (internal workload). One-week data (acute workload), together with 4-week rolling average data (chronic workload), were calculated for external and internal workloads. The size of the acute workload in relation to the chronic workload provided either a negative or positive training-stress balance. A negative training-stress balance was associated with an increased risk of injury in the week after exposure, for internal workload (relative risk (RR)=2.2 (CI 1.91 to 2.53), p=0.009), and external workload (RR=2.1 (CI 1.81 to 2.44), p=0.01). Fast bowlers with an internal workload training-stress balance of greater than 200% had a RR of injury of 4.5 (CI 3.43 to 5.90, p=0.009) compared with those with a training-stress balance between 50% and 99%. Fast bowlers with an external workload training-stress balance of more than 200% had a RR of injury of 3.3 (CI 1.50 to 7.25, p=0.033) in comparison to fast bowlers with an external workload training-stress balance between 50% and 99%. These findings demonstrate that large increases in acute workload are associated with increased injury risk in elite cricket fast bowlers.

Sex-specific hippocampal 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is disrupted in response to acute stress.

PubMed

Papale, Ligia A; Li, Sisi; Madrid, Andy; Zhang, Qi; Chen, Li; Chopra, Pankaj; Jin, Peng; Keleş, Sündüz; Alisch, Reid S

2016-12-01

Environmental stress is among the most important contributors to increased susceptibility to develop psychiatric disorders. While it is well known that acute environmental stress alters gene expression, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely unknown. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is a novel environmentally sensitive epigenetic modification that is highly enriched in neurons and is associated with active neuronal transcription. Recently, we reported a genome-wide disruption of hippocampal 5hmC in male mice following acute stress that was correlated to altered transcript levels of genes in known stress related pathways. Since sex-specific endocrine mechanisms respond to environmental stimulus by altering the neuronal epigenome, we examined the genome-wide profile of hippocampal 5hmC in female mice following exposure to acute stress and identified 363 differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs) linked to known (e.g., Nr3c1 and Ntrk2) and potentially novel genes associated with stress response and psychiatric disorders. Integration of hippocampal expression data from the same female mice found stress-related hydroxymethylation correlated to altered transcript levels. Finally, characterization of stress-induced sex-specific 5hmC profiles in the hippocampus revealed 778 sex-specific acute stress-induced DhMRs some of which were correlated to altered transcript levels that produce sex-specific isoforms in response to stress. Together, the alterations in 5hmC presented here provide a possible molecular mechanism for the adaptive sex-specific response to stress that may augment the design of novel therapeutic agents that will have optimal effectiveness in each sex. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Skin temperature reveals the intensity of acute stress

PubMed Central

Herborn, Katherine A.; Graves, James L.; Jerem, Paul; Evans, Neil P.; Nager, Ruedi; McCafferty, Dominic J.; McKeegan, Dorothy E.F.

2015-01-01

Acute stress triggers peripheral vasoconstriction, causing a rapid, short-term drop in skin temperature in homeotherms. We tested, for the first time, whether this response has the potential to quantify stress, by exhibiting proportionality with stressor intensity. We used established behavioural and hormonal markers: activity level and corticosterone level, to validate a mild and more severe form of an acute restraint stressor in hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). We then used infrared thermography (IRT) to non-invasively collect continuous temperature measurements following exposure to these two intensities of acute handling stress. In the comb and wattle, two skin regions with a known thermoregulatory role, stressor intensity predicted the extent of initial skin cooling, and also the occurrence of a more delayed skin warming, providing two opportunities to quantify stress. With the present, cost-effective availability of IRT technology, this non-invasive and continuous method of stress assessment in unrestrained animals has the potential to become common practice in pure and applied research. PMID:26434785

Corticosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone in songbird plasma and brain: effects of season and acute stress

PubMed Central

Newman, Amy E. M.; Soma, Kiran K.

2010-01-01

Prolonged increases in plasma glucocorticoids can exacerbate neurodegeneration. In rats, these neurodegenerative effects can be reduced by dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), an androgen precursor with anti-glucocorticoid actions. In song sparrows, season and acute restraint stress affect circulating levels of corticosterone and DHEA, and the effects of stress differ in plasma collected from the brachial and jugular veins. Jugular plasma is an indirect index of the neural steroidal milieu. Here, we directly measured corticosterone and DHEA in several brain regions and jugular plasma, and examined the effects of season and acute restraint stress (30 min) (n = 571 samples). Corticosterone levels were up to 10× lower in brain than in jugular plasma. In contrast, DHEA levels were up to 5× higher in brain than in jugular plasma and were highest in the hippocampus. Corticosterone and DHEA concentrations were strongly seasonally regulated in plasma but, surprisingly, not seasonally regulated in brain. Acute stress increased corticosterone levels in plasma and brain, except during the molt, when stress unexpectedly decreased corticosterone levels in the hippocampus. Acute stress increased DHEA levels in plasma during the molt but had no effects on DHEA levels in brain. This is the first study to measure (i) corticosterone or DHEA levels in the brain of adult songbirds and (ii) seasonal changes in corticosterone or DHEA levels in the brain of any species. These results highlight several critical differences between systemic and local steroid concentrations and the difficulty of using circulating steroid levels to infer local steroid levels within the brain. PMID:19473242

Acute stress does not impair long-term memory retrieval in older people.

PubMed

Pulopulos, Matias M; Almela, Mercedes; Hidalgo, Vanesa; Villada, Carolina; Puig-Perez, Sara; Salvador, Alicia

2013-09-01

Previous studies have shown that stress-induced cortisol increases impair memory retrieval in young people. This effect has not been studied in older people; however, some findings suggest that age-related changes in the brain can affect the relationships between acute stress, cortisol and memory in older people. Our aim was to investigate the effects of acute stress on long-term memory retrieval in healthy older people. To this end, 76 participants from 56 to 76 years old (38 men and 38 women) were exposed to an acute psychosocial stressor or a control task. After the stress/control task, the recall of pictures, words and stories learned the previous day was assessed. There were no differences in memory retrieval between the stress and control groups on any of the memory tasks. In addition, stress-induced cortisol response was not associated with memory retrieval. An age-related decrease in cortisol receptors and functional changes in the amygdala and hippocampus could underlie the differences observed between the results from this study and those found in studies performed with young people. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of maladaptive appraisals in child acute stress reactions.

PubMed

Salmon, Karen; Sinclair, Emma; Bryant, Richard A

2007-06-01

To test the prediction of cognitive models of trauma that negative, catastrophic appraisals central to the development of psychopathological stress reactions. A cross-sectional, concurrent design was used. Sixty-six children (aged 7-13 years), who were hospitalized after traumatic injury were assessed within 4 weeks of their trauma for acute stress disorder, depression, and administered the Child Post-traumatic Cognitions Inventory (cPTCI). Parental acute stress was also assessed. Children's negative appraisals of their ongoing vulnerability accounted for 44% of the variance of acute stress reactions in children. Injury severity, depression, age, and parental acute stress levels did not account for significant additional variance. The findings provide support for cognitive models of trauma adaptation and highlight the importance of assessing children's appraisals of their traumatic experience in order to develop effective interventions.

Acute Stress Symptoms in Young Children with Burns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoddard, Frederick J.; Saxe, Glenn; Ronfeldt, Heidi; Drake, Jennifer E.; Burns, Jennifer; Edgren, Christy; Sheridan, Robert

2006-01-01

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms are a focus of much research with older children, but little research has been conducted with young children, who account for about 50% of all pediatric burn injuries. This is a 3-year study of 12- to 48-month-old acutely burned children to assess acute traumatic stress outcomes. The aims were to…

Repeated, but Not Acute, Stress Suppresses Inflammatory Plasma Extravasation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strausbaugh, Holly J.; Dallman, Mary F.; Levine, Jon D.

1999-12-01

Clinical findings suggest that inflammatory disease symptoms are aggravated by ongoing, repeated stress, but not by acute stress. We hypothesized that, compared with single acute stressors, chronic repeated stress may engage different physiological mechanisms that exert qualitatively different effects on the inflammatory response. Because inhibition of plasma extravasation, a critical component of the inflammatory response, has been associated with increased disease severity in experimental arthritis, we tested for a potential repeated stress-induced inhibition of plasma extravasation. Repeated, but not single, exposures to restraint stress produced a profound inhibition of bradykinin-induced synovial plasma extravasation in the rat. Experiments examining the mechanism of inhibition showed that the effect of repeated stress was blocked by adrenalectomy, but not by adrenal medullae denervation, suggesting that the adrenal cortex mediates this effect. Consistent with known effects of stress and with mediation by the adrenal cortex, restraint stress evoked repeated transient elevations of plasma corticosterone levels. This elevated corticosterone was necessary and sufficient to produce inhibition of plasma extravasation because the stress-induced inhibition was blocked by preventing corticosterone synthesis and, conversely, induction of repeated transient elevations in plasma corticosterone levels mimicked the effects of repeated stress. These data suggest that repetition of a mild stressor can induce changes in the physiological state of the animal that enable a previously innocuous stressor to inhibit the inflammatory response. These findings provide a potential explanation for the clinical association between repeated stress and aggravation of inflammatory disease symptoms and provide a model for study of the biological mechanisms underlying the stress-induced aggravation of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Acute myocardial infarction and stress cardiomyopathy following the Christchurch earthquakes.

PubMed

Chan, Christina; Elliott, John; Troughton, Richard; Frampton, Christopher; Smyth, David; Crozier, Ian; Bridgman, Paul

2013-01-01

Christchurch, New Zealand, was struck by 2 major earthquakes at 4:36 am on 4 September 2010, magnitude 7.1 and at 12:51 pm on 22 February 2011, magnitude 6.3. Both events caused widespread destruction. Christchurch Hospital was the region's only acute care hospital. It remained functional following both earthquakes. We were able to examine the effects of the 2 earthquakes on acute cardiac presentations. Patients admitted under Cardiology in Christchurch Hospital 3 week prior to and 5 weeks following both earthquakes were analysed, with corresponding control periods in September 2009 and February 2010. Patients were categorised based on diagnosis: ST elevation myocardial infarction, Non ST elevation myocardial infarction, stress cardiomyopathy, unstable angina, stable angina, non cardiac chest pain, arrhythmia and others. There was a significant increase in overall admissions (p<0.003), ST elevation myocardial infarction (p<0.016), and non cardiac chest pain (p<0.022) in the first 2 weeks following the early morning September earthquake. This pattern was not seen after the early afternoon February earthquake. Instead, there was a very large number of stress cardiomyopathy admissions with 21 cases (95% CI 2.6-6.4) in 4 days. There had been 6 stress cardiomyopathy cases after the first earthquake (95% CI 0.44-2.62). Statistical analysis showed this to be a significant difference between the earthquakes (p<0.05). The early morning September earthquake triggered a large increase in ST elevation myocardial infarction and a few stress cardiomyopathy cases. The early afternoon February earthquake caused significantly more stress cardiomyopathy. Two major earthquakes occurring at different times of day differed in their effect on acute cardiac events.

Effect of acute and repeated restraint stress on glucose oxidation to CO2 in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices.

PubMed

Torres, I L; Gamaro, G D; Silveira-Cucco, S N; Michalowski, M B; Corrêa, J B; Perry, M L; Dalmaz, C

2001-01-01

It has been suggested that glucocorticoids released during stress might impair neuronal function by decreasing glucose uptake by hippocampal neurons. Previous work has demonstrated that glucose uptake is reduced in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices 24 h after exposure to acute stress, while no effect was observed after repeated stress. Here, we report the effect of acute and repeated restraint stress on glucose oxidation to CO2 in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices and on plasma glucose and corticosterone levels. Male adult Wistar rats were exposed to restraint 1 h/day for 50 days in the chronic model. In the acute model there was a single exposure. Immediately or 24 h after stress, the animals were sacrificed and the hippocampus and cerebral cortex were dissected, sliced, and incubated with Krebs buffer, pH 7.4, containing 5 mM glucose and 0.2 microCi D-[U-14C] glucose. CO2 production from glucose was estimated. Trunk blood was also collected, and both corticosterone and glucose were measured. The results showed that corticosterone levels after exposure to acute restraint were increased, but the increase was smaller when the animals were submitted to repeated stress. Blood glucose levels increased after both acute and repeated stress. However, glucose utilization, measured as CO2 production in hippocampal and cerebral cortex slices, was the same in stressed and control groups under conditions of both acute and chronic stress. We conclude that, although stress may induce a decrease in glucose uptake, this effect is not sufficient to affect the energy metabolism of these cells.

Acute stress responses: A review and synthesis of ASD, ASR, and CSR.

PubMed

Isserlin, Leanna; Zerach, Gadi; Solomon, Zahava

2008-10-01

Toward the development of a unifying diagnosis for acute stress responses this article attempts to find a place for combat stress reaction (CSR) within the spectrum of other defined acute stress responses. This article critically compares the diagnostic criteria of acute stress disorder (ASD), acute stress reaction (ASR), and CSR. Prospective studies concerning the predictive value of ASD, ASR, and CSR are reviewed. Questions, recommendations, and implications for clinical practice are raised concerning the completeness of the current acute stress response diagnoses, the heterogeneity of different stressors, the scope of expected outcomes, and the importance of decline in function as an indicator of future psychological, psychiatric, and somatic distress. PsycINFO Database Record 2009 APA.

Dynamic changes in saliva after acute mental stress

PubMed Central

Naumova, Ella A.; Sandulescu, Tudor; Bochnig, Clemens; Khatib, Philipp Al; Lee, Wing-Kee; Zimmer, Stefan; Arnold, Wolfgang H.

2014-01-01

Stress-related variations of fluoride concentration in supernatant saliva and salivary sediment, salivary cortisol, total protein and pH after acute mental stress were assessed. The hypothesis was that stress reactions have no influence on these parameters. Thirty-four male students were distributed into two groups: first received the stress exposure followed by the same protocol two weeks later but without stress exposure, second underwent the protocol without stress exposure followed by the stress exposure two weeks later. The stressor was a public speech followed by tooth brushing. Saliva was collected before, immediately after stress induction and immediately, at 10, 30 and 120 min. after tooth brushing. Cortisol concentrations, total protein, intraoral pH, and fluoride content in saliva were measured. The data were analyzed statistically. Salivary sediment was ca 4.33% by weight of whole unstimulated saliva. Fluoride bioavailability was higher in salivary sediment than in supernatant saliva. The weight and fluoride concentration was not altered during 2 hours after stress exposure. After a public speech, the salivary cortisol concentration significantly increased after 20 minutes compared to the baseline. The salivary protein concentration and pH also increased. Public speaking influences protein concentration and salivary pH but does not alter the fluoride concentration of saliva. PMID:24811301

Having your cake and eating it too: A habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress exposure and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stress has been tied to changes in eating behavior and food choice. Previous studies in rodents have shown that chronic stress increases palatable food intake which, in turn, increases mesenteric fat and inhibits acute stress-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. The effect of...

Effects of chronic plus acute prolonged stress on measures of coping style, anxiety, and evoked HPA-axis reactivity.

PubMed

Roth, Megan K; Bingham, Brian; Shah, Aparna; Joshi, Ankur; Frazer, Alan; Strong, Randy; Morilak, David A

2012-11-01

Exposure to psychological trauma is the precipitating factor for PTSD. In addition, a history of chronic or traumatic stress exposure is a predisposing risk factor. We have developed a Chronic plus Acute Prolonged Stress (CAPS) treatment for rats that models some of the characteristics of stressful events that can lead to PTSD in humans. We have previously shown that CAPS enhances acute fear responses and impairs extinction of conditioned fear. Further, CAPS reduced the expression of glucocorticoid receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex. In this study we examined the effects of CAPS exposure on behavioral stress coping style, anxiety-like behaviors, and acute stress reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to CAPS treatment, consisting of chronic intermittent cold stress (4 °C, 6 h/day, 14 days) followed on day 15 by a single 1-h session of sequential acute stressors (social defeat, immobilization, swim). After CAPS or control treatment, different groups were tested for shock probe defensive burying, novelty suppressed feeding, or evoked activation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone release by an acute immobilization stress. CAPS resulted in a decrease in active burying behavior and an increase in immobility in the shock probe test. Further, CAPS-treated rats displayed increases in the latency to feed in the novelty suppressed feeding test, despite an increase in food intake in the home cage. CAPS treatment also reduced the HPA response to a subsequent acute immobilization stress. These results further validate CAPS treatment as a rat model of relevance to PTSD, and together with results reported previously, suggest that CAPS impairs fear extinction, shifts coping behavior from an active to a more passive strategy, increases anxiety, and alters HPA reactivity, resembling many aspects of human PTSD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute stress affects risk taking but not ambiguity aversion.

PubMed

Buckert, Magdalena; Schwieren, Christiane; Kudielka, Brigitte M; Fiebach, Christian J

2014-01-01

Economic decisions are often made in stressful situations (e.g., at the trading floor), but the effects of stress on economic decision making have not been systematically investigated so far. The present study examines how acute stress influences economic decision making under uncertainty (risk and ambiguity) using financially incentivized lotteries. We varied the domain of decision making as well as the expected value of the risky prospect. Importantly, no feedback was provided to investigate risk taking and ambiguity aversion independent from learning processes. In a sample of 75 healthy young participants, 55 of whom underwent a stress induction protocol (Trier Social Stress Test for Groups), we observed more risk seeking for gains. This effect was restricted to a subgroup of participants that showed a robust cortisol response to acute stress (n = 26). Gambling under ambiguity, in contrast to gambling under risk, was not influenced by the cortisol response to stress. These results show that acute psychosocial stress affects economic decision making under risk, independent of learning processes. Our results further point to the importance of cortisol as a mediator of this effect.

Acute changes in foot strike pattern and cadence affect running parameters associated with tibial stress fractures.

PubMed

Yong, Jennifer R; Silder, Amy; Montgomery, Kate L; Fredericson, Michael; Delp, Scott L

2018-05-18

Tibial stress fractures are a common and debilitating injury that occur in distance runners. Runners may be able to decrease tibial stress fracture risk by adopting a running pattern that reduces biomechanical parameters associated with a history of tibial stress fracture. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that converting to a forefoot striking pattern or increasing cadence without focusing on changing foot strike type would reduce injury risk parameters in recreational runners. Running kinematics, ground reaction forces and tibial accelerations were recorded from seventeen healthy, habitual rearfoot striking runners while running in their natural running pattern and after two acute retraining conditions: (1) converting to forefoot striking without focusing on cadence and (2) increasing cadence without focusing on foot strike. We found that converting to forefoot striking decreased two risk factors for tibial stress fracture: average and peak loading rates. Increasing cadence decreased one risk factor: peak hip adduction angle. Our results demonstrate that acute adaptation to forefoot striking reduces different injury risk parameters than acute adaptation to increased cadence and suggest that both modifications may reduce the risk of tibial stress fractures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Ischemic and Nephrotoxic Acute Kidney Injury.

PubMed

Yan, Mingjuan; Shu, Shaoqun; Guo, Chunyuan; Tang, Chengyuan; Dong, Zheng

2018-06-12

Acute kidney injury is a medical condition characterized by kidney damage with a rapid decline of renal function, which is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Recent research has further established an intimate relationship between acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. Perturbations of kidney cells in acute kidney injury result in the accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, leading to unfolded protein response or endoplasmic reticulum stress. In this review, we analyze the role and regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress in acute kidney injury triggered by renal ischemia-reperfusion and cisplatin nephrotoxicity. The balance between the two major components of unfolded protein response, the adaptive pathway and the apoptotic pathway, plays a critical role in determining the cell fate in endoplasmic reticulum stress. The adaptive pathway is evoked to attenuate translation, induce chaperones, maintain protein homeostasis, and promote cell survival. Prolonged endoplasmic reticulum stress activates the apoptotic pathway, resulting in the elimination of dysfunctional cells. Therefore, regulating ER stress in kidney cells may provide a therapeutic target in acute kidney injury.

Acute stress induces hyperacusis in women with high levels of emotional exhaustion.

PubMed

Hasson, Dan; Theorell, Töres; Bergquist, Jonas; Canlon, Barbara

2013-01-01

Hearing problems is one of the top ten public health disorders in the general population and there is a well-established relationship between stress and hearing problems. The aim of the present study was to explore if an acute stress will increase auditory sensitivity (hyperacusis) in individuals with high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE). Hyperacusis was assessed using uncomfortable loudness levels (ULL) in 348 individuals (140 men; 208 women; age 23-71 years). Multivariate analyses (ordered logistic regression), were used to calculate odds ratios, including interacting or confounding effects of age, gender, ear wax and hearing loss (PTA). Two-way ANCOVAs were used to assess possible differences in mean ULLs between EE groups pre- and post-acute stress task (a combination of cold pressor, emotional Stroop and Social stress/video recording). There were no baseline differences in mean ULLs between the three EE groups (one-way ANOVA). However, after the acute stress exposure there were significant differences in ULL means between the EE-groups in women. Post-hoc analyses showed that the differences in mean ULLs were between those with high vs. low EE (range 5.5-6.5 dB). Similar results were found for frequencies 0.5 and 1 kHz. The results demonstrate that women with high EE-levels display hyperacusis after an acute stress task. The odds of having hyperacusis were 2.5 (2 kHz, right ear; left ns) and 2.2 (4 kHz, right ear; left ns) times higher among those with high EE compared to those with low levels. All these results are adjusted for age, hearing loss and ear wax. Women with high levels of emotional exhaustion become more sensitive to sound after an acute stress task. This novel finding highlights the importance of including emotional exhaustion in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing problems.

Stressful events and coping related to acute and sub-acute whiplash-associated disorders.

PubMed

Pettersson, Susanne; Bring, Annika; Åsenlöf, Pernilla

2017-03-01

Purpose To describe daily stressors affecting and coping strategies employed by individuals with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) immediately to one month (acute) and three to four months (sub-acute) after injury events using a daily coping assessment. Levels of pain, anxiety, depressed mood and activity are also compared between phases. Method A descriptive prospective design with a content analysis approach was used. Participants completed daily coping assessments for one week during both acute and sub-acute phases. Main measure was whiplash-associated disorders-daily coping assessment (WAD-DCA). Results Nine participants used words describing recovery in the sub-acute phase; 31 described stressful events during both phases. Most frequently reported stressors were related to "symptoms", "emotions" and "occupations/studies". These were equally reported during both phases. Cognitive coping strategies were employed more often during the sub-acute phase (p = 0.008). The only behavioral strategy that increased in prevalence over time was the "relaxed" strategy (p = 0.001). Anxiety levels declined over time (p = 0.022). Conclusion The reported stressors were largely uniform across both acute and sub-acute phases; however, the use of cognitive coping strategies increased over time. The WAD-DCA captures individual stressors and coping strategies employed during a vulnerable phase of rehabilitation and can thus provide information that is useful to clinical practice. Implications for rehabilitation The WAD-DCA provides valuable information for clinical practice when employed during early phases of whiplash-associated disorder development. Reported stressors during the acute and sub-acute phases are essentially the same, whereas cognitive coping strategies grow in prevalence over time. Tailored treatments in early phases of whip-lash associated disorders may benefit from strategies aimed at matching patient-specific stressors with contextually adapted coping

Skin temperature reveals the intensity of acute stress.

PubMed

Herborn, Katherine A; Graves, James L; Jerem, Paul; Evans, Neil P; Nager, Ruedi; McCafferty, Dominic J; McKeegan, Dorothy E F

2015-12-01

Acute stress triggers peripheral vasoconstriction, causing a rapid, short-term drop in skin temperature in homeotherms. We tested, for the first time, whether this response has the potential to quantify stress, by exhibiting proportionality with stressor intensity. We used established behavioural and hormonal markers: activity level and corticosterone level, to validate a mild and more severe form of an acute restraint stressor in hens (Gallus gallus domesticus). We then used infrared thermography (IRT) to non-invasively collect continuous temperature measurements following exposure to these two intensities of acute handling stress. In the comb and wattle, two skin regions with a known thermoregulatory role, stressor intensity predicted the extent of initial skin cooling, and also the occurrence of a more delayed skin warming, providing two opportunities to quantify stress. With the present, cost-effective availability of IRT technology, this non-invasive and continuous method of stress assessment in unrestrained animals has the potential to become common practice in pure and applied research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute stress in residents during emergency care: a study of personal and situational factors.

PubMed

Dias, Roger Daglius; Scalabrini Neto, Augusto

2017-05-01

Providing care for simulated emergency patients may induce considerable acute stress in physicians. However, the acute stress provoked in a real-life emergency room (ER) is not well known. Our aim was to assess acute stress responses in residents during real emergency care and investigate the related personal and situational factors. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out at an emergency department of a tertiary teaching hospital. All second-year internal medicine residents were invited to voluntarily participate in this study. Acute stress markers were assessed at baseline (T1), before residents started their ER shift, and immediately after an emergency situation (T2), using heart rate, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure, salivary α-amylase activity, salivary interleukin-1 β, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-s and STAI-t). Twenty-four residents were assessed during 40 emergency situations. All stress markers presented a statistically significant increase between T1 and T2. IL-1 β presented the highest percent increase (141.0%, p < .001), followed by AA (99.0%, p = .002), HR (81.0%, p < .001), DBP (8.0%, p < .001), and SBP (3.0%, p < .001). In the multivariable analysis, time of residency had a negative correlation with HR during the emergency (adjusted R-square = .168; F = 8.69; p = .006), SBP response (adjusted R-square = .210; F = 6.19; p = .005) and DBP response (adjusted R-square = .293; F = 9.09; p = .001). Trait anxiety (STAI-t) was positively correlated with STAI-s (adjusted R-square = .326; F = 19.9; p < .001), and number of procedures performed during emergency care had a positive association with HR response (adjusted R-square = .241; F = 5.02; p = .005). In the present study, emergency care provoked substantial acute stress in residents. Resident experience, trait anxiety, and number of emergency procedures were independently associated with

Acute and chronic stress and the inflammatory response in hyperprolactinemic rats.

PubMed

Ochoa-Amaya, J E; Malucelli, B E; Cruz-Casallas, P E; Nasello, A G; Felicio, L F; Carvalho-Freitas, M I R

2010-01-01

Prolactin (PRL), a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, has multiple physiological functions, including immunoregulation. PRL can also be secreted in response to stressful stimuli. During stress, PRL has been suggested to oppose the immunosuppressive effects of inflammatory mediators. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of short- and long-term hyperprolactinemia on the inflammatory response in rats subjected to acute or chronic cold stress. Inflammatory edema was induced by carrageenan in male rats, and hyperprolactinemia was induced by injections of the dopamine receptor antagonist domperidone. The volume of inflammatory edema was measured by plethysmography after carrageenan injection. Additionally, the effects of hyperprolactinemia on body weight and serum corticosterone levels were evaluated. Five days of domperidone-induced hyperprolactinemia increased the volume of inflammatory edema. No differences in serum corticosterone levels were observed between groups. No significant differences were found among 30 days domperidone-induced hyperprolactinemic animals subjected to acute stress and the inflammatory response observed in chronic hyperprolactinemic animals subjected to chronic stress. The results suggest that short-term hyperprolactinemia has pro-inflammatory effects. Because such an effect was not observed in long-term hyperprolactinemic animals, PRL-induced tolerance seems likely. We suggest that short-term hyperprolactinemia may act as a protective factor in rats subjected to acute stress. These data suggest that hyperprolactinemia and stress interact differentially according to the time period. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Acute stress affects prospective memory functions via associative memory processes.

PubMed

Szőllősi, Ágnes; Pajkossy, Péter; Demeter, Gyula; Kéri, Szabolcs; Racsmány, Mihály

2018-01-01

Recent findings suggest that acute stress can improve the execution of delayed intentions (prospective memory, PM). However, it is unclear whether this improvement can be explained by altered executive control processes or by altered associative memory functioning. To investigate this issue, we used physical-psychosocial stressors to induce acute stress in laboratory settings. Then participants completed event- and time-based PM tasks requiring the different contribution of control processes and a control task (letter fluency) frequently used to measure executive functions. According to our results, acute stress had no impact on ongoing task performance, time-based PM, and verbal fluency, whereas it enhanced event-based PM as measured by response speed for the prospective cues. Our findings indicate that, here, acute stress did not affect executive control processes. We suggest that stress affected event-based PM via associative memory processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OSO paradigm--A rapid behavioral screening method for acute psychosocial stress reactivity in mice.

PubMed

Brzózka, M M; Unterbarnscheidt, T; Schwab, M H; Rossner, M J

2016-02-09

Chronic psychosocial stress is an important environmental risk factor for the development of psychiatric diseases. However, studying the impact of chronic psychosocial stress in mice is time consuming and thus not optimally suited to 'screen' increasing numbers of genetically manipulated mouse models for psychiatric endophenotypes. Moreover, many studies focus on restraint stress, a strong physical stressor with limited relevance for psychiatric disorders. Here, we describe a simple and a rapid method based on the resident-intruder paradigm to examine acute effects of mild psychosocial stress in mice. The OSO paradigm (open field--social defeat--open field) compares behavioral consequences on locomotor activity, anxiety and curiosity before and after exposure to acute social defeat stress. We first evaluated OSO in male C57Bl/6 wildtype mice where a single episode of social defeat reduced locomotor activity, increased anxiety and diminished exploratory behavior. Subsequently, we applied the OSO paradigm to mouse models of two schizophrenia (SZ) risk genes. Transgenic mice with neuronal overexpression of Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) type III showed increased risk-taking behavior after acute stress exposure suggesting that NRG1 dysfunction is associated with altered affective behavior. In contrast, Tcf4 transgenic mice displayed a normal stress response which is in line with the postulated predominant contribution of TCF4 to cognitive deficits of SZ. In conclusion, the OSO paradigm allows for rapid screening of selected psychosocial stress-induced behavioral endophenotypes in mouse models of psychiatric diseases. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Increased oxidative phosphorylation in response to acute and chronic DNA damage

PubMed Central

Brace, Lear E; Vose, Sarah C; Stanya, Kristopher; Gathungu, Rose M; Marur, Vasant R; Longchamp, Alban; Treviño-Villarreal, Humberto; Mejia, Pedro; Vargas, Dorathy; Inouye, Karen; Bronson, Roderick T; Lee, Chih-Hao; Neilan, Edward; Kristal, Bruce S; Mitchell, James R

2016-01-01

Accumulation of DNA damage is intricately linked to aging, aging-related diseases and progeroid syndromes such as Cockayne syndrome (CS). Free radicals from endogenous oxidative energy metabolism can damage DNA, however the potential of acute or chronic DNA damage to modulate cellular and/or organismal energy metabolism remains largely unexplored. We modeled chronic endogenous genotoxic stress using a DNA repair-deficient Csa−/−|Xpa−/− mouse model of CS. Exogenous genotoxic stress was modeled in mice in vivo and primary cells in vitro treated with different genotoxins giving rise to diverse spectrums of lesions, including ultraviolet radiation, intrastrand crosslinking agents and ionizing radiation. Both chronic endogenous and acute exogenous genotoxic stress increased mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) on the organismal level, manifested by increased oxygen consumption, reduced respiratory exchange ratio, progressive adipose loss and increased FAO in tissues ex vivo. In multiple primary cell types, the metabolic response to different genotoxins manifested as a cell-autonomous increase in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) subsequent to a transient decline in steady-state NAD+ and ATP levels, and required the DNA damage sensor PARP-1 and energy-sensing kinase AMPK. We conclude that increased FAO/OXPHOS is a general, beneficial, adaptive response to DNA damage on cellular and organismal levels, illustrating a fundamental link between genotoxic stress and energy metabolism driven by the energetic cost of DNA damage. Our study points to therapeutic opportunities to mitigate detrimental effects of DNA damage on primary cells in the context of radio/chemotherapy or progeroid syndromes. PMID:28721274

Increased Risk Taking in Relation to Chronic Stress in Adults

PubMed Central

Ceccato, Smarandita; Kudielka, Brigitte M.; Schwieren, Christiane

2016-01-01

Chronic stress is a public health problem that affects a significant part of the population. While the physiological damage it causes is under ongoing scrutiny, its behavioral effects have been overlooked. This is one of the first studies to examine the relation between chronic stress and decision-making, using a standard lottery paradigm. We measured risk taking in the gain domain through binary choices between financially incentivized lotteries. We then measured self-reported chronic stress with the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS). We additionally collected hair samples in a subsample of volunteers, in order to quantify accumulation of the stress hormone cortisol. We discovered a significant positive, though modest, correlation between self-reported chronic stress and risk taking that is stronger for women than for men. This confirms part of the findings in acute stress research that show a connection between higher stress and increased risk taking. However, unlike the biologically-based results from acute stress research, we did not identify a significant relation between hair cortisol and behavior. In line with previous literature, we found a clear gender difference in risk taking and self-reports: women generally take less risk and report slightly higher stress levels than men. We conclude that perceived chronic stress can impact behavior in risky situations. PMID:26858663

Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stress Cardiomyopathy following the Christchurch Earthquakes

PubMed Central

Chan, Christina; Elliott, John; Troughton, Richard; Frampton, Christopher; Smyth, David; Crozier, Ian; Bridgman, Paul

2013-01-01

Background Christchurch, New Zealand, was struck by 2 major earthquakes at 4:36am on 4 September 2010, magnitude 7.1 and at 12:51pm on 22 February 2011, magnitude 6.3. Both events caused widespread destruction. Christchurch Hospital was the region's only acute care hospital. It remained functional following both earthquakes. We were able to examine the effects of the 2 earthquakes on acute cardiac presentations. Methods Patients admitted under Cardiology in Christchurch Hospital 3 week prior to and 5 weeks following both earthquakes were analysed, with corresponding control periods in September 2009 and February 2010. Patients were categorised based on diagnosis: ST elevation myocardial infarction, Non ST elevation myocardial infarction, stress cardiomyopathy, unstable angina, stable angina, non cardiac chest pain, arrhythmia and others. Results There was a significant increase in overall admissions (p<0.003), ST elevation myocardial infarction (p<0.016), and non cardiac chest pain (p<0.022) in the first 2 weeks following the early morning September earthquake. This pattern was not seen after the early afternoon February earthquake. Instead, there was a very large number of stress cardiomyopathy admissions with 21 cases (95% CI 2.6–6.4) in 4 days. There had been 6 stress cardiomyopathy cases after the first earthquake (95% CI 0.44–2.62). Statistical analysis showed this to be a significant difference between the earthquakes (p<0.05). Conclusion The early morning September earthquake triggered a large increase in ST elevation myocardial infarction and a few stress cardiomyopathy cases. The early afternoon February earthquake caused significantly more stress cardiomyopathy. Two major earthquakes occurring at different times of day differed in their effect on acute cardiac events. PMID:23844213

Triathletes Lose Their Advantageous Pain Modulation under Acute Psychosocial Stress.

PubMed

Geva, Nirit; Pruessner, Jens; Defrin, Ruth

2017-02-01

Triathletes, who constantly engage in intensely stressful sport, were recently found to exhibit greater pain tolerance and more efficient pain inhibition capabilities than nonathletes. However, pain inhibition correlated negatively with retrospective reports of mental stress during training and competition. The aim of the current study was to test pain inhibition capabilities of triathletes under acute, controlled psychological stress manipulation. Participants were 25 triathletes and ironman triathletes who underwent the measurement of pain threshold, pain intolerance, tonic suprathreshold pain, and conditioned pain modulation before and during exposure to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST). Perceived ratings of stress and anxiety, autonomic variables, and salivary cortisol levels were obtained as indices of stress. The MIST induced a significant stress reaction manifested in the subjective and objective indices. Overall, a significant reduction in pain threshold and in conditioned pain modulation efficacy was observed after the MIST, which reached the baseline levels observed previously in nonathletes. Paradoxically, the magnitude of this stress-induced hyperalgesia (SIH) correlated negatively with the magnitude of the stress response; low-stress responders exhibited greater SIH than high-stress responders. The results suggest that under acute psychological stress, triathletes not only react with SIH and a reduction in pain modulation but also lose their advantageous pain modulation over nonathletes. The stronger the stress response recorded, the weaker the SIH. It appears that triathletes are not resilient to stress, responding with an increase in the sensitivity to pain as well as a decrease in pain inhibition. The possible effects of athletes' baseline pain profile and stress reactivity on SIH are discussed.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Reactivity to Acute Stress: an Investigation into the Roles of Perceived Stress and Family Resources.

PubMed

Obasi, Ezemenari M; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Cavanagh, Lucia; Ratliff, Kristen L; Pittman, Delishia M; Brooks, Jessica J

2017-11-01

Rurally situated African Americans suffer from chronic exposure to stress that may have a deleterious effect on health outcomes. Unfortunately, research on potential mechanisms that underlie health disparities affecting the African American community has received limited focus in the scientific literature. This study investigated the relationship between perceived stress, family resources, and cortisol reactivity to acute stress. A rural sample of African American emerging adults (N = 60) completed a battery of assessments, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and provided four samples of salivary cortisol: prior to receiving TSST instructions, prior to conducting the speech task, immediately following the TSST, and 15-20 min following the TSST. As predicted, cortisol levels increased in response to a controlled laboratory inducement of acute stress. Moreover, diminished levels of family resources were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity to acute stress. Of note, higher levels of perceived stress over the past month and being male were independently associated with lower levels of cortisol at baseline. Lack of family resources had a blunting relationship on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity. These findings provide biomarker support for the relationship between family resources-an indicator associated with social determinants of health-and stress physiology within a controlled laboratory experiment. Identifying mechanisms that work toward explanation of within-group differences in African American health disparities is both needed and informative for culturally informed prevention and intervention efforts.

Relationship of Stress, Leukocyte Functions and Acute Ulcerative Gingivitis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-22

IONAL 1jjl (I Y AN[)AAU> I,)(, 4 •. . . . .i -AD (Report Number 3 , Lf) RELATIONSHIP OF STRESS, LEUKOCYTE FUNCTION AND ACUTE ULCERATIVE GINGIVITIS...AIk £It. KEY WORDS (C~mntm. a reers old. A *1acoa and Identit by block number) Acute Necrotic Ulcerative Gingivitis (ANUG)), Stress 4 Leukocyte

Chronic mitochondrial uncoupling treatment prevents acute cold-induced oxidative stress in birds.

PubMed

Stier, Antoine; Massemin, Sylvie; Criscuolo, François

2014-12-01

Endotherms have evolved two major types of thermogenesis that allow them to actively produce heat in response to cold exposure, either through muscular activity (i.e. shivering thermogenesis) or through futile electro-chemical cycles (i.e. non-shivering thermogenesis). Amongst the latter, mitochondrial uncoupling is of key importance because it is suggested to drive heat production at a low cost in terms of oxidative stress. While this has been experimentally shown in mammals, the oxidative stress consequences of cold exposure and mitochondrial uncoupling are clearly less understood in the other class of endotherms, the birds. We compared metabolic and oxidative stress responses of zebra finches chronically treated with or without a chemical mitochondrial uncoupler (2,4-dinitrophenol: DNP), undergoing an acute (24 h) and a chronic (4 weeks) cold exposure (12 °C). We predicted that control birds should present at least a transient elevation of oxidative stress levels in response to cold exposure. This oxidative stress cost should be more pronounced in control birds than in DNP-treated birds, due to their lower basal uncoupling state. Despite similar increase in metabolism, control birds presented elevated levels of DNA oxidative damage in response to acute (but not chronic) cold exposure, while DNP-treated birds did not. Plasma antioxidant capacity decreased overall in response to chronic cold exposure. These results show that acute cold exposure increases oxidative stress in birds. However, uncoupling mitochondrial functioning appears as a putative compensatory mechanism preventing cold-induced oxidative stress. This result confirms previous observations in mice and underlines non-shivering thermogenesis as a putative key mechanism for endotherms in mounting a response to cold at a low oxidative cost.

Acute stress affects risk taking but not ambiguity aversion

PubMed Central

Buckert, Magdalena; Schwieren, Christiane; Kudielka, Brigitte M.; Fiebach, Christian J.

2014-01-01

Economic decisions are often made in stressful situations (e.g., at the trading floor), but the effects of stress on economic decision making have not been systematically investigated so far. The present study examines how acute stress influences economic decision making under uncertainty (risk and ambiguity) using financially incentivized lotteries. We varied the domain of decision making as well as the expected value of the risky prospect. Importantly, no feedback was provided to investigate risk taking and ambiguity aversion independent from learning processes. In a sample of 75 healthy young participants, 55 of whom underwent a stress induction protocol (Trier Social Stress Test for Groups), we observed more risk seeking for gains. This effect was restricted to a subgroup of participants that showed a robust cortisol response to acute stress (n = 26). Gambling under ambiguity, in contrast to gambling under risk, was not influenced by the cortisol response to stress. These results show that acute psychosocial stress affects economic decision making under risk, independent of learning processes. Our results further point to the importance of cortisol as a mediator of this effect. PMID:24834024

Time matters - acute stress response and glucocorticoid sensitivity in early multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Kern, Simone; Rohleder, Nicolas; Eisenhofer, Graeme; Lange, Jan; Ziemssen, Tjalf

2014-10-01

Psychosocial stress has frequently been associated with disease activity and acute exacerbations in multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite this well established finding, strikingly little is known about the acute hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) stress response in MS. Twenty-six early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients and seventeen age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (CS) took part in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a well validated psycho-social laboratory stress protocol. Repeated blood samples were analyzed for stress-related cortisol and catecholamine levels as well as for glucocorticoid sensitivity (GCS) of target immune cells. Chronic and acute stress appraisals were assessed by self-report measures. RRMS patients and CS did not differ in stress-related cortisol/catecholamine levels, GCS or stress appraisal in response to the TSST. However, cortisol release as well as GCS was strongly correlated with time since diagnosis but not with neurological disability. Patients with shorter disease duration (2-12 months) expressed a significantly higher cortisol stress response while MS patients with longer disease duration (14-36 months) showed a significantly diminished HPA response as well as lower post-stress GCS. There is evidence for a time-dependent variability in the HPA stress system with an increased cortisol stress response in the first year after diagnosis along with a more blunted HPA stress response and a diminished GCS in subsequent disease stages. Data underscore the highly dynamic nature of HPA axis regulation in the MS disease process, which could possibly relate to compensatory mechanisms within a cytokine-HPA axis feedback circuit model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute stress enhances adult rat hippocampal neurogenesis and activation of newborn neurons via secreted astrocytic FGF2

PubMed Central

Kirby, Elizabeth D; Muroy, Sandra E; Sun, Wayne G; Covarrubias, David; Leong, Megan J; Barchas, Laurel A; Kaufer, Daniela

2013-01-01

Stress is a potent modulator of the mammalian brain. The highly conserved stress hormone response influences many brain regions, particularly the hippocampus, a region important for memory function. The effect of acute stress on the unique population of adult neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) that resides in the adult hippocampus is unclear. We found that acute stress increased hippocampal cell proliferation and astrocytic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) expression. The effect of acute stress occurred independent of basolateral amygdala neural input and was mimicked by treating isolated NPCs with conditioned media from corticosterone-treated primary astrocytes. Neutralization of FGF2 revealed that astrocyte-secreted FGF2 mediated stress-hormone-induced NPC proliferation. 2 weeks, but not 2 days, after acute stress, rats also showed enhanced fear extinction memory coincident with enhanced activation of newborn neurons. Our findings suggest a beneficial role for brief stress on the hippocampus and improve understanding of the adaptive capacity of the brain. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00362.001 PMID:23599891

In vivo aerobic metabolism of the rainbow trout gut and the effects of an acute temperature increase and stress event.

PubMed

Brijs, Jeroen; Gräns, Albin; Hjelmstedt, Per; Sandblom, Erik; van Nuland, Nicole; Berg, Charlotte; Axelsson, Michael

2018-05-24

The fish gut is responsible for numerous potentially energetically costly processes, yet, little is known about its metabolism. Here, we provide the first in vivo measurements for aerobic metabolism of the gut in a teleost fish by measuring gut blood flow, as well as arterial and portal venous oxygen content. At 10°C, gut oxygen uptake rates were 4.3±0.5 ml O 2 h -1 kg -1 (∼11% of whole animal oxygen uptake). Following acute warming to 15°C, gut blood flow increased ∼3.4-fold and gut oxygen uptake rate increased ∼3.7-fold (16.0±3.3 ml O 2 h -1 kg -1 ), now representing ∼25% of whole animal oxygen uptake. Although gut blood flow decreased following an acute stress event at 15°C, gut oxygen uptake remained unchanged due to a ∼2-fold increase in oxygen extraction. The high metabolic thermal sensitivity of the gut discovered here could have important implications on the overall aerobic capacity and performance of fish and warrants further investigations. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Antioxidant defense and oxidative stress in children with acute hepatitis A

PubMed Central

Popovic-Dragonjic, Lidija; Jovanovic, Maja; Vrbic, Miodrag; Konstantinovic, Ljiljana; Kostic, Velimir; Dragonjic, Ivan

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Published data on oxidative stress in children with acute hepatitis A are still very scarce. This study aims to evaluate the oxidant/antioxidant status of these patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, case-control study, over 2.5 years in patients under hospitalized and ambulatory care. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The levels of a whole-blood antioxidant, reduced glutathione; and plasma antioxidants, β-carotene, retinol, ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol; and the biomarker of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde, were evaluated in 50 pediatric patients (age range, 5-16 years; 29 males and 21 females) with acute hepatitis A and in 50 healthy children as control subjects (age range, 5-16 years; 25 males and 25 females). RESULTS: Plasma levels of reduced glutathione, β-carotene, retinol, α-tocopherol and ascorbic acid were significantly lower, while malondialdehyde plasma levels were significantly increased in the patient group when compared to the controls (P<.0001 for all parameters). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that pediatric patients with acute hepatitis A were influenced by oxidative stress, resulting in significantly lower levels of plasma antioxidants and increased lipid peroxidation. In the absence of other therapeutic options, antioxidant vitamin supplements could be added to the therapy for these patients to help reestablish the oxidant status balance. Further investigations to confirm this suggestion are recommended. PMID:21623054

Dynamic changes in DNA methylation of stress-associated genes (OXTR, BDNF ) after acute psychosocial stress.

PubMed

Unternaehrer, E; Luers, P; Mill, J; Dempster, E; Meyer, A H; Staehli, S; Lieb, R; Hellhammer, D H; Meinlschmidt, G

2012-08-14

Environmentally induced epigenetic alterations are related to mental health. We investigated quantitative DNA methylation status before and after an acute psychosocial stressor in two stress-related genes: oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF ). The cross sectional study took place at the Division of Theoretical and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Trier, Germany and was conducted from February to August 2009. We included 83 participants aged 61-67 years. Thereof, 76 participants completed the full study procedure consisting of blood sampling before (pre-stress), 10 min after (post-stress) and 90 min after (follow-up) the Trier social stress test. We assessed quantitative DNA methylation of whole-blood cells using Sequenom EpiTYPER. Methylation status differed between sampling times in one target sequence of OXTR (P<0.001): methylation increased from pre- to post-stress (P=0.009) and decreased from post-stress to follow-up (P<0.001). This decrease was also found in a second target sequence of OXTR (P=0.034), where it lost statistical significance when blood cell count was statistically controlled. We did not detect any time-associated differences in methylation status of the examined BDNF region. The results suggest a dynamic regulation of DNA methylation in OXTR-which may in part reflect changes in blood cell composition-but not BDNF after acute psychosocial stress. This may enhance the understanding of how psychosocial events alter DNA methylation and could provide new insights into the etiology of mental disorders.

Acute Stress Induces Hyperacusis in Women with High Levels of Emotional Exhaustion

PubMed Central

Hasson, Dan; Theorell, Töres; Bergquist, Jonas; Canlon, Barbara

2013-01-01

Background Hearing problems is one of the top ten public health disorders in the general population and there is a well-established relationship between stress and hearing problems. The aim of the present study was to explore if an acute stress will increase auditory sensitivity (hyperacusis) in individuals with high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE). Methods Hyperacusis was assessed using uncomfortable loudness levels (ULL) in 348 individuals (140 men; 208 women; age 23–71 years). Multivariate analyses (ordered logistic regression), were used to calculate odds ratios, including interacting or confounding effects of age, gender, ear wax and hearing loss (PTA). Two-way ANCOVAs were used to assess possible differences in mean ULLs between EE groups pre- and post-acute stress task (a combination of cold pressor, emotional Stroop and Social stress/video recording). Results There were no baseline differences in mean ULLs between the three EE groups (one-way ANOVA). However, after the acute stress exposure there were significant differences in ULL means between the EE-groups in women. Post-hoc analyses showed that the differences in mean ULLs were between those with high vs. low EE (range 5.5–6.5 dB). Similar results were found for frequencies 0.5 and 1 kHz. The results demonstrate that women with high EE-levels display hyperacusis after an acute stress task. The odds of having hyperacusis were 2.5 (2 kHz, right ear; left ns) and 2.2 (4 kHz, right ear; left ns) times higher among those with high EE compared to those with low levels. All these results are adjusted for age, hearing loss and ear wax. Conclusion Women with high levels of emotional exhaustion become more sensitive to sound after an acute stress task. This novel finding highlights the importance of including emotional exhaustion in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing problems. PMID:23301005

Prefrontal Cortex Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 Conveys Acute Stress-Induced Executive Dysfunction.

PubMed

Uribe-Mariño, Andrés; Gassen, Nils C; Wiesbeck, Maximilian F; Balsevich, Georgia; Santarelli, Sara; Solfrank, Beate; Dournes, Carine; Fries, Gabriel R; Masana, Merce; Labermeier, Christiana; Wang, Xiao-Dong; Hafner, Kathrin; Schmid, Bianca; Rein, Theo; Chen, Alon; Deussing, Jan M; Schmidt, Mathias V

2016-11-15

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) subserves complex cognition and is impaired by stress. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), through CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1), constitutes a key element of the stress response. However, its contribution to the effects of stress in the mPFC remains unclear. Mice were exposed to acute social defeat stress and subsequently to either the temporal order memory (n = 11-12) or reversal learning (n = 9-11) behavioral test. Changes in mPFC Crhr1 messenger RNA levels were measured in acutely stressed mice (n = 12). Crhr1 loxP/loxP mice received either intra-mPFC adeno-associated virus-Cre or empty microinjections (n = 17-20) and then were submitted to acute stress and later to the behavioral tests. Co-immunoprecipitation was used to detect activation of the protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway in the mPFC of acutely stressed mice (n = 8) or intra-mPFC CRF injected mice (n = 7). Finally, mice received intra-mPFC CRF (n = 11) and/or Rp-isomer cyclic adenosine 3',5' monophosphorothioate (Rp-cAMPS) (n = 12) microinjections and underwent behavioral testing. We report acute stress-induced effects on mPFC-mediated cognition, identify CRF-CRFR1-containing microcircuits within the mPFC, and demonstrate stress-induced changes in Crhr1 messenger RNA expression. Importantly, intra-mPFC CRFR1 deletion abolishes acute stress-induced executive dysfunction, whereas intra-mPFC CRF mimics acute stress-induced mPFC dysfunction. Acute stress and intra-mPFC CRF activate the PKA signaling pathway in the mPFC, leading to cyclic AMP response element binding protein phosphorylation in intra-mPFC CRFR1-expressing neurons. Finally, PKA blockade reverses the intra-mPFC CRF-induced executive dysfunction. Taken together, these results unravel a molecular mechanism linking acute stress to executive dysfunction via CRFR1. This will aid in the development of novel therapeutic targets for stress-induced cognitive dysfunction. Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological

Cognitive benefit and cost of acute stress is differentially modulated by individual brain state

PubMed Central

Hermans, Erno J.; Fernández, Guillén

2017-01-01

Abstract Acute stress is associated with beneficial as well as detrimental effects on cognition in different individuals. However, it is not yet known how stress can have such opposing effects. Stroop-like tasks typically show this dissociation: stress diminishes speed, but improves accuracy. We investigated accuracy and speed during a stroop-like task of 120 healthy male subjects after an experimental stress induction or control condition in a randomized, counter-balanced cross-over design; we assessed brain–behavior associations and determined the influence of individual brain connectivity patterns on these associations, which may moderate the effect and help identify stress resilience factors. In the mean, stress was associated to increase in accuracy, but decrease in speed. Accuracy was associated to brain activation in a distributed set of brain regions overlapping with the executive control network (ECN) and speed to temporo-parietal activation. In line with a stress-related large-scale network reconfiguration, individuals showing an upregulation of the salience and down-regulation of the executive-control network under stress displayed increased speed, but decreased performance. In contrast, individuals who upregulate their ECN under stress show improved performance. Our results indicate that the individual large-scale brain network balance under acute stress moderates cognitive consequences of threat. PMID:28402480

Cognitive benefit and cost of acute stress is differentially modulated by individual brain state.

PubMed

Kohn, Nils; Hermans, Erno J; Fernández, Guillén

2017-07-01

Acute stress is associated with beneficial as well as detrimental effects on cognition in different individuals. However, it is not yet known how stress can have such opposing effects. Stroop-like tasks typically show this dissociation: stress diminishes speed, but improves accuracy. We investigated accuracy and speed during a stroop-like task of 120 healthy male subjects after an experimental stress induction or control condition in a randomized, counter-balanced cross-over design; we assessed brain-behavior associations and determined the influence of individual brain connectivity patterns on these associations, which may moderate the effect and help identify stress resilience factors. In the mean, stress was associated to increase in accuracy, but decrease in speed. Accuracy was associated to brain activation in a distributed set of brain regions overlapping with the executive control network (ECN) and speed to temporo-parietal activation. In line with a stress-related large-scale network reconfiguration, individuals showing an upregulation of the salience and down-regulation of the executive-control network under stress displayed increased speed, but decreased performance. In contrast, individuals who upregulate their ECN under stress show improved performance. Our results indicate that the individual large-scale brain network balance under acute stress moderates cognitive consequences of threat. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

Repeated handling, restraint, or chronic crowding impair the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical response to acute restraint stress.

PubMed

Gadek-Michalska, A; Bugajski, J

2003-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to assess whether, and to what extent prior handling, restraint or social crowding stress during 3-10 days affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) response to an acute short-lasting restraint stress. Also the effect of a feedback inhibitory mechanism of corticosterone in the impairment of HPA axis by these stressors was investigated. Male Wistar rats were pretreated with handling 1 min/day for 3-10 days, restraint 2 times daily for 3-7 days and crowding stress for 7 days before exposure to acute restraint stress in metal tubes for 10 min. Some group of rats received exogenous s.c. corticosterone either once 25 mg/kg or 2 times daily 10 mg/kg for 3-10 days before restraint stress. After the last restraint the rats were decapitated and their trunk blood was collected for the measurement of plasma ACTH and serum corticosterone levels. Handling for 3-7 days, restraint for 3-7 days, and crowding for 7 days and a single pretreatment with corticosterone--all significantly and to a similar extent inhibited the restraint stress-induced increase in ACTH and corticosterone secretion. Chronic pretreatment with corticosterone blunted the restraint stress-induced increase in HPA axis activity. These results indicate that repeated short-lasting stress induced by handling, restraint, or crowding potently attenuates the acute restraint stress-induced stimulatory action of the HPA axis. They also indicate adaptive action of moderate stress on the HPA axis response to acute stress. The results also suggest that a short-lasting hypersecretion of corticosterone during psychological stress may induce a prolonged feedback inhibition of the HPA axis activity. The attenuation of HPA axis response by prior handling has also obvious methodological implications.

Acute Heat Stress Induces Differential Gene Expressions in the Testes of a Broiler-Type Strain of Taiwan Country Chickens

PubMed Central

Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

2015-01-01

The expression of testicular genes following acute heat stress has been reported in layer-type roosters, but few similar studies have been conducted on broilers. This study investigated the effect of acute heat stress on the gene expression in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens. Roosters were subjected to acute heat stress (38°C) for 4 h, and then exposed to 25°C, with testes collected 0, 2, and 6 h after the cessation of heat stress, using non-heat-stressed roosters as controls (n = 3 roosters per group). The body temperature and respiratory rate increased significantly (p<0.05) during the heat stress. The numbers of apoptotic cells increased 2 h after the acute heat stress (79 ± 7 vs. 322 ± 192, control vs. heat stress; p<0.05), which was earlier than the time of increase in layer-type roosters. Based on a chicken 44 K oligo microarray, 163 genes were found to be expressed significantly different in the testes of the heat-stressed chickens from those of the controls, including genes involved in the response to stimulus, protein metabolism, signal transduction, cell adhesion, transcription, and apoptosis. The mRNA expressions of upregulated genes, including HSP25, HSP90AA1, HSPA2, and LPAR2, and of downregulated genes, including CDH5, CTNNA3, EHF, CIRBP, SLA, and NTF3, were confirmed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, numerous transcripts in the testes exhibited distinct expressions between the heat-stressed broiler-type and layer-type chickens. We concluded that the transcriptional responses of testes to acute heat stress may differ between the broiler-type and layer-type roosters. Whether the differential expression patterns associate with the heat-tolerance in the strains require a further exploration. PMID:25932638

Acute heat stress induces differential gene expressions in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens.

PubMed

Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

2015-01-01

The expression of testicular genes following acute heat stress has been reported in layer-type roosters, but few similar studies have been conducted on broilers. This study investigated the effect of acute heat stress on the gene expression in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens. Roosters were subjected to acute heat stress (38°C) for 4 h, and then exposed to 25°C, with testes collected 0, 2, and 6 h after the cessation of heat stress, using non-heat-stressed roosters as controls (n = 3 roosters per group). The body temperature and respiratory rate increased significantly (p<0.05) during the heat stress. The numbers of apoptotic cells increased 2 h after the acute heat stress (79 ± 7 vs. 322 ± 192, control vs. heat stress; p<0.05), which was earlier than the time of increase in layer-type roosters. Based on a chicken 44 K oligo microarray, 163 genes were found to be expressed significantly different in the testes of the heat-stressed chickens from those of the controls, including genes involved in the response to stimulus, protein metabolism, signal transduction, cell adhesion, transcription, and apoptosis. The mRNA expressions of upregulated genes, including HSP25, HSP90AA1, HSPA2, and LPAR2, and of downregulated genes, including CDH5, CTNNA3, EHF, CIRBP, SLA, and NTF3, were confirmed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, numerous transcripts in the testes exhibited distinct expressions between the heat-stressed broiler-type and layer-type chickens. We concluded that the transcriptional responses of testes to acute heat stress may differ between the broiler-type and layer-type roosters. Whether the differential expression patterns associate with the heat-tolerance in the strains require a further exploration.

RAAS and stress markers in acute ischemic stroke: preliminary findings.

PubMed

Back, C; Thiesen, K L; Skovgaard, K; Edvinsson, L; Jensen, L T; Larsen, V A; Iversen, H K

2015-02-01

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade has neuroprotective effects in animal stroke models, but no effects in clinical stroke trials. We evaluated cerebral and peripheral changes in the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) and stress responses in acute ischemic stroke patients. Blood from a jugular and cubital vein was collected within 48 h of stroke onset, after 24 and 48 h, and renin, angiotensin I, angiotensin II, aldosterone, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and cortisol were measured. Post-stroke cubital vein samples were collected after 8 (4.7-10) months. The acute systolic blood pressure was significantly increased, 148 (141-168) vs 140 (130-147) mmHg post-stroke. Angiotensin I, renin and aldosterone levels were significantly lower, angiotensin II was unchanged, and ACE activity was higher in the acute phase compared to post-stroke. No differences in RAAS were detected between jugular and cubital plasma levels. Jugular venous plasma levels of epinephrine and cortisol were elevated in the acute phase compared to cubital levels (P < 0.05). Increased epinephrine and cortisol levels in the jugular vein blood may reflect a higher peripheral turnover. The observed changes in RAAS in the acute stroke phase are consistent with responses to increased blood pressure. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Preliminary evidence that acute stress moderates basal testosterone's association with retaliatory behavior.

PubMed

Prasad, Smrithi; Narayanan, Jayanth; Lim, Vivien K G; Koh, Gerald C H; Koh, David S Q; Mehta, Pranjal H

2017-06-01

A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Testosterone is theorized to increase retaliation after social provocation. However, empirical evidence in support of these theories is mixed. The present research investigated whether acute stress causally suppresses testosterone's association with retaliation. We also explored sex differences in behavioral responses to acute stress. Thirty-nine participants (51.28% male) were randomly assigned to a high- or low-stress condition. Then participants engaged in 20 one-shot rounds of the ultimatum game, which was used to assess retaliatory behavioral responses to unfair treatment. Participants provided two saliva samples to measure testosterone and cortisol concentrations - one sample before the stress manipulation, and the second after the ultimatum game (20minutes post-stressor). Results revealed a positive association between basal testosterone and retaliation in the low-stress condition, but not in the high-stress condition. Further, cortisol concentrations increased in the high- compared to the low-stress condition, and these cortisol changes moderated the association between basal testosterone and retaliation. The associations between basal testosterone and retaliation under varying levels of stress were similar in men and women. However, there was a sex difference in behavioral responses to the stress manipulation that was independent of testosterone. In women, the high-stress condition reduced retaliation compared to the low-stress condition, whereas in men the opposite pattern emerged. Collectively, this study (i) provides preliminary evidence that experimentally manipulated stress blocks basal testosterone's association with retaliation, and (ii) reveals a sex difference in retaliation under varying levels of stress. Discussion focuses on mechanisms, limitations, and the need for follow-up studies with larger sample sizes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic status and stress-induced increases in interleukin-6.

PubMed

Brydon, L; Edwards, S; Mohamed-Ali, V; Steptoe, A

2004-05-01

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is more prevalent in people from a low socioeconomic background, and low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with an increased exposure to psychological stress. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a central role in CAD development. IL-6 is responsive to psychological stress and could potentially mediate the effect of psychosocial factors on CAD risk. Accordingly, we predicted that people of low SES would have greater and/or more sustained IL-6 responses to acute psychological stress. Based on previous findings, we also predicted that these people would have delayed post-stress cardiovascular recovery. Thirty-eight male civil servants were tested, with participants divided into high and low SES groups according to employment grade. There were no differences between the groups at baseline. However there were significant differences in IL-6 and heart rate responses to stress. Stress induced increases in plasma IL-6 in all participants. However, in the low SES group, IL-6 continued to increase between 75 min and 2h post-stress, whereas IL-6 levels stabilised at 75 min in the high SES group. Heart rate increased to the same extent following stress in both groups, however by 2h post-stress, it had returned to baseline in 75% of the high SES group compared with only 38.1% of the low SES group. These results suggest that low SES people are less able to adapt to stress than their high SES counterparts. Prolonged stress-induced increases in IL-6 in low SES groups represents a novel mechanism potentially linking socioeconomic position and heart disease.

Social media as a shield: Facebook buffers acute stress.

PubMed

Rus, Holly M; Tiemensma, Jitske

2018-03-01

Facebook remains the most widely used social media platform. Research suggests that Facebook may both enhance and undermine psychosocial constructs related to well-being, and that it may impair physiological stress recovery. However, little is known about its influence on stress reactivity. Using novel experimental methods, this study examined how Facebook influences reactivity to an acute social stressor. Facebook users (n=104, 53 males, mean age 19.50, SD=1.73) were randomly assigned to use their own Facebook account or sit quietly with the option of reading electronic magazines before experiencing an acute social stressor. All participants showed significant changes in subjective and physiological stress markers in response to the stressor. However, participants who used Facebook experienced lower levels of psychosocial stress, physiological stress, and rated the stressor as less threatening (p's<0.05) when controlling for gender and emotional investment in the website compared to controls. Results suggest that Facebook use may buffer stress-in particular psychosocial stress-if used before experiencing an acute social stressor. This study is among the first to incorporate both objective and subjective measures in investigating the complex relationship between Facebook use and well-being. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute Exercise and Oxidative Stress: CrossFit™ vs. Treadmill Bout

PubMed Central

Kliszczewicz, Brian; Quindry, C. John; Blessing, L. Daniel; Oliver, D. Gretchen; Esco, R. Michael; Taylor, J. Kyle

2015-01-01

CrossFit™, a popular high-intensity training modality, has been the subject of scrutiny, with concerns of elevated risk of injury and health. Despite these concerns empirical evidence regarding physiologic stresses including acute oxidative stress is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the acute redox response to a CrossFit™ bout. Furthermore, these findings were compared to a high-intensity treadmill bout as a point of reference. Ten males 26.4 ± 2.7 yrs having three or more months of CrossFit™ experience participated in the present study. Blood plasma was collected at four time points: Pre-exercise (PRE), immediately-post-exercise (IPE), 1 hr-post (1-HP) and 2 hr-post (2-HP), to examine oxidative damage and antioxidant capacity. Regarding plasma oxidative damage, CrossFit™ and Treadmill elicited a time-dependent increase of lipid peroxides 1-HP (CrossFit™=+143%, Treadmill=+115%) and 2-HP (CrossFit™=+256%, Treadmill+167%). Protein Carbonyls were increased IPE in CF only (+5%), while a time-dependent decrease occurred 1-HP (CrossFit™=−16%, Treadmill=−8%) and 2-HP (CF=−16%, TM=−1%) compared to IPE. Regarding antioxidant capacity, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power also demonstrated a time-dependent increase within CrossFit™ and Treadmill: IPE (CrossFit™=+25%, Treadmill=+17%), 1-HP (CrossFit™=+26%, Treadmill=+4.8%), 2-HP (CrossFit™=+20%, Treadmill=+12%). Total Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity showed a time-dependent decrease in IPE (CrossFit™=−10%, Treadmill=−12%), 1-HP (CrossFit™=−12%, Treadmill=−6%), 2-HP (CrossFit™=−7%, Treadmill=−11%). No trial-dependent differences were observed in any biomarker of oxidative stress. The CrossFit™ bout elicited an acute blood oxidative stress response comparable to a traditional bout of high-intensity treadmill running. Results also confirm that exercise intensity and the time course of exercise recovery influence oxidative responses. PMID:26557192

Differential effects of 5-HTTLPR genotypes on mood, memory, and attention bias following acute tryptophan depletion and stress exposure.

PubMed

Firk, Christine; Markus, C Rob

2009-05-01

Polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) may be associated with increased vulnerability to acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) and depression vulnerability especially following stressful life events. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ATD in subjects with different 5-HTTLPR profiles before and after stress exposure on affective and cognitive-attentional changes. Eighteen subjects with homozygotic short alleles (S'/S') and 17 subjects with homozygotic long alleles (L'/L') of the 5-HTTLPR participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design to measure the effects of ATD on mood, memory, and attention before and after acute stress exposure. ATD lowered mood in all subjects independent of genotype. In S'/S' genotypes, mild acute stress increased depressive mood and in L'/L' genotypes increased feelings of vigor. Furthermore, S'/S' genotypes differed from L'/L' genotypes on measures of attention independent of treatment and memory following ATD. Polymorphisms of the 5-HTTLPR differentially affect responses to mild stress and ATD, suggesting greater vulnerability of S'/S' carriers to serotonergic manipulations and supporting increased depression vulnerability.

Ozone Exposure Increases Circulating Stress Hormones and Lipid Metabolites in Humans

EPA Science Inventory

RATIONALE: Air pollution has been associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes; however, the mechanisms remain unknown. We have shown that acute ozone exposure in rats induces release of stress hormones, hyperglycemia, leptinemia, and gluoose intolerance that are assoc...

Media's role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings.

PubMed

Holman, E Alison; Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2014-01-07

We compared the impact of media vs. direct exposure on acute stress response to collective trauma. We conducted an Internet-based survey following the Boston Marathon bombings between April 29 and May 13, 2013, with representative samples of residents from Boston (n = 846), New York City (n = 941), and the remainder of the United States (n = 2,888). Acute stress symptom scores were comparable in Boston and New York [regression coefficient (b) = 0.43; SE = 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), -2.36, 3.23], but lower nationwide when compared with Boston (b = -2.21; SE = 1.07; 95% CI, -4.31, -0.12). Adjusting for prebombing mental health (collected prospectively), demographics, and prior collective stress exposure, six or more daily hours of bombing-related media exposure in the week after the bombings was associated with higher acute stress than direct exposure to the bombings (continuous acute stress symptom total: media exposure b = 15.61 vs. direct exposure b = 5.69). Controlling for prospectively collected prebombing television-watching habits did not change the findings. In adjusted models, direct exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Sandy Hook School shootings were both significantly associated with bombing-related acute stress; Superstorm Sandy exposure wasn't. Prior exposure to similar and/or violent events may render some individuals vulnerable to the negative effects of collective traumas. Repeatedly engaging with trauma-related media content for several hours daily shortly after collective trauma may prolong acute stress experiences and promote substantial stress-related symptomatology. Mass media may become a conduit that spreads negative consequences of community trauma beyond directly affected communities.

Loneliness and acute stress reactivity: A systematic review of psychophysiological studies.

PubMed

Brown, Eoin G; Gallagher, Stephen; Creaven, Ann-Marie

2018-05-01

Physiological reactivity to acute stress has been proposed as a potential biological mechanism by which loneliness may lead to negative health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease. This review was conducted to investigate the association between loneliness and physiological responses to acute stress. A series of electronic databases were systematically searched (PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, Medline, CINAHL Plus, EBSCOhost, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct) for relevant studies, published up to October 2016. Eleven studies were included in the review. Overall, the majority of studies reported positive associations between loneliness and acute stress responses, such that higher levels of loneliness were predictive of exaggerated physiological reactions. However, in a few studies, loneliness was also linked with decreased stress responses for particular physiological outcomes, indicating the possible existence of blunted relationships. There was no clear pattern suggesting any sex- or stressor-based differences in these associations. The available evidence supports a link between loneliness and atypical physiological reactivity to acute stress. A key finding of this review was that greater levels of loneliness are associated with exaggerated blood pressure and inflammatory reactivity to acute stress. However, there was some indication that loneliness may also be related to blunted cardiac, cortisol, and immune responses. Overall, this suggests that stress reactivity could be one of the biological mechanisms through which loneliness impacts upon health. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Cannabidiol protects liver from binge alcohol-induced steatosis by mechanisms including inhibition of oxidative stress and increase in autophagy

PubMed Central

Yang, Lili; Rozenfeld, Raphael; Wu, Defeng; Devi, Lakshmi A.; Zhang, Zhenfeng; Cederbaum, Arthur

2014-01-01

Acute alcohol drinking induces steatosis, and effective prevention of steatosis can protect liver from progressive damage caused by alcohol. Increased oxidative stress has been reported as one mechanism underlying alcohol-induced steatosis. We evaluated whether cannabidiol, which has been reported to function as an antioxidant, can protect the liver from alcohol-generated oxidative stress-induced steatosis. Cannabidiol can prevent acute alcohol-induced liver steatosis in mice, possibly by preventing the increase in oxidative stress and the activation of the JNK MAPK pathway. Cannabidiol per se can increase autophagy both in CYP2E1-expressing HepG2 cells and in mouse liver. Importantly, cannabidiol can prevent the decrease in autophagy induced by alcohol. In conclusion, these results show that cannabidiol protects mouse liver from acute alcohol-induced steatosis through multiple mechanisms including attenuation of alcohol-mediated oxidative stress, prevention of JNK MAPK activation, and increasing autophagy. PMID:24398069

Parent-Child Agreement Regarding Children's Acute Stress: The Role of Parent Acute Stress Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Garcia-Espana, J. Felipe; Miller, Victoria A.; Winston, Flaura

2006-01-01

Objective: We examined parent--child agreement regarding child acute stress disorder (ASD) and the relationship between parent ASD symptoms and parent ratings of child ASD. Method: Parent-child dyads (N = 219; child age 8-17 years) were assessed within 1 month of child injury. Parent--child agreement was examined regarding child ASD presence,…

Acute Alcohol Modulates Cardiac Function as PI3K/Akt Regulates Oxidative Stress

PubMed Central

Umoh, Nsini A.; Walker, Robin K.; Al-Rubaiee, Mustafa; Jeffress, Miara A.; Haddad, Georges E.

2015-01-01

Background Clinical manifestations of alcohol abuse on the cardiac muscle include defective contractility with the development of heart failure. Interestingly, low alcohol consumption has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Although several hypotheses have been postulated for alcoholic cardiomyopathy and for the low-dose beneficial cardiovascular effects, the precise mechanisms and mediators remain largely undefined. We hypothesize that modulation of oxidative stress by PI3K/Akt plays a key role in the cardiac functional outcome to acute alcohol exposure. Methods Thus, acutely exposed rat cardiac tissue and cardiocytes to low (LA: 5 mM), moderate (MA: 25 mM), and high (HA: 100 mM) alcohol were assessed for markers of oxidative stress in the presence and absence of PI3K/Akt activators (IGF-1 0.1 μM or constitutively active PI3K: Ad.BD110 transfection) or inhibitor (LY294002 1 μMor Akt-negative construct Ad.Akt(K179M) transfection). Results Acute LA reduced Akt, superoxide dismutase (SOD-3) and NFκB, ERK1, and p38 MAPK gene expression. Acute HA only increased that of SOD-3 and NFκB. These effects were generally inhibited by Ad.Akt(K179M) and enhanced with Ad.BD110 transfection. In parallel, LA reduced but HA enhanced Akt activity, which was reversed by IGF-1 and inhibited by Ad.Akt(K179M), respectively. Also, LA reduced caspase 3/7 activity and oxidative stress, while HA increased both. The former was blocked, while the latter effect was enhanced by Ad.Akt(K179M). The reverse was true with PI3K/Akt activation. This translated into reduced viability with HA, with no effect with LA. On the functional level, acute LA improved cardiac output and ejection fraction, mainly through increased stroke volume. This was accompanied with enhanced end-systolic pressure–volume relationship and preload recruitable stroke work. Opposite effect was recorded for HA. LA and HA in vivo functional effects were alleviated by LY and enhanced by IGF-1 treatment

Acute stress promotes post-injury brain regeneration in fish.

PubMed

Sinyakov, Michael S; Haimovich, Amihai; Avtalion, Ramy R

2017-12-01

The central nervous system and the immune system, the two major players in homeostasis, operate in the ongoing bidirectional interaction. Stress is the third player that exerts strong effect on these two 'supersystems'; yet, its impact is studied much less. In this work employing carp model, we studied the influence of preliminary stress on neural and immune networks involved in post-injury brain regeneration. The relevant in vivo models of air-exposure stress and precisely directed cerebellum injury have been developed. Neuronal regeneration was evaluated by using specific tracers of cell proliferation and differentiation. Involvement of immune networks was accessed by monitoring the expression of selected T cells markers. Contrast difference between acute and chronic stress manifested in the fact that chronically stressed fish did not survive the brain injury. Neuronal regeneration appeared as a biphasic process whereas involvement of immune system proceeded as a monophasic route. In stressed fish, immune response was fast and accompanied or even preceded neuronal regeneration. In unstressed subjects, immune response took place on the second phase of neuronal regeneration. These findings imply an intrinsic regulatory impact of acute stress on neuronal and immune factors involved in post-injury brain regeneration. Stress activates both neuronal and immune defense mechanisms and thus contributes to faster regeneration. In this context, paradoxically, acute preliminary stress might be considered a distinct asset in speeding up the following post-injury brain regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of acute stress on hormones and cytokines, and how their recovery is affected by music-evoked positive mood

PubMed Central

Koelsch, Stefan; Boehlig, Albrecht; Hohenadel, Maximilian; Nitsche, Ines; Bauer, Katrin; Sack, Ulrich

2016-01-01

Stress and recovery from stress significantly affect interactions between the central nervous system, endocrine pathways, and the immune system. However, the influence of acute stress on circulating immune-endocrine mediators in humans is not well known. Using a double-blind, randomized study design, we administered a CO2 stress test to n = 143 participants to identify the effects of acute stress, and recovery from stress, on serum levels of several mediators with immune function (IL-6, TNF-α, leptin, and somatostatin), as well as on noradrenaline, and two hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis hormones (ACTH and cortisol). Moreover, during a 1 h-recovery period, we repeatedly measured these serum parameters, and administered an auditory mood-induction protocol with positive music and a neutral control stimulus. The acute stress elicited increases in noradrenaline, ACTH, cortisol, IL-6, and leptin levels. Noradrenaline and ACTH exhibited the fastest and strongest stress responses, followed by cortisol, IL-6 and leptin. The music intervention was associated with more positive mood, and stronger cortisol responses to the acute stressor in the music group. Our data show that acute (CO2) stress affects endocrine, immune and metabolic functions in humans, and they show that mood plays a causal role in the modulation of responses to acute stress. PMID:27020850

Obesity-Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Causes Lung Endothelial Dysfunction and Promotes Acute Lung Injury.

PubMed

Shah, Dilip; Romero, Freddy; Guo, Zhi; Sun, Jianxin; Li, Jonathan; Kallen, Caleb B; Naik, Ulhas P; Summer, Ross

2017-08-01

Obesity is a significant risk factor for acute respiratory distress syndrome. The mechanisms underlying this association are unknown. We recently showed that diet-induced obese mice exhibit pulmonary vascular endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with enhanced susceptibility to LPS-induced acute lung injury. Here, we demonstrate that lung endothelial dysfunction in diet-induced obese mice coincides with increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Specifically, we observed enhanced expression of the major sensors of misfolded proteins, including protein kinase R-like ER kinase, inositol-requiring enzyme α, and activating transcription factor 6, in whole lung and in primary lung endothelial cells isolated from diet-induced obese mice. Furthermore, we found that primary lung endothelial cells exposed to serum from obese mice, or to saturated fatty acids that mimic obese serum, resulted in enhanced expression of markers of ER stress and the induction of other biological responses that typify the lung endothelium of diet-induced obese mice, including an increase in expression of endothelial adhesion molecules and a decrease in expression of endothelial cell-cell junctional proteins. Similar changes were observed in lung endothelial cells and in whole-lung tissue after exposure to tunicamycin, a compound that causes ER stress by blocking N-linked glycosylation, indicating that ER stress causes endothelial dysfunction in the lung. Treatment with 4-phenylbutyric acid, a chemical protein chaperone that reduces ER stress, restored vascular endothelial cell expression of adhesion molecules and protected against LPS-induced acute lung injury in diet-induced obese mice. Our work indicates that fatty acids in obese serum induce ER stress in the pulmonary endothelium, leading to pulmonary endothelial cell dysfunction. Our work suggests that reducing protein load in the ER of pulmonary endothelial cells might protect against acute respiratory distress syndrome in obese

Aged rats are hypo-responsive to acute restraint: implications for psychosocial stress in aging

PubMed Central

Buechel, Heather M.; Popovic, Jelena; Staggs, Kendra; Anderson, Katie L.; Thibault, Olivier; Blalock, Eric M.

2013-01-01

Cognitive processes associated with prefrontal cortex and hippocampus decline with age and are vulnerable to disruption by stress. The stress/stress hormone/allostatic load hypotheses of brain aging posit that brain aging, at least in part, is the manifestation of life-long stress exposure. In addition, as humans age, there is a profound increase in the incidence of new onset stressors, many of which are psychosocial (e.g., loss of job, death of spouse, social isolation), and aged humans are well-understood to be more vulnerable to the negative consequences of such new-onset chronic psychosocial stress events. However, the mechanistic underpinnings of this age-related shift in chronic psychosocial stress response, or the initial acute phase of that chronic response, have been less well-studied. Here, we separated young (3 month) and aged (21 month) male F344 rats into control and acute restraint (an animal model of psychosocial stress) groups (n = 9–12/group). We then assessed hippocampus-associated behavioral, electrophysiological, and transcriptional outcomes, as well as blood glucocorticoid and sleep architecture changes. Aged rats showed characteristic water maze, deep sleep, transcriptome, and synaptic sensitivity changes compared to young. Young and aged rats showed similar levels of distress during the 3 h restraint, as well as highly significant increases in blood glucocorticoid levels 21 h after restraint. However, young, but not aged, animals responded to stress exposure with water maze deficits, loss of deep sleep and hyperthermia. These results demonstrate that aged subjects are hypo-responsive to new-onset acute psychosocial stress, which may have negative consequences for long-term stress adaptation and suggest that age itself may act as a stressor occluding the influence of new onset stressors. PMID:24575039

Openness to experience and adapting to change: Cardiovascular stress habituation to change in acute stress exposure.

PubMed

Ó Súilleabháin, Páraic S; Howard, Siobhán; Hughes, Brian M

2018-05-01

Underlying psychophysiological mechanisms of effect linking openness to experience to health outcomes, and particularly cardiovascular well-being, are unknown. This study examined the role of openness in the context of cardiovascular responsivity to acute psychological stress. Continuous cardiovascular response data were collected for 74 healthy young female adults across an experimental protocol, including differing counterbalanced acute stressors. Openness was measured via self-report questionnaire. Analysis of covariance revealed openness was associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP; p = .016), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; p = .036) responsivity across the protocol. Openness was also associated with heart rate (HR) responding to the initial stress exposure (p = .044). Examination of cardiovascular adaptation revealed that higher openness was associated with significant SBP (p = .001), DBP (p = .009), and HR (p = .002) habituation in response to the second differing acute stress exposure. Taken together, the findings suggest persons higher in openness are characterized by an adaptive cardiovascular stress response profile within the context of changing acute stress exposures. This study is also the first to demonstrate individual differences in cardiovascular adaptation across a protocol consisting of differing stress exposures. More broadly, this research also suggests that future research may benefit from conceptualizing an adaptive fitness of openness within the context of change. In summary, the present study provides evidence that higher openness stimulates short-term stress responsivity, while ensuring cardiovascular habituation to change in stress across time. © 2017 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Chronic stress decreases availability of heat shock proteins to glucocorticoid receptor in response to novel acute stress in Wistar rat hypothalamus.

PubMed

Simic, Iva; Mitic, Milos; Djordjevic, Jelena; Radojcic, Marija; Adzic, Miroslav

2012-05-01

Chronic psychosocial isolation (CPSI) is known to cause several maladaptive changes in the limbic brain structures, which regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. In this study, we focused our investigation on CPSI effects in the hypothalamus (HT) since it is a major driver of HPA axis activity. We also investigated whether the exposure to CPSI could alter the response to subsequent acute stress (30-min immobilization). In the HT, we followed cytosolic and nuclear levels of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), as a mediator of HPA axis feedback inhibition, and its chaperones, the heat shock proteins (HSPs), hsp70 and hsp90. The CPSI did not cause any changes in either GR or HSPs levels. However, we observed increase of the GR and hsp70 in both HT cellular compartments as a response of naïve rats to acute stress, whereas the response of CPSI rats to acute stress was associated with elevation of the GR in the cytosol and decrease of HSPs in the nucleus. Thus, our data indicated reduced availability of HSPs to GR in both cytosol and nucleus of the HT under acute stress of CPSI animals, and therefore, pointed out to potentially negative effects of CPSI on GR function in the HT.

Mind-body interactions in the regulation of airway inflammation in asthma: A PET study of acute and chronic stress

PubMed Central

Rosenkranz, Melissa A.; Esnault, Stephane; Christian, Bradley T.; Crisafi, Gina; Gresham, Lauren K.; Higgins, Andrew T.; Moore, Mollie N.; Moore, Sarah M.; Weng, Helen Y.; Salk, Rachel H.; Busse, William W.; Davidson, Richard J.

2016-01-01

Background Psychological stress has long been recognized as a contributing factor to asthma symptom expression and disease progression. Yet, the neural mechanisms that underlie this relationship have been largely unexplored in research addressing the pathophysiology and management of asthma. Studies that have examined the mechanisms of this relationship in the periphery suggest that it is the superimposition of acute stress on top of chronic stress that is of greatest concern for airway inflammation. Methods We compared asthmatic individuals with high and low levels of chronic life stress in their neural and peripheral physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress Test and a matched control task. We used FDG-PET to measure neural activity during performance of the two tasks. We used both circulating and airway-specific markers of asthma-related inflammation to assess the impact of acute stress in these two groups. Results Asthmatics under chronic stress had a larger HPA-axis response to an acute stressor, which failed to show the suppressive effects on inflammatory markers observed in those with low chronic stress. Moreover, our PET data suggest that greater activity in the anterior insula during acute stress may reflect regulation of the effect of stress on inflammation. In contrast, greater activity in the mid-insula and perigenual anterior cingulate seems to reflect greater reactivity and was associated with greater airway inflammation, a more robust alpha amylase response, and a greater stress-induced increase in proinflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in airway cells. Conclusions Acute stress is associated with increases in markers of airway inflammation in asthmatics under chronic stress. This relationship may be mediated by interactions between the insula and anterior cingulate cortex, that determine the salience of environmental cues, as well as descending regulatory influence of inflammatory pathways in the periphery. PMID:27039241

Mind-body interactions in the regulation of airway inflammation in asthma: A PET study of acute and chronic stress.

PubMed

Rosenkranz, Melissa A; Esnault, Stephane; Christian, Bradley T; Crisafi, Gina; Gresham, Lauren K; Higgins, Andrew T; Moore, Mollie N; Moore, Sarah M; Weng, Helen Y; Salk, Rachel H; Busse, William W; Davidson, Richard J

2016-11-01

Psychological stress has long been recognized as a contributing factor to asthma symptom expression and disease progression. Yet, the neural mechanisms that underlie this relationship have been largely unexplored in research addressing the pathophysiology and management of asthma. Studies that have examined the mechanisms of this relationship in the periphery suggest that it is the superimposition of acute stress on top of chronic stress that is of greatest concern for airway inflammation. We compared asthmatic individuals with high and low levels of chronic life stress in their neural and peripheral physiological responses to the Trier Social Stress Test and a matched control task. We used FDG-PET to measure neural activity during performance of the two tasks. We used both circulating and airway-specific markers of asthma-related inflammation to assess the impact of acute stress in these two groups. Asthmatics under chronic stress had a larger HPA-axis response to an acute stressor, which failed to show the suppressive effects on inflammatory markers observed in those with low chronic stress. Moreover, our PET data suggest that greater activity in the anterior insula during acute stress may reflect regulation of the effect of stress on inflammation. In contrast, greater activity in the mid-insula and perigenual anterior cingulate seems to reflect greater reactivity and was associated with greater airway inflammation, a more robust alpha amylase response, and a greater stress-induced increase in proinflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in airway cells. Acute stress is associated with increases in markers of airway inflammation in asthmatics under chronic stress. This relationship may be mediated by interactions between the insula and anterior cingulate cortex, that determine the salience of environmental cues, as well as descending regulatory influence of inflammatory pathways in the periphery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute stress disorder in hospitalised victims of 26/11-terror attack on Mumbai, India.

PubMed

Balasinorwala, Vanshree Patil; Shah, Nilesh

2010-11-01

The 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai have been internationally denounced. Acute stress disorder is common in victims of terror. To find out the prevalence and to correlate acute stress disorder, 70 hospitalised victims of terror were assessed for presence of the same using DSM-IV TR criteria. Demographic data and clinical variables were also collected. Acute stress disorder was found in 30% patients. On demographic profile and severity of injury, there were some interesting observations and differences between the victims who developed acute stress disorder and those who did not; though none of the differences reached the level of statistical significance. This study documents the occurrence of acute stress disorder in the victims of 26/11 terror attack.

PTSD, Acute Stress, Performance and Decision-Making in Emergency Service Workers.

PubMed

Regehr, Cheryl; LeBlanc, Vicki R

2017-06-01

Despite research identifying high levels of stress and traumatic stress symptoms among those in the emergency services, the impact of these symptoms on performance and hence public safety remains uncertain. This review paper discusses a program of research that has examined the effects of prior critical incident exposure, acute stress, and current post-traumatic symptoms on the performance and decision-making during an acutely stressful event among police officers, police communicators, paramedics and child protection workers. Four studies, using simulation methods involving video simulators, human-patient simulators, and/or standardized patients, examined the performance of emergency workers in typical workplace situations related to their individual profession. Results varied according to level of acuity of stress and the nature of performance and decision-making. There was no evidence that PTSD had a direct impact on global performance on tasks for which emergency responders are highly trained. However, PTSD was associated with assessment of risk in situations that required professional judgement. Further, individuals experiencing PTSD symptoms reported higher levels of acute stress when faced with high acuity situations. Acute stress in these studies was associated with performance deficits on complex cognitive tasks, verbal memory impairment and heightened assessment of risk. © 2017 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Acute Heat Stress Changes Protein Expression in the Testes of a Broiler-Type Strain of Taiwan Country Chickens.

PubMed

Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Chen, Chao-Jung; Chan, Hong-Lin; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

2018-03-19

Heat stress leads to decreased fertility in roosters. This study investigated the global protein expression in response to acute heat stress in the testes of a broiler-type strain of Taiwan country chickens (TCCs). Twelve 45-week-old roosters were randomly allocated to the control group maintained at 25°C, and three groups subjected to acute heat stress at 38°C for 4 h, with 0, 2, and 6 h of recovery, respectively. Testis samples were collected for hematoxylin and eosin staining, apoptosis assay, and protein analysis. The results revealed 101 protein spots that differed significantly from the control following exposure to acute heat stress. The proteins that were differentially expressed participated mainly in protein metabolism and other metabolic processes, responses to stimuli, apoptosis, cellular organization, and spermatogenesis. Proteins that negatively regulate apoptosis were downregulated and proteins involved in autophagy and major heat shock proteins (HSP90α, HSPA5, and HSPA8) were upregulated in the testes of heat-stressed chickens. In conclusion, acute heat stress causes a change in protein expression in the testes of broiler-type B strain TCCs and may thus impair cell morphology, spermatogenesis, and apoptosis. The expression of heat shock proteins increased to attenuate the testicular injury induced by acute heat stress.

Biological markers of stress in pediatric acute burn injury.

PubMed

Brown, Nadia J; Kimble, Roy M; Rodger, Sylvia; Ware, Robert S; McWhinney, Brett C; Ungerer, Jacobus P J; Cuttle, Leila

2014-08-01

Burns and their associated wound care procedures evoke significant stress and anxiety, particularly for children. Little is known about the body's physiological stress reactions throughout the stages of re-epithelialization following an acute burn injury. Previously, serum and urinary cortisol have been used to measure stress in burn patients, however these measures are not suitable for a pediatric burn outpatient setting. To assess the sensitivity of salivary cortisol and sAA in detecting stress during acute burn wound care procedures and to investigate the body's physiological stress reactions throughout burn re-epithelialization. Seventy-seven participants aged four to thirteen years who presented with an acute burn injury to the burn center at the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, were recruited between August 2011 and August 2012. Both biomarkers were responsive to the stress of burn wound care procedures. sAA levels were on average 50.2 U/ml higher (p<0.001) at 10 min post-dressing removal compared to baseline levels. Salivary cortisol levels showed a blunted effect with average levels at ten minutes post dressing removal decreasing by 0.54 nmol/L (p<0.001) compared to baseline levels. sAA levels were associated with pain (p=0.021), no medication (p=0.047) and Child Trauma Screening Questionnaire scores at three months post re-epithelialization (p=0.008). Similarly, salivary cortisol was associated with no medication (p<0.001), pain scores (p=0.045) and total body surface area of the burn (p=0.010). Factors which support the use of sAA over salivary cortisol to assess stress during morning acute burn wound care procedures include; sensitivity, morning clinic times relative to cortisol's diurnal peaks, and relative cost. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Social identity influences stress appraisals and cardiovascular reactions to acute stress exposure.

PubMed

Gallagher, Stephen; Meaney, Sarah; Muldoon, Orla T

2014-09-01

This study tested a recent theoretical development in stress research to see whether group membership influenced cardiovascular reactions following exposure to acute stress. Participants (N = 104) were exposed to a message in which a maths test was described as stressful or challenging by an ingroup member (a student) or outgroup member (a stress disorder sufferer). Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure(DBP) and heart rate (HR) were monitored throughout a standard reactivity study. As expected, a significant interaction was found; relative to those who were told that the task was challenging, ingroup members reported more stress and had higher DBP and HR reactivity when told by an ingroup member that the maths task was stressful; task information did not have the same effect for outgroup members. These results indicate that informational support is not constant but varies as a function of group membership. Finally, this recent development in stress research may prove useful for those interested in investigating the interactions between social, psychological and physiological processes underlying health disparities. What is already known on this subject? Stress is a common risk factor for hypertension and coronary heart disease. Social support has been found to reduce cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress. The influence of social support on stress varies as a consequence of social identity. What does this study add? The social group that one belongs to influences how one appraises and responds to stress. Social identity provides a useful framework for understanding how social processes are associated with health disparities. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Acute Stress Symptoms in Children: Results From an International Data Archive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Palmieri, Patrick A.; Rork, Kristine; Delahanty, Douglas L.; Kenardy, Justin; Kohser, Kristen L.; Landolt, Markus A.; Le Brocque, Robyne; Marsac, Meghan L.; Meiser-Stedman, Richard; Nixon, Reginald D.V.; Bui, Eric; McGrath, Caitlin

2012-01-01

Objective: To describe the prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms and to examine proposed "DSM-5" symptom criteria in relation to concurrent functional impairment in children and adolescents. Method: From an international archive, datasets were identified that included assessment of acute traumatic stress reactions and…

The Relationship between Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Following Cancer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kangas, Maria; Henry, Jane L.; Bryant, Richard A.

2005-01-01

In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following cancer diagnosis. Patients who were recently diagnosed with 1st onset head and neck or lung malignancy (N = 82) were assessed for ASD within the initial month following their diagnosis and reassessed (n =…

The relationship between personality and the response to acute psychological stress.

PubMed

Xin, Yuanyuan; Wu, Jianhui; Yao, Zhuxi; Guan, Qing; Aleman, André; Luo, Yuejia

2017-12-04

The present study examined the relationship between personality traits and the response to acute psychological stress induced by a standardized laboratory stress induction procedure (the Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). The stress response was measured with a combination of cardiovascular reactivity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity, and subjective affect (including positive affect, negative affect and subjective controllability) in healthy individuals. The Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) approach was applied to account for the relationship between personality traits and stress responses. Results suggested that higher neuroticism predicted lower heart rate stress reactivity, lower cortisol stress response, more decline of positive affect and lower subjective controllability. Individuals higher in extraversion showed smaller cortisol activation to stress and less increase of negative affect. In addition, higher openness score was associated with lower cortisol stress response. These findings elucidate that neuroticism, extraversion and openness are important variables associated with the stress response and different dimensions of personality trait are associated with different aspects of the stress response.

Acute thermal stressor increases glucocorticoid response but minimizes testosterone and locomotor performance in the cane toad (Rhinella marina).

PubMed

Narayan, Edward J; Hero, Jean-Marc

2014-01-01

Climatic warming is a global problem and acute thermal stressor in particular could be considered as a major stressor for wildlife. Cane toads (Rhinella marina) have expanded their range into warmer regions of Australia and they provide a suitable model species to study the sub-lethal impacts of thermal stressor on the endocrine physiology of amphibians. Presently, there is no information to show that exposure to an acute thermal stressor could initiate a physiological stress (glucocorticoid) response and secondly, the possible effects on reproductive hormones and performance. Answering these questions is important for understanding the impacts of extreme temperature on amphibians. In this study, we experimented on cane toads from Queensland, Australia by acclimating them to mildly warm temperature (25°C) and then exposing to acute temperature treatments of 30°, 35° or 40°C (hypothetical acute thermal stressors). We measured acute changes in the stress hormone corticosterone and the reproductive hormone testosterone using standard capture and handling protocol and quantified the metabolites of both hormones non-invasively using urinary enzyme-immunoassays. Furthermore, we measured performance trait (i.e. righting response score) in the control acclimated and the three treatment groups. Corticosterone stress responses increased in all toads during exposure to an acute thermal stressor. Furthermore, exposure to a thermal stressor also decreased testosterone levels in all toads. The duration of the righting response (seconds) was longer for toads that were exposed to 40°C than to 30°, 35° or 25°C. The increased corticosterone stress response with increased intensity of the acute thermal stressor suggests that the toads perceived this treatment as a stressor. Furthermore, the results also highlight a potential trade-off with performance and reproductive hormones. Ultimately, exposure acute thermal stressors due to climatic variability could impact amphibians at

Acute Thermal Stressor Increases Glucocorticoid Response but Minimizes Testosterone and Locomotor Performance in the Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)

PubMed Central

Narayan, Edward J.; Hero, Jean-Marc

2014-01-01

Climatic warming is a global problem and acute thermal stressor in particular could be considered as a major stressor for wildlife. Cane toads (Rhinella marina) have expanded their range into warmer regions of Australia and they provide a suitable model species to study the sub-lethal impacts of thermal stressor on the endocrine physiology of amphibians. Presently, there is no information to show that exposure to an acute thermal stressor could initiate a physiological stress (glucocorticoid) response and secondly, the possible effects on reproductive hormones and performance. Answering these questions is important for understanding the impacts of extreme temperature on amphibians. In this study, we experimented on cane toads from Queensland, Australia by acclimating them to mildly warm temperature (25°C) and then exposing to acute temperature treatments of 30°, 35° or 40°C (hypothetical acute thermal stressors). We measured acute changes in the stress hormone corticosterone and the reproductive hormone testosterone using standard capture and handling protocol and quantified the metabolites of both hormones non-invasively using urinary enzyme-immunoassays. Furthermore, we measured performance trait (i.e. righting response score) in the control acclimated and the three treatment groups. Corticosterone stress responses increased in all toads during exposure to an acute thermal stressor. Furthermore, exposure to a thermal stressor also decreased testosterone levels in all toads. The duration of the righting response (seconds) was longer for toads that were exposed to 40°C than to 30°, 35° or 25°C. The increased corticosterone stress response with increased intensity of the acute thermal stressor suggests that the toads perceived this treatment as a stressor. Furthermore, the results also highlight a potential trade-off with performance and reproductive hormones. Ultimately, exposure acute thermal stressors due to climatic variability could impact amphibians at

Chronic but not acute foot-shock stress leads to temporary suppression of cell proliferation in rat hippocampus.

PubMed

Dagyte, G; Van der Zee, E A; Postema, F; Luiten, P G M; Den Boer, J A; Trentani, A; Meerlo, P

2009-09-15

Stressful experiences, especially when prolonged and severe are associated with psychopathology and impaired neuronal plasticity. Among other effects on the brain, stress has been shown to negatively regulate hippocampal neurogenesis, and this effect is considered to be exerted via glucocorticoids. Here, we sought to determine the temporal dynamics of changes in hippocampal neurogenesis after acute and chronic exposure to foot-shock stress. Rats subjected to a foot-shock procedure showed strong activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, even after exposure to daily stress for 3 weeks. Despite a robust release of corticosterone, acute foot-shock stress did not affect the rate of hippocampal cell proliferation. In contrast, exposure to foot-shock stress daily for 3 weeks led to reduced cell proliferation 2 hours after the stress procedure. Interestingly, this stress-induced effect did not persist and was no longer detected 24 hours later. Also, while chronic foot-shock stress had no impact on survival of hippocampal cells that were born before the stress procedure, it led to a decreased number of doublecortin-positive granule neurons that were born during the chronic stress period. Thus, whereas a strong activation of the HPA axis during acute foot-shock stress is not sufficient to reduce hippocampal cell proliferation, repeated exposure to stressful stimuli for prolonged period of time ultimately results in dysregulated neurogenesis. In sum, this study supports the notion that chronic stress may lead to cumulative changes in the brain that are not seen after acute stress. Such changes may indicate compromised brain plasticity and increased vulnerability to neuropathology.

Differential expression of heat shock transcription factors and heat shock proteins after acute and chronic heat stress in laying chickens (Gallus gallus).

PubMed

Xie, Jingjing; Tang, Li; Lu, Lin; Zhang, Liyang; Xi, Lin; Liu, Hsiao-Ching; Odle, Jack; Luo, Xugang

2014-01-01

Heat stress due to high environmental temperature negatively influences animal performances. To better understand the biological impact of heat stress, laying broiler breeder chickens were subjected either to acute (step-wisely increasing temperature from 21 to 35°C within 24 hours) or chronic (32°C for 8 weeks) high temperature exposure. High temperature challenges significantly elevated body temperature of experimental birds (P<0.05). However, oxidation status of lipid and protein and expression of heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) and heat shock proteins (HSPs) 70 and 90 were differently affected by acute and chronic treatment. Tissue-specific responses to thermal challenge were also found among heart, liver and muscle. In the heart, acute heat challenge affected lipid oxidation (P = 0.05) and gene expression of all 4 HSF gene expression was upregulated (P<0.05). During chronic heat treatment, the HSP 70 mRNA level was increased (P<0.05) and HSP 90 mRNA (P<0.05) was decreased. In the liver, oxidation of protein was alleviated during acute heat challenge (P<0.05), however, gene expression HSF2, 3 and 4 and HSP 70 were highly induced (P<0.05). HSP90 expression was increased by chronic thermal treatment (P<0.05). In the muscle, both types of heat stress increased protein oxidation, but HSFs and HSPs gene expression remained unaltered. Only tendencies to increase were observed in HSP 70 (P = 0.052) and 90 (P = 0.054) gene expression after acute heat stress. The differential expressions of HSF and HSP genes in different tissues of laying broiler breeder chickens suggested that anti-heat stress mechanisms might be provoked more profoundly in the heart, by which the muscle was least protected during heat stress. In addition to HSP, HSFs gene expression could be used as a marker during acute heat stress.

Acute stress cardiomyopathy and deaths associated with electronic weapons.

PubMed

Cevik, Cihan; Otahbachi, Mohammad; Miller, Elizabeth; Bagdure, Satish; Nugent, Kenneth M

2009-03-06

Deaths associated with the use of electronic weapons almost always occur in young men involved in either civil disturbances or criminal activity. These situations are associated with high levels of circulating catecholamines and frequently associated with drug intoxication. The mechanism for these deaths is unclear. Clinical studies indicate that these high voltage electrical pulses do not cause cardiac arrhythmia. Acute stress cardiomyopathy provides an alternative explanation for deaths associated with electronic weapons and may provide a better explanation for the usual time course associated with taser deaths. Patients with acute stress cardiomyopathy usually have had an emotional or physical stress, have high circulating levels of catecholamines, present with an acute coronary syndrome but have normal coronary vessels without significant thrombus formation. They have unusual left ventricular dysfunction with so-called apical ballooning. This presentation has been attributed to the direct effects of catecholamines on myocardial cell function. Alternative explanations include vasospasm in the coronary microcirculation and/or acute thrombosis followed by rapid thrombolysis. Similar events could occur during the high stress situations associated with the use of electronic weapons. These events also likely explain restraint-related deaths which occur in independent of any use of electronic weapons. Forensic pathologists have the opportunity to provide important details about the pathogenesis of these deaths through histological studies and careful evaluation of coronary vessels.

The effect of acute physical and mental stress on soluble cellular adhesion molecule concentration.

PubMed

Crabb, E Blake; Franco, R Lee; Caslin, Heather L; Blanks, Anson M; Bowen, Mary K; Acevedo, Edmund O

2016-07-15

This study investigated the impact of acute physical and mental stress on serum concentrations of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and CX3CL1/fractalkine. Male volunteers (n=20; 21.3±0.55years of age) completed a graded treadmill test to exhaustion and a 20-minute mental stress task (Stroop Color-Word Test, mental arithmetic) on separate, non-consecutive days. Heart rate (HR) was measured at baseline and throughout exercise and mental stress. Blood was collected at baseline (PRE), immediately following (POST) and 30min after (POST30) exercise and mental stress. Soluble VCAM-1 and fractalkine were quantified in participant serum via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Both treadmill exercise and the mental stress task significantly increased participant HR; although, exercise resulted in a substantially greater increase in participant HR compared to mental stress (197.82±11.99 vs. 38.67±3.10% [p<0.001]). VCAM-1 (815.74±139.55 vs. 738.67±131.59ng/mL [p=0.002]) and fractalkine (1.032±0.33 vs. 0.59±0.20ng/mL [p<0.001]) were significantly elevated in participant serum POST maximal exercise before returning to values similar to baseline at POST30. The acute mental stress task did not significantly alter serum VCAM-1 or fractalkine at any time point. In conclusion, maximal aerobic exercise results in a significant elevation of the soluble adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and fractalkine in the serum of adult males that does not occur following laboratory-induced mental stress. The findings of the current investigation may suggest a novel protective role for acute aerobic exercise in vascular health via exercise-induced CAM proteolysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceived Chronic Stress Exposure Modulates Reward-Related Medial Prefrontal Cortex Responses to Acute Stress in Depression

PubMed Central

Kumar, Poornima; Slavich, George M.; Berghorst, Lisa H.; Treadway, Michael T.; Brooks, Nancy H.; Dutra, Sunny J.; Greve, Douglas N.; O'Donovan, Aoife; Bleil, Maria E.; Maninger, Nicole; Pizzagalli, Diego A.

2015-01-01

Introduction Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often precipitated by life stress and growing evidence suggests that stress-induced alterations in reward processing may contribute to such risk. However, no human imaging studies have examined how recent life stress exposure modulates the neural systems that underlie reward processing in depressed and healthy individuals. Methods In this proof-of-concept study, 12 MDD and 10 psychiatrically healthy individuals were interviewed using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) to assess their perceived levels of recent acute and chronic life stress exposure. Additionally, each participant performed a monetary incentive delay task under baseline (no-stress) and stress (social-evaluative) conditions during functional MRI. Results Across groups, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activation to reward feedback was greater during acute stress versus no-stress conditions in individuals with greater perceived stressor severity. Under acute stress, depressed individuals showed a positive correlation between perceived stressor severity levels and reward-related mPFC activation (r = 0.79, p = 0.004), whereas no effect was found in healthy controls. Moreover, for depressed (but not healthy) individuals, the correlations between the stress (r = 0.79) and no-stress (r = −0.48) conditions were significantly different. Finally, relative to controls, depressed participants showed significantly reduced mPFC grey matter, but functional findings remained when accounting for structural differences. Limitation Small sample size, which warrants replication. Conclusion Depressed individuals experiencing greater recent life stress recruited the mPFC more under stress when processing rewards. Our results represent an initial step toward elucidating mechanisms underlying stress sensitization and recurrence in depression. PMID:25898329

Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings

PubMed Central

Holman, E. Alison; Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2014-01-01

We compared the impact of media vs. direct exposure on acute stress response to collective trauma. We conducted an Internet-based survey following the Boston Marathon bombings between April 29 and May 13, 2013, with representative samples of residents from Boston (n = 846), New York City (n = 941), and the remainder of the United States (n = 2,888). Acute stress symptom scores were comparable in Boston and New York [regression coefficient (b) = 0.43; SE = 1.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), −2.36, 3.23], but lower nationwide when compared with Boston (b = −2.21; SE = 1.07; 95% CI, −4.31, −0.12). Adjusting for prebombing mental health (collected prospectively), demographics, and prior collective stress exposure, six or more daily hours of bombing-related media exposure in the week after the bombings was associated with higher acute stress than direct exposure to the bombings (continuous acute stress symptom total: media exposure b = 15.61 vs. direct exposure b = 5.69). Controlling for prospectively collected prebombing television-watching habits did not change the findings. In adjusted models, direct exposure to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Sandy Hook School shootings were both significantly associated with bombing-related acute stress; Superstorm Sandy exposure wasn't. Prior exposure to similar and/or violent events may render some individuals vulnerable to the negative effects of collective traumas. Repeatedly engaging with trauma-related media content for several hours daily shortly after collective trauma may prolong acute stress experiences and promote substantial stress-related symptomatology. Mass media may become a conduit that spreads negative consequences of community trauma beyond directly affected communities. PMID:24324161

Growth at elevated ozone or elevated carbon dioxide concentration alters antioxidant capacity and response to acute oxidative stress in soybean (Glycine max)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gillespie, K.M.; Rogers, A.; Ainsworth, E. A.

2011-01-31

Soybeans (Glycine max Merr.) were grown at elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO{sub 2}]) or chronic elevated ozone concentration ([O{sub 3}]; 90 ppb), and then exposed to an acute O{sub 3} stress (200 ppb for 4 h) in order to test the hypothesis that the atmospheric environment alters the total antioxidant capacity of plants, and their capacity to respond to an acute oxidative stress. Total antioxidant metabolism, antioxidant enzyme activity, and antioxidant transcript abundance were characterized before, immediately after, and during recovery from the acute O{sub 3} treatment. Growth at chronic elevated [O{sub 3}] increased the total antioxidant capacity of plants,more » while growth at elevated [CO{sub 2}] decreased the total antioxidant capacity. Changes in total antioxidant capacity were matched by changes in ascorbate content, but not phenolic content. The growth environment significantly altered the pattern of antioxidant transcript and enzyme response to the acute O{sub 3} stress. Following the acute oxidative stress, there was an immediate transcriptional reprogramming that allowed for maintained or increased antioxidant enzyme activities in plants grown at elevated [O{sub 3}]. Growth at elevated [CO{sub 2}] appeared to increase the response of antioxidant enzymes to acute oxidative stress, but dampened and delayed the transcriptional response. These results provide evidence that the growth environment alters the antioxidant system, the immediate response to an acute oxidative stress, and the timing over which plants return to initial antioxidant levels. The results also indicate that future elevated [CO{sub 2}] and [O{sub 3}] will differentially affect the antioxidant system.« less

Acute Exercise and Oxidative Stress: CrossFit(™) vs. Treadmill Bout.

PubMed

Kliszczewicz, Brian; Quindry, C John; Blessing, L Daniel; Oliver, D Gretchen; Esco, R Michael; Taylor, J Kyle

2015-09-29

CrossFit(™), a popular high-intensity training modality, has been the subject of scrutiny, with concerns of elevated risk of injury and health. Despite these concerns empirical evidence regarding physiologic stresses including acute oxidative stress is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the acute redox response to a CrossFit(™) bout. Furthermore, these findings were compared to a high-intensity treadmill bout as a point of reference. Ten males 26.4 ± 2.7 yrs having three or more months of CrossFit(™) experience participated in the present study. Blood plasma was collected at four time points: Pre-exercise (PRE), immediately-post-exercise (IPE), 1 hr-post (1-HP) and 2 hr-post (2-HP), to examine oxidative damage and antioxidant capacity. Regarding plasma oxidative damage, CrossFit(™) and Treadmill elicited a time-dependent increase of lipid peroxides 1-HP (CrossFit(™)=+143%, Treadmill=+115%) and 2-HP (CrossFit(™)=+256%, Treadmill+167%). Protein Carbonyls were increased IPE in CF only (+5%), while a time-dependent decrease occurred 1-HP (CrossFit(™)=-16%, Treadmill=-8%) and 2-HP (CF=-16%, TM=-1%) compared to IPE. Regarding antioxidant capacity, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power also demonstrated a time-dependent increase within CrossFit(™) and Treadmill: IPE (CrossFit(™)=+25%, Treadmill=+17%), 1-HP (CrossFit(™)=+26%, Treadmill=+4.8%), 2-HP (CrossFit(™)=+20%, Treadmill=+12%). Total Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity showed a time-dependent decrease in IPE (CrossFit(™)=-10%, Treadmill=-12%), 1-HP (CrossFit(™)=-12%, Treadmill=-6%), 2-HP (CrossFit(™)=-7%, Treadmill=-11%). No trial-dependent differences were observed in any biomarker of oxidative stress. The CrossFit(™) bout elicited an acute blood oxidative stress response comparable to a traditional bout of high-intensity treadmill running. Results also confirm that exercise intensity and the time course of exercise recovery influence oxidative responses.

The role of dehydroepiandrosterone on functional innate immune responses to acute stress.

PubMed

Prall, Sean P; Larson, Emilee E; Muehlenbein, Michael P

2017-12-01

The androgen dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) responds to stress activation, exhibits anti-glucocorticoid properties, and modulates immunity in diverse ways, yet little is known of its role in acute stress responses. In this study, the effects of DHEA and its sulfate ester DHEA-S on human male immune function during exposure to an acute stressor is explored. Variation in DHEA, DHEA-S, testosterone, and cortisol, along with bacterial killing assays, was measured in response to a modified Trier Social Stress test in 27 young adult males. Cortisol was positively related to salivary innate immunity but only for participants who also exhibited high DHEA responses. Additionally, DHEA positively and DHEA-S negatively predicted salivary immunity, but the opposite was observed for serum-based innate immunity. The DHEA response to acute stress appears to be an important factor in stress-mediated immunological responses, with differential effects on immunity dependent upon the presence of other hormones, primarily cortisol and DHEA-S. These results suggest that DHEA plays an important role, alongside other hormones, in modulating immunological shifts during acute stress. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Executive functioning performance predicts subjective and physiological acute stress reactivity: preliminary results.

PubMed

Hendrawan, Donny; Yamakawa, Kaori; Kimura, Motohiro; Murakami, Hiroki; Ohira, Hideki

2012-06-01

Individual differences in baseline executive functioning (EF) capacities have been shown to predict state anxiety during acute stressor exposure. However, no previous studies have clearly demonstrated the relationship between EF and physiological measures of stress. The present study investigated the efficacy of several well-known EF tests (letter fluency, Stroop test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) in predicting both subjective and physiological stress reactivity during acute psychosocial stress exposure. Our results show that letter fluency served as the best predictor for both types of reactivity. Specifically, the higher the letter fluency score, the lower the acute stress reactivity after controlling for the baseline stress response, as indicated by lower levels of state anxiety, negative mood, salivary cortisol, and skin conductance. Moreover, the predictive power of the letter fluency test remained significant for state anxiety and cortisol indices even after further adjustments for covariates by adding the body mass index (BMI) as a covariate. Thus, good EF performance, as reflected by high letter fluency scores, may dampen acute stress responses, which suggests that EF processes are directly associated with aspects of stress regulation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive endocrine response to acute stress in the bottlenose dolphin from serum, blubber, and feces.

PubMed

Champagne, Cory D; Kellar, Nicholas M; Trego, Marisa L; Delehanty, Brendan; Boonstra, Rudy; Wasser, Samuel K; Booth, Rebecca K; Crocker, Daniel E; Houser, Dorian S

2018-05-29

Several hormones are potential indicators of stress in free-ranging animals and provide information on animal health in managed-care settings. In response to stress, glucocorticoids (GC, e.g. cortisol) first appear in circulation but are later incorporated into other tissues (e.g. adipose) or excreted in feces or urine. These alternative matrices can be sampled remotely, or by less invasive means, than required for blood collection and are especially valuable in highly mobile species, like marine mammals. We characterized the timing and magnitude of several hormones in response to a stressor in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the subsequent incorporation of cortisol into blubber, and its metabolites excreted in feces. We evaluated the endocrine response to an acute stressor in bottlenose dolphins under managed care. We used a standardized stress protocol where dolphins voluntarily beached onto a padded platform and remained out of water for two hours; during the stress test blood samples were collected every 15 min and blubber biopsies were collected every hour (0, 60, and 120 min). Each subject was studied over five days: voluntary blood samples were collected on each of two days prior to the stress test; 1 and 2 h after the conclusion of the out-of-water stress test; and on the following two days after the stress test. Fecal samples were collected daily, each afternoon. The acute stressor resulted in increases in circulating ACTH, cortisol, and aldosterone during the stress test, and each returned to baseline levels within 2 h of the dolphin's return to water. Both cortisol and aldosterone concentrations were correlated with ACTH, suggesting both corticosteroids are at least partly regulated by ACTH. Thyroid hormone concentrations were generally unaffected by the acute stressor. Blubber cortisol increased during the stress test, and fecal GC excretion was elevated on the day of the stress test. We found that GCs in bottlenose dolphins can

Verapamil enhances acute stress or glucocorticoid-induced deficits in retrieval of long-term memory in rats.

PubMed

Rashidy-Pour, Ali; Vafaei, Abbas Ali; Taherian, Abbas Ali; Miladi-Gorji, Hossein; Sadeghi, Hassan; Fathollahi, Yaghoub; Bandegi, Ahmad Reza

2009-10-12

This study was designed to investigate an interaction between acute restraint stress and corticosterone with verapamil, a blocker of L-type voltage-dependent calcium (VDC) channels on retrieval of long-term memory. Young adult male rats were trained in one trial inhibitory avoidance task (0.5 mA, 3 s footshock). On retention test given 48 h after training, the latency to re-enter dark compartment of the apparatus was recorded. In Experiment 1, verapamil pretreatment (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg) enhanced the impairing effects of acute stress (which was applied for 10 min in a Plexiglass tube 30 min before the retention test) on memory retrieval. The applied stress increased circulating corticosterone levels as assessed immediately after the retention test, indicating that stress-induced impairment of memory retrieval is mediated, in part, by increased plasma levels of glucocorticoids. Verapamil did not change this response. In Experiment 2, pretreatment of an intermediate dose of verapamil also enhanced corticosterone-induced impairment of memory retrieval. In Experiments 3 and 4, acute stress or corticosterone did not change motor activity with or without prior treatment of verapamil, suggesting that stress or glucocorticoid-induced impairment of memory retrieval is not due to any gross disturbances in motor performance of animals. These findings indicate that blockade of L-type VDC channels enhances stress or glucocorticoid-induced impairment of memory retrieval, and provide evidence for the existence of an interaction between glucocorticoids and L-type VDC channels on memory retrieval.

Acute episodes of predator exposure in conjunction with chronic social instability as an animal model of post-traumatic stress disorder

PubMed Central

Zoladz, Phillip R.; Conrad, Cheryl D.; Fleshner, Monika; Diamond, David M.

2008-01-01

People who are exposed to horrific, life-threatening experiences are at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some of the symptoms of PTSD include persistent anxiety, exaggerated startle, cognitive impairments and increased sensitivity to yohimbine, an α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist. We have taken into account the conditions known to induce PTSD, as well as factors responsible for long-term maintenance of the disorder, to develop an animal model of PTSD. Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were administered a total of 31 days of psychosocial stress, composed of acute and chronic components. The acute component was a 1-h stress session (immobilization during cat exposure), which occurred on Days 1 and 11. The chronic component was that on all 31 days the rats were given unstable housing conditions. We found that psychosocially stressed rats had reduced growth rate, reduced thymus weight, increased adrenal gland weight, increased anxiety, an exaggerated startle response, cognitive impairments, greater cardiovascular and corticosterone reactivity to an acute stressor and heightened responsivity to yohimbine. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of acute inescapable episodes of predator exposure administered in conjunction with daily social instability as an animal model of PTSD. PMID:18574787

Perceived life stress exposure modulates reward-related medial prefrontal cortex responses to acute stress in depression.

PubMed

Kumar, Poornima; Slavich, George M; Berghorst, Lisa H; Treadway, Michael T; Brooks, Nancy H; Dutra, Sunny J; Greve, Douglas N; O'Donovan, Aoife; Bleil, Maria E; Maninger, Nicole; Pizzagalli, Diego A

2015-07-15

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often precipitated by life stress and growing evidence suggests that stress-induced alterations in reward processing may contribute to such risk. However, no human imaging studies have examined how recent life stress exposure modulates the neural systems that underlie reward processing in depressed and healthy individuals. In this proof-of-concept study, 12 MDD and 10 psychiatrically healthy individuals were interviewed using the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) to assess their perceived levels of recent acute and chronic life stress exposure. Additionally, each participant performed a monetary incentive delay task under baseline (no-stress) and stress (social-evaluative) conditions during functional MRI. Across groups, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activation to reward feedback was greater during acute stress versus no-stress conditions in individuals with greater perceived stressor severity. Under acute stress, depressed individuals showed a positive correlation between perceived stressor severity levels and reward-related mPFC activation (r=0.79, p=0.004), whereas no effect was found in healthy controls. Moreover, for depressed (but not healthy) individuals, the correlations between the stress (r=0.79) and no-stress (r=-0.48) conditions were significantly different. Finally, relative to controls, depressed participants showed significantly reduced mPFC gray matter, but functional findings remained robust while accounting for structural differences. Small sample size, which warrants replication. Depressed individuals experiencing greater recent life stress recruited the mPFC more under stress when processing rewards. Our results represent an initial step toward elucidating mechanisms underlying stress sensitization and recurrence in depression. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Repeated immobilization stress increases uncoupling protein 1 expression and activity in Wistar rats.

PubMed

Gao, Bihu; Kikuchi-Utsumi, Kazue; Ohinata, Hiroshi; Hashimoto, Masaaki; Kuroshima, Akihiro

2003-06-01

Repeat immobilization-stressed rats are leaner and have improved cold tolerance due to enhancement of brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. This process likely involves stress-induced sympathetic nervous system activation and adrenocortical hormone release, which dynamically enhances and suppresses uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) function, respectively. To investigate whether repeated immobilization influences UCP1 thermogenic properties, we assessed UCP1 mRNA, protein expression, and activity (GDP binding) in BAT from immobilization-naive or repeatedly immobilized rats (3 h daily for 4 weeks) and sham operated or adrenalectomized (ADX) rats. UCP1 properties were assessed before (basal) and after exposure to 3 h of acute immobilization. Basal levels of GDP binding and UCP1 expression was significantly increased (140 and 140%) in the repeated immobilized group. Acute immobilization increased GDP binding in both naive (180%) and repeated immobilized groups (220%) without changing UCP1 expression. In ADX rats, basal GDP binding and UCP1 gene expression significantly increased (140 and 110%), and acute immobilization induced further increase. These data demonstrate that repeated immobilization resulted in enhanced UCP1 function, suggesting that enhanced BAT thermogenesis contributes to lower body weight gain through excess energy loss and an improved ability to maintain body temperature during cold exposure.

Systemic response of the stony coral Pocillopora damicornis against acute cadmium stress.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhi; Yu, Xiaopeng; Tang, Jia; Wu, Yibo; Wang, Lingui; Huang, Bo

2018-01-01

Heavy metals have become one of the main pollutants in the marine environment and a major threat to the growth and reproduction of stony corals. In the present study, the density of symbiotic zooxanthellae, levels of crucial physiological activities and the transcriptome were investigated in the stony coral Pocillopora damicornis after the acute exposure to elevated cadmium concentration. The density of symbiotic zooxanthellae decreased significantly during 12-24h period, and reached lowest at 24h after acute cadmium stress. No significant changes were observed in the activity of glutathione S-transferase during the entire stress exposure. The activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and the concentration of glutathione decreased significantly, but the activation level of caspase3 increased significantly after cadmium exposure. Furthermore, transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis revealed 3538 significantly upregulated genes and 8048 significantly downregulated genes at 12h after the treatment. There were 12 overrepresented GO terms for significantly upregulated genes, mostly related to unfolded protein response, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis. In addition, a total of 32 GO terms were overrepresented for significantly downregulated genes, and mainly correlated with macromolecular metabolic processes. These results collectively suggest that acute cadmium stress could induce apoptosis by repressing the production of the antioxidants, elevating oxidative stress and activating the unfolded protein response. This cascade of reactions would result to the collapse of the coral-zooxanthella symbiosis and the expulsion of symbiotic zooxanthellae in the stony coral P. damicornis, ultimately leading to coral bleaching. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acute social defeat stress increases the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine in adult but not in adolescent mice.

PubMed

Montagud-Romero, S; Aguilar, M A; Maldonado, C; Manzanedo, C; Miñarro, J; Rodríguez-Arias, M

2015-08-01

Stressful experiences modify activity in areas of the brain involved in the rewarding effects of psychostimulants. In the present study we evaluated the influence of acute social defeat (ASD) on the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine in adolescent (PND 29-32) and adult (PND 50-53) male mice in the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Experimental mice were exposed to social defeat in an agonistic encounter before each session of conditioning with 1mg/kg or 25mg/kg of cocaine. The effects of social defeat on corticosterone levels were also evaluated. Adult mice exposed to ASD showed an increase in the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine. Only these mice developed cocaine-induced CPP with the subthreshold dose of cocaine, and they needed a higher number of extinction sessions for the 25mg/kg cocaine-induced CPP to be extinguished. In adolescent mice, on the other hand, ASD reduced the conditioned reinforcing effects of cocaine, since CPP was not produced with the lower dose of cocaine and was extinguished faster when they were conditioned with 25mg/kg. Adult mice exposed to social defeat displayed higher levels of corticosterone than their controls and adolescent mice. Our results confirm that the effect of social defeat stress on the acquisition and reinstatement of the CPP induced by cocaine varies depending on the age at which this stress is experienced. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Surgeons' and surgical trainees' acute stress in real operations or simulation: A systematic review.

PubMed

Georgiou, Konstantinos; Larentzakis, Andreas; Papavassiliou, Athanasios G

2017-12-01

Acute stress in surgery is ubiquitous and has an immediate impact on surgical performance and patient safety. Surgeons react with several coping strategies; however, they recognise the necessity of formal stress management training. Thus, stress assessment is a direct need. Surgical simulation is a validated standardised training milieu designed to replicate real-life situations. It replicates stress, prevents biases, and provides objective metrics. The complexity of stress mechanisms makes stress measurement difficult to quantify and interpret. This systematic review aims to identify studies that have used acute stress estimation measurements in surgeons or surgical trainees during real operations or surgical simulation, and to collectively present the rationale of these tools, with special emphasis in salivary markers. A search strategy was implemented to retrieve relevant articles from MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases. The 738 articles retrieved were reviewed for further evaluation according to the predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Thirty-three studies were included in this systematic review. The methods for acute stress assessment varied greatly among studies with the non-invasive techniques being the most commonly used. Subjective and objective tests for surgeons' acute stress assessment are being presented. There is a broad spectrum of acute mental stress assessment tools in the surgical field and simulation and salivary biomarkers have recently gained popularity. There is a need to maintain a consistent methodology in future research, towards a deeper understanding of acute stress in the surgical field. Copyright © 2017 Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute, food-induced moderate elevation of plasma uric acid protects against hyperoxia-induced oxidative stress and increase in arterial stiffness in healthy humans.

PubMed

Vukovic, Jonatan; Modun, Darko; Budimir, Danijela; Sutlovic, Davorka; Salamunic, Ilza; Zaja, Ivan; Boban, Mladen

2009-11-01

We examined the effects of acute, food-induced moderate increase of plasma uric acid (UA) on arterial stiffness and markers of oxidative damage in plasma in healthy males exposed to 100% normobaric oxygen. Acute elevation of plasma UA was induced by consumption of red wine, combination of ethanol and glycerol, or fructose. By using these beverages we were able to separate the effects of UA, wine polyphenols and ethanol. Water was used as a control beverage. Ten males randomly consumed test beverages in a cross-over design over the period of 4 weeks, one beverage per week. They breathed 100% O(2) between 60(th) and 90(th)min of the 4-h study protocol. Pulse wave augmentation index (AIx) at brachial and radial arteries, plasma antioxidant capacity (AOC), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) assessed by xylenol orange method, UA and blood ethanol concentrations were determined before and 60, 90, 120, 150 and 240 min after beverage consumption. Consumption of the beverages did not affect the AIx, TBARS or LOOH values during 60 min before exposure to hyperoxia, while AOC and plasma UA increased except in the water group. Significant increase of AIx, plasma TBARS and LOOH, which occurred during 30 min of hyperoxia in the water group, was largely prevented in the groups that consumed red wine, glycerol+ethanol or fructose. In contrast to chronic hyperuricemia, generally considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome, acute increase of UA acts protectively against hyperoxia-induced oxidative stress and related increase of arterial stiffness in large peripheral arteries.

Association Between Interleukin-6 and Striatal Prediction-Error Signals Following Acute Stress in Healthy Female Participants.

PubMed

Treadway, Michael T; Admon, Roee; Arulpragasam, Amanda R; Mehta, Malavika; Douglas, Samuel; Vitaliano, Gordana; Olson, David P; Cooper, Jessica A; Pizzagalli, Diego A

2017-10-15

Stress is widely known to alter behavioral responses to rewards and punishments. It is believed that stress may precipitate these changes through modulation of corticostriatal circuitry involved in reinforcement learning and motivation, although the intervening mechanisms remain unclear. One candidate is inflammation, which can rapidly increase following stress and can disrupt dopamine-dependent reward pathways. Here, in a sample of 88 healthy female participants, we first assessed the effect of an acute laboratory stress paradigm on levels of plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), a cytokine known to be both responsive to stress and elevated in depression. In a second laboratory session, we examined the effects of a second laboratory stress paradigm on reward prediction error (RPE) signaling in the ventral striatum. We show that individual differences in stress-induced increases in IL-6 (session 1) were associated with decreased ventral striatal RPE signaling during reinforcement learning (session 2), though there was no main effect of stress on RPE. Furthermore, changes in IL-6 following stress predicted intraindividual variability in perceived stress during a 4-month follow-up period. Taken together, these data identify a novel link between IL-6 and striatal RPEs during reinforcement learning in the context of acute psychological stress, as well as future appraisal of stressful life events. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute stress blocks the caffeine-induced enhancement of contextual memory retrieval in mice.

PubMed

Pierard, Chistophe; Krazem, Ali; Henkous, Nadia; Decorte, Laurence; Béracochéa, Daniel

2015-08-15

This study investigated in mice the dose-effect of caffeine on memory retrieval in non-stress and stress conditions. C57 Bl/6 Jico mice learned two consecutive discriminations (D1 and D2) in a four-hole board which involved either distinct contextual (CSD) or similar contextual (SSD) cues. All mice received an i.p. injection of vehicle or caffeine (8, 16 or 32mg/kg) 30min before the test session. Results showed that in non-stress conditions, the 16mg/kg caffeine dose induced a significant enhancement of D1 performance in CSD but not in SSD. Hence, we studied the effect of an acute stress (electric footshocks) administered 15min before the test session on D1 performance in caffeine-treated mice. Results showed that stress significantly decreased D1 performance in vehicle-treated controls and the memory-enhancing effect induced by the 16mg/kg caffeine dose in non-stress condition is no longer observed. Interestingly, whereas caffeine-treated mice exhibited weaker concentrations of plasma corticosterone as compared to vehicles in non-stress condition, stress significantly increased plasma corticosterone concentrations in caffeine-treated mice which reached similar level to that of controls. Overall, the acute stress blocked both the endocrinological and memory retrieval enhancing effects of caffeine. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of three acute stress models for simulating the pathophysiology of stress-related mucosal disease.

PubMed

Saxena, Bhagawati; Singh, Sanjay

2017-05-30

Stress-related mucosal disease (SRMD) is highly prevalent in intensive care patients leading to increasing treatment cost and mortality. SRMD is a disease elusive of ideal treatment. Evaluation of drugs is very pertinent for the efficient and safe treatment of SRMD. It relies mainly on in vivo screening models. There are various stress models, and till date, none of them is validated for simulating the SRMD pathophysiology. The present study aims to choose the best model, which reproduce pathophysiology of SRMD, among previously established stress models. This study evaluates ulcer index, hexosamine content, microvascular permeability, and gastric content in three acute stress models (cold-restraint, restraint, and water immersion restraint). Macroscopic pictures of the ulcerogenic stomach explain that in contrast to other models, cold-restraint stress (CRS) exposure produced marked ulcers on the fundic area of the stomach. Results of the present study depicted that each stress model significantly increased ulcer index, microvascular permeability and decreased hexosamine level, however, the maximum in the case of CRS-exposed rats. Total acidity and pH of the gastric content remains unchanged in all the stress models. On the contrary, the gastric volume significantly decreased only in case of CRS, while unchanged in other stress models. The overall results revealed that the CRS resembles the pathophysiology of SRMD closely. It is the best and feasible model among all the models to evaluate drugs for the treatment of SRMD.

Ozone Exposure Increases Circulating Stress Hormones and Lipid Metabolites in Humans

PubMed Central

Miller, Desinia B.; Ghio, Andrew J.; Karoly, Edward D.; Bell, Lauren N.; Snow, Samantha J.; Madden, Michael C.; Soukup, Joleen; Cascio, Wayne E.; Gilmour, M. Ian

2016-01-01

Rationale: Air pollution has been associated with increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes; however, the mechanisms remain unknown. We have shown that acute ozone exposure in rats induces release of stress hormones, hyperglycemia, leptinemia, and glucose intolerance that are associated with global changes in peripheral glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Objectives: To examine ozone-induced metabolic derangement in humans using serum metabolomic assessment, establish human-to-rodent coherence, and identify novel nonprotein biomarkers. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from a crossover clinical study that included two clinic visits (n = 24 each) where each subject was blindly exposed in the morning to either filtered air or 0.3 parts per million ozone for 2 hours during 15-minute on-off exercise. Serum samples collected within 1 hour after exposure were assessed for changes in metabolites using a metabolomic approach. Measurements and Main Results: Metabolomic analysis revealed that ozone exposure markedly increased serum cortisol and corticosterone together with increases in monoacylglycerol, glycerol, and medium- and long-chain free fatty acids, reflective of lipid mobilization and catabolism. Additionally, ozone exposure increased serum lysolipids, potentially originating from membrane lipid breakdown. Ozone exposure also increased circulating mitochondrial β-oxidation–derived metabolites, such as acylcarnitines, together with increases in the ketone body 3-hydroxybutyrate. These changes suggested saturation of β-oxidation by ozone in exercising humans. Conclusions: As in rodents, acute ozone exposure increased stress hormones and globally altered peripheral lipid metabolism in humans, likely through activation of a neurohormonally mediated stress response pathway. The metabolomic assessment revealed new biomarkers and allowed for establishment of rodent-to-human coherence. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01492517

Acute and chronic stress increase salivary cortisol: a study in the real-life setting of a national examination undertaken by medical graduates.

PubMed

González-Cabrera, J; Fernández-Prada, M; Iribar-Ibabe, C; Peinado, J M

2014-03-01

Spanish medical graduates who apply for a medical specialty training position (MIR) must take an examination that will shape their future personal and professional lives. Preparation for the test represents an important stressor that persists for several months. The aim of this study was to elucidate the stress pattern of this group and evaluate possible changes in the circadian rhythm of cortisol release in medical graduates preparing for this test. A repeated-measures longitudinal study was performed, measuring the salivary cortisol concentrations in 36 medical graduates (13 males and 23 females; mean age of 24.2 years) on five sampling days. Five cortisol samples were collected from 07:00 to 21:00 h in order to monitor changes in the circadian rhythm. On all sampling days (except on the day of the official examination), anxiety and psychological stress were evaluated with the Spanish versions of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). During the study period, participants showed higher levels of anxiety than the Spanish reference population as well as a progressive increase in self-perceived stress. A significant increase in salivary cortisol concentration was observed in both chronic (study and examination preparation) and acute (examinations) situations. Our results suggest that the cortisol awakening response (CAR) may be a good indicator of anticipatory stress but is unaffected by long-term examination preparation. Comparison of results between the official examination day and the mock examination days yielded evidence that learning may modulate the behavior of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Stress Increases Peripheral Axon Growth and Regeneration through Glucocorticoid Receptor-Dependent Transcriptional Programs

PubMed Central

Alexander, Jessica K.; Madalena, Kathryn M.; Motti, Dario; Quach, Tam; Zha, Alicia; Webster Marketon, Jeanette

2017-01-01

Abstract Stress and glucocorticoid (GC) release are common behavioral and hormonal responses to injury or disease. In the brain, stress/GCs can alter neuron structure and function leading to cognitive impairment. Stress and GCs also exacerbate pain, but whether a corresponding change occurs in structural plasticity of sensory neurons is unknown. Here, we show that in female mice (Mus musculus) basal GC receptor (Nr3c1, also known as GR) expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons is 15-fold higher than in neurons in canonical stress-responsive brain regions (M. musculus). In response to stress or GCs, adult DRG neurite growth increases through mechanisms involving GR-dependent gene transcription. In vivo, prior exposure to an acute systemic stress increases peripheral nerve regeneration. These data have broad clinical implications and highlight the importance of stress and GCs as novel behavioral and circulating modifiers of neuronal plasticity. PMID:28828403

Self-esteem levels and cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to acute stress.

PubMed

O'Donnell, Katie; Brydon, Lena; Wright, Caroline E; Steptoe, Andrew

2008-11-01

Acute mental stress tests have helped to clarify the pathways through which psychosocial factors are linked to disease risk. This methodology is now being used to investigate potentially protective psychosocial factors. We investigated whether global self-esteem might buffer cardiovascular and inflammatory responses to acute stress. One hundred and one students completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded for 5 min periods at baseline, during two mental stress tasks, (a speech and a color-word task) and 10, 25 and 40 min into a recovery period. Plasma levels of tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) were assessed at baseline, immediately post-stress and after 45 min recovery. Repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated that heart rate levels were lower across all time points in those with high self-esteem, although heart rate reactivity to stress was not related to self-esteem. There were no differences in baseline HRV, TNF-alpha, IL-6 or IL-1Ra. Multiple linear regressions revealed that greater self-esteem was associated with a smaller reduction in heart rate variability during the speech task, but not the color-word task. Greater self-esteem was associated with smaller TNF-alpha and IL-1Ra responses immediately following acute stress and smaller IL-1Ra responses at 45 min post-stress. In conclusion, global self-esteem is associated with lower heart rate and attenuated HRV and inflammatory responses to acute stress. These responses could be processes through which self-esteem protects against the development of disease.

C57 mice increase wheel-running behavior following stress: preliminary findings.

PubMed

Sibold, Jeremy S; Hammack, Sayamwong E; Falls, William A

2011-10-01

Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety in both humans and animals. To date, there are few, if any studies that examine the effect of stress on self-selected exercise using an animal model. This study examined the effect of acute stress on wheel-running distance in mice. Forty 8-week-old, male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to one of three groups: no stress + wheel-running experience, stress + wheel-running experience, or stress with no wheel-running experience. Stressed mice were exposed to foot shock in a brightly lit environment. Following treatment, wheel-running distances were observed for three hours. Stress significantly increased voluntary wheel-running in mice with wheel-running experience as compared to nonstressed controls and stressed mice with no wheel-running experience. These results suggest that mice familiar with wheel-running may self-select this exercise as a modality for the mitigation of accumulated anxiety.

Symptom Differences in Acute and Chronic Presentation of Childhood Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Famularo, Richard; And Others

1990-01-01

Twenty-four child abuse victims, age 5-13, were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children with the acute form of PTSD exhibited such symptoms as difficulty falling asleep, hypervigilance, nightmares, and generalized anxiety. Children exhibiting chronic PTSD exhibited increased detachment, restricted range of affect,…

Chronic and Acute Stress Promote Overexploitation in Serial Decision Making.

PubMed

Lenow, Jennifer K; Constantino, Sara M; Daw, Nathaniel D; Phelps, Elizabeth A

2017-06-07

Many decisions that humans make resemble foraging problems in which a currently available, known option must be weighed against an unknown alternative option. In such foraging decisions, the quality of the overall environment can be used as a proxy for estimating the value of future unknown options against which current prospects are compared. We hypothesized that such foraging-like decisions would be characteristically sensitive to stress, a physiological response that tracks biologically relevant changes in environmental context. Specifically, we hypothesized that stress would lead to more exploitative foraging behavior. To test this, we investigated how acute and chronic stress, as measured by changes in cortisol in response to an acute stress manipulation and subjective scores on a questionnaire assessing recent chronic stress, relate to performance in a virtual sequential foraging task. We found that both types of stress bias human decision makers toward overexploiting current options relative to an optimal policy. These findings suggest a possible computational role of stress in decision making in which stress biases judgments of environmental quality. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many of the most biologically relevant decisions that we make are foraging-like decisions about whether to stay with a current option or search the environment for a potentially better one. In the current study, we found that both acute physiological and chronic subjective stress are associated with greater overexploitation or staying at current options for longer than is optimal. These results suggest a domain-general way in which stress might bias foraging decisions through changing one's appraisal of the overall quality of the environment. These novel findings not only have implications for understanding how this important class of foraging decisions might be biologically implemented, but also for understanding the computational role of stress in behavior and cognition more broadly

Chronic and Acute Stress Promote Overexploitation in Serial Decision Making

PubMed Central

Lenow, Jennifer K.; Constantino, Sara M.

2017-01-01

Many decisions that humans make resemble foraging problems in which a currently available, known option must be weighed against an unknown alternative option. In such foraging decisions, the quality of the overall environment can be used as a proxy for estimating the value of future unknown options against which current prospects are compared. We hypothesized that such foraging-like decisions would be characteristically sensitive to stress, a physiological response that tracks biologically relevant changes in environmental context. Specifically, we hypothesized that stress would lead to more exploitative foraging behavior. To test this, we investigated how acute and chronic stress, as measured by changes in cortisol in response to an acute stress manipulation and subjective scores on a questionnaire assessing recent chronic stress, relate to performance in a virtual sequential foraging task. We found that both types of stress bias human decision makers toward overexploiting current options relative to an optimal policy. These findings suggest a possible computational role of stress in decision making in which stress biases judgments of environmental quality. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many of the most biologically relevant decisions that we make are foraging-like decisions about whether to stay with a current option or search the environment for a potentially better one. In the current study, we found that both acute physiological and chronic subjective stress are associated with greater overexploitation or staying at current options for longer than is optimal. These results suggest a domain-general way in which stress might bias foraging decisions through changing one's appraisal of the overall quality of the environment. These novel findings not only have implications for understanding how this important class of foraging decisions might be biologically implemented, but also for understanding the computational role of stress in behavior and cognition more broadly

The dynamic interplay between acute psychosocial stress, emotion and autobiographical memory.

PubMed

Sheldon, Signy; Chu, Sonja; Nitschke, Jonas P; Pruessner, Jens C; Bartz, Jennifer A

2018-06-06

Although acute psychosocial stress can impact autobiographical memory retrieval, the nature of this effect is not entirely clear. One reason for this ambiguity is because stress can have opposing effects on the different stages of autobiographical memory retrieval. We addressed this issue by testing how acute stress affects three stages of the autobiographical memory retrieval - accessing, recollecting and reconsolidating a memory. We also investigate the influence of emotion valence on this effect. In a between-subjects design, participants were first exposed to an acute psychosocial stressor or a control task. Next, the participants were shown positive, negative or neutral retrieval cues and asked to access and describe autobiographical memories. After a three to four day delay, participants returned for a second session in which they described these autobiographical memories. During initial retrieval, stressed participants were slower to access memories than were control participants; moreover, cortisol levels were positively associated with response times to access positively-cued memories. There were no effects of stress on the amount of details used to describe memories during initial retrieval, but stress did influence memory detail during session two. During session two, stressed participants recovered significantly more details, particularly emotional ones, from the remembered events than control participants. Our results indicate that the presence of stress impairs the ability to access consolidated autobiographical memories; moreover, although stress has no effect on memory recollection, stress alters how recollected experiences are reconsolidated back into memory traces.

The Prosodic Evolution of West Slavic in the Context of the Neo-Acute Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldstein, Ronald F.

1975-01-01

Because of neo-acute stress--or transferred acute stress--long vowel prosody in West Slavic had a special evolution. Two kinds of long vowel evolution are examined. The nature of transitionality across Slavic territory from tonal opposition to distinctive stress placement is pointed out. (SC)

Progranulin Protects Hippocampal Neurogenesis via Suppression of Neuroinflammatory Responses Under Acute Immune Stress.

PubMed

Ma, Yanbo; Matsuwaki, Takashi; Yamanouchi, Keitaro; Nishihara, Masugi

2017-07-01

Immune stress is well known to suppress adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. We have demonstrated that progranulin (PGRN) has a mitogenic effect on neurogenesis under several experimental conditions. We have also shown that PGRN suppresses excessive neuroinflammatory responses after traumatic brain injury. However, the role of PGRN in modulating neurogenesis under acute immune stress is yet to be elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the involvement of PGRN in neurogenesis and inflammatory responses in the hippocampus using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced immune stress model. Treatment of mice with LPS significantly increased the expression of PGRN in activated microglia and decreased neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. PGRN deficiency increased CD68-immunoreactive area and exacerbated suppression of neurogenesis following LPS treatment. The expression levels of lysosomal genes including lysozyme M, macrophage expressed gene 1, and cathepsin Z were higher in PGRN-deficient than in wild-type mice, while PGRN deficiency decreased mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) mRNA levels, suggesting that PGRN suppresses excessive lysosomal biogenesis by promoting mTOR signaling. LPS treatment also increased the expression of proinflammatory genes such as interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) in the hippocampus, and PGRN deficiency further enhanced gene expression of IL-6 and mPGES-1. These results suggest that PGRN plays a protecting role in hippocampal neurogenesis at least partially by attenuating neuroinflammatory responses during LPS-induced acute immune stress.

Effect of Acute Mental Stress on Heart Rate and QT Variability in Postmyocardial Infarction Patients.

PubMed

Magrì, Damiano; Piccirillo, Gianfranco; Quaglione, Raffaele; Dell'armi, Annalaura; Mitra, Marilena; Velitti, Stefania; Di Barba, Daniele; Lizio, Andrea; Maisto, Damiana; Barillà, Francesco

2012-01-01

Emotionally charged events are associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). In this study we assessed RR and QT variability index (QTVI) at baseline during anger recall test (AR). We calculated QTVI from a 5-min ECG recording and from a 10-beats segment around the presumed maximum sympathetic activation in thirty post-myocardial infarction patients under β-blocker therapy and 10 controls underwent. In all groups, the low-frequency component of RR and SBP increased during AR. In all recordings, the QTVI calculated on a 5-min ECG recording and the QTVI(10 beats) were higher in patients than in controls (P < 0.05). The QTVI during AR remained unchanged from baseline within each group. Conversely, during AR, the QTVI(10 beats) in controls diminished significantly (P < 0.05) from baseline whereas in patients remained unchanged. The inability to buffer an acute stress-induced increase in sympathetic activity could explain why events charged with acute stress are associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias in this setting of patients and support the role of cognitive behavior stress management strategies.

Effect of Acute Mental Stress on Heart Rate and QT Variability in Postmyocardial Infarction Patients

PubMed Central

Magrì, Damiano; Piccirillo, Gianfranco; Quaglione, Raffaele; Dell'Armi, Annalaura; Mitra, Marilena; Velitti, Stefania; Di Barba, Daniele; Lizio, Andrea; Maisto, Damiana; Barillà, Francesco

2012-01-01

Emotionally charged events are associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). In this study we assessed RR and QT variability index (QTVI) at baseline during anger recall test (AR). We calculated QTVI from a 5-min ECG recording and from a 10-beats segment around the presumed maximum sympathetic activation in thirty post-myocardial infarction patients under β-blocker therapy and 10 controls underwent. In all groups, the low-frequency component of RR and SBP increased during AR. In all recordings, the QTVI calculated on a 5-min ECG recording and the QTVI10 beats were higher in patients than in controls (P < 0.05). The QTVI during AR remained unchanged from baseline within each group. Conversely, during AR, the QTVI10 beats in controls diminished significantly (P < 0.05) from baseline whereas in patients remained unchanged. The inability to buffer an acute stress-induced increase in sympathetic activity could explain why events charged with acute stress are associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias in this setting of patients and support the role of cognitive behavior stress management strategies. PMID:22844616

Weight loss in rats exposed to repeated acute restraint stress is independent of energy or leptin status.

PubMed

Harris, Ruth B S; Mitchell, Tiffany D; Simpson, Jacob; Redmann, Stephen M; Youngblood, Bradley D; Ryan, Donna H

2002-01-01

Acute release of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) during repeated restraint (3-h restraint on each of 3 days) causes temporary hypophagia but chronic suppression of body weight in rats. Here we demonstrated that a second bout of repeated restraint caused additional weight loss, but continuing restraint daily for 10 days did not increase weight loss because the rats adapted to the stress. In these two studies serum leptin, which suppresses the endocrine response to stress, was reduced in restrained rats. Peripheral infusion of leptin before and during restraint did not prevent stress-induced weight loss, although stress-induced corticosterone release was suppressed. Restrained rats were hyperthermic during restraint, but there was no evidence that fever or elevated free interleukin-6 caused the sustained reduction in weight. Restraining food-restricted rats caused a small but significant weight loss. Food-restricted rats fed ad libitum after the end of restraint showed a blunted hyperphagia and slower rate of weight regain than their controls. These results indicate that repeated acute stress induces a chronic change in weight independent of stress-induced hypophagia and may represent a change in homeostasis initiated by repeated acute activation of the central CRF system.

Cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress following sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Franzen, Peter L; Gianaros, Peter J; Marsland, Anna L; Hall, Martica H; Siegle, Greg J; Dahl, Ronald E; Buysse, Daniel J

2011-10-01

Psychological stress and sleep disturbances are highly prevalent and are both implicated in the etiology of cardiovascular diseases. Given the common co-occurrence of psychological distress and sleep disturbances including short sleep duration, this study examined the combined effects of these two factors on blood pressure reactivity to immediate mental challenge tasks after well-rested and sleep-deprived experimental conditions. Participants (n = 20) were healthy young adults free from current or past sleep, psychiatric, or major medical disorders. Using a within-subjects crossover design, we examined acute stress reactivity under two experimental conditions: after a night of normal sleep in the laboratory and after a night of total sleep deprivation. Two standardized psychological stress tasks were administered, a Stroop color-word naming interference task and a speech task, which were preceded by a prestress baseline period and followed by a poststress recovery period. Each period was 10 minutes in duration, and blood pressure recordings were collected every 2.5 minutes throughout each period. Mean blood pressure responses during stress and recovery periods were examined with a mixed-effects analysis of covariance, controlling for baseline blood pressure. There was a significant interaction between sleep deprivation and stress on systolic blood pressure (F(2,82.7) = 4.05, p = .02). Systolic blood pressure was higher in the sleep deprivation condition compared with the normal sleep condition during the speech task and during the two baseline periods. Sleep deprivation amplified systolic blood pressure increases to psychological stress. Sleep loss may increase cardiovascular risk by dysregulating stress physiology.

Influence of acute stress on spatial tasks in humans.

PubMed

Richardson, Anthony E; VanderKaay Tomasulo, Melissa M

2011-07-06

Few studies have investigated the relationship between stress and spatial performance in humans. In this study, participants were exposed to an acute laboratory stressor (Star Mirror Tracing Task) or a control condition (watching a nature video) and then performed two spatial tasks. In the first task, participants navigated through a virtual reality (VR) environment and then returned to the environment to make directional judgments relating to the learned targets. In the second task, perspective taking, participants made directional judgments to targets after imagined body rotations with respect to a map. Compared to the control condition, participants in the Stress condition showed increases in heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure indicating sympathetic adrenal medulla (SAM) axis activation. Participants in the Stress condition also reported being more anxious, angry, frustrated, and irritated than participants in the Non-Stress condition. Salivary cortisol did not differ between conditions, indicating no significant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis involvement. In the VR task, memory encoding was unaffected as directional error was similar in both conditions; however, participants in the Stress condition responded more slowly, which may be due to increases in negative affect, SAM disruption in spatial memory retrieval through catecholamine release, or a combination of both factors. In the perspective taking task, participants were also slower to respond after stress, suggesting interference in the ability to adopt new spatial orientations. Additionally, sex differences were observed in that men had greater accuracy on both spatial tasks, but no significant Sex by Stress condition interactions were demonstrated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exposure to acute stress enhances decision-making competence: Evidence for the role of DHEA.

PubMed

Shields, Grant S; Lam, Jovian C W; Trainor, Brian C; Yonelinas, Andrew P

2016-05-01

Exposure to acute stress can impact performance on numerous cognitive abilities, but little is known about how acute stress affects real-world decision-making ability. In the present study, we induced acute stress with a standard laboratory task involving uncontrollable socio-evaluative stress and subsequently assessed decision-making ability using the Adult Decision Making Competence index. In addition, we took baseline and post-test saliva samples from participants to examine associations between decision-making competence and adrenal hormones. Participants in the stress induction group showed enhanced decision-making competence, relative to controls. Further, although both cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reactivity predicted decision-making competence when considered in isolation, DHEA was a significantly better predictor than cortisol when both hormones were considered simultaneously. Thus, our results show that exposure to acute stress can have beneficial effects on the cognitive ability underpinning real-world decision-making and that this effect relates to DHEA reactivity more than cortisol. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exposure to Acute Stress Enhances Decision-Making Competence: Evidence for the Role of DHEA

PubMed Central

Shields, Grant S.; Lam, Jovian C. W.; Trainor, Brian C.; Yonelinas, Andrew P.

2016-01-01

Exposure to acute stress can impact performance on numerous cognitive abilities, but little is known about how acute stress affects real-world decision-making ability. In the present study, we induced acute stress with a standard laboratory task involving uncontrollable socio-evaluative stress and subsequently assessed decision-making ability using the Adult Decision Making Competence index. In addition, we took baseline and post-test saliva samples from participants to examine associations between decision-making competence and adrenal hormones. Participants in the stress induction group showed enhanced decision-making competence, relative to controls. Further, although both cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reactivity predicted decision-making competence when considered in isolation, DHEA was a significantly better predictor than cortisol when both hormones were considered simultaneously. Thus, our results show that exposure to acute stress can have beneficial effects on the cognitive ability underpinning real-world decision-making and that this effect relates to DHEA reactivity more than cortisol. PMID:26874561

Acute psychosocial stress and everyday moral decision-making in young healthy men: The impact of cortisol.

PubMed

Singer, Nina; Sommer, Monika; Döhnel, Katrin; Zänkert, Sandra; Wüst, Stefan; Kudielka, Brigitte M

2017-07-01

In everyday life, moral decisions must frequently be made under acute stress. Although there is increasing evidence that both stress and cortisol affect moral judgment and behavior as well as decision-making in various domains unrelated to morality, surprisingly few attempts have been made to explore the effects of stress on everyday moral decision-making. Therefore, in the present study, we exposed 50 young healthy men to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or its non-stressful placebo version (PTSST). We investigated the impact of acute stress exposure and stress-related cortisol levels on decision-making, decision certainty, and emotions in 28 everyday moral conflict situations with altruistic versus egoistic response alternatives. Results showed that the TSST-exposed group made more altruistic decisions than the non-stress control group, while groups did not differ in decision certainty and emotion ratings. Moreover, in correlational as well as regression analyses, additionally controlling for confounding variables, we observed significant positive associations between cortisol levels and altruistic decision-making. Further analyses revealed that altruistic decisions came along with significantly higher decision certainty and significantly more positive emotion ratings than egoistic decisions. Notably, our data also raise the idea that the personality trait agreeableness plays an important role in everyday moral decision-making. In sum, our findings provide initial evidence that both acute stress exposure and cortisol levels have prosocial effects on everyday moral decision-making in young healthy men. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Acute Stress and Broken Heart Syndrome. A Case Report].

PubMed

Vergel, Juliana; Tamayo-Orozco, Sebastián; Vallejo-Gómez, Andrés Felipe; Posada, María Teresa; Restrepo, Diana

Stress has been associated with an acute heart failure syndrome of important morbidity and mortality. Case report and non-systematic review of the relevant literature. A 65-year-old woman with a history of an untreated generalized anxiety disorder, whom after the violent death of her son presented with oppressive chest pain irradiated to neck and left superior extremity, lasting for more than 30minutes, initial clinical suspect suggests acute coronary syndrome. Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by a reversible left ventricular dysfunction and wall movement abnormalities, without any compromise of the coronary arteries, associated to high plasma levels of catecholamines which in most cases correlates with an acute stress of emotional or physical type. Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy has to be considered by physicians among the differential diagnosis when facing a patient with suspected acute coronary syndrome, especially in post-menopausal women with a history of psychiatric comorbidities such as a generalized anxiety disorder. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Cancer, acute stress disorder, and repressive coping.

PubMed

Pedersen, Anette Fischer; Zachariae, Robert

2010-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between repressive coping style and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) in a sample of cancer patients. A total of 112 cancer patients recently diagnosed with cancer participated in the study. ASD was assessed by the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire, and repressive coping was assessed by a combination of scores from the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and the Bendig version of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Significantly fewer patients classified as "repressors" were diagnosed with ASD compared to patients classified as "non-repressors". However, further investigations revealed that the lower incidence of ASD in repressors apparently was caused by a low score on anxiety and not by an interaction effect between anxiety and defensiveness. Future studies have to investigate whether different psychological mechanisms are responsible for the lower incidence of ASD in repressors and true low-anxious patients.

Acute Stress Dysregulates the LPP ERP Response to Emotional Pictures and Impairs Sustained Attention: Time-Sensitive Effects

PubMed Central

Alomari, Rima A.; Fernandez, Mercedes; Banks, Jonathan B.; Acosta, Juliana; Tartar, Jaime L.

2015-01-01

Stress can increase emotional vigilance at the cost of a decrease in attention towards non-emotional stimuli. However, the time-dependent effects of acute stress on emotion processing are uncertain. We tested the effects of acute stress on subsequent emotion processing up to 40 min following an acute stressor. Our measure of emotion processing was the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual event-related potential (ERP), and our measure of non-emotional attention was the sustained attention to response task (SART). We also measured cortisol levels before and after the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) induction. We found that the effects of stress on the LPP ERP emotion measure were time sensitive. Specifically, the LPP ERP was only altered in the late time-point (30–40 min post-stress) when cortisol was at its highest level. Here, the LPP no longer discriminated between the emotional and non-emotional picture categories, most likely because neutral pictures were perceived as emotional. Moreover, compared to the non-stress condition, the stress-condition showed impaired performance on the SART. Our results support the idea that a limit in attention resources after an emotional stressor is associated with the brain incorrectly processing non-emotional stimuli as emotional and interferes with sustained attention. PMID:26010485

Acute Stress Dysregulates the LPP ERP Response to Emotional Pictures and Impairs Sustained Attention: Time-Sensitive Effects.

PubMed

Alomari, Rima A; Fernandez, Mercedes; Banks, Jonathan B; Acosta, Juliana; Tartar, Jaime L

2015-05-20

Stress can increase emotional vigilance at the cost of a decrease in attention towards non-emotional stimuli. However, the time-dependent effects of acute stress on emotion processing are uncertain. We tested the effects of acute stress on subsequent emotion processing up to 40 min following an acute stressor. Our measure of emotion processing was the late positive potential (LPP) component of the visual event-related potential (ERP), and our measure of non-emotional attention was the sustained attention to response task (SART). We also measured cortisol levels before and after the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) induction. We found that the effects of stress on the LPP ERP emotion measure were time sensitive. Specifically, the LPP ERP was only altered in the late time-point (30-40 min post-stress) when cortisol was at its highest level. Here, the LPP no longer discriminated between the emotional and non-emotional picture categories, most likely because neutral pictures were perceived as emotional. Moreover, compared to the non-stress condition, the stress-condition showed impaired performance on the SART. Our results support the idea that a limit in attention resources after an emotional stressor is associated with the brain incorrectly processing non-emotional stimuli as emotional and interferes with sustained attention.

Pasireotide treatment does not modify hyperglycemic and corticosterone acute restraint stress responses in rats.

PubMed

Ribeiro-Oliveira, Antônio; Schweizer, Junia R O L; Amaral, Pedro H S; Bizzi, Mariana F; Silveira, Warley Cezar da; Espirito-Santo, Daniel T A; Zille, Giancarlo; Soares, Beatriz S; Schmid, Herbert A; Yuen, Kevin C J

2018-04-17

Pasireotide is a new-generation somatostatin analog that acts through binding to multiple somatostatin receptor subtypes. Studies have shown that pasireotide induces hyperglycemia, reduces glucocorticoid secretion, alters neurotransmission, and potentially affects stress responses typically manifested as hyperglycemia and increased corticosterone secretion. This study specifically aimed to evaluate whether pasireotide treatment modifies glucose and costicosterone secretion in response to acute restraint stress. Male Holtzman rats of 150-200 g were treated with pasireotide (10 µg/kg/day) twice-daily for two weeks or vehicle for the same period. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 5, 10, 30, and 60 min of restraint stress. The three experimental groups comprised of vehicle + restraint (VEHR), pasireotide + restraint (PASR), and pasireotide + saline (PASNR). Following pasireotide treatment, no significant differences in baseline glucose and corticosterone levels were observed among the three groups. During restraint, hyperglycemia was observed at 10 min (p < .01 for both comparisons), peaked at 30 min (p < .01 for both comparisons) and showed higher 60 min areas under glucose curves in the VEHR and PASR stressed groups when compared to the non-stressed PASNR group (p < .05 for both comparisons). Restraint also increased corticosterone secretion in the VEHR and PASR stressed groups at 5 min (p < .01 for both comparisons), and peaked at 30 min (p < .01 for both comparisons) with corresponding higher 60 min areas under corticosterone curves when compared to the non-stressed PASNR group (p < .01 for both comparisons). In conclusion, pasireotide treatment does not modify hyperglycemic- and corticosterone-restraint stress responses, thus preserving acute stress regulation.

Olive oil-supplemented diet alleviates acute heat stress-induced mitochondrial ROS production in chicken skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Mujahid, Ahmad; Akiba, Yukio; Toyomizu, Masaaki

2009-09-01

We have previously shown that avian uncoupling protein (avUCP) is downregulated on exposure to acute heat stress, stimulating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxidative damage. In this study, we investigated whether upregulation of avUCP could attenuate oxidative damage caused by acute heat stress. Broiler chickens (Gallus gallus) were fed either a control diet or an olive oil-supplemented diet (6.7%), which has been shown to increase the expression of UCP3 in mammals, for 8 days and then exposed either to heat stress (34 degrees C, 12 h) or kept at a thermoneutral temperature (25 degrees C). Skeletal muscle mitochondrial ROS (measured as H(2)O(2)) production, avUCP expression, oxidative damage, mitochondrial membrane potential, and oxygen consumption were studied. We confirmed that heat stress increased mitochondrial ROS production and malondialdehyde levels and decreased the amount of avUCP. As expected, feeding birds an olive oil-supplemented diet increased the expression of avUCP in skeletal muscle mitochondria and decreased ROS production and oxidative damage. Studies on mitochondrial function showed that heat stress increased membrane potential in state 4, which was reversed by feeding birds an olive oil-supplemented diet, although no differences in basal proton leak were observed between control and heat-stressed groups. These results show that under heat stress, mitochondrial ROS production and olive oil-induced reduction of ROS production may occur due to changes in respiratory chain activity as well as avUCP expression in skeletal muscle mitochondria.

The Nature of Trauma Memories in Acute Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmond, C. H.; Meiser-Stedman, R.; Glucksman, E.; Thompson, P.; Dalgleish, T.; Smith, P.

2011-01-01

Background: There is increasing theoretical, clinical and research evidence for the role of trauma memory in the aetiology of acute pathological stress responses in adults. However, research into the phenomenology of trauma memories in young people is currently scarce. Methods: This study compared the nature of trauma narratives to narratives of…

Changes in protein expression in testes of L2 strain Taiwan country chickens in response to acute heat stress.

PubMed

Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Chen, Chao-Jung; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

2014-07-01

Heat stress causes a decrease of fertility in roosters. Yet, the way acute heat stress affects protein expression remains poorly understood. This study investigated differential protein expression in testes of the L2 strain of Taiwan country chickens following acute heat stress. Twelve 45-week-old roosters were allocated into four groups, including control roosters kept at 25 °C, roosters subjected to 38 °C acute heat stress for 4 hours without recovery, with 2 hours of recovery, and with 6 hours of recovery. Testis samples were collected for morphologic assay and protein analysis. Some of the differentially expressed proteins were validated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Abnormal and apoptotic spermatogenic cells were observed at 2 hours of recovery after acute heat stress, especially among the spermatocytes. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis revealed that 119 protein spots were differentially expressed in chicken testes following heat stress, and peptide mass fingerprinting revealed that these spots contained 92 distinct proteins. In the heat-stressed samples, the heat shock proteins, chaperonin containing t-complex, and proteasome subunits were downregulated, and glutathione S-transferase, transgelin, and DJ-1 were upregulated. Our results demonstrate that acute heat stress impairs the processes of translation, protein folding, and protein degradation, and thus results in apoptosis and interferes with spermatogenesis. On the other hand, the increased expression of antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione S-transferase and DJ-1, may attenuate heat-induced damage. These findings may have implications for breeding chickens that can tolerate more extreme conditions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute Restraint Stress Alters Wheel-Running Behavior Immediately Following Stress and up to 20 Hours Later in House Mice.

PubMed

Malisch, Jessica L; deWolski, Karen; Meek, Thomas H; Acosta, Wendy; Middleton, Kevin M; Crino, Ondi L; Garland, Theodore

In vertebrates, acute stressors-although short in duration-can influence physiology and behavior over a longer time course, which might have important ramifications under natural conditions. In laboratory rats, for example, acute stress has been shown to increase anxiogenic behaviors for days after a stressor. In this study, we quantified voluntary wheel-running behavior for 22 h following a restraint stress and glucocorticoid levels 24 h postrestraint. We utilized mice from four replicate lines that have been selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running activity (HR mice) for 60 generations and their nonselected control (C) lines to examine potential interactions between exercise propensity and sensitivity to stress. Following 6 d of wheel access on a 12L∶12D photo cycle (0700-1900 hours, as during the routine selective breeding protocol), 80 mice were physically restrained for 40 min, beginning at 1400 hours, while another 80 were left undisturbed. Relative to unrestrained mice, wheel running increased for both HR and C mice during the first hour postrestraint (P < 0.0001) but did not differ 2 or 3 h postrestraint. Wheel running was also examined at four distinct phases of the photoperiod. Running in the period of 1600-1840 hours was unaffected by restraint stress and did not differ statistically between HR and C mice. During the period of peak wheel running (1920-0140 hours), restrained mice tended to run fewer revolutions (-11%; two-tailed P = 0.0733), while HR mice ran 473% more than C (P = 0.0008), with no restraint × line type interaction. Wheel running declined for all mice in the latter part of the scotophase (0140-0600 hours), restraint had no statistical effect on wheel running, but HR again ran more than C (+467%; P = 0.0122). Finally, during the start of the photophase (0720-1200 hours), restraint increased running by an average of 53% (P = 0.0443) in both line types, but HR and C mice did not differ statistically. Mice from HR lines had

Acute stress differentially affects spatial configuration learning in high and low cortisol-responding healthy adults

PubMed Central

Meyer, Thomas; Smeets, Tom; Giesbrecht, Timo; Quaedflieg, Conny W. E. M.; Merckelbach, Harald

2013-01-01

Background Stress and stress hormones modulate memory formation in various ways that are relevant to our understanding of stress-related psychopathology, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Particular relevance is attributed to efficient memory formation sustained by the hippocampus and parahippocampus. This process is thought to reduce the occurrence of intrusions and flashbacks following trauma, but may be negatively affected by acute stress. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that the efficiency of visuo-spatial processing and learning based on the hippocampal area is related to PTSD symptoms. Objective The current study investigated the effect of acute stress on spatial configuration learning using a spatial contextual cueing task (SCCT) known to heavily rely on structures in the parahippocampus. Method Acute stress was induced by subjecting participants (N = 34) to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Following a counterbalanced within-subject approach, the effects of stress and the ensuing hormonal (i.e., cortisol) activity on subsequent SCCT performance were compared to SCCT performance following a no-stress control condition. Results Acute stress did not impact SCCT learning overall, but opposing effects emerged for high versus low cortisol responders to the MAST. Learning scores following stress were reduced in low cortisol responders, while high cortisol-responding participants showed improved learning. Conclusions The effects of stress on spatial configuration learning were moderated by the magnitude of endogenous cortisol secretion. These findings suggest a possible mechanism by which cortisol responses serve an adaptive function during stress and trauma, and this may prove to be a promising route for future research in this area. PMID:23671762

Progenitor cells are mobilized by acute psychological stress but not beta-adrenergic receptor agonist infusion.

PubMed

Riddell, Natalie E; Burns, Victoria E; Wallace, Graham R; Edwards, Kate M; Drayson, Mark; Redwine, Laura S; Hong, Suzi; Bui, Jack C; Fischer, Johannes C; Mills, Paul J; Bosch, Jos A

2015-10-01

Stimuli that activate the sympathetic nervous system, such as acute psychological stress, rapidly invoke a robust mobilization of lymphocytes into the circulation. Experimental animal studies suggest that bone marrow-derived progenitor cells (PCs) also mobilize in response to sympathetic stimulation. Here we tested the effects of acute psychological stress and brief pharmacological β-adrenergic (βAR) stimulation on peripheral PC numbers in humans. In two studies, we investigated PC mobilization in response to an acute speech task (n=26) and βAR-agonist (isoproterenol) infusion (n=20). A subset of 8 participants also underwent the infusion protocol with concomitant administration of the βAR-antagonist propranolol. Flow cytometry was used to enumerate lymphocyte subsets, total progenitor cells, total haematopoietic stem cells (HSC), early HSC (multi-lineage potential), late HSC (lineage committed), and endothelial PCs (EPCs). Both psychological stress and βAR-agonist infusion caused the expected mobilization of total monocytes and lymphocytes and CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Psychological stress also induced a modest, but significant, increase in total PCs, HSCs, and EPC numbers in peripheral blood. However, infusion of a βAR-agonist did not result in a significant change in circulating PCs. PCs are rapidly mobilized by psychological stress via mechanisms independent of βAR-stimulation, although the findings do not exclude βAR-stimulation as a possible cofactor. Considering the clinical and physiological relevance, further research into the mechanisms involved in stress-induced PC mobilization seems warranted. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Progenitor cells are mobilized by acute psychological stress but not beta-adrenergic receptor agonist infusion

PubMed Central

Riddell, Natalie E.; Burns, Victoria E.; Wallace, Graham R.; Edwards, Kate M.; Drayson, Mark; Redwine, Laura S.; Hong, Suzi; Bui, Jack D.; Fischer, Johannes C.; Mills, Paul J.; Bosch, Jos A.

2015-01-01

Objectives Stimuli that activate the sympathetic nervous system, such as acute psychological stress, rapidly invoke a robust mobilization of lymphocytes into the circulation. Experimental animal studies suggest that bone marrow-derived progenitor cells (PCs) also mobilize in response to sympathetic stimulation. Here we tested the effects of acute psychological stress and brief pharmacological β-adrenergic (βAR) stimulation on peripheral PC numbers in humans. Methods In two studies, we investigated PC mobilization in response to an acute speech task (n=26) and βAR-agonist (isoproterenol) infusion (n=20). A subset of 8 participants also underwent the infusion protocol with concomitant administration of the βAR-antagonist propranolol. Flow cytometry was used to enumerate lymphocyte subsets, total progenitor cells, total haematopoietic stem cells (HSC), early HSC (multi-lineage potential), late HSC (lineage committed), and endothelial PCs (EPCs). Results Both psychological stress and βAR-agonist infusion caused the expected mobilization of total monocytes and lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Psychological stress also induced a modest, but significant, increase in total PCs, HSCs, and EPC numbers in peripheral blood. However, infusion of a βAR-agonist did not result in a significant change in circulating PCs. Conclusion PCs are rapidly mobilized by psychological stress via mechanisms independent of βAR-stimulation, although the findings do not exclude βAR-stimulation as a possible cofactor. Considering the clinical and physiological relevance, further research into the mechanisms involved in stress-induced PC mobilization seems warranted. PMID:25747743

Mood and cortisol responses following tryptophan-rich hydrolyzed protein and acute stress in healthy subjects with high and low cognitive reactivity to depression.

PubMed

Firk, Christine; Markus, C Rob

2009-06-01

It is suggested that stress particularly in subjects with high cognitive reactivity (CR), a psychological vulnerability marker of depression, may increase or even induce serotonergic vulnerability, which in turn may lead to reduced serotonin (5-HT) function, decreased stress coping and an increased risk to develop depressive symptoms. The aim of the present study was to investigate the beneficial effects of 5-HT augmentation through a tryptophan-rich hydrolyzed protein (HP) on mood and stress coping in subjects with high and low CR. We hypothesized that subjects with high CR are more responsive to the beneficial effects of HP than subjects with low CR particularly after acute stress exposure. In a double-blind, crossover study, participants' mood and cortisol was assessed before and after acute stress exposure either following intake of HP or a standard casein protein (CP) as control condition. HP significantly increased positive mood in all subjects and dampened the cortisol response to acute stress. No differences were found between high and low CR subjects. To conclude, because dietary treatment with HP has beneficial effects on mood and physiological stress coping in both high and low CR subjects, HP may be a good dietary method for augmenting brain TRP and 5-HT and thus 5-HT linked stress resilience.

[Exercise stress test and dobutamine stress echocardiography for the prognostic stratification after uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction].

PubMed

Vitiello, Nicola; Cirillo, Raffaele; Granato, Luigi; Coppola, Vincenzo; di Palma, Francesco

2007-05-01

Exercise stress test and dobutamine stress echocardiography are usually performed early after an uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction in the prognostic stratification of patients to define the optimal diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the association of an imaging test could increase exercise test capability to identify patients with residual ischemia and patients at high risk of events in the follow-up. Four hundred and forty-two consecutive patients underwent exercise stress testing and dobutamine stress echocardiography before discharge and subsequently coronary angiography within 30 days. In case of submaximal negative result at the exercise test, this was repeated 20 days after discharge. The follow-up lasted 26.8 +/- 9 months. The endpoints were death, reinfarction, and unstable angina requiring hospitalization or revascularization intervention. Both tests and their association showed a higher sensitivity in males; in females dobutamine stress echocardiography had a higher specificity. In females, the addition of dobutamine stress echocardiography increased either the negative or the positive prognostic values of exercise stress test by 31% and 5.6%, respectively. In males, the negative prognostic value increased by 15.5%, whereas the positive prognostic value decreased by 12%. A low exercise capability (<6 METs) showed an event predictive value independent of test results and any other variables. The event-free survival curves correlated with exercise capability differed shortly after the first months both in males and females. These results suggest different stratification procedures with regard to gender: in males, the exercise stress test might be sufficient at discharge, to be repeated 20 days later, if submaximal negative. In females, it seems to be useful to associate an imaging test at discharge. In any case, the exercise stress test remains the main step in the stratification procedure also for its

Talofibular interval changes after acute ankle sprain: a stress ultrasonography study of ankle laxity.

PubMed

Croy, Theodore; Saliba, Susan; Saliba, Ethan; Anderson, Mark W; Hertel, Jay

2013-11-01

Quantifying talocrural joint laxity after ankle sprain is problematic. Stress ultrasonography (US) can image the lateral talocrural joint and allow the measurement of the talofibular interval, which may suggest injury to the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL). The acute talofibular interval changes after lateral ankle sprain are unknown. Twenty-five participants (9 male, 16 female; age 21.8 ± 3.2 y, height 167.8 ± 34.1 cm, mass 72.7 ± 13.8 kg) with 27 acute, lateral ankle injuries underwent bilateral stress US imaging at baseline (<7 d) and on the affected ankle at 3 wk and 6 wk from injury in 3 ankle conditions: neutral, anterior drawer, and inversion. Talofibular interval (mm) was measured using imaging software and self-reported function (activities of daily living [ADL] and sports) by the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM). The talofibular interval increased with anterior-drawer stress in the involved ankle (22.65 ± 3.75 mm; P = .017) over the uninvolved ankle (19.45 ± 2.35 mm; limb × position F1,26 = 4.9, P = .035) at baseline. Inversion stress also resulted in greater interval changes (23.41 ± 2.81 mm) than in the uninvolved ankles (21.13 ± 2.08 mm). A main effect for time was observed for inversion (F2,52 = 4.3, P = .019, 21.93 ± 2.24 mm) but not for anterior drawer (F2,52 = 3.1, P = .055, 21.18 ± 2.34 mm). A significant reduction in the talofibular interval took place between baseline and week 3 inversion measurements only (F1,26 = 5.6, P = .026). FAAM-ADL and sports results increased significantly from baseline to wk 3 (21.9 ± 16.2, P < .0001 and 23.8 ± 16.9, P < .0001) and from wk 3 to wk 6 (2.5 ± 4.4, P = .009 and 10.5 ± 13.2, P = .001). Stress US methods identified increased talofibular interval changes suggestive of talocrural laxity and ATFL injury using anterior drawer and inversion stress that, despite significant improvements in self-reported function, only marginally improved during the 6 wk after ankle sprain. Stress US

Acute stress impairs the retrieval of extinction memory in humans

PubMed Central

Raio, Candace M.; Brignoni-Perez, Edith; Goldman, Rachel; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Extinction training is a form of inhibitory learning that allows an organism to associate a previously aversive cue with a new, safe outcome. Extinction does not erase a fear association, but instead creates a competing association that may or may not be retrieved when a cue is subsequently encountered. Characterizing the conditions under which extinction learning is expressed is important to enhancing the treatment of anxiety disorders that rely on extinction-based exposure therapy as a primary treatment technique. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which plays an important role in the expression of extinction memory, has been shown to be functionally impaired after stress exposure. Further, recent research in rodents found that exposure to stress led to deficits in extinction retrieval, although this has yet to be tested in humans. To explore how stress might influence extinction retrieval in humans, participants underwent a differential aversive learning paradigm, in which one image was probabilistically paired with an aversive shock while the other image denoted safety. Extinction training directly followed, at which point reinforcement was omitted. A day later, participants returned to the lab and either completed an acute stress manipulation (i.e., cold pressor), or a control task, before undergoing an extinction retrieval test. Skin conductance responses and salivary cortisol concentrations were measured throughout each session as indices of fear arousal and neuroendocrine stress responses, respectively. The efficacy of our stress induction was established by observing significant increases in cortisol for the stress condition only. We examined extinction retrieval by comparing conditioned responses during the last trial of extinction (day 1) with that of the first trial of re-extinction (day 2). Groups did not differ on initial fear acquisition or extinction, however, one day later participants in the stress group (n = 27) demonstrated significantly less

The effects of acute stress and perceptual load on distractor interference.

PubMed

Sato, Hirotsune; Takenaka, Ippei; Kawahara, Jun I

2012-01-01

Selective attention can be improved under conditions in which a high perceptual load is assumed to exhaust cognitive resources, leaving scarce resources for distractor processing. The present study examined whether perceptual load and acute stress share common attentional resources by manipulating perceptual and stress loads. Participants identified a target within an array of nontargets that were flanked by compatible or incompatible distractors. Attentional selectivity was measured by longer reaction times in response to the incompatible than to the compatible distractors. Participants in the stress group participated in a speech test that increased anxiety and threatened self-esteem. The effect of perceptual load interacted with the stress manipulation in that participants in the control group demonstrated an interference effect under the low perceptual load condition, whereas such interference disappeared under the high perceptual load condition. Importantly, the stress group showed virtually no interference under the low perceptual load condition, whereas substantial interference occurred under the high perceptual load condition. These results suggest that perceptual and stress related demands consume the same attentional resources.

Stress integration after acute and chronic predator stress: differential activation of central stress circuitry and sensitization of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

PubMed

Figueiredo, Helmer F; Bodie, Bryan L; Tauchi, Miyuki; Dolgas, C Mark; Herman, James P

2003-12-01

Predator exposure is a naturalistic stressor of high ethological relevance. In the current study, our group examined central and peripheral integration of stress responses in rats after acute or repeated exposure to a natural predator (cat). Acute cat exposure rapidly induced hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activation and paraventricular nucleus (PVN) CRH mRNA production. Repeated daily cat exposure (7 and 14 d) also up-regulated PVN mRNA CRH expression, but did not result in frank adrenocortical hyperactivity. Unlike other chronic homotypic stress regimens, repeated cat exposure facilitated corticosterone secretion after the 6th or 13th day of exposure. Notably, ACTH secretion and central amygdaloid nucleus CRH mRNA expression were enhanced in animals that were preexposed to the holding chamber relative to chamber-naive rats, suggesting that contextual cues can sensitize subsequent responses to a fearful stimulus. Analysis of c-fos activation was then used to identify brain circuits activated by acute predator stress. Cat exposure elicited a pattern of central c-fos activation that differed substantially from that after either restraint or hypoxia. Predator-specific c-fos mRNA induction was observed in several brain regions comprising the hypothetical brain defense circuit (bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial region of the ventromedial nucleus, and dorsal premammillary nucleus). Surprisingly, acute cat exposure did not induce c-fos expression in the PVN. In summary, the data indicate that 1) predation stress invokes a unique stress circuitry that promotes homotypic sensitization of the HPA axis, and 2) familiarization of animals to testing environments can prime central stress pathways to respond robustly to novel threats.

The impact of acute psychosocial stress on magnetoencephalographic correlates of emotional attention and exogenous visual attention.

PubMed

Elling, Ludger; Schupp, Harald; Bayer, Janine; Bröckelmann, Ann-Kathrin; Steinberg, Christian; Dobel, Christian; Junghofer, Markus

2012-01-01

Stress-induced acute activation of the cerebral catecholaminergic systems has often been found in rodents. However, little is known regarding the consequences of this activation on higher cognitive functions in humans. Theoretical inferences would suggest increased distractibility in the sense of increased exogenous attention and emotional attention. The present study investigated the influence of acute stress responses on magnetoencephalographic (MEG) correlates of visual attention. Healthy male subjects were presented emotional and neutral pictures in three subsequent MEG recording sessions after being exposed to a TSST-like social stressor, intended to trigger a HPA-response. The subjects anticipation of another follow-up stressor was designed to sustain the short-lived central catecholaminergic stress reactions throughout the ongoing MEG recordings. The heart rate indicates a stable level of anticipatory stress during this time span, subsequent cortisol concentrations and self-report measures of stress were increased. With regard to the MEG correlates of attentional functions, we found that the N1m amplitude remained constantly elevated during stressor anticipation. The magnetic early posterior negativity (EPNm) was present but, surprisingly, was not at all modulated during stressor anticipation. This suggests that a general increase of the influence of exogenous attention but no specific effect regarding emotional attention in this time interval. Regarding the time course of the effects, an influence of the HPA on these MEG correlates of attention seems less likely. An influence of cerebral catecholaminergic systems is plausible, but not definite.

Cognitive reappraisal increases neuroendocrine reactivity to acute social stress and physical pain.

PubMed

Denson, Thomas F; Creswell, J David; Terides, Matthew D; Blundell, Kate

2014-11-01

Cognitive reappraisal can foster emotion regulation, yet less is known about whether cognitive reappraisal alters neuroendocrine stress reactivity. Some initial evidence suggests that although long-term training in cognitive behavioral therapy techniques (which include reappraisal as a primary training component) can reduce cortisol reactivity to stress, some studies also suggest that reappraisal is associated with heightened cortisol stress reactivity. To address this mixed evidence, the present report describes two experimental studies that randomly assigned young adult volunteers to use cognitive reappraisal while undergoing laboratory stressors. Relative to the control condition, participants in the reappraisal conditions showed greater peak cortisol reactivity in response to a socially evaluative speech task (Experiment 1, N=90) and to a physical pain cold pressor task (Experiment 2, N=94). Participants in the cognitive reappraisal group also reported enhanced anticipatory psychological appraisals of self-efficacy and control in Experiment 2 and greater post-stressor self-efficacy. There were no effects of the reappraisal manipulation on positive and negative subjective affect, pain, or heart rate in either experiment. These findings suggest that although cognitive reappraisal fosters psychological perceptions of self-efficacy and control under stress, this effortful emotion regulation strategy in the short-term may increase cortisol reactivity. Discussion focuses on promising psychological mechanisms for these cognitive reappraisal effects. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Effect of acute heat stress on rat adrenal glands: a morphological and stereological study.

PubMed

Koko, Vesna; Djordjeviae, Jelena; Cvijiae, Gordana; Davidoviae, Vukosava

2004-11-01

The morphological and stereological structure of rat adrenal gland was analysed by light microscopy after an acute (60 min) exposure to high ambient temperature (38 degrees C). A significant increase in plasma corticotrophin (ACTH) and serum corticosterone (CORT) concentrations was observed, confirming that acute heat exposure has a strong stressful effect. Under these conditions the adrenal gland mass and volume were decreased, probably as the consequence of adrenal cortex reduction, especially that of the zona fasciculata (ZF). Histological examination revealed that many ZF cells were deprived of lipid droplets. Fibrosis was observed in all parts of the adrenal gland, both cortex and medulla, of heat stressed animals. Mitotic figures were absent in cortical cells after heat exposure, but there were no differences in ZF and zona reticularis (ZR) small blood vessels compared to nonstressed controls.

Effect of short-term, high-dose methylprednisolone on oxidative stress in children with acute immune thrombocytopenia.

PubMed

Cura, Musa; Koç, Ahmet; Aksoy, Nurten; Özdemir, Zeynep Canan

2016-12-01

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is the most common cause of acquired childhood thrombocytopenia and is characterized by increased immune-mediated destruction of circulating thrombocytes. Oxidative damage may be involved in ITP pathogenesis; paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) enzymes are closely associated with the cellular antioxidant system. We investigated the effect of short-term high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) treatment on the total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), oxidative stress index (OSI), and PON and ARE enzymatic activity in children with acute ITP. Thirty children with acute ITP constituted the study group and 30 healthy children constituted the control group. Children with acute ITP were treated with HDMP: 30 mg/kg for 3 days, then 20 mg/kg for 4 days. The TOS, TAC, OSI, PON, and ARE levels were determined before and after 7 days of HDMP treatment. The TAC level ( P <0.001), and PON ( P <0.001) and ARE (P=0.001) activities were lower and the TOS ( P =0.003) and OSI ( P <0.001) levels were higher in children with acute ITP than those in healthy children in the control group. We also observed statistically significant increases in the TAC ( P <0.01), PON ( P <0.001) and ARE levels ( P =0.001) and decreases in the TOS ( P <0.05) and OSI levels ( P <0.05) with 7 days of HDMP treatment compared to their values before treatment. Our study demonstrated increased oxidative stress (OSI and TOC) and decreased antioxidant capacity (TAC), PON, and ARE in ITP patients and that steroid treatment could be effective in reducing the oxidative stress.

The association between acute mental stress and abnormal left atrial electrophysiology.

PubMed

O'Neal, Wesley T; Hammadah, Muhammad; Sandesara, Pratik B; Almuwaqqat, Zakaria; Samman-Tahhan, Ayman; Gafeer, Mohamad M; Abdelhadi, Naser; Wilmot, Kobina; Al Mheid, Ibhar; Bremner, Douglas J; Kutner, Michael; Soliman, Elsayed Z; Shah, Amit J; Quyyumi, Arshed A; Vaccarino, Viola

2017-10-01

Acute stress may trigger atrial fibrillation (AF), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We examined if acute mental stress results in abnormal left atrial electrophysiology as detected by more negative deflection of P-wave terminal force in lead V 1 (PTFV 1 ), a well-known marker of AF risk. We examined this hypothesis in 422 patients (mean age = 56 ± 10 years; 61% men; 44% white) with stable coronary heart disease who underwent mental (speech task) stress testing. PTFV 1 was defined as the duration (milliseconds) times the value of the depth (μV) of the downward deflection (terminal portion) of the P-wave in lead V 1 measured on digital electrocardiograms (ECG). Electrocardiographic left atrial abnormality was defined as PTFV 1 ≤ -4000 μV*ms. Mean PTFV 1 values during stress and recovery were compared with rest. The percentage of participants who developed left atrial abnormality during stress and recovery was compared with the percentage at rest. Compared with rest, PTFV 1 became more negative during mental stress (mean change =  -348, 95% CI = [-515, -182]; P < 0.001) and no change was observed at recovery (mean change = 12, 95%CI = [-148, 172]; P = 0.89). A larger percentage of participants showed left atrial abnormality on ECGs obtained at stress (n = 163, 39%) and recovery (n = 142, 34%) compared with rest (n = 127, 30%). Acute mental stress alters left atrial electrophysiology, suggesting that stressful situations promote adverse transient electrical changes to provide the necessary substrate for AF. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The influence of acute stress on the regulation of conditioned fear

PubMed Central

Raio, Candace M.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Fear learning and regulation is a prominent model for describing the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and stress-related psychopathology. Fear expression can be modulated using a number of regulatory strategies, including extinction, cognitive emotion regulation, avoidance strategies and reconsolidation. In this review, we examine research investigating the effects of acute stress and stress hormones on these regulatory techniques. We focus on what is known about the impact of stress on the ability to flexibly regulate fear responses that are acquired through Pavlovian fear conditioning. Our primary aim is to explore the impact of stress on fear regulation in humans. Given this, we focus on techniques where stress has been linked to alterations of fear regulation in humans (extinction and emotion regulation), and briefly discuss other techniques (avoidance and reconsolidation) where the impact of stress or stress hormones have been mainly explored in animal models. These investigations reveal that acute stress may impair the persistent inhibition of fear, presumably by altering prefrontal cortex function. Characterizing the effects of stress on fear regulation is critical for understanding the boundaries within which existing regulation strategies are viable in everyday life and can better inform treatment options for those who suffer from anxiety and stress-related psychopathology. PMID:25530986

Immune status influences fear and anxiety responses in mice after acute stress exposure

PubMed Central

Clark, Sarah M.; Sand, Joseph; Francis, T. Chase; Nagaraju, Anitha; Michael, Kerry C.; Keegan, Achsah D.; Kusnecov, Alexander; Gould, Todd D.; Tonelli, Leonardo H.

2014-01-01

Significant evidence suggests that exposure to traumatic and/or acute stress in both mice and humans results in compromised immune function that in turn may affect associated brain processes. Additionally, recent studies in mouse models of immune deficiency have suggested that adaptive immunity may play a role during traumatic stress exposure and that impairments in lymphocyte function may contribute to increased susceptibility to various psychogenic stressors. However, rodent studies on the relationship between maladaptive stress responses and lymphocyte deficiency have been complicated by the fact that genetic manipulations in these models may also result in changes in CNS function due to the expression of targeted genes in tissues other than lymphocytes, including the brain. To address these issues we utilized mice with a deletion of recombination-activating gene 2 (Rag2), which has no confirmed expression in the CNS; thus, its loss should result in the absence of mature lymphocytes without altering CNS function directly. Stress responsiveness of immune deficient Rag2−/− mice on a BALB/c background was evaluated in three different paradigms: predator odor exposure (POE), fear conditioning (FC) and learned helplessness (LH). These models are often used to study different aspects of stress responsiveness after the exposure to an acute stressor. In addition, immunoblot analysis was used to assess hippocampal BDNF expression under both stressed and non-stressed conditions. Subsequent to POE, Rag2−/− mice exhibited a reduced acoustic startle response compared to BALB/c mice; no significant differences in behavior were observed in either FC or LH. Furthermore, analysis of hippocampal BDNF indicated that Rag2−/− mice have elevated levels of the mature form of BDNF compared to BALB/c mice. Results from our studies suggest that the absence of mature lymphocytes is associated with increased resilience to stress exposure in the POE and does not affect

Acute social stress-induced immunomodulation in pigs high and low responders to ACTH.

PubMed

Bacou, Elodie; Haurogné, Karine; Mignot, Grégoire; Allard, Marie; De Beaurepaire, Laurence; Marchand, Jordan; Terenina, Elena; Billon, Yvon; Jacques, Julien; Bach, Jean-Marie; Mormède, Pierre; Hervé, Julie; Lieubeau, Blandine

2017-02-01

Pig husbandry is known as an intensive breeding system, piglets being submitted to multiple stressful events such as early weaning, successive mixing, crowding and shipping. These stressors are thought to impair immune defences and might contribute, at least partly, to the prophylactic use of antibiotics. Robustness was recently defined as the ability of an individual to express a high-production potential in a wide variety of environmental conditions. Increasing robustness thus appears as a valuable option to improve resilience to stressors and could be obtained by selecting piglets upon their adrenocortical activity. In this study, we aimed at depicting the consequences of an acute social stress on the immune capacity of piglets genetically selected upon divergent hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity. For this purpose, we monitored neuroendocrine and immune parameters, in high- (HPA hi ) and low- (HPA lo ) responders to ACTH, just before and immediately after a one-hour mixing with unfamiliar conspecifics. As expected, stressed piglets displayed higher levels of circulating cortisol and norepinephrine. Blood cell count analysis combined to flow cytometry revealed a stress-induced leukocyte mobilization in the bloodstream with a specific recruitment of CD8α + lymphocytes. Besides, one-hour mixing decreased LPS-induced IL-8 and TNFα secretions in whole-blood assays (WBA) and reduced mononuclear cell phagocytosis. Altogether, our data demonstrate that acute social stress alters immune competence of piglets from both groups, and bring new insights in favour of good farming practices. While for most parameters high- and low-responders to ACTH behaved similarly, HPA hi piglets displayed higher number of CD4 + CD8α - T cells, as well as increased cytokine production in WBA (LPS-induced TNFα and PIL-induced IL-8), which could confer them increased resistance to pathogens. Finally, a principal component analysis including all parameters

Acute Stress Disorder as a Predictor of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Physical Assault Victims

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elklit, Ask; Brink, Ole

2004-01-01

The authors' objective was to examine the ability of acute stress disorder (ASD) and other trauma-related factors in a group of physical assault victims in predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 6 months later. Subjects included 214 victims of violence who completed a questionnaire 1 to 2 weeks after the assault, with 128 participating…

Negative Energy Balance Blocks Neural and Behavioral Responses to Acute Stress by "Silencing" Central Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Signaling in Rats.

PubMed

Maniscalco, James W; Zheng, Huiyuan; Gordon, Patrick J; Rinaman, Linda

2015-07-29

Previous reports indicate that caloric restriction attenuates anxiety and other behavioral responses to acute stress, and blunts the ability of stress to increase anterior pituitary release of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Since hindbrain glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) neurons and noradrenergic prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) neurons participate in behavioral and endocrine stress responses, and are sensitive to the metabolic state, we examined whether overnight food deprivation blunts stress-induced recruitment of these neurons and their downstream hypothalamic and limbic forebrain targets. A single overnight fast reduced anxiety-like behavior assessed in the elevated-plus maze and acoustic startle test, including marked attenuation of light-enhanced startle. Acute stress [i.e., 30 min restraint (RES) or 5 min elevated platform exposure] robustly activated c-Fos in GLP-1 and PrRP neurons in fed rats, but not in fasted rats. Fasting also significantly blunted the ability of acute stress to activate c-Fos expression within the anterior ventrolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vlBST). Acute RES stress suppressed dark-onset food intake in rats that were fed ad libitum, whereas central infusion of a GLP-1 receptor antagonist blocked RES-induced hypophagia, and reduced the ability of RES to activate PrRP and anterior vlBST neurons in ad libitum-fed rats. Thus, an overnight fast "silences" GLP-1 and PrRP neurons, and reduces both anxiety-like and hypophagic responses to acute stress. The partial mimicking of these fasting-induced effects in ad libitum-fed rats after GLP-1 receptor antagonism suggests a potential mechanism by which short-term negative energy balance attenuates neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to acute stress. The results from this study reveal a potential central mechanism for the "metabolic tuning" of stress responsiveness. A single overnight fast, which markedly reduces anxiety-like behavior in rats, reduces or blocks the ability of

Traumatic Memories in Acute Stress Disorder: An Analysis of Narratives before and after Treatment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moulds, Michelle L.; Bryant, Richard A.

2005-01-01

The dissociative reactions in acute stress disorder purportedly impede encoding and organization of traumatic memories and consequently impair the individual's ability to retrieve trauma-related details. A qualitative examination was conducted on trauma narratives of individuals with acute stress disorder (N = 15) prior to cognitive behavior…

Acute stress negatively affects object recognition early memory consolidation and memory retrieval unrelated to state-dependency.

PubMed

Nelissen, Ellis; Prickaerts, Jos; Blokland, Arjan

2018-06-01

It is well known that stress affects memory performance. However, there still appears to be inconstancy in literature about how acute stress affects the different stages of memory: acquisition, consolidation and retrieval. In this study, we exposed rats to acute stress and measured the effect on memory performance in the object recognition task as a measure for episodic memory. Stress was induced 30 min prior to the learning phase to affect acquisition, directly after the learning phase to affect consolidation, or 30 min before the retrieval phase to affect retrieval. Additionally, we induced stress both 30 min prior to the learning phase and 30 min prior to the retrieval phase to test whether the effects were related to state-dependency. As expected, we found that acute stress did not affect acquisition but had a negative impact on retrieval. To our knowledge, we are the first to show that early consolidation was negatively affected by acute stress. We also show that stress does not have a state-dependent effect on memory. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of acute psychological stress on placebo and nocebo responses in a clinically relevant model of visceroception.

PubMed

Roderigo, Till; Benson, Sven; Schöls, Margarita; Hetkamp, Madeleine; Schedlowski, Manfred; Enck, Paul; Elsenbruch, Sigrid

2017-08-01

There is evidence to suggest a role of emotions in placebo and nocebo effects, but whether acute psychological stress changes the magnitude of placebo or nocebo responses has not been tested. In a clinically relevant model of visceroception, we assessed effects of acute psychological stress on changes in urgency and pain in response to positive or negative treatment suggestions. In 120 healthy volunteers, perceived urge-to-defecate and pain in response to individually calibrated rectal distensions were measured with visual analogue scales during a BASELINE. Participants then underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (N = 60) or a simple cognitive task (control, N = 60) and were randomized to positive (placebo), negative (nocebo), or neutral treatment information regarding intravenous administration of saline. The series of distensions was repeated, and changes in visual analogue scales from BASELINE to TEST were compared between groups using analysis of covariance and planned post hoc tests. Treatment information emerged as a main factor (P <0.001), supporting treatment information effects for both urgency and pain. Effects for urgency were modulated by stress (interaction effect: P <0.05): Positive information reduced urgency (P = 0.025), while negative information increased urgency (P = 0.026) only in stressed groups. For pain, effects of stress emerged for nocebo responses, which were only evident in stressed groups (P = 0.009). This is the first experimental study supporting effects of acute psychological stress on placebo and nocebo responses in visceroception. Results call for mechanistic as well as patient studies to assess how psychological stress shapes patients' treatment expectations and thereby affects health outcomes.

The Effects of Hemodynamic Shear Stress on Stemness of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raddatz, Andrew; Triantafillu, Ursula; Kim, Yonghyun (John)

2015-11-01

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have recently been identified as the root cause of tumors generated from cancer cell populations. This is because these CSCs are drug-resistant and have the ability to self-renew and differentiate. Current methods of culturing CSCs require much time and money, so cancer cell culture protocols, which maximize yield of CSCs are needed. It was hypothesized that the quantity of Acute myelogenous leukemia stem cells (LSCs) would increase after applying shear stress to the leukemia cells based on previous studies with breast cancer in bioreactors. The shear stress was applied by pumping the cells through narrow tubing to mimic the in vivo bloodstream environment. In support of the hypothesis, shear stress was found to increase the amount of LSCs in a given leukemia population. This work was supported by NSF REU Site Award 1358991.

Cumulative Adversity Sensitizes Neural Response to Acute Stress: Association with Health Symptoms

PubMed Central

Seo, Dongju; Tsou, Kristen A; Ansell, Emily B; Potenza, Marc N; Sinha, Rajita

2014-01-01

Cumulative adversity (CA) increases stress sensitivity and risk of adverse health outcomes. However, neural mechanisms underlying these associations in humans remain unclear. To understand neural responses underlying the link between CA and adverse health symptoms, the current study assessed brain activity during stress and neutral-relaxing states in 75 demographically matched, healthy individuals with high, mid, and low CA (25 in each group), and their health symptoms using the Cornell Medical Index. CA was significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (P=0.01) in all participants. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results indicated significant associations between CA scores and increased stress-induced activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, insula, striatum, right amygdala, hippocampus, and temporal regions in all 75 participants (p<0.05, whole-brain corrected). In addition to these regions, the high vs low CA group comparison revealed decreased stress-induced activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the high CA group (p<0.01, whole-brain corrected). Specifically, hypoactive medial OFC and hyperactive right hippocampus responses to stress were each significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (p<0.01). Furthermore, an inverse correlation was found between activity in the medial OFC and right hippocampus (p=0.01). These results indicate that high CA sensitizes limbic–striatal responses to acute stress and also identifies an important role for stress-related medial OFC and hippocampus responses in the effects of CA on increasing vulnerability to adverse health consequences. PMID:24051900

Cumulative adversity sensitizes neural response to acute stress: association with health symptoms.

PubMed

Seo, Dongju; Tsou, Kristen A; Ansell, Emily B; Potenza, Marc N; Sinha, Rajita

2014-02-01

Cumulative adversity (CA) increases stress sensitivity and risk of adverse health outcomes. However, neural mechanisms underlying these associations in humans remain unclear. To understand neural responses underlying the link between CA and adverse health symptoms, the current study assessed brain activity during stress and neutral-relaxing states in 75 demographically matched, healthy individuals with high, mid, and low CA (25 in each group), and their health symptoms using the Cornell Medical Index. CA was significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (P=0.01) in all participants. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results indicated significant associations between CA scores and increased stress-induced activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex, insula, striatum, right amygdala, hippocampus, and temporal regions in all 75 participants (p<0.05, whole-brain corrected). In addition to these regions, the high vs low CA group comparison revealed decreased stress-induced activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the high CA group (p<0.01, whole-brain corrected). Specifically, hypoactive medial OFC and hyperactive right hippocampus responses to stress were each significantly associated with greater adverse health symptoms (p<0.01). Furthermore, an inverse correlation was found between activity in the medial OFC and right hippocampus (p=0.01). These results indicate that high CA sensitizes limbic-striatal responses to acute stress and also identifies an important role for stress-related medial OFC and hippocampus responses in the effects of CA on increasing vulnerability to adverse health consequences.

Acute stress switches spatial navigation strategy from egocentric to allocentric in a virtual Morris water maze.

PubMed

van Gerven, Dustin J H; Ferguson, Thomas; Skelton, Ronald W

2016-07-01

Stress and stress hormones are known to influence the function of the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for cognitive-map-based, allocentric spatial navigation. The caudate nucleus, a brain structure critical for stimulus-response-based, egocentric navigation, is not as sensitive to stress. Evidence for this comes from rodent studies, which show that acute stress or stress hormones impair allocentric, but not egocentric navigation. However, there have been few studies investigating the effect of acute stress on human spatial navigation, and the results of these have been equivocal. To date, no study has investigated whether acute stress can shift human navigational strategy selection between allocentric and egocentric navigation. The present study investigated this question by exposing participants to an acute psychological stressor (the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task, PASAT), before testing navigational strategy selection in the Dual-Strategy Maze, a modified virtual Morris water maze. In the Dual-Strategy maze, participants can chose to navigate using a constellation of extra-maze cues (allocentrically) or using a single cue proximal to the goal platform (egocentrically). Surprisingly, PASAT stress biased participants to solve the maze allocentrically significantly more, rather than less, often. These findings have implications for understanding the effects of acute stress on cognitive function in general, and the function of the hippocampus in particular. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Acute Handling Stress on Some Blood Parameters in Cultured Sea Bream (Sparus Aurata Linnaeus, 1758)

PubMed Central

Fazio, Francesco; Ferrantelli, Vincenzo; Fortino, Gianluca; Giangrosso, Giuseppe; Faggio, Caterina

2015-01-01

The effect of acute handling stress on haematological profile, blood glucose and lactate (secondary stress markers) in cultured sea bream Sparus aurata was evaluated. Sixty six Sparus aurata were used and equally divided into two groups (A and B). Group A was not subjected to stress, Group B was subjected to acute handling stress. From each fish, biometric data and blood samples were collected to evaluate haematological profile, blood glucose and lactate. Unpaired t-test Student was applied to evaluate possible differences in parameters between the two groups. Red blood cells, haematocrit, haemoglobin, white blood cells (WBC), glucose and lactate showed an increase (P<0.05) in Group B compared with Group A, while mean corpuscular volume decreased (P<0.05) in Group B. The results highlight the role of studied parameters in monitoring the stressful conditions of aquaculture production which affect animal welfare and fish products quality. PMID:27800375

The impact of acute stress on the neural processing of food cues in bulimia nervosa: Replication in two samples.

PubMed

Collins, Brittany; Breithaupt, Lauren; McDowell, Jennifer E; Miller, L Stephen; Thompson, James; Fischer, Sarah

2017-07-01

The impact of acute stress on the neural processing of food cues in bulimia nervosa (BN) is unknown, despite theory that acute stress decreases cognitive control over food and hence increases vulnerability to environmental triggers for binge eating. Thus, the goals of this manuscript were to explore the impact of acute stress on the neural processing of food cues in BN. In Study 1, 10 women with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) BN and 10 healthy controls participated in an fMRI paradigm examining the neural correlates of visual food cue processing pre and post an acute stress induction. Whole brain analysis indicated that women with BN exhibited significant decreases in activation in the precuneus, associated with self-referential processing, the paracingulate gyrus, and the anterior vermis of the cerebellum. Healthy controls exhibited increased activation in these regions in response to food cues poststress. In Study 2, 17 women with DSM-5 BN or otherwise specified feeding and eating disorder with BN symptoms participated in the same paradigm. A region of interest analysis replicated findings from Study 1. Replication of imaging findings in 2 different samples suggests the potential importance of these regions in relation to BN. Decreased activation in the precuneus, specifically, is consistent with models of BN that posit that binge eating serves as a concrete distraction from aversive internal stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Preliminary evidence of attenuated blood pressure reactivity to acute stress in adults following a recent marital separation.

PubMed

Grinberg, Austin M; O'Hara, Karey L; Sbarra, David A

2018-03-01

This study explores cardiovascular reactivity during an acute-stress task in a sample of recently separated adults. In a cross-sectional design, we examined the association between adults' subjective separation-related distress and changes in heart rate and blood pressure across the acute-stress laboratory paradigm in a sample of 133 (n = 49 men) recently separated adults. Heart rate (HR) and Blood pressure (BP) were recorded across a resting baseline period, a math stressor task, and a recovery period. Multilevel analyses revealed that adults who reported greater separation-related distress exhibited higher initial BP and a slower linear increase in BP across the study period. In addition, adults reporting greater separation-related distress evidenced significantly slower declines in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following the acute-stress task. HR reactivity was not moderated by separation-related distress. In recently separated adults, preliminary evidence suggests that the context of the stressors may reveal differential patterns of problematic reactivity (exaggerated or blunted responding). Greater emotional intrusion and hyperactivity symptoms may index increased risk for blunted cardiovascular reactivity to general stressors. This pattern of reactivity is consistent with models of allostatic load that emphasise the deleterious effect of hyporesponsivity to environmental demands.

Acute stress disorder as a predictor of posttraumatic stress: A longitudinal study of Chinese children exposed to the Lushan earthquake.

PubMed

Zhou, Peiling; Zhang, Yuqing; Wei, Chuguang; Liu, Zhengkui; Hannak, Walter

2016-09-01

This study examined the prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children who experienced the Lushan earthquake in Sichuan, China, and assessed the ability of ASD to predict PTSD. The Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS) was used to assess acute stress reaction within weeks of the trauma. The University of California at Los Angeles Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (UCLA-PTSD) for children was administered at intervals of 2, 6, and 12 months after the earthquake to 197 students who experienced the Lushan earthquake at the Longxing Middle School. The results demonstrated that 28.4% of the children suffered from ASD, but only a small percentage of the population went on to develop PTSD. Among all of the students, 35.0% of those who met the criteria for ASD were diagnosed with PTSD at the 12-month interval. The severity of ASD symptoms correlated with later PTSD symptoms. © 2016 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

The Effects of Acute Stress on Core Executive Functions: A Meta-Analysis and Comparison with Cortisol

PubMed Central

Shields, Grant S.; Sazma, Matthew A.; Yonelinas, Andrew P.

2016-01-01

Core executive functions such as working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility are integral to daily life. A growing body of research has suggested that acute stress may impair core executive functions. However, there are a number of inconsistencies in the literature, leading to uncertainty about how or even if acute stress influences core executive functions. We addressed this by conducting a meta-analysis of acute stress effects on working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. We found that stress impaired working memory and cognitive flexibility, whereas it had nuanced effects on inhibition. Many of these effects were moderated by other variables, such as sex. In addition, we compared effects of acute stress on core executive functions to effects of cortisol administration and found some striking differences. Our findings indicate that stress works through mechanisms aside from or in addition to cortisol to produce a state characterized by more reactive processing of salient stimuli but greater control over actions. We conclude by highlighting some important future directions for stress and executive function research. PMID:27371161

Indication of attenuated DHEA-s response during acute psychosocial stress in patients with clinical burnout.

PubMed

Lennartsson, Anna-Karin; Sjörs, Anna; Jonsdottir, Ingibjörg H

2015-08-01

Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA-s) is an anabolic protective hormone. We have previously reported that DHEA-s production capacity is attenuated in stressed individuals. The aim of the present study was to investigate the DHEA-s response during acute psychosocial stress in patients with clinical burnout. Seventeen patients with clinical burnout were compared to 13 non-chronically stressed healthy controls, aged 31-50 years (mean age 41 years, SD 6 years), as they underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). All patients fulfilled diagnostic criteria for stress-related exhaustion disorder, which is a criteria-based diagnosis that has been used in Sweden since 2005 to define patients seeking health-care for clinical burnout. Blood samples were collected before, directly after the stress test, and after 30 min of recovery. DHEA-s levels were measured and delta values (peak levels minus baseline levels) plus area under the curve with respect to increase (AUCI) were calculated. The patients had 43% smaller AUCI DHEA-s (p=0.041) during the stress test. The delta DHEA-s was 34% lower in the patients, however, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.054). The study indicates that DHEA-s production capacity during acute stress may be attenuated in patients with clinical burnout. Reduced DHEA-s production may constitute one of the links between stress, burnout and the associated adverse health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cytokine profile of NALT during acute stress and its possible effect on IgA secretion.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Meza, Juan Manuel; Jarillo-Luna, Rosa Adriana; Rivera-Aguilar, Victor; Miliar-García, Angel; Campos-Rodríguez, Rafael

2017-08-01

Stress stimuli affect the immune system responses that occur at mucosal membranes, particularly IgA secretion. It has been suggested that acute stress increases the levels of IgA and that sympathetic innervation plays an important role in this process. We herein explore in a murine model how acute stress affects the Th1/Th2/Treg cytokine balance in NALT, and the possible role of glucocorticoids in this effect. Nine-week-old male CD1 mice were divided into three groups: unstressed (control), stressed (subjected to 4h of immobilization), and stressed after pretreatment with a single dose of the corticosterone receptor antagonist RU-486. The parameters evaluated included plasma corticosterone and epinephrine, IgA levels in nasal fluid (by ELISA), the percentage of CD19 + B220 + IgA + lymphocytes and CD138 + IgA + plasma cells, and the mRNA expression of heavy α chain, J chain and pIgR. Moreover, the gene and protein expression of Th1 cytokines (TNFα, IL-2 and INF-γ), Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5) and Treg cytokines (IL-10 and TGFβ) were determined in nasal mucosa. The results show that acute stress generated a shift towards the dominance of an anti-inflammatory immune response (Th2 and Treg cytokines), evidenced by a significant rise in the amount of T cells that produce IL4, IL-5 and IL-10. This immune environment may favor IgA biosynthesis by CD138 + IgA + plasma cells, a process mediated mostly by glucocorticoids. Copyright © 2017 European Federation of Immunological Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seawater inhalation induces acute lung injury via ROS generation and the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway

PubMed Central

Li, Cong-Cong; Lu, Xi; Qian, Wei-Sheng; Li, Yu-Juan; Jin, Fa-Guang; Mu, De-Guang

2018-01-01

Seawater (SW) inhalation can induce acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the present study, SW induced apoptosis of rat alveolar epithelial cells and histopathological alterations to lung tissue. Furthermore, SW administration increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas pretreatment with the ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), significantly decreased ROS generation, apoptosis and histopathological alterations. In addition, SW exposure upregulated the expression levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), which are critical proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, thus indicating that SW may activate ER stress. Conversely, blocking ER stress with 4-phenylbutyric acid (4-PBA) significantly improved SW-induced apoptosis and histopathological alterations, whereas an ER stress inducer, thapsigargin, had the opposite effect. Furthermore, blocking ROS with NAC inhibited SW-induced ER stress, as evidenced by the downregulation of GRP78, phosphorylated (p)-protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK), p-inositol-requiring kinase 1α (IRE1α), p-50 activating transcription factor 6α and CHOP. In addition, blocking ER stress with 4-PBA decreased ROS generation. In conclusion, the present study indicated that ROS and ER stress pathways, which are involved in alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis, are important in the pathogenesis of SW-induced ALI. PMID:29436612

An exploratory study of the association of acute posttraumatic stress, depression, and pain to cognitive functioning in mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Massey, Jessica S; Meares, Susanne; Batchelor, Jennifer; Bryant, Richard A

2015-07-01

Few studies have examined whether psychological distress and pain affect cognitive functioning in the acute to subacute phase (up to 30 days postinjury) following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The current study explored whether acute posttraumatic stress, depression, and pain were associated with performance on a task of selective and sustained attention completed under conditions of increasing cognitive demands (standard, auditory distraction, and dual-task), and on tests of working memory, memory, processing speed, reaction time (RT), and verbal fluency. At a mean of 2.87 days (SD = 2.32) postinjury, 50 adult mTBI participants, consecutive admissions to a Level 1 trauma hospital, completed neuropsychological tests and self-report measures of acute posttraumatic stress, depression, and pain. A series of canonical correlation analyses was used to explore the relationships of a common set of psychological variables to various sets of neuropsychological variables. Significant results were found on the task of selective and sustained attention. Strong relationships were found between psychological variables and speed (r(c) = .56, p = .02) and psychological variables and accuracy (r(c) = .68, p = .002). Pain and acute posttraumatic stress were associated with higher speed scores (reflecting more correctly marked targets) under standard conditions. Acute posttraumatic stress was associated with lower accuracy scores across all task conditions. Moderate but nonsignificant associations were found between psychological variables and most cognitive tasks. Acute posttraumatic stress and pain show strong associations with selective and sustained attention following mTBI. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Acute stress among adolescents and female rape victims measured by ASC-Kids: a pilot study.

PubMed

Nilsson, Doris; Nordenstam, Carin; Green, Sara; Wetterhall, Annika; Lundin, Tom; Svedin, Carl Göran

2015-01-01

Rape is considered a stressful trauma and often with durable consequences. How the aftermath of rape is for young adolescents' girls considering acute stress is an overlooked field and remains to be studied. In this study, we wanted to investigate acute stress among adolescent victims of rape and the psychometric properties of the Acute Stress Checklist for Children (ASC-Kids). A clinical sample (n = 79) of raped girls, 13-17 years old who had turned to a special rape victim unit for treatment, answered the ASC-Kids. ASC-Kids was also given to a group of minor stressed, non-raped adolescents in the same age range (n = 154) together with the University of California at Los Angeles Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (UCLA PTSD RI), and the Sense of Coherence Scale 13 (SOC-13). The scores from the groups were compared and showed significant differences in mean values on all the diagnostic criteria of acute stress disorder. In the clinical group, 36.7% obtained full ASD criteria. ASC-Kids could discriminate well between groups. Cronbach's alpha was found to be excellent, and the correlation between the UCLA PTSD RI and ASC-Kids found to be good; both ASC-Kids and UCLA PTSD RI had a good and moderate negative correlation with SOC-13. Adolescent female rape victims were shown to have a very high level of acute stress, and the ASC-Kids was found to have sound psychometrics and can be a valuable screening instrument to support clinicians in their assessments of an indication of adolescents after potentially stressful events such as rape.

Negative Energy Balance Blocks Neural and Behavioral Responses to Acute Stress by “Silencing” Central Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Signaling in Rats

PubMed Central

Maniscalco, James W.; Zheng, Huiyuan; Gordon, Patrick J.

2015-01-01

Previous reports indicate that caloric restriction attenuates anxiety and other behavioral responses to acute stress, and blunts the ability of stress to increase anterior pituitary release of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Since hindbrain glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) neurons and noradrenergic prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) neurons participate in behavioral and endocrine stress responses, and are sensitive to the metabolic state, we examined whether overnight food deprivation blunts stress-induced recruitment of these neurons and their downstream hypothalamic and limbic forebrain targets. A single overnight fast reduced anxiety-like behavior assessed in the elevated-plus maze and acoustic startle test, including marked attenuation of light-enhanced startle. Acute stress [i.e., 30 min restraint (RES) or 5 min elevated platform exposure] robustly activated c-Fos in GLP-1 and PrRP neurons in fed rats, but not in fasted rats. Fasting also significantly blunted the ability of acute stress to activate c-Fos expression within the anterior ventrolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vlBST). Acute RES stress suppressed dark-onset food intake in rats that were fed ad libitum, whereas central infusion of a GLP-1 receptor antagonist blocked RES-induced hypophagia, and reduced the ability of RES to activate PrRP and anterior vlBST neurons in ad libitum-fed rats. Thus, an overnight fast “silences” GLP-1 and PrRP neurons, and reduces both anxiety-like and hypophagic responses to acute stress. The partial mimicking of these fasting-induced effects in ad libitum-fed rats after GLP-1 receptor antagonism suggests a potential mechanism by which short-term negative energy balance attenuates neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to acute stress. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The results from this study reveal a potential central mechanism for the “metabolic tuning” of stress responsiveness. A single overnight fast, which markedly reduces anxiety-like behavior in rats

Delay discounting and response disinhibition under acute experimental stress in women with borderline personality disorder and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Krause-Utz, A; Cackowski, S; Daffner, S; Sobanski, Esther; Plichta, Michael M; Bohus, M; Ende, G; Schmahl, C

2016-11-01

Impulsivity is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In BPD, impulsive behavior primarily occurs under acute stress; impulse control deficits under non-stress conditions may be partly related to co-morbid ADHD. We aimed to investigate whether acute experimental stress has an impact on self-reported impulsivity, response inhibition (action withholding, action cancelation) and delay discounting in BPD compared to ADHD. Thirty female BPD patients, 28 female ADHD patients (excluding patients with co-morbid BPD and ADHD), and 30 female healthy controls (HC) completed self-reports and behavioral measures of impulsivity (IMT, assessing action withholding; GoStop, measuring action cancelation, Delay Discounting Task) under baseline conditions and after an experimental stress induction (Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test). Both patient groups reported higher impulsivity than HC, ADHD reported higher trait impulsivity than BPD. On the IMT, ADHD showed significant action-withholding deficits under both conditions, while BPD performed significantly worse than HC under stress. In BPD but not ADHD and HC, action-withholding deficits (IMT) were significantly increased under stress compared to baseline, while no group/stress effects were found for action cancelation (GoStop). Delay discounting was significantly more pronounced in BPD than in HC (no stress effect was found). In BPD, behavioral deficits in action withholding (but not in action cancelation) appear to be influenced by acute experimental stress. Delay discounting seems to be a general feature of BPD, independent of co-morbid ADHD and acute stress, possibly underlying typical expressions of behavioral impulsivity in the disorder.

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and Serotonin Metabolism in Individual Brain Nuclei of Mice with Genetic Disruption of the NK1 Receptor Exposed to Acute Stress.

PubMed

Culman, Juraj; Mühlenhoff, Stephan; Blume, Annegret; Hedderich, Jürgen; Lützen, Ulf; Hunt, Stephen P; Rupniak, Nadia M J; Zhao, Yi

2018-06-15

Mice lacking the substance P (SP) neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor (NK1R-/-mice) were used to investigate whether SP affects serotonin (5-HT) function in the brain and to assess the effects of acute immobilisation stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and 5-HT turnover in individual brain nuclei. Basal HPA activity and the expression of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in wild-type (WT)- and NK1R-/- mice were identical. Stress-induced increases in plasma ACTH concentration were considerably higher in NK1R-/- mice than in WT mice while corticosterone concentrations were equally elevated in both mouse lines. Acute stress did not alter the expression of CRH. In the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), basal 5-HT turnover was increased in NK1R-/- mice and a 15 min stress further magnified 5-HT utilisation in this region. In the frontoparietal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, central nucleus of amygdala, and the hippocampal CA1 region, stress increased 5-HT and/or 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations to a similar extent in WT and NK1R-/- mice. 5-HT turnover in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus was not affected by stress, but stress induced similar increases in 5-HT and 5-HIAA in the ventromedial and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei in WT and NK1R-/- mice. Our findings indicate that NK1 receptor activation suppresses ACTH release during acute stress but does not exert sustained inhibition of the HPA axis. Genetic deletion of the NK1 receptor accelerates 5-HT turnover in DRN under basal and stress conditions. No differences between the responses of serotonergic system to acute stress in WT and NK1R-/- mice occur in forebrain nuclei linked to the regulation of anxiety and neuroendocrine stress responses.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress-regulated CXCR3 pathway mediates inflammation and neuronal injury in acute glaucoma

PubMed Central

Ha, Y; Liu, H; Xu, Z; Yokota, H; Narayanan, S P; Lemtalsi, T; Smith, S B; Caldwell, R W; Caldwell, R B; Zhang, W

2015-01-01

Acute glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in East Asia. The mechanisms underlying retinal neuronal injury induced by a sudden rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) remain obscure. Here we demonstrate that the activation of CXCL10/CXCR3 axis, which mediates the recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells, has a critical role in a mouse model of acute glaucoma. The mRNA and protein expression levels of CXCL10 and CXCR3 were significantly increased after IOP-induced retinal ischemia. Blockade of the CXCR3 pathway by deleting CXCR3 gene significantly attenuated ischemic injury-induced upregulation of inflammatory molecules (interleukin-1β and E-selectin), inhibited the recruitment of microglia/monocyte to the superficial retina, reduced peroxynitrite formation, and prevented the loss of neurons within the ganglion cell layer. In contrast, intravitreal delivery of CXCL10 increased leukocyte recruitment and retinal cell apoptosis. Inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with chemical chaperones partially blocked ischemic injury-induced CXCL10 upregulation, whereas induction of ER stress with tunicamycin enhanced CXCL10 expression in retina and primary retinal ganglion cells. Interestingly, deleting CXCR3 attenuated ER stress-induced retinal cell death. In conclusion, these results indicate that ER stress-medicated activation of CXCL10/CXCR3 pathway has an important role in retinal inflammation and neuronal injury after high IOP-induced ischemia. PMID:26448323

Racial and gender differences on sources of acute stress and coping style among competitive athletes.

PubMed

Anshel, Mark H; Sutarso, Toto; Jubenville, Colby

2009-04-01

The authors examined racial and gender differences on sport-related sources of acute stress that competitive athletes perceived as highly intense and experienced during the competitive event. Athletes (N = 332, 176 men, 156 women; 59 African Americans: 27 men, 32 women; 232 Caucasians: 125 men, 107 women; and 41 Hispanics: 24 men, 17 women) who competed in sport on a high school or college team participated in this study. The sources of the acute stress and the coping style in sport scales, which M. H. Anshel and T. Sutarso (2007) developed, required the athletes to indicate their perceived stress intensity and their "typical" coping responses after experiencing the two stressors they perceived as most intense. A multivarite analysis of variance indicated that Caucasians experienced higher stress intensity more often than did African Americans on each of two sources of acute stress, and Caucasians tended to use an approach-behavior coping style. Women reported higher stress intensity for coach-related sources of acute stress and used approach-behavioral and avoidance-cognitive coping styles more often than did their male counterparts. Hispanic athletes did not differ from other groups on any measure. The authors conclude that race and gender influence the coping process in competitive sport.

A single session of hatha yoga improves stress reactivity and recovery after an acute psychological stress task-A counterbalanced, randomized-crossover trial in healthy individuals.

PubMed

Benvenutti, Mateus J; Alves, Eduardo da Sliva; Michael, Scott; Ding, Ding; Stamatakis, Emmanuel; Edwards, Kate M

2017-12-01

Yoga is promoted as an anti-stress activity, however, little is known about the mechanisms through which it acts. The present study investigated the acute effects of a hatha yoga session, displayed on a video, on the response to and recovery from an acute psychological stressor. Twenty-four healthy young adults took part in a counterbalanced, randomized-crossover trial, with a yoga and a control condition (watching TV). Participants attended the laboratory in the afternoon on two days and each session comprised a baseline, control or yoga task, stress task and recovery. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and salivary cortisol responses were measured. State cognitive- and somatic-anxiety along with self-confidence were assessed before and after the stressor. Although no difference in the BP or HR responses to stress were found between conditions, systolic BP (p=0.047) and diastolic BP (p=0.018) recovery from stress were significantly accelerated and salivary cortisol reactivity was significantly lower (p=0.01) in the yoga condition. A yoga session also increased self-confidence (p=0.006) in preparation for the task and after completion. Moreover, self-confidence reported after the stress task was considered debilitative towards performance in the control condition, but remained facilitative in the yoga condition. Our results show that a single video-instructed session of hatha yoga was able to improve stress reactivity and recovery from an acute stress task in healthy individuals. These positive preliminary findings encourage further investigation in at-risk populations in which the magnitude of effects may be greater, and support the use of yoga for stress reactivity and recovery. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prolactin prevents acute stress-induced hypocalcemia and ulcerogenesis by acting in the brain of rat.

PubMed

Fujikawa, Takahiko; Soya, Hideaki; Tamashiro, Kellie L K; Sakai, Randall R; McEwen, Bruce S; Nakai, Naoya; Ogata, Masato; Suzuki, Ikukatsu; Nakashima, Kunio

2004-04-01

Stress causes hypocalcemia and ulcerogenesis in rats. In rats under stressful conditions, a rapid and transient increase in circulating prolactin (PRL) is observed, and this enhanced PRL induces PRL receptors (PRLR) in the choroid plexus of rat brain. In this study we used restraint stress in water to elucidate the mechanism by which PRLR in the rat brain mediate the protective effect of PRL against stress-induced hypocalcemia and ulcerogenesis. We show that rat PRL acts through the long form of PRLR in the hypothalamus. This is followed by an increase in the long form of PRLR mRNA expression in the choroid plexus of the brain, which provides protection against restraint stress in water-induced hypocalcemia and gastric erosions. We also show that PRL induces the expression of PRLR protein and corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA in the paraventricular nucleus. These results suggest that the PRL levels increase in response to stress, and it moves from the circulation to the cerebrospinal fluid to act on the central nervous system and thereby plays an important role in helping to protect against acute stress-induced hypocalcemia and gastric erosions.

Natural thermal adaptation increases heat shock protein levels and decreases oxidative stress.

PubMed

Oksala, Niku K J; Ekmekçi, F Güler; Ozsoy, Ergi; Kirankaya, Serife; Kokkola, Tarja; Emecen, Güzin; Lappalainen, Jani; Kaarniranta, Kai; Atalay, Mustafa

2014-01-01

Heat shock proteins (HSPs), originally identified as heat-inducible gene products, are a family of highly conserved proteins that respond to a wide variety of stress including oxidative stress. Although both acute and chronic oxidative stress have been well demonstrated to induce HSP responses, little evidence is available whether increased HSP levels provide enhanced protection against oxidative stress under elevated yet sublethal temperatures. We studied relationships between oxidative stress and HSPs in a physiological model by using Garra rufa (doctor fish), a fish species naturally acclimatized to different thermal conditions. We compared fish naturally living in a hot spring with relatively high water temperature (34.4±0.6°C) to those living in normal river water temperature (25.4±4.7°C), and found that levels of all the studied HSPs (HSP70, HSP60, HSP90, HSC70 and GRP75) were higher in fish living in elevated water temperature compared with normal river water temperature. In contrast, indicators of oxidative stress, including protein carbonyls and lipid hydroperoxides, were decreased in fish living in the elevated temperature, indicating that HSP levels are inversely associated with oxidative stress. The present results provide evidence that physiologically increased HSP levels provide protection against oxidative stress and enhance cytoprotection. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Opposite Effects of Stress on Pain Modulation Depend on the Magnitude of Individual Stress Response.

PubMed

Geva, Nirit; Defrin, Ruth

2018-04-01

The effect of acute stress on pain threshold and intolerance threshold are reported as producing either hypoalgesia or hyperalgesia. Yet, the contribution of individual stress reactivity in this respect has not been established. The aim was to test 2 pain modulation paradigms under acute stress manipulation, to our knowledge, for the first time, to study whether stress differentially affects pain modulation, and whether the effect is related to individual stress response. Participants were 31 healthy subjects. Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and pain adaptation were measured before and after inducing an acute stress response using the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Subjects' stress response was evaluated according to salivary cortisol, autonomic function, and perceived stress and anxiety. The Montreal Imaging Stress Task induced a validated stress response. On a group level, stress induced reduction in CPM magnitude and increase in pain adaptation compared with baseline. These responses correlated with stress reactivity. When the group was subdivided according to stress reactivity, only high stress responders exhibited reduced CPM whereas only low stress responders exhibited increased pain adaptation. The results suggest that acute stress may induce opposite effects on pain modulation, depending on individual stress reactivity magnitude, with an advantage to low stress responders. This study evaluated the effect of acute stress on pain modulation. Pain modulation under stress is affected by individual stress responsiveness; decreased CPM occurs in high stress responders whereas increased pain adaptation occurs in low stress responders. Identification of high stress responders may promote better pain management. Copyright © 2017 The American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between cognitive emotion regulation, social support, resilience and acute stress responses in Chinese soldiers: Exploring multiple mediation model.

PubMed

Cai, Wen-Peng; Pan, Yu; Zhang, Shui-Miao; Wei, Cun; Dong, Wei; Deng, Guang-Hui

2017-10-01

The current study aimed to explore the association of cognitive emotion regulation, social support, resilience and acute stress responses in Chinese soldiers and to understand the multiple mediation effects of social support and resilience on the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and acute stress responses. A total of 1477 male soldiers completed mental scales, including the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire-Chinese version, the perceived social support scale, the Chinese version of the Connor-Davidson resilience scale, and the military acute stress scale. As hypothesized, physiological responses, psychological responses, and acute stress were associated with negative-focused cognitive emotion regulation, and negatively associated with positive-focused cognitive emotion regulation, social supports and resilience. Besides, positive-focused cognitive emotion regulation, social support, and resilience were significantly associated with one another, and negative-focused cognitive emotion regulation was negatively associated with social support. Regression analysis and bootstrap analysis showed that social support and resilience had partly mediating effects on negative strategies and acute stress, and fully mediating effects on positive strategies and acute stress. These results thus indicate that military acute stress is significantly associated with cognitive emotion regulation, social support, and resilience, and that social support and resilience have multiple mediation effects on the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and acute stress responses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential Effects of 5-HTTLPR Genotypes on Inhibition of Negative Emotional Information Following Acute Stress Exposure and Tryptophan Challenge

PubMed Central

Markus, C Rob; De Raedt, Rudi

2011-01-01

Previous data suggest that a polymorphism at the serotonin (5-HT) transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) may influence stress resilience and stress-related depression symptoms due to interactions between brain 5-HT dysfunction and stress exposure. Although attentional bias for emotional information has been reliably observed in depression, the interaction between 5-HT transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR), brain 5-HT vulnerability, and acute stress on affective information processing has not yet been investigated. This study examines the effects of tryptophan (TRP) augmentation (indicating 5-HT manipulation) on inhibition of negative emotional information under stress in mainly female S′/S′- vs L′/L′-allele carriers. A total of 15 female homozygotic short-allele 5-HTTLPR (S′/S′=S/S, S/LG, LG/LG) and 13 female homozygotic long-allele 5-HTTLPR (L′/L′=LA/LA) subjects were tested for mood and inhibition of emotional information in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design before and after stress exposure following TRP manipulation. Stress exposure significantly impaired inhibition of negative affective information only in S′/S′ carriers, whereas L′/L′ carriers even showed increased inhibition of negative information. The S′/S′ allele 5-HTTLPR genotype increases cognitive-attentional bias for negative emotional information under acute stress. As this bias is an important component of depression, this may be a mediating mechanism making S′/S′-allele carriers more vulnerability for stress-induced depression symptoms. Moreover, current data suggest that L′/L′-allele genotypes are more resilient, even increasing cognitive emotional (inhibitory) control after stress. PMID:21150915

Differential effects of 5-HTTLPR genotypes on inhibition of negative emotional information following acute stress exposure and tryptophan challenge.

PubMed

Markus, C Rob; De Raedt, Rudi

2011-03-01

Previous data suggest that a polymorphism at the serotonin (5-HT) transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) may influence stress resilience and stress-related depression symptoms due to interactions between brain 5-HT dysfunction and stress exposure. Although attentional bias for emotional information has been reliably observed in depression, the interaction between 5-HT transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR), brain 5-HT vulnerability, and acute stress on affective information processing has not yet been investigated. This study examines the effects of tryptophan (TRP) augmentation (indicating 5-HT manipulation) on inhibition of negative emotional information under stress in mainly female S'/S'- vs L'/L'-allele carriers. A total of 15 female homozygotic short-allele 5-HTTLPR (S'/S'=S/S, S/L(G), L(G)/L(G)) and 13 female homozygotic long-allele 5-HTTLPR (L'/L'=L(A)/L(A)) subjects were tested for mood and inhibition of emotional information in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design before and after stress exposure following TRP manipulation. Stress exposure significantly impaired inhibition of negative affective information only in S'/S' carriers, whereas L'/L' carriers even showed increased inhibition of negative information. The S'/S' allele 5-HTTLPR genotype increases cognitive-attentional bias for negative emotional information under acute stress. As this bias is an important component of depression, this may be a mediating mechanism making S'/S'-allele carriers more vulnerability for stress-induced depression symptoms. Moreover, current data suggest that L'/L'-allele genotypes are more resilient, even increasing cognitive emotional (inhibitory) control after stress.

Effects of acute psychosocial stress on neural activity to emotional and neutral faces in a face recognition memory paradigm.

PubMed

Li, Shijia; Weerda, Riklef; Milde, Christopher; Wolf, Oliver T; Thiel, Christiane M

2014-12-01

Previous studies have shown that acute psychosocial stress impairs recognition of declarative memory and that emotional material is especially sensitive to this effect. Animal studies suggest a central role of the amygdala which modulates memory processes in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and other brain areas. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate neural correlates of stress-induced modulation of emotional recognition memory in humans. Twenty-seven healthy, right-handed, non-smoker male volunteers performed an emotional face recognition task. During encoding, participants were presented with 50 fearful and 50 neutral faces. One hour later, they underwent either a stress (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control procedure outside the scanner which was followed immediately by the recognition session inside the scanner, where participants had to discriminate between 100 old and 50 new faces. Stress increased salivary cortisol, blood pressure and pulse, and decreased the mood of participants but did not impact recognition memory. BOLD data during recognition revealed a stress condition by emotion interaction in the left inferior frontal gyrus and right hippocampus which was due to a stress-induced increase of neural activity to fearful and a decrease to neutral faces. Functional connectivity analyses revealed a stress-induced increase in coupling between the right amygdala and the right fusiform gyrus, when processing fearful as compared to neutral faces. Our results provide evidence that acute psychosocial stress affects medial temporal and frontal brain areas differentially for neutral and emotional items, with a stress-induced privileged processing of emotional stimuli.

StressModEx--Physiotherapist-led Stress Inoculation Training integrated with exercise for acute whiplash injury: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Ritchie, Carrie; Kenardy, Justin; Smeets, Rob; Sterling, Michele

2015-07-01

Whiplash associated disorders are the most common non-hospitalised injuries following a road traffic crash. Up to 50% of individuals who experience a whiplash injury will not fully recover and report ongoing pain and disability. Most recovery, if it occurs, takes place in the first 2-3 months post injury, indicating that treatment provided in the early stages is critical to long-term outcome. However, early management approaches for people with acute whiplash associated disorders are modestly effective. One reason may be that the treatments have been non-specific and have not targeted the processes shown to be associated with poor recovery, such as post-traumatic stress symptoms. Targeting and modulating these early stress responses in the early management of acute whiplash associated disorders may improve health outcomes. Early aggressive psychological interventions in the form of psychological debriefing may be detrimental to recovery and are now not recommended for management of early post-traumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is a cognitive behavioural approach that teaches various general problem-solving and coping strategies to manage stress-related anxiety (ie, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring and positive self-statements) and provides important information to injured individuals about the impact of stress on their physical and psychological wellbeing. While referral to a psychologist may be necessary in some cases where acute stress disorder or other more significant psychological reactions to stress are evident, in the case of acute whiplash injuries, it is neither feasible nor necessary for a psychologist to deliver the early stress modulation intervention to all injured individuals. The feasibility of using other specially trained health professionals to deliver psychological interventions has been explored in conditions such as chronic low back pain, chronic whiplash and cancer, but few trials have studied

Timing matters: the interval between acute stressors within chronic mild stress modifies behavioral and physiologic stress responses in male rats.

PubMed

Cavigelli, Sonia A; Bao, Alexander D; Bourne, Rebecca A; Caruso, Michael J; Caulfield, Jasmine I; Chen, Mary; Smyth, Joshua M

2018-04-12

Chronic mild stress can lead to negative health outcomes. Frequency, duration, and intensity of acute stressors can affect health-related processes. We tested whether the temporal pattern of daily acute stressors (clustered or dispersed across the day) affects depression-related physiology. We used a rodent model to keep stressor frequency, duration, and intensity constant, and experimentally manipulated the temporal pattern of acute stressors delivered during the active phase of the day. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to one of three chronic mild stress groups: Clustered: stressors that occurred within 1 hour of each other (n = 21), Dispersed: stressors that were spread out across the active phase (n = 21), and Control: no stressors presented (n = 21). Acute mild stressors included noise, strobe lights, novel cage, cage tilt, wet bedding, and water immersion. Depression-related outcomes included: sucrose preference, body weight, circulating glucocorticoid (corticosterone) concentration after a novel acute stressor and during basal morning and evening times, and endotoxin-induced circulating interleukin-6 concentrations. Compared to control rats, those in the Clustered group gained less weight, consumed less sucrose, had a blunted acute corticosterone response, and an accentuated acute interleukin-6 response. Rats in the Dispersed group had an attenuated corticosterone decline during the active period and after an acute stressor compared to the Control group. During a chronic mild stress experience, the temporal distribution of daily acute stressors affected health-related physiologic processes. Regular exposure to daily stressors in rapid succession may predict more depression-related symptoms, whereas exposure to stressors dispersed throughout the day may predict diminished glucocorticoid negative feedback.

Differential modulatory effects of morphine on acute and chronic stress induced neurobehavioral and cellular markers in rats.

PubMed

Joshi, Jagdish C; Ray, Arunabha; Gulati, Kavita

2014-04-15

The present study evaluated the effects of morphine treatments on elevated plus maze test parameters, oxidative stress markers and Hsp70 expression in normal and stressed rats. Acute and chronic stress caused neurobehavioral suppression, altered prooxidant-antioxidant balance and increased Hsp70 expression in brain homogenates in a differential manner. Morphine (1 and 5mg/kg) attenuated RS induced anxiogenesis, changes in MDA and GSH but further enhanced Hsp70 expression. Similar anxiolytic and Hsp70 enhancing effects were seen after morphine in normal rats (no RS). Exposure to chronic RS did not elicit any appreciable neurobehavioral response in EPM but enhanced MDA, lowered GSH and exaggerated the Hsp70 expression. Pretreatment with morphine did not affect the neurobehavioral response to chronic RS, but reverted the GSH and Hsp70 expression. The results suggest that morphine differentially influences acute and chronic stress induced changes in anxiety behavior and complex interactions between oxidative stress markers and Hsp70 expression which may contribute to these effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distinct Trajectories of Cortisol Response to Prolonged Acute Stress Are Linked to Affective Responses and Hippocampal Gray Matter Volume in Healthy Females

PubMed Central

Treadway, Michael T.; Valeri, Linda; Douglas, Samuel

2017-01-01

The development of robust laboratory procedures for acute stress induction over the last decades has greatly advanced our understanding of stress responses in humans and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Nevertheless, attempts to uncover linear relationships among endocrine, neural, and affective responses to stress have generally yielded inconsistent results. Here, 79 healthy females completed a well established laboratory procedure of acute stress induction that was modified to prolong its effect. Endocrinological and subjective affect assessments revealed stress-induced increases in cortisol release and negative affect that persisted 65 and 100 min after stress onset, respectively, confirming a relatively prolonged acute stress induction. Applying latent class linear mixed modeling on individuals' patterns of cortisol responses identified three distinct trajectories of cortisol response: the hyper-response (n = 10), moderate-response (n = 21), and mild-response (n = 48) groups. Notably, whereas all three groups exhibited a significant stress-induced increase in cortisol release and negative affect, the hyper-response and mild-response groups both reported more negative affect relative to the moderate-response group. Structural MRI revealed no group differences in hippocampal and amygdala volumes, yet a continuous measure of cortisol response (area under the curve) showed that high and low levels of stress-induced cortisol release were associated with less hippocampal gray matter volume compared with moderate cortisol release. Together, these results suggest that distinct trajectories of cortisol response to prolonged acute stress among healthy females may not be captured by conventional linear analyses; instead, quadratic relations may better describe links between cortisol response to stress and affective responses, as well as hippocampal structural variability. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite substantial research, it is unclear whether and how

Distinct Trajectories of Cortisol Response to Prolonged Acute Stress Are Linked to Affective Responses and Hippocampal Gray Matter Volume in Healthy Females.

PubMed

Admon, Roee; Treadway, Michael T; Valeri, Linda; Mehta, Malavika; Douglas, Samuel; Pizzagalli, Diego A

2017-08-16

The development of robust laboratory procedures for acute stress induction over the last decades has greatly advanced our understanding of stress responses in humans and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Nevertheless, attempts to uncover linear relationships among endocrine, neural, and affective responses to stress have generally yielded inconsistent results. Here, 79 healthy females completed a well established laboratory procedure of acute stress induction that was modified to prolong its effect. Endocrinological and subjective affect assessments revealed stress-induced increases in cortisol release and negative affect that persisted 65 and 100 min after stress onset, respectively, confirming a relatively prolonged acute stress induction. Applying latent class linear mixed modeling on individuals' patterns of cortisol responses identified three distinct trajectories of cortisol response: the hyper-response ( n = 10), moderate-response ( n = 21), and mild-response ( n = 48) groups. Notably, whereas all three groups exhibited a significant stress-induced increase in cortisol release and negative affect, the hyper-response and mild-response groups both reported more negative affect relative to the moderate-response group. Structural MRI revealed no group differences in hippocampal and amygdala volumes, yet a continuous measure of cortisol response (area under the curve) showed that high and low levels of stress-induced cortisol release were associated with less hippocampal gray matter volume compared with moderate cortisol release. Together, these results suggest that distinct trajectories of cortisol response to prolonged acute stress among healthy females may not be captured by conventional linear analyses; instead, quadratic relations may better describe links between cortisol response to stress and affective responses, as well as hippocampal structural variability. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite substantial research, it is unclear whether and how

Personality and physiological reactions to acute psychological stress.

PubMed

Bibbey, Adam; Carroll, Douglas; Roseboom, Tessa J; Phillips, Anna C; de Rooij, Susanne R

2013-10-01

Stable personality traits have long been presumed to have biological substrates, although the evidence relating personality to biological stress reactivity is inconclusive. The present study examined, in a large middle aged cohort (N=352), the relationship between key personality traits and both cortisol and cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress. Salivary cortisol and cardiovascular activity were measured at rest and in response to a psychological stress protocol comprising 5min each of a Stroop task, mirror tracing, and a speech task. Participants subsequently completed the Big Five Inventory to assess neuroticism, agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, and conscientiousness. Those with higher neuroticism scores exhibited smaller cortisol and cardiovascular stress reactions, whereas participants who were less agreeable and less open had smaller cortisol and cardiac reactions to stress. These associations remained statistically significant following adjustment for a range of potential confounding variables. Thus, a negative personality disposition would appear to be linked to diminished stress reactivity. These findings further support a growing body of evidence which suggests that blunted stress reactivity may be maladaptive. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Loss of Oca2 disrupts the unfolded protein response and increases resistance to endoplasmic reticulum stress in melanocytes

PubMed Central

Cheng, Tsing; Orlow, Seth J.; Manga, Prashiela

2013-01-01

Summary Accumulation of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) typically induces stress and initiates the unfolded protein response (UPR) to facilitate recovery. If homeostasis is not restored, apoptosis is induced. However, adaptation to chronic UPR activation can increase resistance to subsequent acute ER stress. We therefore investigated adaptive mechanisms in Oculocutaneous albinism type 2 (Oca2)-null melanocytes where UPR signaling is arrested despite continued tyrosinase accumulation leading to resistance to the chemical ER stressor thapsigargin. Although thapsigargin triggers UPR activation, instead of Perk-mediated phosphorylation of eIF2α, in Oca2-null melanocytes, eIF2α was rapidly dephosphorylated upon treatment. Dephosphorylation was mediated by the Gadd34-PP1α phosphatase complex. Gadd34-complex inhibition blocked eIF2α dephosphorylation and significantly increased Oca2-null melanocyte sensitivity to thapsigargin. Thus, Oca2-null melanocytes adapt to acute ER stress by disruption of proapoptotic Perk signaling, which promotes cell survival. This is the first study to demonstrate rapid eIF2α dephosphorylation as an adaptive mechanism to ER stress. PMID:23962237

Environmental Enrichment Increases Glucocorticoid Receptors and Decreases GluA2 and Protein Kinase M Zeta (PKMζ) Trafficking During Chronic Stress: A Protective Mechanism?

PubMed Central

Zanca, Roseanna M.; Braren, Stephen H.; Maloney, Brigid; Schrott, Lisa M.; Luine, Victoria N.; Serrano, Peter A.

2015-01-01

Environmental enrichment (EE) housing paradigms have long been shown beneficial for brain function involving neural growth and activity, learning and memory capacity, and for developing stress resiliency. The expression of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluA2, which is important for synaptic plasticity and memory, is increased with corticosterone (CORT), undermining synaptic plasticity and memory. Thus, we determined the effect of EE and stress on modulating GluA2 expression in Sprague-Dawley male rats. Several markers were evaluated which include: plasma CORT, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), GluA2, and the atypical protein kinase M zeta (PKMζ). For 1 week standard-(ST) or EE-housed animals were treated with one of the following four conditions: (1) no stress; (2) acute stress (forced swim test, FST; on day 7); (3) chronic restraint stress (6 h/day for 7 days); and (4) chronic + acute stress (restraint stress 6 h/day for 7 days + FST on day 7). Hippocampi were collected on day 7. Our results show that EE animals had reduced time immobile on the FST across all conditions. After chronic + acute stress EE animals showed increased GR levels with no change in synaptic GluA2/PKMζ. ST-housed animals showed the reverse pattern with decreased GR levels and a significant increase in synaptic GluA2/PKMζ. These results suggest that EE produces an adaptive response to chronic stress allowing for increased GR levels, which lowers neuronal excitability reducing GluA2/PKMζ trafficking. We discuss this EE adaptive response to stress as a potential underlying mechanism that is protective for retaining synaptic plasticity and memory function. PMID:26617502

Oxidative stress and inflammation: liver responses and adaptations to acute and regular exercise.

PubMed

Pillon Barcelos, Rômulo; Freire Royes, Luiz Fernando; Gonzalez-Gallego, Javier; Bresciani, Guilherme

2017-02-01

The liver is remarkably important during exercise outcomes due to its contribution to detoxification, synthesis, and release of biomolecules, and energy supply to the exercising muscles. Recently, liver has been also shown to play an important role in redox status and inflammatory modulation during exercise. However, while several studies have described the adaptations of skeletal muscles to acute and chronic exercise, hepatic changes are still scarcely investigated. Indeed, acute intense exercise challenges the liver with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation onset, whereas regular training induces hepatic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory improvements. Acute and regular exercise protocols in combination with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplementation have been also tested to verify hepatic adaptations to exercise. Although positive results have been reported in some acute models, several studies have shown an increased exercise-related stress upon liver. A similar trend has been observed during training: while synergistic effects of training and antioxidant/anti-inflammatory supplementations have been occasionally found, others reported a blunting of relevant adaptations to exercise, following the patterns described in skeletal muscles. This review discusses current data regarding liver responses and adaptation to acute and regular exercise protocols alone or combined with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory supplementation. The understanding of the mechanisms behind these modulations is of interest for both exercise-related health and performance outcomes.

Melatonin Supplementation Ameliorates Energy Charge and Oxidative Stress Induced by Acute Exercise in Rat Heart Tissue

PubMed Central

Cimen, Behzat; Uz, Ali; Cetin, Ihsan; Cimen, Leyla; Cetin, Aysun

2017-01-01

Background Regular physical exercises may help people to be more resistant to everyday problems; however, how acute and intense exercises affect the heart tissues functioning with maximum capacity and how melatonin changes the effect of acute and intense exercises are still not obvious. We aimed to comprehend whether melatonin intravenous injection supports the oxidative/antioxidative conditions and energy charge in heart tissues of rats exposed to acute swimming exercise. Methods Thirty Wistar-albino male rats were categorized into 3 groups with equal number of subjects. Control group performed no application, and acute intensive swimming exercise group were subjected to acute intensive swimming exercise for 30 minutes, and melatonin group were applied 25 mg/kg single dose melatonin administration prior to 30 minutes acute intensive swimming exercise. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities were measured by spectrophotometric method; and the levels of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) and energy charge were determined by a high performance liquid chromatography. Results Tissue MDA and 3-NT levels of the acute intensive exercise group were found to be higher than the control group. It was also found that the melatonin administration increased the energy charge and antioxidant activities, while decreased tissue MDA and 3-NT levels in heart tissues. Our results provide evidence for melatonin that can exert potent protective effects on oxidative stress and energy charge for heart tissues in acute swimming exercise. Conclusions These findings suggest that the direct beneficial effects of melatonin could be potentially applied on prevention of oxidative stress and energy deficit. PMID:28959107

Acute stress impairs cognitive flexibility in men, not women.

PubMed

Shields, Grant S; Trainor, Brian C; Lam, Jovian C W; Yonelinas, Andrew P

2016-09-01

Psychosocial stress influences cognitive abilities, such as long-term memory retrieval. However, less is known about the effects of stress on cognitive flexibility, which is mediated by different neurobiological circuits and could thus be regulated by different neuroendocrine pathways. In this study, we randomly assigned healthy adults to an acute stress induction or control condition and subsequently assessed participants' cognitive flexibility using an open-source version of the Wisconsin Card Sort task. Drawing on work in rodents, we hypothesized that stress would have stronger impairing effects on cognitive flexibility in men than women. As predicted, we found that stress impaired cognitive flexibility in men but did not significantly affect women. Our results thus indicate that stress exerts sex-specific effects on cognitive flexibility in humans and add to the growing body of research highlighting the need to consider sex differences in effects of stress.

Acute cold stress improved the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines of Chinese soft-shelled turtle against Aeromonas hydrophila.

PubMed

Zhang, Zuobing; Chen, Bojian; Yuan, Lin; Niu, Cuijuan

2015-03-01

Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis, is widely cultured in East and Southeast Asian countries. It frequently encounters the stress of abrupt temperature changes, which leads to mass death in most cases. However, the mechanism underlying the stress-elicited death remains unknown. We have suspected that the stress impaired the immune function of Chinese soft-shelled turtle, which could result in the mass death, as we noticed that there was a clinical syndrome of infection in dead turtles. To test our hypothesis, we first performed bioinformatic annotation of several pro-inflammatory molecules (IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, IL-12β) of Chinese soft-shelled turtle. Then, we treated the turtles in six groups, injected with Aeromonas hydrophila before acute cold stress (25 °C) and controls, after acute cold stress (15 °C) and controls as well as after the temperature was restored to 25 °C and controls, respectively. Subsequently, real-time PCR for several pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6, IL-12β, IL-8 and IFNγ) was performed to assess the turtle immune function in spleen and intestine, 24 hours after the injection. We found that the mRNA expression levels of the immune molecules were all enhanced after acute cold stress. This change disappeared when the temperature was restored back to 25 °C. Our results suggest that abrupt temperature drop did not suppress the immune function of Chinese soft-shelled turtle in response to germ challenge after abrupt temperature drop. In contrast, it may even increase the expression of various cytokines at least, within a short time after acute cold stress. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ventral tegmental area dopamine revisited: effects of acute and repeated stress

PubMed Central

Holly, Elizabeth N.; Miczek, Klaus A.

2015-01-01

Aversive events rapidly and potently excite certain dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), promoting phasic increases in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. This is in apparent contradiction to a wealth of literature demonstrating that most VTA dopamine neurons are strongly activated by reward and reward-predictive cues while inhibited by aversive stimuli. How can these divergent processes both be mediated by VTA dopamine neurons? The answer may lie within the functional and anatomical heterogeneity of the VTA. We focus on VTA heterogeneity in anatomy, neurochemistry, electrophysiology, and afferent/efferent connectivity. Second, recent evidence for a critical role of VTA dopamine neurons in response to both acute and repeated stress will be discussed. Understanding which dopamine neurons are activated by stress, the neural mechanisms driving the activation, and where these neurons project will provide valuable insight into how stress can promote psychiatric disorders associated with the dopamine system, such as addiction and depression. PMID:26676983

Severe oxidative stress in an acute inflammatory demyelinating model in the rhesus monkey.

PubMed

Dunham, Jordon; van de Vis, Reinofke; Bauer, Jan; Wubben, Jacqueline; van Driel, Nikki; Laman, Jon D; 't Hart, Bert A; Kap, Yolanda S

2017-01-01

Oxidative stress is increasingly implicated as a co-factor of tissue injury in inflammatory/demyelinating disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), such as multiple sclerosis (MS). While rodent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models diverge from human demyelinating disorders with respect to limited oxidative injury, we observed that in a non-human primate (NHP) model for MS, namely EAE in the common marmoset, key pathological features of the disease were recapitulated, including oxidative tissue injury. Here, we investigated the presence of oxidative injury in another NHP EAE model, i.e. in rhesus macaques, which yields an acute demyelinating disease, which may more closely resemble acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) than MS. Rhesus monkey EAE diverges from marmoset EAE by abundant neutrophil recruitment into the CNS and destructive injury to white matter. This difference prompted us to investigate to which extent the oxidative pathway features elicited in MS and marmoset EAE are reflected in the acute rhesus monkey EAE model. The rhesus EAE brain was characterized by widespread demyelination and active lesions containing numerous phagocytic cells and to a lesser extent T cells. We observed induction of the oxidative stress pathway, including injury, with a predilection of p22phox expression in neutrophils and macrophages/microglia. In addition, changes in iron were observed. These results indicate that pathogenic mechanisms in the rhesus EAE model may differ from the marmoset EAE and MS brain due to the neutrophil involvement, but may in the end lead to similar induction of oxidative stress and injury.

Acute renal failure potentiates methylmalonate-induced oxidative stress in brain and kidney of rats.

PubMed

Schuck, P F; Alves, L; Pettenuzzo, L F; Felisberto, F; Rodrigues, L B; Freitas, B W; Petronilho, F; Dal-Pizzol, F; Streck, E L; Ferreira, G C

2013-03-01

Tissue methylmalonic acid (MMA) accumulation is the biochemical hallmark of methylmalonic acidemia. The disease is clinically characterized by progressive neurological deterioration and kidney failure, whose pathophysiology is still unclear. In the present work we investigated the effects of acute MMA administration on various parameters of oxidative stress in cerebral cortex and kidney of young rats, as well as the influence of acute renal failure on MMA-elicited effects on these parameters. Acute renal failure was induced by gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic whose utilization over prolonged periods causes nephrotoxicity. The administration of gentamicin alone increased carbonyl content and inhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in cerebral cortex, as well as increased thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBA-RS) and sulfhydryl levels and diminished glutathione peroxidase activity in kidney. On the other hand, MMA administration increased TBA-RS levels in cerebral cortex and decreased SOD activity in kidney. Furthermore, the simultaneous administration of MMA and gentamicin to the rats provoked an augment in TBA-RS levels and superoxide generation in cerebral cortex and in TBA-RS, carbonyl and sulfhydryl levels in kidney, while diminished SOD activity in both studied tissues. Finally, nitrate/nitrite content, reduced glutathione levels, 2',7'-dihydrodichlorofluorescein oxidation and catalase activity were not affected by this animal treatment in either tissue. In conclusion, our present data are in line with the hypothesis that MMA acts as a toxin in brain and kidney of rats and suggest that renal injury potentiates the toxicity of MMA on oxidative stress parameters in brain and peripheral tissues.

Seawater inhalation induces acute lung injury via ROS generation and the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway.

PubMed

Li, Peng-Cheng; Wang, Bo-Rong; Li, Cong-Cong; Lu, Xi; Qian, Wei-Sheng; Li, Yu-Juan; Jin, Fa-Guang; Mu, De-Guang

2018-05-01

Seawater (SW) inhalation can induce acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the present study, SW induced apoptosis of rat alveolar epithelial cells and histopathological alterations to lung tissue. Furthermore, SW administration increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas pretreatment with the ROS scavenger, N‑acetyl‑L‑cysteine (NAC), significantly decreased ROS generation, apoptosis and histopathological alterations. In addition, SW exposure upregulated the expression levels of glucose‑regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), which are critical proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, thus indicating that SW may activate ER stress. Conversely, blocking ER stress with 4‑phenylbutyric acid (4‑PBA) significantly improved SW‑induced apoptosis and histopathological alterations, whereas an ER stress inducer, thapsigargin, had the opposite effect. Furthermore, blocking ROS with NAC inhibited SW‑induced ER stress, as evidenced by the downregulation of GRP78, phosphorylated (p)‑protein kinase R‑like ER kinase (PERK), p‑inositol‑requiring kinase 1α (IRE1α), p‑50 activating transcription factor 6α and CHOP. In addition, blocking ER stress with 4‑PBA decreased ROS generation. In conclusion, the present study indicated that ROS and ER stress pathways, which are involved in alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis, are important in the pathogenesis of SW‑induced ALI.

Sleep quality but not sleep quantity effects on cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress.

PubMed

Bassett, Sarah M; Lupis, Sarah B; Gianferante, Danielle; Rohleder, Nicolas; Wolf, Jutta M

2015-01-01

Given the well-documented deleterious health effects, poor sleep has become a serious public health concern and increasing efforts are directed toward understanding underlying pathways. One potential mechanism may be stress and its biological correlates; however, studies investigating the effects of poor sleep on a body's capacity to deal with challenges are lacking. The current study thus aimed at testing the effects of sleep quality and quantity on cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress. A total of 73 college-aged adults (44 females) were investigated. Self-reported sleep behavior was assessed via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and salivary cortisol responses to the Trier Social Stress Test were measured. In terms of sleep quality, we found a significant three-way interaction, such that relative to bad sleep quality, men who reported fairly good or very good sleep quality showed blunted or exaggerated cortisol responses, respectively, while women's stress responses were less dependent on their self-reported sleep quality. Contrarily, average sleep duration did not appear to impact cortisol stress responses. Lastly, participants who reported daytime dysfunctions (i.e. having trouble staying awake or keeping up enthusiasm) also showed a trend to blunted cortisol stress responses compared to participants who did not experience these types of daytime dysfunctions. Overall, the current study suggests gender-specific stress reactivity dysfunctions as one mechanism linking poor sleep with detrimental physical health outcomes. Furthermore, the observed differential sleep effects may indicate that while the body may be unable to maintain normal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal functioning in an acute psychosocial stress situation after falling prey to low sleep quality, it may retain capacities to deal with challenges during extended times of sleep deprivation.

Acute Stress Disorder: Conceptual Issues and Treatment Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koucky, Ellen M.; Galovski, Tara E.; Nixon, Reginald D. V.

2012-01-01

Acute stress disorder (ASD) was included as a diagnosis to the 4th edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual" (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) as a way of describing pathological reactions in the first month following a trauma. Since that time, ASD has been the focus of some controversy, particularly regarding the theoretical basis…

The acute autonomic stress response and amniotic fluid glucocorticoids in second-trimester pregnant women.

PubMed

La Marca-Ghaemmaghami, Pearl; Dainese, Sara M; La Marca, Roberto; Zimmermann, Roland; Ehlert, Ulrike

2015-01-01

The maternal autonomic nervous system (ANS) has received little attention in the investigation of biological mechanisms linking prenatal stress to fetal cortisol (F) excess. In vitro, norepinephrine and epinephrine inhibit placental 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2), which protects the fetus from F overexposure by inactivating it to cortisone (E). Here, we investigated the acute ANS stress response to an amniocentesis and its association with amniotic fluid F, E, and E/(E + F) as a marker of fetoplacental 11β-HSD2 activity. An aliquot of amniotic fluid was obtained from 34 healthy, second-trimester pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis. Repeated assessment of mood states served to examine the psychological stress response to amniocentesis. Saliva samples were collected to measure stress-induced changes in salivary α-amylase concentrations in response to amniocentesis. Cardiac parameters were measured continuously. Undergoing amniocentesis induced significant psychological and autonomic alterations. Low-frequency (LF)/high-frequency (HF) baseline, suggested to reflect sympathovagal balance, was negatively correlated with amniotic E/(E + F) (r=-0.53, p = .002) and positively with F (r = 0.62, p < .001). In contrast, a stronger acute LF/HF response was positively associated with E/(E + F) (r = 0.44, p = .012) and negatively with F (r=-0.40, p = .025). These findings suggest that the maternal ANS is involved in the regulation of the fetoplacental barrier to stress. Allostatic processes may have been initiated to counterbalance acute stress effects. In contrast, higher LF/HF baseline values, possibly indicative of chronic stress exposure, may have inhibited 11β-HSD2 activity in the fetoplacental unit. These results parallel animal findings of up-regulated placental 11β-HSD2 in response to acute stress but impairment under chronic stress.

Behavioral Predictors of Acute Stress Symptoms During Intense Military Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

the Ways of Coping Scale ( Folkman & Lazarus , 1988). During survival training, the Clinician- Administered Dissociative States Scale (Bremner et al...Published on behalf of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Acute Stress Symptoms 217 Folkman , S., & Lazarus , R. (1988). Manual...and performance in sport (pp. 17–42). Chichester, UK: Wiley. Lazarus , R. S. (2000). Cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion. In Y . Hanin

Impact of chronic maternal stress during early gestation on maternal-fetal stress transfer and fetal stress sensitivity in sheep.

PubMed

Dreiling, Michelle; Schiffner, Rene; Bischoff, Sabine; Rupprecht, Sven; Kroegel, Nasim; Schubert, Harald; Witte, Otto W; Schwab, Matthias; Rakers, Florian

2018-01-01

Acute stress-induced reduction of uterine blood flow (UBF) is an indirect mechanism of maternal-fetal stress transfer during late gestation. Effects of chronic psychosocial maternal stress (CMS) during early gestation, as may be experienced by many working women, on this stress signaling mechanism are unclear. We hypothesized that CMS in sheep during early gestation augments later acute stress-induced decreases of UBF, and aggravates the fetal hormonal, cardiovascular, and metabolic stress responses during later development. Six pregnant ewes underwent repeated isolation stress (CMS) between 30 and 100 days of gestation (dGA, term: 150 dGA) and seven pregnant ewes served as controls. At 110 dGA, ewes were chronically instrumented and underwent acute isolation stress. The acute stress decreased UBF by 19% in both the CMS and control groups (p < .05), but this was prolonged in CMS versus control ewes (74 vs. 30 min, p < .05). CMS increased fetal circulating baseline and stress-induced cortisol and norepinephrine concentrations indicating a hyperactive hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system. Increased fetal norepinephrine is endogenous as maternal catecholamines do not cross the placenta. Cortisol in the control but not in the CMS fetuses was correlated with maternal cortisol blood concentrations; these findings indicate: (1) no increased maternal-fetal cortisol transfer with CMS, (2) cortisol production in CMS fetuses when the HPA-axis is normally inactive, due to early maturation of the fetal HPA-axis. CMS fetuses were better oxygenated, without shift towards acidosis compared to the controls, potentially reflecting adaptation to repeated stress. Hence, CMS enhances maternal-fetal stress transfer by prolonged reduction in UBF and increased fetal HPA responsiveness.

Changes in the levels of p-ERK, p-CREB, and c-fos in rat mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system after morphine-induced conditioned place preference: the role of acute and subchronic stress.

PubMed

Haghparast, Abbas; Fatahi, Zahra; Alamdary, Shabnam Zeighamy; Reisi, Zahra; Khodagholi, Fariba

2014-03-01

ERK pathway plays a critical role in the cellular adaptive responses to environmental changes. Stressful conditions can induce the activation of activate ERK, and its downstream targets, CREB and c-fos, in neural cells. Exposure to opioids has the same effect. In this study, we investigated the effects of morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) on p-ERK/ERK ratio, p-CREB/CREB ratio and c-fos level in the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system including the nucleus accumbens (NAc), amygdala (AMY), striatum (Str), and prefrontal cortex (PFC).Our aim was to determine if acute and subchronic stress would affect these alterations. Male Wistar rats were divided into two saline- and morphine-treated groups. Each group contained of control, acute stress, and subchronic stress subgroups. The CPP procedure was performed for all of the rats. We dissected out the NAc, AMY, Str, and PFC regions and measured the mentioned ratios and c-fos level by Western blot analysis. The results revealed that in saline-treated animals, all factors enhanced significantly after performing acute and subchronic stress while there was an exception in p-ERK/ERK ratio in the Str and PFC; the changes were not significant during acute stress. Conditioning score decreased after applying the subchronic but not acute stress. In morphine-treated animals, all factors were increased after application of acute and subchronic stress, and conditioning scores also decreased after stress. Our findings suggest that in saline- or morphine-treated animals, acute and subchronic stress increases p-ERK, p-CREB, and c-fos levels in the mesocorticolimbic system. It has been shown that morphine induces the enhancement of the mentioned factors; on the other hand, our result demonstrates that stress can amplify these changes.

Acute Stress Modulates Feedback Processing in Men and Women: Differential Effects on the Feedback-Related Negativity and Theta and Beta Power

PubMed Central

Banis, Stella; Geerligs, Linda; Lorist, Monicque M.

2014-01-01

Sex-specific prevalence rates in mental and physical disorders may be partly explained by sex differences in physiological stress responses. Neural networks that might be involved are those underlying feedback processing. Aim of the present EEG study was to investigate whether acute stress alters feedback processing, and whether stress effects differ between men and women. Male and female participants performed a gambling task, in a control and a stress condition. Stress was induced by exposing participants to a noise stressor. Brain activity was analyzed using both event-related potential and time-frequency analyses, measuring the feedback-related negativity (FRN) and feedback-related changes in theta and beta oscillatory power, respectively. While the FRN and feedback-related theta power were similarly affected by stress induction in both sexes, feedback-related beta power depended on the combination of stress induction condition and sex. FRN amplitude and theta power increases were smaller in the stress relative to the control condition in both sexes, demonstrating that acute noise stress impairs performance monitoring irrespective of sex. However, in the stress but not in the control condition, early lower beta-band power increases were larger for men than women, indicating that stress effects on feedback processing are partly sex-dependent. Our findings suggest that sex-specific effects on feedback processing may comprise a factor underlying sex-specific stress responses. PMID:24755943

Development and psychometric evaluation of child acute stress measures in Spanish and English.

PubMed

Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Gold, Jeffrey I; Montaño, Zorash; Kohser, Kristen L; Cuadra, Anai; Muñoz, Cynthia; Armstrong, F Daniel

2013-02-01

Clinicians and researchers need tools for accurate early assessment of children's acute stress reactions and acute stress disorder (ASD). There is a particular need for independently validated Spanish-language measures. The current study reports on 2 measures of child acute stress (a self-report checklist and a semistructured interview), describing the development of the Spanish version of each measure and psychometric evaluation of both the Spanish and English versions. Children between the ages of 8 to 17 years who had experienced a recent traumatic event completed study measures in Spanish (n = 225) or in English (n = 254). Results provide support for reliability (internal consistency of the measures in both languages ranged from .83 to .89; cross-language reliability of the checklist was .93) and for convergent validity (with later PTSD symptoms, and with concurrent anxiety symptoms). Comparing checklist and interview results revealed a strong association between severity scores within the Spanish and English samples. Differences between the checklist and interview in evaluating the presence of ASD appear to be linked to different content coverage for dissociation symptoms. Future studies should further assess the impact of differing assessment modes, content coverage, and the use of these measures in children with diverse types of acute trauma exposure in English- and Spanish-speaking children. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

The Effects of Social Context and Acute Stress on Decision Making Under Uncertainty.

PubMed

FeldmanHall, Oriel; Raio, Candace M; Kubota, Jennifer T; Seiler, Morgan G; Phelps, Elizabeth A

2015-12-01

Uncertainty preferences are typically studied in neutral, nonsocial contexts. This approach, however, fails to capture the dynamic factors that influence choices under uncertainty in the real world. Our goal was twofold: to test whether uncertainty valuation is similar across social and nonsocial contexts, and to investigate the effects of acute stress on uncertainty preferences. Subjects completed matched gambling and trust games following either a control or a stress manipulation. Those who were not under stress exhibited no differences between the amount of money gambled and the amount of money entrusted to partners. In comparison, stressed subjects gambled more money but entrusted less money to partners. We further found that irrespective of stress, subjects were highly attuned to irrelevant feedback in the nonsocial, gambling context, believing that every loss led to a greater chance of winning (the gamblers' fallacy). However, when deciding to trust a stranger, control subjects behaved rationally, treating each new interaction as independent. Stress compromised this adaptive behavior, increasing sensitivity to irrelevant social feedback. © The Author(s) 2015.

Cumulative exposure to prior collective trauma and acute stress responses to the Boston marathon bombings.

PubMed

Garfin, Dana Rose; Holman, E Alison; Silver, Roxane Cohen

2015-06-01

The role of repeated exposure to collective trauma in explaining response to subsequent community-wide trauma is poorly understood. We examined the relationship between acute stress response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and prior direct and indirect media-based exposure to three collective traumatic events: the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks, Superstorm Sandy, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Representative samples of residents of metropolitan Boston (n = 846) and New York City (n = 941) completed Internet-based surveys shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings. Cumulative direct exposure and indirect exposure to prior community trauma and acute stress symptoms were assessed. Acute stress levels did not differ between Boston and New York metropolitan residents. Cumulative direct and indirect, live-media-based exposure to 9/11, Superstorm Sandy, and the Sandy Hook shooting were positively associated with acute stress responses in the covariate-adjusted model. People who experience multiple community-based traumas may be sensitized to the negative impact of subsequent events, especially in communities previously exposed to similar disasters. © The Author(s) 2015.

Psychosocial stress factors, including the relationship with the coach, and their influence on acute and overuse injury risk in elite female football players

PubMed Central

Pensgaard, Anne Marte; Ivarsson, Andreas; Nilstad, Agnethe; Solstad, Bård Erlend; Steffen, Kathrin

2018-01-01

Background The relationship between specific types of stressors (eg, teammates, coach) and acute versus overuse injuries is not well understood. Objective To examine the roles of different types of stressors as well as the effect of motivational climate on the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries. Methods Players in the Norwegian elite female football league (n=193 players from 12 teams) participated in baseline screening tests prior to the 2009 competitive football season. As part of the screening, we included the Life Event Survey for Collegiate Athletes and the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire (Norwegian short version). Acute and overuse time-loss injuries and exposure to training and matches were recorded prospectively in the football season using weekly text messaging. Data were analysed with Bayesian logistic regression analyses. Results Using Bayesian logistic regression analyses, we showed that perceived negative life event stress from teammates was associated with an increased risk of acute injuries (OR=1.23, 95% credibility interval (1.01 to 1.48)). There was a credible positive association between perceived negative life event stress from the coach and the risk of overuse injuries (OR=1.21, 95% credibility interval (1.01 to 1.45)). Conclusions Players who report teammates as a source of stress have a greater risk of sustaining an acute injury, while players reporting the coach as a source of stress are at greater risk of sustaining an overuse injury. Motivational climate did not relate to increased injury occurrence. PMID:29629182

Psychosocial stress factors, including the relationship with the coach, and their influence on acute and overuse injury risk in elite female football players.

PubMed

Pensgaard, Anne Marte; Ivarsson, Andreas; Nilstad, Agnethe; Solstad, Bård Erlend; Steffen, Kathrin

2018-01-01

The relationship between specific types of stressors (eg, teammates, coach) and acute versus overuse injuries is not well understood. To examine the roles of different types of stressors as well as the effect of motivational climate on the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries. Players in the Norwegian elite female football league (n=193 players from 12 teams) participated in baseline screening tests prior to the 2009 competitive football season. As part of the screening, we included the Life Event Survey for Collegiate Athletes and the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire (Norwegian short version). Acute and overuse time-loss injuries and exposure to training and matches were recorded prospectively in the football season using weekly text messaging. Data were analysed with Bayesian logistic regression analyses. Using Bayesian logistic regression analyses, we showed that perceived negative life event stress from teammates was associated with an increased risk of acute injuries (OR=1.23, 95% credibility interval (1.01 to 1.48)). There was a credible positive association between perceived negative life event stress from the coach and the risk of overuse injuries (OR=1.21, 95% credibility interval (1.01 to 1.45)). Players who report teammates as a source of stress have a greater risk of sustaining an acute injury, while players reporting the coach as a source of stress are at greater risk of sustaining an overuse injury. Motivational climate did not relate to increased injury occurrence.

Differential Effects of Acute Stress on Anticipatory and Consummatory Phases of Reward Processing

PubMed Central

Kumar, Poornima; Berghorst, Lisa H.; Nickerson, Lisa D.; Dutra, Sunny J.; Goer, Franziska; Greve, Douglas; Pizzagalli, Diego A.

2014-01-01

Anhedonia is one of the core symptoms of depression and has been linked to blunted responses to rewarding stimuli in striatal regions. Stress, a key vulnerability factor for depression, has been shown to induce anhedonic behavior, including reduced reward responsiveness in both animals and humans, but the brain processes associated with these effects remain largely unknown in humans. Emerging evidence suggests that stress has dissociable effects on distinct components of reward processing, as it has been found to potentiate motivation/‘wanting’ during the anticipatory phase but reduce reward responsiveness/‘liking’ during the consummatory phase. To examine the impact of stress on reward processing, we used a monetary incentive delay (MID) task and an acute stress manipulation (negative performance feedback) in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Fifteen healthy participants performed the MID task under no-stress and stress conditions. We hypothesized that stress would have dissociable effects on the anticipatory and consummatory phases in reward-related brain regions. Specifically, we expected reduced striatal responsiveness during reward consumption (mirroring patterns previously observed in clinical depression) and increased striatal activation during reward anticipation consistent with non-human findings. Supporting our hypotheses, significant Phase (Anticipation/Consumption) x Stress (Stress/No-stress) interactions emerged in the putamen, nucleus accumbens, caudate and amygdala. Post-hoc tests revealed that stress increased striatal and amygdalar activation during anticipation but decreased striatal activation during consumption. Importantly, stress-induced striatal blunting was similar to the profile observed in clinical depression under baseline (no-stress) conditions in prior studies. Given that stress is a pivotal vulnerability factor for depression, these results offer insight to better understand the etiology of this

ADRA2B genotype modulates effects of acute psychosocial stress on emotional memory retrieval in healthy young men.

PubMed

Li, Shijia; Weerda, Riklef; Guenzel, Friederike; Wolf, Oliver T; Thiel, Christiane M

2013-07-01

Previous studies have shown that acute psychosocial stress impairs retrieval of declarative memory with emotional material being especially sensitive to this effect. A functional deletion variant of the ADRA2B gene encoding the α2B-adrenergic receptor has been shown to increase emotional memory and neural activity in the amygdala. We investigated the effects of acute psychosocial stress and the ADRA2B allele on recognition memory for emotional and neutral faces. Fourty-two healthy, non-smoker male volunteers (30 deletion carriers, 12 noncarriers) were tested with a face recognition paradigm. During encoding they were presented with emotional and neutral faces. One hour later, participants underwent either a stress ("Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)") or a control procedure which was followed immediately by the retrieval session where subjects had to indicate whether the presented face was old or new. Stress increased salivary cortisol concentrations, blood pressure and pulse and impaired recognition memory for faces independent of emotional valence and genotype. Participants showed generally slower reaction times to emotional faces. Carriers of the ADRA2B functional deletion variant showed an impaired recognition and slower retrieval of neutral faces under stress. Further, they were significantly slower in retrieving fearful faces in the control condition. The findings indicate that a genetic variation of the noradrenergic system may preserve emotional faces from stress-induced memory impairments seen for neutral faces and heighten reactivity to emotional stimuli under control conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factor Structure of the Acute Stress Disorder Scale in a Sample of Hurricane Katrina Evacuees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmondson, Donald; Mills, Mary Alice; Park, Crystal L.

2010-01-01

Acute stress disorder (ASD) is a poorly understood and controversial diagnosis (A. G. Harvey & R. A. Bryant, 2002). The present study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the factor structure of the most widely used self-report measure of ASD, the Acute Stress Disorder Scale (R. A. Bryant, M. L. Moulds, & R. M. Guthrie, 2000),…

Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia ficus indica var. saboten) Protects Against Stress-Induced Acute Gastric Lesions in Rats

PubMed Central

Kim, Seung Hyun; Jeon, Byung Ju; Kim, Dae Hyun; Kim, Tae Il; Lee, Hee Kyoung; Han, Dae Seob; Lee, Jong-Hwan; Kim, Tae Bum; Kim, Jung Wha

2012-01-01

Abstract The protective activity of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica var. saboten) fruit juice and its main constituent, betanin, were evaluated against stress-induced acute gastric lesions in rats. After 6 h of water immersion restraint stress (WIRS), gastric mucosal lesions with bleeding were induced in Sprague–Dawley rats. Pretreatment of a lyophilized powder containing O. ficus indica var. saboten fruit juice and maltodextrin (OFSM) and betanin significantly reduced stress lesions (800–1600 mg/kg). Both OFSM and betanin effectively prevented the decrease in gastric mucus content as detected by alcian blue staining. In addition, OFSM significantly suppressed WIRS-induced increases in the level of gastric mucosal tumor necrosis factor-α and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Betanin alone was only effective in decreasing MPO. These results revealed the protective activity of OFSM against stress-induced acute gastric lesions and that betanin may contribute to OFSM's gastric protective activity, at least in part. When OFSM and betanin were taken together, OFSM exerted gastroprotective activity against stress-induced gastric lesions by maintaining gastric mucus, which might be related to the attenuation of MPO-mediated damage and proinflammatory cytokine production. PMID:23062184

Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica var. saboten) protects against stress-induced acute gastric lesions in rats.

PubMed

Kim, Seung Hyun; Jeon, Byung Ju; Kim, Dae Hyun; Kim, Tae Il; Lee, Hee Kyoung; Han, Dae Seob; Lee, Jong-Hwan; Kim, Tae Bum; Kim, Jung Wha; Sung, Sang Hyun

2012-11-01

The protective activity of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica var. saboten) fruit juice and its main constituent, betanin, were evaluated against stress-induced acute gastric lesions in rats. After 6 h of water immersion restraint stress (WIRS), gastric mucosal lesions with bleeding were induced in Sprague-Dawley rats. Pretreatment of a lyophilized powder containing O. ficus indica var. saboten fruit juice and maltodextrin (OFSM) and betanin significantly reduced stress lesions (800-1600 mg/kg). Both OFSM and betanin effectively prevented the decrease in gastric mucus content as detected by alcian blue staining. In addition, OFSM significantly suppressed WIRS-induced increases in the level of gastric mucosal tumor necrosis factor-α and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Betanin alone was only effective in decreasing MPO. These results revealed the protective activity of OFSM against stress-induced acute gastric lesions and that betanin may contribute to OFSM's gastric protective activity, at least in part. When OFSM and betanin were taken together, OFSM exerted gastroprotective activity against stress-induced gastric lesions by maintaining gastric mucus, which might be related to the attenuation of MPO-mediated damage and proinflammatory cytokine production.

Laying hen responses to acute heat stress and carbon dioxide supplementation: I. Blood gas changes and plasma lactate accumulation.

PubMed

Koelkebeck, K W; Odom, T W

1994-04-01

Exposure to heat stress lowered partial pressure of arterial blood carbon dioxide (paCO2), arterial blood bicarbonate ion (HCO3-), but increased arterial blood pH (pHa) and plasma lactate (LA). Increasing ambient carbon dioxide (CO2) to 1.5% increased paCO2 from hypocapnic levels to normocapnic levels, raised HCO3-, lowered pHa and plasma LA to pre-heat stress levels. Following CO2 treatment, respiratory alkalosis conditions returned. It was evident in this study that increasing ambient chamber CO2 to 1.5% was effective in ameliorating acid-base disturbances and reducing elevated levels of plasma LA which normally develops when laying hens are subjected to an acute heat stress exposure.

Dark chocolate attenuates intracellular pro-inflammatory reactivity to acute psychosocial stress in men: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Kuebler, Ulrike; Arpagaus, Angela; Meister, Rebecca E; von Känel, Roland; Huber, Susanne; Ehlert, Ulrike; Wirtz, Petra H

2016-10-01

Flavanol-rich dark chocolate consumption relates to lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, but underlying mechanisms are elusive. We investigated the effect of acute dark chocolate consumption on inflammatory measures before and after stress. Healthy men, aged 20-50years, were randomly assigned to a single intake of either 50g of flavanol-rich dark chocolate (n=31) or 50g of optically identical flavanol-free placebo-chocolate (n=34). Two hours after chocolate intake, both groups underwent the 15-min Trier Social Stress Test. We measured DNA-binding-activity of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB (NF-κB-BA) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as well as plasma and whole blood mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, prior to chocolate intake as well as before and several times after stress. We also repeatedly measured the flavanol epicatechin and the stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol in plasma and saliva, respectively. Compared to the placebo-chocolate-group, the dark-chocolate-group revealed a marginal increase in IL-10 mRNA prior to stress (p=0.065), and a significantly blunted stress reactivity of NF-κB-BA, IL-1β mRNA, and IL-6 mRNA (p's⩽0.036) with higher epicatechin levels relating to lower pro-inflammatory stress reactivity (p's⩽0.033). Stress hormone changes to stress were controlled. None of the other measures showed a significant chocolate effect (p's⩾0.19). Our findings indicate that acute flavanol-rich dark chocolate exerts anti-inflammatory effects both by increasing mRNA expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and by attenuating the intracellular pro-inflammatory stress response. This mechanism may add to beneficial effects of dark chocolate on cardiovascular health. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aerobic Fitness Level Affects Cardiovascular and Salivary Alpha Amylase Responses to Acute Psychosocial Stress.

PubMed

Wyss, Thomas; Boesch, Maria; Roos, Lilian; Tschopp, Céline; Frei, Klaus M; Annen, Hubert; La Marca, Roberto

2016-12-01

Good physical fitness seems to help the individual to buffer the potential harmful impact of psychosocial stress on somatic and mental health. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of physical fitness levels on the autonomic nervous system (ANS; i.e. heart rate and salivary alpha amylase) responses to acute psychosocial stress, while controlling for established factors influencing individual stress reactions. The Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) was executed with 302 male recruits during their first week of Swiss Army basic training. Heart rate was measured continuously, and salivary alpha amylase was measured twice, before and after the stress intervention. In the same week, all volunteers participated in a physical fitness test and they responded to questionnaires on lifestyle factors and personal traits. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine ANS responses to acute psychosocial stress from physical fitness test performances, controlling for personal traits, behavioural factors, and socioeconomic data. Multiple linear regression revealed three variables predicting 15 % of the variance in heart rate response (area under the individual heart rate response curve during TSST-G) and four variables predicting 12 % of the variance in salivary alpha amylase response (salivary alpha amylase level immediately after the TSST-G) to acute psychosocial stress. A strong performance at the progressive endurance run (high maximal oxygen consumption) was a significant predictor of ANS response in both models: low area under the heart rate response curve during TSST-G as well as low salivary alpha amylase level after TSST-G. Further, high muscle power, non-smoking, high extraversion, and low agreeableness were predictors of a favourable ANS response in either one of the two dependent variables. Good physical fitness, especially good aerobic endurance capacity, is an important protective factor against health

Acute stress alters transcript expression pattern and reduces processing of proBDNF to mature BDNF in Dicentrarchus labrax

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Stress involves alterations of brain functioning that may precipitate to mood disorders. The neurotrophin Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) has recently been involved in stress-induced adaptation. BDNF is a key regulator of neuronal plasticity and adaptive processes. Regulation of BDNF is complex and may reflect not only stress-specific mechanisms but also hormonal and emotional responses. For this reason we used, as an animal model of stress, a fish whose brain organization is very similar to that of higher vertebrates, but is generally considered free of emotional reactions. Results We provide a comprehensive characterization of BDNF gene in the Dicentrarchus labrax and its transcriptional, translational and post-translational regulation following acute stress. While total BDNF mRNA levels are unchanged, BDNF transcripts 1c and 1d resulted down regulated after acute stress. Acute stress induces also a significant increase in proBDNF levels and reduction in mature BDNF suggesting altered regulation of proBDNF proteolytic processing. Notably, we provide here the first evidence that fishes possess a simplified proteolytic regulation of BDNF since the pro28Kda form, generated by the SKI-1 protease in mammals, is absent in fishes because the cleavage site has first emerged in reptilians. Finally, we show that the proBDNF/totBDNF ratio is a highly predictive novel quantitative biomarker to detect stress in fishes with sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 87%, and Negative Predictive Value = 100%. Conclusion The high predictivity of proBDNF/totBDNF ratio for stress in lower vertebrates indicates that processing of BDNF is a central mechanism in adaptation to stress and predicts that a similar regulation of pro/mature BDNF has likely been conserved throughout evolution of vertebrates from fish to man. PMID:20074340

Acute stress alters transcript expression pattern and reduces processing of proBDNF to mature BDNF in Dicentrarchus labrax.

PubMed

Tognoli, Chiara; Rossi, Federica; Di Cola, Francesco; Baj, Gabriele; Tongiorgi, Enrico; Terova, Genciana; Saroglia, Marco; Bernardini, Giovanni; Gornati, Rosalba

2010-01-14

Stress involves alterations of brain functioning that may precipitate to mood disorders. The neurotrophin Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) has recently been involved in stress-induced adaptation. BDNF is a key regulator of neuronal plasticity and adaptive processes. Regulation of BDNF is complex and may reflect not only stress-specific mechanisms but also hormonal and emotional responses. For this reason we used, as an animal model of stress, a fish whose brain organization is very similar to that of higher vertebrates, but is generally considered free of emotional reactions. We provide a comprehensive characterization of BDNF gene in the Dicentrarchus labrax and its transcriptional, translational and post-translational regulation following acute stress. While total BDNF mRNA levels are unchanged, BDNF transcripts 1c and 1d resulted down regulated after acute stress. Acute stress induces also a significant increase in proBDNF levels and reduction in mature BDNF suggesting altered regulation of proBDNF proteolytic processing. Notably, we provide here the first evidence that fishes possess a simplified proteolytic regulation of BDNF since the pro28Kda form, generated by the SKI-1 protease in mammals, is absent in fishes because the cleavage site has first emerged in reptilians. Finally, we show that the proBDNF/totBDNF ratio is a highly predictive novel quantitative biomarker to detect stress in fishes with sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 87%, and Negative Predictive Value = 100%. The high predictivity of proBDNF/totBDNF ratio for stress in lower vertebrates indicates that processing of BDNF is a central mechanism in adaptation to stress and predicts that a similar regulation of pro/mature BDNF has likely been conserved throughout evolution of vertebrates from fish to man.

Stress-dependent changes in neuroinflammatory markers observed after common laboratory stressors are not seen following acute social defeat of the Sprague Dawley rat.

PubMed

Hueston, Cara M; Barnum, Christopher J; Eberle, Jaime A; Ferraioli, Frank J; Buck, Hollin M; Deak, Terrence

2011-08-03

Exposure to acute stress has been shown to increase the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in brain, blood and peripheral organs. However, the nature of the inflammatory response evoked by acute stress varies depending on the stressor used and species examined. The goal of the following series of studies was to characterize the consequences of social defeat in the Sprague Dawley (SD) rat using three different social defeat paradigms. In Experiments 1 and 2, adult male SD rats were exposed to a typical acute resident-intruder paradigm of social defeat (60 min) by placement into the home cage of a larger, aggressive Long Evans rat and brain tissue was collected at multiple time points for analysis of IL-1β protein and gene expression changes in the PVN, BNST and adrenal glands. In subsequent experiments, rats were exposed to once daily social defeat for 7 or 21 days (Experiment 3) or housed continuously with an aggressive partner (separated by a partition) for 7 days (Experiment 4) to assess the impact of chronic social stress on inflammatory measures. Despite the fact that social defeat produced a comparable corticosterone response as other stressors (restraint, forced swim and footshock; Experiment 5), acute social defeat did not affect inflammatory measures. A small but reliable increase in IL-1 gene expression was observed immediately after the 7th exposure to social defeat, while other inflammatory measures were unaffected. In contrast, restraint, forced swim and footshock all significantly increased IL-1 gene expression in the PVN; other inflammatory factors (IL-6, cox-2) were unaffected in this structure. These findings provide a comprehensive evaluation of stress-dependent inflammatory changes in the SD rat, raising intriguing questions regarding the features of the stress challenge that may be predictive of stress-dependent neuroinflammation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Loss of Oca2 disrupts the unfolded protein response and increases resistance to endoplasmic reticulum stress in melanocytes.

PubMed

Cheng, Tsing; Orlow, Seth J; Manga, Prashiela

2013-11-01

Accumulation of proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) typically induces stress and initiates the unfolded protein response (UPR) to facilitate recovery. If homeostasis is not restored, apoptosis is induced. However, adaptation to chronic UPR activation can increase resistance to subsequent acute ER stress. We therefore investigated adaptive mechanisms in Oculocutaneous albinism type 2 (Oca2)-null melanocytes where UPR signaling is arrested despite continued tyrosinase accumulation leading to resistance to the chemical ER stressor thapsigargin. Although thapsigargin triggers UPR activation, instead of Perk-mediated phosphorylation of eIF2α, in Oca2-null melanocytes, eIF2α was rapidly dephosphorylated upon treatment. Dephosphorylation was mediated by the Gadd34-PP1α phosphatase complex. Gadd34-complex inhibition blocked eIF2α dephosphorylation and significantly increased Oca2-null melanocyte sensitivity to thapsigargin. Thus, Oca2-null melanocytes adapt to acute ER stress by disruption of pro-apoptotic Perk signaling, which promotes cell survival. This is the first study to demonstrate rapid eIF2α dephosphorylation as an adaptive mechanism to ER stress. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Acute Stress in Parents of Children Newly Diagnosed With Cancer

PubMed Central

Patiño-Fernández, Anna Maria; Pai, Ahna L.H.; Alderfer, Melissa; Hwang, Wei-Ting; Reilly, Anne; Kazak, Anne E.

2010-01-01

Objective Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and subclinical symptoms of acute stress (SAS) may be a useful framework for understanding the psychological reactions of mothers and fathers of children newly diagnosed with a pediatric malignancy. Patients and Methods Mothers (N = 129) and fathers (N = 72) of 138 children newly diagnosed with cancer completed questionnaires assessing acute distress, anxiety, and family functioning. Demographic data were also gathered. Inclusion criteria were: a confirmed diagnosis of a pediatric malignancy in a child under the age of 18 years without prior chronic or life threatening illness and fluency in English or Spanish. Results Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions were used to examine predictors of SAS. Fifty-one percent (N = 66) of mothers and 40% (N = 29) of fathers met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ASD. The majority of the sample reported experiencing at least one SAS. General anxiety, but not family functioning, was a strong predictor of SAS in both mothers and fathers even after controlling for demographic characteristics. Conclusions Immediately following their child’s diagnosis of cancer, most mothers and fathers experience SAS, with a subsample meeting criteria for ASD. More anxious parents are at heightened risk of more intense reactions. The findings support the need for evidence-based psychosocial support at diagnosis and throughout treatment for families who are at risk for acute distress reactions. PMID:17514742

Sleep quality but not sleep quantity effects on cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress

PubMed Central

Bassett, Sarah M.; Lupis, Sarah B.; Gianferante, Danielle; Rohleder, Nicolas; Wolf, Jutta M.

2016-01-01

Given the well-documented deleterious health effects, poor sleep has become a serious public health concern and increasing efforts are directed towards understanding underlying pathways. One potential mechanism may be stress and its biological correlates; however, studies investigating the effects of poor sleep on a body’s capacity to deal with challenges are lacking. The current study thus aimed at testing the effects of sleep quality and sleep quantity on cortisol responses to acute psychosocial stress. A total of 73 college-aged adults (44 females) were investigated. Self-reported sleep behavior was assessed via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and salivary cortisol responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) were measured. In terms of sleep quality, we found a significant three-way interaction, such that relative to bad sleep quality, men who reported fairly good or very good sleep quality showed blunted or exaggerated cortisol responses, respectively, while women’s stress responses were less dependent on their self-reported sleep quality. Contrarily, average sleep duration did not appear to impact cortisol stress responses. Lastly, participants who reported daytime dysfunctions (i.e., having trouble staying awake or keeping up enthusiasm) also showed a trend to blunted cortisol stress responses compared to participants who did not experience these types of daytime dysfunctions. Overall, the current study suggests gender-specific stress reactivity dysfunctions as one mechanism linking poor sleep with detrimental physical health outcomes. Furthermore, the observed differential sleep effects may indicate that while the body may be unable to maintain normal HPA functioning in an acute psychosocial stress situation after falling prey to low sleep quality, it may retain capacities to deal with challenges during extended times of sleep deprivation. PMID:26414625

Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or boulardii yeasts on acute stress induced intestinal dysmotility.

PubMed

West, Christine; Stanisz, Andrew M; Wong, Annette; Kunze, Wolfgang A

2016-12-28

To investigate the capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ( S. cerevisiae ) and Saccharomyces boulardii ( S. boulardii ) yeasts to reverse or to treat acute stress-related intestinal dysmotility. Adult Swiss Webster mice were stressed for 1 h in a wire-mesh restraint to induce symptoms of intestinal dysmotility and were subsequently killed by cervical dislocation. Jejunal and colon tissue were excised and placed within a tissue perfusion bath in which S. cerevisiae , S. boulardii , or their supernatants were administered into the lumen. Video recordings of contractility and gut diameter changes were converted to spatiotemporal maps and the velocity, frequency, and amplitude of propagating contractile clusters (PCC) were measured. Motility pre- and post-treatment was compared between stressed animals and unstressed controls. S. boulardii and S. cerevisiae helped to mediate the effects of stress on the small and large intestine. Restraint stress reduced jejunal transit velocity (mm/s) from 2.635 ± 0.316 to 1.644 ± 0.238, P < 0.001 and jejunal transit frequency (Hz) from 0.032 ± 0.008 to 0.016 ± 0.005, P < 0.001. Restraint stress increased colonic transit velocity (mm/s) from 0.864 ± 0.183 to 1.432 ± 0.329, P < 0.001 and frequency to a lesser degree. Luminal application of S. boulardii helped to restore jejunal and colonic velocity towards the unstressed controls; 1.833 ± 0.688 to 2.627 ± 0.664, P < 0.001 and 1.516 ± 0.263 to 1.036 ± 0.21, P < 0.001, respectively. S. cerevisiae also had therapeutic effects on the stressed gut, but was most apparent in the jejunum. S. cerevisiae increased PCC velocity in the stressed jejunum from 1.763 ± 0.397 to 2.017 ± 0.48, P = 0.0031 and PCC frequency from 0.016 ± 0.009 to 0.027 ± 0.007, P < 0.001. S. cerevisiae decreased colon PCC velocity from 1.647 ± 0.187 to 1.038 ± 0.222, P < 0.001. Addition of S. boulardii or S. cerevisiae supernatants also helped to restore motility to unstressed values in similar capacity

Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or boulardii yeasts on acute stress induced intestinal dysmotility

PubMed Central

West, Christine; Stanisz, Andrew M; Wong, Annette; Kunze, Wolfgang A

2016-01-01

AIM To investigate the capacity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) and Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) yeasts to reverse or to treat acute stress-related intestinal dysmotility. METHODS Adult Swiss Webster mice were stressed for 1 h in a wire-mesh restraint to induce symptoms of intestinal dysmotility and were subsequently killed by cervical dislocation. Jejunal and colon tissue were excised and placed within a tissue perfusion bath in which S. cerevisiae, S. boulardii, or their supernatants were administered into the lumen. Video recordings of contractility and gut diameter changes were converted to spatiotemporal maps and the velocity, frequency, and amplitude of propagating contractile clusters (PCC) were measured. Motility pre- and post-treatment was compared between stressed animals and unstressed controls. RESULTS S. boulardii and S. cerevisiae helped to mediate the effects of stress on the small and large intestine. Restraint stress reduced jejunal transit velocity (mm/s) from 2.635 ± 0.316 to 1.644 ± 0.238, P < 0.001 and jejunal transit frequency (Hz) from 0.032 ± 0.008 to 0.016 ± 0.005, P < 0.001. Restraint stress increased colonic transit velocity (mm/s) from 0.864 ± 0.183 to 1.432 ± 0.329, P < 0.001 and frequency to a lesser degree. Luminal application of S. boulardii helped to restore jejunal and colonic velocity towards the unstressed controls; 1.833 ± 0.688 to 2.627 ± 0.664, P < 0.001 and 1.516 ± 0.263 to 1.036 ± 0.21, P < 0.001, respectively. S. cerevisiae also had therapeutic effects on the stressed gut, but was most apparent in the jejunum. S. cerevisiae increased PCC velocity in the stressed jejunum from 1.763 ± 0.397 to 2.017 ± 0.48, P = 0.0031 and PCC frequency from 0.016 ± 0.009 to 0.027 ± 0.007, P < 0.001. S. cerevisiae decreased colon PCC velocity from 1.647 ± 0.187 to 1.038 ± 0.222, P < 0.001. Addition of S. boulardii or S. cerevisiae supernatants also helped to restore motility to unstressed values in similar

Acute psychosocial stress and emotion regulation skills modulate empathic reactions to pain in others

PubMed Central

Buruck, Gabriele; Wendsche, Johannes; Melzer, Marlen; Strobel, Alexander; Dörfel, Denise

2014-01-01

Psychosocial stress affects resources for adequate coping with environmental demands. A crucial question in this context is the extent to which acute psychosocial stressors impact empathy and emotion regulation. In the present study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to a control group vs. a group confronted with the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), an established paradigm for the induction of acute psychosocial stress. Empathy for pain as a specific subgroup of empathy was assessed via pain intensity ratings during a pain-picture task. Self-reported emotion regulation skills were measured as predictors using an established questionnaire. Stressed individuals scored significantly lower on the appraisal of pain pictures. A regression model was chosen to find variables that further predict the pain ratings. These findings implicate that acute psychosocial stress might impair empathic processes to observed pain in another person and the ability to accept one's emotion additionally predicts the empathic reaction. Furthermore, the ability to tolerate negative emotions modulated the relation between stress and pain judgments, and thus influenced core cognitive-affective functions relevant for coping with environmental challenges. In conclusion, our study emphasizes the necessity of reducing negative emotions in terms of empathic distress when confronted with pain of another person under psychosocial stress, in order to be able to retain pro-social behavior. PMID:24910626

Acute Stress Symptoms in Children: Results From an International Data Archive

PubMed Central

Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Palmieri, Patrick A.; Rork, Kristine; Delahanty, Douglas L.; Kenardy, Justin; Kohser, Kristen L.; Landolt, Markus A.; Le Brocque, Robyne; Marsac, Meghan L.; Meiser-Stedman, Richard; Nixon, Reginald D. V.; Bui, Eric; McGrath, Caitlin

2012-01-01

Objective To describe the prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms and examine proposed DSM-5 symptom criteria in relation to concurrent functional impairment in children. Method From an international archive, datasets were identified which included assessment of acute traumatic stress reactions and concurrent impairment in children age 5 to 17. Data came from 15 studies conducted in the US, UK, Australia, and Switzerland with 1645 children. Dichotomized items were created to indicate the presence or absence of each of the 14 proposed ASD symptoms and functional impairment. The performance of a proposed diagnostic criterion (number of ASD symptoms required) was examined as a predictor of concurrent impairment. Results Each ASD symptom was endorsed by 14% to 51% of children; 41% reported clinically-relevant impairment. Children reported from 0 to 13 symptoms (mean = 3.6). Individual ASD symptoms were associated with greater likelihood of functional impairment. The DSM-5 proposed 8-symptom requirement was met by 202 (12.3%) children, and had low sensitivity (.25) in predicting concurrent clinically-relevant impairment. Requiring fewer symptoms (three to four) greatly improved sensitivity while maintaining moderate specificity. Conclusions This group of symptoms appears to capture aspects of traumatic stress reactions that can create distress and interfere with children’s ability to function in the acute post-trauma phase. Results provide a benchmark for comparison with adult samples; a smaller proportion of children met the 8-symptom criterion than reported for adults. Symptom requirements for the ASD diagnosis may need to be lowered to optimally identify children whose acute distress warrants clinical attention. PMID:22840552

Acute Stress Impairs Inhibitory Control based on Individual Differences in Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity

PubMed Central

Roos, Leslie E.; Knight, Erik L.; Beauchamp, Kathryn G.; Berkman, Elliot T.; Faraday, Kelsie; Hyslop, Katie; Fisher, Philip A.

2017-01-01

Identifying environmental influences on inhibitory control (IC) may help promote positive behavioral and social adjustment. Although chronic stress is known to predict lower IC, the immediate effects of acute stress are unknown. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) may be a mechanism of the stress-IC link, given its psychophysiological regulatory role and connections to prefrontal brain regions critical to IC. We used a focused assessment of IC (the stop-signal task) to test whether an acute social stressor (the Trier Social Stress Test) affected participants’ pre- to post-IC performance (n = 58), compared to a control manipulation (n = 31). High frequency heart-rate variability was used as an index of PNS activity in response to the manipulation. Results indicated that stress impaired IC performance, blocking the practice effects observed in control participants. We also investigated the associations between PNS activity and IC; higher resting PNS activity predicted better pre-manipulation IC, and greater PNS stressor reactivity protected against the negative effects of stress on IC. Together, these results are the first to document the immediate effects of acute stress on IC and a phenotypic marker (PNS reactivity to stressors) of susceptibility to stress-induced IC impairment. This study suggests a new way to identify situations in which individuals are likely to exhibit IC vulnerability and related consequences such as impulsivity and risk taking behavior. Targeting PNS regulation may represent a novel target for IC-focused interventions. PMID:28268165

Effects of dark chocolate consumption on the prothrombotic response to acute psychosocial stress in healthy men.

PubMed

von Känel, R; Meister, R E; Stutz, M; Kummer, P; Arpagaus, A; Huber, S; Ehlert, U; Wirtz, P H

2014-12-01

Flavanoid-rich dark chocolate consumption benefits cardiovascular health, but underlying mechanisms are elusive. We investigated the acute effect of dark chocolate on the reactivity of prothrombotic measures to psychosocial stress. Healthy men aged 20-50 years (mean ± SD: 35.7 ± 8.8) were assigned to a single serving of either 50 g of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate (n=31) or 50 g of optically identical flavonoid-free placebo chocolate (n=34). Two hours after chocolate consumption, both groups underwent an acute standardised psychosocial stress task combining public speaking and mental arithmetic. We determined plasma levels of four stress-responsive prothrombotic measures (i. e., fibrinogen, clotting factor VIII activity, von Willebrand Factor antigen, fibrin D-dimer) prior to chocolate consumption, immediately before and after stress, and at 10 minutes and 20 minutes after stress cessation. We also measured the flavonoid epicatechin, and the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine in plasma. The dark chocolate group showed a significantly attenuated stress reactivity of the hypercoagulability marker D-dimer (F=3.87, p=0.017) relative to the placebo chocolate group. Moreover, the blunted D-dimer stress reactivity related to higher plasma levels of the flavonoid epicatechin assessed before stress (F=3.32, p = 0.031) but not to stress-induced changes in catecholamines (p's=0.35). There were no significant group differences in the other coagulation measures (p's≥0.87). Adjustments for covariates did not alter these findings. In conclusion, our findings indicate that a single consumption of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate blunted the acute prothrombotic response to psychosocial stress, thereby perhaps mitigating the risk of acute coronary syndromes triggered by emotional stress.

Suppressing the endocrine and autonomic stress systems does not impact the emotional stress experience after psychosocial stress.

PubMed

Ali, Nida; Nitschke, Jonas P; Cooperman, Cory; Pruessner, Jens C

2017-04-01

Acute psychosocial stress activates the physiological and endocrine stress systems and increases the subjective emotional experience of stress. While considerable efforts have been made to link changes in the activity of the biological stress systems with changes in the subjective emotional experience of stress, results so far have been mixed, at best. To investigate this association in a study employing experimental manipulation, we pharmacologically suppressed both the autonomic and the endocrine stress responses, and investigated the effects of acute psychosocial stress on the emotional stress experience. 22 healthy men and women received dexamethasone (2mg) the day before, and propranolol (80mg) one hour before psychosocial stress induction. A control group (n=24) received placebo pills on each occasion. Salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase and heart-rate responses to stress were assessed before, during and after stress induction. Subjective stress, mood, and state self-esteem assessments were made before and after stress. In the pharmacological manipulation group, subjects demonstrated no increase in autonomic or endocrine stress response, after exposure to psychosocial stress. Despite these effects, the emotional stress experience was intact in this group and identical to the control group. Participants in the experimental group showed an increase in subjective stress, greater mood dysregulation, and lower state self-esteem following stress exposure, with the response magnitude comparable to the control group. Our findings suggest that at least acutely, the physiological stress arousal systems and the emotional experience of stress are dissociated. This raises important questions about the efficacy of our measurement of subjective stress, and the unique contributions of the autonomic and endocrine responses in the subjective stress experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stressed (acute) mice display neuroimmunodysregulation and defective innate immune response against coliform infection.

PubMed

Mehrzad, Jalil; Shajari, Majid; Saleh-Moghaddam, Massoud; Sarmad-Nabavi, Mohammad

2015-09-01

We examined the impact of acute restraint stress (ARS) with(out) intraperitoneal E. coli infection on TLR4 mRNA abundance in brain and spleen, clinical signs, cytokines and oxidative loads and peritoneal E. coli growth in balb/c mice. ARS exacerbated E. coli virulence and behavioral abnormality. At different post-stress hour the pattern and intensity of TLR4 activity differed in brain and spleen. While TLR4 stimulation in spleen of E. coli-infected mice was maximal, it superseded in brain of post-stressed E. coli-infected mice. ARS and E. coli infection elicited systemic pro-inflammatory and pro-oxidant status, with defective peritoneal E. coli clearance in post-ARS mice. Continuous TLR4 activation in post-stressed mice partially disarms innate immune response, and contributes to inappropriate host-E. coli interactions and thus neuroimmune dysregulation/toxicity. The description of these observed novel effects induced by ARS will provide a basis for deeper investigations of the effects from increasingly stress-oriented rural/urban life upon neuroimmune system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acute stress and depression 3 days after vaginal delivery--observational, comparative study.

PubMed

Imsiragić, Azijada Srkalović; Begić, Drazen; Martić-Biocina, Sanja

2009-06-01

During the first month postpartum, 85% of women experience some form of mood disorders. The most common are: postpartum blues, non-psychotic postpartum depression, puerperal psychosis. Delivery of a child can be traumatic for some women. Several authors have found that women could get symptoms of one form of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth. However, etiology of established postpartum disorders is still unknown. The aim of this study is to detect symptoms of acute stress reaction and acute depressive state as a consequence of peripartal complications, as early as three days postpartum using Impact of Events Scale revised (IES-R) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaires and to demonstrate their potential usage for the early detection of vulnerable mothers with greater risk to develop any of postpartum psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. For that purpose 103 subjects, without previous medical history of psychiatric illness, were included in the investigation. Long duration of delivery (> or = 12 h), very painful delivery, complication and illness of mother during and after delivery as a consequence of delivery, preterm delivery (before week 36) and/or illness of the child (as a consequence of delivery or congenital) are considered to be risk factors for acute stress reaction and acute depressive state after delivery. Sixty one out of 103 investigated mothers had one or more researched peripartal complications. A statistically significant difference has been found between the control (n=42) and the peripartal complications (n=61) groups in both the mean IES-R (4.67 +/- 5.43 and 13.50 +/- 14.12, respectively, p < 0.01) as well as in the mean EPDS (3.85 +/- 2.76 and 7.03 +/- 3.90, respectively, p < 0.01) scores. Additionally, while there were 4 cases of acute stress reactions and 3 cases of acute depressive state in the peripartal complications group there were no cases of these states in the control group. Based on our

Acute and chronic psychological stress as risk factors for cardiovascular disease: Insights gained from epidemiological, clinical and experimental studies.

PubMed

Lagraauw, H Maxime; Kuiper, Johan; Bot, Ilze

2015-11-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of death worldwide and identification and therapeutic modulation of all its risk factors is necessary to ensure a lower burden on the patient and on society. The physiological response to acute and chronic stress exposure has long been recognized as a potent modulator of immune, endocrine and metabolic pathways, however its direct implications for cardiovascular disease development, progression and as a therapeutic target are not completely understood. More and more attention is given to the bidirectional interaction between psychological and physical health in relation to cardiovascular disease. With atherosclerosis being a chronic disease starting already at an early age the contribution of adverse early life events in affecting adult health risk behavior, health status and disease development is receiving increased attention. In addition, experimental research into the biological pathways involved in stress-induced cardiovascular complications show important roles for metabolic and immunologic maladaptation, resulting in increased disease development and progression. Here we provide a concise overview of human and experimental animal data linking chronic and acute stress to CVD risk and increased progression of the underlying disease atherosclerosis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of Child Acute Stress Measures in Spanish and English

PubMed Central

Kassam-Adams, Nancy; Gold, Jeffrey I.; Montaño, Zorash; Kohser, Kristen L.; Cuadra, Anai; Muñoz, Cynthia; Armstrong, F. Daniel

2015-01-01

Clinicians and researchers need tools for accurate early assessment of children’s acute stress reactions and acute stress disorder (ASD). There is a particular need for independently validated Spanish-language measures. The current study reports on 2 measures of child acute stress (a self-report checklist and a semi-structured interview), describing the development of the Spanish version of each measure and psychometric evaluation of both the Spanish and English versions. Children between the ages of 8 to 17 years who had experienced a recent traumatic event completed study measures in Spanish (n = 225) or in English (n = 254). Results provide support for reliability (internal consistency of the measures in both languages ranges from .83 to .89; cross-language reliability of the checklist is .93) and for convergent validity (with later PTSD symptoms, and with concurrent anxiety symptoms). Comparing checklist and interview results revealed a strong association between severity scores within the Spanish and English samples. Checklist-interview differences in evaluating the presence of ASD appear to be linked to different content coverage for dissociation symptoms. Future studies should further assess the impact of differing assessment modes, content coverage, and the use of these measures in children with diverse types of acute trauma exposure in English- and Spanish-speaking children. PMID:23371337

Exposure to Acute Stress is Associated with Attenuated Sweet Taste

PubMed Central

al’Absi, Mustafa; Nakajima, Motohiro; Hooker, Stephanie; Wittmers, Larry; Cragin, Tiffany

2011-01-01

This study examined the effects of stress on taste perception. Participants (N = 38; 21 women) completed two laboratory sessions: one stress (public speaking, math, and cold pressor) and one control rest session. The taste perception test was conducted at the end of each session and included rating the intensity and pleasantness of sweet, salty, sour, and savory solutions at suprathreshold concentrations. Cardiovascular, hormonal, and mood measures were collected throughout the sessions. Participants showed the expected changes in cardiovascular, hormonal, and mood measures in response to stress. Reported intensity of the sweet solution was significantly lower on the stress day than on the rest day. Cortisol level post stress predicted reduced intensity of salt and sour, suggesting that stress-related changes in adrenocortical activity were related to reduced taste intensity. Results indicate that acute stress may alter taste perception, and ongoing research investigates the extent to which these changes mediate effects of stress on appetite. PMID:22091733

HPA-axis and inflammatory reactivity to acute stress is related with basal HPA-axis activity.

PubMed

Chen, Xuejie; Gianferante, Danielle; Hanlin, Luke; Fiksdal, Alexander; Breines, Juliana G; Thoma, Myriam V; Rohleder, Nicolas

2017-04-01

Inflammation is drawing attention as pathway between psychosocial stress and health, and basal HPA axis activity has been suggested to exert a consistent regulatory influence on peripheral inflammation. Here we studied the relationship between basal HPA axis activity and inflammatory and HPA axis acute stress reactivity. We recruited 48 healthy individuals and collected saliva for diurnal cortisol sampling at 6 points. Participants were previously exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) on two consecutive days. Plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) and salivary cortisol reactivity to acute stress were measured, and their relationships with basal HPA axis activity were analyzed. Steeper cortisol awakening response (CAR) linear increase was related with stronger cortisol stress reactivity (γ=0.015; p=0.042) and marginally significantly with greater habituation (γ=0.01; p=0.066). Greater curvilinearity of CAR was related with stronger cortisol reactivity (γ=-0.014; p=0.021) and greater cortisol habituation (γ=-0.011; p=0.006). Steeper daily linear decline was related with significant or marginally significantly stronger cortisol and IL-6 reactivity (cortisol: γ=-0.0004; p=0.06; IL-6: γ=-0.028; p=0.031) and greater habituation (cortisol: γ=-0.002; p=0.009, IL-6: γ=-0.015; p=0.033). Greater curvilinearity of daily decline was related with stronger IL-6 reactivity (γ=0.002; p=0.024) and also greater cortisol and IL-6 habituation (cortisol: γ=0.00009; p=0.03, IL-6: γ=0.001; p=0.024). Patterns of basal HPA axis activity that are related with healthier outcomes were found to be related with stronger initial cortisol and IL-6 reactivity and greater habituation. This is an important step in understanding the long-term health implications of acute stress responsiveness, and future studies should employ longitudinal designs to identify the direction of these relationships. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

P-CPA pretreatment reverses the changes in sleep and behavior following acute immobilization stress rats.

PubMed

Sinha, Rakesh Kumar

2006-02-01

The effects of p-CPA (para-chlorophenylalanine) pretreatment was studied on the sleep-wake parameters and patterns of behavioral activities in an animal model of acute immobilization stress. For the experiments, young male Charles Foster rats were divided into three groups, subjected to (i) acute immobilization stress for four hours on specially designed wooden boards, (ii) a similar model of acute immobilization stress after pretreatment of p-CPA (injected through i.p. route), and (iii) control rats (p-CPA untreated and unstressed). Three channels of electrographic signals, i.e., EEG (electroencephalogram), EOG (electrooculogram), and EMG (electromyogram) were recorded continuously for four hours for all three groups of rats to analyze the changes in sleep-wake stages. The assessment of behavior was performed just after the stress on separate groups of rats in Open-Field (OF) and Elevated Plus-Maze (EPM) apparatuses. The significant changes in total sleep time (P < 0.05), total time for rapid eye movement sleep (P < 0.01), and total time in wakefulness (P < 0.01) following acute immobilization stress were found reversed in the p-CPA (a serotonin inhibitor) pretreated group of rats. Simultaneously, the results of the present work also revealed that the changes in grooming behavior (P < 0.05) in OF and the total time spent on the center of EPM (P < 0.05) were observed altered in p-CPA pretreated group of rats.

Differential gene expressions in testes of L2 strain Taiwan country chicken in response to acute heat stress.

PubMed

Wang, Shih-Han; Cheng, Chuen-Yu; Tang, Pin-Chi; Chen, Chih-Feng; Chen, Hsin-Hsin; Lee, Yen-Pai; Huang, San-Yuan

2013-01-15

Acute heat stress affects genes involved in spermatogenesis in mammals. However, there is apparently no elaborate research on the effects of acute heat stress on gene expression in avian testes. The purpose of this study was to investigate global gene expression in testes of the L2 strain of Taiwan country chicken after acute heat stress. Twelve roosters, 45 weeks old, were allocated into four groups, including control roosters kept at 25 °C, roosters subjected to 38 °C acute heat stress for 4 hours without recovery, with 2-hour recovery, and with 6-hour recovery, respectively. Testis samples were collected for RNA isolation and microarray analysis. Based on gene expression profiles, 169 genes were upregulated and 140 genes were downregulated after heat stress using a cutoff value of twofold or greater change. Based on gene ontology analysis, differentially expressed genes were mainly related to response to stress, transport, signal transduction, and metabolism. A functional network analysis displayed that heat shock protein genes and related chaperones were the major upregulated groups in chicken testes after acute heat stress. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of mRNA expressions of HSP70, HSP90AA1, BAG3, SERPINB2, HSP25, DNAJA4, CYP3A80, CIRBP, and TAGLN confirmed the results of the microarray analysis. Because the HSP genes (HSP25, HSP70, and HSP90AA1) and the antiapoptotic BAG3 gene were dramatically altered in heat-stressed chicken testes, we concluded that these genes were important factors in the avian testes under acute heat stress. Whether these genes could be candidate genes for thermotolerance in roosters requires further investigation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perception of a hectic hospital environment at admission relates to acute stress disorder symptoms in myocardial infarction patients.

PubMed

Meister, Rebecca Elisabeth; Weber, Tania; Princip, Mary; Schnyder, Ulrich; Barth, Jürgen; Znoj, Hansjörg; Schmid, Jean-Paul; von Känel, Roland

2016-01-01

Hospital crowding is a public health problem that may impact on the quality of medical treatment and increase the risk of developing traumatic stress, e.g., after myocardial infarction (MI). This study examines whether subjective appraisal of crowding at hospital admission due to MI is associated with acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms. We investigated 102 consecutive patients with acute MI within 48h after having reached stable circulatory conditions. The appraisal of crowding was measured by the retrospective assessment of the perception of a hectic hospital environment at admission. Furthermore, patients completed the Acute Stress Disorder Scale to rate the psychological stress reaction. The perception of a hectic hospital environment was associated with the development of ASD symptoms (r=0.254, P=.013) independently of demographic, peritraumatic and medical factors. Post hoc analysis revealed associations with dissociative (r=0.211, P=.041), reexperiencing (r=0.184, P=.074) and arousal (r=0.179, P=.083) symptoms. The findings suggest that, besides objective circumstances, the way hospital admission due to MI is perceived by the patient may influence the development of MI-triggered ASD symptoms. The psychological and physiological long-term outcomes of the perception of a hectic hospital environment and the role of preventive interventions need further examination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in multiple organs of mice acutely exposed to amorphous silica nanoparticles.

PubMed

Nemmar, Abderrahim; Yuvaraju, Priya; Beegam, Sumaya; Yasin, Javed; Kazzam, Elsadig E; Ali, Badreldin H

2016-01-01

The use of amorphous silica (SiO2) in biopharmaceutical and industrial fields can lead to human exposure by injection, skin penetration, ingestion, or inhalation. However, the in vivo acute toxicity of amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles (SiNPs) on multiple organs and the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood. Presently, we investigated the acute (24 hours) effects of intraperitoneally administered 50 nm SiNPs (0.25 mg/kg) on systemic toxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in the lung, heart, liver, kidney, and brain of mice. Lipid peroxidation was significantly increased by SiNPs in the lung, liver, kidney, and brain, but was not changed in the heart. Similarly, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly affected by SiNPs in all organs studied. While the concentration of tumor necrosis factor α was insignificantly increased in the liver and brain, its increase was statistically significant in the lung, heart, and kidney. SiNPs induced a significant elevation in pulmonary and renal interleukin 6 and interleukin-1 beta in the lung, liver, and brain. Moreover, SiNPs caused a significant increase in DNA damage, assessed by comet assay, in all the organs studied. SiNPs caused leukocytosis and increased the plasma activities of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, alanine aminotranferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. These results indicate that acute systemic exposure to SiNPs causes oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage in several major organs, and highlight the need for thorough evaluation of SiNPs before they can be safely used in human beings.

Increased QT interval variability index in acute alcohol withdrawal.

PubMed

Bär, Karl-Jürgen; Boettger, Michael Karl; Koschke, Mandy; Boettger, Silke; Grotelüschen, Marei; Voss, Andreas; Yeragani, Vikram K

2007-07-10

Acute alcohol withdrawal is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, most likely due to cardiac arrhythmias. As the QT interval reflects the most critical phase for the generation of reentry and thus for arrhythmia, we examined QT variability in patients suffering from acute alcohol withdrawal. High resolution electrocardiographic recordings were performed in 18 male unmedicated patients suffering from acute alcohol withdrawal, 18 matched controls and 15 abstained alcoholics. From these, parameters of beat-to-beat heart rate and QT variability such as approximate entropy and QT variability index (QTvi) were calculated. Measures were correlated with the severity of withdrawal symptoms and with serum electrolyte concentrations. Heart rate and QTvi were significantly increased in acute alcohol withdrawal. Abstained alcoholics did not significantly differ from controls. While QTvi correlated with the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, the mean QT interval duration showed an inverse relationship with serum potassium concentrations. Our data indicate increased QT variability and thus increased repolarization lability in acute alcohol withdrawal. This might add to the elevated risk for serious cardiac arrhythmias. In part, these changes might be related to increased cardiac sympathetic activity or low potassium, thus suggesting the latter as possible targets for adjuvant pharmacological therapy during withdrawal.

Reversible inactivation of rostral nucleus raphe pallidus attenuates acute autonomic responses but not their habituation to repeated audiogenic stress in rats.

PubMed

Nyhuis, Tara J; Masini, Cher V; Taufer, Kirsten L; Day, Heidi E W; Campeau, Serge

2016-01-01

The medullary nucleus raphe pallidus (RPa) mediates several autonomic responses evoked by acute stress exposure, including tachycardia and hyperthermia. The present study assessed whether the RPa contributes to the decline/habituation of these responses observed during repeated audiogenic stress. Adult male rats were implanted with cannulae aimed at the RPa, and abdominal E-mitters that wirelessly acquire heart rate and core body temperature. After surgical recovery, animals were injected with muscimol or vehicle (aCSF) in the RPa region, followed by 30 min of 95-dBA loud noise or no noise control exposures on 3 consecutive days at 24-h intervals. Forty-eight hours after the third exposure, animals were exposed to an additional, but injection-free, loud noise or no noise test to assess habituation of hyperthermia and tachycardia. Three days later, rats were restrained for 30-min to evaluate their ability to display normal acute autonomic responses following the repeated muscimol injection regimen. The results indicated that the inhibition of cellular activity induced by the GABAA-receptor agonist muscimol centered in the RPa region reliably attenuated acute audiogenic stress-evoked tachycardia and hyperthermia, compared with vehicle-injected rats. Animals in the stress groups exhibited similar attenuated tachycardia and hyperthermia during the injection-free fourth audiogenic stress exposure, and displayed similar and robust increases in these responses to the subsequent restraint test. These results suggest that cellular activity in neurons of the RPa region is necessary for the expression of acute audiogenic stress-induced tachycardia and hyperthermia, but may not be necessary for the acquisition of habituated tachycardic responses to repeated stress.

Reversible inactivation of rostral nucleus raphe pallidus attenuates acute autonomic responses but not their habituation to repeated audiogenic stress in rats

PubMed Central

Nyhuis, Tara J.; Masini, Cher V.; Taufer, Kirsten L.; Day, Heidi E.W.; Campeau, Serge

2016-01-01

The medullary nucleus raphe pallidus (RPa) mediates several autonomic responses evoked by acute stress exposure, including tachycardia and hyperthermia. The present study assessed whether the RPa contributes to the decline/habituation of these responses observed during repeated audiogenic stress. Adult male rats were implanted with cannulae aimed at the RPa, and abdominal E-mitters that wirelessly acquire heart rate and core body temperature. After surgical recovery, animals were injected with muscimol or vehicle (aCSF) in the RPa region, followed by 30 minutes of 95-dBA loud noise or no noise control exposures on 3 consecutive days at 24-hr intervals. Forty-eight hours after the third exposure, animals were exposed to an additional, but injection-free, loud noise or no noise test to assess habituation of hyperthermia and tachycardia. Three days later, rats were restrained for 30-minutes to evaluate their ability to display normal acute autonomic responses following the repeated muscimol injection regimen. The results indicated that the inhibition of cellular activity induced by the GABAA-receptor agonist muscimol centered in the RPa region reliably attenuated acute audiogenic stress-evoked tachycardia and hyperthermia, compared with vehicle-injected rats. Animals in the stress groups exhibited similarly attenuated tachycardia and hyperthermia during the injection-free fourth audiogenic stress exposure, and displayed similar and robust increases in these responses to the subsequent restraint test. These results suggest that cellular activity in neurons of the RPa region is necessary for the expression of acute audiogenic stress-induced tachycardia and hyperthermia, but may not be necessary for the acquisition of habituated tachycardic responses to repeated stress. PMID:26998558

Effect of acute swim stress on plasma corticosterone and brain monoamine levels in bidirectionally selected DxH recombinant inbred mouse strains differing in fear recall and extinction.

PubMed

Browne, Caroline A; Hanke, Joachim; Rose, Claudia; Walsh, Irene; Foley, Tara; Clarke, Gerard; Schwegler, Herbert; Cryan, John F; Yilmazer-Hanke, Deniz

2014-12-01

Stress-induced changes in plasma corticosterone and central monoamine levels were examined in mouse strains that differ in fear-related behaviors. Two DxH recombinant inbred mouse strains with a DBA/2J background, which were originally bred for a high (H-FSS) and low fear-sensitized acoustic startle reflex (L-FSS), were used. Levels of noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin and their metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenyacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were studied in the amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, striatum, hypothalamus and brainstem. H-FSS mice exhibited increased fear levels and a deficit in fear extinction (within-session) in the auditory fear-conditioning test, and depressive-like behavior in the acute forced swim stress test. They had higher tissue noradrenaline and serotonin levels and lower dopamine and serotonin turnover under basal conditions, although they were largely insensitive to stress-induced changes in neurotransmitter metabolism. In contrast, acute swim stress increased monoamine levels but decreased turnover in the less fearful L-FSS mice. L-FSS mice also showed a trend toward higher basal and stress-induced corticosterone levels and an increase in noradrenaline and serotonin in the hypothalamus and brainstem 30 min after stress compared to H-FSS mice. Moreover, the dopaminergic system was activated differentially in the medial prefrontal cortex and striatum of the two strains by acute stress. Thus, H-FSS mice showed increased basal noradrenaline tissue levels compatible with a fear phenotype or chronic stressed condition. Low corticosterone levels and the poor monoamine response to stress in H-FSS mice may point to mechanisms similar to those found in principal fear disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Effect of Acute Swim Stress on Plasma Corticosterone and Brain Monoamine Levels in Bidirectionally Selected DxH Recombinant Inbred Mouse Strains Differing in Fear Recall and Extinction

PubMed Central

Browne, Caroline A.; Hanke, Joachim; Rose, Claudia; Walsh, Irene; Foley, Tara; Clarke, Gerard; Schwegler, Herbert; Cryan, John F.; Yilmazer-Hanke, Deniz

2015-01-01

Stress-induced changes in plasma corticosterone and central monoamine levels were examined in mouse strains that differ in fear-related behaviors. Two DxH recombinant inbred mouse strains with a DBA/2J background, which were originally bred for a high (H-FSS) and low fear-sensitized acoustic startle reflex (L-FSS), were used. Levels of noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin and their metabolites (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were studied in the amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, striatum, hypothalamus, and brainstem. H-FSS mice exhibited increased fear levels and a deficit in fear extinction (within-session) in the auditory fear-conditioning test, and depressive-like behavior in the acute forced swim stress test. They had higher tissue noradrenaline and serotonin levels and lower dopamine and serotonin turnover under basal conditions, although they were largely insensitive to stress-induced changes in neurotransmitter metabolism. In contrast, acute swim stress increased monoamine levels but decreased turnover in the less fearful L-FSS mice. L-FSS mice also showed a trend toward higher basal and stress-induced corticosterone levels and an increase in noradrenaline and serotonin in the hypothalamus and brainstem 30 minutes after stress compared to H-FSS mice. Moreover, the dopaminergic system was activated differentially in the medial prefrontal cortex and striatum of the two strains by acute stress. Thus, H-FSS mice showed increased basal noradrenaline tissue levels compatible with a fear phenotype or chronic stressed condition. Low corticosterone levels and the poor monoamine response to stress in H-FSS mice may point to mechanisms similar to those found in principal fear disorders or posttraumatic stress disorder. PMID:25117886

Mimicking acute and chronic stress exposure in naive beef steers alters the acute phase response (APR) associated with vaccination

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study was designed to determine the effect of an acute versus chronic stress model on the APR associated with vaccination in naïve beef steers. Steers (n=32; 209 +/- 8 kg) were blocked by body weight and assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: 1) Chronic stress (CHR), 0.5 mg/kg body weight dexamethasone...

Role of Paraoxonase 1 Activity and Oxidative/Antioxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Acute Cerebral Infarction.

PubMed

Zhu, Hui; Zhao, Teng; Liu, Jingyao

2018-06-01

Paraoxonase1 (PON1) is an antioxidant which confers antioxidant properties to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and prevents low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activities of PON1 and oxidative/antioxidative stress markers in acute cerebral infarction. In this study, 161 patients diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction and 161 gender- and age-matched healthy controls were recruited. Based on the clinicoradiological profiles, the patients were further classified into two groups: lacunar infarction group and large-artery atherosclerosis group. We measured the individual lipid status parameters, oxidative and antioxidative stress status parameters, and PON1 activity. Serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and oxidative stress parameters in patients with acute cerebral infarction were significantly higher than those in the normal controls (p < 0.05). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level, PON1 activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and antioxidative stress parameters in patients were lower than in the normal controls (p < 0.05). Superoxide anion (O2-), malondialdehyde (MDA), and PON1 levels in the lacunar infarction group were lower than in the large-artery atherosclerosis group (p < 0.05). Oxidative stress markers and PON1 activity are sensitive indicators of acute cerebral infarction. Our findings suggest a severely impaired antioxidative protection mechanism in these patients. Our study provides new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of acute cerebral infarction, which may also provide new therapeutic targets for ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.

Exposure to acute stress is associated with attenuated sweet taste.

PubMed

Al'Absi, Mustafa; Nakajima, Motohiro; Hooker, Stephanie; Wittmers, Larry; Cragin, Tiffany

2012-01-01

This study examined the effects of stress on taste perception. Participants (N = 38; 21 women) completed two laboratory sessions: one stress (public speaking, math, and cold pressor) and one control rest session. The taste perception test was conducted at the end of each session and included rating the intensity and pleasantness of sweet, salty, sour, and savory solutions at suprathreshold concentrations. Cardiovascular, hormonal, and mood measures were collected throughout the sessions. Participants showed the expected changes in cardiovascular, hormonal, and mood measures in response to stress. Reported intensity of the sweet solution was significantly lower on the stress day than on the rest day. Cortisol level poststress predicted reduced intensity of salt and sour, suggesting that stress-related changes in adrenocortical activity were related to reduced taste intensity. Results indicate that acute stress may alter taste perception, and ongoing research investigates the extent to which these changes mediate effects of stress on appetite. Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Role of Tyrosine Isomers in Acute and Chronic Diseases Leading to Oxidative Stress - A Review.

PubMed

Molnár, Gergő A; Kun, Szilárd; Sélley, Eszter; Kertész, Melinda; Szélig, Lívia; Csontos, Csaba; Böddi, Katalin; Bogár, Lajos; Miseta, Attila; Wittmann, István

2016-01-01

Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of a variety of acute and chronic diseases. Measurement of the oxidative stress-related end products may be performed, e.g. that of structural isomers of the physiological para-tyrosine, namely meta- and ortho-tyrosine, that are oxidized derivatives of phenylalanine. Recent data suggest that in sepsis, serum level of meta-tyrosine increases, which peaks on the 2(nd) and 3(rd) days (p<0.05 vs. controls), and the kinetics follows the intensity of the systemic inflammation correlating with serum procalcitonin levels. In a similar study subset, urinary meta-tyrosine excretion correlated with both need of daily insulin dose and the insulin-glucose product in non-diabetic septic cases (p<0.01 for both). Using linear regression model, meta-tyrosine excretion, urinary meta-tyrosine/para-tyrosine, urinary ortho-tyrosine/para-tyrosine and urinary (meta- + orthotyrosine)/ para-tyrosine proved to be markers of carbohydrate homeostasis. In a chronic rodent model, we tried to compensate the abnormal tyrosine isomers using para-tyrosine, the physiological amino acid. Rats were fed a standard high cholesterol-diet, and were given para-tyrosine or vehicle orally. High-cholesterol feeding lead to a significant increase in aortic wall meta-tyrosine content and a decreased vasorelaxation of the aorta to insulin and the glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue, liraglutide, that both could be prevented by administration of para-tyrosine. Concluding, these data suggest that meta- and ortho-tyrosine are potential markers of oxidative stress in acute diseases related to oxidative stress, and may also interfere with insulin action in septic humans. Competition of meta- and ortho-tyrosine by supplementation of para-tyrosine may exert a protective role in oxidative stress-related diseases.

Individual differences in early adolescents' latent trait cortisol (LTC): Relation to recent acute and chronic stress.

PubMed

Stroud, Catherine B; Chen, Frances R; Doane, Leah D; Granger, Douglas A

2016-08-01

Research suggests that environmental stress contributes to health by altering the regulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Recent evidence indicates that early life stress alters trait indicators of HPA axis activity, but whether recent stress alters such indicators is unknown. Using objective contextual stress interviews with adolescent girls and their mothers, we examined the impact of recent acute and chronic stress occurring during the past year on early adolescent girls' latent trait cortisol (LTC) level. We also examined whether associations between recent stress and LTC level: a) varied according to the interpersonal nature and controllability of the stress; and b) remained after accounting for the effect of early life stress. Adolescents (n=117;M age=12.39years) provided salivary cortisol samples three times a day (waking, 30min post-waking and bedtime) over 3days. Results indicated that greater recent interpersonal acute stress and greater recent independent (i.e., uncontrollable) acute stress were each associated with a higher LTC level, over and above the effect of early adversity. In contrast, greater recent chronic stress was associated with a lower LTC level. Findings were similar in the overall sample and a subsample of participants who strictly adhered to the timed schedule of saliva sample collection. Implications for understanding the impact of recent stress on trait-like individual differences in HPA axis activity are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of heat shock protein 70 in oxidant stress and inflammatory injury in quail spleen induced by cold stress.

PubMed

Ren, Jiayi; Liu, Chunpeng; Zhao, Dan; Fu, Jing

2018-05-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) in oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in the spleen of quails which were induced by cold stress. One hundred ninety-two 15-day-old male quails were randomly divided into 12 groups and kept at 12 ± 1 °C to examine acute and chronic cold stress. We first detected the changes in activities of antioxidant enzymes in the spleen tissue under acute and chronic cold stress. The activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) fluctuated in acute cold stress groups, while they were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) after chronic cold stress. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and nitric oxide (NO) content were decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in both of the acute and chronic cold stress groups. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly increased (p < 0.05) under cold stress except the 0.5 h group of acute cold stress. Besides, histopathological analysis showed that quail's spleen tissue was inflammatory injured seriously in both the acute and chronic cold stress groups. Additionally, the inflammatory factors (cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E synthase (PTGES), iNOS, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α)) and Hsp70 mRNA levels were increased in both of the acute and chronic cold stress groups compared with the control groups. These results suggest that oxidative stress and inflammatory injury could be induced by cold stress in spleen tissues of quails. Furthermore, the increased expression of Hsp70 may play a role in protecting the spleen against oxidative stress and inflammatory damage caused by cold stress.

Lower Electrodermal Activity to Acute Stress in Caregivers of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Adaptive Habituation to Stress