Flies cope with uncontrollable stress by learned helplessness.

PubMed

Yang, Zhenghong; Bertolucci, Franco; Wolf, Reinhard; Heisenberg, Martin

2013-05-06

In a wide range of animals, uncontrollable stressful events can induce a condition called "learned helplessness." In mammals it is associated with low general activity, poor learning, disorders of sleep and feeding, ulcers, and reduced immune status, as well as with increased serotonin in parts of the brain. It is considered an animal model of depression in humans. Here we investigate learned helplessness in Drosophila, showing that this behavioral state consists of a cognitive and a modulatory, possibly mood-like, component. A fly, getting heated as soon as it stops walking, reliably resumes walking to escape the heat. If, in contrast, the fly is not in control of the heat, it learns that its behavior has no effect and quits responding. In this state, the fly walks slowly and takes longer and more frequent rests, as if it were "depressed." This downregulation of walking behavior is more pronounced in females than in males. Learned helplessness in Drosophila is an example of how, in a certain situation, behavior is organized according to its expected consequences. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of the beta-adrenergic blockers propranolol and acebutolol on stress-induced learned helplessness behavior of rats.

PubMed

Danchev, N; Staneva-Stoytcheva, D

1995-09-01

The latency time and escape ability of rats with learned helplessness behavior were studied after 1, 6 and 14 days of oral treatment with beta-adrenergic blockers propranolol (1 and 3 mg/kg) and acebutolol (10 and 30 mg/kg). A dose-dependent significant decrease in latency time and increase in number of avoidances was established after single, 6 and 14 days propranolol treatment. The selective beta 1-blocker acebutolol did not change the escape characteristics. These results suggest a greater impact of beta 1- than beta 2-adrenergic receptors for escape performance after unescapable foot shock, i.e., learned helplessness behavior.

Learned helplessness: validity and reliability of depressive-like states in mice.

PubMed

Chourbaji, S; Zacher, C; Sanchis-Segura, C; Dormann, C; Vollmayr, B; Gass, P

2005-12-01

The learned helplessness paradigm is a depression model in which animals are exposed to unpredictable and uncontrollable stress, e.g. electroshocks, and subsequently develop coping deficits for aversive but escapable situations (J.B. Overmier, M.E. Seligman, Effects of inescapable shock upon subsequent escape and avoidance responding, J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 63 (1967) 28-33 ). It represents a model with good similarity to the symptoms of depression, construct, and predictive validity in rats. Despite an increased need to investigate emotional, in particular depression-like behaviors in transgenic mice, so far only a few studies have been published using the learned helplessness paradigm. One reason may be the fact that-in contrast to rats (B. Vollmayr, F.A. Henn, Learned helplessness in the rat: improvements in validity and reliability, Brain Res. Brain Res. Protoc. 8 (2001) 1-7)--there is no generally accepted learned helplessness protocol available for mice. This prompted us to develop a reliable helplessness procedure in C57BL/6N mice, to exclude possible artifacts, and to establish a protocol, which yields a consistent fraction of helpless mice following the shock exposure. Furthermore, we validated this protocol pharmacologically using the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine. Here, we present a mouse model with good face and predictive validity that can be used for transgenic, behavioral, and pharmacological studies.

On the Origins of Helpless Behavior of Students with Learning Disabilities: Avoidance Motivation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sideridis, Georgios D.

2003-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the presence of helplessness in students with learning difficulties (LD), and evaluate the role of goal orientations as antecedents of helplessness, negative affect, and psychopathology. Following induction of failure, results suggested that students with LD displayed increased negative affectivity,…

Early predictors of helpless thoughts and behaviors in children: developmental precursors to depressive cognitions.

PubMed

Cole, David A; Warren, Dana E; Dallaire, Danielle H; Lagrange, Beth; Travis, Rebekah; Ciesla, Jeffrey A

2007-04-01

Learned helplessness behavior and cognitions were assessed in 95 kindergarten-age children during a series of impossible puzzle trials followed by a solvable puzzle trial. Latent growth curve analysis revealed reliable individual differences in the trajectories of children's affect, motivation, and self-cognitions over time. Parents' reports of negative life events, harsh/negative parenting, and warm/positive parenting were associated with their children's learned helplessness behavioral trajectories and outcomes over the course of the puzzle trials. Results support speculations about the developmental origins of depressive explanatory or attributional style in children.

Synaptic potentiation onto habenula neurons in learned helplessness model of depression

PubMed Central

Li, Bo; Piriz, Joaquin; Mirrione, Martine; Chung, ChiHye; Proulx, Christophe D.; Schulz, Daniela; Henn, Fritz; Malinow, Roberto

2010-01-01

The cellular basis of depressive disorders is poorly understood1. Recent studies in monkeys indicate that neurons in the lateral habenula (LHb), a nucleus that mediates communication between forebrain and midbrain structures, can increase their activity when an animal fails to receive an expected positive reward or receives a stimulus that predicts aversive conditions (i.e. disappointment or anticipation of a negative outcome)2, 3, 4. LHb neurons project to and modulate dopamine-rich regions such as the ventral-tegmental area (VTA)2, 5 that control reward-seeking behavior6 and participate in depressive disorders7. Here we show in two learned helplessness models of depression that excitatory synapses onto LHb neurons projecting to the VTA are potentiated. Synaptic potentiation correlates with an animal’s helplessness behavior and is due to an enhanced presynaptic release probability. Depleting transmitter release by repeated electrical stimulation of LHb afferents, using a protocol that can be effective on depressed patients8, 9, dramatically suppresses synaptic drive onto VTA-projecting LHb neurons in brain slices and can significantly reduce learned helplessness behavior in rats. Our results indicate that increased presynaptic action onto LHb neurons contributes to the rodent learned helplessness model of depression. PMID:21350486

Inflammatory Th17 cells promote depression-like behavior in mice

PubMed Central

Beurel, Eléonore; Harrington, Laurie E.; Jope, Richard S.

2012-01-01

Background Recognition of substantial immune-neural interactions is revising dogmas about their insular actions and revealing that immune-neural interactions can substantially impact CNS functions. The inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 promotes susceptibility to depression and drives production of inflammatory T helper 17 (Th17) T cells, raising the hypothesis that in mouse models Th17 cells promote susceptibility to depression-like behaviors. Methods Behavioral characteristics were measured in male mice administered Th17 cells, CD4+ cells, or vehicle, and in RORγT+/GFP mice or male mice treated with RORγT inhibitor or anti-IL-17A antibodies. Results Mouse brain Th17 cells were elevated by learned helplessness and chronic restraint stress, two common depression-like models. Th17 cell administration promoted learned helplessness in 89% of mice in a paradigm where no vehicle-treated mice developed learned helplessness, and impaired novelty suppressed feeding and social interaction behaviors. Mice deficient in the RORγT transcription factor necessary for Th17 cell production exhibited resistance to learned helplessness, identifying modulation of RORγT as a potential intervention. Treatment with the RORγT inhibitor SR1001, or anti-IL-17A antibodies to abrogate Th17 cell function, reduced Th17-dependent learned helplessness. Conclusions These findings indicate that Th17 cells are increased in the brain during depression-like states, promote depression-like behaviors in mice, and specifically inhibiting the production or function of Th17 cells reduces vulnerability to depression-like behavior, suggesting antidepressant effects may be attained by targeting Th17 cells. PMID:23174342

Other Aspects of Sutherland and Singh's Take on Learned Helplessness and Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavale, Kenneth A.; Mostert, Mark P.

2004-01-01

Sutherland and Singh (2004) focus on the relationship between students' inappropriate behaviors and academic failure, articulating how this relationship may be mediated by learned helplessness in a reciprocally negative reinforcing cycle. In responding to their work, the authors suggest a thread of disciplined inquiry and contextual framework for…

Strain, Sex, and Open-Field Behavior: Factors Underlying the Genetic Susceptibility to Helplessness

PubMed Central

Padilla, Eimeira; Barrett, Douglas W.; Shumake, Jason D.; Gonzalez-Lima, F.

2009-01-01

Learned helplessness represents a failure to escape after exposure to inescapable stress and may model human psychiatric disorders related to stress. Previous work has demonstrated individual differences in susceptibility to learned helplessness. In this study, we assessed different factors associated with this susceptibility, including strain, sex, and open-field behavior. Testing of three rat strains (Holtzman, Long-Evans, and Sprague-Dawley) revealed that Holtzman rats were the most susceptible to helplessness. Holtzman rats not only had the longest escape latencies following inescapable shock, but also showed spontaneous escape deficits in the absence of prior shock when tested with a fixed-ratio 2 (FR2) running response. Moreover, when tested with fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) running—an easy response normally unaffected by helplessness training in rats—inescapable shock significantly increased the escape latencies of Holtzman rats. Within the Holtzman strain, we confirmed recent findings that females showed superior escape performance and therefore appeared more resistant to helplessness than males. However, regression and covariance analyses suggest that this sex difference may be explained by more baseline ambulatory activity among females. In addition, some indices of novelty reactivity (greater exploration of novel vs. familiar open-field) predicted subsequent helpless behavior. In conclusion, Holtzman rats, and especially male Holtzman rats, have a strong predisposition to become immobile when stressed which interferes with their ability to learn active escape responses. The Holtzman strain therefore appears to be a commercially available model for studying susceptibility to helplessness in males, and novelty-seeking may be a marker of this susceptibility. PMID:19428642

Inflammatory T helper 17 cells promote depression-like behavior in mice.

PubMed

Beurel, Eléonore; Harrington, Laurie E; Jope, Richard S

2013-04-01

Recognition of substantial immune-neural interactions is revising dogmas about their insular actions and revealing that immune-neural interactions can substantially impact central nervous system functions. The inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 promotes susceptibility to depression and drives production of inflammatory T helper 17 (Th17) T cells, raising the hypothesis that in mouse models, Th17 cells promote susceptibility to depression-like behaviors. Behavioral characteristics were measured in male mice administered Th17 cells, CD4(+) cells, or vehicle and in retinoid-related orphan receptor-γT (RORγT)(+/GFP) mice or male mice treated with RORγT inhibitor or anti-interleukin-17A antibodies. Mouse brain Th17 cells were elevated by learned helplessness and chronic restraint stress, two common depression-like models. Th17 cell administration promoted learned helplessness in 89% of mice in a paradigm where no vehicle-treated mice developed learned helplessness, and impaired novelty suppressed feeding and social interaction behaviors. Mice deficient in the RORγT transcription factor necessary for Th17 cell production exhibited resistance to learned helplessness, identifying modulation of RORγT as a potential intervention. Treatment with the RORγT inhibitor SR1001, or anti-interleukin-17A antibodies to abrogate Th17 cell function, reduced Th17-dependent learned helplessness. These findings indicate that Th17 cells are increased in the brain during depression-like states, promote depression-like behaviors in mice, and specifically inhibiting the production or function of Th17 cells reduces vulnerability to depression-like behavior, suggesting antidepressant effects may be attained by targeting Th17 cells. Copyright © 2013 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of rolipram, a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, in combination with imipramine on depressive behavior, CRE-binding activity and BDNF level in learned helplessness rats.

PubMed

Itoh, Tetsuji; Tokumura, Miwa; Abe, Kohji

2004-09-13

The brain cAMP regulating system and its downstream elements play a pivotal role in the therapeutic effects of antidepressants. We previously reported the increase in activities of phosphodiesterase 4, a major phosphodiesterase isozyme hydrolyzing cAMP, in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of learned helplessness rats, an animal model for depression. The present study was undertaken to examine the combination of effects of rolipram, a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, with imipramine, a typical tricyclic antidepressant, on depressive behavior in learned helplessness rats. Concurrently, cAMP-response element (CRE)-binding activity and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels related to the therapeutic effects of antidepressants were determined. Repeated administration of imipramine (1.25-10 mg/kg, i.p.) or rolipram (1.25 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the number of escape failures in learned helplessness rats. Imipramine could not completely ameliorate the escape behavior to a level similar to that of non-stressed rats even at 10 mg/kg. However, repeated coadministration of rolipram with imipramine (1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg, respectively) almost completely eliminated the escape failures in learned helplessness rats. The reduction of CRE-binding activities and BDNF levels in the frontal cortex or hippocampus in learned helplessness rats were ameliorated by treatment with imipramine or rolipram alone. CRE-binding activities and/or BDNF levels of the frontal cortex and hippocampus were significantly increased by treatment with a combination of rolipram and imipramine compared to those in imipramine-treated rats. These results indicated that coadministration of phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitors with antidepressants may be more effective for depression therapy and suggest that elevation of the cAMP signal transduction pathway is involved in the antidepressive effects.

Longitudinal investigation on learned helplessness tested under negative and positive reinforcement involving stimulus control.

PubMed

Oliveira, Emileane C; Hunziker, Maria Helena

2014-07-01

In this study, we investigated whether (a) animals demonstrating the learned helplessness effect during an escape contingency also show learning deficits under positive reinforcement contingencies involving stimulus control and (b) the exposure to positive reinforcement contingencies eliminates the learned helplessness effect under an escape contingency. Rats were initially exposed to controllable (C), uncontrollable (U) or no (N) shocks. After 24h, they were exposed to 60 escapable shocks delivered in a shuttlebox. In the following phase, we selected from each group the four subjects that presented the most typical group pattern: no escape learning (learned helplessness effect) in Group U and escape learning in Groups C and N. All subjects were then exposed to two phases, the (1) positive reinforcement for lever pressing under a multiple FR/Extinction schedule and (2) a re-test under negative reinforcement (escape). A fourth group (n=4) was exposed only to the positive reinforcement sessions. All subjects showed discrimination learning under multiple schedule. In the escape re-test, the learned helplessness effect was maintained for three of the animals in Group U. These results suggest that the learned helplessness effect did not extend to discriminative behavior that is positively reinforced and that the learned helplessness effect did not revert for most subjects after exposure to positive reinforcement. We discuss some theoretical implications as related to learned helplessness as an effect restricted to aversive contingencies and to the absence of reversion after positive reinforcement. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: insert SI title. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Voluntary alcohol intake in two rat lines selectively bred for learned helpless and non-helpless behavior.

PubMed

Vengeliene, Valentina; Vollmayr, Barbara; Henn, Fritz A; Spanagel, Rainer

2005-03-01

A high comorbidity between depression and alcoholism has been reported in several studies, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unknown. We tested whether learned helplessness in rats as a model for depression is associated with enhanced alcohol intake and relapse behavior. Congenital learned helplessness (cLH) and congenital non-learned helplessness (cNLH) rats were selectively bred for differences in an escape paradigm. Sucrose preference was tested at the first hour of the dark phase. In order to study an association with alcohol drinking behavior, rats underwent a free-choice procedure with access to water, and 5% and 20% alcohol solutions for 6 weeks. After acquisition of alcohol drinking behavior, the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) was assessed. Sensitivity to the sedative-hypnotic effect of alcohol was measured by loss of the righting reflex. cLH rats showed significantly lower preference for sucrose solutions during the second half hour of the dark phase than cNLH rats. Alcohol intake of male cLH rats was not significantly different from that of male cNLH rats. In contrast, cLH female rats consumed higher amounts of alcohol than female cNLH rats. The ADE was more pronounced in female animals, although the magnitude of the ADE was similar in both cNLH and cLH female rats. The time to regain the righting reflex was significantly higher in both male and female cLH rats than in cNLH rats. In summary, these data suggest that an inborn depressive-like behavior in female rats is associated with enhanced alcohol intake.

Effects of estradiol on learned helplessness and associated remodeling of hippocampal spine synapses in female rats.

PubMed

Hajszan, Tibor; Szigeti-Buck, Klara; Sallam, Nermin L; Bober, Jeremy; Parducz, Arpad; Maclusky, Neil J; Leranth, Csaba; Duman, Ronald S

2010-01-15

Despite the fact that women are twice as likely to develop depression as men, our understanding of depression neurobiology in female subjects is limited. We have recently reported in male rats that development of helpless behavior is associated with a severe loss of hippocampal spine synapses, which is reversed by treatment with the antidepressant desipramine. Considering that estradiol has a hippocampal synaptogenic effect similar to those of antidepressants, the presence of estradiol during the female reproductive life might influence behavioral and synaptic responses to stress and depression. With electron microscopic stereology, we analyzed hippocampal spine synapses in association with helpless behavior in ovariectomized female rats (n = 70), under different conditions of estradiol exposure. Stress induced an acute and persistent loss of hippocampal spine synapses, whereas subchronic treatment with desipramine reversed the stress-induced synaptic loss. Estradiol supplementation given either before stress or before escape testing of nonstressed animals increased the number of hippocampal spine synapses. Correlation analysis demonstrated a statistically significant negative correlation between the severity of helpless behavior and hippocampal spine synapse numbers. These findings suggest that hippocampal spine synapse remodeling might be a critical factor underlying learned helplessness and, possibly, the neurobiology of depression.

Underachievers' Cognitive and Behavioral Strategies--Self-Handicapping at School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nurmi, Jari-Erik; And Others

1995-01-01

Two studies with a total of 153 junior and senior high-school students and vocational students in Finland investigated whether underachievers applied a self-handicapping or learned-helplessness strategy in achievement contexts. Underachievers seemed to apply a self-handicapping strategy rather than a learned-helplessness approach. (SLD)

Neurogenesis and Helplessness are Mediated by Controllability in Males but not in Females

PubMed Central

Shors, Tracey J.; Mathew, Jason; Sisti, Helene M.; Edgecomb, Carol; Beckoff, Steven; Dalla, Christina

2009-01-01

Background Numerous studies have implicated neurogenesis in the hippocampus in animal models of depression, especially those related to controllability and learned helplessness. Here, we tested the hypothesis that uncontrollable, but not controllable stress would reduce cell proliferation in the hippocampus of male and female rats, and would relate to the expression of helplessness behavior. Methods To manipulate controllability, groups of male and female rats were trained in one session (acute stress) or over seven sessions (repeated stress) to escape a footshock, while yoked controls could not escape, but were exposed to the same amount of stress. Cell proliferation was assessed with immunohistochemistry of BrdU and immunofluorescence of BrdU and NeuN. Separate groups were exposed to either controllable or uncontrollable stress and their ability to learn to escape during training on a more difficult task was used as a behavioral measure of helplessness. Results Acute stress reduced cell proliferation in males, but did not affect proliferation in the female hippocampus. When animals were given the opportunity to learn to control the stress over days, males produced more cells than the yoked males without control. Repeated training with controllable stress did not influence proliferation in females. Under all conditions, males were more likely than females to express helplessness behavior, even males that were not previously stressed. Conclusions The modulation of neurogenesis by controllability was evident in males but not in females, as was the expression of helplessness behavior, despite the fact that men are less likely than women to experience depression. PMID:17306770

Neurogenesis and helplessness are mediated by controllability in males but not in females.

PubMed

Shors, Tracey J; Mathew, Jason; Sisti, Helene M; Edgecomb, Carol; Beckoff, Steven; Dalla, Christina

2007-09-01

Numerous studies have implicated neurogenesis in the hippocampus in animal models of depression, especially those related to controllability and learned helplessness. Here, we tested the hypothesis that uncontrollable but not controllable stress would reduce cell proliferation in the hippocampus of male and female rats and would relate to the expression of helplessness behavior. To manipulate controllability, groups of male and female rats were trained in one session (acute stress) or over seven sessions (repeated stress) to escape a footshock, whereas yoked control subjects could not escape but were exposed to the same amount of stress. Cell proliferation was assessed with immunohistochemistry of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and immunofluorescence of BrdU and neuronal nuclei (NeuN). Separate groups were exposed to either controllable or uncontrollable stress, and their ability to learn to escape during training on a more difficult task was used as a behavioral measure of helplessness. Acute stress reduced cell proliferation in males but did not affect proliferation in the female hippocampus. When animals were given the opportunity to learn to control the stress over seven days, males produced more cells than the yoked males without control. Repeated training with controllable stress did not influence proliferation in females. Under all conditions, males were more likely than females to express helplessness behavior, even males that were not previously stressed. The modulation of neurogenesis by controllability was evident in males but not in females, as was the expression of helplessness behavior, despite the fact that men are less likely than women to experience depression.

Whole-Brain Mapping of Neuronal Activity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression.

PubMed

Kim, Yongsoo; Perova, Zinaida; Mirrione, Martine M; Pradhan, Kith; Henn, Fritz A; Shea, Stephen; Osten, Pavel; Li, Bo

2016-01-01

Some individuals are resilient, whereas others succumb to despair in repeated stressful situations. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here, we employed an automated method for mapping neuronal activity in search of signatures of stress responses in the entire mouse brain. We used serial two-photon tomography to detect expression of c-FosGFP - a marker of neuronal activation - in c-fosGFP transgenic mice subjected to the learned helplessness (LH) procedure, a widely used model of stress-induced depression-like phenotype in laboratory animals. We found that mice showing "helpless" behavior had an overall brain-wide reduction in the level of neuronal activation compared with mice showing "resilient" behavior, with the exception of a few brain areas, including the locus coeruleus, that were more activated in the helpless mice. In addition, the helpless mice showed a strong trend of having higher similarity in whole-brain activity profile among individuals, suggesting that helplessness is represented by a more stereotypic brain-wide activation pattern. This latter effect was confirmed in rats subjected to the LH procedure, using 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography to assess neural activity. Our findings reveal distinct brain activity markings that correlate with adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses to stress, and provide a framework for further studies investigating the contribution of specific brain regions to maladaptive stress responses.

P2X7 Receptors Drive Spine Synapse Plasticity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression

PubMed Central

Otrokocsi, Lilla; Sperlágh, Beáta

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder is characterized by structural and functional abnormalities of cortical and limbic brain areas, including a decrease in spine synapse number in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Recent studies highlighted that both genetic and pharmacological invalidation of the purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2rx7) leads to antidepressant-like phenotype in animal experiments; however, the impact of P2rx7 on depression-related structural changes in the hippocampus is not clarified yet. Methods Effects of genetic deletion of P2rx7s on depressive-like behavior and spine synapse density in the dentate gyrus were investigated using the learned helplessness mouse model of depression. Results We demonstrate that in wild-type animals, inescapable footshocks lead to learned helplessness behavior reflected in increased latency and number of escape failures to subsequent escapable footshocks. This behavior is accompanied with downregulation of mRNA encoding P2rx7 and decrease of spine synapse density in the dentate gyrus as determined by electron microscopic stereology. In addition, a decrease in synaptopodin but not in PSD95 and NR2B/GluN2B protein level was also observed under these conditions. Whereas the absence of P2rx7 was characterized by escape deficit, no learned helpless behavior is observed in these animals. Likewise, no decrease in spine synapse number and synaptopodin protein levels was detected in response to inescapable footshocks in P2rx7-deficient animals. Conclusion Our findings suggest the endogenous activation of P2rx7s in the learned helplessness model of depression and decreased plasticity of spine synapses in P2rx7-deficient mice might explain the resistance of these animals to repeated stressful stimuli. PMID:28633291

Impaired Performance Criteria and Human Helplessness: Time to Give Up?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jankovic, Irwin N.; And Others

The view that humans fail to solve certain types of problems because they are helpless and passive originated from a series of studies with animals; subsequent research attempted to replicate the findings of the learned helplessness behavior with humans. In an attempt to replicate and extend the Hiroto and Seligman (1975) study of humans exposed…

Effects of Estradiol on Learned Helplessness and Associated Remodeling of Hippocampal Spine Synapses in Female Rats

PubMed Central

Hajszan, Tibor; Szigeti-Buck, Klara; Sallam, Nermin L; Bober, Jeremy; Parducz, Arpad; MacLusky, Neil J; Leranth, Csaba; Duman, Ronald S

2009-01-01

Background Despite the fact that women are twice as likely to develop depression as men, our understanding of depression neurobiology in females is limited. We have recently reported in male rats that development of helpless behavior is associated with a severe loss of hippocampal spine synapses, which is reversed by treatment with the antidepressant, desipramine. Considering the fact that estradiol has a hippocampal synaptogenic effect similar to those of antidepressants, the presence of estradiol during the female reproductive life may influence behavioral and synaptic responses to stress and depression. Methods Using electron microscopic stereology, we analyzed hippocampal spine synapses in association with helpless behavior in ovariectomized female rats (n=70), under different conditions of estradiol exposure. Results Stress induced an acute and persistent loss of hippocampal spine synapses, while subchronic treatment with desipramine reversed the stress-induced synaptic loss. Estradiol supplementation given either prior to stress or prior to escape testing of nonstressed animals both increased the number of hippocampal spine synapses. Correlation analysis demonstrated a statistically significant negative correlation between the severity of helpless behavior and hippocampal spine synapse numbers. Conclusions These findings suggest that hippocampal spine synapse remodeling may be a critical factor underlying learned helplessness and, possibly, the neurobiology of depression. PMID:19811775

Up-regulation of insulin-like growth factor 2 by ketamine requires glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition.

PubMed

Grieco, Steven F; Cheng, Yuyan; Eldar-Finkelman, Hagit; Jope, Richard S; Beurel, Eléonore

2017-01-04

An antidepressant dose of the rapidly-acting ketamine inhibits glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) in mouse hippocampus, and this inhibition is required for the antidepressant effect of ketamine in learned helplessness depression-like behavior. Here we report that treatment with an antidepressant dose of ketamine (10mg/kg) increased expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) in mouse hippocampus, an effect that required ketamine-induced inhibition of GSK3. Ketamine also inhibited hippocampal GSK3 and increased expression of hippocampal IGF2 in mice when administered after the induction of learned helplessness. Treatment with the specific GSK3 inhibitor L803-mts was sufficient to up-regulate hippocampal IGF2 expression. Administration of IGF2 siRNA reduced ketamine's antidepressant effect in the learned helplessness paradigm. Mice subjected to the learned helplessness paradigm were separated into two groups, those that were resilient (non-depressed) and those that were susceptible (depressed). Non-depressed resilient mice displayed higher expression of IGF2 than susceptible mice. These results indicate that IGF2 contributes to ketamine's antidepressant effect and that IGF2 may confer resilience to depression-like behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Up-regulation of insulin-like growth factor 2 by ketamine requires glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibition

PubMed Central

Grieco, Steven F.; Cheng, Yuyan; Eldar-Finkelman, Hagit; Jope, Richard S.; Beurel, Eléonore

2016-01-01

An antidepressant dose of the rapidly-acting ketamine inhibits glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) in mouse hippocampus, and this inhibition is required for the antidepressant effect of ketamine in learned helplessness depression-like behavior. Here we report that treatment with an antidepressant dose of ketamine (10 mg/kg) increased expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) in mouse hippocampus, an effect that required ketamine-induced inhibition of GSK3. Ketamine also inhibited hippocampal GSK3 and increased expression of hippocampal IGF2 in mice when administered after the induction of learned helplessness. Treatment with the specific GSK3 inhibitor L803-mts was sufficient to up-regulate hippocampal IGF2 expression. Administration of IGF2 siRNA reduced ketamine's antidepressant effect in the learned helplessness paradigm. Mice subjected to the learned helplessness paradigm were separated into two groups, those that were resilient (non-depressed) and those that were susceptible (depressed). Non-depressed resilient mice displayed higher expression of IGF2 than susceptible mice. These results indicate that IGF2 contributes to ketamine's antidepressant effect and that IGF2 may confer resilience to depression-like behavior. PMID:27542584

Remodeling of hippocampal spine synapses in the rat learned helplessness model of depression.

PubMed

Hajszan, Tibor; Dow, Antonia; Warner-Schmidt, Jennifer L; Szigeti-Buck, Klara; Sallam, Nermin L; Parducz, Arpad; Leranth, Csaba; Duman, Ronald S

2009-03-01

Although it has been postulated for many years that depression is associated with loss of synapses, primarily in the hippocampus, and that antidepressants facilitate synapse growth, we still lack ultrastructural evidence that changes in depressive behavior are indeed correlated with structural synaptic modifications. We analyzed hippocampal spine synapses of male rats (n=127) with electron microscopic stereology in association with performance in the learned helplessness paradigm. Inescapable footshock (IES) caused an acute and persistent loss of spine synapses in each of CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus, which was associated with a severe escape deficit in learned helplessness. On the other hand, IES elicited no significant synaptic alterations in motor cortex. A single injection of corticosterone reproduced both the hippocampal synaptic changes and the behavioral responses induced by IES. Treatment of IES-exposed animals for 6 days with desipramine reversed both the hippocampal spine synapse loss and the escape deficit in learned helplessness. We noted, however, that desipramine failed to restore the number of CA1 spine synapses to nonstressed levels, which was associated with a minor escape deficit compared with nonstressed control rats. Shorter, 1-day or 3-day desipramine treatments, however, had neither synaptic nor behavioral effects. These results indicate that changes in depressive behavior are associated with remarkable remodeling of hippocampal spine synapses at the ultrastructural level. Because spine synapse loss contributes to hippocampal dysfunction, this cellular mechanism may be an important component in the neurobiology of stress-related disorders such as depression.

P2X7 Receptors Drive Spine Synapse Plasticity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression.

PubMed

Otrokocsi, Lilla; Kittel, Ágnes; Sperlágh, Beáta

2017-10-01

Major depressive disorder is characterized by structural and functional abnormalities of cortical and limbic brain areas, including a decrease in spine synapse number in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Recent studies highlighted that both genetic and pharmacological invalidation of the purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2rx7) leads to antidepressant-like phenotype in animal experiments; however, the impact of P2rx7 on depression-related structural changes in the hippocampus is not clarified yet. Effects of genetic deletion of P2rx7s on depressive-like behavior and spine synapse density in the dentate gyrus were investigated using the learned helplessness mouse model of depression. We demonstrate that in wild-type animals, inescapable footshocks lead to learned helplessness behavior reflected in increased latency and number of escape failures to subsequent escapable footshocks. This behavior is accompanied with downregulation of mRNA encoding P2rx7 and decrease of spine synapse density in the dentate gyrus as determined by electron microscopic stereology. In addition, a decrease in synaptopodin but not in PSD95 and NR2B/GluN2B protein level was also observed under these conditions. Whereas the absence of P2rx7 was characterized by escape deficit, no learned helpless behavior is observed in these animals. Likewise, no decrease in spine synapse number and synaptopodin protein levels was detected in response to inescapable footshocks in P2rx7-deficient animals. Our findings suggest the endogenous activation of P2rx7s in the learned helplessness model of depression and decreased plasticity of spine synapses in P2rx7-deficient mice might explain the resistance of these animals to repeated stressful stimuli. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Perceived helplessness is associated with individual differences in the central motor output system.

PubMed

Salomons, Tim V; Moayedi, Massieh; Weissman-Fogel, Irit; Goldberg, Michael B; Freeman, Bruce V; Tenenbaum, Howard C; Davis, Karen D

2012-05-01

Learned helplessness is a maladaptive response to uncontrollable stress characterized by impaired motor escape responses, reduced motivation and learning deficits. There are important individual differences in the likelihood of becoming helpless following exposure to uncontrollable stress but little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying these individual differences. Here we used structural MRI to measure gray and white matter in individuals with chronic pain, a population at high risk for helplessness due to prolonged exposure to a poorly controlled stressor (pain). Given that self-reported helplessness is predictive of treatment outcomes in chronic pain, understanding such differences might provide valuable clinical insight. We found that the magnitude of self-reported helplessness correlated with cortical thickness in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and midcingulate cortex, regions implicated in cognitive aspects of motor behavior. We then examined the white matter connectivity of these regions and found that fractional anisotropy of connected white matter tracts along the corticospinal tract was associated with helplessness and mediated the relationship between SMA cortical thickness and helplessness. These data provide novel evidence that links individual differences in the motor output pathway with perceived helplessness over a chronic and poorly controlled stressor. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Neuroscience © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Remodeling of Hippocampal Spine Synapses in the Rat Learned Helplessness Model of Depression

PubMed Central

Hajszan, Tibor; Dow, Antonia; Warner-Schmidt, Jennifer L.; Szigeti-Buck, Klara; Sallam, Nermin L.; Parducz, Arpad; Leranth, Csaba; Duman, Ronald S.

2009-01-01

Background Although it has been postulated for many years that depression is associated with loss of synapses, primarily in the hippocampus, and that antidepressants facilitate synapse growth, we still lack ultrastructural evidence that changes in depressive behavior are indeed correlated with structural synaptic modifications. Methods We analyzed hippocampal spine synapses of male rats (n=127) with electron microscopic stereology in association with performance in the learned helplessness paradigm. Results Inescapable footshock (IES) caused an acute and persistent loss of spine synapses in each of CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus, which was associated with a severe escape deficit in learned helplessness. On the other hand, IES elicited no significant synaptic alterations in motor cortex. A single injection of corticosterone reproduced both the hippocampal synaptic changes and the behavioral responses induced by IES. Treatment of IES-exposed animals for six days with desipramine reversed both the hippocampal spine synapse loss and the escape deficit in learned helplessness. We noted, however, that desipramine failed to restore the number of CA1 spine synapses to nonstressed levels, which was associated with a minor escape deficit compared to nonstressed controls. Shorter, one-day or three-day desipramine treatments, however, had neither synaptic nor behavioral effects. Conclusions These results indicate that changes in depressive behavior are associated with remarkable remodeling of hippocampal spine synapses at the ultrastructural level. Because spine synapse loss contributes to hippocampal dysfunction, this cellular mechanism may be an important component in the neurobiology of stress-related disorders such as depression. PMID:19006787

Whole-Brain Mapping of Neuronal Activity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression

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

Kim, Yongsoo; Perova, Zinaida; Mirrione, Martine M.

Some individuals are resilient, whereas others succumb to despair in repeated stressful situations. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here, we employed an automated method for mapping neuronal activity in search of signatures of stress responses in the entire mouse brain. We used serial two-photon tomography to detect expression of c-FosGFP – a marker of neuronal activation – in c-fosGFP transgenic mice subjected to the learned helplessness (LH) procedure, a widely used model of stress-induced depression-like phenotype in laboratory animals. We found that mice showing “helpless” behavior had an overall brain-wide reduction in the level ofmore » neuronal activation compared with mice showing “resilient” behavior, with the exception of a few brain areas, including the locus coeruleus, that were more activated in the helpless mice. In addition, the helpless mice showed a strong trend of having higher similarity in whole-brain activity profile among individuals, suggesting that helplessness is represented by a more stereotypic brain-wide activation pattern. This latter effect was confirmed in rats subjected to the LH procedure, using 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography to assess neural activity. In conclusion, our findings reveal distinct brain activity markings that correlate with adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses tostress, and provide a framework for further studies investigating the contribution of specific brain regions to maladaptive stress responses.« less

Whole-Brain Mapping of Neuronal Activity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression

DOE PAGES

Kim, Yongsoo; Perova, Zinaida; Mirrione, Martine M.; ...

2016-02-03

Some individuals are resilient, whereas others succumb to despair in repeated stressful situations. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here, we employed an automated method for mapping neuronal activity in search of signatures of stress responses in the entire mouse brain. We used serial two-photon tomography to detect expression of c-FosGFP – a marker of neuronal activation – in c-fosGFP transgenic mice subjected to the learned helplessness (LH) procedure, a widely used model of stress-induced depression-like phenotype in laboratory animals. We found that mice showing “helpless” behavior had an overall brain-wide reduction in the level ofmore » neuronal activation compared with mice showing “resilient” behavior, with the exception of a few brain areas, including the locus coeruleus, that were more activated in the helpless mice. In addition, the helpless mice showed a strong trend of having higher similarity in whole-brain activity profile among individuals, suggesting that helplessness is represented by a more stereotypic brain-wide activation pattern. This latter effect was confirmed in rats subjected to the LH procedure, using 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography to assess neural activity. In conclusion, our findings reveal distinct brain activity markings that correlate with adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses tostress, and provide a framework for further studies investigating the contribution of specific brain regions to maladaptive stress responses.« less

Whole-Brain Mapping of Neuronal Activity in the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression

PubMed Central

Kim, Yongsoo; Perova, Zinaida; Mirrione, Martine M.; Pradhan, Kith; Henn, Fritz A.; Shea, Stephen; Osten, Pavel; Li, Bo

2016-01-01

Some individuals are resilient, whereas others succumb to despair in repeated stressful situations. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here, we employed an automated method for mapping neuronal activity in search of signatures of stress responses in the entire mouse brain. We used serial two-photon tomography to detect expression of c-FosGFP – a marker of neuronal activation – in c-fosGFP transgenic mice subjected to the learned helplessness (LH) procedure, a widely used model of stress-induced depression-like phenotype in laboratory animals. We found that mice showing “helpless” behavior had an overall brain-wide reduction in the level of neuronal activation compared with mice showing “resilient” behavior, with the exception of a few brain areas, including the locus coeruleus, that were more activated in the helpless mice. In addition, the helpless mice showed a strong trend of having higher similarity in whole-brain activity profile among individuals, suggesting that helplessness is represented by a more stereotypic brain-wide activation pattern. This latter effect was confirmed in rats subjected to the LH procedure, using 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography to assess neural activity. Our findings reveal distinct brain activity markings that correlate with adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses to stress, and provide a framework for further studies investigating the contribution of specific brain regions to maladaptive stress responses. PMID:26869888

Long Noncoding RNA-Associated Transcriptomic Changes in Resiliency or Susceptibility to Depression and Response to Antidepressant Treatment

PubMed Central

Roy, Bhaskar; Wang, Qingzhong; Dwivedi, Yogesh

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Recent emergence of long noncoding RNAs in regulating gene expression and thereby modulating physiological functions in brain has manifested their possible role in psychiatric disorders. In this study, the roles of long noncoding RNAs in susceptibility and resiliency to develop stress-induced depression and their response to antidepressant treatment were examined. Methods Microarray-based transcriptome-wide changes in long noncoding RNAs were determined in hippocampus of male Holtzman rats who showed susceptibility (learned helplessness) or resiliency (nonlearned helplessness) to develop depression. Changes in long noncoding RNA expression were also ascertained after subchronic administration of fluoxetine to learned helplessness rats. Bioinformatic and target prediction analyses (cis- and trans-acting) and qPCR-based assays were performed to decipher the functional role of altered long noncoding RNAs. Results Group-wise comparison showed an overrepresented class of long noncoding RNAs that were uniquely associated with nonlearned helplessness or learned helplessness behavior. Chromosomal mapping within the 5-kbp flank region of the top 20 dysregulated long noncoding RNAs in the learned helplessness group showed several target genes that were regulated through cis- or trans-actions, including Zbtb20 and Zfp385b from zinc finger binding protein family. Genomic context of differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs showed an overall blunted response in the learned helplessness group regardless of the long noncoding RNA classes analyzed. Gene ontology exhibited the functional clustering for anatomical structure development, cellular architecture modulation, protein metabolism, and cellular communications. Fluoxetine treatment reversed learned helplessness-induced changes in many long noncoding RNAs and target genes. Conclusions The involvement of specific classes of long noncoding RNAs with distinctive roles in modulating target gene expression could confer the role of long noncoding RNAs in resiliency or susceptibility to develop depression with a reciprocal response to antidepressant treatment. PMID:29390069

Anti-ceramidase LCL385 acutely reduces BCL-2 expression in the hippocampus but is not associated with an increase of learned helplessness in rats.

PubMed

Nahas, Ziad; Jiang, Yan; Zeidan, Youssef H; Bielawska, Alicja; Szulc, Zdzislaw; Devane, Lindsay; Kalivas, Peter; Hannun, Yusuf A

2009-01-30

Evidence from in situ studies supports the role of anti-apoptotic factors in the antidepressant responses of certain psychotropics. The availability of anti-ceramidase pro-apoptocic compound (LCL385) provides an opportunity to test in vivo the relation between hippocampal apopotosis and learned helplessness. 40 Sprague-Dawley male rodents underwent an FST after a treatment with LCL385, desipramine (DMI), or placebo (SAL) over 3 days. Behavioral responses, including immobility, swimming and climbing were counted during the 6min test. Western blot labeling was used to detect anti-apoptosis in hippocampus. DMI alone was associated with reduced immobility and increased climbing whereas LCL385 alone showed a decrease in Bcl-2/beta-actin ratio. Direct modulation of Bcl-2 expression in the hippocampus is not associated with learned helplessness in stressed rats. Three-day administration of DMI and LCL385 show divergent effects on behavioral and anti-apoptotic measures.

Synaptic Modifications in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Susceptibility and Resilience to Stress

PubMed Central

Wang, Minghui; Perova, Zinaida; Arenkiel, Benjamin R.

2014-01-01

When facing stress, most individuals are resilient whereas others are prone to developing mood disorders. The brain mechanisms underlying such divergent behavioral responses remain unclear. Here we used the learned helplessness procedure in mice to examine the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region highly implicated in both clinical and animal models of depression, in adaptive and maladaptive behavioral responses to stress. We found that uncontrollable and inescapable stress induced behavioral state-dependent changes in the excitatory synapses onto a subset of mPFC neurons: those that were activated during behavioral responses as indicated by their expression of the activity reporter c-Fos. Whereas synaptic potentiation was linked to learned helplessness, a depression-like behavior, synaptic weakening, was associated with resilience to stress. Notably, enhancing the activity of mPFC neurons using a chemical–genetic method was sufficient to convert the resilient behavior into helplessness. Our results provide direct evidence that mPFC dysfunction is linked to maladaptive behavioral responses to stress, and suggest that enhanced excitatory synaptic drive onto mPFC neurons may underlie the previously reported hyperactivity of this brain region in depression. PMID:24872553

Congenitally learned helpless rats show abnormalities in intracellular signaling.

PubMed

Kohen, Ruth; Neumaier, John F; Hamblin, Mark W; Edwards, Emmeline

2003-03-15

Affective disorders and the drugs used to treat them lead to changes in intracellular signaling. We used a genetic animal model to investigate to what extent changes in intracellular signal transduction confer a vulnerability to mood or anxiety disorders. Levels of gene expression in a selectively bred strain of rats with a high vulnerability to develop congenitally learned helplessness (cLH), a strain highly resistant to the same behavior (cNLH) and outbred Sprague-Dawley (SD) control animals were compared using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Congenitally learned helpless animals had a 24%-30% reduced expression of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) in the hippocampus and a 40%-41% increased level of the antiapoptotic protein bcl-2 mRNA in the prefrontal cortex compared to cNLH and SD rats. Other significant changes included changes in the expression levels of the alpha catalytic subunit of protein kinase A, glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, and protein kinase C epsilon. Congenitally learned helpless animals show evidence of altered signal transduction and regulation of apoptosis compared to cNLH and SD control animals.

Dissociation of learned helplessness and fear conditioning in mice: a mouse model of depression.

PubMed

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie; Der-Avakian, Andre; Streets, Margo; Welsh, David K

2015-01-01

The state of being helpless is regarded as a central aspect of depression, and therefore the learned helplessness paradigm in rodents is commonly used as an animal model of depression. The term 'learned helplessness' refers to a deficit in escaping from an aversive situation after an animal is exposed to uncontrollable stress specifically, with a control/comparison group having been exposed to an equivalent amount of controllable stress. A key feature of learned helplessness is the transferability of helplessness to different situations, a phenomenon called 'trans-situationality'. However, most studies in mice use learned helplessness protocols in which training and testing occur in the same environment and with the same type of stressor. Consequently, failures to escape may reflect conditioned fear of a particular environment, not a general change of the helpless state of an animal. For mice, there is no established learned helplessness protocol that includes the trans-situationality feature. Here we describe a simple and reliable learned helplessness protocol for mice, in which training and testing are carried out in different environments and with different types of stressors. We show that with our protocol approximately 50% of mice develop learned helplessness that is not attributable to fear conditioning.

Medial thalamic 18-FDG uptake following inescapable shock correlates with subsequent learned helpless behavior

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

Mirrione,M.M.; Mirrione, M.M.; Schulz, D.

2009-12-06

The learned helplessness paradigm has been repeatedly shown to correlate with neurobiological aspects of depression in humans. In this model, rodents are exposed inescapable foot-shock in order to reveal susceptibility to escape deficit, defined as 'learned helplessness' (LH). Few methods are available to probe the neurobiological aspects underlying the differences in susceptibility in the living animal, thus far being limited to studies examining regional neurochemical changes with microdialysis. With the widespread implementation of small animal neuroimaging methods, including positron emission tomography (PET), it is now possible to explore the living brain on a systems level to define regional changes thatmore » may correlate with vulnerability to stress. In this study, 12 wild type Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 40 minutes of inescapable foot-shock followed by metabolic imaging using 2-deoxy-2[{sup 18}F]fluoro-D-glucose (18-FDG) 1 hour later. The escape test was performed on these rats 48 hours later (to accommodate radiotracer decay), where they were given the opportunity to press a lever to shut off the shock. A region of interest (ROI) analysis was used to investigate potential correlations (Pearson Regression Coefficients) between regional 18-FDG uptake following inescapable shock and subsequent learned helpless behavior (time to finish the test; number of successful lever presses within 20 seconds of shock onset). ROI analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between time to finish and 18-FDG uptake, and a negative correlation between lever presses and uptake, in the medial thalamic area (p=0.033, p=0.036). This ROI included the paraventricular thalamus, mediodorsal thalamus, and the habenula. In an effort to account for possible spillover artifact, the posterior thalamic area (including ventral medial and lateral portions) was also evaluated but did not reveal significant correlations (p=0.870, p=0.897). No other significant correlations were found in additional regions analyzed including the nucleus accumbens, caudate putamen, substantia nigra, and amygdala. These data suggest that medial thalamic 18-FDG uptake during inescapable shock may contribute to subsequent escape deficits, and are not confounded by shock effects per se, since all animals received the same treatment prior to scanning. We have previously explored 18-FDG differences following the escape test session which also showed hyperactivity in the medial thalamus of learned helpless animals compared to non-learned helpless, and included additional cortical-limbic changes. Given the neuroanatomical connections between the medial thalamus (and habenula) with the prefrontal cortex and monoaminergic brain stem, one possible speculation is that abnormal neuronal activity in these areas during stress may set in motion circuitry changes that correlate with learned helpless behavior.« less

Learned helplessness in the multiple sclerosis population.

PubMed

McGuinness, S

1996-06-01

The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to describe the relationships between learned helplessness and disease status, functional and social disability, and disease activity in the multiple sclerosis population. Additionally, the relationships between learned helplessness and age, disease duration, education and marital and employment status were evaluated. Self-report instruments with established validity and reliability in the multiple sclerosis population were used to collect the data. Learned helplessness was significantly positively correlated with social and functional disability. Although not significant at the .05 level, disease status and disease activity were also positively correlated with learned helplessness. Additionally, unemployed individuals were more likely to be helpless than employed individuals. Overall, the results suggest that learned helplessness is related to negative health indicators in the multiple sclerosis population. Nursing interventions to decrease or prevent learned helplessness may be appropriate in this population.

Learned helplessness in the rat: effect of response topography in a within-subject design.

PubMed

dos Santos, Cristiano Valerio; Gehm, Tauane; Hunziker, Maria Helena Leite

2011-02-01

Three experiments investigated learned helplessness in rats manipulating response topography within-subject and different intervals between treatment and tests among groups. In Experiment 1, rats previously exposed to inescapable shocks were tested under an escape contingency where either jumping or nose poking was required to terminate shocks; tests were run either 1, 14 or 28 days after treatment. Most rats failed to jump, as expected, but learned to nose poke, regardless of the interval between treatment and tests and order of testing. The same results were observed in male and female rats from a different laboratory (Experiment 2) and despite increased exposure to the escape contingencies using a within-subject design (Experiment 3). Furthermore, no evidence of helplessness reversal was observed, since animals failed to jump even after having learned to nose-poke in a previous test session. These results are not consistent with a learned helplessness hypothesis, which claims that shock (un)controllability is the key variable responsible for the effect. They are nonetheless consistent with the view that inescapable shocks enhance control by irrelevant features of the relationship between the environment and behavior. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A matter of timing: harm reduction in learned helplessness.

PubMed

Richter, Sophie Helene; Sartorius, Alexander; Gass, Peter; Vollmayr, Barbara

2014-11-03

Learned helplessness has excellent validity as an animal model for depression, but problems in reproducibility limit its use and the high degree of stress involved in the paradigm raises ethical concerns. We therefore aimed to identify which and how many trials of the learned helplessness paradigm are necessary to distinguish between helpless and non-helpless rats. A trial-by-trial reanalysis of tests from 163 rats with congenital learned helplessness or congenital non-learned helplessness and comparison of 82 rats exposed to inescapable shock with 38 shock-controls revealed that neither the first test trials, when rats showed unspecific hyperlocomotion, nor trials of the last third of the test, when almost all animals responded quickly to the stressor, contributed to sensitivity and specificity of the test. Considering only trials 3-10 improved the classification of helpless and non-helpless rats. The refined analysis allows abbreviation of the test for learned helplessness from 15 trials to 10 trials thereby reducing pain and stress of the experimental animals without losing statistical power.

Learned Helplessness in Exceptional Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brock, Herman B.; Kowitz, Gerald T.

The research literature on learned helplessness in exceptional children is reviewed and the authors' efforts to identify and retrain learning disabled (LD) children who have characteristics typical of learned helplessness are reported. Twenty-eight elementary aged LD children viewed as "learned helpless" were randomly assigned to one of four…

"Learned Helplessness" or "Learned Incompetence"?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sergent, Justine; Lambert, Wallace E.

Studies in the past have shown that reinforcements independent of the subjects actions may induce a feeling of helplessness. Most experiments on learned helplessness have led researchers to believe that uncontrollability (non-contingency of feedback upon response) was the determining feature of learned helplessness, although in most studies…

Learned Helplessness and Sexual Risk Taking in Adolescent and Young Adult African American Females.

PubMed

Pittiglio, Laura

2017-08-01

Research involving adolescent and young African American (AA) females has demonstrated that they face uncontrollable obstacles which can interfere with the negotiation of safer sexual behaviors. If these obstacles are perceived as uncontrollable, then these females may be at risk for the development of Learned Helplessness (LH). As the LH model predicts, if these obstacles are believed not to be in their control, it may lead to deficits in motivational or cognitive decision-making, deficits that could certainly influence their sexual risk taking behaviors. Therefore, the primary objective for this pilot study was to trial the Learned Helplessness Scale (LHS) to examine the perceptions of LH in this population. A convenience sample of 50 adolescent and young AA females between the ages of 16 and 21 were recruited from two clinics in Southeast Michigan. Scores on the LHS ranged from 20 to 57, with a mean score of 39.1 (standard deviation = 10.49). The higher range of scores in the sample demonstrates a continuum of LH among the participants in the study.

Dissociation of Learned Helplessness and Fear Conditioning in Mice: A Mouse Model of Depression

PubMed Central

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie; Der-Avakian, Andre; Streets, Margo; Welsh, David K.

2015-01-01

The state of being helpless is regarded as a central aspect of depression, and therefore the learned helplessness paradigm in rodents is commonly used as an animal model of depression. The term ‘learned helplessness’ refers to a deficit in escaping from an aversive situation after an animal is exposed to uncontrollable stress specifically, with a control/comparison group having been exposed to an equivalent amount of controllable stress. A key feature of learned helplessness is the transferability of helplessness to different situations, a phenomenon called ‘trans-situationality’. However, most studies in mice use learned helplessness protocols in which training and testing occur in the same environment and with the same type of stressor. Consequently, failures to escape may reflect conditioned fear of a particular environment, not a general change of the helpless state of an animal. For mice, there is no established learned helplessness protocol that includes the trans-situationality feature. Here we describe a simple and reliable learned helplessness protocol for mice, in which training and testing are carried out in different environments and with different types of stressors. We show that with our protocol approximately 50% of mice develop learned helplessness that is not attributable to fear conditioning. PMID:25928892

Inescapable Stress Changes Walking Behavior in Flies - Learned Helplessness Revisited.

PubMed

Batsching, Sophie; Wolf, Reinhard; Heisenberg, Martin

2016-01-01

Like other animals flies develop a state of learned helplessness in response to unescapable aversive events. To show this, two flies, one 'master', one 'yoked', are each confined to a dark, small chamber and exposed to the same sequence of mild electric shocks. Both receive these shocks when the master fly stops walking for more than a second. Behavior in the two animals is differently affected by the shocks. Yoked flies are transiently impaired in place learning and take longer than master flies to exit from the chamber towards light. After the treatment they walk more slowly and take fewer and shorter walking bouts. The low activity is attributed to the fly's experience that its escape response, an innate behavior to terminate the electric shocks, does not help anymore. Earlier studies using heat pulses instead of electric shocks had shown similar effects. This parallel supports the interpretation that it is the uncontrollability that induces the state.

Models of Behavior Disorder: A Formal Analysis Based on Woods' Taxonomy of Instrumental Conditioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tryon, Warren W.

1976-01-01

Among the phenomena covered are superstitious behavior, learned helplessness, experimental neurosis, anaclitic depression as a result of maternal separation, and physiological disturbances such as ulceration. (Author/AM)

Learned Helplessness and Depressive Symptoms Following Myocardial Infarction.

PubMed

Smallheer, Benjamin A; Vollman, Michael; Dietrich, Mary S

2018-06-01

Psychosocial factors are known to impact depressive symptoms across clinical populations. Learned helplessness has the potential of affecting depressive symptoms following acute myocardial infarction (AMI), though little is known about this relationship. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learned helplessness and depressive symptoms in patients following an AMI. Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, participants with a diagnosed AMI within the past 12 months were recruited. Standardized instruments and measures were used to evaluate learned helplessness and depressive symptoms. A statistically significant direct relationship was found between learned helplessness and depressive symptoms, suggesting that individuals with higher self-reported levels of learned helplessness also reported more depressive symptoms. These results indicate learned helplessness is associated with depressive symptoms in individuals following an AMI. In developing post-AMI treatment plans, health care staff should focus on psychologic points of intervention to the same extent as physiologic interventions.

Altered consolidation of extinction-like inhibitory learning in genotype-specific dysfunctional coping fostered by chronic stress in mice.

PubMed

Campus, P; Maiolati, M; Orsini, C; Cabib, S

2016-12-15

Genetic and stress-related factors interact to foster mental disorders, possibly through dysfunctional learning. In a previous study we reported that a temporary experience of reduced food availability increases forced swim (FS)-induced helplessness tested 14days after a first experience in mice of the standard inbred C57BL/6(B6) strain but reduces it in mice of the genetically unrelated DBA/2J (D2) strain. Because persistence of FS-induced helplessness influences adaptive coping with stress challenge and involve learning processes the present study tested whether the behavioral effects of restricted feeding involved altered consolidation of FS-related learning. First, we demonstrated that restricted feeding does not influence behavior expressed on the first FS experience, supporting a specific effect on persistence rather then development of helplessness. Second, we found that FS-induced c-fos expression in the infralimbic cortex (IL) was selectively enhanced in food-restricted (FR) B6 mice and reduced in FR D2 mice, supporting opposite alterations of consolidation processes involving this brain area. Third, we demonstrated that immediate post-FS inactivation of IL prevents 24h retention of acquired helplessness by continuously free-fed mice of both strains, indicating the requirement of a functioning IL for consolidation of FS-related learning in either mouse strain. Finally, in line with the known role of IL in consolidation of extinction memories, we found that restricted feeding selectively facilitated 24h retention of an acquired extinction in B6 mice whereas impairing it in D2 mice. These findings support the conclusion that an experience of reduced food availability strain-specifically affects persistence of newly acquired passive coping strategies by altering consolidation of extinction-like inhibitory learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hippocampal synapsin I, growth-associated protein-43, and microtubule-associated protein-2 immunoreactivity in learned helplessness rats and antidepressant-treated rats.

PubMed

Iwata, M; Shirayama, Y; Ishida, H; Kawahara, R

2006-09-01

Learned helplessness rats are thought to be an animal model of depression. To study the role of synapse plasticity in depression, we examined the effects of learned helplessness and antidepressant treatments on synapsin I (a marker of presynaptic terminals), growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43; a marker of growth cones), and microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2; a marker of dendrites) in the hippocampus by immunolabeling. (1) Learned helplessness rats showed significant increases in the expression of synapsin I two days after the attainment of learned helplessness, and significant decreases in the protein expression eight days after the achievement of learned helplessness. Subchronic treatment of naïve rats with imipramine or fluvoxamine significantly decreased the expression of synapsin I. (2) Learned helplessness increased the expression of GAP-43 two days and eight days after learned helplessness training. Subchronic treatment of naïve rats with fluvoxamine but not imipramine showed a tendency to decrease the expression of synapsin I. (3) Learned helplessness rats showed increased expression of MAP-2 eight days after the attainment of learned helplessness. Naïve rats subchronically treated with imipramine showed a tendency toward increased expression of MAP-2, but those treated with fluvoxamine did not. These results indicate that the neuroplasticity-related proteins synapsin I, GAP-43, and MAP-2 may play a role in the pathophysiology of depression and the mechanisms of antidepressants.

Metabolomics identifies perturbations in amino acid metabolism in the prefrontal cortex of the learned helplessness rat model of depression.

PubMed

Zhou, Xinyu; Liu, Lanxiang; Zhang, Yuqing; Pu, Juncai; Yang, Lining; Zhou, Chanjuan; Yuan, Shuai; Zhang, Hanping; Xie, Peng

2017-02-20

Major depressive disorder is a serious psychiatric condition associated with high rates of suicide and is a leading cause of health burden worldwide. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of major depression are still essentially unclear. In our study, a non-targeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach was used to investigate metabolic changes in the prefrontal cortex of the learned helplessness (LH) rat model of depression. Body-weight measurements and behavioral tests including the active escape test, sucrose preference test, forced swimming test, elevated plus-maze and open field test were used to assess changes in the behavioral spectrum after inescapable footshock stress. Rats in the stress group exhibited significant learned helpless and depression-like behaviors, while without any significant change in anxiety-like behaviors. Using multivariate and univariate statistical analysis, a total of 18 differential metabolites were identified after the footshock stress protocol. Ingenuity Pathways Analysis and MetaboAnalyst were applied for predicted pathways and biological functions analysis. "Amino Acid Metabolism, Molecule Transport, Small Molecule Biochemistry" was the most significantly altered network in the LH model. Amino acid metabolism, particularly glutamate metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, was significantly perturbed in the prefrontal cortex of LH rats. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Developmental Level Gender, and the Development of Learned Helplessness on Mathematical Calculation and Reasoning Tasks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monaco, Nanci M.; Gentile, J. Ronald

1987-01-01

This study was designed to test whether a learned helplessness treatment would decrease performance on mathematical tasks and to extend learned helplessness findings to include the cognitive development dimension. Results showed no differential advantages to either sex in resisting effects of learned helplessness or in benefiting from strategy…

Studies of long-term noopept and afobazol treatment in rats with learned helplessness neurosis.

PubMed

Uyanaev, A A; Fisenko, V P

2006-08-01

Long-lasting effects of new Russian psychotropic drugs Noopept and Afobazol on active avoidance conditioning and formation of learned helplessness neurosis were studied on an original experimental model in rats. Noopept eliminated the manifestations of learned helplessness after long-term (21-day) treatment by increasing the percent of trained animals. Afobazol was low effective in preventing manifestations of learned helplessness, but if used for a long time, it reduced the incidence of learned helplessness development by increasing the percent of untrained animals.

Stress-induced neuroinflammation is mediated by GSK3-dependent TLR4 signaling that promotes susceptibility to depression-like behavior

PubMed Central

Cheng, Yuyan; Pardo, Marta; de Souza Armini, Rubia; Martinez, Ana; Mouhsine, Hadley; Zagury, Jean-Francois; Jope, Richard S.; Beurel, Eleonore

2016-01-01

Most psychiatric and neurological diseases are exacerbated by stress. Because this may partially result from stress-induced inflammation, we examined factors involved in this stress response. After a paradigm of inescapable foot shock stress that causes learned helplessness depression-like behavior, eighteen cytokines and chemokines increased in mouse hippocampus, peaking 6 to 12 hr after stress. A 24 hr prior pre-conditioning stress accelerated the rate of stress-induced hippocampal cytokine and chemokine increases, with most reaching peak levels after 1 to 3 hr, often without altering the maximal levels. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was involved in this response because most stress-induced hippocampal cytokines and chemokines were attenuated in TLR4 knockout mice. Stress activated glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) in wild-type mouse hippocampus, but not in TLR4 knockout mice. Administration of the antidepressant fluoxetine or the GSK3 inhibitor TDZD-8 reduced the stress-induced increases of most hippocampal cytokines and chemokines. Stress increased hippocampal levels of the danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), activated the inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, and the NLRP3 inflammasome. Knockdown of HMGB1 blocked the acceleration of cytokine and chemokine increases in the hippocampus caused by two successive stresses. Fluoxetine treatment blocked stress-induced up-regulation of HMGB1 and subsequent NF-κB activation, whereas TDZD-8 administration attenuated NF-κB activation downstream of HMGB1. To test if stress-induced cytokines and chemokines contribute to depression-like behavior, the learned helplessness model was assessed. Antagonism of TNFα modestly reduced susceptibility to learned helplessness induction, whereas TLR4 knockout mice were resistant to learned helplessness. Thus, stress-induces a broad inflammatory response in mouse hippocampus that involves TLR4, GSK3, and downstream inflammatory signaling, and these stress responses contribute to susceptibility to depression-like behavior in mice. PMID:26772151

Stress-induced neuroinflammation is mediated by GSK3-dependent TLR4 signaling that promotes susceptibility to depression-like behavior.

PubMed

Cheng, Yuyan; Pardo, Marta; Armini, Rubia de Souza; Martinez, Ana; Mouhsine, Hadley; Zagury, Jean-Francois; Jope, Richard S; Beurel, Eleonore

2016-03-01

Most psychiatric and neurological diseases are exacerbated by stress. Because this may partially result from stress-induced inflammation, we examined factors involved in this stress response. After a paradigm of inescapable foot shock stress that causes learned helplessness depression-like behavior, eighteen cytokines and chemokines increased in mouse hippocampus, peaking 6-12h after stress. A 24h prior pre-conditioning stress accelerated the rate of stress-induced hippocampal cytokine and chemokine increases, with most reaching peak levels after 1-3h, often without altering the maximal levels. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was involved in this response because most stress-induced hippocampal cytokines and chemokines were attenuated in TLR4 knockout mice. Stress activated glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) in wild-type mouse hippocampus, but not in TLR4 knockout mice. Administration of the antidepressant fluoxetine or the GSK3 inhibitor TDZD-8 reduced the stress-induced increases of most hippocampal cytokines and chemokines. Stress increased hippocampal levels of the danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) protein high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), activated the inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, and the NLRP3 inflammasome. Knockdown of HMGB1 blocked the acceleration of cytokine and chemokine increases in the hippocampus caused by two successive stresses. Fluoxetine treatment blocked stress-induced up-regulation of HMGB1 and subsequent NF-κB activation, whereas TDZD-8 administration attenuated NF-κB activation downstream of HMGB1. To test if stress-induced cytokines and chemokines contribute to depression-like behavior, the learned helplessness model was assessed. Antagonism of TNFα modestly reduced susceptibility to learned helplessness induction, whereas TLR4 knockout mice were resistant to learned helplessness. Thus, stress-induces a broad inflammatory response in mouse hippocampus that involves TLR4, GSK3, and downstream inflammatory signaling, and these stress responses contribute to susceptibility to depression-like behavior in mice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discrete Serotonin Systems Mediate Memory Enhancement and Escape Latencies after Unpredicted Aversive Experience in Drosophila Place Memory

PubMed Central

Sitaraman, Divya; Kramer, Elizabeth F.; Kahsai, Lily; Ostrowski, Daniela; Zars, Troy

2017-01-01

Feedback mechanisms in operant learning are critical for animals to increase reward or reduce punishment. However, not all conditions have a behavior that can readily resolve an event. Animals must then try out different behaviors to better their situation through outcome learning. This form of learning allows for novel solutions and with positive experience can lead to unexpected behavioral routines. Learned helplessness, as a type of outcome learning, manifests in part as increases in escape latency in the face of repeated unpredicted shocks. Little is known about the mechanisms of outcome learning. When fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster are exposed to unpredicted high temperatures in a place learning paradigm, flies both increase escape latencies and have a higher memory when given control of a place/temperature contingency. Here we describe discrete serotonin neuronal circuits that mediate aversive reinforcement, escape latencies, and memory levels after place learning in the presence and absence of unexpected aversive events. The results show that two features of learned helplessness depend on the same modulatory system as aversive reinforcement. Moreover, changes in aversive reinforcement and escape latency depend on local neural circuit modulation, while memory enhancement requires larger modulation of multiple behavioral control circuits. PMID:29321732

Learned helplessness and social avoidance in the Wistar-Kyoto rat

PubMed Central

Nam, Hyungwoo; Clinton, Sarah M.; Jackson, Nateka L.; Kerman, Ilan A.

2014-01-01

The Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat is an established depression model characterized by elevated anxiety- and depression-like behavior across a variety of tests. Here we further characterized specific behavioral and functional domains relevant to depression that are altered in WKY rats. Moreover, since early-life experience potently shapes emotional behavior, we also determined whether aspects of WKYs' phenotype were modifiable by early-life factors using neonatal handling or maternal separation. We first compared WKYs' behavior to that of Sprague–Dawley (SD), Wistar, and Spontaneously Hypertensive (SHR) rats in: the open field test, elevated plus maze, novelty-suppressed feeding test, a social interaction test, and the forced swim test (FST). WKYs exhibited high baseline immobility in the FST and were the only strain to show increased immobility on FST Day 2 vs. Day 1 (an indicator of learned helplessness). WKYs also showed greater social avoidance, along with enlarged adrenal glands and hearts relative to other strains. We next tested whether neonatal handling or early-life maternal separation stress influenced WKYs' behavior. Neither manipulation affected their anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, likely due to a strong genetic underpinning of their phenotype. Our findings indicate that WKY rats are a useful model that captures specific functional domains relevant to clinical depression including: psychomotor retardation, behavioral inhibition, learned helplessness, social withdrawal, and physiological dysfunction. WKY rats appear to be resistant to early-life manipulations (i.e., neonatal handling) that are therapeutic in other strains, and may be a useful model for the development of personalized anti-depressant therapies for treatment resistant depression. PMID:24744709

Learned helplessness and social avoidance in the Wistar-Kyoto rat.

PubMed

Nam, Hyungwoo; Clinton, Sarah M; Jackson, Nateka L; Kerman, Ilan A

2014-01-01

The Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat is an established depression model characterized by elevated anxiety- and depression-like behavior across a variety of tests. Here we further characterized specific behavioral and functional domains relevant to depression that are altered in WKY rats. Moreover, since early-life experience potently shapes emotional behavior, we also determined whether aspects of WKYs' phenotype were modifiable by early-life factors using neonatal handling or maternal separation. We first compared WKYs' behavior to that of Sprague-Dawley (SD), Wistar, and Spontaneously Hypertensive (SHR) rats in: the open field test, elevated plus maze, novelty-suppressed feeding test, a social interaction test, and the forced swim test (FST). WKYs exhibited high baseline immobility in the FST and were the only strain to show increased immobility on FST Day 2 vs. Day 1 (an indicator of learned helplessness). WKYs also showed greater social avoidance, along with enlarged adrenal glands and hearts relative to other strains. We next tested whether neonatal handling or early-life maternal separation stress influenced WKYs' behavior. Neither manipulation affected their anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, likely due to a strong genetic underpinning of their phenotype. Our findings indicate that WKY rats are a useful model that captures specific functional domains relevant to clinical depression including: psychomotor retardation, behavioral inhibition, learned helplessness, social withdrawal, and physiological dysfunction. WKY rats appear to be resistant to early-life manipulations (i.e., neonatal handling) that are therapeutic in other strains, and may be a useful model for the development of personalized anti-depressant therapies for treatment resistant depression.

Learned Helplessness in High School Students Following Experience of Noncontingent Rewards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buys, Nicholas J.; Winefield, Anthony H.

1982-01-01

Compared high-school students differing in achievement motivation in a learned helplessness experiment. A strong helplessness effect was observed in both high- and low-achievement motivation groups. Results show a strong learned helplessness effect unrelated to individual differences in achievement motivation and refute claims that helplessness…

Learned-Helplessness Theory: Implications for Research in Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canino, Frank J.

1981-01-01

The application of learned helplessness theory to achievement is discussed within the context of implications for research in learning disabilities. Finally, the similarities between helpless children and learning disabled students in terms of problems solving and attention are discussed. (Author)

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of learned helpless and nonhelpless rats.

PubMed

Kohen, R; Kirov, S; Navaja, G P; Happe, H Kevin; Hamblin, M W; Snoddy, J R; Neumaier, J F; Petty, F

2005-01-01

In the learned helplessness (LH) animal model of depression, failure to attempt escape from avoidable environmental stress, LH, indicates behavioral despair, whereas nonhelpless (NH) behavior reflects behavioral resilience to the effects of environmental stress. Comparing hippocampal gene expression with large-scale oligonucleotide microarrays, we found that stress-resilient (NH) rats, although behaviorally indistinguishable from controls, showed a distinct gene expression profile compared to LH, sham stressed, and naïve control animals. Genes that were confirmed as differentially expressed in the NH group by quantitative PCR strongly correlated in their levels of expression across all four animal groups. Differential expression could not be confirmed at the protein level. We identified several shared degenerate sequence motifs in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of differentially expressed genes that could be a factor in this tight correlation of expression levels among differentially expressed genes.

Learned helplessness and learned prevalence: exploring the causal relations among perceived controllability, reward prevalence, and exploration.

PubMed

Teodorescu, Kinneret; Erev, Ido

2014-10-01

Exposure to uncontrollable outcomes has been found to trigger learned helplessness, a state in which the agent, because of lack of exploration, fails to take advantage of regained control. Although the implications of this phenomenon have been widely studied, its underlying cause remains undetermined. One can learn not to explore because the environment is uncontrollable, because the average reinforcement for exploring is low, or because rewards for exploring are rare. In the current research, we tested a simple experimental paradigm that contrasts the predictions of these three contributors and offers a unified psychological mechanism that underlies the observed phenomena. Our results demonstrate that learned helplessness is not correlated with either the perceived controllability of one's environment or the average reward, which suggests that reward prevalence is a better predictor of exploratory behavior than the other two factors. A simple computational model in which exploration decisions were based on small samples of past experiences captured the empirical phenomena while also providing a cognitive basis for feelings of uncontrollability. © The Author(s) 2014.

Persistent inhibition of hippocampal long-term potentiation in vivo by learned helplessness stress.

PubMed

Ryan, Benedict K; Vollmayr, Barbara; Klyubin, Igor; Gass, Peter; Rowan, Michael J

2010-06-01

The persistent cognitive disruptive effects of stress have been strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Here we examined factors influencing the time course of recovery from the inhibitory effect of acute inescapable stressors on the ability to induce long-term potentiation (LTP) in the dorsal hippocampus in vivo. We tested different forms of LTP, different stressors and different inbred strains of rats. Acute elevated platform stress completely, but transiently (<3 h), inhibited induction of both NMDA receptor-dependent LTP induced by a standard high frequency (200 Hz) conditioning stimulus and an additional LTP that required voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel activation triggered by strong (400 Hz) conditioning stimulation. In contrast, acute inescapable footshock stress, used to study learned helplessness, inhibited LTP for at least 4 weeks. Contrary to expectations, there was no clear relationship between the ability of the footshock to trigger helpless behavior, a model of stress-induced depression, and the magnitude of LTP inhibition. Moreover, LTP did not appear to be affected by genetic susceptibility to learned helplessness, a model of genetic vulnerability to depression. This long-lasting synaptic plasticity disruption may underlie persistent impairment of hippocampus-dependent cognition by excessive acute inescapable stress.

Learned Helplessness and Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders: Deprivation in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutherland, Kevin S.; Singh, Nirbhay N.

2004-01-01

Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) are characterized by academic deficits and classroom behavioral problems. The relationship between problem behavior and academic difficulties is complex, and some researchers have hypothesized that the classroom behavior problems of students with E/BD are responses to aversive stimuli, namely…

A Bayesian formulation of behavioral control.

PubMed

Huys, Quentin J M; Dayan, Peter

2009-12-01

Helplessness, a belief that the world is not subject to behavioral control, has long been central to our understanding of depression, and has influenced cognitive theories, animal models and behavioral treatments. However, despite its importance, there is no fully accepted definition of helplessness or behavioral control in psychology or psychiatry, and the formal treatments in engineering appear to capture only limited aspects of the intuitive concepts. Here, we formalize controllability in terms of characteristics of prior distributions over affectively charged environments. We explore the relevance of this notion of control to reinforcement learning methods of optimising behavior in such environments and consider how apparently maladaptive beliefs can result from normative inference processes. These results are discussed with reference to depression and animal models thereof.

Strain differences in fatigue and depression after experimental stroke.

PubMed

Kunze, Allison; Zierath, Dannielle; Drogomiretskiy, Olga; Becker, Kyra

2014-10-01

Fatigue and depression are common symptoms after stroke. Animal models of poststroke fatigue (PSF) and poststroke depression (PSD) would facilitate the study of these symptoms. Spontaneous locomotor activity is as an objective measure of fatigue and learned helplessness an accepted correlate of depression. We used different rat strains to evaluate stroke-induced changes in behavior in hopes that interstrain differences would provide insights into the biological basis of these symptoms. Male Lewis, Wistar, and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats underwent experimental stroke. Spontaneous activity was assessed continually after stroke (for up to 50 days). In a subset of animals, the forced swim test was performed prior to and 1 month after stroke to assess learned helplessness; blood was obtained at sacrifice for cytokine assay. Stroke induced strain-related differences in activity; Lewis rats increased spontaneous activity during the dark cycle, while Wistar and SD rats increased activity during the light cycle. The velocity of movement decreased during the dark cycle in Wistar and SD rats and during the light cycle in Lewis rats. Stroke also led to an increase in learned helplessness in Lewis rats. In summary, different patterns of behaviors emerge in different rat strains after stroke. Lewis rats displayed behavior consistent with depression but not fatigue, while Wistar and SD rats displayed behavior consistent with fatigue but not depression. These data argue that PSF and PSD are different biological constructs and suggest that analysis of strain-related differences may provide insight into symptom pathophysiology.

Inescapable Stress Changes Walking Behavior in Flies - Learned Helplessness Revisited

PubMed Central

Batsching, Sophie; Wolf, Reinhard; Heisenberg, Martin

2016-01-01

Like other animals flies develop a state of learned helplessness in response to unescapable aversive events. To show this, two flies, one 'master', one 'yoked', are each confined to a dark, small chamber and exposed to the same sequence of mild electric shocks. Both receive these shocks when the master fly stops walking for more than a second. Behavior in the two animals is differently affected by the shocks. Yoked flies are transiently impaired in place learning and take longer than master flies to exit from the chamber towards light. After the treatment they walk more slowly and take fewer and shorter walking bouts. The low activity is attributed to the fly's experience that its escape response, an innate behavior to terminate the electric shocks, does not help anymore. Earlier studies using heat pulses instead of electric shocks had shown similar effects. This parallel supports the interpretation that it is the uncontrollability that induces the state. PMID:27875580

Learned Helplessness and the Elementary Student: Implications for Counselors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greer, John G.; Wethered, Chris E.

1987-01-01

Explores the topic of learned helplessness in children. Discusses these counselor strategies for helping children with learned helplessness: develop realistic attributions, provide feedback, provide success experiences, provide microcomputer experiences, and set realistic goals and expectations. (ABL)

Learned Helplessness as a Schedule-Shift Effect.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McReynolds, William T.

1980-01-01

The essentials of learned helplessness theory are described and supporting evidence surveyed. The explanation Seligman and Maier give for these findings is critically analyzed. A schedule-shift discrimination theory of learned helplessness effects is also discussed. (Author)

Learned helplessness among families and surrogate decision-makers of patients admitted to medical, surgical, and trauma ICUs.

PubMed

Sullivan, Donald R; Liu, Xinggang; Corwin, Douglas S; Verceles, Avelino C; McCurdy, Michael T; Pate, Drew A; Davis, Jennifer M; Netzer, Giora

2012-12-01

We sought to determine the prevalence of and clinical variables associated with learned helplessness, a psychologic state characterized by reduced motivation, difficulty in determining causality, and depression, in family members of patients admitted to ICUs. We conducted an observational survey study of a prospectively defined cohort of family members, spouses, and partners of patients admitted to surgical, medical, and trauma ICUs at a large academic medical center. Two validated instruments, the Learned Helplessness Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale, were used, and self-report of patient clinical characteristics and subject demographics were collected. Four hundred ninety-nine family members were assessed. Of these, 238 of 460 (51.7%) had responses consistent with a significant degree of learned helplessness. Among surrogate decision-makers, this proportion was 50% (92 of 184). Characteristics associated with significant learned helplessness included grade or high school education (OR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.29-8.27; P = .01) and Perceived Stress Scale score > 18 (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 2.65-6.50; P < .001). The presence of a patient advance directive or do not resuscitate (DNR) order was associated with reduced odds of significant learned helplessness (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.32-0.98; P = .05). The majority of family members of patients in the ICU experience significant learned helplessness. Risk factors for learned helplessness include lower educational levels, absence of an advance directive or DNR order, and higher stress levels among family members. Significant learned helplessness in family members may have negative implications in the collaborative decision-making process.

Learned Helplessness Among Families and Surrogate Decision-Makers of Patients Admitted to Medical, Surgical, and Trauma ICUs

PubMed Central

Sullivan, Donald R.; Liu, Xinggang; Corwin, Douglas S.; Verceles, Avelino C.; McCurdy, Michael T.; Pate, Drew A.; Davis, Jennifer M.

2012-01-01

Background: We sought to determine the prevalence of and clinical variables associated with learned helplessness, a psychologic state characterized by reduced motivation, difficulty in determining causality, and depression, in family members of patients admitted to ICUs. Methods: We conducted an observational survey study of a prospectively defined cohort of family members, spouses, and partners of patients admitted to surgical, medical, and trauma ICUs at a large academic medical center. Two validated instruments, the Learned Helplessness Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale, were used, and self-report of patient clinical characteristics and subject demographics were collected. Results: Four hundred ninety-nine family members were assessed. Of these, 238 of 460 (51.7%) had responses consistent with a significant degree of learned helplessness. Among surrogate decision-makers, this proportion was 50% (92 of 184). Characteristics associated with significant learned helplessness included grade or high school education (OR, 3.27; 95% CI, 1.29-8.27; P = .01) and Perceived Stress Scale score > 18 (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 2.65-6.50; P < .001). The presence of a patient advance directive or do not resuscitate (DNR) order was associated with reduced odds of significant learned helplessness (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.32-0.98; P = .05). Conclusions: The majority of family members of patients in the ICU experience significant learned helplessness. Risk factors for learned helplessness include lower educational levels, absence of an advance directive or DNR order, and higher stress levels among family members. Significant learned helplessness in family members may have negative implications in the collaborative decision-making process. PMID:22661454

Teacher Identification of Student Learned Helplessness in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yates, Shirley

2009-01-01

Teachers frequently encounter students with learned helplessness who are discouraged, turned off, or have given up trying to learn mathematics. Although learned helplessness has a long history in psychology, there has been no reliable means by which mathematics teachers can identify students exhibiting these debilitating yet changeable…

Learned Helplessness: Theory and Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maier, Steven F.; Seligman, Martin E. P.

1976-01-01

Authors believes that three phenomena are all instances of "learned helplessness," instances in which an organism has learned that outcomes are uncontrollable by his responses and is seriously debilitated by this knowledge. This article explores the evidence for the phenomena of learned helplessness, and discussed a variety of theoretical…

Epigenetic regulation of BDNF in the learned helplessness-induced animal model of depression.

PubMed

Su, Chun-Lin; Su, Chun-Wei; Hsiao, Ya-Hsin; Gean, Po-Wu

2016-05-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD), one of the most common mental disorders, is a significant risk factor for suicide and causes a low quality of life for many people. However, the causes and underlying mechanism of depression remain elusive. In the current work, we investigated epigenetic regulation of BDNF in the learned helplessness-induced animal model of depression. Mice were exposed to inescapable stress and divided into learned helplessness (LH) and resilient (LH-R) groups depending on the number they failed to escape. We found that the LH group had longer immobility duration in the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension tests (TST), which is consistent with a depression-related phenotype. Western blotting analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed that the LH group had lower BDNF expression than that of the LH-R group. The LH group consistently had lower BDNF mRNA levels, as detected by qPCR assay. In addition, we found BDNF exon IV was down-regulated in the LH group. Intraperitoneal injection of imipramine or histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) to the LH mice for 14 consecutive days ameliorated depression-like behaviors and reversed the decrease in BDNF. The expression of HDAC5 was up-regulated in the LH mice, and a ChIP assay revealed that the level of HDAC5 binding to the promoter region of BDNF exon IV was higher than that seen in other groups. Knockdown of HDAC5 reduced depression-like behaviors in the LH mice. Taken together, these results suggest that epigenetic regulation of BDNF by HDAC5 plays an important role in the learned helplessness model of depression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

17β Estradiol increases resilience and improves hippocampal synaptic function in helpless ovariectomized rats

PubMed Central

Bredemann, Teruko M.; McMahon, Lori L.

2014-01-01

Summary Memory impairment is the most commonly reported cognitive symptom associated with major depressive disorder. Decreased hippocampal volume and neurogenesis in depression link hippocampal dysfunction with deficits in memory. Stress decreases hippocampal dendritic spine density and long-term potentiation (LTP) at glutamate synapses, a cellular correlate of learning and memory. However, elevated plasma levels of 17β estradiol (E2) during proestrus increase hippocampal structure and function, directly opposing the negative consequences of stress. In women, significant fluctuations in ovarian hormones likely increase vulnerability of hippocampal circuits to stress, potentially contributing to the greater incidence of depression compared to men. Using the learned helplessness model of depression and ovariectomized female rats, we investigated whether acquisition of helplessness and hippocampal synaptic dysfunction is differentially impacted by the presence or absence of plasma E2. We find that inescapable shock induces a greater incidence of helplessness in vehicle- versus E2-treated OVX rats. In the vehicle-treated group, LTP was absent at CA3-CA1 synapses in slices only from helpless rats, and CA1 spine density was decreased compared to resilient rats. In contrast, significant LTP was observed in slices from E2-treated helpless rats; importantly, spine density was not different between E2-treated helpless and resilient rats, dissociating spine density from the LTP magnitude. We also find that E2 replacement can reverse previously established helpless behavior. Thus, our results show that E2 replacement in OVX rats increases resilience and improves hippocampal plasticity, suggesting that E2 therapy may increase resilience to stress and preserve hippocampal function in women experiencing large fluctuations in plasma estrogen levels. PMID:24636504

Assessing Learned Helplessness in Poor Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winograd, Peter; Niquette, Garland

1988-01-01

Feelings of helplessness can impact on learning to read. This research review illustrates problems in assessing learned helplessness, including instrumentation inadequacies, lack of comprehensive causal schemes, context specificity, etc. Observations of and discussions with the child are recommended in the assessment process. Guidelines for…

A re-view of cognitive mediators in learned helplessness.

PubMed

Tennen, H

1982-12-01

The findings of Oakes and Curtis (1982), Tennen, Drum, Gillen, and Stanton (1982), and Tennen, Gillen, and Drum (1982) provide a challenge to learned helplessness theory's focus on cognitive mediators of the helplessness phenomenon. In response to these findings, Alloy (1982) argues that these studies do not challenge helplessness theory because they do not measure expected control and because they confuse necessary and sufficient causes of learned helplessness. Silver, Wortman, and Klos (1982) contend that these studies provide an inadequate test of the model because subjects are confronted with experiences which are unlike those in their natural environment. The present article argues that by Alloy's (1982) criteria, an adequate test of the learned helplessness model has not yet been conducted. Previous studies which measured expected control have not supported the model's predictions. Moreover, if perceived response-outcome independence is a sufficient, but not a necessary cause of learned helplessness, the model loses much of its heuristic value. In response to the argument that these studies lack ecological validity, this article clarifies the distinction between experimental realism and mundane realism. While real-world studies have discovered intriguing relations between perceptions of control, attributions, and coping with illness or victimization, they have not tested predictions of the learned helplessness model.

Learn About Mental Health

MedlinePlus

... like irritability, outbursts, helplessness, or feelings of numbness. Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders People with psychotic ... behavior. An example of a psychotic disorder is schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia may also have low motivation ...

Overcoming Learned Helplessness in Community College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roueche, John E.; Mink, Oscar G.

1982-01-01

Reviews research on the effects of repeated experiences of helplessness and on locus of control. Identifies conditions necessary for overcoming learned helplessness; i.e., the potential for learning to occur; consistent reinforcement; relevant, valued reinforcers; and favorable psychological situation. Recommends eight ways for teachers to…

Learned Helplessness and "Fear of Success" in College Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ris, Martin D.; Woods, Donald J.

1983-01-01

Examines anagram performance of 90 high, medium, and low fear-of-success (FOS) women, after the subjects had experienced conditions within the traditional triadic learned helplessness design. Concluded that increased attention should be given to personality variables within the learned helplessness paradigm. (CMG)

Learned Helplessness in Mathematics: What Educators Should Know.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gentile, J. Ronald; Monaco, Nanci M.

1986-01-01

The range of problems associated with learned helplessness in mathematics is introduced through three hypothetical case studies. Then the basic theory of, the evidence for, and variables affecting learned helplessness are described. Issues of cure and prevention are discussed, and some suggestions are offered for teachers. (MNS)

Effects of Real and Recalled Success on Learned Helplessness and Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teasdale, John D.

1978-01-01

The effects of recalling past successes on the deficits in learned helplessness and depression were examined and, for learned helplessness, compared with those of real success. Results suggest real success does not have its therapeutic effects by modifying attributions for failure toward external factors. (Editor)

Predicting Learned Helplessness Based on Personality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maadikhah, Elham; Erfani, Nasrollah

2014-01-01

Learned helplessness as a negative motivational state can latently underlie repeated failures and create negative feelings toward the education as well as depression in students and other members of a society. The purpose of this paper is to predict learned helplessness based on students' personality traits. The research is a predictive…

Learned Helplessness: A Piece of the Burnout Puzzle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greer, John G.; Wethered, Chris E.

1984-01-01

The article uses learned helplessness as a model for better understanding burnout experienced by teachers of exceptional children. Comparisons are made between the treatment for learned helplessness and parallel strategies for preventing burnout, including helping educators to set realistic goals and recognize the control which they do have.…

Learned Helplessness and Academic Failure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Carolyn

Some individuals more readily develop learned helplessness in the classroom, so it is necessary for the educational system to acknowledge it and develop teaching methods to prevent it. Creating awareness among educators of this condition could greatly decrease its occurrence. Children who have a high risk of developing learned helplessness,…

Reduced connectivity and inter-hemispheric symmetry of the sensory system in a rat model of vulnerability to developing depression.

PubMed

Ben-Shimol, E; Gass, N; Vollmayr, B; Sartorius, A; Goelman, G

2015-12-03

Defining the markers corresponding to a high risk of developing depression in humans would have major clinical significance; however, few studies have been conducted since they are not only complex but also require homogeneous groups. This study compared congenital learned helpless (cLH) rats, selectively bred for high stress sensitivity and learned helplessness (LH) behavior, to congenital non-learned helpless (cNLH) rats that were bred for resistance to uncontrollable stress. Naïve cLH rats show some depression-like behavior but full LH behavior need additional stress, making this model ideal for studying vulnerability to depression. Resting-state functional connectivity obtained from seed correlation analysis was calculated for multiple regions that were selected by anatomy AND by a data-driven approach, independently. Significance was determined by t-statistic AND by permutation analysis, independently. A significant reduction in functional connectivity was observed by both analyses in the cLH rats in the sensory, motor, cingulate, infralimbic, accumbens and the raphe nucleus. These reductions corresponded primarily to reduced inter-hemispheric connectivity. The main reduction however was in the sensory system. It is argued that reduced connectivity and inter-hemispheric connectivity of the sensory system reflects an internal convergence state which may precede other depressive symptomatology and therefore could be used as markers for vulnerability to the development of depression. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Freewheel running prevents learned helplessness/behavioral depression: role of dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons.

PubMed

Greenwood, Benjamin N; Foley, Teresa E; Day, Heidi E W; Campisi, Jay; Hammack, Sayamwong H; Campeau, Serge; Maier, Steven F; Fleshner, Monika

2003-04-01

Serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are implicated in mediating learned helplessness (LH) behaviors, such as poor escape responding and expression of exaggerated conditioned fear, induced by acute exposure to uncontrollable stress. DRN 5-HT neurons are hyperactive during uncontrollable stress, resulting in desensitization of 5-HT type 1A (5-HT1A) inhibitory autoreceptors in the DRN. 5-HT1A autoreceptor downregulation is thought to induce transient sensitization of DRN 5-HT neurons, resulting in excessive 5-HT activity in brain areas that control the expression of learned helplessness behaviors. Habitual physical activity has antidepressant/anxiolytic properties and results in dramatic alterations in physiological stress responses, but the neurochemical mediators of these effects are unknown. The current study determined the effects of 6 weeks of voluntary freewheel running on LH behaviors, uncontrollable stress-induced activity of DRN 5-HT neurons, and basal expression of DRN 5-HT1A autoreceptor mRNA. Freewheel running prevented the shuttle box escape deficit and the exaggerated conditioned fear that is induced by uncontrollable tail shock in sedentary rats. Furthermore, double c-Fos/5-HT immunohistochemistry revealed that physical activity attenuated tail shock-induced activity of 5-HT neurons in the rostral-mid DRN. Six weeks of freewheel running also resulted in a basal increase in 5-HT1A inhibitory autoreceptor mRNA in the rostral-mid DRN. Results suggest that freewheel running prevents behavioral depression/LH and attenuates DRN 5-HT neural activity during uncontrollable stress. An increase in 5-HT1A inhibitory autoreceptor expression may contribute to the attenuation of DRN 5-HT activity and the prevention of LH in physically active rats.

Simulating Conditions of Learned Helplessness: The Effects of Interventions and Attributions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donovan, Wilberta L.; Leavitt, Lewis A.

1985-01-01

Using a version of the "learned helplessness" paradigm, assesses mothers' performance on a solvable task following pretreatments that involved exposure to an infant cry but that differed in the mothers' ability to exert control over termination of the cry. Proposes that learned helplessness models are relevant to the study of…

After High School: The Status of Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Rhonda; Bunsen, Teresa D.

1995-01-01

This literature review examined the current status of young adults with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) two to five years after leaving high school, in employment, residential environment, social and interpersonal networks, dependency, and learned helplessness. Suggestions for school-implemented community adjustment programs are offered. (DB)

An Action Research Study of Intellectual Disabilities, Inappropriate Behaviors and Learned Helplessness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luper, Elizabeth P. S.; Lockley, Jeannie

2008-01-01

This study focused on a population of 36 female patients, aged 25 to 65, who were diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, all of whom had long-standing patterns of inappropriate behaviors. In an attempt to increase more appropriate behaviors in these patients, a set of standardized contingency rules were established. These rules were implemented…

Experimentally Induced Learned Helplessness: How Far Does it Generalize?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuffin, Keith; And Others

1985-01-01

Assessed whether experimentally induced learned helplessness on a cognitive training task generalized to a situationally dissimilar social interaction test task. No significant differences were observed between groups on the subsequent test task, showing that helplessness failed to generalize. (Author/ABB)

WINDOWS OF VULNERABILITY: MATERNAL SEPARATION, AGE, AND FLUOXETINE ON ADOLESCENT DEPRESSIVE-LIKE BEHAVIOR IN RATS

PubMed Central

Freund, N.; Thompson, B. S.; Denormandie, J.; Vaccarro, K.

2017-01-01

Early exposure to stressful life events plays a significant role in adolescent depression. Clinical studies have identified a number of factors that increase the risk of depression, including sex of the subject, duration of the stressor, and genetic polymorphisms that elevate serotonin levels. In this study we used the maternal separation (MS) model to investigate to what extent these factors interacted during development to manifest in depressive-like behavior in male and female rats. The triadic model of learned helplessness parses depressive-like behavior into aspects of controllable, uncontrollable, and motivational behaviors. This model was used to investigate how the timing of MS between the ages of postnatal day (P) 2–9 and P9–16 interacted with either simultaneous vehicle (saline; 1 ml/kg; i.p.) or fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) exposure, which was used to enhance serotonin levels; these experiments also compared the effect of a vehicle injection during these developmental periods to a no injection control. Vehicle injections alone increased helplessness in the controllable condition in male rats when injected between P9–16 only, and did not interact further with MS. MS at both ages decreased controllability in male adolescents; females demonstrated an increase in controllability after MS. Elevated serotonin at P2–9 increased escape latencies in male and female control and MS subjects. Fluoxetine exposure at P9–16 increased helplessness in controls. Fluoxetine decreased helplessness in MS males independent of age, but increases helplessness in MS females. This study highlights the importance of age of MS (MS between P2–9 increases helplessness in males more than females), the duration of the stressor (previous results show females are effected by longer MS [P2–20], but not shorter [this study]), and that elevated serotonin increases escape latencies to a greater extent in females. PMID:23850503

Antidote to Learned Helplessness: Empowering Youth through Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Alison

2005-01-01

A powerful practical reclaiming strategy for youth at risk is to tap their potential for service to others. This counters a sense of learned helplessness. The term "learned helplessness" (Seligman, 1975) comes to mind when the author thinks about when she began working with troubled youth more than 20 years ago. Her and her co-workers often spoke…

Differential Effects of Inescapable Stress on Locus Coeruleus GRK3, Alpha2-Adrenoceptor and CRF1 Receptor Levels in Learned Helpless and Non-Helpless Rats: A potential link to stress resilience

PubMed Central

Taneja, Manish; Salim, Samina; Saha, Kaustuv; Happe, H. Kevin; Qutna, Nidal; Petty, Frederick; Bylund, David B.; Eikenburg, Douglas C.

2011-01-01

Exposure of rats to unpredictable, inescapable stress results in two distinct behaviors during subsequent escape testing. One behavior, suggestive of lack of stress resilience, is prolonged escape latency compared to non-stressed rats and is labeled learned helplessness (LH). The other behavior suggestive of stress resilience is normal escape latency and is labeled non-helpless (NH). This study examines the effects of unpredictable, inescapable tail-shock stress (TSS) on alpha2-adrenoceptor (α2-AR) and corticotropin-releasing factor 1 receptor (CRF1) regulation as well as protein levels of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 3 (GRK3), GRK2, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) plus carbonylated protein levels in locus coeruleus (LC), amygdala (AMG), cortex (COR) and striatum (STR). In NH rats, α2-AR and CRF1 receptors were significantly down-regulated in LC after TSS. No changes in these receptor levels were observed in the LC of LH rats. GRK3, which phosphorylates receptors and thereby contributes to α2-AR and CRF1 receptor down-regulation, was reduced in the LC of LH but not NH rats. GRK2 levels were unchanged. In AMG, GRK3 but not GRK2 levels were reduced in LH but not NH rats, and receptor regulation was impaired in LH rats. In STR, no changes in GRK3 or GRK2 levels were observed. Finally, protein carbonylation, an index of oxidative stress, was increased in the LC and AMG of LH but not NH rats. We suggest that reduced stress resilience after TSS may be related to oxidative stress, depletion of GRK3 and impaired regulation of α2-AR and CRF1 receptor in LC. PMID:21333691

Childhood Poverty, Cumulative Risk Exposure, and Mental Health in Emerging Adults

PubMed Central

Evans, Gary W.; Cassells, Rochelle C.

2014-01-01

One out of four American children are born into poverty, but little is known about the long-term, mental health implications of early deprivation. The more time in poverty from birth-age-9, the worse mental health as emerging adults (n = 196, M = 17.30 years, 53% male). These results maintain independently of concurrent, adult income levels for self-reported externalizing symptoms and a standard learned helplessness behavioral protocol, but internalizing symptoms were unaffected by childhood poverty. We then demonstrate that part of the reason why early poverty exposure is harmful to mental health among emerging adults is because of elevated cumulative risk exposure assessed at age 13. The significant, prospective, longitudinal relations between early childhood poverty and externalizing symptoms plus learned helplessness behavior are mediated, in part, by exposure to a confluence of psychosocial (violence, family turmoil, child separation from family) and physical (noise, crowding, substandard housing) risk factors during adolescence. PMID:26609499

Epilepsy as an Analogue of Learned Helplessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVellis, Robert F.; And Others

The occurrence of unpredictable and often unavoidable aversive seizures in epilepsy bears a striking resemblance to the conditions known to induce learned helplessness. Additionally, depression and other characteristics associated with helplessness seem to occur more frequently among persons with epilepsy. Data from a national survey of…

The Relationship between the Level of School-Involvement and Learned Helplessness among Special-Education Teachers in the Arab Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qutaiba, Agbaria

2011-01-01

Acquired or learned helplessness is one of the most popular research subjects reported in the psychological literature in recent decades. The present study examined the relationship between involvement in decision-making at the school and learned helplessness among special-education teachers in the Israeli Arab sector. The importance of this study…

The Ability of the Coping Competence Questionnaire to Predict Resilience against Learned Helplessness among Undergraduate College Students: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ollis, Cindy L.

2010-01-01

The Coping Competence Questionnaire (CCQ), based on the reformulated learned helplessness theory, was designed to assess a general stress resistance versus a propensity towards learned helplessness with a brief, 12-item self-report questionnaire. In this study the CCQ was administered to 247 undergraduate students, who were then paired, in groups…

Rats with congenital learned helplessness respond less to sucrose but show no deficits in activity or learning.

PubMed

Vollmayr, Barbara; Bachteler, Daniel; Vengeliene, Valentina; Gass, Peter; Spanagel, Rainer; Henn, Fritz

2004-04-02

Inbred rat strains for congenital learned helplessness (cLH) and for congenital resistance to learned helplessness (cNLH) were investigated as a model to study genetic predisposition to major depression. Congenitally helpless rats respond less to sucrose under a progressive ratio schedule. This is not confounded by locomotor hypoactivity: in contrast, cLH rats show a slight hyperactivity during the first 5 min of an open field test. cLH rats acquire operant responding to sucrose as readily as cNLH rats and exhibit normal memory acquisition and retrieval in the Morris water maze, thus ruling out general learning deficits as the cause of the decreased response to sucrose. Reduced total responses and reduced breaking points for sucrose in the cLH strain argue for anhedonia, which is an analogue to loss of pleasure essential for the diagnosis of major depressive episodes, and thus confirm the validity of congenitally learned helpless rats as a model of major depression.

Cognitive aspects of congenital learned helplessness and its reversal by the monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor deprenyl

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

Schulz, D.; Schulz, D.; Mirrione, M.

2009-11-29

Cognitive processes are assumed to change with learned helplessness, an animal model of depression, but little is known about such deficits. Here we investigated the role of cognitive and related functions in selectively bred helpless (cLH, n = 10), non-helpless (cNLH, n = 12) and wild type (WT, n = 8) Sprague Dawley rats. The animals were exposed to an open field for 10 min on each of two test days. On the third day, an object exploration paradigm was carried out. The animals were later tested for helplessness. Both cLH and cNLH rats were more active than WTs onmore » the first day in the open field. Over trials, cNLH and WT rats lowered their activity less than cLH rats. This resistance-to-habituation co-varied with a resistance to develop helplessness. In cLH rats, higher 'anxiety' or less time spent in the center of the open field co-varied with severe helplessness. In WTs, a greater reactivity to novel objects and to a spatially relocated object predicted lower levels of helplessness. In cLH rats (n = 4-5 per group), chronic treatment with a high dose of the monoamineoxidase (MAO)-Binhibitordeprenyl (10 mg/kg; i.p.), an anti-Parkinson, nootropic and antidepressant drug, attenuated helplessness. Remarkably, helplessness reversal required the experience of repeated test trials, reminiscent of a learning process. Chronic deprenyl (10 mg/kg; i.p.) did not alter locomotion/exploration or 'anxiety' in the open field. In conclusion, helplessness may be related to altered mechanisms of reinforcement learning and working memory, and to abnormalities in MAO-A and/or MAO-B functioning.« less

Cognitive aspects of congenital learned helplessness and its reversal by the monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor deprenyl.

PubMed

Schulz, Daniela; Mirrione, Martine M; Henn, Fritz A

2010-02-01

Cognitive processes are assumed to change with learned helplessness, an animal model of depression, but little is known about such deficits. Here we investigated the role of cognitive and related functions in selectively bred helpless (cLH, n=10), non-helpless (cNLH, n=12) and wild type (WT, n=8) Sprague Dawley rats. The animals were exposed to an open field for 10min on each of two test days. On the third day, an object exploration paradigm was carried out. The animals were later tested for helplessness. Both cLH and cNLH rats were more active than WTs on the first day in the open field. Over trials, cNLH and WT rats lowered their activity less than cLH rats. This resistance-to-habituation co-varied with a resistance to develop helplessness. In cLH rats, higher 'anxiety' or less time spent in the center of the open field co-varied with severe helplessness. In WTs, a greater reactivity to novel objects and to a spatially relocated object predicted lower levels of helplessness. In cLH rats (n=4-5 per group), chronic treatment with a high dose of the monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor deprenyl (10mg/kg; i.p.), an anti-Parkinson, nootropic and antidepressant drug, attenuated helplessness. Remarkably, helplessness reversal required the experience of repeated test trials, reminiscent of a learning process. Chronic deprenyl (10mg/kg; i.p.) did not alter locomotion/exploration or 'anxiety' in the open field. In conclusion, helplessness may be related to altered mechanisms of reinforcement learning and working memory, and to abnormalities in MAO-A and/or MAO-B functioning. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Increased metabolic activity in the septum and habenula during stress is linked to subsequent expression of learned helplessness behavior.

PubMed

Mirrione, Martine M; Schulz, Daniela; Lapidus, Kyle A B; Zhang, Samuel; Goodman, Wayne; Henn, Fritz A

2014-01-01

Uncontrollable stress can have a profound effect on an organism's ability to respond effectively to future stressful situations. Behavior subsequent to uncontrollable stress can vary greatly between individuals, falling on a spectrum between healthy resilience and maladaptive learned helplessness. It is unclear whether dysfunctional brain activity during uncontrollable stress is associated with vulnerability to learned helplessness; therefore, we measured metabolic activity during uncontrollable stress that correlated with ensuing inability to escape future stressors. We took advantage of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) and 2-deoxy-2[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ((18)FDG) to probe in vivo metabolic activity in wild type Sprague Dawley rats during uncontrollable, inescapable, unpredictable foot-shock stress, and subsequently tested the animals response to controllable, escapable, predictable foot-shock stress. When we correlated metabolic activity during the uncontrollable stress with consequent behavioral outcomes, we found that the degree to which animals failed to escape the foot-shock correlated with increased metabolic activity in the lateral septum and habenula. When used a seed region, metabolic activity in the habenula correlated with activity in the lateral septum, hypothalamus, medial thalamus, mammillary nuclei, ventral tegmental area, central gray, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and rostromedial tegmental nucleus, caudal linear raphe, and subiculum transition area. Furthermore, the lateral septum correlated with metabolic activity in the preoptic area, medial thalamus, habenula, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and caudal linear raphe. Together, our data suggest a group of brain regions involved in sensitivity to uncontrollable stress involving the lateral septum and habenula.

Increased metabolic activity in the septum and habenula during stress is linked to subsequent expression of learned helplessness behavior

PubMed Central

Mirrione, Martine M.; Schulz, Daniela; Lapidus, Kyle A. B.; Zhang, Samuel; Goodman, Wayne; Henn, Fritz A.

2013-01-01

Uncontrollable stress can have a profound effect on an organism's ability to respond effectively to future stressful situations. Behavior subsequent to uncontrollable stress can vary greatly between individuals, falling on a spectrum between healthy resilience and maladaptive learned helplessness. It is unclear whether dysfunctional brain activity during uncontrollable stress is associated with vulnerability to learned helplessness; therefore, we measured metabolic activity during uncontrollable stress that correlated with ensuing inability to escape future stressors. We took advantage of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) and 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18FDG) to probe in vivo metabolic activity in wild type Sprague Dawley rats during uncontrollable, inescapable, unpredictable foot-shock stress, and subsequently tested the animals response to controllable, escapable, predictable foot-shock stress. When we correlated metabolic activity during the uncontrollable stress with consequent behavioral outcomes, we found that the degree to which animals failed to escape the foot-shock correlated with increased metabolic activity in the lateral septum and habenula. When used a seed region, metabolic activity in the habenula correlated with activity in the lateral septum, hypothalamus, medial thalamus, mammillary nuclei, ventral tegmental area, central gray, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and rostromedial tegmental nucleus, caudal linear raphe, and subiculum transition area. Furthermore, the lateral septum correlated with metabolic activity in the preoptic area, medial thalamus, habenula, interpeduncular nuclei, periaqueductal gray, dorsal raphe, and caudal linear raphe. Together, our data suggest a group of brain regions involved in sensitivity to uncontrollable stress involving the lateral septum and habenula. PMID:24550809

Preventing Learned Helplessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoy, Cheri

1986-01-01

To prevent learned helplessness in learning disabled students, teachers can share responsibilities with the students, train students to reinforce themselves for effort and self control, and introduce opportunities for changing counterproductive attitudes. (CL)

Learned Helplessness, Test Anxiety, and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fincham, Frank D.; And Others

1989-01-01

Examines the stability of individual differences in test anxiety and learned helplessness of 82 children in third grade and later in fifth grade. Results indicate that teacher reports of helplessness had the strongest and most consistent relation to concurrent achievement and to achievement test scores two years later. (RJC)

Profiling and Co-expression Network Analysis of Learned Helplessness Regulated mRNAs and lncRNAs in the Mouse Hippocampus

PubMed Central

Li, Chaoqun; Cao, Feifei; Li, Shengli; Huang, Shenglin; Li, Wei; Abumaria, Nashat

2018-01-01

Although studies provide insights into the neurobiology of stress and depression, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying their pathologies remain largely unknown. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been implicated in brain functions and behavior. A potential link between lncRNA and psychiatric disorders has been proposed. However, it remains undetermined whether IncRNA regulation, in the brain, contributes to stress or depression pathologies. In this study, we used a valid animal model of depression-like symptoms; namely learned helplessness, RNA-seq, Gene Ontology and co-expression network analyses to profile the expression pattern of lncRNA and mRNA in the hippocampus of mice. We identified 6346 differentially expressed transcripts. Among them, 340 lncRNAs and 3559 protein coding mRNAs were differentially expressed in helpless mice in comparison with control and/or non-helpless mice (inescapable stress resilient mice). Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses indicated that induction of helplessness altered expression of mRNAs enriched in fundamental biological functions implicated in stress/depression neurobiology such as synaptic, metabolic, cell survival and proliferation, developmental and chromatin modification functions. To explore the possible regulatory roles of the altered lncRNAs, we constructed co-expression networks composed of the lncRNAs and mRNAs. Among our differentially expressed lncRNAs, 17% showed significant correlation with genes. Functional co-expression analysis linked the identified lncRNAs to several cellular mechanisms implicated in stress/depression neurobiology. Importantly, 57% of the identified regulatory lncRNAs significantly correlated with 18 different synapse-related functions. Thus, the current study identifies for the first time distinct groups of lncRNAs regulated by induction of learned helplessness in the mouse brain. Our results suggest that lncRNA-directed regulatory mechanisms might contribute to stress-induced pathologies; in particular, to inescapable stress-induced synaptic modifications. PMID:29375311

Profiling and Co-expression Network Analysis of Learned Helplessness Regulated mRNAs and lncRNAs in the Mouse Hippocampus.

PubMed

Li, Chaoqun; Cao, Feifei; Li, Shengli; Huang, Shenglin; Li, Wei; Abumaria, Nashat

2017-01-01

Although studies provide insights into the neurobiology of stress and depression, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying their pathologies remain largely unknown. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been implicated in brain functions and behavior. A potential link between lncRNA and psychiatric disorders has been proposed. However, it remains undetermined whether IncRNA regulation, in the brain, contributes to stress or depression pathologies. In this study, we used a valid animal model of depression-like symptoms; namely learned helplessness, RNA-seq, Gene Ontology and co-expression network analyses to profile the expression pattern of lncRNA and mRNA in the hippocampus of mice. We identified 6346 differentially expressed transcripts. Among them, 340 lncRNAs and 3559 protein coding mRNAs were differentially expressed in helpless mice in comparison with control and/or non-helpless mice (inescapable stress resilient mice). Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses indicated that induction of helplessness altered expression of mRNAs enriched in fundamental biological functions implicated in stress/depression neurobiology such as synaptic, metabolic, cell survival and proliferation, developmental and chromatin modification functions. To explore the possible regulatory roles of the altered lncRNAs, we constructed co-expression networks composed of the lncRNAs and mRNAs. Among our differentially expressed lncRNAs, 17% showed significant correlation with genes. Functional co-expression analysis linked the identified lncRNAs to several cellular mechanisms implicated in stress/depression neurobiology. Importantly, 57% of the identified regulatory lncRNAs significantly correlated with 18 different synapse-related functions. Thus, the current study identifies for the first time distinct groups of lncRNAs regulated by induction of learned helplessness in the mouse brain. Our results suggest that lncRNA-directed regulatory mechanisms might contribute to stress-induced pathologies; in particular, to inescapable stress-induced synaptic modifications.

Mesolimbic effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine in Holtzman rats, a genetic strain with increased vulnerability to stress

PubMed Central

Padilla, Eimeira; Shumake, Jason; Barrett, Douglas W.; Sheridan, Eva C.; Gonzalez-Lima, F.

2011-01-01

This is the first metabolic mapping study of the effects of fluoxetine after learned helplessness training. Antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed medications, but the regions underlying treatment effects in affectively disordered brains are poorly understood. We hypothesized the antidepressant action of fluoxetine would produce adaptations in mesolimbic regions after two weeks of treatment. We used Holtzman rats, a genetic strain showing susceptibility to novelty-evoked hyperactivity and stress-evoked helplessness, to map regional brain metabolic effects caused by fluoxetine treatment. Animals underwent learned helplessness, and subsequently immobility time was scored in the forced swim test (FST). On the next day, animals began receiving two weeks of fluoxetine (5 mg/kg/day) or vehicle and were retested in the FST at the end of drug treatment. Antidepressant behavioral effects of fluoxetine were analyzed using a ratio of immobility during pre- and post-treatment FST sessions. Brains were analyzed for regional metabolic activity using quantitative cytochrome oxidase histochemistry as in our previous study using congenitally helpless rats. Fluoxetine exerted a protective effect against FST-induced immobility behavior in Holtzman rats. Fluoxetine also caused a significant reduction in the mean regional metabolism of the nucleus accumbens shell and the ventral hippocampus as compared to vehicle-treated subjects. Additional networks affected by fluoxetine treatment included the prefrontal-cingulate cortex and brainstem nuclei linked to depression (e.g. habenula, dorsal raphe and interpeduncular nucleus). We concluded that corticolimbic regions such as the prefrontal-cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, ventral hippocampus and key brainstem nuclei represent important contributors to the neural network mediating fluoxetine antidepressant action. PMID:21376019

It's Greek to me: Domain specific relationships between intellectual helplessness and academic performance.

PubMed

Krejtz, Izabela; Nezlek, John B

2016-01-01

In a study of the domain specificity of intellectual learned helplessness, we collected data from 376 students in 14 classrooms. We measured feelings of intellectual helplessness for mathematics and language skills, anxiety about performance in each of these domains, and general working memory. Multilevel modeling analyses found that feelings of helplessness in language skills were negatively related to grades in language but were unrelated to grades in mathematics. Similarly, feelings of helplessness in mathematics were negatively related to grades in mathematics but were unrelated to grades in language. Controlling for anxiety or working memory did not change these relationships, nor did they vary across the age of students. The results support conceptualizations in which learned helplessness has a domain specific component.

The role of fear-avoidance and helplessness in explaining functional disability in chronic pain: a prospective study.

PubMed

Samwel, Han J A; Kraaimaat, Floris W; Crul, Ben J P; Evers, Andrea W M

2007-01-01

Based on the fear-avoidance and helplessness models, the relative contribution of fear of pain, avoidance behavior, worrying, and helplessness were examined in relation to fluctuations in functional disability in chronic-pain patients. A cohort of 181 chronic-pain patients first completed various questionnaires and kept a 7-day pain journal during a standard 3-month waiting-list period prior to their scheduled treatment at an Interdisciplinary Pain Centre and did so again immediately preceding the intervention. At baseline, fear of pain, avoidance behavior, and helplessness all predicted functional disability after 3 months. Stepwise regression analyses showed avoidance behavior to be the strongest predictor of change in functional disability followed by helplessness, thus both ahead of fear of pain. The current findings support the roles of both fear-avoidance factors and helplessness in the functional disability in chronic-pain patients awaiting treatment but revealed a central role for avoidance behavior.

Vicarious Acquisition Of Learned Helplessness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

And Others; DeVellis, Robert F.

1978-01-01

Reports a study conducted to determine whether individuals who observed others experiencing noncontingency would develop learned helplessness vicariously. Subjects were 75 college female undergraduates. (MP)

Laboratory-induced learned helplessness attenuates approach motivation as indexed by posterior versus frontal theta activity.

PubMed

Reznik, Samantha J; Nusslock, Robin; Pornpattananangkul, Narun; Abramson, Lyn Y; Coan, James A; Harmon-Jones, Eddie

2017-08-01

Research suggests that midline posterior versus frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) theta activity (PFTA) may reflect a novel neurophysiological index of approach motivation. Elevated PFTA has been associated with approach-related tendencies both at rest and during laboratory tasks designed to enhance approach motivation. PFTA is sensitive to changes in dopamine signaling within the fronto-striatal neural circuit, which is centrally involved in approach motivation, reward processing, and goal-directed behavior. To date, however, no studies have examined PFTA during a laboratory task designed to reduce approach motivation or goal-directed behavior. Considerable animal and human research supports the hypothesis put forth by the learned helplessness theory that exposure to uncontrollable aversive stimuli decreases approach motivation by inducing a state of perceived uncontrollability. Accordingly, the present study examined the effect of perceived uncontrollability (i.e., learned helplessness) on PFTA. EEG data were collected from 74 participants (mean age = 19.21 years; 40 females) exposed to either Controllable (n = 26) or Uncontrollable (n = 25) aversive noise bursts, or a No-Noise Condition (n = 23). In line with prediction, individuals exposed to uncontrollable aversive noise bursts displayed a significant decrease in PFTA, reflecting reduced approach motivation, relative to both individuals exposed to controllable noise bursts or the No-Noise Condition. There was no relationship between perceived uncontrollability and frontal EEG alpha asymmetry, another commonly used neurophysiological index of approach motivation. Results have implications for understanding the neurophysiology of approach motivation and establishing PFTA as a neurophysiological index of approach-related tendencies.

How Parental Support during Homework Contributes to Helpless Behaviors among Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orkin, Melissa; May, Sidney; Wolf, Maryanne

2017-01-01

This research investigated the influence of parental practices on helpless behaviors of struggling readers during homework tasks. Parents (N = 36) of elementary students reported on their children's helpless behaviors, such as task avoidance and negative affect, during homework assignments, and on the nature and frequency of their support.…

Effects of apomorphine on the expression of learned helplessness behavior.

PubMed

Wang, Wen-Fu; Lei, Yen-Ping; Tseng, Ting; Hsu, Wen-Yu; Wang, Ching-Fu; Hsu, Cheng-Chin; Ho, Ying-Jui

2007-04-30

Dopaminergic system and its D1 as well as D2 receptors are involved in the modulation of emotional behavior. This experiment investigated the role of dopaminergic activity in the inescapable stress-induced learned helplessness, a widely used depression animal model, by using the pharmacological manipulation through the apomorphine (APO), an agonist for D1 and D2 receptors, and sulpiride (SUL), a selective D2 antagonist. Male Sprague Dawley rats were used and tested in a shuttle box. In the day-1 session, the rats received a 10-trial (1 min/trial) inescapable stressor: a 3 sec conditioned stimulus (CS; 75 db sound and 250 lux red light) followed by a 10 sec unconditioned stimulus (UCS; electrical foot shock, 0.5 mA). In the day-2 session, a 15-trial active avoidance test, 3 sec CS followed by UCS, was performed 30 min after the administration of APO (0, 0.05, 0.5, 1, and 5 mg/kg, i.p.). The number of failures was counted and the UCS was stopped when the rats did not escape after 15 sec UCS. The results showed that APO at the dosage of 0.5 mg/kg had a tendency to enhance the avoidance behavior. In contrast, the treatment of higher dose of APO, 1 and 5 mg/kg, reduced the number of escape but increased the number of failure. Pretreatment of SUL (5 mg/kg, i.p.), 10 min before 1 mg/kg of APO, significantly enhanced the failure behavior. The present data suggest that the activity of D2 receptor may be associated with the adaptive or protective role in the prevention of escape deficits after exposure to inescapable stress. However, the excessive stimulation of D1 receptor may participate in the failure of coping behavior leading to learned helplessness and therefore in the pathophysiological mechanisms underling the development of depression.

Attributional style and the generality of learned helplessness.

PubMed

Alloy, L B; Peterson, C; Abramson, L Y; Seligman, M E

1984-03-01

According to the logic of the attribution reformulation of learned helplessness, the interaction of two factors influences whether helplessness experienced in one situation will transfer to a new situation. The model predicts that people who exhibit a style of attributing negative outcomes to global factors will show helplessness deficits in new situations that are either similar or dissimilar to the original situation in which they were helpless. In contrast, people who exhibit a style of attributing negative outcomes to only specific factors will show helplessness deficits in situations that are similar, but not dissimilar, to the original situation in which they were helpless. To test these predictions, we conducted two studies in which undergraduates with either a global or specific attributional style for negative outcomes were given one of three pretreatments in the typical helplessness triadic design: controllable bursts of noise, uncontrollable bursts of noise, or no noise. In Experiment 1, students were tested for helplessness deficits in a test situation similar to the pretreatment setting, whereas in Experiment 2, they were tested in a test situation dissimilar to the pretreatment setting. The findings were consistent with predictions of the reformulated helplessness theory.

Effects of fluoxetine on CRF and CRF1 expression in rats exposed to the learned helplessness paradigm.

PubMed

Fernández Macedo, Georgina Valeria; Cladouchos, María Laura; Sifonios, Laura; Cassanelli, Pablo Martín; Wikinski, Silvia

2013-02-01

Stress is a common antecedent reported by people suffering major depression. In these patients, extrahypothalamic brain areas, like the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala (BLA), have been found to be affected. The BLA synthesizes CRF, a mediator of the stress response, and projects to hippocampus. The main hippocampal target for this peptide is the CRF subtype 1 receptor (CRF1). Evidence points to a relationship between dysregulation of CRF/CRF1 extrahypothalamic signaling and depression. Because selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the first-line pharmacological treatment for depression, we investigated the effect of chronic treatment with the SSRI fluoxetine on long-term changes in CRF/CRF1 signaling in animals showing a depressive-like behavior. Male Wistar rats were exposed to the learned helplessness paradigm (LH). After evaluation of behavioral impairment, the animals were treated with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg i.p.) or saline for 21 days. We measured BLA CRF expression with RT-PCR and CRF1 expression in CA3 and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus with in situ hybridization. We also studied the activation of one of CRF1's major intracellular signaling targets, the extracellular signal-related kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) in CA3. In saline-treated LH animals, CRF expression in the BLA increased, while hippocampal CRF1 expression and ERK1/2 activation decreased. Treatment with fluoxetine reversed the changes in CRF and CRF1 expressions, but not in ERK1/2 activation. In animals exposed to the learned helplessness paradigm, there are long-term changes in CRF and CRF1 expression that are restored with a behaviorally effective antidepressant treatment.

Depression of Excitatory Synapses onto Parvalbumin Interneurons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Susceptibility to Stress

PubMed Central

Delevich, Kristen

2015-01-01

In response to extreme stress, individuals either show resilience or succumb to despair. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is required for coping with stress, and PFC dysfunction has been implicated in stress-related mental disorders, including depression. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which the PFC participates in stress responses remain unclear. Here, we investigate the role of parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the medial PFC (mPFC) in shaping behavioral responses to stress induced by the learned helplessness procedure, in which animals are subjected to an unpredictable and inescapable stressor. PV interneurons in the mPFC were probed and manipulated in knock-in mice expressing the Cre recombinase under the endogenous parvalbumin promoter. Notably, we found that excitatory synaptic transmission onto these neurons was decreased in mice showing helplessness, a behavioral state that is thought to resemble features of human depression. Furthermore, selective suppression of PV interneurons in the mPFC using hM4Di, a DREADD (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug), promoted helplessness, indicating that activation of these neurons during stress promotes the establishment of resilient behavior. Our results reveal a cellular mechanism of mPFC dysfunction that may contribute to the emergence of maladaptive behavioral responses in the face of adverse life events. PMID:25698754

Learned helplessness, attributional style, and depression in epilepsy. Bozeman Epilepsy Surgery Consortium.

PubMed

Hermann, B P; Trenerry, M R; Colligan, R C

1996-07-01

We wished to examine the relevance of the theory of learned helplessness in general, and attributional style in particular, to the understanding of depression among patients with epilepsy. Patients with lateralized temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) (right = 73, left = 70) were administered two self-report depression inventories [Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D)]. Depression scores were examined in relation to a key component of the revised theory of learned helplessness (attributional style) using the Optimism/Pessimism Scale. Attributional style was significantly associated with increased self-reported depression and remained significant when the effects of several confounding variables were controlled [age, age at onset, laterality of TLE, sex, and method variance]. The results indicate that the concept of learned helplessness in general, and attributional style in particular, are related to the genesis of depression in epilepsy. Because they are known to be related to depression in the general population, and because specific techniques for intervention and prevention are available, greater consideration of learned helplessness and attributional style in the genesis of depression in epilepsy may be worthwhile.

Predicting Nurses' Turnover: The Aversive Effects of Decreased Identity, Poor Interpersonal Communication, and Learned Helplessness.

PubMed

Moreland, Jennifer J; Ewoldsen, David R; Albert, Nancy M; Kosicki, Gerald M; Clayton, Margaret F

2015-01-01

Through a social identity theoretical lens, this study examines how nurses' identification with their working small group, unit, or floor, nursing role (e.g., staff ER nurse, nurse practitioner), and nursing profession relate to nurses' interaction involvement, willingness to confront conflict, feelings of learned helplessness, and tenure (employment turnover) intentions. A cross-sectional survey (N = 466) was conducted at a large, quaternary care hospital system. Structural equation modeling uncovered direct and indirect effects between the five primary variables. Findings demonstrate direct relationships between nurse identity (as a latent variable) and interaction involvement, willingness to confront conflict, and tenure intentions. Feelings of learned helplessness are attenuated by increased nurse identity through interaction involvement and willingness to confront conflict. In addition, willingness to confront conflict and learned helplessness mediate the relationship between interaction involvement and nurses' tenure intentions. Theoretical extensions include indirect links between nurse identity and learned helplessness via interaction involvement and willingness to confront conflict. Implications for interpersonal communication theory development, health communication, and the nursing profession are discussed.

Reductions in Experienced Control and Depression in Psychiatric Inpatients: A Test of the Learned Helplessness Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinning, W. David; Evans, Ronald G.

1978-01-01

In critically reviewing learned helplessness literature, P. H. Blaney (1977) has noted that most of the current support for this model rests on studies that induce or reduce helplessness in college student Ss. This research, employing a psychiatric population, addressed two issues Blaney suggested as in need of clarification: (1) the role of…

Stress triggers anhedonia in rats bred for learned helplessness.

PubMed

Enkel, Thomas; Spanagel, Rainer; Vollmayr, Barbara; Schneider, Miriam

2010-05-01

Congenitally helpless (cLH) rats, a well-accepted model for depression, show reduced consumption of sweet solutions only under single-housing conditions, indicating anhedonia under stress. We investigated if anhedonic-like behaviour, measured by a reduction of sweetened-condensed milk (SCM) intake and the pleasure-attenuated startle response (PAS), could be induced by an electric foot-shock stress challenge in group-housed rats. After foot-shock stress, reduced SCM intake was observed in cLH rats compared to non-helpless (cNLH) rats. Furthermore, cLH rats also showed a decreased PAS, indicating deficient reward perception. In summary, we demonstrate that a predisposition for learned helplessness interacts with stress to trigger anhedonic-like behaviour in cLH rats. These findings further add to the validity of congenitally learned helplessness as an animal model of depression, since gene-environment interactions are considered to play a role in the etiology of this disorder.

Effect of noopept and afobazole on the development of neurosis of learned helplessness in rats.

PubMed

Uyanaev, A A; Fisenko, V P; Khitrov, N K

2003-08-01

We studied the effects of new psychotropic preparations noopept and afobazole on acquisition of the conditioned active avoidance response and development of neurosis of learned helplessness in rats. Noopept in doses of 0.05-0.10 mg/kg accelerated acquisition of conditioned active avoidance response and reduced the incidence of learned helplessness in rats. Afobazole in a dose of 5 mg/kg produced an opposite effect, which is probably related to high selective anxiolytic activity of this preparation.

Modulating effects in learned helplessness of dyadic dominance-submission relations.

PubMed

Díaz-Berciano, Cristina; de Vicente, Francisco; Fontecha, Elisa

2008-01-01

In this experiment, learned helplessness was studied from an ethological perspective by examining individual differences in social dominance and its influence on the effects of helplessness. Ninety animals were used, 30 randomly selected and 60 selected because of their clear dominance or submission. Each condition (dominant, submissive, and random) was distributed in three subgroups corresponding to the triadic design. The test consisted of an escape/avoidance task. The results showed that the animals in the uncontrollable condition performed worse than those in the controllable and no treatment conditions. Social submission and dominance reduced vulnerability of the subjects against learned helplessness. Submission had a facilitating effect on subsequent learning, independently of whether pretreatment was controllability or uncontrollability. Learned mastery was observed in the submissive condition, because submission benefited the subjects in the controllable condition in comparison with the untreated subjects, and dominance impaired the subjects in the controllable condition. Copyright 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Overcoming Conditioned Helplessness in Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieschenberg, Agnes Arvai

1994-01-01

A discussion of mathematics anxiety and learned helplessness in mathematics focuses on student failure and avoidance in college mathematics learning. It explores possible causes and suggests classroom activities to foster students' interest and success. (MSE)

When cognitive exertion does not yield cognitive gain: toward an informational explanation of learned helplessness.

PubMed

Sedek, G; Kofta, M

1990-04-01

This study tested a new information-processing explanation of learned helplessness that proposes that an uncontrollable situation produces helplessness symptoms because it is a source of inconsistent, self-contradictory task information during problem-solving attempts. The flow of such information makes hypothesis-testing activity futile. Prolonged and inefficient activity of this kind leads in turn to the emergence of a state of cognitive exhaustion, with accompanying performance deficits. In 3 experiments, Ss underwent informational helplessness training (IHT): They were sequentially exposed to inconsistent task information during discrimination problems. As predicted, IHT was associated with subjective symptoms of irreducible uncertainty and resulted in (a) performance deterioration on subsequent avoidance learning, (b) heightened negative mood, and (c) subjective symptoms of cognitive exhaustion.

Long-Term Interference Effect: An Alternative to "Learned Helplessness"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazer, Howard I.; Weiss, Jay M.

1976-01-01

Presents three experiments that explore whether inescapable shock of long duration and moderate intensity (LoShk) produces an avoidance-escape deficit (called an interference effect) by causing animals to learn to respond less actively or by causing them to learn to be "helpless". (Editor)

Learned helplessness or learned inactivity after inescapable stress? Interpretation depends on coping styles.

PubMed

Zhukov, D A; Vinogradova, K P

2002-01-01

Researches on uncontrollable events in the post-soviet states are overviewed. In our research, susceptibility to learned helplessness is studied in rats with active (KHA strain) versus passive (KLA strain) coping styles. Inescapable footshocks, but not escapable footshocks, applied to KHA rats induced escape failures, diminished locomotion and coping, reduced measures of anxiety, and resulted in dexamethasone nonsuppression of the brain-hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis--all characteristic of learned helplessness. In contrast, KLA rats demonstrated the same responses upon exposure to both escapable and inescapable stresses. While learned helplessness occurred in KHA rats, it appears that KLA rats exposed to inescapable stress demonstrated learned inactivity based upon the nondifference between effects of escapable and inescapable shocks. Relationships between coping styles and social ranks are discussed. Our and other's results with genetically selected strains suggest active coping in dominant and subordinate subjects, and passive coping in subdominant animals confirm the importance of coping style and its relation to health under stress.

Social and structural housing conditions influence the development of a depressive-like phenotype in the learned helplessness paradigm in male mice.

PubMed

Chourbaji, Sabine; Zacher, Christiane; Sanchis-Segura, Carles; Spanagel, Rainer; Gass, Peter

2005-10-14

Structural and social factors are known to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of depression. Since animal models of depression are a major tool to gain insights into the mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of this disease it is important not only to exploit but also to be aware of factors that may affect these models. As housing represents a fundamental external factor, which is controversially debated to affect the animals' emotionality, this study aimed to investigate the impact of different social and structural housing conditions on the development of a depressive-like syndrome in the learned helplessness paradigm. Group housing in an impoverished environment led to an increased vulnerability in the learned helplessness paradigm. Groups that were housed enriched, however, were less helpless. Furthermore impoverished conditions did not increase the vulnerability in single housed animals. Regarding emotionality in the animals, basal anxiety was reduced and the exploration was enhanced by group housing and enriched environment. These results suggest that housing conditions significantly influence the outcome of learned helplessness studies.

Who's at Risk in Reading?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vacca, Richard T.; Padak, Nancy D.

1990-01-01

Draws an analogy between the insurance business and at-risk students. Argues that being at-risk in reading means a failure to gain control over reading and reading to learn, leading to learned helplessness. Discusses factors associated with learned helplessness. Outlines what teachers can do for at-risk students. (RS)

Learned helplessness: effects of response requirement and interval between treatment and testing.

PubMed

Hunziker, M H L; Dos Santos, C V

2007-11-01

Three experiments investigated learned helplessness in rats manipulating response requirements, shock duration, and intervals between treatment and testing. In Experiment 1, rats previously exposed to uncontrollable or no shocks were tested under one of four different contingencies of negative reinforcement: FR 1 or FR 2 escape contingency for running, and FR1 escape contingency for jumping (differing for the maximum shock duration of 10s or 30s). The results showed that the uncontrollable shocks produced a clear operant learning deficit (learned helplessness effect) only when the animals were tested under the jumping FR 1 escape contingency with 10-s max shock duration. Experiment 2 isolated of the effects of uncontrollability from shock exposure per se and showed that the escape deficit observed using the FR 1 escape jumping response (10-s shock duration) was produced by the uncontrollability of shock. Experiment 3 showed that using the FR 1 jumping escape contingency in the test, the learned helplessness effect was observed one, 14 or 28 days after treatment. These results suggest that running may not be an appropriate test for learned helplessness, and that many diverging results found in the literature might be accounted for by the confounding effects of respondent and operant contingencies present when running is required of rats.

Learned Helplessness: The Need for Self-Determination among the Chinese American Elderly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Eugene Franklin

1980-01-01

Within the context of the social history of the Chinese American elderly in the United States, the author analyzes the psychological and cultural patterns of learned helplessness among this minority group. (EF)

Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Christopher; And Others

Experiences with uncontrollable events may lead to the expectation that future events will elude control, resulting in disruptions in motivation, emotion, and learning. This text explores this phenomenon, termed learned helplessness, tracking it from its discovery to its entrenchment in the psychological canon. The volume summarizes and integrates…

Depression of excitatory synapses onto parvalbumin interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex in susceptibility to stress.

PubMed

Perova, Zinaida; Delevich, Kristen; Li, Bo

2015-02-18

In response to extreme stress, individuals either show resilience or succumb to despair. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is required for coping with stress, and PFC dysfunction has been implicated in stress-related mental disorders, including depression. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which the PFC participates in stress responses remain unclear. Here, we investigate the role of parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the medial PFC (mPFC) in shaping behavioral responses to stress induced by the learned helplessness procedure, in which animals are subjected to an unpredictable and inescapable stressor. PV interneurons in the mPFC were probed and manipulated in knock-in mice expressing the Cre recombinase under the endogenous parvalbumin promoter. Notably, we found that excitatory synaptic transmission onto these neurons was decreased in mice showing helplessness, a behavioral state that is thought to resemble features of human depression. Furthermore, selective suppression of PV interneurons in the mPFC using hM4Di, a DREADD (designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug), promoted helplessness, indicating that activation of these neurons during stress promotes the establishment of resilient behavior. Our results reveal a cellular mechanism of mPFC dysfunction that may contribute to the emergence of maladaptive behavioral responses in the face of adverse life events. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/353201-06$15.00/0.

Effects of cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein overexpression in the basolateral amygdala on behavioral models of depression and anxiety.

PubMed

Wallace, Tanya L; Stellitano, Kathryn E; Neve, Rachael L; Duman, Ronald S

2004-08-01

Chronic antidepressant administration increases the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) in the amygdala, a critical neural substrate involved in the physiologic responses to stress, fear, and anxiety. To determine the role of CREB in the amygdala in animal models of depression and anxiety, a viral gene transfer approach was used to selectively express CREB in this region of the rat brain. In the learned helplessness model of depression, induction of CREB in the basolateral amygdala after training decreased the number of escape failures, an antidepressant response. However, expression of CREB before training increased escape failures, and increased immobility in the forced swim test, depressive effects. Expression of CREB in the basolateral amygdala also increased behavioral measures of anxiety in both the open field test and the elevated plus maze, and enhanced cued fear conditioning. Taken together, these data demonstrate that CREB expression in the basolateral amygdala influences behavior in models of depression, anxiety, and fear. Moreover, in the basolateral amygdala, the temporal expression of CREB in relation to learned helplessness training, determines the qualitative outcome in this animal model of depression.

Seligman's Helplessness: Who Shall Overcome?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Mary K.

1975-01-01

The author discusses Seligman's research on helplessness: how it is learned, what factors influence its formation, how it is unlearned and the implications of his research for counseling depressed clients. The author clains that directive counseling would be quite helpful for depressed and helpless clients. (SE)

Emotional response in dopamine D2L receptor-deficient mice

PubMed Central

Hranilovic, Dubravka; Bucan, Maja; Wang, Yanyan

2008-01-01

The dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) system has been implicated in emotional processing which is often impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders. The long (D2L) and the short (D2S) isoforms of D2R are generated by alternative splicing of the same gene. To study differential roles of the two D2R isoforms, D2L-deficient mice (D2L−/−) expressing functional D2S were previously generated. In this study the contribution of D2L isoform to emotional response was investigated by examining behaviors that reflect emotionality (exploratory behavior, anxiety-like behavior and learned helplessness) in D2L−/− and (wild-type) WT mice. While the thigmotactic, locomotor and general components of anxiety in zero maze did not differ among the genotypes, D2L−/− mice displayed significantly lower level of exploration in a hole board and zero maze, and significantly higher increase in latency to escape from a foot shock after the learned helplessness training, compared with WT mice. These results suggest that D2L may play a more prominent role than D2S in mediating emotional response, such as behavioral reactions to novelty and inescapable stress. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying emotional responses. PMID:18835570

Coping strategies and learned helplessness of employed and nonemployed educated married women from India.

PubMed

Li, Manyu; Mardhekar, Vaishali; Wadkar, Alka

2012-01-01

In the present study, we compare three types of coping strategies (cognitive, physical, and social coping) and learned helplessness between married women who are either employed or nonemployed in Pune, India. A total of 100 employed women and 100 nonemployed women were surveyed. Employed women were found to have significantly higher cognitive, physical, and social coping, as well as lower learned helplessness than nonemployed women. Multiple roles of employed women and sense of control theories were used to explain the differences. We have found significant implications for the development of intervention programs for empowering women.

Learned helplessness and responses to nerve blocks in chronic low back pain patients.

PubMed

Chapman, S L; Brena, S F

1982-01-01

In a double-blind study, 67 chronic low back pain patients received 4 lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks, two given with bupivacaine and two given with saline. It was hypothesized that patients showing evidence of 'learned helplessness,' as measured by dependence on habit-forming medications for the pain, low activity levels, and elevated MMPI scores on Hypochondriasis, Depression and Hysteria would show the least reduction in subjective pain intensity following injections with both bupivacaine and saline. It also was hypothesized that placebo responses would be greatest in patients who had a high educational level, were divorced, and had no pending disability claims. Responses 30 min following nerve blocks failed to correlate with these variables. However, decreases in subjective pain intensity 24 h following both types of nerve blocks were greater in patients who showed low levels of pain behavior, who were divorced, and who had no pending disability claims. Decreased pain 24 h following saline injections was significantly related to low scores on the Lie, Defensiveness, Hypochondriasis, and Hysteria scales of the MMPI and to reduced subjective pain intensity following a 6 week comprehensive outpatient pain rehabilitation program. It was concluded that chronic pain patients who are fixed in their focus on pain, high in pain-related behaviors, and low in responsibilities are less likely to respond favorably to nerve blocks and that medical treatment for them needs to be paired with therapies designed to reduce their helplessness.

Synaptic potentiation onto habenula neurons in the learned helplessness model of depression

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

Li, B.; Schulz, D.; Li, B

The cellular basis of depressive disorders is poorly understood. Recent studies in monkeys indicate that neurons in the lateral habenula (LHb), a nucleus that mediates communication between forebrain and midbrain structures, can increase their activity when an animal fails to receive an expected positive reward or receives a stimulus that predicts aversive conditions (that is, disappointment or anticipation of a negative outcome). LHb neurons project to, and modulate, dopamine-rich regions, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), that control reward-seeking behaviour and participate in depressive disorders. Here we show that in two learned helplessness models of depression, excitatory synapses ontomore » LHb neurons projecting to the VTA are potentiated. Synaptic potentiation correlates with an animal's helplessness behaviour and is due to an enhanced presynaptic release probability. Depleting transmitter release by repeated electrical stimulation of LHb afferents, using a protocol that can be effective for patients who are depressed, markedly suppresses synaptic drive onto VTA-projecting LHb neurons in brain slices and can significantly reduce learned helplessness behaviour in rats. Our results indicate that increased presynaptic action onto LHb neurons contributes to the rodent learned helplessness model of depression.« less

Synaptic potentiation onto habenula neurons in the learned helplessness model of depression.

PubMed

Li, Bo; Piriz, Joaquin; Mirrione, Martine; Chung, ChiHye; Proulx, Christophe D; Schulz, Daniela; Henn, Fritz; Malinow, Roberto

2011-02-24

The cellular basis of depressive disorders is poorly understood. Recent studies in monkeys indicate that neurons in the lateral habenula (LHb), a nucleus that mediates communication between forebrain and midbrain structures, can increase their activity when an animal fails to receive an expected positive reward or receives a stimulus that predicts aversive conditions (that is, disappointment or anticipation of a negative outcome). LHb neurons project to, and modulate, dopamine-rich regions, such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), that control reward-seeking behaviour and participate in depressive disorders. Here we show that in two learned helplessness models of depression, excitatory synapses onto LHb neurons projecting to the VTA are potentiated. Synaptic potentiation correlates with an animal's helplessness behaviour and is due to an enhanced presynaptic release probability. Depleting transmitter release by repeated electrical stimulation of LHb afferents, using a protocol that can be effective for patients who are depressed, markedly suppresses synaptic drive onto VTA-projecting LHb neurons in brain slices and can significantly reduce learned helplessness behaviour in rats. Our results indicate that increased presynaptic action onto LHb neurons contributes to the rodent learned helplessness model of depression.

Learned Helplessness: A Model to Understand and Overcome a Child's Extreme Reaction to Failure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balk, David

1983-01-01

The author reviews literature on childrens' reactions to perceived failure and offers "learned helplessness" as a model to explain why a child who makes a mistake gives up. Suggestions for preventing these reactions are given. (Author/JMK)

Evidence of Antidepressive Effects of a Wakan-yaku, Hochuekkito, in Depression Model Mice with Learned-Helplessness Behavior

PubMed Central

Tohda, Michihisa; Mingmalairak, Salin

2013-01-01

Wakan-yaku is a type of Japanese and Sino traditional, systematized medical care that has been practiced for hundreds of years. This medicinal system includes many antidepressive prescriptions. One of the candidates is Hochuekkito, although experimental evidence has not yet been established clearly. To obtain evidence, a depression model of learned-helplessness (LH) mice was used. Based on the score of escape failure, an index of the depression degree, mice with a depressive condition were selected to assess Hochuekkito's effects. This selection was significant and effective in the following two points: evaluation of the drug effect under disease conditions and minimization of the number of animals. Treatment with Hochuekkito (1 and 5 g/kg p.o.; estimated galenical amount) for 14 days significantly decreased the depression index, the number of escape failures, and desipramine (10 mg/kg p.o.) suggesting that Hochuekkito has an antidepressive effect. PMID:24454491

Three Tests of the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blaney, Paul H.; Willis, Max H.

1978-01-01

Three studies, testing predictions derived from Seligman's helplessness model of depression and generally supported by earlier research, are reported. The first addressed the finding that depressed individuals evidence a perception of noncontingency, the second tested the prediction that undergraduates in whom helplessness had been induced would…

Enoxacin Elevates MicroRNA Levels in Rat Frontal Cortex and Prevents Learned Helplessness

PubMed Central

Smalheiser, Neil R.; Zhang, Hui; Dwivedi, Yogesh

2014-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a major public health concern. Despite tremendous advancement, the pathogenic mechanisms associated with MDD are still unclear. Moreover, a significant number of MDD subjects do not respond to the currently available medication. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that control gene expression by modulating translation, mRNA degradation or stability of mRNA targets. The role of miRNAs in disease pathophysiology is emerging rapidly. Recently, we reported that miRNA expression is down-regulated in frontal cortex of depressed suicide subjects, and that rats exposed to repeated inescapable shock show differential miRNA changes depending on whether they exhibited normal adaptive responses or learned helpless (LH) behavior. Enoxacin, a fluoroquinolone used clinically as an anti-bacterial compound, enhances the production of miRNAs in vitro and in peripheral tissues in vivo, but has not yet been tested as an experimental tool to study the relation of miRNA expression to neural functions or behavior. Treatment of rats with 10 or 25 mg/kg enoxacin for 1 week increased the expression of miRNAs in frontal cortex and decreased the proportion of rats exhibiting LH behavior following inescapable shock. Further studies are warranted to learn whether enoxacin may ameliorate depressive behavior in other rodent paradigms and in human clinical situations, and if so whether its mechanism is due to upregulation of miRNAs. PMID:24575053

A Bayesian Formulation of Behavioral Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huys, Quentin J. M.; Dayan, Peter

2009-01-01

Helplessness, a belief that the world is not subject to behavioral control, has long been central to our understanding of depression, and has influenced cognitive theories, animal models and behavioral treatments. However, despite its importance, there is no fully accepted definition of helplessness or behavioral control in psychology or…

Altered protein kinase a in brain of learned helpless rats: effects of acute and repeated stress.

PubMed

Dwivedi, Yogesh; Mondal, Amal C; Shukla, Pradeep K; Rizavi, Hooriyah S; Lyons, Jennifer

2004-07-01

Stress-induced learned helplessness (LH) in animals serves as a model of behavioral depression and some aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder. We examined whether LH behavior is associated with alterations in protein kinase A (PKA), a critical phosphorylating enzyme, how long these alterations persist after inescapable shock (IS), and whether repetition of IS prolongs the duration of LH behavior and changes in PKA. Rats were exposed to IS either on day 1 or twice, on day 1 and day 7. Rats were tested for escape latency on days 2 and 4 after day 1 IS or days 2, 8, and 14 after day 1 and day 7 IS. [(3)H]cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophosphate) binding, catalytic activity and expression of PKA subunits were determined in frontal cortex and hippocampus. Higher escape latencies were observed in rats tested on day 2 after single IS and on day 14 after repeated IS. Concurrently, reduced [(3)H]cAMP binding, PKA activity, and expression of selective PKA RIIbeta and Calpha and Cbeta subunits were observed in the brains of these rats. Repeated IS prolongs the duration of LH behavior, and LH behavior is associated with reductions in apparent activity and expression of PKA. These reductions in PKA may be critical in the pathophysiology of depression and other stress-related disorders.

The Reformulated Model of Learned Helplessness: An Empirical Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothblum, Esther D.; Green, Leon

Abramson, Seligman and Teasdale's reformulated model of learned helplessness hypothesized that an attribution of causality intervenes between the perception of noncontingency and the future expectation of future noncontingency. To test this model, relationships between attribution and performance under failure, success, and control conditions were…

Experimentally-induced learned helplessness in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Elizabeth; Lefaivre, Marie-josée; Cummings, Elizabeth

2010-05-01

To determine whether adolescents with type 1 diabetes are more at risk for learned helplessness than their healthy peers. Twenty-three adolescents with diabetes and 25 controls completed a solvable or unsolvable concept formation task. All completed pre- and post-task performance and attribution ratings, and later completed an anagram-solving task to determine if perceived helplessness on the first task would negatively impact performance on the second. Participants in the unsolvable condition solved fewer anagrams; those with diabetes did not show weaker performance than controls. Participants in the solvable condition (diabetes and controls) showed an increase in internal attributions from before the concept formation task to after. In the unsolvable condition, only participants with diabetes made more external attributions for their failure. Contrary to the only other controlled study to use this paradigm in youth with chronic illness, adolescents with diabetes were not more susceptible to learned helplessness.

Learned Helplessness: A Reply and an Alternative S-R Interpretation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levis, Donald J.

1976-01-01

Author attempts to provide a careful analysis of Maier and Seligman's manuscript (AA 522 796) on learned helplessness with the hope that such a critique will produce a positive effect by clarifying issues of contention and pinpointing weaknesses in need of correction. (Author/RK)

Nursing Staff Perceptions of Fall Risk: The Emergence of Learned Helplessness as a Theme.

PubMed

Gibson, Terri Lea; Lloyd, Susan L

2018-01-01

Nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel on 2 medical-surgical units were asked about their perceptions regarding patient falls. Their responses reflect learned helplessness and a lack of nurse empowerment that are relevant findings as nurse executives work to decrease patient falls.

Learned Helplessness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooker, Carol E.

1976-01-01

Learned helplessness--the belief that a person's actions have no influence on the outcome of an event--is similar in many respects to the crisis state and depression. The author shows how this impaired social and psychological functioning occurs and identifies techniques that the social worker can use to prevent it. (Author)

Children's Interpretation of Evaluative Feedback: The Effect of Social Cues on Learned Helplessness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dweck, Carol S.

1976-01-01

Examines ways in which social cues, in conjunction with a child's history, influence the child's interpretation of and reaction to failure feedback in evaluative settings. It is suggested that the way in which a child reacts to another's behavior is largely dependent upon subtle but powerful social cues within situation. (JH)

Castaways: addressing hostility and helplessness in severely lonely adults.

PubMed

Loboprabhu, Sheila; Molinari, Victor; Asghar-Ali, Ali Abbas

2015-03-01

Hostility and helplessness are recurrent themes in severely lonely adults, and they can be both causes and effects of subjective feelings of loneliness. Since many lonely patients report a history of abuse, hostile and helpless states of mind may reflect identification with hostile (aggressor) or helpless (passive) attachment figures. Hostile intrusiveness and helpless withdrawal by the parent are 2 distinct patterns of parent-child misattunement that can lead to infant disorganization via disrupted emotional communication and to loneliness later in life. Anxious-ambivalent lonely older adults tend to exhibit hyperactivating hostile behaviors (to deal with a core sense of powerlessness), whereas those with fearful-avoidant attachment styles exhibit deactivating helpless behaviors (to deflect intense underlying feelings of rage). Based on this model, we outline different treatment approaches for lonely persons with different attachment styles by describing the successful treatment of two severely lonely, suicidal veterans. We describe an approach to treating hostile and helpless behaviors in lonely patients, using validation, mentalization, reality orientation, and socialization. Validation provides a sense of safety and rapport. Mentalization allows the lonely individual to better appreciate his or her own mental processes and those of others. Reality orientation provides feedback to lonely individuals on whether their perceptions are accurate and reality-based and helps them appreciate the consequences their behavior may have for self and others. Finally, socialization reduces disenfranchisement by teaching/re-teaching individuals social skills that may have become impaired by prolonged isolation.

Sex Differences in Learned Helplessness: IV. An Experimental and Naturalistic Study of Failure Generalization and Its Mediators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

And Others; Dweck, Carol S.

1980-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to examine the role of sex differences in learned helplessness in the generalization of failure experience. Subjects in experiment 1 were fifth graders and subjects in experiment 2 were fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. (MP)

The Effects of Learned Helplessness on Alcohol Consumption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel, Nora E.; Lisman, Stephen A.

Widely held cultural beliefs assert that alcohol can offer both an ameliorative and preventive solution to the problem of depression. This study attempted to assess the effects of learned helplessness--a possible laboratory analog to reactive depression--on alcohol consumption. Thirty-eight female undergraduates were randomly assigned (within…

Learned Helplessness and Dyslexia: A Carts and Horses Issue?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, H.

2001-01-01

Surveys attitudes towards and beliefs about dyslexia among Adult Basic Education (ABE) teachers and providers. Finds doubt, uncertainty and confusion about dyslexia and considerable misgiving. Discusses attribution theory and learned helplessness in the context of ABE. Argues that a diagnosis of dyslexia may be a maladaptive attribution and so…

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Steven F. Maier

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Psychologist, 2009

2009-01-01

Steven F. Maier, winner of the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions, is cited for his work in the fields of learned helplessness; cytokines, depressed mood, and cognitive interference; and the brain structures that produce and counteract learned helplessness. In addition to the citation, a biography and selected bibliography of Maier's…

Factors Affecting Decision-Making by Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkinson, Josephine C.

1999-01-01

Forty-eight young adults with mental retardation were placed into high and low learned helplessness groups based on responses to a questionnaire. Participants were presented with vignettes and asked what they would do. Results found low learned helplessness participants obtained significantly higher decision-making scores. Additional information…

Attributions of Female and Male Adolescents for Real-Life Failure Experiences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Helen S.; Vispoel, Walter P.

1990-01-01

A study involving 697 male and 765 female ninth and twelfth graders was undertaken to assess learned helplessness in attribution patterns associated with personal failure. Although significant gender differences were identified, little evidence was obtained supporting the learned helplessness model for adolescent female achievement motivation.…

Adult neurogenesis is reduced in the dorsal hippocampus of rats displaying learned helplessness behavior.

PubMed

Ho, Y C; Wang, S

2010-11-24

Clinical and preclinical studies suggest that the hippocampus has a role in the pathophysiology of major depression. In the learned helplessness (LH) animal model of depression after inescapable shocks (ISs) animals that display LH behavior have reduced cell proliferation in the hippocampus; this effect can be reversed by antidepressant treatment. Using this model, we compared rats that displayed LH behavior and rats that did not show LH behavior (NoLH) after ISs to determine whether reduced hippocampal cell proliferation is associated with the manifestation of LH behavior or is a general response to stress. Specifically, we examined cell proliferation, neurogenesis, and synaptic function in dorsal and ventral hippocampus of LH and NoLH animals and control rats that were not shocked. The LH rats had showed reduced cell proliferation, neurogenesis, and synaptic transmission in the dorsal hippocampus, whereas no changes were seen in the ventral hippocampus. These changes were not observed in the NoLH animals. In a group of NoLH rats that received the same amount of electrical shock as the LH rats to control for the unequal shocks received in these two groups, we observed changes in Ki-67(+) cells associated with acute stress. We conclude that reduced hippocampal cell proliferation and neurogenesis are associated with the manifestation of LH behavior and that the dorsal hippocampus is the most affected area. Copyright © 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Valproic acid improves the tolerance for the stress in learned helplessness rats.

PubMed

Kobayashi, H; Iwata, M; Mitani, H; Yamada, T; Nakagome, K; Kaneko, K

2012-04-01

In this study, we investigated whether previously stressed rats with learned helplessness (LH) paradigm could recover from depressive-like behavior four weeks after the exposure, and also whether chronic treatment with valproic acid (VPA) could prevent behavioral despair due to the second stress on days 54 in these animals. Four weeks after induction of LH, we confirmed behavioral remission in the previously stressed rats. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) performed with two factors, pretreatment (LH or Control) and drug (VPA or Saline), revealed a significant main effect of the drug on immobility time in forced swimming test. Post hoc test showed a shorter immobility time in the LH+VPA group than in the LH+Saline group. Immunohistochemical study of synapsin I showed a significant effect of drug by pretreatment interaction on immunoreactivity of synapsin I in the hippocampus: its expression levels in the regions were higher in the LH+VPA group than in the LH+Saline group. These results suggest that VPA could prevent the reappearance of stress-induced depressive-like behaviors in the rats recovering from prior stress, and that the drug-induced presynaptic changes in the expression of synapsin I in the hippocampus of LH animals might be related to improved tolerance toward the stress. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Overlapping neurobiology of learned helplessness and conditioned defeat: Implications for PTSD and mood disorders

PubMed Central

Hammack, Sayamwong E.; Cooper, Matthew A.; Lezak, Kimberly R.

2012-01-01

Exposure to traumatic events can increase the risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and pharmacological treatments for these disorders often involve the modulation of serotonergic (5-HT) systems. Several behavioral paradigms in rodents produce changes in behavior that resemble symptoms of MDD and these behavioral changes are sensitive to antidepressant treatments. Here we review two animal models in which MDD-like behavioral changes are elicited by exposure to an acute traumatic event during adulthood, learned helplessness (LH) and conditioned defeat. In LH, exposure of rats to inescapable, but not escapable, tailshock produces a constellation of behavioral changes that include deficits in fight/flight responding and enhanced anxiety-like behavior. In conditioned defeat, exposure of Syrian hamsters to a social defeat by a more aggressive animal leads to a loss of territorial aggression and an increase in submissive and defensive behaviors in subsequent encounters with non-aggressive conspecifics. Investigations into the neural substrates that control LH and conditioned defeat revealed that increased 5-HT activity in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is critical for both models. Other key brain regions that regulate the acquisition and/or expression of behavior in these two paradigms include the basolateral amygdala (BLA), central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). In this review, we compare and contrast the role of each of these neural structures in mediating LH and conditioned defeat, and discuss the relevance of these data in developing a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying trauma-related depression. PMID:21396383

Learned helplessness in the rat: improvements in validity and reliability.

PubMed

Vollmayr, B; Henn, F A

2001-08-01

Major depression has a high prevalence and a high mortality. Despite many years of research little is known about the pathophysiologic events leading to depression nor about the causative molecular mechanisms of antidepressant treatment leading to remission and prevention of relapse. Animal models of depression are urgently needed to investigate new hypotheses. The learned helplessness paradigm initially described by Overmier and Seligman [J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 63 (1967) 28] is the most widely studied animal model of depression. Animals are exposed to inescapable shock and subsequently tested for a deficit in acquiring an avoidance task. Despite its excellent validity concerning the construct of etiology, symptomatology and prediction of treatment response [Clin. Neurosci. 1 (1993) 152; Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 12 (1991) 131] there has been little use of the model for the investigation of recent theories on the pathogenesis of depression. This may be due to reported difficulties in reliability of the paradigm [Animal Learn. Behav. 4 (1976) 401; Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 36 (1990) 739]. The aim of the current study was therefore to improve parameters for inescapable shock and learned helplessness testing to minimize artifacts and random error and yield a reliable fraction of helpless animals after shock exposure. The protocol uses mild current which induces helplessness only in some of the animals thereby modeling the hypothesis of variable predisposition for depression in different subjects [Psychopharmacol. Bull. 21 (1985) 443; Neurosci. Res. 38 (200) 193]. This allows us to use animals which are not helpless after inescapable shock as a stressed control, but sensitivity, specificity and variability of test results have to be reassessed.

A Critical Review of Seligman's Laboratory Experiments on Learned Helplessness and Depression in Humans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costello, Charles G.

1978-01-01

Six laboratory experiments on learned helplessness and depression in humans reported by Seligman and his colleagues were critically reviewed. A number of methodological and conceptual problems were discussed. Suggests that it is important for psychologists to scrutinize psychological theories in order to assess their conceptual clarity and…

Egotism among the Depressed: When Self-Protection Becomes Self-Handicapping.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frankel, Arthur; Snyder, Mel L.

The reluctance of depressed people to try hard may result not from their low expectancy for success, as Learned Helplessness Theory suggests, but rather from egotistic motivation to preserve whatever self-esteem they still have. Two studies were conducted using a paradigm which permitted a direct comparison of Learned Helplessness Theory and…

The Mediating Role of Maladaptive Perfectionism in the Association between Psychological Control and Learned Helplessness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filippello, Pina; Larcan, Rosalba; Sorrenti, Luana; Buzzai, Caterina; Orecchio, Susanna; Costa, Sebastiano

2017-01-01

Despite the extensive research on parental psychological control, no study has explored the relation between parental and teacher psychological control, maladaptive perfectionism and learned helplessness (LH). The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) whether perceived teacher psychological control predicts positively LH, (2) whether…

Learned Helplessness: A Factor in Counseling for Displaced Homemakers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Carolyn J.

1989-01-01

Describes learned helplessness and its effect on ability of displaced homemakers to enter or reenter the work force successfully. Suggests that success in making transition from homemaker to worker may depend on attributions women provide for their failed or ended marriages. Discusses ways in which counselors may assist displaced homemakers in…

Learned Helplessness: The Effect of Failure on Test-Taking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Firmin, Michael; Hwang, Chi-En; Copella, Margaret; Clark, Sarah

2004-01-01

This study examined learned helplessness and its effect on test taking. Students were given one of two tests; the first began with extremely difficult questions and the other started with easy questions. The researchers hypothesized that those who took the test beginning with difficult questions would become easily frustrated and possibly doubt…

Competing Motor Responses: A Reply to Black

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maier, Steven F.

1977-01-01

In his comment, Black (AA 526 155) argued that Maier and Seligman (EJ 138 911) incorrectly interpreted competing motor response explanations of the learned helplessness effect. Here, it is argued that no article that has proposed a competing motor response explanation of the learned helplessness effect has alluded to a mechanism similar to the one…

Learned Helplessness: Shifts in Affect Following Uncontrollability and the Relationship to Attributional Style.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Allison

This study investigated the reformulated theory of learned helplessness, centering around attributional style in the cause of cognitive and emotional deficits. Subjects (N=58) were undergraduate and graduate psychology students at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Subjects were divided into an experimental group (N=30) who received…

Lack of Antidepressant Effects of (2R,6R)-Hydroxynorketamine in a Rat Learned Helplessness Model: Comparison with (R)-Ketamine

PubMed Central

Shirayama, Yukihiko

2018-01-01

Abstract Background (R)-Ketamine exhibits rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in animal models of depression. It is stereoselectively metabolized to (R)-norketamine and subsequently to (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in the liver. The metabolism of ketamine to hydroxynorketamine was recently demonstrated to be essential for ketamine’s antidepressant actions. However, no study has compared the antidepressant effects of these 3 compounds in animal models of depression. Methods The effects of a single i.p. injection of (R)-ketamine, (R)-norketamine, and (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in a rat learned helplessness model were examined. Results A single dose of (R)-ketamine (20 mg/kg) showed an antidepressant effect in the rat learned helplessness model. In contrast, neither (R)-norketamine (20 mg/kg) nor (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (20 and 40 mg/kg) did so. Conclusions Unlike (R)-ketamine, its metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine did not show antidepressant actions in the rat learned helplessness model. Therefore, it is unlikely that the metabolism of ketamine to hydroxynorketamine is essential for ketamine’s antidepressant actions. PMID:29155993

Differential levels of brain amino acids in rat models presenting learned helplessness or non-learned helplessness.

PubMed

Muneoka, Katsumasa; Shirayama, Yukihiko; Horio, Mao; Iyo, Masaomi; Hashimoto, Kenji

2013-09-01

Glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic abnormalities have recently been proposed to contribute to depression. The learned helplessness (LH) paradigm produces a reliable animal model of depression that expresses a deficit in escape behavior (LH model); an alternative phenotype that does not exhibit LH is a model of resilience to depression (non-LH model). We measured the contents of amino acids in the brain to investigate the mechanisms involved in the pathology of depression. LH and non-LH models were subjected to inescapable electric footshocks at random intervals following a conditioned avoidance test to determine acquirement of predicted escape deficits. Tissue amino acid contents in eight brain regions were measured via high-performance liquid chromatography. The non-LH model showed increased GABA levels in the dentate gyrus and nucleus accumbens and increased glutamine levels in the dentate gyrus and the orbitofrontal cortex. The LH model had reduced glutamine levels in the medial prefrontal cortex. Changes in the ratios of GABA, glutamine, and glutamate were detected in the non-LH model, but not in the LH model. Reductions in threonine levels occurred in the medial prefrontal cortex in both models, whereas elevated alanine levels were detected in the medial prefrontal cortex in non-LH animals. The present study demonstrates region-specific compensatory elevations in GABA levels in the dentate gyrus and nucleus accumbens of non-LH animals, supporting the implication of the GABAergic system in the recovery of depression.

Learned helplessness or expectancy-value? A psychological model for describing the experiences of different categories of unemployed people.

PubMed

García Rodríguez, Y

1997-06-01

Various studies have explored the relationships between unemployment and expectation of success, commitment to work, motivation, causal attributions, self-esteem and depression. A model is proposed that assumes the relationships between these variables are moderated by (a) whether or not the unemployed individual is seeking a first job and (b) age. It is proposed that for the unemployed who are seeking their first job (seekers) the relationships among these variables will be consistent with expectancy-value theory, but for those who have had a previous job (losers), the relationships will be more consistent with learned helplessness theory. It is further assumed that within this latter group the young losers will experience "universal helplessness" whereas the adult losers will experience "personal helplessness".

Feelings of helplessness increase ERN amplitudes in healthyindividuals

PubMed Central

Pfabigan, D.M.; Pintzinger, N.M.; Siedek, D.R.; Lamm, C.; Derntl, B.; Sailer, U.

2013-01-01

Experiencing feelings of helplessness has repeatedly been reported to contribute to depressive symptoms and negative affect. In turn, depression and negative affective states are associated, among others, with impairments in performance monitoring. Thus, the question arises whether performance monitoring is also affected by feelings of helplessness. To this end, after the induction of feelings of helplessness via an unsolvable reasoning task, 37 participants (20 females) performed a modified version of a Flanker task. Based on a previously validated questionnaire, 17 participants were classified as helpless and 20 as not-helpless. Behavioral measures revealed no differences between helpless and not-helpless individuals. However, we observed enhanced Error-Related Negativity (ERN) amplitude differences between erroneous and correct responses in the helpless compared to the not-helpless group. Furthermore, correlational analysis revealed that higher scores of helplessness were associated with increased ERN difference scores. No influence of feelings of helplessness on later stages of performance monitoring was observed as indicated by Error-Positivity (Pe) amplitude. The present study is the first to demonstrate that feelings of helplessness modulate the neuronal correlates of performance monitoring. Thus, even a short-lasting subjective state manipulation can lead to ERN amplitude variation, probably via modulation of mesencephalic dopamine activity. PMID:23267824

Third and Fifth Grade Latino Males' Academic Performance in the Title 1 Elementary School Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells Petrov, Gena L.

2017-01-01

The three-article dissertation is an exposition that analyzes the academic performance of third and fifth grade Latino male students by considering Learned Helplessness in relation to academic deficiency. Article 1 is comprised of a literature review relating to the elements of Learned Helplessness, inclusive of the Reformulated Theory of Learned…

Learned Helplessness and Psychological Adjustment: Effects of Age, Gender and Academic Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valas, Harald

2001-01-01

Studied the relationships among academic achievement, learned helplessness, and psychological adjustment (self-esteem and depression), controlled for gender and age, for 1,580 students with data collected in grades 3 and 4, 6 and 7, and 8 and 9. Results show that academic achievement is directly and indirectly related to the pattern of…

The "New Family" Model: The Evolution of Group Treatment for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kriedler, Maryhelen C.; Fluharty, Leslie Barnes

1994-01-01

Discusses the evolution of a group therapy protocol for adult survivors of incest and the theoretical model on which it is based, the learned helplessness model of depression. Learned helplessness theory supports the assumption that victims internalize trauma. Group activities were aimed at changing negative self-beliefs and at providing…

Learned helplessness: unique features and translational value of a cognitive depression model.

PubMed

Vollmayr, Barbara; Gass, Peter

2013-10-01

The concept of learned helplessness defines an escape or avoidance deficit after uncontrollable stress and is regarded as a depression-like coping deficit in aversive but avoidable situations. Based on a psychological construct, it ideally complements other stress-induced or genetic animal models for major depression. Because of excellent face, construct, and predictive validity, it has contributed to the elaboration of several pathophysiological concepts and has brought forward new treatment targets. Whereas learned helplessness can be modeled not only in a broad variety of mammals, but also in fish and Drosophila, we will focus here on the use of this model in rats and mice, which are today the most common species for preclinical in vivo research in psychiatry.

Ketamine up-regulates a cluster of intronic miRNAs within the serotonin receptor 2C gene by inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3.

PubMed

Grieco, Steven F; Velmeshev, Dmitry; Magistri, Marco; Eldar-Finkelman, Hagit; Faghihi, Mohammad A; Jope, Richard S; Beurel, Eleonore

2017-09-01

We examined mechanisms that contribute to the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine in mice that is dependent on glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) inhibition. We measured serotonergic (5HT)-2C-receptor (5HTR2C) cluster microRNA (miRNA) levels in mouse hippocampus after administering an antidepressant dose of ketamine (10 mg/kg) in wild-type and GSK3 knockin mice, after GSK3 inhibition with L803-mts, and in learned helpless mice. Ketamine up-regulated cluster miRNAs 448-3p, 764-5p, 1264-3p, 1298-5p and 1912-3p (2- to 11-fold). This up-regulation was abolished in GSK3 knockin mice that express mutant constitutively active GSK3. The GSK3 specific inhibitor L803-mts was antidepressant in the learned helplessness and novelty suppressed feeding depression-like behaviours and up-regulated the 5HTR2C miRNA cluster in mouse hippocampus. After administration of the learned helplessness paradigm mice were divided into cohorts that were resilient (non-depressed) or were susceptible (depressed) to learned helplessness. The resilient, but not depressed, mice displayed increased hippocampal levels of miRNAs 448-3p and 1264-3p. Administration of an antagonist to miRNA 448-3p diminished the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the learned helplessness paradigm, indicating that up-regulation of miRNA 448-3p provides an antidepressant action. These findings identify a new outcome of GSK3 inhibition by ketamine that may contribute to antidepressant effects.

Is an Attributional Analysis of the Learned Helplessness Phenomenon Viable? A Critique of the Abramson-Seligman-Teasdale Reformulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dintzer, Leonard; Wortman, Camille B.

1978-01-01

The reformulated learned helplessness model of depression (Abramson, Seligman, Teasdale 1978) was examined. Argues that unless it is possible to specify the conditions under which a given attribution will be made, the model becomes circular and lacks predictive power. Discusses Abramson et al.'s suggestions for therapy and prevention. (Editor/RK)

Test Anxiety and Learned Helplessness Is Moderated by Student Perceptions of Teacher Motivational Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raufelder, Diana; Regner, Nicola; Wood, Megan A.

2018-01-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the interplay between test anxiety (i.e. worry and emotionality) and learned helplessness in a sample of adolescents (N = 845, aged 13-17 years) in secondary schools in Germany. In accordance with the buffering hypothesis, it was hypothesised that the detrimental association between both components of…

Help-Seeking Decisions of Battered Women: A Test of Learned Helplessness and Two Stress Theories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wauchope, Barbara A.

This study tested the learned helplessness theory, stress theory, and a modified stress theory to determine the best model for predicting the probability that a woman would seek help when she experienced severe violence from a male partner. The probability was hypothesized to increase as the stress of the violence experienced increased. Data were…

Effectiveness of a Psycho-Education Program on Learned Helplessness and Irrational Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulusoy, Yagmur; Duy, Baki

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a psycho-education program aimed at reducing learned helplessness and irrational beliefs of eight-grade elementary students. The study was an experimental study based on the pre-test-post-test model with control and placebo group. A total of 27 participants, 9 group members in each group,…

Learned Helplessness in Children with Visual Handicaps: A Pilot Study of Expectations, Persistence, and Attributions. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Head, Dan; And Others

This report describes the outcomes of a one-year federally funded pilot study of 14 students with low vision or blindness (grades 3-6) and 13 teachers. The study was designed to generate practical classroom assessment procedures for measuring "learned helplessness" and recommendations for a conceptual intervention model for use in the classroom.…

Lack of Antidepressant Effects of (2R,6R)-Hydroxynorketamine in a Rat Learned Helplessness Model: Comparison with (R)-Ketamine.

PubMed

Shirayama, Yukihiko; Hashimoto, Kenji

2018-01-01

(R)-Ketamine exhibits rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in animal models of depression. It is stereoselectively metabolized to (R)-norketamine and subsequently to (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in the liver. The metabolism of ketamine to hydroxynorketamine was recently demonstrated to be essential for ketamine's antidepressant actions. However, no study has compared the antidepressant effects of these 3 compounds in animal models of depression. The effects of a single i.p. injection of (R)-ketamine, (R)-norketamine, and (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in a rat learned helplessness model were examined. A single dose of (R)-ketamine (20 mg/kg) showed an antidepressant effect in the rat learned helplessness model. In contrast, neither (R)-norketamine (20 mg/kg) nor (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (20 and 40 mg/kg) did so. Unlike (R)-ketamine, its metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine did not show antidepressant actions in the rat learned helplessness model. Therefore, it is unlikely that the metabolism of ketamine to hydroxynorketamine is essential for ketamine's antidepressant actions. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Overlapping neurobiology of learned helplessness and conditioned defeat: implications for PTSD and mood disorders.

PubMed

Hammack, Sayamwong E; Cooper, Matthew A; Lezak, Kimberly R

2012-02-01

Exposure to traumatic events can increase the risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and pharmacological treatments for these disorders often involve the modulation of serotonergic (5-HT) systems. Several behavioral paradigms in rodents produce changes in behavior that resemble symptoms of MDD and these behavioral changes are sensitive to antidepressant treatments. Here we review two animal models in which MDD-like behavioral changes are elicited by exposure to an acute traumatic event during adulthood, learned helplessness (LH) and conditioned defeat. In LH, exposure of rats to inescapable, but not escapable, tailshock produces a constellation of behavioral changes that include deficits in fight/flight responding and enhanced anxiety-like behavior. In conditioned defeat, exposure of Syrian hamsters to a social defeat by a more aggressive animal leads to a loss of territorial aggression and an increase in submissive and defensive behaviors in subsequent encounters with non-aggressive conspecifics. Investigations into the neural substrates that control LH and conditioned defeat revealed that increased 5-HT activity in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is critical for both models. Other key brain regions that regulate the acquisition and/or expression of behavior in these two paradigms include the basolateral amygdala (BLA), central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). In this review, we compare and contrast the role of each of these neural structures in mediating LH and conditioned defeat, and discuss the relevance of these data in developing a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying trauma-related depression. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder'. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maternal postpartum learned helplessness (LH) affects maternal care by dams and responses to the LH test in adolescent offspring.

PubMed

Kurata, Akiko; Morinobu, Shigeru; Fuchikami, Manabu; Yamamoto, Shigeto; Yamawaki, Shigeto

2009-06-01

It is known that the early environment affects the mental development of rodent and human offspring. However, it is not known specifically whether a postpartum depressive state influences the depressive state in offspring. Using learned helplessness (LH) in rats as an animal model of depression, we examined the influence of maternal postpartum LH on responses to the LH test of offspring. Dam rats were judged as LH or non-helpless (nLH) on postnatal days (PN) 2-3, and maternal behavior was recorded during PN2-14. On PN 45-46, offspring were subjected to the LH test. Plasma corticosterone (CORT) levels, hippocampal levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA were measured before and after the LH test in offspring. Active nursing in LH dams was significantly lower than that in nLH dams. Susceptibility to LH in the offspring of LH dams was significantly higher than in those of nLH dams, and was negatively correlated with active nursing by LH dams. The GR mRNA levels before and after the LH test were lower in the offspring of LH dams than in those of nLH dams, and the reduced basal GR mRNA and protein might have resulted in the higher CORT response after the LH test. There was no significant difference in BDNF mRNA in the offspring of LH and nLH dams. These findings suggest that early postpartum LH decreased active nursing and increased depression-like behavior in the adolescent offspring via dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

A change in hippocampal protocadherin gamma expression in a learned helpless rat.

PubMed

Garafola, Craig S; Henn, Fritz A

2014-12-17

Depression is a disease with a complex etiology, that is only beginning to be studied from a genetic perspective. A selectively bred line of rats susceptible to learned helplessness, a model of depression, presents an opportunity to search for genes affecting the depressive symptoms found in the helpless model which may provide clues toward understanding the human disease. A microarray study revealed a small set of genes with altered expression in the hippocampus of the congenitally helpless rats. We selected one of these genes, a member of the γ-protocadherins for further study to determine the basis for the change in expression. Helpless animals demonstrated an increased expression primarily in CA1 neurons. Protocadherins have been implicated in synapse development and these results suggest they may play a role related to the reduced neuroplasticity observed in depression. Additionally, a number of genes linked to pathways known or suspected to be involved in depression were also detected, these will require further verification and study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced Cocaine-Associated Contextual Learning in Female H/Rouen Mice Selectively Bred for Depressive-Like Behaviors: Molecular and Neuronal Correlates

PubMed Central

Rappeneau, Virginie; Morel, Anne-Laure; El Yacoubi, Malika; Vaugeois, Jean-Marie; Denoroy, Luc

2015-01-01

Background: Major depression has multiple comorbidities, in particular drug use disorders, which often lead to more severe and difficult-to-treat illnesses. However, the mechanisms linking these comorbidities remain largely unknown. Methods: We investigated how a depressive-like phenotype modulates cocaine-related behaviors using a genetic model of depression: the Helpless H/Rouen (H) mouse. We selected the H mouse line for its long immobility duration in the tail suspension test when compared to non-helpless (NH) and intermediate (I) mice. Since numerous studies revealed important sex differences in drug addiction and depression, we conducted behavioral experiments in both sexes. Results: All mice, regardless of phenotype or sex, developed a similar behavioral sensitization after 5 daily cocaine injections (10 mg/kg). Male H and NH mice exhibited similar cocaine-induced conditioned place preference scores that were only slightly higher than in I mice, whereas female H mice strikingly accrued much higher preferences for the cocaine-associated context than those of I and NH mice. Moreover, female H mice acquired cocaine-associated context learning much faster than I and NH mice, a facilitating effect that was associated to a rapid increase in striatal and accumbal brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels (BDNF; up to 35% 24 h after cocaine conditioning). Finally, when re-exposed to the previously cocaine-associated context, female H mice displayed greater Fos activation in the cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, and basolateral amygdala. Conclusions: Our data indicate that neurobiological mechanisms such as alterations in associative learning, striato-accumbal BDNF expression, and limbic-cortico-striatal circuit reactivity could mediate enhanced cocaine vulnerability in female depressive-like mice. PMID:25733538

Effects of repeated deep brain stimulation on depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in rats: comparing entopeduncular and subthalamic nuclei.

PubMed

Creed, Meaghan C; Hamani, Clement; Nobrega, José N

2013-07-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or internal globus pallidus (GPi) has been routinely used for the treatment of some movement disorders. However, DBS may be associated with adverse psychiatric effects, such as depression, anxiety and impulsivity. To compare DBS applied to the entopeduncular nucleus (EPN; the rodent homolog of the GPi) and STN in terms of their effects on depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in rats. DBS was applied for 21 days (4 h a day) to either the STN or EPN. Rats then underwent behavioral testing on learned helplessness and elevated plus maze tasks before being sacrificed for brain analyses of zif268, BDNF and trkB mRNA as well as BDNF protein levels. Repeated DBS of the STN, but not of the EPN, led to impaired performance in the learned helplessness task, suggesting that STN-DBS induces or potentiates depressive-like behavior. There was no effect of DBS on elevated plus maze or on open field behavior. Repeated STN-DBS, but not EPN-DBS, led to decreased levels of BDNF and trkB mRNA in hippocampus. Acute stimulation of the STN or EPN resulted in similar changes in zif268 levels in several brain areas, except for the raphe where decreases were seen only after STB-DBS. Together these results indicate that the effects of STN- and EPN-DBS differ in behavioral and neurochemical respects. Results further suggest that the EPN may be a preferable target for clinical DBS when psychiatric side effects are considered insofar as it may be associated with a lower incidence of depressive-like behavior than the STN. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predictors of Learned Helplessness among Average and Mildly Gifted Girls and Boys Attending Initial High School Physics Instruction in Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Albert; Finsterwald, Monika; Grassinger, Robert

2005-01-01

In mathematics, physics, and chemistry, women are still considered to be at a disadvantage. In the present study, the development of the symptoms of learned helplessness was of particular interest. A study involving average and mildly gifted 8th-grade boys and girls (top 60%) investigated whether girls, regardless of ability level, experience…

Consequences of Learned Helplessness and Recognition of the State of Cognitive Exhaustion in Persons with Mild Intellectual Disability

PubMed Central

Gacek, Michał; Smoleń, Tomasz; Pilecka, Władysława

2017-01-01

Persons with intellectual disability are a group at risk of being exposed to overly demanding problem-solving situations, which may produce learned helplessness. The research was based on the informational model of learned helplessness. The consequences of exposure to an unsolvable task and the ability to recognize the symptoms of cognitive exhaustion were tested in 120 students with mild intellectual disability. After the exposure to the unsolvable task, persons in the experimental group obtained lower results than the control group in the escape/avoidance learning task, but a similar result was found in the divergent thinking fluency task. Also, participants in the experimental group had difficulties recognizing the symptoms of the cognitive exhaustion state. After a week’s time, the difference in escape/avoidance learning performance was still observed. The results indicate that exposure to unsolvable tasks may negatively influence the cognitive performance in persons with intellectual disability, although those persons may not identify the cognitive state related to lowered performance. PMID:28479937

Consequences of Learned Helplessness and Recognition of the State of Cognitive Exhaustion in Persons with Mild Intellectual Disability.

PubMed

Gacek, Michał; Smoleń, Tomasz; Pilecka, Władysława

2017-01-01

Persons with intellectual disability are a group at risk of being exposed to overly demanding problem-solving situations, which may produce learned helplessness . The research was based on the informational model of learned helplessness. The consequences of exposure to an unsolvable task and the ability to recognize the symptoms of cognitive exhaustion were tested in 120 students with mild intellectual disability. After the exposure to the unsolvable task, persons in the experimental group obtained lower results than the control group in the escape/avoidance learning task, but a similar result was found in the divergent thinking fluency task. Also, participants in the experimental group had difficulties recognizing the symptoms of the cognitive exhaustion state. After a week's time, the difference in escape/avoidance learning performance was still observed. The results indicate that exposure to unsolvable tasks may negatively influence the cognitive performance in persons with intellectual disability, although those persons may not identify the cognitive state related to lowered performance.

Early life diets with prebiotics and bioactive milk fractions attenuate the impact of stress on learned helplessness behaviours and alter gene expression within neural circuits important for stress resistance.

PubMed

Mika, Agnieszka; Day, Heidi E W; Martinez, Alexander; Rumian, Nicole L; Greenwood, Benjamin N; Chichlowski, Maciej; Berg, Brian M; Fleshner, Monika

2017-02-01

Manipulating gut microbes may improve mental health. Prebiotics are indigestible compounds that increase the growth and activity of health-promoting microorganisms, yet few studies have examined how prebiotics affect CNS function. Using an acute inescapable stressor known to produce learned helplessness behaviours such as failure to escape and exaggerated fear, we tested whether early life supplementation of a blend of two prebiotics, galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and polydextrose (PDX), and the glycoprotein lactoferrin (LAC) would attenuate behavioural and biological responses to stress later in life. Juvenile, male F344 rats were fed diets containing either GOS and PDX alone, LAC alone, or GOS, PDX and LAC. All diets altered gut bacteria, while diets containing GOS and PDX increased Lactobacillus spp. After 4 weeks, rats were exposed to inescapable stress, and either immediately killed for blood and tissues, or assessed for learned helplessness 24 h later. Diets did not attenuate stress effects on spleen weight, corticosterone and blood glucose; however, all diets differentially attenuated stress-induced learned helplessness. Notably, in situ hybridization revealed that all diets reduced stress-evoked cfos mRNA in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), a structure important for learned helplessness behaviours. In addition, GOS, PDX and LAC diet attenuated stress-evoked decreases in mRNA for the 5-HT 1A autoreceptor in the DRN and increased basal BDNF mRNA within the prefrontal cortex. These data suggest early life diets containing prebiotics and/or LAC promote behavioural stress resistance and uniquely modulate gene expression in corresponding circuits. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Genetic Disruption of Circadian Rhythms in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Causes Helplessness, Behavioral Despair, and Anxiety-like Behavior in Mice.

PubMed

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie E; Proulx, Christophe D; Barandas, Rita; Malinow, Roberto; Welsh, David K

2016-12-01

Major depressive disorder is associated with disturbed circadian rhythms. To investigate the causal relationship between mood disorders and circadian clock disruption, previous studies in animal models have employed light/dark manipulations, global mutations of clock genes, or brain area lesions. However, light can impact mood by noncircadian mechanisms; clock genes have pleiotropic, clock-independent functions; and brain lesions not only disrupt cellular circadian rhythms but also destroy cells and eliminate important neuronal connections, including light reception pathways. Thus, a definitive causal role for functioning circadian clocks in mood regulation has not been established. We stereotactically injected viral vectors encoding short hairpin RNA to knock down expression of the essential clock gene Bmal1 into the brain's master circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). In these SCN-specific Bmal1-knockdown (SCN-Bmal1-KD) mice, circadian rhythms were greatly attenuated in the SCN, while the mice were maintained in a standard light/dark cycle, SCN neurons remained intact, and neuronal connections were undisturbed, including photic inputs. In the learned helplessness paradigm, the SCN-Bmal1-KD mice were slower to escape, even before exposure to inescapable stress. They also spent more time immobile in the tail suspension test and less time in the lighted section of a light/dark box. The SCN-Bmal1-KD mice also showed greater weight gain, an abnormal circadian pattern of corticosterone, and an attenuated increase of corticosterone in response to stress. Disrupting SCN circadian rhythms is sufficient to cause helplessness, behavioral despair, and anxiety-like behavior in mice, establishing SCN-Bmal1-KD mice as a new animal model of depression. Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. All rights reserved.

Genetic Disruption of Circadian Rhythms in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Causes Helplessness, Behavioral Despair, and Anxiety-like Behavior in Mice

PubMed Central

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie E.; Proulx, Christophe D.; Barandas, Rita; Malinow, Roberto; Welsh, David K.

2016-01-01

Background Major depressive disorder is associated with disturbed circadian rhythms. To investigate the causal relationship between mood disorders and circadian clock disruption, previous studies in animal models have employed light/dark manipulations, global mutations of clock genes, or brain area lesions. However, light can impact mood by noncircadian mechanisms; clock genes have pleiotropic, clock-independent functions; and brain lesions not only disrupt cellular circadian rhythms but also destroy cells and eliminate important neuronal connections, including light reception pathways. Thus, a definitive causal role for functioning circadian clocks in mood regulation has not been established. Methods We stereotactically injected viral vectors encoding short hairpin RNA to knock down expression of the essential clock gene Bmal1 into the brain's master circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Results In these SCN-specific Bmal1-knockdown (SCN-Bmal1-KD) mice, circadian rhythms were greatly attenuated in the SCN, while the mice were maintained in a standard light/dark cycle, SCN neurons remained intact, and neuronal connections were undisturbed, including photic inputs. In the learned helplessness paradigm, the SCN-Bmal1-KD mice were slower to escape, even before exposure to inescapable stress. They also spent more time immobile in the tail suspension test and less time in the lighted section of a light/dark box. The SCN-Bmal1-KD mice also showed greater weight gain, an abnormal circadian pattern of corticosterone, and an attenuated increase of corticosterone in response to stress. Conclusions Disrupting SCN circadian rhythms is sufficient to cause helplessness, behavioral despair, and anxiety-like behavior in mice, establishing SCN-Bmal1-KD mice as a new animal model of depression. PMID:27113500

Learned Helplessness at Fifty: Insights from Neuroscience

PubMed Central

Maier, Steven F.; Seligman, Martin E. P.

2016-01-01

Learned helplessness, the failure to escape shock induced by uncontrollable aversive events, was discovered half a century ago. Seligman and Maier (1967) theorized that animals learned that outcomes were independent of their responses—that nothing they did mattered – and that this learning undermined trying to escape. The mechanism of learned helplessness is now very well-charted biologically and the original theory got it backwards. Passivity in response to shock is not learned. It is the default, unlearned response to prolonged aversive events and it is mediated by the serotonergic activity of the dorsal raphe nucleus, which in turn inhibits escape. This passivity can be overcome by learning control, with the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, which subserves the detection of control leading to the automatic inhibition of the dorsal raphe nucleus. So animals learn that they can control aversive events, but the passive failure to learn to escape is an unlearned reaction to prolonged aversive stimulation. In addition, alterations of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex-dorsal raphe pathway can come to subserve the expectation of control. We speculate that default passivity and the compensating detection and expectation of control may have substantial implications for how to treat depression. PMID:27337390

Learned helplessness at fifty: Insights from neuroscience.

PubMed

Maier, Steven F; Seligman, Martin E P

2016-07-01

Learned helplessness, the failure to escape shock induced by uncontrollable aversive events, was discovered half a century ago. Seligman and Maier (1967) theorized that animals learned that outcomes were independent of their responses-that nothing they did mattered-and that this learning undermined trying to escape. The mechanism of learned helplessness is now very well-charted biologically, and the original theory got it backward. Passivity in response to shock is not learned. It is the default, unlearned response to prolonged aversive events and it is mediated by the serotonergic activity of the dorsal raphe nucleus, which in turn inhibits escape. This passivity can be overcome by learning control, with the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, which subserves the detection of control leading to the automatic inhibition of the dorsal raphe nucleus. So animals learn that they can control aversive events, but the passive failure to learn to escape is an unlearned reaction to prolonged aversive stimulation. In addition, alterations of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex-dorsal raphe pathway can come to subserve the expectation of control. We speculate that default passivity and the compensating detection and expectation of control may have substantial implications for how to treat depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Antidepressant-like effects of mild hypoxia preconditioning in the learned helplessness model in rats.

PubMed

Rybnikova, Elena; Mironova, Vera; Pivina, Svetlana; Tulkova, Ekaterina; Ordyan, Natalia; Vataeva, Ludmila; Vershinina, Elena; Abritalin, Eugeny; Kolchev, Alexandr; Nalivaeva, Natalia; Turner, Anthony J; Samoilov, Michail

2007-05-07

The effects of preconditioning using mild repetitive hypobaric hypoxia (360 Torr for 2 h each of 3 days) have been studied in the learned helplessness model of depression in rats. Male Wistar rats displayed persistent depressive symptoms (depressive-like behaviour in open field, increased anxiety levels in elevated plus maze, ahedonia, elevated plasma glucocorticoids and impaired dexamethasone test) following the exposure to unpredictable and inescapable footshock in the learned helplessness paradigm. Antidepressant treatment (ludiomil, 5 mg/kg i.p.) augmented the development of the depressive state. The hypoxic preconditioning had a clear antidepressive action returning the behavioural and hormonal parameters to the control values and was equally effective in terms of our study as the antidepressant. The findings suggest hypoxic preconditioning as an effective tool for the prophylaxis of post-stress affective pathologies in humans.

Antidepressant-like effects of alnespirone (S 20499) in the learned helplessness test in rats.

PubMed

Mac Sweeney, C P; Lesourd, M; Gandon, J M

1998-03-19

The effects of the new chroman derivative, alnespirone (S 20499), which is a selective 5-HT1A receptor agonist, were investigated in an animal model of depression, the learned helplessness test. Rats previously submitted to a session of 60 inescapable electric foot shocks (learned helpless controls) exhibited a deficit in escape performance in three subsequent shuttle-box sessions. Alnespirone was administered twice daily via the oral route (2.5, 5, 10, 20 mg kg(-1) day(-1)). It was shown to protect against the elevation in escape failures caused by exposure to the uncontrollable aversive situation at 5 and 10 mg kg(-1) day(-1) p.o. (13+/-2 and 10+/-3 escape failures, respectively, vs. 9+/-2 escape failures in control rats). In addition, alnespirone had a tendency to elevate the number of intertrial crossings during the resting periods, depending on the dose and day on which the avoidance task was performed (15+/-2 intertrial crossings at the dose of 5 mg kg(-1) day(-1), vs. 5+/-2 intertrial crossings for the helpless control rats, on the second day). In comparison, imipramine (64 mg kg(-1) day(-1) p.o.) provided marked protection on all three days of the avoidance task and tended to increase the number of intertrial crossings during the resting periods on the second and the third days. It is concluded that alnespirone exerts antidepressant-like properties in the learned helplessness test in rats, in a manner similar to 8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin), buspirone and ipsapirone, other 5-HT1A receptor agonists.

A chronic treatment with fluoxetine decreases 5-HT(1A) receptors labeling in mice selected as a genetic model of helplessness.

PubMed

Naudon, Laurent; El Yacoubi, Malika; Vaugeois, Jean-Marie; Leroux-Nicollet, Isabelle; Costentin, Jean

2002-05-17

Two lines of mice were bred for their opposite helpless behavior in the tail suspension test, i.e., helpless (HL) mice and non helpless (NHL) mice. The 5-HT(1A) receptor labeling was quantified by means of autoradiography with (3)H-8-OH-DPAT on brain sections from mice of these two lines. We observed a significantly higher level of (3)H-8-OH-DPAT binding sites density in HL mice comparatively to NHL mice, in the medial prefrontal, cingulate, motor and sensorial cortices, in several regions of the limbic system, such as CA3 field of hippocampus, dentate gyrus, medial and baso-medial amygdala, and in dorsal and median raphe nuclei. A chronic 21-day treatment with the antidepressant fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, i.p. daily) attenuated significantly the spontaneous helplessness in HL mice but did not alter the behavior of NHL mice. In the brain of HL mice chronically injected with fluoxetine, the elevated (3)H-8-OH-DPAT binding sites density was no longer observed after treatment in several regions, among which the raphe nuclei. Conversely, the antidepressant treatment did not modify the (3)H-8-OH-DPAT binding sites density in NHL mice. The variation of 5-HT(1A) receptors binding density in the HL mice in response to a chronic fluoxetine treatment parallels the attenuation of the spontaneous helplessness observed in the tail suspension test, and may underlie this behavior.

Promoting individual learning for trainees with perceived high helplessness: experiences of a safety training program.

PubMed

Kiani, Fariba; Khodabakhsh, Mohamad Reza

2014-01-01

The article arises from a research project investigating the effectiveness of safety training on changing attitudes toward safety issues. Followed by the training intervention was observed that employees' helplessness decreased. The researchers have come to the idea of investigating how safety training can reduce perceived helplessness. Thus, this research examined the effectiveness of safety training on reducing employees' helplessness with attention to the mediating role of attitude toward safety issues. The current study was an experimental study with the control group. A total of 204 (101 experimental group and 103 control group) completed safety attitude questionnaire and perceived helplessness before a safety training course including four 90-min sessions over 4 consecutive days in Esfahan Steel Company in 2012 between October and December. Only members of the experimental group participated in this course. These questionnaires, approximately 30 days later, again were run on members of both groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive indexes, t-, and F-test. RESULTS by comparing the two groups showed that safety training was effective only on individuals with perceived low helplessness (p = 0.02). In individuals with perceived high helplessness, safety training only with changing safety attitudes can reduce the perceived helplessness.

Changes of TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway in learned helplessness mice.

PubMed

Li, Dongmei; Zheng, Ji; Wang, Mingyang; Feng, Lu; Ren, Zhili; Liu, Yanyong; Yang, Nan; Zuo, Pingping

2016-11-30

Low response rate was witnessed with the present monoaminergic based antidepressants, urging a need for new therapeutic target identification. Accumulated evidences strongly suggest that mitochondrial deficit is implicated in major depression and 18kDa translocator protein (TSPO) plays an important role in regulating mitochondrial function. However the changes of TSPO and TSPO mediated mitophagy pathway in the depressive brain is unclear. In present study, a well validated animal model of depression, learned helplessness (LH), was employed to investigate the relevant changes. Significant behavioral changes were observed in the LH mice. Results showed that TSPO and other mitophagy related proteins, such as VDAC1, Pink1 and Beclin1 were significantly decreased by LH challenge. Moreover, KIFC2, relevant to the mitochondrial transport and Snap25, relevant to neurotransmitter vesicle release, were also obviously down-regulated in the LH mice, which further rendered supportive evidence for the existing mitochondrial dysfunction in LH mice. Present results demonstrated that LH induced depressive symptoms and affected TSPO-mediated mitophagy pathway, indicating a potential target candidate for depression treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vicariously learned helplessness: the role of perceived dominance and prestige of a model.

PubMed

Chambers, Sheridan; Hammonds, Frank

2014-01-01

Prior research has examined the relationship between various model characteristics (e.g., age, competence, similarity) and the likelihood that the observers will experience vicariously learned helplessness. However, no research in this area has investigated dominance as a relevant model characteristic. This study explored whether the vicarious acquisition of learned helplessness could be mediated by the perceived dominance of a model. Participants observed a model attempting to solve anagrams. Across participant groups, the model displayed either dominant or nondominant characteristics and was either successful or unsuccessful at solving the anagrams. The characteristics displayed by the model significantly affected observers' ratings of his dominance and prestige. After viewing the model, participants attempted to solve 40 anagrams. When the dominant model was successful, observers solved significantly more anagrams than when he was unsuccessful. This effect was not found when the model was nondominant.

Glutamatergic stimulation of the left dentate gyrus abolishes depressive-like behaviors in a rat learned helplessness paradigm.

PubMed

Seo, Jeho; Cho, Hojin; Kim, Gun Tae; Kim, Chul Hoon; Kim, Dong Goo

2017-10-01

Episodic experiences of stress have been identified as the leading cause of major depressive disorder (MDD). The occurrence of MDD is profoundly influenced by the individual's coping strategy, rather than the severity of the stress itself. Resting brain activity has been shown to alter in several mental disorders. However, the functional relationship between resting brain activity and coping strategies has not yet been studied. In the present study, we observed different patterns of resting brain activity in rats that had determined either positive (resilient to stress) or negative (vulnerable to stress) coping strategies, and examined whether modulation of the preset resting brain activity could influence the behavioral phenotype associated with negative coping strategy (i.e., depressive-like behaviors). We used a learned helplessness paradigm-a well-established model of MDD-to detect coping strategies. Differences in resting state brain activity between animals with positive and negative coping strategies were assessed using 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). Glutamatergic stimulation was used to modulate resting brain activity. After exposure to repeated uncontrollable stress, seven of 23 rats exhibited positive coping strategies, while eight of 23 rats exhibited negative coping strategies. Increased resting brain activity was observed only in the left ventral dentate gyrus of the positive coping rats using FDG-PET. Furthermore, glutamatergic stimulation of the left dentate gyrus abolished depressive-like behaviors in rats with negative coping strategies. Increased resting brain activity in the left ventral dentate gyrus helps animals to select positive coping strategies in response to future stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Wuling powder prevents the depression-like behavior in learned helplessness mice model through improving the TSPO mediated-mitophagy.

PubMed

Li, Dongmei; Zheng, Ji; Wang, Mingyang; Feng, Lu; Liu, Yanyong; Yang, Nan; Zuo, Pingping

2016-06-20

Wuling powder (trade name: Wuling capsule), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), was extracted from mycelia of precious Xylaria Nigripes (Kl.) Sacc by modern fermentation technology, and has been claimed to be fully potent in improving the signs of insomnia and cognitive deficits. Moreover, Wuling capsule was effective in treating post-stroke and orther co-cormbid depression both in clinical and in basic research. In order to clarify the molecular mechanisms of the antidepressant effect of Wuling powder, we established learned helplessness (LH) depression animal model and focused on 18kDa translocator protein (TSPO) mediated-mitophagy pathway. Mice were exposed to the inescapable e-shock (IS) once a day for three consecutive days to establish the LH model. Then mice were orally administered Wuling powder for 2 weeks. For the behavioral assessment, Shuttle box test, novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF) and forced swimming test (FST) were performed. Following the behavioral assessment, we assessed the protein expression level that were related to TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway by Western blotting analysis. Finally, immunohistochemistry method was used to assess the neuroprotective effects of Wuling powder. Compared with mice that were subjected to inescapable e-shock, Wuling powder exhibited antidepressant effect in the multiple behavioral tests. In addition, Wuling powder altered the expression level of multiple proteins related to TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway. Our results suggested that Wuling powder exhibited an obvious antidepressant effect, which could be due to the improvement of TSPO-mediated mitophagy signaling pathway. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Rodent models of depression: learned helplessness induced in mice.

PubMed

Anisman, H; Merali, Z

2001-05-01

Uncontrollable stressors induce a variety of behavioral disturbances that are in many ways reminiscent of the symptoms that characterize clinical depression. These deficits are evident across a range of species, including mice. Given the increasing focus on genetic techniques involving mice to identify the mechanisms subserving these behavioral disturbances (e.g., recombinant, knockout, and transgenic strains), it is of particular interest to provide a detailed description of the method to induce behavioral deficits in response to uncontrollable stressors. This unit describes the procedure used to assess the effects of controllable and uncontrollable shock on subsequent shock escape performance in mice using an escape-delay procedure.

Effects of Prolonged Deprivation on Learned Helplessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mal, Suraj; And Others

1990-01-01

Investigated influence of prolonged deprivation on responses to uncontrollable outcome among 104 Indian students in the tenth grade. Finds high-deprived and female students displayed greater helplessness than did their low-deprived and male counterparts. Females and high-deprives students attributed uncontrollable outcome more to internal, stable,…

Promoting Individual Learning for Trainees with Perceived High Helplessness: Experiences of a Safety Training Program

PubMed Central

Kiani, Fariba; Khodabakhsh, Mohamad Reza

2014-01-01

Objective: The article arises from a research project investigating the effectiveness of safety training on changing attitudes toward safety issues. Followed by the training intervention was observed that employees’ helplessness decreased. The researchers have come to the idea of investigating how safety training can reduce perceived helplessness. Thus, this research examined the effectiveness of safety training on reducing employees’ helplessness with attention to the mediating role of attitude toward safety issues. Methods: The current study was an experimental study with the control group. A total of 204 (101 experimental group and 103 control group) completed safety attitude questionnaire and perceived helplessness before a safety training course including four 90-min sessions over 4 consecutive days in Esfahan Steel Company in 2012 between October and December. Only members of the experimental group participated in this course. These questionnaires, approximately 30 days later, again were run on members of both groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive indexes, t-, and F-test. Results: Results by comparing the two groups showed that safety training was effective only on individuals with perceived low helplessness (p = 0.02). Conclusion: In individuals with perceived high helplessness, safety training only with changing safety attitudes can reduce the perceived helplessness. PMID:25798170

An Analysis of Learned Helplessness: Continuous Changes in Performance, Strategy, and Achievement Cognitions Following Failure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diener, Carol I.; Dweck, Carol S.

1978-01-01

Two studies examined the cognitive-motivational differences between helpless and mastery-oriented children by analyzing the effects of failure feedback on problem solving strategies during testing and identifying semantic differences in children's verbalizations following failure on task. Subjects were fifth graders of both sexes. (CM)

Learned helplessness in chess players: the importance of task similarity and the role of skill.

PubMed

Gobet, F R

1992-01-01

The effects of noncontingency between subjects' responses and outcomes were examined with respect to treatment-and-posttest similarity and skill in the task. The experimental design consisted of three groups. The first group had to solve chess problems with objective solutions and received veridical feedback; each member of the second group faced problems with no objective solutions, and received the same feedback as the member of the first group he was yoked with, but without any control on it; the control group received a waiting task. It was found at the end of the experiment that the group with unsolvable problems was more depressed than the two other groups. The mid-strength players were the most sensitive to the manipulation, and the weakest players showed little effect of learned helplessness. It was also found that the effects were proportional to the degree of similarity between the treatment and the posttest. The results limit the domain of applicability of the learned-helplessness model.

Rats bred for helplessness exhibit positive reinforcement learning deficits which are not alleviated by an antidepressant dose of the MAO-B inhibitor deprenyl.

PubMed

Schulz, Daniela; Henn, Fritz A; Petri, David; Huston, Joseph P

2016-08-04

Principles of negative reinforcement learning may play a critical role in the etiology and treatment of depression. We examined the integrity of positive reinforcement learning in congenitally helpless (cH) rats, an animal model of depression, using a random ratio schedule and a devaluation-extinction procedure. Furthermore, we tested whether an antidepressant dose of the monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitor deprenyl would reverse any deficits in positive reinforcement learning. We found that cH rats (n=9) were impaired in the acquisition of even simple operant contingencies, such as a fixed interval (FI) 20 schedule. cH rats exhibited no apparent deficits in appetite or reward sensitivity. They reacted to the devaluation of food in a manner consistent with a dose-response relationship. Reinforcer motivation as assessed by lever pressing across sessions with progressively decreasing reward probabilities was highest in congenitally non-helpless (cNH, n=10) rats as long as the reward probabilities remained relatively high. cNH compared to wild-type (n=10) rats were also more resistant to extinction across sessions. Compared to saline (n=5), deprenyl (n=5) reduced the duration of immobility of cH rats in the forced swimming test, indicative of antidepressant effects, but did not restore any deficits in the acquisition of a FI 20 schedule. We conclude that positive reinforcement learning was impaired in rats bred for helplessness, possibly due to motivational impairments but not deficits in reward sensitivity, and that deprenyl exerted antidepressant effects but did not reverse the deficits in positive reinforcement learning. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dorsal Medial Habenula Regulation of Mood-Related Behaviors and Primary Reinforcement by Tachykinin-Expressing Habenula Neurons

PubMed Central

Hsu, Yun-Wei A.

2016-01-01

Abstract Animal models have been developed to investigate aspects of stress, anxiety, and depression, but our understanding of the circuitry underlying these models remains incomplete. Prior studies of the habenula, a poorly understood nucleus in the dorsal diencephalon, suggest that projections to the medial habenula (MHb) regulate fear and anxiety responses, whereas the lateral habenula (LHb) is involved in the expression of learned helplessness, a model of depression. Tissue-specific deletion of the transcription factor Pou4f1 in the dorsal MHb (dMHb) results in a developmental lesion of this subnucleus. These dMHb-ablated mice show deficits in voluntary exercise, a possible correlate of depression. Here we explore the role of the dMHb in mood-related behaviors and intrinsic reinforcement. Lesions of the dMHb do not elicit changes in contextual conditioned fear. However, dMHb-lesioned mice exhibit shorter immobility time in the tail suspension test, another model of depression. dMHb-lesioned mice also display increased vulnerability to the induction of learned helplessness. However, this effect is not due specifically to the dMHb lesion, but appears to result from Pou4f1 haploinsufficiency elsewhere in the nervous system. Pou4f1 haploinsufficiency does not produce the other phenotypes associated with dMHb lesions. Using optogenetic intracranial self-stimulation, intrinsic reinforcement by the dMHb can be mapped to a specific population of neurokinin-expressing habenula neurons. Together, our data show that the dMHb is involved in the regulation of multiple mood-related behaviors, but also support the idea that these behaviors do not reflect a single functional pathway. PMID:27482535

Dorsal Medial Habenula Regulation of Mood-Related Behaviors and Primary Reinforcement by Tachykinin-Expressing Habenula Neurons.

PubMed

Hsu, Yun-Wei A; Morton, Glenn; Guy, Elizabeth G; Wang, Si D; Turner, Eric E

2016-01-01

Animal models have been developed to investigate aspects of stress, anxiety, and depression, but our understanding of the circuitry underlying these models remains incomplete. Prior studies of the habenula, a poorly understood nucleus in the dorsal diencephalon, suggest that projections to the medial habenula (MHb) regulate fear and anxiety responses, whereas the lateral habenula (LHb) is involved in the expression of learned helplessness, a model of depression. Tissue-specific deletion of the transcription factor Pou4f1 in the dorsal MHb (dMHb) results in a developmental lesion of this subnucleus. These dMHb-ablated mice show deficits in voluntary exercise, a possible correlate of depression. Here we explore the role of the dMHb in mood-related behaviors and intrinsic reinforcement. Lesions of the dMHb do not elicit changes in contextual conditioned fear. However, dMHb-lesioned mice exhibit shorter immobility time in the tail suspension test, another model of depression. dMHb-lesioned mice also display increased vulnerability to the induction of learned helplessness. However, this effect is not due specifically to the dMHb lesion, but appears to result from Pou4f1 haploinsufficiency elsewhere in the nervous system. Pou4f1 haploinsufficiency does not produce the other phenotypes associated with dMHb lesions. Using optogenetic intracranial self-stimulation, intrinsic reinforcement by the dMHb can be mapped to a specific population of neurokinin-expressing habenula neurons. Together, our data show that the dMHb is involved in the regulation of multiple mood-related behaviors, but also support the idea that these behaviors do not reflect a single functional pathway.

The role of helplessness, fear of pain, and passive pain-coping in chronic pain patients.

PubMed

Samwel, Han J A; Evers, Andrea W M; Crul, Ben J P; Kraaimaat, Floris W

2006-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine the relative contribution of helplessness, fear of pain, and passive pain-coping to pain level, disability, and depression in chronic pain patients attending an interdisciplinary pain center. One hundred sixty-nine chronic pain patients who had entered treatment at an interdisciplinary pain center completed various questionnaires and a pain diary. Helplessness, fear of pain, and passive pain-coping strategies were all related to the pain level, disability, and depression. When comparing the contribution of the predictors in multiple regression analyses, helplessness was the only significant predictor for pain level. Helplessness and the passive behavioral pain-coping strategies of resting significantly predicted disability. The passive cognitive pain-coping strategy of worrying significantly predicted depression. These findings indicate a role for helplessness and passive pain-coping in chronic pain patients and suggest that both may be relevant in the treatment of pain level, disability, and/or depression.

The Relationship of Early Maladaptive Schemas, Attributional Styles and Learned Helplessness among Addicted and Non-Addicted Men.

PubMed

Shaghaghy, Farhad; Saffarinia, Majid; Iranpoor, Mohadeseh; Soltanynejad, Ali

2011-01-01

Addiction is considered as one of the major problems in family and community in the world. According to cognitive view, organizing the experiences determines how to behave. Due to their importance in interpretation of special situations, cognitive schemas and attributional styles have a significant role in cognitive theories. The aim of this study was to compare early maladaptive schemas and attributional styles in addicts and non-addicts to recognize their role in addiction. In this causal-comparative study, 200 addicted and non-addicted men were randomly selected. Young early maladaptive schema and attributional styles questionnaires were used. Data analysis was performed by independent t-test, Pearson correlation and regression. The study population included 81 addicted and 90 non-addicted men. There were significant differences between early maladaptive schemas and attributional styles in the two groups of addicted and non-addicted men (P < 0.001). In addition, addicts had higher levels of learned helplessness. A direct relationship was found between learned helplessness and frequency of addiction treatments (r ═ 0.234, P < 0.05). Our study showed that addicts suffer from high levels of early maladaptive schemas. They had a more pessimistic attributional style. Moreover, addicts who developed higher levels of learned helplessness were less successful in addiction treatment and more likely to use drugs again after treatment. These issues show that addiction institutions and therapists have to pay attention to cognitive factors for addiction prevention.

Conservative orientation as a determinant of hopelessness.

PubMed

Cheung, C K; Kwok, S T

1996-06-01

Conservative orientation is identified with reference to authoritarianism, work ethic belief, just world belief, and endorsement of individualistic causes of social problems. This over-arching orientation is hypothesized to affect hopelessness and to be affected by self-esteem with reference to ego development theory and learned helplessness theory. Causal modeling of data obtained from 1st-year college students (N = 556) in Hong Kong supports the hypotheses, showing that a student's hopelessness relates to his or her conservative orientation, even when self-esteem is controlled. This relationship can be interpreted by ego development and learned helplessness theories and cannot be explained as a spurious effect. Through the theories, hopelessness is interpreted as a result of maladaptive development and fatalistic, alienated, and helpless outlooks. This maladaptive development and the outlooks in turn result from students' conservative and individualistic orientation.

Opposite roles for neuropeptide S in the nucleus accumbens and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in learned helplessness rats.

PubMed

Shirayama, Yukihiko; Ishima, Tamaki; Oda, Yasunori; Okamura, Naoe; Iyo, Masaomi; Hashimoto, Kenji

2015-09-15

The role of neuropeptide S (NPS) in depression remains unclear. We examined the antidepressant-like effects of NPS infusions into the shell or core regions of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and into the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) of learned helplessness (LH) rats (an animal model of depression). Infusions of NPS (10 pmol/side) into the NAc shell, but not the NAc core and BNST, exerted antidepressant-like effects in the LH paradigm. Implying that behavioral deficits could be improved in the conditioned avoidance test. Coinfusion of SHA68 (an NPS receptor antagonist, 100 pmol/side) with NPS into the NAc shell blocked these effects. In contrast, NPS receptor antagonism by SHA68 in the BNST induced antidepressant-like effects. Infusions of NPS into the NAc shell or SHA68 into the BNST did not produce memory deficits or locomotor activation in the passive avoidance and open field tests. These results suggest that excitatory and inhibitory actions by the NPS system are integral to the depression in LH animals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-dependent post-imperative negative variation indicates adaptation and problem solving in migraine patients.

PubMed

Kropp, Peter; Brecht, Ines-Beatrice; Niederberger, Uwe; Kowalski, Jens; Schröder, Dietmar; Thome, Johannes; Meyer, Wolfgang; Wallasch, Thomas-Martin; Hilgendorf, Inken; Gerber, Wolf-Dieter

2012-10-01

According to the Seligman theory of learned helplessness, depression is caused by a repetitive experience of loss of control resulting in internal, stable and global attributional styles for negative events. In depressed patients and healthy controls experiencing such events, an increased amplitude of the post-imperative negative variation (PINV) has been described. The aim of the study was to investigate a possible correlation between migraine, depression, learned helplessness and PINV. 24 patients suffering from migraine without aura and 24 healthy controls were exposed to a situation of loss of control whilst the contingent negative variation (CNV) from C3, C4 and Cz were recorded. Before conducting the experiment, the subjects were asked to answer the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the German attributional style questionnaire (GASQ). Amplitudes of total CNV, early and late component and PINV were calculated in eight blocks of four recordings each. The results confirm findings of a pronounced PINV in situations of loss of control, though high amplitudes were not correlated with low values in the GASQ and therefore with learned helplessness. High PINV in migraine patients correlated with high scores in the BDI and the list of the complaints questionnaire. However, this was not the case in healthy controls. In this experimental situation, PINV in migraine patients can be interpreted as an expectancy potential in order to avoid failure and helplessness.

Antidepressant activity of nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor antagonists in the mouse learned helplessness.

PubMed

Holanda, Victor A D; Medeiros, Iris U; Asth, Laila; Guerrini, Remo; Calo', Girolamo; Gavioli, Elaine C

2016-07-01

Pharmacological and genetic evidence support antidepressant-like effects elicited by the blockade of the NOP receptor. The learned helplessness (LH) model employs uncontrollable and unpredictable electric footshocks as a stressor stimulus to induce a depressive-like phenotype that can be reversed by classical antidepressants. The present study aimed to evaluate the action of NOP receptor antagonists in helpless mice. Male Swiss mice were subjected to the three steps of the LH paradigm (i.e., (1) induction, (2) screening, and (3) test). Only helpless animals were subjected to the test session. During the test session, animals were placed in the electrified chamber and the latency to escape after the footshock and the frequency of escape failures were recorded. The effect of the following treatments administered before the test session were evaluated: nortriptyline (30 mg/kg, ip, 60 min), fluoxetine (30 mg/kg, ip, four consecutive days of treatment), and NOP antagonists SB-612111 (1-10 mg/kg, ip, 30 min) and UFP-101 (1-10 nmol, icv, 5 min). To rule out possible biases, the effects of treatments on controllable stressful and non stressful situations were assessed. In helpless mice, nortriptyline, fluoxetine, UFP-101 (3-10 nmol), and SB-612111 (3-10 mg/kg) significantly reduced escape latencies and escape failures. No effects of drug treatments were observed in mice subjected to the controllable electric footshocks and non stressful situations. Acute treatment with NOP antagonists reversed helplessness similarly to the classical antidepressants. These findings support the proposal that NOP receptor antagonists are worthy of development as innovative antidepressant drugs.

The mediational role of helplessness in psychological outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus.

PubMed

Mills, S D; Azizoddin, D; Gholizadeh, S; Racaza, G Z; Nicassio, P M

2018-06-01

Objective Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can result in disability and psychological distress. Although pain has been associated with depressive symptomatology and stress in SLE, a paucity of theoretical models have been used to explain the relationship between pain and psychological distress in this population. Thus, the present study examined helplessness as a mediator of the relationship between pain and psychological distress among patients with SLE. Methods Multiple mediation analysis was used to examine the hypothesis that learned helplessness mediates the relationship between pain and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress in a sample of patients with SLE ( N = 136) receiving medical care at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Results The mean score on the Helplessness subscale was 14.5 ( SD = 5.4). Helplessness fully mediated the relationship between pain vitality and symptoms of anxiety (BCa 95% CI (-0.073, -0.015)), depression (BCa 95% CI (-0.502, -0.212)), and stress (BCa 95% CI (-0.063, -0.027)). Conclusion Participants reported a high level of perceived inability to control one's disease. Helplessness fully mediated the relationship between pain and measures of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress among patients with SLE.

Treatment with escitalopram but not desipramine decreases escape latency times in a learned helplessness model using juvenile rats.

PubMed

Reed, Abbey L; Anderson, Jeffrey C; Bylund, David B; Petty, Frederick; El Refaey, Hesham; Happe, H Kevin

2009-08-01

The pharmacological treatment of depression in children and adolescents is different from that of adults due to the lack of efficacy of certain antidepressants in the pediatric age group. Our current understanding of why these differences occur is very limited. To develop more effective treatments, a juvenile animal model of depression was tested to validate it as a possible model to specifically study pediatric depression. Procedures for use with juvenile rats at postnatal day (PND) 21 and 28 were adapted from the adult learned helplessness model in which, 24 h after exposure to inescapable stress, animals are unable to remove themselves from an easily escapable stressor. Rats were treated for 7 days with either the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram at 10 mg/kg or the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine at 3, 10, or 15 mg/kg to determine if treatment could decrease escape latency times. Escitalopram treatment was effective at decreasing escape latency times in all ages tested. Desipramine treatment did not decrease escape latency times for PND 21 rats, but did decrease times for PND 28 and adult animals. The learned helplessness model with PND 21 rats predicts the efficacy of escitalopram and the lack of efficacy of desipramine seen in the treatment of pediatric depression. These findings suggest that the use of PND 21 rats in a modified learned helplessness procedure may be a valuable model of human pediatric depression that can predict pediatric antidepressant efficacy and be used to study antidepressant mechanisms involved in pediatric depression.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation: no effect on mood with single pulse during learned helplessness.

PubMed

Habel, U; Wild, B; Topka, H; Kircher, T; Salloum, J B; Schneider, F

2001-04-01

1. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is suggested to be an effective tool in the treatment of depression. However, the methodology most suitable for clinical application remains unclear. 2. The effect of TMS was tested in a double-blind and placebo-controlled setting on 18 healthy subjects. At the same time an established learned helplessness paradigm was applied to induce dysphoria, which consisted of unsolvable anagrams. 3. Sixty 0.5 Hz stimuli were administered at an intensity of 130% of the subject's motor threshold after the subjects were exposed to the learned helplessness situation. Using a vertically positioned coil, the stimuli were applied to the right or to the left frontal cortex, or on the occipital cortex as a placebo condition. 4. Although dysphoria was successfully induced by unsolvable anagrams, TMS on either of the two frontal locations did not influence mood. This lack of effect may be due to the stimulation characteristics employed here (low TMS intensity, and low frequency). On the other hand, the findings may reflect the neurobiological difference between experimentally induced sad mood and clinical depression.

Restoring mood balance in depression: ketamine reverses deficit in dopamine-dependent synaptic plasticity.

PubMed

Belujon, Pauline; Grace, Anthony A

2014-12-15

One of the most novel and exciting findings in major depressive disorder research over the last decade is the discovery of the fast-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effects of ketamine. Indeed, the therapeutic effects of classic antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, require a month or longer to be expressed, with about a third of major depressive disorder patients resistant to treatment. Clinical studies have shown that a low dose of ketamine exhibits fast-acting relatively sustained antidepressant action, even in treatment-resistant patients. However, the mechanisms of ketamine action at a systems level remain unclear. Wistar-Kyoto rats were exposed to inescapable, uncontrollable footshocks. To evaluate learned helplessness behavior, we used an active avoidance task in a shuttle box equipped with an electrical grid floor. After helplessness assessment, we performed in vivo electrophysiological recordings first from ventral tegmental area dopaminergic (DA) neurons and second from accumbens neurons responsive to fimbria stimulation. Ketamine was injected and tested on helpless behavior and electrophysiological recordings. We show that ketamine is able to restore the integrity of a network by acting on the DA system and restoring synaptic dysfunction observed in stress-induced depression. We show that part of the antidepressant effect of ketamine is via the DA system. Indeed, injection of ketamine restores a decreased dopamine neuron population activity, as well as synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation) in the hippocampus-accumbens pathway, via, in part, activation of D1 receptors. This work provides a unique systems perspective on the mechanisms of ketamine on a disrupted limbic system. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain systems underlying susceptibility to helplessness and depression.

PubMed

Shumake, J; Gonzalez-Lima, F

2003-09-01

There has been a relative lack of research into the neurobiological predispositions that confer vulnerability to depression. This article reviews functional brain mappings from a genetic animal model, the congenitally helpless rat, which is predisposed to develop learned helplessness. Neurometabolic findings from this model are integrated with the neuroscientific literature from other animal models of depression as well as depressed humans. Changes in four major brain systems are suggested to underlie susceptibility to helplessness and possibly depression: (a) an unbalanced prefrontal-cingulate cortical system, (b) a dissociated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, (c) a dissociated septal-hippocampal system, and (d) a hypoactive brain reward system, as exemplified by a hypermetabolic habenula-interpeduncular nucleus pathway and a hypometabolic ventral tegmental area-striatum pathway. Functional interconnections and causal relationships among these systems are considered and further experiments are suggested, with theoretical attention to how an abnormality in any one system could affect the others.

Effects of a brief psychosocial intervention in patients with cancer receiving adjuvant therapy.

PubMed

Oh, Pok Ja; Kim, Soo Hyun

2010-03-01

To test the effects of a brief psychosocial intervention using CD-ROM (BPIC) on psychosocial (fighting spirit, helplessness or hopelessness, anxiety, and depression) and behavioral (self-care behaviors) outcomes in patients with cancer receiving adjuvant therapy. Quasi-experimental. A comprehensive cancer center in Seoul, South Korea. 71 patients undergoing adjuvant therapy. The study participants were assigned to either BPIC or a control group. The experimental group underwent a two-week psychosocial intervention via CD-ROM, booklet, and telephone counseling. Fighting spirit, helplessness or hopelessness, anxiety, depression, and self-care behaviors. After BPIC, the experimental group showed significantly higher scores than the control group for fighting spirit (p = 0.005) and self-care behaviors (p < 0.001). However, the groups showed no significant differences in helplessness or hopelessness (p = 0.42), anxiety (p = 0.279), and depression (p = 0.068). BPIC use improved fighting spirit and self-care behaviors in study participants. The results partially support the effectiveness of BPIC for adaptation among patients with cancer receiving adjuvant therapy. A brief psychosocial intervention using multimedia can be used effectively in clinical oncology settings to accelerate adaptation among patients with cancer in the adjuvant phase.

Hippocampal astrocytes are necessary for antidepressant treatment of learned helplessness rats.

PubMed

Iwata, Masaaki; Shirayama, Yukihiko; Ishida, Hisahito; Hazama, Gen-i; Nakagome, Kazuyuki

2011-08-01

The astrocyte is a major component of the neural network and plays a role in brain function. Previous studies demonstrated changes in the number of astrocytes in depression. In this study, we examined alterations in the number of astrocytes in the learned helplessness (LH) rat, an animal model of depression. The numbers of activated and nonactivated astrocytes in the dentate gyrus (molecular layer, subgranular zone, and hilus), and CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus were significantly increased 2 and 8 days after attainment of LH. Subchronic treatment with imipramine showed a tendency (although not statistically significant) to decrease the LH-induced increment of activated astrocytes in the CA3 region and dentate gyrus. Furthermore, subchronic treatment of naïve rats with imipramine did not alter the numbers of activated and nonactivated astrocytes. However, the antidepressant-like effects of imipramine in the LH paradigm were blocked when fluorocitrate (a reversible inhibitor of astrocyte function) was injected into the dentate gyrus or CA3 region. Injection of fluorocitrate into naive rats failed to induce behavioral deficits in the conditioned avoidance test. These results indicate that astrocytes are responsive to the antidepressant-like effect of imipramine in the dentate gyrus and CA3 region of the hippocampus. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

MicroRNA expression in rat brain exposed to repeated inescapable shock: differential alterations in learned helplessness vs. non-learned helplessness.

PubMed

Smalheiser, Neil R; Lugli, Giovanni; Rizavi, Hooriyah S; Zhang, Hui; Torvik, Vetle I; Pandey, Ghanshyam N; Davis, John M; Dwivedi, Yogesh

2011-11-01

MicroRNA (miRNA) expression was measured within frontal cortex of male Holtzman rats subjected to repeated inescapable shocks at days 1 and 7, tested for learned helplessness (LH) at days 2 and 8, and sacrificed at day 15. We compared rats that did vs. did not exhibit LH, as well as rats that were placed in the apparatus and tested for avoidance but not given shocks (tested controls, TC). Non-learned helpless (NLH) rats showed a robust adaptive miRNA response to inescapable shock whereas LH rats showed a markedly blunted response. One set of 12 miRNAs showed particularly large, significant down-regulation in NLH rats relative to tested controls (mir-96, 141, 182, 183, 183*, 298, 200a, 200a*, 200b, 200b*, 200c, 429). These were encoded at a few shared polycistronic loci, suggesting that the down-regulation was coordinately controlled at the level of transcription. Most of these miRNAs are enriched in synaptic fractions. Moreover, almost all of these share 5'-seed motifs with other members of the same set, suggesting that they will hit similar or overlapping sets of target mRNAs. Finally, half of this set is predicted to hit Creb1 as a target. We also identified a core miRNA co-expression module consisting of 36 miRNAs that are highly correlated with each other across individuals of the LH group (but not in the NLH or TC groups). Thus, miRNAs participate in the alterations of gene expression networks that underlie the normal (NLH) as well as aberrant (LH) response to repeated shocks.

Helplessness: a systematic translational review of theory and evidence for its relevance to understanding and treating depression.

PubMed

Pryce, Christopher R; Azzinnari, Damiano; Spinelli, Simona; Seifritz, Erich; Tegethoff, Marion; Meinlschmidt, Gunther

2011-12-01

Helplessness is a major concept in depression and a major theme in preclinical and clinical depression research. For example, in rodents and humans, the learned helplessness (LH) effect describes a specific deficit in behaviour to control aversive stimuli that is induced by prior exposure to uncontrollable aversive stimuli. The LH effect is objective and valid in that the cause of the behavioural deficit, namely uncontrollability, is clear; furthermore, the deficit induced is underlain by emotional, motivational and cognitive processes that are relevant to depression psychopathology. As a further example, helplessness, hopelessness, external locus of control and causal attribution are inter-related and major themes in psychological theories (primarily cognitive theories) of depression. Despite this broad interest in helplessness, it can be argued that its potential usefulness as a scientific and clinical concept has so far not been investigated optimally, including with respect to its application in research aimed at development of improved anti-depressant pharmacotherapy. The first aim of this review was to describe and integrate the psychological evidence and the neurobiological evidence for the LH effect in rodents and healthy humans and for helplessness in depressed patients. The second aim was to conduct three systematic reviews, namely of rodent studies of the LH effect, rodent studies of effects of psychopharmacological agents on the LH effect, and human studies of efficacy of pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic treatment on helplessness in depressed patients. With respect to the first aim, the major findings are: the specificity of the LH effect in otherwise non-manipulated rodents and healthy humans has been under-estimated, and the LH effect is a specific learned aversive uncontrollability (LAU) effect. There is theoretical and empirical support for a model in which a specific LAU effect induced by a life event of major emotional significance can function as an aetiological factor for generalised helplessness which can in turn function as an aetiological and maintenance factor for depression. However, to date such models have focused on cognitive mediating processes whereas it is emotional-motivational-cognitive processes (as proposed for the LAU effect) that need to be invoked and understood. The evidence is for analogous neural processes underlying the LAU effect in rodents and healthy humans and helplessness in depression, with the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex exhibiting aversive uncontrollability-dependent activity. With respect to the second aim, the major findings are: the LAU effect is demonstrated quite consistently using a number of different paradigms in rat but is poorly studied in mouse. The rat LAU effect can be reversed by chronic administration of monoamine reuptake inhibitors. The effects of antidepressants on human helplessness have been scarcely studied to-date. The major conclusion is that the LAU effect and generalised helplessness constitute major neuropsychological concepts of high value to future translational research aimed at increased understanding of depression and development of novel, improved antidepressant treatments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Achievement Motivation: From the Perspective of Learned Hopelessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Au, Chung-park

1995-01-01

Introduces the concept of learned hopelessness, with special attention on its development from the helplessness theory of depression, and its application to studies of achievement motivation. Highlights conceptual and assessment issues that arise in researching learned hopelessness and achievement motivation. (DSK)

Anticipatory fear and helplessness predict PTSD and depression in domestic violence survivors.

PubMed

Salcioglu, Ebru; Urhan, Sevim; Pirinccioglu, Tugba; Aydin, Sule

2017-01-01

Embracing the conceptual framework of contemporary learning theory, this study tested the hypothesis that anticipatory fear due to a sense of ongoing threat to safety and sense of helplessness in life would be the strongest determinants of PTSD and depression in domestic violence survivors. Participants were 220 domestic violence survivors recruited consecutively from 12 shelters for women in Turkey (response rate 70%). They were assessed with the Semi-Structured Interview for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Traumatic Stress Symptom Checklist, Depression Rating Scale, and Fear and Sense of Control Scale. Survivors were exposed to 21 (SD = 6.7) physical, psychological, and sexual violence stressors over 11.3 (SD = 8.8) years. They reported high levels of peritrauma perceived distress of and lack of control over stressor events. Approximately 10 months after trauma, many feared reliving the same domestic violence events, felt helpless, feared for their life, and felt in danger. PTSD and depression rates were 48.2% and 32.7%, respectively. The strongest predictors of PTSD and depression were fear due to a sense of ongoing threat to safety and sense of helplessness in life, which explained the largest amount of variances in these psychiatric conditions. The findings support the contemporary learning theory of traumatic stress and are consistent with findings of studies involving earthquake, war, and torture survivors. They imply that trauma-focused interventions designed to overcome fear, reduce helplessness, and restore sense of control over one's life would be effective in PTSD and depression in domestic violence survivors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Behaviour of a genetic mouse model of depression in the learned helplessness paradigm.

PubMed

Bougarel, Laure; Guitton, Jérôme; Zimmer, Luc; Vaugeois, Jean-Marie; El Yacoubi, Malika

2011-06-01

H/Rouen (displaying a helpless phenotype in the tail suspension test) mice exhibiting features of depressive disorders and NH/Rouen (displaying non-helpless phenotype) mice were previously created through behavioural screening and selective breeding. Learned helplessness (LH), in which footshock stress induces a coping deficit, models some aspects of depression in rodents, but so far, fewer LH studies have been performed in mice than in rats. To study H/Rouen and NH/Rouen in the LH paradigm. When CD1 mice were submitted to footshock with various training durations and shock intensities, the most suitable parameters to induce a behavioural deficit were 0.3 mA and four training sessions. A significantly longer latency to escape shocks was found in male H/Rouen mice compared to male NH/Rouen mice. On the other hand, once shocked, NH/Rouen mice showed more severe coping deficits than H/Rouen mice. In addition, a sub-chronic treatment with fluoxetine lacked efficacy in NH/Rouen mice, whereas it improved performances in H/Rouen mice. We also found that a shock reminder at day 8, subsequent to inescapable shocks, maintained helplessness for 20 days. Finally, female H/Rouen mice responded to chronic fluoxetine administration after 10 days of treatment, while a 20-day treatment was necessary to improve the behavioural deficit in H/Rouen male mice. H/Rouen and NH/Rouen lines displayed different despair-related behaviour in the LH paradigm. Fluoxetine had beneficial effects after sub-chronic or chronic but not acute treatment of H/Rouen mice, thus providing a pharmacological validation of the protocols.

Aging and depression vulnerability interaction results in decreased serotonin innervation associated with reduced BDNF levels in hippocampus of rats bred for learned helplessness.

PubMed

Aznar, Susana; Klein, Anders B; Santini, Martin A; Knudsen, Gitte M; Henn, Fritz; Gass, Peter; Vollmayr, Barbara

2010-07-01

Epidemiological studies have revealed a strong genetic contribution to the risk for depression. Both reduced hippocampal serotonin neurotransmission and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been associated with increased depression vulnerability and are also regulated during aging. Brains from young (5 months old) and old (13 months old) congenital Learned Helplessness rats (cLH), and congenital Non Learned Helplessness rats (cNLH) were immunohistochemically stained for the serotonin transporter and subsequently stereologically quantified for estimating hippocampal serotonin fiber density. Hippocampal BDNF protein levels were measured by ELISA. An exacerbated age-related loss of serotonin fiber density specific for the CA1 area was observed in the cLH animals, whereas reduced hippocampal BDNF levels were seen in young and old cLH when compared with age-matched cNLH controls. These observations indicate that aging should be taken into account when studying the neurobiological factors behind the vulnerability for depression and that understanding the effect of aging on genetically predisposed individuals may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology behind depression, particularly in the elderly.

The COPD Helplessness Index

PubMed Central

Katz, Patricia P.; Yelin, Edward H.; Iribarren, Carlos; Knight, Sara J.; Blanc, Paul D.; Eisner, Mark D.

2010-01-01

Background: Psychologic factors affect how patients with COPD respond to attempts to improve their self-management skills. Learned helplessness may be one such factor, but there is no validated measure of helplessness in COPD. Methods: We administered a new COPD Helplessness Index (CHI) to 1,202 patients with COPD. Concurrent validity was assessed through association of the CHI with established psychosocial measures and COPD severity. The association of helplessness with incident COPD exacerbations was then examined by following subjects over a median 2.1 years, defining COPD exacerbations as COPD-related hospitalizations or ED visits. Results: The CHI demonstrated internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.75); factor analysis was consistent with the CHI representing a single construct. Greater CHI-measured helplessness correlated with greater COPD severity assessed by the BODE (Body-mass, Obstruction, Dyspnea, Exercise) Index (r = 0.34; P < .001). Higher CHI scores were associated with worse generic (Short Form-12, Physical Component Summary Score) and respiratory-specific (Airways Questionnaire 20) health-related quality of life, greater depressive symptoms, and higher anxiety (all P < .001). Controlling for sociodemographics and smoking status, helplessness was prospectively associated with incident COPD exacerbations (hazard ratio = 1.31; P < .001). After also controlling for the BODE Index, helplessness remained predictive of COPD exacerbations among subjects with BODE Index ≤ median (hazard ratio = 1.35; P = .01), but not among subjects with higher BODE Index values (hazard ratio = 0.93; P = .34). Conclusions: The CHI is an internally consistent and valid measure, concurrently associated with health status and predictively associated with COPD exacerbations. The CHI may prove a useful tool in analyzing differential clinical responses mediated by patient-centered attributes. PMID:19837823

Perception of Contingency and Mental Retardation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVellis, Robert F.; McCauley, Charley

1979-01-01

It is argued that the general learning difficulties exhibited by mentally retarded persons are similar in many respects to the learning difficulties of nonretarded persons who are in a state of learned helplessness (M. Seligman, 1975) or who are external in locus of control orientation. (Author)

Communicating with people who have multiple sensory impairments.

PubMed

Stremel, K

1991-11-01

The good news is that we can be effective teachers, clinicians, interactors, and consultants, enabling the learner, ourselves, and significant others to communicate more effectively with one another. The bad news is that we can be ineffectual, often leading the learner to learned helplessness, prompt dependency, and possibly self-injurious behaviors. Extreme measures may be the only means that we have given the learner to communicate intents such as, "Stop intruding on my space," or "Come attend to me." We can set ourselves and the learner up for success or for failure. We, as service providers, have choices and options as well.

Early life stress and later peer distress on depressive behavior in adolescent female rats: Effects of a novel intervention on GABA and D2 receptors.

PubMed

Lukkes, Jodi L; Meda, Shirisha; Thompson, Britta S; Freund, Nadja; Andersen, Susan L

2017-07-14

Early life adversity (ELA) increases the risk of depression during adolescence that may result from a decline in parvalbumin (PVB) secondary to increased neuroinflammation. In this study, we investigated depressive-like behavior following exposure to two different types of stressors that are relevant for their developmental period: 1) chronic ELA (maternal separation; MS) and 2) an acute emotional stressor during adolescence (witnessing their peers receive multiple shocks; WIT), and their interaction. We also determined whether reducing inflammation by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition would prevent the onset of depressive-like behavior. Female Sprague-Dawley rat pups underwent MS for four-hours/day or received typical care (CON) between postnatal days (P) 2 and P20. A COX-2 inhibitor (COX-2I) or vehicle was administered every other day between P30 and P38. Subjects were tested for learned helplessness to assess depressive-like behavior at P40 (adolescence). MS females demonstrated increased escape latency and decreased PVB in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and dorsal raphe that were attenuated by COX-2I intervention. Helplessness was also associated with an increase in D2 receptors in the accumbens. In contrast, WIT elevated escape latency in CON, but reduced latency in MS females. Furthermore, COX-2I intervention decreased escape latency in both CON and MS after WIT. WIT reduced PVB levels in the basolateral amygdala and increased PFC levels to CON levels. Our data suggest that decreased PVB in the PFC is important for the expression of depressive-like behavior and suggest that COX-2I intervention may provide a novel prevention for depression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Could implantable cardioverter defibrillators provide a human model supporting the learned helplessness theory of depression?

PubMed

Goodman, M; Hess, B

1999-01-01

Affective symptoms were examined retrospectively in 25 patients following placement of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) which can produce intermittent shocks without warning in response to cardiac ventricular arrhythmias. The number of ICD random, uncontrollable discharge shocks and pre-ICD history of psychological distress (i.e., depression and/or anxiety) were documented in all patients using a demographics questionnaire and a standardized behavioral/psychological symptoms questionnaire (i.e., Symptom Checklist-90 Revised). ICD patients were dichotomized into two groups: those without a history of psychological distress prior to ICD (n = 18) and those with a history of psychological distress prior to ICD (n = 7). In ICD patients without a prior history, results indicated that quantity of ICD discharge shocks was significantly predictive of current reported depression (r = 0.45, p = 0.03) and current reported anxiety (r = 0.51, p = 0.02). Conversely, in patients with a reported history of psychological distress, there was no significant relationship found between quantity of discharge shocks and current reported depression or anxiety. This study may provide evidence in support of a human model of learned helplessness in that it supports the notion that exposure to an unavoidable and inescapable aversive stimulus was found to be related to patients' reported depression. Further studies may wish to prospectively consider a larger sample as well as a more comprehensive assessment of premorbid psychological symptoms.

Post-stress facilitation of serotonergic, but not noradrenergic, neurotransmission in the dorsal hippocampus prevents learned helplessness development in rats.

PubMed

Joca, Sâmia Regiane Lourenço; Zanelati, Tatiane; Guimarães, Francisco Silveira

2006-05-04

Recent pieces of evidence suggest that the dorsal hippocampus may mediate adaptation to severe and inescapable stress, possibly by the facilitation of serotonergic and/or noradrenergic neurotransmission. Chronic social stress and high corticosteroid levels would impair this coping mechanism, predisposing animals to learned helplessness. To test the hypothesis that increasing serotonin or noradrenaline levels in the dorsal hippocampus would attenuate the development of learned helplessness (LH), rats received inescapable foot shock (IS) and were tested in a shuttle box 24 h latter. Prestressed animals showed impairment of escape responses. This effect was prevented by bilateral intrahippocampal injections of zimelidine (100 nmol/0.5 microl), a serotonin reuptake blocker, immediately after IS. This effect was not observed when zimelidine was administered before or 2 h after IS. Bilateral intrahippocampal injections of desipramine (3 or 30 nmol/0.5 microl), a noradrenaline reuptake blocker, before IS or immediately after it did not prevent LH development. Desipramine (30 nmol) enhanced LH development when injected before IS. These data suggest that poststress facilitation of hippocampal serotonergic, but not noradrenergic, neurotransmission in the dorsal hippocampus facilitates adaptation to severe inescapable stress. Antidepressant effects of noradrenaline-selective drugs seem to depend on other structures than the dorsal hippocampus.

Symposium Proceedings on Intervention Programs Aimed at Increasing Minority Participation in Mathematics-Based Fields Held in Washington, DC on 27-28 May 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-05-28

I Seligman (1975), after having observed animals, theorized that people can also become victims of learned helplessness in that they readily perceive...Abramson, Seligman , and Teasdale (1978) hypothesized that the condition-I ing of helplessness causes individuals to attribute their failure to succeed... Linda Hayden, was able to collect and analyze pertinent data relative to the present performance of Saturday Academy alumni when compared to a peer

Evaluation of Learned Helplessness, Perceived Self-efficacy, and Functional Capacity in Patients With Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

PubMed

Moyano, Sebastián; Scolnik, Marina; Vergara, Facundo; García, María Victoria; Sabelli, Mirtha Rosa; Rosa, Javier Eduardo; Catoggio, Luis José; Soriano, Enrique Roberto

2018-03-19

The aims of this study were to compare learned helplessness (LH) and perceived self-efficacy (SE) in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to assess their correlation with functional disability, level of perceived pain, and fatigue. This multicenter, cross-sectional study included consecutive patients (aged ≥18 years) with RA, according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria, and FM, according to 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Learned helplessness was measured by the Rheumatology Attitude Index, Spanish version; SE with the Arthritis Self-efficacy Scale, Spanish version; functional capacity with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Argentine version; depression with Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale 7-item version and perceived pain and fatigue by the visual analog scale. Disease activity was measured by the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and disease impact with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). A total of 215 patients, 100 with FM and 115 with RA, were included. Mean age was 59 (SD, 14) years and 58 (SD, 13) years for FM and RA, patients respectively. Whereas LH and depression were significantly higher, SE was significantly lower in FM patients. We found a positive correlation between LH and HAQ, pain, depression, fatigue, FIQ, and CDAI in FM and RA patients. We observed a negative correlation between SE and HAQ, pain, depression, fatigue, FIQ (FM), and CDAI (RA) in both groups. Both LH and SE correlate significantly with functional capacity, perceived pain, disease activity, and disease impact in RA and FM patients. Learned helplessness was higher in patients with active disease or high disease impact, as opposed to those in remission or with low disease impact, and the reverse was true for SE. Patients with FM had significantly more LH, pain, fatigue, and depression and less SE compared with those with RA.

Hippocampal glycogen synthase kinase 3β is critical for the antidepressant effect of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 inhibitor in rats.

PubMed

Li, Gang; Liu, Ting; Kong, Xiangqian; Wang, Lei; Jin, Xing

2014-09-01

Cdk5 is a member of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk), a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase, and plays a key role in normal neural development and function. Evidence of previous study showed that chronic inhibition of Cdk5 in hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) blocked the development of depressive-like symptoms, suggesting that Cdk5 plays a role in development of depression. Forced swim test, novelty-suppressed feeding test, and learned helplessness were used to evaluate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the behavioral regulation of Cdk5 inhibitors in rats. Two Cdk5 inhibitors butyrolactone and roscovitine were used to investigate the possible antidepressant-like actions of Cdk5 blockade and the potential mechanisms. Systemic administration of butyrolactone (200 mg/kg, IP) or roscovitine (100 mg/kg, IP) produced effective antidepressant-like actions. Moreover, infusion (5 mM) of GSK3β activator LY294002 into DG abolished the antidepressant-like actions of butyrolactone and roscovitine, suggesting that inhibition of GSK3β might be involved in the antidepressant effect of Cdk5 inhibitors. Moreover, pretreatment of LY294002 (5 mM) blocked the antidepressant-like effect of butyrolactone and roscovitine in learned helplessness. Additionally, inescapable footshock induced a significant increase of GSK3β activity, while butyrolactone and roscovitine decreased GSK3β activity. In contrast, pretreatment of LY294002 prevented the inhibitory effects of butyrolactone and roscovitine on GSK3β activation. Finally, a specific GSK3β inhibitor, SB216763 (1 ng, DG), demonstrated an effective antidepressant-like action. These findings demonstrate that systemic administration of Cdk5 inhibitors produced antidepressant-like actions and that inhibition of GSK3β is involved in behavioral response of Cdk5 inhibitors.

Effects of a single bilateral infusion of R-ketamine in the rat brain regions of a learned helplessness model of depression.

PubMed

Shirayama, Yukihiko; Hashimoto, Kenji

2017-03-01

Effects of a single bilateral infusion of R-enantiomer of ketamine in rat brain regions of learned helplessness model of depression were examined. A single bilateral infusion of R-ketamine into infralimbic (IL) portion of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus showed antidepressant effects. By contrast, a single bilateral infusion of R-ketamine into prelimbic (PL) portion of mPFC, shell and core of nucleus accumbens, basolateral amygdala and central nucleus of the amygdala had no effect. This study suggests that IL of mPFC, CA3 and DG of hippocampus might be involved in the antidepressant actions of R-ketamine.

Lack of promoter IV-driven BDNF transcription results in depression-like behavior.

PubMed

Sakata, K; Jin, L; Jha, S

2010-10-01

Transcription of Bdnf is controlled by multiple promoters, in which promoter IV contributes significantly to activity-dependent Bdnf transcription. We have generated promoter IV mutant mice [brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-KIV] in which promoter IV-driven expression of BDNF is selectively disrupted by inserting a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-STOP cassette within the Bdnf exon IV locus. BDNF-KIV animals exhibited depression-like behavior as shown by the tail suspension test (TST), sucrose preference test (SPT) and learned helplessness test (LHT). In addition, BDNF-KIV mice showed reduced activity in the open field test (OFT) and reduced food intake in the novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT). The mutant mice did not display anxiety-like behavior in the light and dark box test and elevated plus maze tests. Interestingly, the mutant mice showed defective response inhibition in the passive avoidance test (PAT) even though their learning ability was intact when measured with the active avoidance test (AAT). These results suggest that promoter IV-dependent BDNF expression plays a critical role in the control of mood-related behaviors. This is the first study that directly addressed the effects of endogenous promoter-driven expression of BDNF in depression-like behavior. © 2010 The Authors. Genes, Brain and Behavior © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

Brain Based Instruction in Correctional Settings: Strategies for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becktold, Toni Hill

2001-01-01

Brain-based learning strategies (learner choice, movement, small groups) may be inappropriate in corrections for security reasons. Problems encountered in correctional education (attention deficit disorder, learned helplessness) complicate the use of these strategies. Incorporating brain-based instruction in these settings requires creativity and…

Adolescent Literacy: Current Status.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Elizabeth A.

2002-01-01

Suggests that since educators can no longer assume that secondary students have the literacy skills needed for successful learning, educators need to systematically integrate instruction in reading strategies into all classes. Considers how to break the cycle of learned helplessness and disengagement from literacy that is all too prevalent among…

Different types of avoidance behavior in rats produce dissociable post-training changes in sleep.

PubMed

Fogel, Stuart M; Smith, Carlyle T; Higginson, Caitlin D; Beninger, Richard J

2011-02-01

Avoidance learning affects post-training sleep, and post-training sleep deprivation impairs performance. However, not all rats learn to make avoidance responses, and some rats fail to escape; a definitive behavior of learned helplessness, a model of depression. This study investigated the changes in sleep associated with different behaviors adopted following avoidance training. Rats (n=53) were trained for 100 trials over 2 days (50 trials/day), followed by 23-24 h of post-training polysomnography, then re-tested (25 trials). At re-test, rats were categorized into: 1) Active Avoiders (AA; n=22), 2), Non-learning (NL; n=21), or 3) Escape Failures (EF; n=10). AA rats increased avoidances over days, whereas the NL and EF groups did not. EF rats increased escape failures over days, whereas the NL and AA rats did not. EF rats had increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the first 4h on training day 1. They also had increased non-REM sleep in the first 4h and last 4h on both training days. AA rats had increased REM sleep 13-20 h post-training. The type of behavioral strategy adopted throughout training is associated with a unique pattern of changes in post-training sleep. Training-dependent changes in post-acquisition sleep may reflect distinct processes involved in the consolidation of these different memory traces. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Addiction, helplessness, and narcissistic rage.

PubMed

Dodes, L M

1990-07-01

In many cases addictive behavior serves to ward off a sense of helplessness or powerlessness via controlling and regulating one's affective state. Addicts have a vulnerability to feelings of powerlessness, which reflects a specific narcissistic impairment. The drive in addiction to re-establish a sense of power is, correspondingly, impelled by narcissistic rage. This rage gives to addiction some of its distinctive clinical properties. The narcissistic vulnerability in addicts is discussed. Several brief clinical cases are provided, and the view proposed is correlated with other psychoanalytic perspectives.

Increased vulnerability to depressive-like behavior of mice with decreased expression of VGLUT1.

PubMed

Garcia-Garcia, Alvaro L; Elizalde, Natalia; Matrov, Denis; Harro, Jaanus; Wojcik, Sonja M; Venzala, Elisabet; Ramírez, Maria J; Del Rio, Joaquin; Tordera, Rosa M

2009-08-01

Many studies link depression to an increase in the excitatory-inhibitory ratio in the forebrain. Presynaptic alterations in a shared pathway of the glutamate/gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) cycle may account for this imbalance. Evidence suggests that decreased vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) levels in the forebrain affect the glutamate/GABA cycle and induce helpless behavior. We studied decreased VGLUT1 as a potential factor enhancing a depressive-like phenotype in an animal model. Glutamate and GABA synthesis as well as oxidative metabolism were studied in heterozygous mice for the VGLUT1+/- and wildtype. The regulation of neurotransmitter levels, proteins involved in the glutamate/GABA cycle, and behavior by both genotype and chronic mild stress (CMS) were studied. Finally, the effect of chronic imipramine on VGLUT1 control and CMS mice was studied. VGLUT1+/- mice showed increased neuronal synthesis of glutamate; decreased cortical and hippocampal GABA, VGLUT1, and excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1) as well as helplessness and anhedonia. CMS induced an increase of glutamate and a decrease of GABA, the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), and glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) in both areas and led to upregulation of EAAT1 in the hippocampus. Moreover, CMS induced anhedonia, helplessness, anxiety, and impaired recognition memory. VGLUT1+/- CMS mice showed a combined phenotype (genotype plus stress) and specific alterations, such as an upregulation of VGLUT2 and hyperlocomotion. Moreover, an increased vulnerability to anhedonia and helplessness reversible by chronic imipramine was shown. These studies highlight a crucial role for decreased VGLUT1 in the forebrain as a biological mediator of increased vulnerability to chronic mild stress.

Memory: Issues of Import to School Psychologists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

John, Kirk R.

This document defines memory as a complex, interactive process that is a prerequisite for all higher learning. Without intact memory skills, a host of disorders may ensue ranging from mild learning problems to disorientation and helplessness (Lezak, 1983). Because of the pervasive and central role memory plays in people's lives, school…

The suitability of 129SvEv mice for studying depressive-like behaviour: both males and females develop learned helplessness.

PubMed

Chourbaji, Sabine; Pfeiffer, Natascha; Dormann, Christof; Brandwein, Christiane; Fradley, Rosa; Sheardown, Malcolm; Gass, P

2010-07-29

Behavioural studies using transgenic techniques in mice usually require extensive backcrossing to a defined background strain, e.g. to C57BL/6. In this study we investigated whether backcrossing can be replaced by using the 129SvEv strain from which the embryonic stem cells are generally obtained for gene targeting strategies to analyze e.g. depression-like behaviour. For that purpose we subjected male and female 129SvEv mice to two frequently used depression tests and compared them with commonly used C57BL/6 mice. 129SvEv and C57BL/6 mice exhibited differing profiles with regard to locomotion and pain sensitivity. However, in the learned helplessness paradigm, a procedure, which represents a valid method to detect depressive-like behaviour, 129SvEv animals develop a similar level of helplessness as C57BL/6 mice. One great advantage of the 129SvEv animals though, is the fact that in this strain even females develop helplessness, which could not be produced in C57BL/6 mice. In the tail suspension test, both genders of 129SvEv exhibited more despair behaviour than C57BL/6 animals. We therefore suggest that this strain may be utilized in the establishment of new test procedures for affective diseases, since costly and time-consuming backcrossing can be prevented, depressive-like behaviour may be analyzed effectively, and gender-specific topics could be addressed in an adequate way. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive-behavioural theories of helplessness/hopelessness: valid models of depression?

PubMed

Henkel, V; Bussfeld, P; Möller, H-J; Hegerl, U

2002-10-01

Helplessness and hopelessness are central aspects of cognitive-behavioural explanations for the development and persistence of depression. In this article a general overview concerning the evolution of those approaches to depression is provided. Included is a critical examination of the theories. The review of the literature suggests that those cognitive models describing helplessness/hopelessness as trait factors mediating depression do not really have a strong empirical base. The majority of those studies had been conducted in healthy or only mildly depressed subjects. Thus, there seems to be little justification for broad generalisations beyond the populations studied. It seems that some of the reported studies have not tested the underlying theories adequately (e. g. correlation had sometimes been interpreted as causation; adequate prospective longitudinal study designs had seldom been applied). Moreover, the theoretical models are not generally prepared to explain all depressive features (e. g. the possibility of a spontaneous shift in a manic episode). Despite those limitations, there is a relevant impact of the learned helplessness paradigm on preclinical research in neurobiological correlates of depressive states. Last but not least, the models are of high interest with respect to the theoretical background of important modules of cognitive-behavioural therapy and its acute and prophylactic effects.

Sleep and memory. I: The influence of different sleep stages on memory.

PubMed

Rotenberg, V S

1992-01-01

A new approach to the sleep stages role in memory is discussed in the context of the two opposite patterns of behavior-search activity and renunciation of search. Search activity is activity designed to change the situation (or the subjects attitudes to it) in the absence of a definite forecast of the results of such activity, but with the constant consideration of these results at all stages of activity. Search activity increases general adaptability and body resistance while renunciation of search decreases adaptability and requires REM sleep for its compensation. Unprepared learning, which is often accompanied by failures on the first steps of learning, is suggested to produce renunciation of search, which decreases learning ability, suppress retention, and increase REM sleep requirement. A prolonged REM sleep deprivation before training causes learned helplessness and disturbs the learning process, while short REM sleep deprivation cause the "rebound" of the compensatory search activity that interferes with passive avoidance. REM sleep deprivation performed after a training session can increase distress caused by a training procedure, with the subsequent negative outcome on retention.

Metabolic mapping of the effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine on the brains of congenitally helpless rats.

PubMed

Shumake, Jason; Colorado, Rene A; Barrett, Douglas W; Gonzalez-Lima, F

2010-07-09

Antidepressants require adaptive brain changes before efficacy is achieved, and they may impact the affectively disordered brain differently than the normal brain. We previously demonstrated metabolic disturbances in limbic and cortical regions of the congenitally helpless rat, a model of susceptibility to affective disorder, and we wished to test whether administration of fluoxetine would normalize these metabolic differences. Fluoxetine was chosen because it has become a first-line drug for the treatment of affective disorders. We hypothesized that fluoxetine antidepressant effects may be mediated by decreasing metabolism in the habenula and increasing metabolism in the ventral tegmental area. We measured the effects of fluoxetine on forced swim behavior and regional brain cytochrome oxidase activity in congenitally helpless rats treated for 2 weeks with fluoxetine (5mg/kg, i.p., daily). Fluoxetine reduced immobility in the forced swim test as anticipated, but congenitally helpless rats responded in an atypical manner, i.e., increasing climbing without affecting swimming. As hypothesized, fluoxetine reduced metabolism in the habenula and increased metabolism in the ventral tegmental area. In addition, fluoxetine reduced the metabolism of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. This study provided the first detailed mapping of the regional brain effects of an antidepressant drug in congenitally helpless rats. All of the effects were consistent with previous studies that have metabolically mapped the effects of serotonergic antidepressants in the normal rat brain, and were in the predicted direction of metabolic normalization of the congenitally helpless rat for all affected brain regions except the prefrontal cortex. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cultural Adjustment of International Students in the U.S.: A Reevaluation Using Reformulated Learned Helplessness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinicke, Melinda June

In addition to academic pressures shared with American students, students from other countries studying in the United States have the stress of living in an unfamiliar culture. Common symptoms of culture shock (irritability, loneliness, depression, rigidity) have been identified. Parallel symptoms have been described in the learned helplessness…

Learned Helplessness: Perceived Effects of Ability and Effort on Academic Performance Among EH and LD/EH Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luchow, Jed P.; And Others

The Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire, which measures perceived locus of control of academic outcomes, was administered to 28 emotionally handicapped (EH) and 25 learning disabled (LD)/EH children. Between group comparison revealed that EH children took significantly more personal responsibility for academic failure than did…

Opposite monosynaptic scaling of BLP–vCA1 inputs governs hopefulness- and helplessness-modulated spatial learning and memory

PubMed Central

Yang, Ying; Wang, Zhi-Hao; Jin, Sen; Gao, Di; Liu, Nan; Chen, Shan-Ping; Zhang, Sinan; Liu, Qing; Liu, Enjie; Wang, Xin; Liang, Xiao; Wei, Pengfei; Li, Xiaoguang; Li, Yin; Yue, Chenyu; Li, Hong-lian; Wang, Ya-Li; Wang, Qun; Ke, Dan; Xie, Qingguo; Xu, Fuqiang; Wang, Liping; Wang, Jian-Zhi

2016-01-01

Different emotional states lead to distinct behavioural consequences even when faced with the same challenging events. Emotions affect learning and memory capacities, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain elusive. Here we establish models of learned helplessness (LHL) and learned hopefulness (LHF) by exposing animals to inescapable foot shocks or with anticipated avoidance trainings. The LHF animals show spatial memory potentiation with excitatory monosynaptic upscaling between posterior basolateral amygdale (BLP) and ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1), whereas the LHL show memory deficits with an attenuated BLP–vCA1 connection. Optogenetic disruption of BLP–vCA1 inputs abolishes the effects of LHF and impairs synaptic plasticity. By contrast, targeted BLP–vCA1 stimulation rescues the LHL-induced memory deficits and mimics the effects of LHF. BLP–vCA1 stimulation increases synaptic transmission and dendritic plasticity with the upregulation of CREB and intrasynaptic AMPA receptors in CA1. These findings indicate that opposite excitatory monosynaptic scaling of BLP–vCA1 controls LHF- and LHL-modulated spatial memory, revealing circuit-specific mechanisms linking emotions to memory. PMID:27411738

Opposite monosynaptic scaling of BLP-vCA1 inputs governs hopefulness- and helplessness-modulated spatial learning and memory.

PubMed

Yang, Ying; Wang, Zhi-Hao; Jin, Sen; Gao, Di; Liu, Nan; Chen, Shan-Ping; Zhang, Sinan; Liu, Qing; Liu, Enjie; Wang, Xin; Liang, Xiao; Wei, Pengfei; Li, Xiaoguang; Li, Yin; Yue, Chenyu; Li, Hong-Lian; Wang, Ya-Li; Wang, Qun; Ke, Dan; Xie, Qingguo; Xu, Fuqiang; Wang, Liping; Wang, Jian-Zhi

2016-07-14

Different emotional states lead to distinct behavioural consequences even when faced with the same challenging events. Emotions affect learning and memory capacities, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain elusive. Here we establish models of learned helplessness (LHL) and learned hopefulness (LHF) by exposing animals to inescapable foot shocks or with anticipated avoidance trainings. The LHF animals show spatial memory potentiation with excitatory monosynaptic upscaling between posterior basolateral amygdale (BLP) and ventral hippocampal CA1 (vCA1), whereas the LHL show memory deficits with an attenuated BLP-vCA1 connection. Optogenetic disruption of BLP-vCA1 inputs abolishes the effects of LHF and impairs synaptic plasticity. By contrast, targeted BLP-vCA1 stimulation rescues the LHL-induced memory deficits and mimics the effects of LHF. BLP-vCA1 stimulation increases synaptic transmission and dendritic plasticity with the upregulation of CREB and intrasynaptic AMPA receptors in CA1. These findings indicate that opposite excitatory monosynaptic scaling of BLP-vCA1 controls LHF- and LHL-modulated spatial memory, revealing circuit-specific mechanisms linking emotions to memory.

Hippocampal mGluR5 predicts an occurrence of helplessness behavior after repetitive exposure to uncontrollable stress.

PubMed

Yim, Yeong Shin; Lee, Jinu; Kim, Gun-Tae; Song, Teresa; Kim, Chul Hoon; Kim, Dong Goo

2012-06-21

An individual's behavior is generally based on genetic blueprint and previous experiences. A coping strategy, affected by personal interpretation of past events, can be determined by behavioral controllability of stress. In this study, we examined the relationship between the hippocampal mGluR5 expression and coping strategies to stress. Rats were exposed to stress via inescapable and unpredictable footshocks on PNDs 14 and 90. Coping strategies to stress were also measured. Hippocampal mGluR5 was found to be linked to the behavioral coping strategy, as it increased in rats that showed helplessness behavior (HL (+) group) and decreased in those that did not (HL (-) group). Also, the HL (+) group showed a lack of adaptation in a novel environment but the HL (-) group did not. The results suggest that mGluR5 has a pivotal role in the controllability-based coping strategy. Hippocampal mGluR5 could be a target molecule in the manipulation of neuropsychiatric conditions for which maladaptation is a part of behavioral consequences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effects of cognitive and behavioral control on post-stress performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foushee, H. C.; Davis, M. H.; Stephan, W. G.; Bernstein, W. M.

1980-01-01

A study was designed to investigate the effects of behavioral and cognitive control on post-stress performance. Half of the subjects exposed to loud unpredictable noise bursts were given 'behavioral' control (a button which would terminate the noise), while the other half had no behavioral control. In addition, subjects were provided with one of three levels of feedback (success, failure, or no feedback) regarding their performance during the noise. It was expected that information about performance would provide subjects with an increased sense of 'cognitive' control which would affect their appraisal of stressful events and their later performance. The results indicated that subjects given feedback performed better on subsequent tasks than those given no feedback. Perceived behavioral control had little effect on performance. The causal attributions made by subjects were used to interpret these effects. These findings were viewed as supportive of Averill's (1973) notion that various types of control are related to stress in a complex fashion. The data may also support the reformulation by Abramson et al. (1978) of learned helplessness theory.

Linguistic Evidence for the Failure Mindset as a Predictor of Life Span Longevity.

PubMed

Penzel, Ian B; Persich, Michelle R; Boyd, Ryan L; Robinson, Michael D

2017-06-01

When people think that their efforts will fail to achieve positive outcomes, they sometimes give up their efforts after control, which can have negative health consequences. Problematic orientations of this type, such as pessimism, helplessness, or fatalism, seem likely to be associated with a cognitive mindset marked by higher levels of accessibility for failure words or concepts. Thus, the purpose of the present research was to determine whether there are individual differences in the frequency with which people think about failure, which in turn are likely to impact health across large spans of time. Following self-regulatory theories of health and the learned helplessness tradition, two archival studies (total n = 197) scored texts (books or speeches) for their use of failure words, a category within the Harvard IV dictionary of the General Inquirer. People who used failure words more frequently exhibited shorter subsequent life spans, and this relationship remained significant when controlling for birth year. Furthermore, study 2 implicated behavioral factors. For example, the failure/longevity relationship was numerically stronger among people whose causes of death appeared to be preventable rather than non-preventable. These results significantly extend our knowledge of the personality/longevity relationship while highlighting the value of individual differences in word usage as predictors of health and mortality.

The Multisensory Handbook: A Guide for Children and Adults with Sensory Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pagliano, Paul

2012-01-01

Do you support a child or adult with sensory perceptual issues or cognitive impairment? For people with challenging sensory and cognitive conditions, everyday life can become so unpredictable and chaotic that over time, lack of engagement can often lead to a state of learned helplessness. In this insightful text, Paul Pagliano shows how "learned…

Potential suicide ideation and its association with observing bullying at school.

PubMed

Rivers, Ian; Noret, Nathalie

2013-07-01

To explore those contextual factors that predict potential suicide ideation among students who observe bullying at school. 1,592 students of whom 1,009 who reported having observed bullying at school were surveyed from 14 secondary schools in the North of England. Role-related (not-involved, victim, perpetrator, 'bully-victim' and observer) and gender-wise comparisons of key variables were undertaken prior to hierarchical multiple regressions to determine those associated with potential suicide ideation. Analyses indicated that students who observed bullying behavior were significantly more likely than those not involved in bullying to report symptoms of interpersonal sensitivity, to indicate greater helplessness and potential suicide ideation. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that, among boys, helplessness (β = .48, p < .001) followed by frequency of bullying perpetration (β = .11, p < .001), and a less supportive home climate (β = -.10, p < .004) were associated with potential suicide ideation. Helplessness was found to be the only variable associated with potential suicide ideation among girls (β = .49, p < .001). Perceived helplessness is significantly associated with potential suicide ideation among students who observe bullying at school. Copyright © 2013 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards clarification of convergent concepts: sense of coherence, will to meaning, locus of control, learned helplessness and hardiness.

PubMed

Sullivan, G C

1993-11-01

The multidisciplinary field of stress and stress-related health outcomes has generated theoretical and practical knowledge which is of interest to nurses. Theoretical developments which have assumed a prominent role in the study of stress, health and coping include the identification of various 'stress buffers' several of which bear a strong conceptual resemblance to one another. Antonovsky has developed a Salutogenic Model of stress and resistance, which is presented in this paper. The model's central concept, the sense of coherence, is described and analysed. The sense of coherence, with its three components (meaningfulness, comprehensibility and manageability), is then compared and contrasted with similar concepts. The convergent theoretical notions which are distinguished from Antonovsky's coherence are: will to meaning, locus of control, learned helplessness and hardiness. It is hoped that this analysis will provide greater conceptual clarity for nurses who study and use these concepts in education, practice or research.

Performance deficits following failure: learned helplessness or self-esteem protection?

PubMed

Witkowski, T; Stiensmeier-Pelster, J

1998-03-01

We report two laboratory experiments which compare two competing explanations of performance deficits following failure: one based on Seligman's learned helplessness theory (LHT), and the other, on self-esteem protection theory (SEPT). In both studies, participants (Study 1: N = 40 pupils from secondary schools in Walbrzych, Poland; Study 2: N = 45 students from the University of Bielefeld, Germany) were confronted with either success or failure in a first phase of the experiment. Then, in the second phase of the experiment the participants had to work on a set of mathematical problems (Study 1) or a set of tasks taken from Raven's Progressive Matrices (Study 2) either privately or in public. In both studies failure in the first phase causes performance deficits in the second phase only if the participants had to solve the test tasks in public. These results were interpreted in line with SEPT and as incompatible with LHT.

[Action-oriented versus state-oriented reactions to experimenter-induced failures].

PubMed

Brunstein, J C

1989-01-01

The present study assessed different effects of action-oriented versus state-oriented styles of coping with failure on achievement-related performance and cognition. In a learned helplessness experiment, students were exposed to an academic failure situation and were then tested on a series of problem-solving tasks, either immediately after the pretreatment or after a delay of 24 hours. Performance and cognitive concomitants were measured during both experimental periods. Results demonstrated that action orientation was associated with self-immunizing cognitions during helplessness training. Action-oriented participants improved their performance level even after repeated failure feedbacks. Moreover, action-oriented students assigned to the delayed test condition responded with increased striving for success and showed performance increments, even in comparison with control subjects. In contrast, state-oriented participants developed symptoms of helplessness and showed impaired performance during failure inductions. In later tests on problem-solving tasks, state-oriented groups responded with increased fear of failure. Independent of immediate or delayed test conditions, they soon lapsed into new performance decrements.

Mice heterozygous for cathepsin D deficiency exhibit mania-related behavior and stress-induced depression.

PubMed

Zhou, Rui; Lu, Yi; Han, Yong; Li, Xia; Lou, Huifang; Zhu, Liya; Zhen, Xuechu; Duan, Shumin

2015-12-03

Mutations in cathepsin D (CTSD), an aspartic protease in the endosomal-lysosomal system, underlie congenital neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (cNCL, also known as CLN10), a devastating neurodegenerative disease. CLN10 patients die within the first few days of life, and in the few patients who live into adulthood psychopathological symptoms have not been reported. Extensive neuropathology and altered neurotransmission have been reported in CTSD-deficient mice; however signs of neuropsychiatric behavior in these mice are not well characterized due to the severe movement disorder and premature death of the animal. In the present study, we show that heterozygous CTSD-deficient (CTSD HET) mice display an overall behavioral profile that is similar to human mania, including hyperlocomotion, d-amphetamine-induced hyperactivity, sleep-disturbance, and reduced anxiety-like behavior. However, under stressful conditions CTSD HET mice manifest depressive-like behavior, including anhedonia, behavioral despair, and enhanced learned helplessness. Chronic administration of lithium chloride or valproic acid, two clinically effective mood stabilizers, reverses the majority of these behavioral abnormalities. In addition, CTSD HET mice display stress-induced hypersecretion of corticosterone. These findings suggest an important role for CTSD in the regulation of mood stabilization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hope for Environmental Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleischer, Barbara J.; DeMoor, Emily

2015-01-01

Environmental consciousness-raising programs tend to emphasize the magnitude of imminent ecological disasters, if humans continue on their current trajectory. While these environmental literacy programs also call for action to avoid cataclysmic ecological changes, psychological research on "learned helplessness" suggests that information…

How Passive-Aggressive Behavior in Emotionally Disturbed Children Affects Peer Interactions in a Classroom Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardt, Janet

Passive-aggressive behavior in an emotionally disturbed child affects the child's progress and affects peer interactions in classroom settings. Passive-aggressive personalities are typically helpless, dependent, impulsive, overly anxious, poorly oriented to reality, and procrastinating. The characteristics of passive-aggressive children need to be…

Pathways from Depressive Symptoms to Low Social Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agoston, Anna M.; Rudolph, Karen D.

2013-01-01

This research examined two pathways through which depressive symptoms contribute to low social status (i.e., neglect and rejection) within the peer group over time: (a) depressive symptoms promote socially helpless behavior and consequent neglect by peers; and (b) depressive symptoms promote aggressive behavior and consequent rejection by peers.…

Subjective health complaints and self-rated health: are expectancies more important than socioeconomic status and workload?

PubMed

Ree, Eline; Odeen, Magnus; Eriksen, Hege R; Indahl, Aage; Ihlebæk, Camilla; Hetland, Jørn; Harris, Anette

2014-06-01

The associations between socioeconomic status (SES), physical and psychosocial workload and health are well documented. According to The Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS), learned response outcome expectancies (coping, helplessness, and hopelessness) are also important contributors to health. This is in part as independent factors for health, but coping may also function as a buffer against the impact different demands have on health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative effect of SES (as measured by level of education), physical workload, and response outcome expectancies on subjective health complaints (SHC) and self-rated health, and if response outcome expectancies mediate the effects of education and physical workload on SHC and self-rated health. A survey was carried out among 1,746 Norwegian municipal employees (mean age 44.2, 81 % females). Structural Equation Models with SHC and self-rated health as outcomes were conducted. Education, physical workload, and response outcome expectancies, were the independent 28 variables in the model. Helplessness/hopelessness had a stronger direct effect on self-rated health and SHC than education and physical workload, for both men and women. Helplessness/hopelessness fully mediated the effect of physical workload on SHC for men (0.121), and mediated 30 % of a total effect of 0.247 for women. For women, education had a small but significant indirect effect through helplessness/hopelessness on self-rated health (0.040) and SHC (-0.040), but no direct effects were found. For men, there was no effect of education on SHC, and only a direct effect on self-rated health (0.134). The results indicated that helplessness/hopelessness is more important for SHC and health than well-established measures on SES such as years of education and perceived physical workload in this sample. Helplessness/hopelessness seems to function as a mechanism between physical workload and health.

Social Separation in Monkeys.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mineka, Susan; Suomi, Stephen J.

1978-01-01

Reviews phenomena associated with social separation from attachment objects in nonhuman primates. Evaluates four theoretical treatments of separation in light of existing data: Bowlby's attachment-object-loss theory, Kaufman's conservation-withdrawal theory, Seligman's learned helplessness theory, and Solomon and Corbit's opponent-process theory.…

Differential response to gepirone but not to chlordiazepoxide in malnourished rats subjected to learned helplessness.

PubMed

Camargo, L M M; Nascimento, A B; Almeida, S S

2008-01-01

The learned helplessness (LH) paradigm is characterized by learning deficits resulting from inescapable events. The aims of the present study were to determine if protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) alters learning deficits induced by LH and if the neurochemical changes induced by malnutrition alter the reactivity to treatment with GABA-ergic and serotonergic drugs during LH. Well-nourished (W) and PCM Wistar rats (61 days old) were exposed or not to inescapable shocks (IS) and treated with gepirone (GEP, 0.0-7.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, N = 128) or chlordiazepoxide (0.0-7.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, N = 128) 72 h later, 30 min before the test session (30 trials of escape learning). The results showed that rats exposed to IS had higher escape latency than non-exposed rats (12.6 +/- 2.2 vs 4.4 +/- 0.8 s) and that malnutrition increased learning impairment produced by LH. GEP increased the escape latency of W animals exposed or non-exposed to IS, but did not affect the response of PCM animals, while chlordiazepoxide reduced the escape deficit of both W and PCM rats. The data suggest that PCM animals were more sensitive to the impairment produced by LH and that PCM led to neurochemical changes in the serotonergic system, resulting in hyporeactivity to the anxiogenic effects of GEP in the LH paradigm.

Depression: Key to Minority Underachievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rouse, Nancy I.

1980-01-01

This paper explores in depth the possibility that learned helplessness and depression may explain the gap in academic performance between middle-class children and children from minority and poverty backgrounds. Emphasis is placed on Black Americans, because more data is available about this group. (Author/SJL)

Antidepressant activity of the adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, istradefylline (KW-6002) on learned helplessness in rats.

PubMed

Yamada, Koji; Kobayashi, Minoru; Shiozaki, Shizuo; Ohta, Teruko; Mori, Akihisa; Jenner, Peter; Kanda, Tomoyuki

2014-07-01

Istradefylline, an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, improves motor function in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) and in patients with PD. In addition, some A2A antagonists exert antidepressant-like activity in rodent models of depression, such as the forced swim and the tail suspension tests. We have investigated the effect of istradefylline on depression-like behaviors using the rat learned helplessness (LH) model. Acute, as well as chronic, oral administration of istradefylline significantly improved the inescapable shock (IES)-induced escape deficit with a degree of efficacy comparable to chronic treatment with the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine and the selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine. Both the A1/A2A receptor nonspecific antagonist theophylline and the moderately selective antagonist CGS15943, but not the A1 selective antagonist DPCPX, ameliorated the IES-induced escape deficit. The enhancement of escape response by istradefylline was reversed by a local injection of the A2A specific agonist CGS21680 either into the nucleus accumbens, the caudate-putamen, or the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, but not by the A1 specific agonist R-PIA into the nucleus accumbens. Moreover, neither the 5-HT2A/2C receptor antagonist methysergide or the adrenergic α 2 antagonist yohimbine, nor the β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol, affected the improvement of escape response induced by istradefylline. Istradefylline exerts antidepressant-like effects via modulation of A2A receptor activity which is independent of monoaminergic transmission in the brain. Istradefylline may represent a novel treatment option for depression in PD as well as for the motor symptoms.

Brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor (BDNF) stress response in rats bred for learned helplessness.

PubMed

Vollmayr, B; Faust, H; Lewicka, S; Henn, F A

2001-07-01

Stress-induced elevation of glucocorticoids is accompanied by structural changes and neuronal damage in certain brain areas. This includes reduced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus which can be prevented by chronic electroconvulsive seizures and antidepressant drug treatment. In the last years we have bred two strains of rats, one which reacts with congenital helplessness to stress (cLH), and one which congenitally does not acquire helplessness when stressed (cNLH). After being selectively bred for more than 40 generations these strains have lost their behavioural plasticity including their sensitivity to antidepressant treatment. We show here that in cLH rats, acute immobilization stress does not induce a reduction of BDNF expression in the hippocampus which is observed in Sprague--Dawley and cNLH rats. All animals tested exhibited elevated corticosterone levels when stressed, an indication, that in cLH rats regulation of BDNF expression in the hippocampal formation is uncoupled from corticosterone increase induced through stress. This may explain the lack of adaptive responses in this strain.

Women's Roles and Vulnerability to Depression.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haussmann, Monika Johanna

Research has confirmed the prevalence of depression in women, based on theoretical explanations that encompass genetic/endocrinological factors, the learned helplessness model, the cognitive model of depression, the effects of marital and occupational roles, and/or social discrimination. Women (N=215) completed a questionnaire which examined…

Depression and Distortion in the Attribution of Causality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rizley, Ross

1978-01-01

Two cognitive models of depression have attracted considerable attention recently: Seligman's (1975) learned helplessness model and Beck's (1967) cognitive schema approach. Describes each model and, in two studies, evaluates the assumption that depression is associated with systematic distortion in cognition regarding causal and controlling…

CALL: A Triangle of Triangles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montoro, Carlos; Hampel, Regine

2012-01-01

Institutional investment in technology and infrastructure for the provision of new online and self-access language learning opportunities is not always accompanied by the necessary changes in the practices of learners, practitioners and managers in higher education (Wertsch, 2002). As a result, feelings of frustration, helplessness and confusion…

Achievement strategies at school: types and correlates.

PubMed

Määttä, Sami; Stattin, Häkan; Nurmi, Jari-Erik

2002-02-01

In this study we made an effort to identify the kinds of strategies adolescents deploy in achievement context in an unselected sample of Swedish adolescents. The participants were 880 14-15-year-old comprehensive school students (399 boys and 481 girls) from a middle-sized town in central Sweden. Six groups of adolescents were identified according to the strategies they deployed. Four of them, i.e. optimistic, defensive pessimistic, self-handicapping and learned helplessness strategies, were similar to those described previously in the literature. The results showed that membership in the functional strategy groups, such as in mastery-oriented and defensive pessimist groups, was associated with well-being, school adjustment and achievement, and low levels of norm-breaking behaviour. By contrast, membership in the dysfunctional, for example self-handicapping and learned helplessness strategy groups, was associated with low levels of well-being, and of school adjustment, and a higher level of norm-breaking behaviour. Copyright 2002 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Learned helplessness, generalized self-efficacy, and immune function].

PubMed

Kuno, Mayumi; Yazawa, Hisashi; Ohira, Hideki

2003-02-01

Generalized self-efficacy is considered one of important personality traits that determine psychological and physiological stress responses. The present study examined the interaction effects of generalized self-efficacy and controllability of acute stress on salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA), task performance, and psychological stress responses in a typical learned helplessness paradigm. Twenty low and 19 high self-efficacy undergraduate women performed two response selection tasks one after another. In the first task, they were exposed to controllable or uncontrollable aversive noise. The second task was identical for all, but perceived controllability was higher for the high self-efficacy group than the low. Performance under uncontrollable condition was lower than controllable condition. The interaction of self-efficacy and controllability was observed only on the s-IgA variable; increase of secretion of s-IgA secretion under stressor uncontrollability was more prominent in the low self-efficacy group than the high. These results suggested that generalized self-efficacy was a moderator of the stressor controllability effect on secretory immunity.

Academic procrastination, emotional intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and GPA: a comparison between students with and without learning disabilities.

PubMed

Hen, Meirav; Goroshit, Marina

2014-01-01

Academic procrastination has been seen as an impediment to students' academic success. Research findings suggest that it is related to lower levels of self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy and associated with higher levels of anxiety, stress, and illness. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to assess, regulate, and utilize emotions and has been found to be associated with academic self-efficacy and a variety of better outcomes, including academic performance. Students with learning disabilities (LD) are well acquainted with academic difficulty and maladaptive academic behavior. In comparison to students without LD, they exhibit high levels of learned helplessness, including diminished persistence, lower academic expectations, and negative affect. This study examined the relationships among academic procrastination, EI, and academic performance as mediated by academic self-efficacy in 287 LD and non-LD students. Results indicated that the indirect effect of EI on academic procrastination and GPA was stronger in LD students than in non-LD students. In addition, results indicated that LD students scored lower than non-LD students on both EI and academic self-efficacy and higher on academic procrastination. No difference was found in GPA.

[Effect of previous experience in reacting to a danger signal on "open field" behavior in the rat].

PubMed

Poltyreva, T E; Petrov, E S

1983-01-01

Modification of rats behaviour in an "hopen field" test was investigated, induced by an acoustic stimulus, previously subjected to conditioning in a shuttle chamber in experiments with possibility and impossibility of avoidance from electrical shock. It has been established that presentation of a stimulus having the meaning of a danger signal, in a new situation, significantly suppresses investigating behaviour of rats, whereas the stimulus which had not been subjected to conditioning exerts no marked effect on behaviour. The greatest suppression was observed in rats with "learned helplessness". This fact suggests that the degree of suppression of the behaviour in an open field in response to a danger signal, depends on the animal's previous experience in reacting to this signal.

Targeting the BH3-interacting domain death agonist to develop mechanistically unique antidepressants

PubMed Central

Malkesman, O; Austin, DR; Tragon, T; Henter, ID; Reed, JC; Pellecchia, M; Chen, G; Manji, HK

2011-01-01

The BH3-interacting domain death agonist (Bid) is a pro-apoptotic member of the B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein family. Previous studies have shown that stress reduces levels of Bcl-2 in brain regions implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders, whereas antidepressants and mood stabilizers increase Bcl-2 levels. The Bcl-2 protein family has an essential role in cellular resilience as well as synaptic and neuronal plasticity and may influence mood and affective behaviors. This study inhibited Bid in mice using two pharmacological antagonists (BI-11A7 and BI-2A7); the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram was used as a positive control. These agents were studied in several well-known rodent models of depression—the forced swim test (FST), the tail suspension test (TST), and the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm—as well as in the female urine sniffing test (FUST), a measure of sex-related reward-seeking behavior. Citalopram and BI-11A7 both significantly reduced immobility time in the FST and TST and attenuated escape latencies in mice that underwent the LH paradigm. In the FUST, both agents significantly improved duration of female urine sniffing in mice that had developed helplessness. LH induction increased the activation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), a caspase-independent cell death constituent activated by Bid, and mitochondrial AIF expression was attenuated by chronic BI-11A7 infusion. Taken together, the results suggest that functional perturbation of apoptotic proteins such as Bid and, alternatively, enhancement of Bcl-2 function, is a putative strategy for developing novel therapeutics for mood disorders. PMID:21727899

Masking the Feeling of Being Stupid.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Sally L.

1988-01-01

Teaching experience at The Lab School of Washington has shown that learning-disabled children and adults cope with their lack of self-esteem and feelings of stupidity by developing masks to hide their hurt. These include masks of super-competence, helplessness, invisibility, clowning, injustice collecting, indifference, boredom, outrageousness,…

Child Abuse: The Crying Baby at Risk.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkland, John

The author considers the relationship between uncontrollable infant crying and child abuse. An integrative scheme is offered from evidence of child abuse literature, experimentally induced infant crying effects, attribution theory, and learned helplessness. It is suggested that infant crying often has causes beyond caregiver control, such as birth…

Cognitions of Ordinary Events: Their Relationship to Depression.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hindin, David A.; And Others

Beck's cognitive theory and the reformulated learned helplessness model suggest that there is a negative idiosyncratic cognitive style that characterizes the way depressed individuals appraise events which is causally associated with depression. Although a few researchers have recognized the importance of examining appraisals of everyday events,…

The Effects of Non-Contingent Reinforcement on Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tramill, James L.; Kleinhammer, P. Jeannie

Typical learned helplessness research has involved the presentation of non-contingent, aversive events followed by measures of performance on subsequent tasks; recent investigations have focused on the effect of non-contingent rewards. To examine the effects of non-contingent rewards on children, two studies were conducted, in which children were…

Learned Helplessness in the Classroom: Some Good News and Some Bad.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickens, Wenda J.; Perry, Raymond P.

The effects of amount of exposure to response/outcome independence and teacher expressiveness on student ratings of the instructor, achievement test performance, and attribution items were studied. University students completed an aptitude test that provided contingent or noncontingent feedback and varied in length (short, medium, or long). All…

Group Administration of the Children's Attributional Style Interview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rueger, Sandra Yu; Malecki, Christine Kerres

2007-01-01

Research testing the reformulated theory of learned helplessness has been limited by the psychometric properties of instruments used to measure children's attributional style. Thus, the goal of this investigation was to modify a relatively new measure of attributional style that has demonstrated strong psychometric properties with young children…

Understanding and Addressing the Achievement Gap through Individualized Instruction and Formative Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Stuart S.

2010-01-01

This article synthesizes findings regarding the development of competence and learned helplessness and factors influencing persistence and intrinsic motivation, suggests the process through which small differences in early achievement are magnified by the current structure of schools, and reviews evidence suggesting that the characteristics of a…

Career Vitality of Professors: A Cognitive Restructuring Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bumpus, J. Frank

An attributional model that conceptualizes the pressures that reduce professors' personal and career vitality is presented. The model is based primarily on the locus of control literature and especially the reformulated model of learned helplessness by Lynn Abramson, Martin Seligman, and John Teasdale. The analysis deals only with the cognitive…

Cognitive Defusion versus thought Distraction in the Mitigation of Learned Helplessness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hooper, Nic; McHugh, Louise

2013-01-01

Recent research suggests that attempting to avoid unwanted psychological events is maladaptive. Contrastingly, cognitive defusion, which is an acceptance-based method for managing unwanted thoughts, may provide a plausible alternative. The current study was designed to compare defusion and experiential avoidance as strategies for coping with…

Climate change helplessness and the (de)moralization of individual energy behavior.

PubMed

Salomon, Erika; Preston, Jesse L; Tannenbaum, Melanie B

2017-03-01

Although most people understand the threat of climate change, they do little to modify their own energy conservation behavior. One reason for this gap between belief and behavior may be that individual actions seem unimpactful and therefore are not morally relevant. This research investigates how climate change helplessness-belief that one's actions cannot affect climate change-can undermine the moralization of climate change and personal energy conservation. In Study 1, climate change efficacy predicted both moralization of energy use and energy conservation intentions beyond individual belief in climate change. In Studies 2 and 3, participants read information about climate change that varied in efficacy message, that is, whether individual actions (e.g., using less water, turning down heat) make a difference in the environment. Participants who read that their behavior made no meaningful impact reported weaker moralization and intentions (Study 2), and reported more energy consumption 1 week later (Study 3). Moreover, effects on intentions and actions were mediated by changes in moralization. We discuss ways to improve climate change messages to foster environmental efficacy and moralization of personal energy use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

An Examination of Perceived Helplessness in Psychiatric Patients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valine, Warren J.; Phillips, Carolyn

1984-01-01

Examined the relationship of helplessness, locus of control, depression, and voluntary participation in therapy. Results confirmed the relationship between helplessness, locus of control, and depression and suggested patients with greater degrees of helplessness were less likely to take an active role in treatment. (JAC)

Skill Set Requirements for Nurses Deployed with an Expeditionary Medical Unit Based on Lessons Learned

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

however, such threats were compounded by the intense heat and never- ending sand storms, which created a heightened sense of anxiety. A matter of...those who treat injured soldiers. Experiencing or witnessing a frightening event that arouses intense feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror sets...this deployment. Patient care and lessons learned On April 15, 2003, the 4th HSB began re- ceiving casualties caused by heat exposure, explo- sive

Cancer-Related Post-traumatic Stress (PDQ®)—Patient Version

Cancer.gov

Cancer-related post-traumatic stress can occur any time from diagnosis to after treatment ends. Shock, fear, helplessness, or horror can be felt by cancer patients and lead to cancer-related post-traumatic stress. Learn about the causes and ways doctors can help manage these symptoms of distress in this expert-reviewed summary.

Talent Developed: Conversations with Masters in the Arts and Sciences. Martin Seligman.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subotnik, Rena F.

2000-01-01

This interview with Martin Seligman, a past-president of the American Psychological Association and the author of seminal works in the areas of both learned helplessness and optimism, discusses his interest in positive psychology and giftedness, fostering creative genius, his childhood and move from philosophy to psychology, and future plans.…

The Role of Marital Power in Depression and Marital Distress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halloran, Elizabeth C.

1998-01-01

Drawing on sex-role theory, the learned-helplessness model of depression, and a review of empirical research, this article explores inequity in marital power as a potential third variable that explains how depression and the quality of marriage are related. Aims to generate broad-minded thinking about how marital power, depression, and marital…

Sex Differences in Learned Helplessness: I. Differential Debilitation with Peer and Adult Evaluators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Ellen S.; Dweck, Carol S.

1976-01-01

Peer and adult evaluators were used to examine sex differences in responses of 108 fifth graders to failure feedback. Performance in boys improved with feedback from adult agents but did not change with peer feedback. Performance in girls improved with peer feedback but showed little improvement with adult feedback. (GO)

Effects of Androgyny, Attribution, and Success or Failure on Women's Cognitive Performance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Renate L.

Using Seligman's "learned helplessness" paradigm, androgynous and feminine women (as defined by the Bem Sex Role Inventory) either succeeded (contingent feedback) or failed (non-contingent feedback) at a concept formation task and were provided with internal (ability, effort), external (task difficulty, luck), or no causal attributions for their…

Learned Helplessness in Inclusive Music Classrooms: Voices of Hong Kong Primary Schools Music Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Marina Wai-yee; Chik, Maria Pik-yuk

2015-01-01

In Hong Kong, inclusive education is concerned with educating all students, including those who are categorised as having special educational needs (SEN). This qualitative study reports three challenges faced by primary schools music teachers required to implement inclusive education. The first two challenges echo those reported…

Group Work as a Strategy for Attribution Retraining in the Asian Educational Context of Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Caroline

2008-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of group work as a strategy for attribution retraining and improving students' motivational styles. Students were first categorised into one of three motivational styles: learned helplessness, self-worth motivation and mastery orientation. In the intervention procedure, selected students…

Communicative Spontaneity in Individuals with High Support Needs: An Exploratory Consideration of Causation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Mark

2002-01-01

Reasons for limited spontaneity of communication in individuals with high support needs are considered and include: it is an inherent characteristic, a product of highly structured teaching programs, a form of learned helplessness, or a product of a failure to systematically program for spontaneity. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Life Event Types and Attributional Styles as Predictors of Depression in the Elderly.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Linda F.; Moore, Janet S.

The reformulated learned helplessness model for the prediction of depression has been investigated extensively in young adults. Results have linked attributions made to undesirable, controllable events to depression in this age group. This reformulated model was investigated in 97 elderly women and was contrasted to the original learned…

Perceptions of Overweight Students Concerning Their Experiences in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trout, Josh; Graber, Kim C.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this investigation was to examine overweight students' perceptions of and experiences in physical education. Specifically, the applicability of learned helplessness as a framework to understand their experiences was explored. Participants were seven female and five male high school students whose body mass index was at or higher…

Profiles of Motivated Self-Regulation in College Computer Science Courses: Differences in Major versus Required Non-Major Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shell, Duane F.; Soh, Leen-Kiat

2013-12-01

The goal of the present study was to utilize a profiling approach to understand differences in motivation and strategic self-regulation among post-secondary STEM students in major versus required non-major computer science courses. Participants were 233 students from required introductory computer science courses (194 men; 35 women; 4 unknown) at a large Midwestern state university. Cluster analysis identified five profiles: (1) a strategic profile of a highly motivated by-any-means good strategy user; (2) a knowledge-building profile of an intrinsically motivated autonomous, mastery-oriented student; (3) a surface learning profile of a utility motivated minimally engaged student; (4) an apathetic profile of an amotivational disengaged student; and (5) a learned helpless profile of a motivated but unable to effectively self-regulate student. Among CS majors and students in courses in their major field, the strategic and knowledge-building profiles were the most prevalent. Among non-CS majors and students in required non-major courses, the learned helpless, surface learning, and apathetic profiles were the most prevalent. Students in the strategic and knowledge-building profiles had significantly higher retention of computational thinking knowledge than students in other profiles. Students in the apathetic and surface learning profiles saw little instrumentality of the course for their future academic and career objectives. Findings show that students in STEM fields taking required computer science courses exhibit the same constellation of motivated strategic self-regulation profiles found in other post-secondary and K-12 settings.

Helplessness, mastery and the development of eating disorders: exploring the links between vulnerability and precipitating factors.

PubMed

Troop, N A

2012-12-01

Helplessness and mastery in childhood and in response to the events that trigger onset are implicated in the development of eating disorders. However, no studies have yet explored how these are linked and whether the effects are additive or mediated. Semi-structured interviews (Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse; Life Events and Difficulties Schedule; Coping Strategies Interview) were used to assess helplessness and mastery in childhood and in response to a provoking agent in 15 eating disordered and 19 non-eating disordered women. Helplessness and mastery in childhood were related to helplessness and mastery in response to the events and difficulties that triggered onset of the eating disorder. However, only the presence of helplessness and the lack of mastery in response to this provoking agent predicted onset. Helplessness and mastery are vulnerability and protective factors but only in those women who develop an eating disorder in the context of later life events. It is suggested that helplessness and mastery in childhood act via their influence on the adequacy of coping in response to later life events.

Agreement between hopelessness/helplessness and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale in healthy individuals and in patients with benign breast disease and breast cancer: a prospective case-control study in Finland.

PubMed

Eskelinen, Matti; Korhonen, Riika; Selander, Tuomas; Ollonen, Paula

2015-04-01

The relation between scoring for hopelessness/helplessness and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) in healthy study subjects (HSS) and in patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer (BC) has not been compared in a prospective study. We, therefore, investigated hopelessness and helplessness scores versus the MADRS in 115 patients. In the Kuopio Breast Cancer Study, 115 women with breast symptoms were evaluated for hopelessness and helplessness, and for the MADRS before any diagnostic procedures were carried out. In the self-rating score (SRS), hopelessness/helplessness versus the MADRS were highly significantly positively correlated in the HSS, BBD and BC groups. In the SRS, the weighted kappa values for hopelessness/helplessness versus the MADRS in the HSS, BBD and BC groups were also statistically significant. There was also a significant positive correlation in the examiner-rating score (ERS) for hopelessness versus the MADRS in the HSS, BBD and BC groups and for helplessness versus the MADRS in the HSS, BBD and BC groups. The unweighted kappa values in the ERS for hopelessness versus the MADRS were statistically highly significant for the HSS, BBD and BC groups and those for helplessness versus the MADRS in the HSS and BBD groups were statistically significant. A new finding with clinical relevance in the present work is the agreement between hopelessness/helplessness scores and MADRS in the SRS and ERS. In the breast cancer diagnostic unit, the identification of hopeless/helpless persons is essential in suicide prevention and it is important to assess and treat hopelessness/helplessness even though an individual may report few depressive symptoms. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

[Coping of cybervictimization in adolescence - emotional and behavioral reactions to cyberbullying ].

PubMed

Ittel, Angela; Müller, Christin R; Pfetsch, Jan; Walk, Sebastian

2014-01-01

The experience of cybervictimization is related to health, psychological, and behavioral problems among children and adolescents. Up to today research is scarce, how the persons affected by cybervictimization react and which determinants influence the choice for social, problem-focused, technical, or helpless coping behavior. The current online study with 428 adolescents considers age, sex, mean internet use, frequency of victimization, roles in cyberbullying, and emotional reactions to cybervictimization as potential determinants of the mentioned coping strategies. Based on the participant role approach, roles of cyberbullies, cybervictims, defenders or outsiders are frequently changing. Logistic regression analyses point out the important relevance of emotional reactions like anger or helplessness and the roles as cyberbully-victim or outsider. Further, younger participants reported cybervictimization more often, while the frequency of cybervictimization and sex did not and internet use only partially predict coping strategies. These findings corroborate the relevance of emotional reactions and the roles in the process of cyberbullying. As a starting point for prevention and intervention of cybervictimization, we suggest emotion regulation, teaching of technical coping behaviors as well as reflexion of roles in the context of cyberbullying. If feasible, different stakeholders should be engaged in this process: adolescents, parents, educational staff inside and outside of schools, experts from counseling and therapy as well as internet and mobile phone service providers.

Overcoming Learned Helplessness: Managerial Strategies for the 1990s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnhold, Rose Marie; Razak, W. Nevell

1991-01-01

Discusses problems of work force quality in the United States in the 1990s, strategies for managerial response to these problems, and sources of employee resistance to change. Notes that business and industry may be forced to hire minorities and women with orientations to self and work different from those held by white middle-class men.…

Divergent Explanatory Production (DEP): The Relationship between Resilience and Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández, Óscar Sánchez; Méndez, Francisco Xavier; Garber, Judy

2015-01-01

Introduction: The aim of the study is to describe and analyze a new test and construct, Divergent Explanatory Production (DEP), defined as the ability to observe adverse situations from various points of view. At the theoretical level, it is a bridge between the reformulated model of learned helplessness (as a resilience model), and creative…

Conflict and Attachment: The Experience of Disorganized/Controlling Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomon, Judith; George, Carol

Findings of a study on the relation between 6-year-olds' attachment security and their mental representations of attachment relationships are reported. It was expected that infants whose attachment behavior seemed disorganized would be fearful of their attachment figures and experience themselves as helpless, and that these conditions would be…

Helplessness, Hopelessness, and Despair: Identifying the Precursors to Indian Youth Suicide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Troy; Tomren, Holly

1999-01-01

Discusses suicide among American Indian youth. Examines Indian youth suicide rates, general characteristics of Indian suicides, behavioral characteristics and environmental stresses, guidelines for planning interventions, the use of American Indian culture to engage at-risk youth, and the high risk status of Indian foster children in non-Indian…

An Innovative Method for Testing Children's Achievement-Related Reactions: Recording Feelings of Helplessness by Means of an Intelligence Test-Battery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titscher, Anna; Kubinger, Klaus D.

2008-01-01

The present study, based on the work of Dweck (2000) and her description of helpless and mastery-orientated children, was designed to find a new, simple and economic way of assessing helplessness while testing a child's intelligence. Two hundred and thirty-two Austrian grammar-school children, previously classified as either helpless or…

Learned helplessness predicts functional disability, pain and fatigue in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis

PubMed Central

Camacho, Elizabeth M.; Verstappen, Suzanne M. M.; Chipping, Jacqueline

2013-01-01

Objectives. Cross-sectional studies have found that learned helplessness (LH) is associated with disease outcome in patients with RA. However, little is known about the longitudinal impact of LH. The aim of this study was to investigate whether LH is associated with future disease outcome (disability, pain and fatigue) and to investigate whether LH changes over time in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), the broader group of conditions of which RA is the major constituent. Methods. Patients included in this investigation had been recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register, a primary-care-based inception cohort. LH was measured at baseline as patients’ total score on the Rheumatology Attitudes Index (RAI). A total of 443 patients completed the HAQ and visual analogue scales of pain and fatigue at baseline and after 2 years of follow-up. Results. Greater feelings of LH at baseline were associated with higher HAQ scores at follow-up [difference in HAQ score per 1-point increase in RAI score (β-coefficient) 0.02; 95% CI 0.01, 0.04]. Greater baseline LH was also associated with more pain (β-coefficient 1.0; 95% CI 0.4, 1.5) and more fatigue (β-coefficient 1.0; 95% CI 0.2, 1.4) at follow-up. LH was highly changeable during follow-up, with 87% of patients showing any change and 50% improving. Conclusion. Baseline LH independently predicted disability, pain and fatigue at follow-up. Half of patients reported fewer feelings of helplessness after 2 years of follow-up, suggesting that LH may potentially be a modifiable risk factor for disease outcome in IP and a target for intervention. PMID:23424265

Learned helplessness predicts functional disability, pain and fatigue in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis.

PubMed

Camacho, Elizabeth M; Verstappen, Suzanne M M; Chipping, Jacqueline; Symmons, Deborah P M

2013-07-01

Cross-sectional studies have found that learned helplessness (LH) is associated with disease outcome in patients with RA. However, little is known about the longitudinal impact of LH. The aim of this study was to investigate whether LH is associated with future disease outcome (disability, pain and fatigue) and to investigate whether LH changes over time in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), the broader group of conditions of which RA is the major constituent. Patients included in this investigation had been recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register, a primary-care-based inception cohort. LH was measured at baseline as patients' total score on the Rheumatology Attitudes Index (RAI). A total of 443 patients completed the HAQ and visual analogue scales of pain and fatigue at baseline and after 2 years of follow-up. Greater feelings of LH at baseline were associated with higher HAQ scores at follow-up [difference in HAQ score per 1-point increase in RAI score (β-coefficient) 0.02; 95% CI 0.01, 0.04]. Greater baseline LH was also associated with more pain (β-coefficient 1.0; 95% CI 0.4, 1.5) and more fatigue (β-coefficient 1.0; 95% CI 0.2, 1.4) at follow-up. LH was highly changeable during follow-up, with 87% of patients showing any change and 50% improving. Baseline LH independently predicted disability, pain and fatigue at follow-up. Half of patients reported fewer feelings of helplessness after 2 years of follow-up, suggesting that LH may potentially be a modifiable risk factor for disease outcome in IP and a target for intervention.

Selective deletion of leptin receptors in adult hippocampus induces depression-related behaviors

PubMed Central

Guo, Ming; Huang, Tung-Yi; Garza, Jacob C.; Chua, Streamson C.; Lu, Xin-Yun

2013-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that leptin and its receptors (LepRb) in the central nervous system play an important role in regulating depression- and anxiety-related behaviors. However, the physiological functions of LepRb in specific brain regions for mediating different emotional behaviors remain to be defined. In this study, we examined the behavioral effects of LepRb ablation in the adult hippocampus using a series of behavioral paradigms for assessing depression- and anxiety-related behaviors. Targeted deletion of LepRb was achieved using the Cre/loxP site-specific recombination system through bilateral stereotaxic delivery of an adeno-associated virus expressing Cre-recombinase (AAV-Cre) into the dentate gyrus of adult mice homozygous for a floxed leptin receptor allele. AAV-Cre-mediated deletion of the floxed region of LepRb was detected 2 weeks after injection. In accordance with this, leptin-stimulated phophorylation of Akt was attenuated in the hippocampus of AAV-Cre injected mice. Mice injected with AAV-Cre displayed normal locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior, as determined in the elevated plus maze, light dark box and open field tests, but showed increased depression-like behaviors in the tail suspension, sucrose preference and learned helplessness tests. Taken together, this data suggests that deletion of LepRb in the adult hippocampus is sufficient to induce depression-like behaviors. Our results support the view that leptin signaling in the hippocampus may be essential for maintaining positive mood states and active coping to stress. PMID:22932068

Alterations in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its precursor proBDNF in the brain regions of a learned helplessness rat model and the antidepressant effects of a TrkB agonist and antagonist.

PubMed

Shirayama, Yukihiko; Yang, Chun; Zhang, Ji-chun; Ren, Qian; Yao, Wei; Hashimoto, Kenji

2015-12-01

Role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-TrkB signaling in a learned helplessness (LH) model of depression was investigated. LH rats showed a reduction of BDNF in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), CA3, and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus, whereas LH rats showed an increase in BDNF in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Furthermore, levels of proBDNF, a BDNF precursor, were higher in the mPFC, but lower in the NAc, of LH rats. A single bilateral infusion of a TrkB agonist 7,8-DHF, but not a TrkB antagonist ANA-12, into the infralimbic (IL) of mPFC, DG, and CA3, but not the prelimbic (PrL) of mPFC, exerted antidepressant effects in LH rats. In contrast, a single bilateral infusion of ANA-12, but not 7,8-DHF, into the core and shell of NAc exerted antidepressant-like effects in LH rats, with more potent effects observed for the NAc core than for NAc shell. Interestingly, a single administration of 7,8-DHF (10mg/kg, i.p.) significantly improved a decreased phosphorylation of TrkB in the mPFC, CA3, and DG of LH rats. Additionally, ANA-12 (0.5mg/kg, i.p.) significantly improved an increased phosphorylation of TrkB in the NAc of LH rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that LH causes depression-like behavior by altering BDNF in the brain regions, and that proBDNF-BDNF processing and transport may be altered in the mPFC-NAc circuit of LH rats. Therefore, TrkB agonists might exert antidepressant effects by stimulating TrkB in the IL, CA3, and DG, while TrkB antagonists might exert antidepressant effects by blocking TrkB in the NAc. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Helplessness and perceived pain intensity: relations to cortisol concentrations after electrocutaneous stimulation in healthy young men

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Uncontrollable aversive events are associated with feelings of helplessness and cortisol elevation and are suitable as a model of depression. The high comorbidity of depression and pain symptoms and the importance of controllability in both conditions are clinically well-known but empirical studies are scarce. The study investigated the relationship of pain experience, helplessness, and cortisol secretion after controllable vs. uncontrollable electric skin stimulation in healthy male individuals. Methods Sixty-four male volunteers were randomly assigned to receive 30 controllable (self-administered) or uncontrollable (experimenter-administered) painful electric skin stimuli. Perceived pain intensity (PPI), subjective helplessness ratings, and salivary cortisol concentrations were assessed. PPI was assessed after stress exposure. For salivary cortisol concentrations and subjective helplessness ratings, areas under the response curve (AUC) were calculated. Results After uncontrollable vs. controllable stress exposure significantly higher PPI ratings (P = 0.023), higher subjective helplessness AUC (P < 0.0005) and higher salivary cortisol AUC (P = 0.004, t-tests) were found. Correlation analyses revealed a significant correlation between subjective helplessness AUC and PPI (r = 0.500, P < 0.0005), subjective helplessness AUC and salivary cortisol AUC (r = 0.304, P = 0.015) and between PPI and salivary cortisol AUC (r = 0.298, P = 0.017). Conclusions The results confirm the impact of uncontrollability on stress responses in humans; the relationship of PPI with subjective helplessness and salivary cortisol suggests a cognitive-affective sensitization of pain perception, particularly under uncontrollable conditions. PMID:21718526

Overshadowing: a silver lining to a dark cloud in horse training.

PubMed

McLean, Andrew N

2008-01-01

Overshadowing is a process known in behavioral science that occurs when two stimuli of different strengths are applied simultaneously to a nonhuman animal. Typically, the stronger stimulus overshadows the weaker one, resulting in attenuation of the weaker stimulus. This phenomenon explains ways in which the decreased responsiveness and consequent conflict behaviors (and possibly learned helplessness and wastage) in some performance horses can result from the application of two concurrent aversive stimuli. Despite some adverse consequences in the context of ridden horses, overshadowing can have serendipitous benefits because it offers an efficient method of desensitization for certain stimuli that are sometimes highly aversive: the saddle/girth pressure, clippers, aerosols, and needles. Desensitization with concurrent overshadowing appears to be comparatively rapid, particularly with highly aversive stimuli, possibly because attentional mechanisms are diverted to the more salient stimulus. It is important to note that, following the overshadowing procedure, the effects appear to be retained when assessed on subsequent days. Using 4 examples, this article presents a preliminary exploration of the beneficial use of a poorly understood, underutilized--yet promising--phenomenon that warrants further investigation.

The role of helplessness, outcome expectation for exercise and literacy in predicting disability and symptoms in older adults with arthritis.

PubMed

Bhat, Anita A; DeWalt, Darren A; Zimmer, Catherine R; Fried, Bruce J; Callahan, Leigh F

2010-10-01

To examine the effect of outcome expectation for exercise (OEE), helplessness, and literacy on arthritis outcomes in 2 community-based lifestyle randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in urban and rural communities with older adults with arthritis. Data from 391 participants in 2 RCTs were combined to examine associations of 2 psychosocial variables: helplessness and OEE, and literacy with arthritis outcomes. Arthritis outcomes namely, the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and arthritis symptoms pain, fatigue and stiffness Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), were measured at baseline and at the end of the interventions. Complete baseline and post-intervention data were analyzed using STATA version 9. Disability after intervention was not predicted by helplessness, literacy, or OEE in the adjusted model. Arthritis symptoms after the intervention were all significantly predicted by helplessness at various magnitudes in adjusted models, but OEE and literacy were not significant predictors. When literacy, helplessness, and OEE were examined as predictors of arthritis outcomes in intervention trials, they did not predict disability. However, helplessness predicted symptoms of pain, fatigue, and stiffness, but literacy did not predict symptoms. Future sustainable interventions may include self-management components that address decreasing helplessness to improve arthritis outcomes. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behavioral Health Needs Assessment Survey (BHNAS): Overview of Survey Items and Measures

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-12

Vicodin, Tramadol , Tylenol with Codeine, Methadone) • Other (specify all) • Unknown what medication(s) Regarding the use of pain medications...control training • TBI • Pain medication use • Aggressive behavior • Combat exposure • Experiences of intense fear, helplessness, or horror...used on all subsequent versions. Pain Medication Use The pain medication items used in the ninth version of the BHNAS were drawn from the Army

Forebrain glutamatergic neurons mediate leptin action on depression-like behaviors and synaptic depression

PubMed Central

Guo, M; Lu, Y; Garza, J C; Li, Y; Chua, S C; Zhang, W; Lu, B; Lu, X-Y

2012-01-01

The glutamatergic system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and the mechanism of action of antidepressants. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, has antidepressant-like properties. However, the functional role of leptin receptor (Lepr) signaling in glutamatergic neurons remains to be elucidated. In this study, we generated conditional knockout mice in which the long form of Lepr was ablated selectively in glutamatergic neurons located in the forebrain structures, including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (Lepr cKO). Lepr cKO mice exhibit normal growth and body weight. Behavioral characterization of Lepr cKO mice reveals depression-like behavioral deficits, including anhedonia, behavioral despair, enhanced learned helplessness and social withdrawal, with no evident signs of anxiety. In addition, loss of Lepr in forebrain glutamatergic neurons facilitates N-methyl--aspartate (NMDA)-induced hippocampal long-term synaptic depression (LTD), whereas conventional LTD or long-term potentiation (LTP) was not affected. The facilitated LTD induction requires activation of the NMDA receptor GluN2B (NR2B) subunit as it was completely blocked by a selective GluN2B antagonist. Moreover, Lepr cKO mice are highly sensitive to the antidepressant-like behavioral effects of the GluN2B antagonist but resistant to leptin. These results support important roles for Lepr signaling in glutamatergic neurons in regulating depression-related behaviors and modulating excitatory synaptic strength, suggesting a possible association between synaptic depression and behavioral manifestation of behavioral depression. PMID:22408745

Construct validity of the helplessness/hopelessness/haplessness scale: correlations with perfectionism and depression.

PubMed

Leenaars, Lindsey; Lester, David

2007-02-01

In a sample of 117 undergraduates, helplessness scores and the discrepancy scores on a measure of perfectionism predicted depression scores, providing evidence for construct validity for the hopelessness, helplessness, and haplessness scales.

Sex Differences in Learned Helplessness: II. The Contingencies of Evaluative Feedback in the Classroom and III. An Experimental Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dweck, Carol S.; And Others

1978-01-01

In Study I, teachers' work-related feedback to boys and girls was observed in a classroom situation. In Study II, the different contingencies of work-related criticism observed for boys and girls in the first study were programed in an experimental situation and the children's attributions for failure feedback were assessed. (JMB)

Minocycline produced antidepressant-like effects on the learned helplessness rats with alterations in levels of monoamine in the amygdala and no changes in BDNF levels in the hippocampus at baseline.

PubMed

Arakawa, Shiho; Shirayama, Yukihiko; Fujita, Yuko; Ishima, Tamaki; Horio, Mao; Muneoka, Katsumasa; Iyo, Masaomi; Hashimoto, Kenji

2012-01-01

Previous studies have indicated that minocycline might function as an antidepressant drug. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of minocycline, which is known to suppress activated microglia, using learned helplessness (LH) rats (an animal model of depression). Infusion of minocycline into the cerebral ventricle of LH rats induced antidepressant-like effects. However, infusion of minocycline into the cerebral ventricle of naïve rats did not produce locomotor activation in the open field tests, suggesting that the antidepressant-like effects of minocycline were not attributed to the enhanced locomotion. LH rats showed significantly higher serotonin turnover in the orbitofrontal cortex and lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus than control rats. However, these alterations in serotonin turnover and BDNF expression remained unchanged after treatment with minocycline. On the contrary, minocycline treatment of LH rats induced significant increases in the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the amygdala when compared with untreated LH rats. Taken together, minocycline may be a therapeutic drug for the treatment of depression. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Onset and severity of inflammation in rats exposed to the learned helplessness paradigm.

PubMed

Chover-Gonzalez, A J; Jessop, D S; Tejedor-Real, P; Gibert-Rahola, J; Harbuz, M S

2000-07-01

To test the hypothesis that there is an association between susceptibility to inflammation and a hyporesponsive hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Animals were separated on the basis of behaviour in the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm into groups of LH(+) (i.e. animals which did not escape footshock) and LH(-) animals. Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) was subsequently induced in the LH(+) and LH(-) animals. Plasma corticosterone was significantly increased in response to the LH test in the LH(-) compared with the LH(+) rats. We observed an earlier onset and increased inflammation in the LH(-) rats in spite of the greater corticosterone response to the acute stress. We noted lower levels of plasma testosterone in the LH(-) animals suggesting a possible influence for this protective factor in AA. These data suggest that increased onset and severity of inflammation in AA is not a simple consequence of an attenuated HPA axis response to stress as proposed in the Lewis rat. Indeed we have observed the converse. Together these data suggest that the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory factors released in response to stress may influence the progress of AA.

School Experiences Influence Personal Health and Interpersonal Relationships of Adolescents: The Canadian Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Xin

2007-01-01

Canadian data from the 1998 Cross-National Survey on Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children were analyzed to examine the effects of school experiences on personal health (physical health, mental health, self-esteem, helplessness, and body image) and interpersonal relationships (number of close friends and making friends) among adolescents.…

Negative learning bias is associated with risk aversion in a genetic animal model of depression.

PubMed

Shabel, Steven J; Murphy, Ryan T; Malinow, Roberto

2014-01-01

The lateral habenula (LHb) is activated by aversive stimuli and the omission of reward, inhibited by rewarding stimuli and is hyperactive in helpless rats-an animal model of depression. Here we test the hypothesis that congenital learned helpless (cLH) rats are more sensitive to decreases in reward size and/or less sensitive to increases in reward than wild-type (WT) control rats. Consistent with the hypothesis, we found that cLH rats were slower to switch preference between two responses after a small upshift in reward size on one of the responses but faster to switch their preference after a small downshift in reward size. cLH rats were also more risk-averse than WT rats-they chose a response delivering a constant amount of reward ("safe" response) more often than a response delivering a variable amount of reward ("risky" response) compared to WT rats. Interestingly, the level of bias toward negative events was associated with the rat's level of risk aversion when compared across individual rats. cLH rats also showed impaired appetitive Pavlovian conditioning but more accurate responding in a two-choice sensory discrimination task. These results are consistent with a negative learning bias and risk aversion in cLH rats, suggesting abnormal processing of rewarding and aversive events in the LHb of cLH rats.

The relation of hopelessness/helplessness versus beck depression inventory (BDI) in healthy individuals and in patients with benign breast disease and breast cancer: a prospective case-control study in Finland.

PubMed

Eskelinen, Matti; Korhonen, Riika; Selander, Tuomas; Ollonen, Paula

2015-02-01

The relation between hopelessness/helplessness versus the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in healthy study subjects (HSS) and in patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer (BC) has not been compared in a prospective study before. We, therefore, investigated hopelessness and helplessness versus the BDI in 115 patients. In the Kuopio Breast Cancer Study, 115 women with breast symptoms were evaluated for hopelessness and helplessness versus the BDI before any diagnostic procedures were carried out. In the self-rating score (SRS), the hopelessness and the helplessness versus the BDI were highly significantly positively correlated in the HSS, BBD and BC groups. In the SRS, the weighted kappa values for hopelessness and helplessness versus the BDI in the HSS, BBD and BC groups were also statistically significant. There was also a significant positive correlation in the examiner-rating score (ERS) in the hopelessness versus the BDI in the BBD and BC groups and in the ERS in helplessness versus the BDI in the HSS and BBD groups. The unweighted kappa values in the ERS for hopelessness versus the BDI in the HSS and BBD groups were statistically highly significant and the unweighted kappa values in the ERS for helplessness versus the BDI in the BBD and BC groups were statistically significant. The results of this study support a powerful link between hopelessness and helplessness versus BDI in the self-rating and examiner-rating. This finding is of clinical importance since, in the breast cancer diagnostic unit, the patients with hopelessness/helplessness characteristics and high BDI score might be associated with a difficulty and delay in reaching BC diagnosis. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Shining Light into Dark Shadows of Violence and Learned Helplessness: Peace Education in South Korean Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, Soonjung; Walker, David Ian; Kristjánsson, Kristján

2018-01-01

The paper illustrates how a culture of violence is perpetuated and reproduced in South Korea through schooling and argues that peace education could help transform a culture of violence to a culture of peace. Critical ethnographic methods and a framework of peace education were applied to a sample of secondary schools in South Korea to argue that…

Resisting temptation: a psychological analysis.

PubMed

Hodgson, R J

1989-03-01

It is proposed that self control involves several related processes including vivid awareness of future consequences, overcoming learned helplessness and tunnel vision, developing commitment and accepting anxiety/frustration. Facing up to temptation and resisting the compulsive urge is considered to be a crucial therapeutic experience. Evidence is presented to support the view that cue exposure should therefore be a central component of treatments for compulsions and addictions.

A Crossover Trial Evaluating an Educational-Behavioral Joint Protection Programme for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammond, A.; Lincoln, N.; Sutcliffe, L.

1999-01-01

Joint protection, a self-management technique taught to people with rheumatoid arthritis, was used in a group education program. A crossover trial (N=35) was conducted. No significant changes in measures of pain, functional disability, grip strength, self-efficacy or helplessness occurred post-education, although this may have been due to the…

[Influence of stress on learning and memory].

PubMed

Ukai, M

2000-08-01

This paper describes the influence of stress on learning and memory. The mice receiving inescapable electroshock fail to perform the active conditioned avoidance response of lever-pressing. This is called learned helplessness, which is ameliorated by treatment with antidepressants including one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It is of particular interest that posttraumatic stress disease (PTSD) accompanied by memory impairment could be improved by treatment with SSRIs. The different kinds of stress including ischemia, footshock, psychological stress, and forced swimming influence learning and memory as indexed by spontaneous alternation performance as well as passive avoidance learning. In addition, a variety of stresses influence the activity of hormones and neurotransmitters like monoamines, neuropeptides, and excitatory amino acids resulting in changes in learning and memory. Finally, the accumulation of data is necessary to clarify the exact mechanism of stress on learning and memory.

The role of helplessness as mediator between neurological disability, emotional instability, experienced fatigue and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

van der Werf, S P; Evers, A; Jongen, P J H; Bleijenberg, G

2003-02-01

The aim of this study was to test, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), whether the concept of helplessness might improve the understanding of the relationship between disease severity (neurological impairment) and personality characteristics (emotional instability) on one hand, and depressive mood and fatigue severity on the other hand. Data pertain to 89 patients with a definite diagnosis of MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] ratings: 1-8). Helplessness, fatigue severity, depressive mood and emotional instability were rated with validated questionnaires. Model testing revealed that more neurological impairment and more emotional instability were associated with more helplessness, while higher levels of helplessness were associated with more fatigue and depressive mood. The initially observed direct relationship between EDSS and fatigue disappeared. Emotional instability also had a direct significant relationship with depressive mood, and depressive mood had only a small relationship with fatigue severity. The results indicated that helplessness affected both depressive mood and fatigue severity and that fatigue was not merely a symptom of depressive mood. The correlation between neurological impairment and fatigue severity was largely explained by the mediating effect of helplessness. These findings suggest that MS patients troubled by disabling fatigue might benefit from a psychological intervention targeting unfavourable illness cognitions.

An Investigation of the Causes of the Coronary-Prone (Type A) Behavior Pattern and Coronary Heart Disease.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

experiences. Uncontrollable Stress Uncontrollable stress arises when an individual’s outcome is not determined by his/her response to a situation. Seligman ... Linda Hervig, and Ray H. Rosenman. "Heritability of Type A Behavior," Psychosomatic Medicine, 40, No. 6 (1978), pp. 478-486. , Robert T. Rubin, and...Performance, 25 (1980), pp. 184-215. Seligman , M. E. P. Helplessness: On Depression, Develop- ment, and Death. San Francisco: Freeman, 1975. Tamir, I., G

Straight talk for youth: Ugandan girls and boys learning to escape gender stereotypes.

PubMed

Henry, K

1995-11-01

"Straight Talk," a monthly newspaper produced by Uganda's Ministry of Information, provides advice to young people about sexuality, relationships, and sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The tabloid is inserted in the daily government newspaper, "New Vision," which has a circulation of 40,000; another 30,000 copies are distributed to secondary schools and nongovernmental organizations. The newspaper began in 1993 as part of the media campaign of Safeguard Youth from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Each issue publishes articles by and interviews with young people, dozens of letters from readers, and columns by health care professionals. The content seeks to demystify sex, challenge gender-based stereotypes, and encourage real friendships between girls and boys. There is strong peer support for postponing sex. A recent issue included a contest for the best story about sexual boasting and pressure. One article noted that boys and girls learn separate rules of sexual behavior that resemble scripts in a play. Another analyzed passages from popular novels depicting men as strong and forceful and women as helpless and submissive. The publication also encourages dialogue between parents and children about sex. Many schools have formed clubs that discuss issues raised in the publication.

[A psychological content of social phobia syndrome].

PubMed

Sagalakova, O A; Truevtsev, D V; Stoyanova, I Ya

2017-01-01

To perform a psychological analysis of social phobia syndrome. The subject area of research is the structure of mental activity and behavior in social activity. The study included 32 patients with symptoms of social phobia (ICD-10 F40.1) and 29 healthy people (controls). A complex of psychological methods (questionnaires; pathopsychological experiment) was used. Early maladaptive schemes and a tendency to mental rigidity can be a premorbid basis of the syndrome. Primary violation is in organizational target component by type of distortion of goal-setting regulation. The mechanism is a reduction in the mediation of emotions and behavior (an influence of emotions on the process of activity, excess metacognitive anxiety control leading to multi-task and exhaustion of resources of voluntary activity). Fear of negative evaluation leads to the fact that a wide class of situations is interpreted as threatening. Secondary are changes in the system of goals and motives of activity (technically performing components of social behavior act as a focus of attention, along with the target, the target replaces the suprasituational meaning). Along with a strong motivation to succeed, the motive of avoiding failure is formed, which leads to a decrease in social activity. Tertiary symptoms of syndrome dynamics (ways to cope with maladaptation) are destructive forms of decompensation (substance abuse, learned helplessness and hopelessness, suicidal behavior, etc.), repeatedly reinforcing the primary and secondary disturbances.

38 CFR 3.950 - Helpless children; Spanish-American and prior wars.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Helpless children; Spanish-American and prior wars. 3.950 Section 3.950 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF... § 3.950 Helpless children; Spanish-American and prior wars. Marriage is not a bar to the payment of...

Helplessness in Early Childhood: The Role of Contingent Worth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burhans, Karen Klein; Dweck, Carol S.

1995-01-01

Reviews a series of studies documenting that key aspects of helpless reactions to failure are present in preschool and early elementary school children. Proposes a preliminary model in which a general conception of self and the notion of this self as an object of contingent worth are sufficient conditions for helplessness. (HTH)

Do parent protective responses mediate the relation between parent distress and child functional disability among children with chronic pain?

PubMed

Sieberg, Christine B; Williams, Sara; Simons, Laura E

2011-10-01

To examine whether protective parent responses mediate the relation between parent distress and child functioning. At a pain clinic evaluation, 157 families participated. Parents completed measures of global distress (BSI-18), distress in the context of their child's pain (BAP-PIQ), and protective responses to their child's pain. Children completed measures of functional disability and pain. BAP-PIQ subscales were significantly associated with child functional disability, whereas BSI subscales were unrelated. Protective parent responses partially mediated the relation between parent distress and child functional disability for depression, anxiety, and catastrophizing. However, parent protective behavior fully mediated the relationship between parent helplessness and child functional disability, indicating that feelings of parent helplessness did not uniquely contribute to child functional disability. Discussion Results suggest that when treating youth with chronic pain, parental distress in the context of children's pain needs to be addressed.

Suicidal Ideation Versus Hopelessness/Helplessness in Healthy Individuals and in Patients with Benign Breast Disease and Breast Cancer: A Prospective Case-control Study in Finland.

PubMed

Eskelinen, Matti; Korhonen, Riika; Selander, Tuomas; Ollonen, Paula

2015-06-01

The relation between suicidal ideation versus hopelessness/helplessness in healthy study subjects (HSS) and in patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer (BC) has not been compared to date in a prospective study. We, therefore, investigated suicidal ideation versus hopelessness/helplessness in 115 patients. In the Kuopio Breast Cancer Study, 115 women with breast symptoms were evaluated for hopelessness and helplessness versus suicidal/pessimistic thoughts before any diagnostic procedures were carried-out. In the self-rating score (SRS), hopelessness and the helplessness versus pessimistic thoughts were significantly correlated in the HSS, BBD and BC groups. In the SRS, the weighted kappa-values for hopelessness versus pessimistic thoughts in the BBD group were also statistically significant. There was also a significant positive correlation in the examiner-rating score (ERS) in the hopelessness versus pessimistic thoughts in the HSS, BBD and BC groups, as well as in the ERS, in the helplessness versus pessimistic thoughts in the HSS and BBD groups. In SRS, the hopelessness and the helplessness versus suicidal thoughts were significantly correlated in the HSS, BBD and BC groups. There was also a significant positive correlation in the ERS in the hopelessness versus suicidal thoughts in the HSS, BBD and BC groups, as well as in the ERS, in the helplessness versus suicidal thoughts in the BBD group. A new finding with clinical relevance in the present work is the agreement between hopelessness/helplessness versus suicidal/pessimistic thoughts in the self-rating and examiner-rating. In the breast cancer diagnostic Unit, the identification of suicidal ideation is essential in suicide prevention and it is important to assess and treat depression even though a subject reports little suicidal ideation. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Living the Dream: The Lived Experience of an English Language Arts Professional Learning Community at a College Preparatory Boarding School for Underserved Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worth, Kim A.

2014-01-01

Teachers working in schools where the majority of the population is underserved students often feel a sense of helplessness. The purpose of the study is to uncover the lived experience of a small group of English Language Arts teachers working in such an environment. Specifically, the purpose is to determine if working within an effective…

Exposure to Unsolvable Anagrams Impairs Performance on the Iowa Gambling Task

PubMed Central

Starcke, Katrin; Agorku, Janet D.; Brand, Matthias

2017-01-01

Recent research indicates that external manipulations, such as stress or mood induction, can affect decision-making abilities. In the current study, we investigated whether the exposure to an unsolvable task affected subsequent performance on the Iowa Gambling Task. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition in which they were exposed to unsolvable anagrams (n = 20), or a condition in which they worked on solvable anagrams (n = 22). Afterwards, all participants played the Iowa Gambling Task, a prominent task that measures decision making under uncertain conditions with no explicit rules for gains and losses. In this task, it is essential to process feedback from previous decisions. The results demonstrated that participants who worked on unsolvable anagrams made more disadvantageous decisions on the Iowa Gambling Task than the other participants. In addition, a significant gender effect was observed: Males who worked on unsolvable anagrams made a more disadvantageous decisions than the other male participants. Females who worked on unsolvable anagrams also made more disadvantageous decision than the other female participants, but differences were small and not significant. We conclude that the exposure to unsolvable anagrams induced the experience of uncontrollability which can elicit stress and learned helplessness. Stress and learned helplessness might have reduced the ability to learn from the given feedback, particularly in male participants. We assume that in real life, uncontrollable challenges that last longer than a single experimental manipulation can affect decision making severely, at least in males. PMID:28642693

Impairment of the spatial learning and memory induced by learned helplessness and chronic mild stress.

PubMed

Song, Li; Che, Wang; Min-Wei, Wang; Murakami, Yukihisa; Matsumoto, Kinzo

2006-02-01

Increasing evidences indicate the concurrence and interrelationship of depression and cognitive impairments. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of two depressive animal models, learned helplessness (LH) and chronic mild stress (CMS), on the cognitive functions of mice in the Morris water maze task. Our results demonstrated that both LH and CMS significantly decreased the cognitive performance of stressed mice in the water maze task. The escaping latency to the platform was prolonged and the probe test percentage in the platform quadrant was reduced. These two models also increased the plasma corticosterone concentration and decreased the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP-response element-biding protein (CREB) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels in hippocampus, which might cause the spatial cognition deficits. Repeated treatment with antidepressant drugs, imipramine (Imi) and fluoxetine (Flu), significantly reduced the plasma corticosterone concentration and enhanced the BDNF and CREB levels. Furthermore, antidepressant treated animals showed an ameliorated cognitive performance compared with the vehicle treated stressed animals. These data suggest that both LH and CMS impair the spatial cognitive function and repeated treatment with antidepressant drugs decreases the prevalence of cognitive impairments induced by these two animal models. Those might in part be attributed to the reduced plasma corticosterone and enhanced hippocampal BDNF and CREB expressions. This study provided a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying interactions of depression and cognitive impairments, although animal models used in this study can mimic only some aspects of depression or cognition of human.

Strong interactions between learned helplessness and risky decision-making in a rat gambling model.

PubMed

Nobrega, José N; Hedayatmofidi, Parisa S; Lobo, Daniela S

2016-11-18

Risky decision-making is characteristic of depression and of addictive disorders, including pathological gambling. However it is not clear whether a propensity to risky choices predisposes to depressive symptoms or whether the converse is the case. Here we tested the hypothesis that rats showing risky decision-making in a rat gambling task (rGT) would be more prone to depressive-like behaviour in the learned helplessness (LH) model. Results showed that baseline rGT choice behaviour did not predict escape deficits in the LH protocol. In contrast, exposure to the LH protocol resulted in a significant increase in risky rGT choices on retest. Unexpectedly, control rats subjected only to escapable stress in the LH protocol showed a subsequent decrease in riskier rGT choices. Further analyses indicated that the LH protocol affected primarily rats with high baseline levels of risky choices and that among these it had opposite effects in rats exposed to LH-inducing stress compared to rats exposed only to the escape trials. Together these findings suggest that while baseline risky decision making may not predict LH behaviour it interacts strongly with LH conditions in modulating subsequent decision-making behaviour. The suggested possibility that stress controllability may be a key factor should be further investigated.

Strong interactions between learned helplessness and risky decision-making in a rat gambling model

PubMed Central

Nobrega, José N.; Hedayatmofidi, Parisa S.; Lobo, Daniela S.

2016-01-01

Risky decision-making is characteristic of depression and of addictive disorders, including pathological gambling. However it is not clear whether a propensity to risky choices predisposes to depressive symptoms or whether the converse is the case. Here we tested the hypothesis that rats showing risky decision-making in a rat gambling task (rGT) would be more prone to depressive-like behaviour in the learned helplessness (LH) model. Results showed that baseline rGT choice behaviour did not predict escape deficits in the LH protocol. In contrast, exposure to the LH protocol resulted in a significant increase in risky rGT choices on retest. Unexpectedly, control rats subjected only to escapable stress in the LH protocol showed a subsequent decrease in riskier rGT choices. Further analyses indicated that the LH protocol affected primarily rats with high baseline levels of risky choices and that among these it had opposite effects in rats exposed to LH-inducing stress compared to rats exposed only to the escape trials. Together these findings suggest that while baseline risky decision making may not predict LH behaviour it interacts strongly with LH conditions in modulating subsequent decision-making behaviour. The suggested possibility that stress controllability may be a key factor should be further investigated. PMID:27857171

Correlates of comorbid depression, anxiety and helplessness with obsessive-compulsive disorder in Chinese adolescents.

PubMed

Sun, Jing; Li, Zhanjiang; Buys, Nicholas; Storch, Eric A

2015-03-15

Youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are at risk of experiencing comorbid psychiatric conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Studies of Chinese adolescents with OCD are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of depression, anxiety, and helplessness with the occurrence of OCD in Chinese adolescents. This study consisted of two stages. The first stage used a cross-sectional design involving a stratified clustered non-clinical sample of 3174 secondary school students. A clinical interview procedure was then employed to diagnose OCD in students who had a Leyton 'yes' score of 15 or above. The second phase used a case-control study design to examine the relationship of OCD to depression, anxiety and helplessness in a matched sample of 288 adolescents with clinically diagnosed OCD and 246 students without OCD. Helplessness, depression and anxiety scores were directly associated with the probability of OCD caseness. Canonical correlation analysis indicated that the OCD correlated significantly with depression, anxiety, and helplessness. Cluster analysis further indicated that the degree of the OCD is also associated with severity of depression and anxiety, and the level of helplessness. These findings suggest that depression, anxiety and helplessness are important correlates of OCD in Chinese adolescents. Future studies using longitudinal and prospective designs are required to confirm these relationships as causal. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Programs for Infant Mothering to Develop a Sense of Self and Competence in Infancy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huntington, Dorothy S.

Intervention programs for the disadvantaged should be based on an understanding of the behavior and attitudes of people in poverty. Poor people share a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, a lack of belief that they can change their situations, and low self-esteem. Programs to train child care workers who are themselves disadvantaged (parents,…

Voluntary Exercise Produces Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Behavioral Effects in Mice

PubMed Central

Duman, Catharine H.; Schlesinger, Lee; Russell, David S.; Duman, Ronald S.

2008-01-01

Reports of beneficial effects of exercise on psychological health in humans are increasingly supported by basic research studies. Exercise is hypothesized to regulate antidepressant-related mechanisms and we therefore characterized the effects of chronic exercise in mouse behavioral paradigms relevant to antidepressant actions. Mice given free access to running wheels showed antidepressant-like behavior in learned helplessness, forced-swim (FST) and tail suspension paradigms. These responses were similar to responses of antidepressant drug-treated animals. When tested under conditions where locomotor activity was not altered, exercising mice also showed reduced anxiety compared to sedentary control mice. In situ hybridization analysis showed that BDNF mRNA was increased in specific subfields of hippocampus after wheel running. We chose one paradigm, the FST, in which to investigate a functional role for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the behavioral response to exercise. We tested mice heterozygous for a deletion of the BDNF gene in the FST after wheel-running. Exercising wild-type mice showed the expected antidepressant-like behavioral response in the FST but exercise was ineffective in improving FST performance in heterozygous BDNF knockout mice. A possible functional contribution of a BDNF signaling pathway to FST performance in exercising mice was investigated using the specific MEK inhibitor PD184161 to block the MAPK signaling pathway. Subchronic administration of PD184161 to exercising mice blocked the antidepressant-like behavioral response seen in vehicle-treated exercising mice in the FST. In summary, chronic wheel-running exercise in mice results in antidepressant-like behavioral changes that may involve a BDNF related mechanism similar to that hypothesized for antidepressant drug treatment. PMID:18267317

Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups. V. Acculturation, health-related attitudes and behaviors, and disease activity in Hispanic patients from the LUMINA cohort. LUMINA Study Group. Lupus in Minority Populations, Nature versus Nurture.

PubMed

Alarcón, G S; Rodríguez, J L; Benavides, G; Brooks, K; Kurusz, H; Reveille, J D

1999-08-01

To assess the relationship between acculturation and clinical, socioeconomic-demographic, and behavioral/psychosocial features in Hispanic patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from the LUMINA (Lupus in Minority Populations, Nature versus Nurture) cohort. An empirically derived questionnaire was administered to 67 Mexican American SLE patients participating in a longitudinal study of outcome. This questionnaire inquired about place of birth, upbringing and length of stay in the United States, language (proficiency, usage, and preferences; English/bilingual versus Spanish), type of neighborhood, self-identity, and social interactions. Responses to this questionnaire and an informal interaction with a single bilingual, bicultural Mexican American research assistant were used to generate a score on a 10-cm anchored visual analog scale (VAS) (0 = no acculturation and 10 = maximum acculturation). The responses to the questionnaire were then quantified and scored by a physician who was unaware of the VAS. A composite score was then obtained utilizing 4 of the 6 components of the instrument. The VAS was found to have adequate sensitivity (91%), specificity (88%), and overall predictive value (89%) when the composite score was used as the validity criterion. Therefore, the VAS was used in all subsequent analyses; the median in this VAS separated patients into high and low acculturation groups. The relationship between acculturation and sociodemographic, behavioral/psychosocial (social support, abnormal illness-related behaviors, and helplessness) and clinical variables (disease duration, onset type, number of American College of Rheumatology criteria met, disease activity, and damage) at study entry was then explored. Patients in the low acculturation group had fewer years of education, were less likely to have private health insurance, and had less social support as compared with those in the high acculturation group; they also exhibited less disease activity as determined by the overall physician and patient global assessments of the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure. Abnormal illness-related behaviors and helplessness were not increased in the low acculturation group. Low levels of acculturation were associated with indicators of low socioeconomic status, but also with less disease activity at enrollment into LUMINA; they were, however, not associated with more abnormal illness-related behaviors or with helplessness, as measured in this study. The possible impact of acculturation and of its mediators in the course and outcome of SLE among Hispanic patients needs to be determined longitudinally.

A narrative analysis of helplessness in depression.

PubMed

Vanheule, Stijn; Hauser, Stuart T

2008-12-01

The transcripts of semistructured clinical interviews with forty psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents were subjected to narrative analysis in an effort to map the logic of their explanations as they spontaneously talked about helplessness experiences, and to determine how helplessness is embedded in broader story lines. Three types of narrative composition were discerned, and are discussed by means of excerpts from the interviews. In a first and predominant type of narrative, a disturbing confrontation with another is pivotal: the other's intentions are obscure; this frightens the narrator, who does not know what to do. Helplessness arises as a direct result of not knowing how to manage the "unbearable riddle" of the other's intentions. In the second, more marginal type of narrative, helplessness is embedded in an account of emptiness and boredom. The protagonist relates enduring experiences of emptiness due to loss and the suffering consequent on it. In the third, also more marginal type of narrative, helplessness is framed in a context of failure: the protagonist adheres to strict standards, feels he or she has fallen short, and concludes that he or she is a failure. Only the first type of narrative is significantly related to the psychiatric diagnoses of mood disorder and major depression.

Learning During Stressful Times

PubMed Central

Shors, Tracey J.

2012-01-01

Stressful life events can have profound effects on our cognitive and motor abilities, from those that could be construed as adaptive to those not so. In this review, I discuss the general notion that acute stressful experience necessarily impairs our abilities to learn and remember. The effects of stress on operant conditioning, that is, learned helplessness, as well as those on classical conditioning procedures are discussed in the context of performance and adaptation. Studies indicating sex differences in learning during stressful times are discussed, as are those attributing different responses to the existence of multiple memory systems and nonlinear relationships. The intent of this review is to highlight the apparent plasticity of the stress response, how it might have evolved to affect both performance and learning processes, and the potential problems with interpreting stress effects on learning as either good or bad. An appreciation for its plasticity may provide new avenues for investigating its underlying neuronal mechanisms. PMID:15054128

Neuropsychiatric Phenotypes Produced by GABA Reduction in Mouse Cortex and Hippocampus.

PubMed

Kolata, Stefan M; Nakao, Kazuhito; Jeevakumar, Vivek; Farmer-Alroth, Emily L; Fujita, Yuko; Bartley, Aundrea F; Jiang, Sunny Zhihong; Rompala, Gregory R; Sorge, Robert E; Jimenez, Dennisse V; Martinowich, Keri; Mateo, Yolanda; Hashimoto, Kenji; Dobrunz, Lynn E; Nakazawa, Kazu

2018-05-01

Whereas cortical GAD67 reduction and subsequent GABA level decrease are consistently observed in schizophrenia and depression, it remains unclear how these GABAergic abnormalities contribute to specific symptoms. We modeled cortical GAD67 reduction in mice, in which the Gad1 gene is genetically ablated from ~50% of cortical and hippocampal interneurons. Mutant mice showed a reduction of tissue GABA in the hippocampus and cortex including mPFC, and exhibited a cluster of effort-based behavior deficits including decreased home-cage wheel running and increased immobility in both tail suspension and forced swim tests. Since saccharine preference, progressive ratio responding to food, and learned helplessness task were normal, such avolition-like behavior could not be explained by anhedonia or behavioral despair. In line with the prevailing view that dopamine in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a role in evaluating effort cost for engaging in actions, we found that tail-suspension triggered dopamine release in ACC of controls, which was severely attenuated in the mutant mice. Conversely, ACC dopamine release by progressive ratio responding to reward, during which animals were allowed to effortlessly perform the nose-poking, was not affected in mutants. These results suggest that cortical GABA reduction preferentially impairs the effort-based behavior which requires much effort with little benefit, through a deficit of ACC dopamine release triggered by high-effort cost behavior, but not by reward-seeking behavior. Collectively, a subset of negative symptoms with a reduced willingness to expend costly effort, often observed in patients with schizophrenia and depression, may be attributed to cortical GABA level reduction.

An inventory to measure helplessness, hopelessness, and haplessness.

PubMed

Lester, D

2001-12-01

Using a sample of 69 undergraduates, scales were devised to measure helplessness, hopelessness, and haplessness and shown to have good reliability. Briefer scales were also developed whose scores were independent of one another in a factor analysis. Scores for 19 male and 50 female undergraduates on the 4-item scales of Helplessness and Hopelessness were associated with two different measures of depression, but scores on Hopelessness provided the stronger correlate.

"Overconfidence" versus "helplessness": A qualitative study on abstinence self-efficacy of drug users in a male compulsory drug detention center in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Yan; Feng, Bing; Geng, Wenxiu; Owens, Laurence; Xi, Juzhe

2016-08-31

Compulsory drug detention is the most frequent way to control drug use in China; however, it has often been criticized. This qualitative study aimed to investigate abstinence self-efficacy and its sources of drug users in a compulsory male drug detention center in Shanghai, China, and the attitudes of the drug users to this form of rehabilitation. Thirty-six participants were interviewed (semi-structured, in depth) about their history of drug use and rehabilitation, self-evaluation of addiction, motivations to abstain, plans for the future and attitudes toward rehabilitation. A thematic analysis was undertaken of the transcripts with responses to interview questions being coded for content. Two main types of self-efficacy were found - "overconfidence" (n = 16) and "helplessness" (n = 17). Overconfident participants underestimated their levels of addiction, overestimated their self-control and held external motivations and attributions. In contrast, helpless participants overestimated their levels of addiction, underestimated their self-control and had internal motivations and attributions. Compared to overconfident participants, helpless participants had more relapse history, and were more inclined to interpret relapse as a failure and attribute relapse to themselves. More helpless participants were abandoned by their family members, and received blame from the family members instead of encouragement, but their family members motivated them to abstain. Helpless participants experienced more negative emotions and had worse physical status. They said compulsory detention was a strong support for them and was the most effective way to abstain; while overconfident participants said compulsory detention was not necessary and not useful. It is important to increase the motivation of overconfident drug users and the perceived control of helpless drug users. Compulsory drug detention has strengths in supporting drug users who feel helpless to resist drug use. Adjustments and improvements of compulsory drug detention are suggested.

Inulin-Type Oligosaccharides Extracted from Yacon Produce Antidepressant-Like Effects in Behavioral Models of Depression.

PubMed

An, Lei; Yang, Ji-Chu; Yin, Hang; Xue, Rui; Wang, Qiong; Sun, Yu Chen; Zhang, You-Zhi; Yang, Ming

2016-12-01

Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius), a traditional food in the Andean diet, is attracting global attention for its medicinal properties, which are mainly because of its high content of non-digestible oligosaccharides. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of inulin-type oligosaccharides extracted from yacon (YOs) in behavioral models of depression. Behavioral despair models in mice including the tail suspension test (TST) and the forced swimming test (FST) were used to determine the effects of acute YOs administration. The locomotor activity was also explored to eliminate any false-positive activity. In addition, to further investigate the antidepressant-like effects of subchronic YOs administration, the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm in rats was performed. The results demonstrated that YOs (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment significantly reduced the immobility time in the mouse TST and FST in a U-shaped, dose-dependent manner, and showed no stimulatory effect on the locomotor activity. Furthermore, subchronic YOs (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg, p.o.) treatment significantly reversed the escape deficits in LH rats, including an increased number of escape failures and prolonged escape latency. These findings suggest that the inulin-type oligosaccharides extracted from yacon may be a prospective natural source for antidepressants. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Disease Activity and Damage are not Associated with Increased Levels of Fatigue in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients from LUMINA LXVII, a Multiethnic Cohort

PubMed Central

Burgos, Paula I.; Alarcón, Graciela S.; McGwin, Gerald; Crews, Kendra Q.; Reveille, John D.; Vilá, Luis M.

2009-01-01

Objective To determine the factors associated with increased levels of fatigue over the course of the disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients from LUMINA (Lupus in Minorities: Nature versus Nurture), a longitudinal multiethnic cohort. Methods Patients with SLE (American College of Rheumatology revised and updated criteria), age ≥16 years, disease duration ≤ 5 years at entry into the cohort (T0), of Hispanic (Texan or Puerto Rican), African America or Caucasian ethnicity, were studied. The association between socioeconomic-demographic, health behaviors, behavioral and psychological, functional and clinical characteristics and fatigue was examined using generalized estimating equations to account for the longitudinal nature of the data. Results Five-hundred and fifteen patients (~91% female) contributed 2,609 visits to these analyses; there were: 93 (18.1%) Texan Hispanics, 101 (19.6%) Puerto Rican Hispanics, 169 (32.8%) African Americans, and 152 (29.5%) Caucasians; the patients mean (SD) age and follow up time were 37.2 (12.0) and 4.7 (3.2) years, respectively. Variables associated with increased levels of fatigue in the multivariable analyses were Caucasian ethnicity, the presence of constitutional symptoms(fever, weight loss), higher levels of pain, of abnormal illness-related behaviors and of helplessness (p’s between 0.0018 and <0.0001). Conclusions The presence of pain, abnormal illness-related behaviors, helplessness and constitutional manifestations were associated with increased levels of fatigue; however, lupus specific measures, such as disease activity and damage were not. Interventions aimed at decreasing fatigue need to take into account these findings. PMID:19714612

The Relationship of Decision-Making Styles and Attributional Styles in Addicted and Non-addicted Men.

PubMed

Shaghaghy, Farhad; Saffarinia, Majid; Iranpoor, Mohadeseh; Soltanynejad, Ali

2011-01-01

One of social problems which has affected our society and resulted in problems for different groups of people is drug abuse. This issue indicates a serious psychological, physical and social problem in community. Social skills have positive and successful influences in prevention of substance abuse. This includes the ability to explain events correctly and then appropriate decision making. This study compares decision making styles and attributional styles between addicted and non addicted men to recognize their role in addiction. In this study, 200 addicted and non addicted men were randomly selected. Decision-making style and attributional style questionnaires were used. Data analysis was performed by independent Student's t and Pearson correlation tests. The study population included 81 addicted and 90 non-addicted men. Addicted and non addicted men were significantly different in rational decision-making style (P < 0.05). Negative relationship was found between rational decision making and optimistic attribution style (r = -0.305, P < 0.01) and direct relationship was found between rational decision making and learned helplessness (r = 0.309, P < 0.01). Our study showed that addicts are less rational in decision making and addicts that developed learned helplessness were less rational and did not have optimistic attribution style. These issues show that addiction institutions and therapists have to pay attention to cognitive factors for addiction prevention.

Neural Plasticity Associated with Hippocampal PKA-CREB and NMDA Signaling Is Involved in the Antidepressant Effect of Repeated Low Dose of Yueju Pill on Chronic Mouse Model of Learned Helplessness

PubMed Central

Zou, Zhilu; Chen, Yin; Shen, Qinqin; Guo, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Yuxuan

2017-01-01

Yueju pill is a traditional Chinese medicine formulated to treat syndromes of mood disorders. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effect of repeated low dose of Yueju in the animal model mimicking clinical long-term depression condition and the role of neural plasticity associated with PKA- (protein kinase A-) CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) signaling. We showed that a single low dose of Yueju demonstrated antidepressant effects in tests of tail suspension, forced swim, and novelty-suppressed feeding. A chronic learned helplessness (LH) protocol resulted in a long-term depressive-like condition. Repeated administration of Yueju following chronic LH remarkably alleviated all of depressive-like symptoms measured, whereas conventional antidepressant fluoxetine only showed a minor improvement. In the hippocampus, Yueju and fluoxetine both normalized brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and PKA level. Only Yueju, not fluoxetine, rescued the deficits in CREB signaling. The chronic LH upregulated the expression of NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A, and NR2B, which were all attenuated by Yueju. Furthermore, intracerebraventricular administration of NMDA blunted the antidepressant effect of Yueju. These findings supported the antidepressant efficacy of repeated routine low dose of Yueju in a long-term depression model and the critical role of CREB and NMDA signaling. PMID:29075536

Neural Plasticity Associated with Hippocampal PKA-CREB and NMDA Signaling Is Involved in the Antidepressant Effect of Repeated Low Dose of Yueju Pill on Chronic Mouse Model of Learned Helplessness.

PubMed

Zou, Zhilu; Chen, Yin; Shen, Qinqin; Guo, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Yuxuan; Chen, Gang

2017-01-01

Yueju pill is a traditional Chinese medicine formulated to treat syndromes of mood disorders. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effect of repeated low dose of Yueju in the animal model mimicking clinical long-term depression condition and the role of neural plasticity associated with PKA- (protein kinase A-) CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) signaling. We showed that a single low dose of Yueju demonstrated antidepressant effects in tests of tail suspension, forced swim, and novelty-suppressed feeding. A chronic learned helplessness (LH) protocol resulted in a long-term depressive-like condition. Repeated administration of Yueju following chronic LH remarkably alleviated all of depressive-like symptoms measured, whereas conventional antidepressant fluoxetine only showed a minor improvement. In the hippocampus, Yueju and fluoxetine both normalized brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and PKA level. Only Yueju, not fluoxetine, rescued the deficits in CREB signaling. The chronic LH upregulated the expression of NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A, and NR2B, which were all attenuated by Yueju. Furthermore, intracerebraventricular administration of NMDA blunted the antidepressant effect of Yueju. These findings supported the antidepressant efficacy of repeated routine low dose of Yueju in a long-term depression model and the critical role of CREB and NMDA signaling.

A pilot study to investigate the induction and manipulation of learned helplessness in healthy adults.

PubMed

Taylor, Joseph J; Neitzke, Daniel J; Khouri, George; Borckardt, Jeffrey J; Acierno, Ron; Tuerk, Peter W; Schmidt, Matthew; George, Mark S

2014-11-30

Eliminating the controllability of a noxious stimulus may induce a learned helplessness (LH) that resembles aspects of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) promotes resilience in an aversive stimulus model of LH. All 55 participants were told that an undisclosed sequence of button presses would terminate an aversive stimulus on their forearm. In truth, only half had control (+C). The other half had no control (-C). All participants received real (R) or sham (S) left DLPFC rTMS during the paradigm (+C/R, -C/S,+C/S,-C/R). We evaluated the cognitive effects of LH using an anagram task. The LH paradigm successfully reduced perceived control in the -C groups. As predicted, the +C/R and +C/S groups tended to give up less quickly and take less time to solve each anagram than did the -C/S group. Superior anagram performance in the -C/R group approached statistical significance. Our preliminary results suggest that manipulating the controllability of an aversive stimulus may induce an LH effect that manifests as impaired anagram performance. Further research is needed to refine this model and determine if DLPFC rTMS mitigates any LH effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attributional style and depression in multiple sclerosis: the learned helplessness model.

PubMed

Vargas, Gray A; Arnett, Peter A

2013-01-01

Several etiologic theories have been proposed to explain depression in the general population. Studying these models and modifying them for use in the multiple sclerosis (MS) population may allow us to better understand depression in MS. According to the reformulated learned helplessness (LH) theory, individuals who attribute negative events to internal, stable, and global causes are more vulnerable to depression. This study differentiated attributional style that was or was not related to MS in 52 patients with MS to test the LH theory in this population and to determine possible differences between illness-related and non-illness-related attributions. Patients were administered measures of attributional style, daily stressors, disability, and depressive symptoms. Participants were more likely to list non-MS-related than MS-related causes of negative events on the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and more-disabled participants listed significantly more MS-related causes than did less-disabled individuals. Non-MS-related attributional style correlated with stress and depressive symptoms, but MS-related attributional style did not correlate with disability or depressive symptoms. Stress mediated the effect of non-MS-related attributional style on depressive symptoms. These results suggest that, although attributional style appears to be an important construct in MS, it does not seem to be related directly to depressive symptoms; rather, it is related to more perceived stress, which in turn is related to increased depressive symptoms.

A pilot study to investigate the induction and manipulation of learned helplessness in healthy adults

PubMed Central

Taylor, Joseph J.; Neitzke, Daniel J.; Khouri, George; Borckardt, Jeffrey J.; Acierno, Ron; Tuerk, Peter W.; Schmidt, Matthew; George, Mark S.

2014-01-01

Eliminating the controllability of a noxious stimulus may induce a learned helplessness (LH) that resembles aspects of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) promotes resilience in an aversive stimulus model of LH. All 55 participants were told that an undisclosed sequence of button presses would terminate an aversive stimulus on their forearm. In truth, only half had control (+C). The other half had no control (−C). All participants received real (R) or sham (S) left DLPFC rTMS during the paradigm (+C/R, −C/S,+C/S, −C/R). We evaluated the cognitive effects of LH using an anagram task. The LH paradigm successfully reduced perceived control in the −C groups. As predicted, the +C/R and +C/S groups tended to give up less quickly and take less time to solve each anagram than did the −C/S group. Superior anagram performance in the −C/R group approached statistical significance. Our preliminary results suggest that manipulating the controllability of an aversive stimulus may induce a LH effect that manifests as impaired anagram performance. Further research is needed to refine this model and determine if DLPFC rTMS mitigates any LH effects. PMID:25023370

Differentiation of hopelessness, helplessness, and powerlessness using Erik Erikson's "Roots of virtue".

PubMed

Drew, B L

1990-10-01

Hopelessness, helplessness, and powerlessness have been identified as phenomena of concern to psychiatric nursing practice by an American Nurses' Association (ANA) task force. These concepts, however, have not been clearly distinguished from each other. The resulting lack of clarity decreases the usefulness of nursing diagnoses in directing strategies for intervention. The purpose of this article is to differentiate the phenomena of hopelessness, helplessness, and powerlessness using Erik Erikson's "Roots of virtue" as a conceptual framework. The relationship between the frustration of early childhood tasks and later adult response patterns is discussed. Clinical examples illustrate that knowledge of childhood issues guides the formulation of therapeutic goals and interventions to address the experience of hopelessness, helplessness, and powerlessness.

Acute and Chronic Stress: The Effects of Loss of Control

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-07-31

stressor affecting the health and well-being of the unemployed and their families. This study was designed to test how loss of control associated with...status: short-term ( unemployed for less than two months); long-term ( unemployed for longer than two months); and, employed controls. Perceptions of...the laboratory stressor resulting in performance deficits and helpless behavior. As predicted. compared to the other two groups. long-term unemployed

Helping Students Fix Problems and Avoid Crises: An Easy-to-Use Intervention Resource for Grades 1-4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Lawrence J.

2005-01-01

For every teacher who has been at a loss to help the student who seemed helpless, this is a resource that cannot be missed. In this book, the author details instructional principles to help educators model and mentor effective life skills behaviors for their students. For the child who doesn't have friends, does poorly in sports, has difficulty…

Expectancies, socioeconomic status, and self-rated health: use of the simplified TOMCATS Questionnaire.

PubMed

Odéen, Magnus; Westerlund, Hugo; Theorell, Töres; Leineweber, Constanze; Eriksen, Hege R; Ursin, Holger

2013-06-01

Coping has traditionally been measured with inventories containing many items meant to identify specific coping strategies. An alternative is to develop a shorter inventory that focusses on coping expectancies which may determine the extent to which an individual attempts to cope actively. This paper explores the usefulness and validity of a simplified seven-item questionnaire (Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress, TOMCATS) for response outcome expectancies defined either as positive ("coping"), negative ("hopelessness"), or none ("helplessness"). The definitions are based on the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS; Ursin and Eriksen, Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29(5):567–92, 2004). The questionnaire was tested in two different samples. First, the questionnaire was compared with a traditional test of coping and then tested for validity in relation to socioeconomic differences in self-reported health. The first study was a comparison of the brief TOMCATS with a short version of the Utrecht Coping List (UCL; Eriksen et al., Scand J Psychol, 38(3):175–82, 1997). Both questionnaires were tested in a population of 1,704 Norwegian municipality workers. The second study was a cross-sectional analysis of TOMCATS, subjective and objective socioeconomic status, and health in a representative sample of the Swedish working population in 2003–2005 (N = 11,441). In the first study, the coping item in the TOMCATS questionnaire showed an expected significant positive correlation with the UCL factors of instrumental mastery-oriented coping and negative correlations with passive and depressive scores. There were also the expected correlations for the helplessness and hopelessness scores, but there was no clear distinction between helplessness and hopelessness in the way they correlated with the UCL. In the second study, the coping item in TOMCATS and the three-item helplessness scores showed clear and monotonous gradients over a subjective socioeconomic status (SES) ladder. Positive response outcome expectancy ("coping") was related to high subjective SES and no expectancy ("helplessness") to low subjective SES. In a model including age and sex, TOMCATS scores explained more variance (r 2 = 0.16) in self-reported health than both subjective (r 2 = 0.08) and objective SES (r 2 = 0.02). The brief TOMCATS questionnaire showed acceptable and significant correlations with a traditional coping questionnaire and is sensitive enough to register systematic differences in response outcome expectancies across the socioeconomic ladder. The results furthermore confirm that psychological and learning factors contribute to the socioeconomic gradient in health.

Affect-related related behaviors in mice selectively bred for high and low voluntary alcohol consumption

PubMed Central

Can, Adem; Grahame, Nicholas J.; Gould, Todd D.

2016-01-01

There is considerable evidence for the existence of comorbidity between alcohol-use disorders and depression in humans. One strategy to elucidate hereditary factors affecting the comorbidity of these disorders is to use genetic animal models, such as mouse lines selectively bred for voluntary ethanol consumption. We hypothesized that mice from lines that were bred for high-alcohol preference would manifest increased depression-like phenotypes compared to low-alcohol preferring mice. Mice that were bi-directionally selected and bred on the basis of their High-(HAP) or Low-Alcohol Preference (LAP) were tested in the open-field (OFT), dark-light box (DLB), forced swim (FST), and learned helplessness tests (LH). The study was conducted in two independently derived replicates. In the OFT, both HAP2 and HAP3 mice showed higher levels of general locomotion compared to LAP mice. However, only HAP2 mice spent more time in the center compared to LAP2 mice. In the DLB, there was a slightly higher anxiety-like phenotype in HAP mice. In both FST and LH, we observed higher depression-like behaviors in HAP mice compared to LAP mice, but this was limited to the Replicate 2 mice. Overall, we identified affect-related behavioral changes in mouse lines bred for high-alcohol preference. Notably, the Replicate 3 lines that showed fewer depression-like behaviors also manifest smaller differences in alcohol intake. These data suggest that there may be overlap between genes that predispose to excessive alcohol intake and those underlying affective-related behaviors in the mouse. PMID:21989731

Affect-related behaviors in mice selectively bred for high and low voluntary alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Can, Adem; Grahame, Nicholas J; Gould, Todd D

2012-03-01

There is considerable evidence for the existence of comorbidity between alcohol-use disorders and depression in humans. One strategy to elucidate hereditary factors affecting the comorbidity of these disorders is to use genetic animal models, such as mouse lines selectively bred for voluntary ethanol consumption. We hypothesized that mice from lines that were bred for high-alcohol preference would manifest increased depression-like phenotypes compared to low-alcohol preferring mice. Mice that were bi-directionally selected and bred on the basis of their High- (HAP) or Low-Alcohol Preference (LAP) were tested in the open-field (OFT), dark-light box (DLB), forced swim (FST), and learned helplessness tests (LH). The study was conducted in two independently derived replicates. In the OFT, both HAP2 and HAP3 mice showed higher levels of general locomotion compared to LAP mice. However, only HAP2 mice spent more time in the center compared to LAP2 mice. In the DLB, there was a slightly higher anxiety-like phenotype in HAP mice. In both FST and LH, we observed higher depression-like behaviors in HAP mice compared to LAP mice, but this was limited to the Replicate 2 mice. Overall, we identified affect-related behavioral changes in mouse lines bred for high-alcohol preference. Notably, the Replicate 3 lines that showed fewer depression-like behaviors also manifest smaller differences in alcohol intake. These data suggest that there may be overlap between genes that predispose to excessive alcohol intake and those underlying affect-related behaviors in the mouse.

Helplessness, hopelessness, and haplessness and suicidality.

PubMed

Lester, D

1998-06-01

In a sample of 141 college students, scores on depression and suicidal ideation were best predicted by scores on hopelessness, while a history of attempted suicide was best predicated by helplessness.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder-associated depression: evidence for reductions in the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in a mouse model

PubMed Central

Caldwell, Kevin K.; Sheema, S.; Paz, Rodrigo D; Samudio-Ruiz, Sabrina L.; Laughlin, Mary H.; Spence, Nathan E.; Roehlk, Michael J; Alcon, Sara N.; Allan, Andrea M.

2009-01-01

Prenatal ethanol exposure is associated with an increased incidence of depressive disorders in patient populations. However, the mechanisms that link prenatal ethanol exposure and depression are unknown. Several recent studies have implicated reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampal formation and frontal cortex as important contributors to the etiology of depression. In the present studies, we sought to determine whether prenatal ethanol exposure is associated with behaviors that model depression, as well as with reduced BDNF levels in the hippocampal formation and/or medial frontal cortex, in a mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Compared to control adult mice, prenatal ethanol-exposed adult mice displayed increased learned helplessness behavior and increased immobility in the Porsolt forced swim test. Prenatal ethanol exposure was associated with decreased BDNF protein levels in the medial frontal cortex, but not the hippocampal formation, while total BDNF mRNA and BDNF transcripts containing exon III, IV or VI were reduced in both the medial frontal cortex and the hippocampal formation of prenatal ethanol-exposed mice. These results identify reduced BDNF levels in the medial frontal cortex and hippocampal formation as potential mediators of depressive disorders associated with FASD. PMID:18558427

Two Chronic Stress Models Based on Movement Restriction in Rats Respond Selectively to Antidepressant Drugs: Aldolase C As a Potential Biomarker.

PubMed

Ampuero, Estibaliz; Luarte, Alejandro; Santibañez, Marcos; Varas-Godoy, Manuel; Toledo, Jorge; Diaz-Veliz, Gabriela; Cavada, Gabriel; Rubio, F Javier; Wyneken, Ursula

2015-03-26

Clinically depressed individuals respond to different types of antidepressants, suggesting that different neurobiological mechanisms may be responsible for their depression. However, animal models to characterize this are not yet available. We induced depressive-like behaviors in rats using 2 different chronic stress models: restraint in small cages or immobilization in adaptable plastic cones. Both models increased anxiety responses evaluated by novelty-suppressed feeding and the elevated plus-maze; increased learned helplessness evaluated by the tail suspension and forced swimming tests; and increased anhedonia evaluated by the sucrose preference test. We assessed the ability of 2 different types of antidepressants to ameliorate depressive-like behaviors. We administered the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine or the noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor reboxetine once daily for 28 days to rats that received either chronic restraint or immobilization stress, or no stress. Behavioral analysis revealed that fluoxetine ameliorated depressive-like behaviors when induced by chronic restraint stress, whereas reboxetine ameliorated these behaviors when induced by chronic immobilization stress. To further test biological differences between both models, we evaluated the levels of Aldolase C, an enzyme expressed by forebrain astrocytes that is regulated by antidepressant treatment, in the cerebrospinal fluid: chronic restraint stress, but not immobilization stress, increased the levels of Aldolase C. Moreover, the presence of astrocyte-derived Aldolase C-GFP in the cerebrospinal fluid indicates its central origin. Two stress paradigms induced depressive-like behaviors that were sensitive to different antidepressant treatments. Biomarkers such as Aldolase C could help determine optimal antidepressant treatments for clinically depressed patients. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Greater neurobehavioral deficits occur in adult mice after repeated, as compared to single, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

PubMed

Nichols, Jessica N; Deshane, Alok S; Niedzielko, Tracy L; Smith, Cory D; Floyd, Candace L

2016-02-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) accounts for the majority of all brain injuries and affected individuals typically experience some extent of cognitive and/or neuropsychiatric deficits. Given that repeated mTBIs often result in worsened prognosis, the cumulative effect of repeated mTBIs is an area of clinical concern and on-going pre-clinical research. Animal models are critical in elucidating the underlying mechanisms of single and repeated mTBI-associated deficits, but the neurobehavioral sequelae produced by these models have not been well characterized. Thus, we sought to evaluate the behavioral changes incurred after single and repeated mTBIs in mice utilizing a modified impact-acceleration model. Mice in the mTBI group received 1 impact while the repeated mTBI group received 3 impacts with an inter-injury interval of 24h. Classic behavior evaluations included the Morris water maze (MWM) to assess learning and memory, elevated plus maze (EPM) for anxiety, and forced swim test (FST) for depression/helplessness. Additionally, species-typical behaviors were evaluated with the marble-burying and nestlet shredding tests to determine motivation and apathy. Non-invasive vibration platforms were used to examine sleep patterns post-mTBI. We found that the repeated mTBI mice demonstrated deficits in MWM testing and poorer performance on species-typical behaviors. While neither single nor repeated mTBI affected behavior in the EPM or FST, sleep disturbances were observed after both single and repeated mTBI. Here, we conclude that behavioral alterations shown after repeated mTBI resemble several of the deficits or disturbances reported by patients, thus demonstrating the relevance of this murine model to study repeated mTBIs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Next of kin's experience of powerlessness and helplessness in palliative home care.

PubMed

Milberg, Anna; Strang, Peter; Jakobsson, Maria

2004-02-01

Powerlessness and helplessness have been very little studied. The aims of this study were (1) to describe what characterise such experiences and the meaning of them to next of kin of cancer patients in advanced palliative home care and (2) to make quantifications. The study design was cross-sectional and targeted next of kin during ongoing palliative home care and next of kin of patients who had died 3-9 months earlier; 233 next of kin responded (response rate 72%) to a postal questionnaire with both Likert-type and open-ended questions. The text responses were analysed with a combined qualitative and quantitative content analysis. Thirty-six percent of respondents stated that they had experienced powerlessness and/or helplessness every day or several times per week, whereas 33% had never had this experience during the palliative home care period. Powerlessness and helplessness concerned next of kin's perception of the patient's suffering, of the patient's fading away and the next of kin's own feelings of insufficiency and resulted in both physical and psychological symptoms, such as muscle tension, headache, loss of appetite, anxiety and depression. In addition, powerlessness and helplessness concerned also a deeper meaning with existential and social aspects, such as feelings of guilt, anger and loneliness. The main findings provide tools for the practitioner to identify situations contributing to next of kin's sense of powerlessness and helplessness. The findings are discussed in relation to the concepts of symptom control, communication of awareness and humans' search for action.

[Predictors of fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness in people with cancer].

PubMed

Oh, Pok-Ja; Lee, Yeon-Joo

2008-04-01

This study was done to identify predictors of the fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness in the patients' mental adjustment to cancer. Cancer patients' characteristics like performance status, metastasis and duration of diagnosis with demographic factors, spiritual support and social support were used as predictors of a fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness. A total of 124 ambulatory cancer patients completed the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale and responded in a structured instrument about their characteristics, spiritual and social support. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that confidence in the supporter (R(2)=.114, p=.000), duration of cancer diagnosis (R(2)=.041, p=.000) and faith (R(2)=.030, p=.000) were predictive of a fighting spirit (R(2)=.185, p=.000); whereas, education (R(2)=.074, p=.001), performance status (R(2)=.055, p=.000), satisfaction with social support (R(2)=.046, p=.000), and metastasis (R(2)=.037, p=.000) were predictive of helplessness/hopelessness (R(2)=.202, p=.000). Social support, spiritual support and disease related factors like metastasis, performance status, and duration of cancer diagnosis need to be considered in a psychosocial nursing intervention for a fighting spirit or helplessness/hopelessness.

Deep-brain magnetic stimulation promotes adult hippocampal neurogenesis and alleviates stress-related behaviors in mouse models for neuropsychiatric disorders

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)/ Deep-brain Magnetic Stimulation (DMS) is an effective therapy for various neuropsychiatric disorders including major depression disorder. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the impacts of rTMS/DMS on the brain are not yet fully understood. Results Here we studied the effects of deep-brain magnetic stimulation to brain on the molecular and cellular level. We examined the adult hippocampal neurogenesis and hippocampal synaptic plasticity of rodent under stress conditions with deep-brain magnetic stimulation treatment. We found that DMS promotes adult hippocampal neurogenesis significantly and facilitates the development of adult new-born neurons. Remarkably, DMS exerts anti-depression effects in the learned helplessness mouse model and rescues hippocampal long-term plasticity impaired by restraint stress in rats. Moreover, DMS alleviates the stress response in a mouse model for Rett syndrome and prolongs the life span of these animals dramatically. Conclusions Deep-brain magnetic stimulation greatly facilitates adult hippocampal neurogenesis and maturation, also alleviates depression and stress-related responses in animal models. PMID:24512669

When Patients and Their Families Feel Like Hostages to Health Care.

PubMed

Berry, Leonard L; Danaher, Tracey S; Beckham, Dan; Awdish, Rana L A; Mate, Kedar S

2017-09-01

Patients are often reluctant to assert their interests in the presence of clinicians, whom they see as experts. The higher the stakes of a health decision, the more entrenched the socially sanctioned roles of patient and clinician can become. As a result, many patients are susceptible to "hostage bargaining syndrome" (HBS), whereby they behave as if negotiating for their health from a position of fear and confusion. It may manifest as understating a concern, asking for less than what is desired or needed, or even remaining silent against one's better judgment. When HBS persists and escalates, a patient may succumb to learned helplessness, making his or her authentic involvement in shared decision making almost impossible. To subvert HBS and prevent learned helplessness, clinicians must aim to be sensitive to the power imbalance inherent in the clinician-patient relationship. They should then actively and mindfully pursue shared decision making by helping patients trust that it is safe to communicate their concerns and priorities, ask questions about the available clinical options, and contribute knowledge of self to clinical decisions about their care. Hostage bargaining syndrome is an insidious psychosocial dynamic that can compromise quality of care, but clinicians often have the power to arrest it and reverse it by appreciating, paradoxically, how patients' perceptions of their power as experts play a central role in the care they provide. Copyright © 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MicroRNA Profiling in the Medial and Lateral Habenula of Rats Exposed to the Learned Helplessness Paradigm: Candidate Biomarkers for Susceptibility and Resilience to Inescapable Shock.

PubMed

Svenningsen, Katrine; Venø, Morten T; Henningsen, Kim; Mallien, Anne S; Jensen, Line; Christensen, Trine; Kjems, Jørgen; Vollmayr, Barbara; Wiborg, Ove

2016-01-01

Depression is a highly heterogeneous disorder presumably caused by a combination of several factors ultimately causing the pathological condition. The genetic liability model of depression is likely to be of polygenic heterogeneity. miRNAs can regulate multiple genes simultaneously and therefore are candidates that align with this model. The habenula has been linked to depression in both clinical and animal studies, shifting interest towards this region as a neural substrate in depression. The goal of the present study was to search for alterations in miRNA expression levels in the medial and lateral habenula of rats exposed to the learned helplessness (LH) rat model of depression. Ten miRNAs showed significant alterations associating with their response to the LH paradigm. Of these, six and four miRNAs were significantly regulated in the MHb and LHb, respectively. In the MHb we identified miR-490, miR-291a-3p, MiR-467a, miR-216a, miR-18b, and miR-302a. In the LHb miR-543, miR-367, miR-467c, and miR-760-5p were significantly regulated. A target gene analysis showed that several of the target genes are involved in MAPK signaling, neutrophin signaling, and ErbB signaling, indicating that neurotransmission is affected in the habenula as a consequence of exposure to the LH paradigm.

MicroRNA Profiling in the Medial and Lateral Habenula of Rats Exposed to the Learned Helplessness Paradigm: Candidate Biomarkers for Susceptibility and Resilience to Inescapable Shock

PubMed Central

Mallien, Anne S.; Jensen, Line; Christensen, Trine; Kjems, Jørgen; Vollmayr, Barbara; Wiborg, Ove

2016-01-01

Depression is a highly heterogeneous disorder presumably caused by a combination of several factors ultimately causing the pathological condition. The genetic liability model of depression is likely to be of polygenic heterogeneity. miRNAs can regulate multiple genes simultaneously and therefore are candidates that align with this model. The habenula has been linked to depression in both clinical and animal studies, shifting interest towards this region as a neural substrate in depression. The goal of the present study was to search for alterations in miRNA expression levels in the medial and lateral habenula of rats exposed to the learned helplessness (LH) rat model of depression. Ten miRNAs showed significant alterations associating with their response to the LH paradigm. Of these, six and four miRNAs were significantly regulated in the MHb and LHb, respectively. In the MHb we identified miR-490, miR-291a-3p, MiR-467a, miR-216a, miR-18b, and miR-302a. In the LHb miR-543, miR-367, miR-467c, and miR-760-5p were significantly regulated. A target gene analysis showed that several of the target genes are involved in MAPK signaling, neutrophin signaling, and ErbB signaling, indicating that neurotransmission is affected in the habenula as a consequence of exposure to the LH paradigm. PMID:27494716

Infusions of allopregnanolone into the hippocampus and amygdala, but not into the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex, produce antidepressant effects on the learned helplessness rats.

PubMed

Shirayama, Yukihiko; Muneoka, Katsumasa; Fukumoto, Makoto; Tadokoro, Shigenori; Fukami, Goro; Hashimoto, Kenji; Iyo, Masaomi

2011-10-01

Patients with depression showed a decrease in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid allopregnanolone (ALLO). But antidepressants increased the contents of ALLO in the rat brain. We examined the antidepressant-like effects of infusion of ALLO into the cerebral ventricle, hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, or prefrontal cortex of learned helplessness (LH) rats (an animal model of depression). Of these regions, infusions of ALLO into the cerebral ventricle, the CA3 region of hippocampus, or the central region of amygdala exerted antidepressant-like effects. Infusion of ALLO into the hippocampal CA3 region or the central amygdala did not produce memory deficits or locomotor activation in the passive avoidance and open field tests. It is well documented that ALLO exerts its effects through GABA receptors. Therefore, we examined the antagonistic effects of flumazenil (a GABA receptor antagonist) on the antidepressant-like effects of ALLO. Coinfusion of flumazenil with ALLO into the hippocampal CA3 region, but not into the central amygdala, blocked the antidepressant-like effects of ALLO. However, coinfusion of (+)MK801 (an NMDA receptor antagonist), but not cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor), blocked the antidepressant-like effects of ALLO in the central amygdala. These results suggest that ALLO exerts antidepressant-like effects in the CA3 region of hippocampus through the GABA system and in the central region of amygdala, dependently on the activation of the glutamatergic mechanisms. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

38 CFR 3.340 - Total and permanent total ratings and unemployability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... hand and one foot, or of the sight of both eyes, or becoming permanently helpless or bedridden... sense permanently helpless or bedridden, or when it is reasonably certain that a subsidence of the acute...

Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation and Quality of Life in Adolescents from Puerto Rico with Type 1 Diabetes.

PubMed

Guerrero-Ramírez, Grace; Cumba-Avilés, Eduardo

2018-03-01

People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may experience significant changes in their daily routines due to this condition, which frequently results in depressive symptoms and the deterioration of their quality of life. We examined the factors associated with suicidal ideation (SI) and diabetes-related quality of life (DRQOL) in adolescents (aged 12 to 17) with T1D. The sample consisted of 51 youths (29 girls) recruited during a treatment study for depression. They completed the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth questionnaire, the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire Junior, and other measures that explore emotional, cognitive, somatic, behavioral, and relational aspects. Their caregivers completed the Barriers to Adherence Questionnaire and the Somatic Complaints subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist, among other measures. We used correlation and multiple linear regression analyses to identify the factors associated with the dependent variables. The variables associated with SI were depression, somatic complaints, perceived family emotional support, self care for diabetes, self-deprecation, helplessness, and hopelessness, among others. In a multiple regression analysis, the first 3 accounted for 46% of the variance. Those related to DRQOL included cognitive alterations, barriers to adherence, perceived family emotional support, self-efficacy for diabetes and for depression, helplessness, anxiety, and self-deprecation, among others. The first 4 accounted for 61% of the variance. Our findings highlight the impact of emotional, cognitive, somatic, behavioral, and relational aspects on the quality of mental health and the DRQOL of youth with T1D, as well as their pertinence for the development of psychosocial interventions for this population.

Behavioral and physiological consequences of enrichment loss in rats

PubMed Central

Smith, Brittany L.; Lyons, Carey E; Correa, Fernanda Guilhaume; Benoit, Stephen C.; Myers, Brent; Solomon, Matia B.; Herman, James P.

2017-01-01

Significant loss produces the highest degree of stress and compromised well-being in humans. Current rodent models of stress involve the application of physically or psychologically aversive stimuli, but do not address the concept of loss. We developed a rodent model for significant loss, involving removal of long-term access to a rewarding enriched environment. Our results indicate that removal from environmental enrichment produces a profound behavioral and physiological phenotype with depression-like qualities, including helplessness behavior, hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis dysregulation and overeating. Importantly, this enrichment removal phenotype was prevented by antidepressant treatment. Furthermore, the effects of enrichment removal do not occur following relief from chronic stress and are not duplicated by loss of exercise or social contact. PMID:28012292

A controlled study of Hostile-Helpless states of mind among borderline and dysthymic women

PubMed Central

LYONS-RUTH, KARLEN; MELNICK, SHARON; PATRICK, MATTHEW; HOBSON, R. PETER

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are more likely than those with dysthymia to manifest contradictory Hostile-Helpless (HH) states of mind. A reliable rater blind to diagnosis evaluated features of such mental representations in transcripts of Adult Attachment Interviews from 12 women with BPD and 11 women with dysthymia of similar socioeconomic status (SES), all awaiting psychotherapy. In keeping with three hierarchical (non-independent) a priori predictions regarding the mental representations of women with BPD, the results were that (a) all those with BPD, compared with half the group with dysthymia, displayed HH states of mind; (b) those with BPD manifested a significantly higher frequency of globally devaluing representations; and (c) they exhibited a strong trend toward identifying with the devalued hostile caregiver (58% BPD vs. 18% dysthymic). In addition, significantly more BPD than dysthymic patients made reference to controlling behavior towards attachment figures in childhood. These findings offer fresh insights into the nature of BPD and extend previous evidence concerning affected individuals’ patterns of thinking and feeling about childhood attachment figures. PMID:17364479

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Helplessness, Hopelessness, and Haplessness Scale in patients with anxiety disorders.

PubMed

Vatan, Sevginar; Ertaş, Sedar; Lester, David

2011-04-01

In a sample of 100 Turkish psychiatric patients with diagnoses of anxiety disorders, Lester's Helplessness, Hopelessness, and Haplessness inventory had moderate estimates of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity.

Sequences of emotional distress expressed by clients and acknowledged by therapists: are they associated more with some therapists than others?

PubMed

Viney, L L

1994-11-01

When clients come to psychotherapy they are distressed, this distress usually being expressed in the form of anxiety, hostility, depression and helplessness. This study explored the sequences of emotional distress expressed by clients and acknowledged by therapists, and examined their associations with other factors. The transcripts of five therapists (two single sessions each) were content-analysed: they used personal construct, client centered, rational-emotive, Gestalt and transactional analysis therapy. Log-linear analyses of appropriate contingency table cell frequencies were conducted to test associations between identified sequences and the two variables of therapist and timing of completion of the sequence. Therapist-client sequences of Anxiety-Anxiety, Anxiety-Hostility and Helplessness-Hostility were found to be associated more with the personal construct and client centred therapists than with the rational-emotive therapist. Client-therapist sequences of Anxiety-Anxiety, Helplessness-Anxiety and Helplessness-Helplessness were more often found with the client centred therapist than the other therapists. For most of these sequences timing had an effect, yet timing rarely interacted with the therapist variable. The findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to the theoretical positions represented, the shortcomings of the research and the value of this methodology in studies linking therapy process with outcome.

Concern and Helplessness: Citizens' Assessments of Individual and Collective Action on the Provision of Environmental Public Goods in a Coastal City at Risk of Inundation.

PubMed

Bunyan, Sabrina; Collins, Alan; Duffy, David

2016-09-01

Survey data from a representative sample of 1005 households in the UK coastal city of Portsmouth are examined to discern commonalities and contrasts in their assessment of actions to address the related environmental threats of climate change and flooding. The city of Portsmouth is at risk of inundation from rising sea levels and the city has recent experience of flooding. A simple local and global public good framework is used to organize the understanding of reported attitudes and their determinants. The findings show that it is not always the same individuals who express concern about both climate change and flooding. Investigation into perceptions of helplessness in tackling climate change indicates that individuals more often perceived themselves to be helpless in tackling climate but perceived local collective action to be more effective. Individuals considered local collective action to be more effective in tackling climate change. Perceptions of individual helplessness are in turn related to reported concern. Several socioeconomic characteristics of individuals are shown to be useful in explaining the determinants of concern and perceptions of helplessness among respondents. As other cities face climate change-related challenges, the empirical findings, based upon attitudes from an alert urban population, are informative to policy design.

Concern and Helplessness: Citizens' Assessments of Individual and Collective Action on the Provision of Environmental Public Goods in a Coastal City at Risk of Inundation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunyan, Sabrina; Collins, Alan; Duffy, David

2016-09-01

Survey data from a representative sample of 1005 households in the UK coastal city of Portsmouth are examined to discern commonalities and contrasts in their assessment of actions to address the related environmental threats of climate change and flooding. The city of Portsmouth is at risk of inundation from rising sea levels and the city has recent experience of flooding. A simple local and global public good framework is used to organize the understanding of reported attitudes and their determinants. The findings show that it is not always the same individuals who express concern about both climate change and flooding. Investigation into perceptions of helplessness in tackling climate change indicates that individuals more often perceived themselves to be helpless in tackling climate but perceived local collective action to be more effective. Individuals considered local collective action to be more effective in tackling climate change. Perceptions of individual helplessness are in turn related to reported concern. Several socioeconomic characteristics of individuals are shown to be useful in explaining the determinants of concern and perceptions of helplessness among respondents. As other cities face climate change-related challenges, the empirical findings, based upon attitudes from an alert urban population, are informative to policy design.

Fancy Citrus, Feel Good: Positive Judgment of Citrus Odor, but Not the Odor Itself, Is Associated with Elevated Mood during Experienced Helplessness

PubMed Central

Hoenen, Matthias; Müller, Katharina; Pause, Bettina M.; Lübke, Katrin T.

2016-01-01

Aromatherapy claims that citrus essential oils exert mood lifting effects. Controlled studies, however, have yielded inconsistent results. Notably, studies so far did not control for odor pleasantness, although pleasantness is a critical determinant of emotional responses to odors. This study investigates mood lifting effects of d-(+)-limonene, the most prominent substance in citrus essential oils, with respect to odor quality judgments. Negative mood was induced within 78 participants using a helplessness paradigm (unsolvable social discrimination task). During this task, participants were continuously (mean duration: 19.5 min) exposed to d-(+)-limonene (n = 25), vanillin (n = 26), or diethyl phthalate (n = 27). Participants described their mood (Self-Assessment-Manikin, basic emotion ratings) and judged the odors’ quality (intensity, pleasantness, unpleasantness, familiarity) prior to and following the helplessness induction. The participants were in a less positive mood after the helplessness induction (p < 0.001), irrespective of the odor condition. Still, the more pleasant the participants judged the odors, the less effective the helplessness induction was in reducing happiness (p = 0.019). The results show no odor specific mood lifting effect of d-(+)-limonene, but indicate a positive effect of odor pleasantness on mood. The study highlights the necessity to evaluate odor judgments in aromatherapy research. PMID:26869973

Helplessness and loss as mediators between pain and depressive symptoms in fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Palomino, Rand A; Nicassio, Perry M; Greenberg, Melanie A; Medina, Ernesto P

2007-05-01

This study evaluated the contribution of condition-specific helplessness and loss to depression in fibromyalgia (FM). Two models were tested. The first model examined whether loss, measured by the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI) Interference Scale, would mediate the relationship between disability and depression. The second model determined whether condition-specific helplessness and loss would mediate the relationship between pain and depression with disability controlled. Eighty patients with confirmed diagnoses of FM were recruited throughout Southern California from general medical clinics, newspaper advertisements, and rheumatology practices. The study design was cross-sectional, using self-report, observational, and interview measures. A composite measure of depression was adopted, consisting of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted using a path analytic framework to examine each model. In Model 1, loss fully mediated the relationship between disability and depression. In Model 2, condition-specific helplessness mediated the relationship between pain and depression, but the contribution of loss was not significant. The findings confirm the importance of helplessness and demonstrate that the cognitive meaning of having FM plays a more central role in predicting depressive symptomatology than illness-related stressors, such as pain or disability.

Decreased SGK1 Expression and Function Contributes to Behavioral Deficits Induced by Traumatic Stress

PubMed Central

Licznerski, Pawel; Duric, Vanja; Banasr, Mounira; Alavian, Kambiz N.; Ota, Kristie T.; Kang, Hyo Jung; Jonas, Elizabeth A.; Ursano, Robert; Krystal, John H.; Duman, Ronald S.

2015-01-01

Exposure to extreme stress can trigger the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The molecular mechanisms underlying the structural and functional alterations within corticolimbic brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala of individuals subjected to traumatic stress, remain unknown. In this study, we show that serum and glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) expression is down-regulated in the postmortem PFC of PTSD subjects. Furthermore, we demonstrate that inhibition of SGK1 in the rat medial PFC results in helplessness- and anhedonic-like behaviors in rodent models. These behavioral changes are accompanied by abnormal dendritic spine morphology and synaptic dysfunction. Together, the results are consistent with the possibility that altered SGK1 signaling contributes to the behavioral and morphological phenotypes associated with traumatic stress pathophysiology. PMID:26506154

Repeated treatment with nitric oxide synthase inhibitor attenuates learned helplessness development in rats and increases hippocampal BDNF expression.

PubMed

Stanquini, Laura Alves; Biojone, Caroline; Guimarães, Francisco Silveira; Joca, Sâmia Regiane

2017-11-20

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors induce antidepressant-like effects in animal models sensitive to acute drug treatment such as the forced swimming test. However, it is not yet clear if repeated treatment with these drugs is required to induce antidepressant-like effects in preclinical models. The aim of this study was to test the effect induced by acute or repeated (7 days) treatment with 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), a preferential inhibitor of neuronal NOS, in rats submitted to the learned helplessness (LH) model. In addition, we aimed at investigating if 7-NI treatment would increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels in the hippocampus, similarly to the effect of prototype antidepressants. Animals were submitted to a pre-test (PT) session with inescapable footshocks or habituation (no shocks) to the experimental shuttle box. Six days later they were exposed to a test with escapable footshocks. Independent groups received acute (a single injection after PT or before test) or repeated (once a day for 7 days) treatment with vehicle or 7-NI (30 mg/kg). Repeated, but not acute, treatment with 7-NI attenuated LH development. The effect was similar to repeated imipramine treatment. Moreover, in an independent experimental group, only repeated treatment with 7-NI and imipramine increased BDNF protein levels in the hippocampus. The results suggest the nitrergic system could be a target for the treatment of depressive-like conditions. They also indicate that, similar to the positive control imipramine, the antidepressant-like effects of NOS inhibition could involve an increase in hippocampal BDNF levels.

Learned helplessness activates hippocampal microglia in rats: A potential target for the antidepressant imipramine.

PubMed

Iwata, Masaaki; Ishida, Hisahito; Kaneko, Koichi; Shirayama, Yukihiko

An accumulating body of evidence has demonstrated that inflammation is associated with the pathology of depression. We recently found that psychological stress induces inflammation in the hippocampus of the rat brain through the inflammasome, a component of the innate immune system. Microglia, the resident macrophages in the brain, play a central role in the innate immune system and express inflammasomes; thus, we hypothesized that hippocampal microglia would be key mediators in the development of depression via stress-induced inflammation. To test this hypothesis and to determine how antidepressants modulate microglial function, we used immunohistochemistry to examine the morphological changes that occur in the hippocampal microglia of rats exposed to the learned helplessness (LH) paradigm. We noted significantly increased numbers of activated microglia in the granule cell layer, hilus, CA1, and CA3 regions of the hippocampi of LH rats. Conversely, administering imipramine to LH rats for 7days produced a significant decrease in the number of activated microglia in the hilus, but not in the other examined regions. Nonetheless, there were no significant differences in the combined number of activated and non-activated microglia either in LH or LH+imipramine rats relative to control rats. In addition, treating the naïve rats with imipramine or fluvoxamine produced no discernible microglial changes. These data suggest that stress activates hippocampal microglia, while certain antidepressants decrease the number of activated microglia in the hilus, but not in other hippocampal regions. Therefore, the hilus represents a candidate target region for the antidepressant imipramine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pain Catastrophizing: An Updated Review

PubMed Central

Leung, Lawrence

2012-01-01

Pain catastrophizing has been described for more than half a century which adversely affects the pain coping behavior and overall prognosis in susceptible individuals when challenged by painful conditions. It is a distinct phenomenon which is characterized by feelings of helplessness, active rumination and excessive magnification of cognitions and feelings toward the painful situation. Susceptible subjects may have certain demographic or psychological predisposition. Various models of pain catastrophizing have been proposed which include attention-bias, schema-activation, communal-coping and appraisal models. Nevertheless, consensus is still lacking as to the true nature and mechanisms for pain catastrophizing. Recent advances in population genomics and noninvasive neuroimaging have helped elucidate the known determinants and neurophysiological correlates behind this potentially disabling behavior. PMID:23441031

Defeat and entrapment as predictors of depression and suicidal ideation versus hopelessness and helplessness.

PubMed

Lester, David

2012-10-01

In a sample of 140 undergraduate students, measures of defeat and entrapment and of haplessness, helplessness, and hopelessness were similar in their ability to predict depression and suicidality. It was concluded that the two sets of measures may tap the same cognitive mind set.

Factors Associated With Suicidal Ideation and Quality of Life in Adolescents from Puerto Rico With Type 1 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Guerrero-Ramírez, Grace; Cumba-Avilés, Eduardo

2018-01-01

Objective People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may experience significant changes in their daily routines due to this condition, which frequently results in depressive symptoms and the deterioration of their quality of life. We examined the factors associated with suicidal ideation (SI) and diabetes-related quality of life (DRQOL) in adolescents (aged 12 to 17) with T1D. Methods The sample consisted of 51 youths (29 girls) recruited during a treatment study for depression. They completed the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth questionnaire, the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior, and other measures that explore emotional, cognitive, somatic, behavioral, and relational aspects. Their caregivers completed the Barriers to Adherence Questionnaire and the Somatic Complaints subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist, among other measures. We used correlation and multiple linear regression analyses to identify the factors associated with the dependent variables. Results The variables associated with SI were depression, somatic complaints, perceived family emotional support, self-care for diabetes, self-deprecation, helplessness, and hopelessness, among others. In a multiple regression analysis, the first 3 accounted for 46% of the variance. Those related to DRQOL included cognitive alterations, barriers to adherence, perceived family emotional support, self-efficacy for diabetes and for depression, helplessness, anxiety, and self-deprecation, among others. The first 4 accounted for 61% of the variance. Conclusion Our findings highlight the impact of emotional, cognitive, somatic, behavioral, and relational aspects on the quality of mental health and the DRQOL of youth with T1D, as well as their pertinence for the development of psychosocial interventions for this population. PMID:29547680

Genetic ablation of the GluK4 kainate receptor subunit causes anxiolytic and antidepressant-like behavior in mice.

PubMed

Catches, Justin S; Xu, Jian; Contractor, Anis

2012-03-17

There is a clear link between dysregulation of glutamatergic signaling and mood disorders. Genetic variants in the glutamate receptor gene GRIK4, which encodes the kainate receptor subunit GluK4, alter the susceptibility for depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Here we demonstrate that Grik4(-/-) mice have reduced anxiety and an antidepressant-like phenotype. In the elevated zero-maze, a test for anxiety and risk taking behavior, Grik4(-/-) mice spent significantly more time exploring the open areas of the maze. In anxiogenic tests of marble-burying and novelty-induced suppression of feeding, anxiety-like behavior was consistently reduced in knockout animals. In the forced swim test, a test of learned helplessness that is used to determine depression-like behavior, knockout mice demonstrated significantly less immobility suggesting that Grik4 ablation has an antidepressant-like effect. Finally, in the sucrose preference test, a test for anhedonia in rodents, Grik4(-/-) mice demonstrated increased sucrose preference. Expression of the GluK4 receptor subunit in the forebrain is restricted to the CA3 region of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus regions where KARs are known to modulate synaptic plasticity. We tested whether Grik4 ablation had effects on mossy fiber (MF) plasticity and found there to be a significant impairment in LTP likely through a loss of KAR modulation of excitability of the presynaptic MF axons. These studies demonstrate a clear anxiolytic and antidepressant phenotype associated with ablation of Grik4 and a parallel disruption in hippocampal plasticity, providing support for the importance of this receptor subunit in mood disorders. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic ablation of the GluK4 kainate receptor subunit causes anxiolytic and antidepressant-like behavior in mice

PubMed Central

Catches, Justin S.; Xu, Jian; Contractor, Anis

2012-01-01

There is a clear link between dysregulation of glutamatergic signaling and mood disorders. Genetic variants in the glutamate receptor gene GRIK4, which encodes the kainate receptor subunit GluK4, alter the susceptibility for depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Here we demonstrate that Grik4−/− mice have reduced anxiety and an antidepressant-like phenotype. In the elevated zero-maze, a test for anxiety and risk taking behavior, Grik4−/− mice spent significantly more time exploring the open areas of the maze. In anxiogenic tests of marble-burying and novelty-induced suppression of feeding, anxiety-like behavior was consistently reduced in knockout animals. In the forced swim test, a test of learned helplessness that is used to determine depression-like behavior, knockout mice demonstrated significantly less immobility suggesting that Grik4 ablation has an antidepressant-like effect. Finally, in the sucrose preference test, a test for anhedonia in rodents, Grik4−/− mice demonstrated increased sucrose preference. Expression of the GluK4 receptor subunit in the forebrain is restricted to the CA3 region of the hippocampus and dentate gyrus regions where KARs are known to modulate synaptic plasticity. We tested whether Grik4 ablation had effects on mossy fiber (MF) plasticity and found there to be a significant impairment in LTP likely through a loss of KAR modulation of excitability of the presynaptic MF axons. These studies demonstrate a clear anxiolytic and antidepressant phenotype associated with ablation of Grik4 and a parallel disruption in hippocampal plasticity, providing support for the importance of this receptor subunit in mood disorders. PMID:22203159

Transforming helplessness: an approach to the therapy of "stuck" couples.

PubMed

Fineberg, D E; Walter, S

1989-09-01

Therapists working with couples often find themselves frustrated when they proceed to negotiate conflicts, even when the historical antecedents and psychological dynamics seem well understood. Despite the genuine willingness of each member to negotiate a solution, they remain stuck in demands that the other take the first steps toward change. This article proposes that a crucial step--transforming helplessness--must precede efforts at fostering communication/negotiation skills. A four-square analysis of the situation helps to explain how this stalemate occurs. Also, it points the way to strategies that can transform the couple's attitudes from helpless complaining to empowered, creative action. Three case examples illustrate clinical applications of this approach.

Vicarious social defeat stress: Bridging the gap between physical and emotional stress.

PubMed

Sial, Omar K; Warren, Brandon L; Alcantara, Lyonna F; Parise, Eric M; Bolaños-Guzmán, Carlos A

2016-01-30

Animal models capable of differentiating the neurobiological intricacies between physical and emotional stress are scarce. Current models rely primarily on physical stressors (e.g., chronic unpredictable or mild stress, social defeat, learned helplessness), and neglect the impact of psychological stress alone. This is surprising given extensive evidence that a traumatic event needs not be directly experienced to produce enduring perturbations on an individual's health and psychological well-being. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a highly debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by intense fear of trauma-related stimuli, often occurs in individuals that have only witnessed a traumatic event. By modifying the chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) paradigm to include a witness component (witnessing the social defeat of another mouse), we demonstrate a novel behavioral paradigm capable of inducing a robust behavioral syndrome reminiscent of PTSD in emotionally stressed adult mice. We describe the vicarious social defeat stress (VSDS) model that is capable of inducing a host of behavioral deficits that include social avoidance and other depressive- and anxiety-like phenotypes in adult male mice. VSDS exposure induces weight loss and spike in serum corticosterone (CORT) levels. A month after stress, these mice retain the social avoidant phenotype and have an increased CORT response when exposed to subsequent stress. The VSDS is a novel paradigm capable of inducing emotional stress by isolating physical stress/confrontation in mice. The VSDS model can be used to study the short- and long-term neurobiological consequences of exposure to emotional stress in mice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Role of the implicit theories of intelligence in learning situations].

PubMed

Da Fonseca, D; Cury, F; Bailly, D; Rufo, M

2004-01-01

Most studies have tried to explain the school difficulties by analysing the intellectual factors that lead to school failure. However in addition to the instrumental capacities, authors also recognize the role played by other factors such as motivation. More specifically, the theory of achievement motivation aims to determine motivational factors involved in achievement situations when the students have to demonstrate their competencies. This paradigm attributes a central place to beliefs in order to explain children's behavior in academic situations. According to Dweck, it seems that beliefs about the nature of intelligence have a very powerful impact on behavior. These implicit theories of intelligence create a meaning system or conceptual framework that influences the individual interpretation of school situations. Thus, an entity theory of intelligence is the belief that intelligence is a fixed trait, a personal quality that cannot be changed. Students who subscribe to this theory believe that although people can learn new things, their underlying intelligence remains the same. In contrast, an incremental theory of intelligence is the belief that intelligence is a malleable quality that can increase through efforts. The identification of these two theories allows us to understand the cognition and behavior of individuals in achievement situations. Many studies carried out in the academic area show that students who hold an entity theory of intelligence (ie they consider intelligence like a stable quality) have a strong tendency to attribute their failures to a fixed trait. They are more likely to blame their intelligence for ne-gative outcomes and to attribute failures to their bad intellectual ability. In contrast, students who hold an incremental theory of intelligence (ie they consider intelligence as a malleable quality) are more likely to understand the same ne-gative outcomes in terms of specific factors: they attribute them to a lack of effort. This differential emphasis on traits versus specific mediators in turn fosters different reactions to negative events. Several studies have shown that entity theorists of intelligence are more likely than incremental theorists to react helplessly in the face of failure. They are not only more likely to make negative judgments about their intelligence from the failures, but also more likely to show negative affect and behaviors. This helpless response pattern is cha-racterized by a lack of persistence, and performance decrements. In contrast, incremental theorists, who focus more on behavioral factors (eg effort, problem-solving strategies) as causes of negative achievement outcomes, tend to act on these mediators. They try harder and develop better strategies and continue to work. Some authors have tendency to consider implicit theories of intelligence as a disposition or a stable dimension. But in the last few years, several studies showed that people's theories are not fixed traits; they are beliefs that may be influenced. These studies also suggested that students use the two types of beliefs and that the context determines the choice between the two types of theories. According to these authors, the psychological state of the student depends on dispositional factors but also on situational factors. Thus, several studies have tried to demonstrate that it is possible to modify experimentally implicit theories of intelligence and subsequent cognitions and behaviors by modifying situational factors. Several studies have demonstrated that it was possible to induce students to adopt one of the two theories of intelligence by presenting them a scientific article that compelling argued for either an entity or an incremental view of intelligence. The results showed that participants who had received the entity theory induction exhibited more evidence of a helpless reaction to failure. These studies show that some of the judgments and reactions associated with implicit theories can be experimentally induced by manipulating participant theories. However in the context of school difficulties, only few works have been conducted. We think that the model of the motivation of achievement would allow us to better understand maladjusted behaviors that engender failure and scholastic exclusion. In one study, reseachers have demonstrated that children with mental disorders are less likely than other children to hold an incremental theory of their intellectual abilities. Other studies have demonstrated that entity theorists interpret their bad results according to their global intelligence level by negatively judging their global abilities ("I think I am stupid"). It is interesting to note that these students make the same attributions as depressive students. These results reveal the need to determine systems of beliefs within populations with anxiety or depressive symptoms in order to characterise their motivational profiles. Indeed, we think that these symptoms contribute to modify implicit theories of intelligence and the nature of the subsequent scholastic achievement. Finally, we think that it is inte-resting to demonstrate the positive motivational effects of the experimental induction of the incremental theory. A series of studies showed that children's theories of intelligence expe-rimentally induced will influence their tendency to persevere in the face of failure. Like normally developing children, children with mental disorders were more likely to prefer challenging activities and report high levels of interest-enjoyment when the task was presented as one which is improvable. It suggests that although children with difficulties are pessimistic about improving their intellectual capacities, if a new task is introduced in a way that highlights the possibility of self-improvement (incremental theory), then they will pursue the challenge in an adaptive manner (strong perseverance, enjoy, and important interest). These results are very inte-resting. Indeed, highlighting an incremental theory had a po-sitive motivational effect on behavior in achievement situations. In addition, all these results also may open up several interesting perspectives for the treatment of learning disabi-lities. The results should lead to plan programmes of cognitive therapy in order to modify beliefs that underlie maladjusted achievement behaviors of children and adolescents in scholastic failure.

46 CFR 117.210 - Rescue boats.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., and equipped to allow the crew to recover a helpless person from the water; (2) Recovery of a helpless.... (c) On a vessel of more than 19.8 meters (65 feet) in length operating on protected waters, a rescue... vessel of more than 19.8 meters operating on exposed or partially protected waters, a rescue boat...

Helplessness predicts the development of hypertension in older Mexican and European Americans.

PubMed

Stern, Stephen L; Dhanda, Rahul; Hazuda, Helen P

2009-10-01

The mechanisms by which depression is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease remain unclear. It is possible that depressive symptoms could increase the risk of hypertension, which in turn could predispose to cardiovascular disease. The goal of this study was to explore whether individual depressive symptoms might predict the incidence of hypertension in a cohort of 240 initially normotensive Mexican-American and European-American elders. Subjects were 65-78 years old on entering the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging, an epidemiologic survey, at which time they completed the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale in English or Spanish. Their blood pressure was reassessed a mean of 7.0 years later. Responses to six key scale items (depressed mood, decreased interest, worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, and fatigue) were evaluated for the ability to predict incident hypertension. In univariate analyses, only helplessness significantly predicted incident hypertension (chi-square 13.5, df=1, P=.0003). In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for sex, education, number of comorbid diseases, current drinking, social well-being, and marital status, helplessness remained a very strong predictor [hazard ratio (HR) 4.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.90-13.12, P=.0011]. Total depression score also predicted incident hypertension, but less strongly (HR 1.08, CI 1.00-1.17, P=.0339). Helplessness may predict the development of hypertension in the elderly. Further research into this relationship might lead to interventions to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Soul sickness: a frequently missed diagnosis.

PubMed

Perakis, Charles R

2010-06-01

"Soul sickness," or demoralization, is characterized by feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and a perceived sense of incompetence. This condition typically involves vague, unexplained physical symptoms. Soul sickness can be efficiently diagnosed by asking patients a series of questions about their personal lives. Patients with this condition require a restoration of their morale and hope. Physicians can assist patients in regaining hope by encouraging them to focus on new, adaptive behaviors. As osteopathic physicians, we can use our skills in osteopathic manipulative treatment to manage the demoralization-related physical symptoms of patients.

Childhood poverty and adult psychological well-being

PubMed Central

Evans, Gary W.

2016-01-01

Childhood disadvantage has repeatedly been linked to adult physical morbidity and mortality. We show in a prospective, longitudinal design that childhood poverty predicts multimethodological indices of adult (24 y of age) psychological well-being while holding constant similar childhood outcomes assessed at age 9. Adults from low-income families manifest more allostatic load, an index of chronic physiological stress, higher levels of externalizing symptoms (e.g., aggression) but not internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression), and more helplessness behaviors. In addition, childhood poverty predicts deficits in adult short-term spatial memory. PMID:27956615

SETDB1 HISTONE METHYLTRANSFERASE REGULATES MOOD-RELATED BEHAVIORS AND EXPRESSION OF THE NMDA RECEPTOR SUBUNIT NR2B

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yan; Jakovcevski, Mira; Bharadwaj, Rahul; Connor, Caroline; Schroeder, Frederick A.; Lin, Cong L.; Straubhaar, Juerg; Martin, Gilles; Akbarian, Schahram

2010-01-01

Histone methyltransferases specific for the histone H3-lysine 9 (H3K9) residue, including Setdb1 (Set domain, bifurcated 1)/Eset/Kmt1e are associated with repressive chromatin remodeling and expressed in adult brain, but potential effects on neuronal function and behavior remain unexplored. Here, we report that transgenic mice with increased Setdb1 expression in adult forebrain neurons show antidepressant-like phenotypes in behavioral paradigms for anhedonia, despair and learned helplessness. Chromatin immunoprecipitation in conjunction with DNA tiling arrays (ChIP-chip) revealed that genomic occupancies of neuronal Setdb1 are limited to less than 1% of annotated genes, which include the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B/Grin2B and other ionotropic glutamate receptor genes. Chromatin conformation capture (“3C”) and Setdb1-ChIP revealed a loop formation tethering the NR2B/Grin2b promoter to the Setdb1 target site positioned 30Kb downstream of the transcription start site. In hippocampus and ventral striatum, two key structures in the neuronal circuitry regulating mood-related behaviors, Setdb1-mediated repressive histone methylation at NR2B/Grin2b was associated with decreased NR2B expression and EPSP insensitivity to pharmacological blockade of NR2B, and accelerated NMDA receptor desensitization consistent with a shift in NR2A/B subunit ratios. In wildtype mice, systemic treatment with the NR2B antagonist, Ro-256981, and hippocampal siRNA-mediated NR2B/Grin2b knockdown, resulted in behavioral changes similar to those elicited by the Setdb1 transgene. Together, these findings point to a role for neuronal Setdb1 in the regulation of affective and motivational behaviors through repressive chromatin remodeling at a select set of target genes, resulting in altered NMDA receptor subunit composition and other molecular adaptations. PMID:20505083

Mood disorder susceptibility gene CACNA1C modifies mood-related behaviors in mice and interacts with sex to influence behavior in mice and diagnosis in humans

PubMed Central

Dao, David T.; Mahon, Pamela Belmonte; Cai, Xiang; Kovacsics, Colleen E.; Blackwell, Robert A.; Arad, Michal; Shi, Jianxin; Zandi, Peter P.; O’Donnell, Patricio; Knowles, James A.; Weissman, Myrna M.; Coryell, William; Scheftner, William A.; Lawson, William B.; Levinson, Douglas F.; Thompson, Scott M.; Potash, James B.; Gould, Todd D.

2010-01-01

Background Recent genome-wide association studies have associated polymorphisms in the gene CACNA1C, which codes for Cav1.2, with a bipolar disorder and depression diagnosis. Methods The behaviors of wild type and Cacna1c heterozygous mice of both sexes were evaluated in a number of tests. Based upon sex differences in our mouse data, we assessed a gene x sex interaction for diagnosis of mood disorders in human subjects. Data from the NIMH-BP Consortium and the GenRED Consortium were examined utilizing a combined dataset that included 2,021 mood disorder cases (1,223 females) and 1,840 controls (837 females). Results In both male and female mice, Cacna1c haploinsufficiency is associated with lower exploratory behavior, decreased response to amphetamine, and antidepressant-like behavior in the forced swim and tail suspension tests. Female, but not male, heterozygous mice displayed decreased risk-taking behavior or increased anxiety in multiple tests, greater attenuation of amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion, decreased development of learned helplessness, and a decreased acoustic startle response indicating a sex-specific role of Cacna1c. In humans, sex-specific genetic association was seen for two intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs2370419 and rs2470411, in CACNA1C, with effects in females (OR=1.64, 1.32), but not in males (OR=0.82, 0.86). The interactions by sex were significant after correction for testing 190 SNPs (P=1.4 x 10−4, 2.1 x 10−4; Pcorrected=0.03, 0.04), and were consistent across two large data sets. Conclusions Our preclinical results support a role for CACNA1C in mood disorder pathophysiology, and the combination of human genetic and preclinical data support an interaction between sex and genotype. PMID:20723887

Mediators and Moderators of the Association Between Stalking Victimization and Psychological Distress.

PubMed

Fais, Connor R; Lutz-Zois, Catherine J; Goodnight, Jackson A

2017-03-01

The current study aims to understand mediators and moderators of the relationship between stalking victimization and depression. Based on the reformulated learned helplessness theory, which emphasizes the role of internal, global, and stable attributions for negative events in the development of depression, we predicted that the association between stalking victimization and depression would be mediated by attributions for the stalking and characterological self-blame. We predicted that the association between stalking victimization and helplessness attributions or characterological self-blame, in turn, would be moderated by gender, sex-role identity, and length of stalking. Specifically, we hypothesized that female victims, victims possessing a feminine sex-role identity, and victims experiencing longer stalking episodes would be more likely to experience depression in comparison with male victims, victims possessing a masculine sex-role identity, and victims experiencing shorter stalking episodes. The results indicated that global attributions for the cause of stalking significantly mediated the relationship between stalking victimization and depression. The results for stable attributions, internal attributions, and characterological self-blame were nonsignificant. Furthermore, gender, sex-role identity, and length of stalking did not moderate the association between stalking and attributional style or characterological self-blame. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

46 CFR 180.210 - Rescue boats.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... of more than 19.8 meters (65 feet) in length must carry at least one rescue boat unless the cognizant... crew to recover a helpless person from the water; (2) Recovery of a helpless person can be observed... its maneuverability. (b) A vessel of not more than 19.8 meters (65 feet) in length is not required to...

Cognitive correlates of anxious and depressive symptomatology: an examination of the Helplessness/Hopelessness model.

PubMed

Waikar, S V; Craske, M G

1997-01-01

Expectancies about future life events were assessed in anxious and depressed patients to test predictions of the Helplessness/Hopelessness model of anxiety and depression (Alloy, Kelly, Mineka, & Clements, 1990). In addition to expectancies for future events, patients from affective and anxiety treatment clinics completed anxiety and depression symptom ratings and positive and negative affects scales. Findings revealed partial support for the model. Negative outcome and helplessness expectancies were related specifically to depression. Cognitions regarding future positive events were interrelated and associated with symptom measures more strongly than were cognitions regarding negative events. Additionally, positive affects was more strongly related to depression than to anxiety symptom ratings. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

Temporal parameters of post-stress prophylactic glucose treatment in rats.

PubMed

Conoscenti, M A; Hart, E E; Smith, N J; Minor, T R

2017-05-01

Acute trauma can lead to life-long changes in susceptibility to psychiatric disease, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rats given free access to a concentrated glucose solution for 24 h beginning immediately after trauma failed to show stress-related pathology in the learned helplessness model of PTSD and comorbid major depression. We assessed effective dosing and temporal constraints of the glucose intervention in three experiments. We exposed 120 male Sprague-Dawley rats to 100, 1 mA, 3-15 s, inescapable and unpredictable electric tail shocks (over a 110-min period) or simple restraint in the learned helplessness procedure. Rats in each stress condition had access to a 40% glucose solution or water. We measured fluid consumption under 18-h free access conditions, or limited access (1, 3, 6, 18 h) beginning immediately after trauma, or 3-h access with delayed availability of the glucose solution (0, 1, 3, 6 h). We hypothesized that longer and earlier access following acute stress would improve shuttle-escape performance. Rats exposed to traumatic shock and given 18-h access to glucose failed to show exaggerated fearfulness and showed normal reactivity to foot shock during testing as compared to their water-treated counterparts. At least 3 h of immediate post-stress access to glucose were necessary to see these improvements in test performance. Moreover, delaying access to glucose for more than 3 h post-trauma yielded no beneficial effects. These data clearly identify limits on the post-stress glucose intervention. In conclusion, glucose should be administered almost immediately and at the highest dose after trauma.

Advancing knowledge on practice change: linking facilitation to the senses framework.

PubMed

Cooper, Julie; Meyer, Julienne; Holman, Cheryl

2013-06-01

To explore the facilitating factors that enabled staff on a rehabilitation ward for older people engage in change activities. The importance of facilitation in practice change is widely acknowledged; however, little nursing research has taken place in relation to its nature. Following identification in the early phases of an action research study that learned helplessness states and the use of socially structured defence techniques were preventing staff on a rehabilitation ward for older people from engaging in practice development, some change was achieved. What facilitated this to take place needed to be explored. An action research approach was used. Data gained from 13 in-depth interviews with staff and managers together with three years of researcher field notes were analysed using thematic analysis. The continuous presence and neutrality of the researcher who worked together with staff on their issues of concern using a flexible ward-based approach, combined with giving staff the opportunity to explore what it was like for them working in this area, were considered key in helping staff to engage with change. Analysis of findings suggests that the senses framework presents a theoretical approach to facilitation that can help staff move out of learned helplessness states and reduce the need for the use of socially structured defence techniques. This study identifies a facilitation approach that enabled staff to engage with practice change. Although carried out in the UK, its findings have wider relevance through the application of a theoretical perspective for practice change facilitation that has not before been considered in this literature, and which is likely to be of interest to those involved in practice change internationally. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Association between socioeconomic status, learned helplessness, and disease outcome in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis.

PubMed

Camacho, E M; Verstappen, S M M; Symmons, D P M

2012-08-01

Independent investigations have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) and learned helplessness (LH) are associated with poor disease outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between SES, LH, and disease outcome in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), the broader group of conditions of which RA is the major constituent. SES was measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 for 553 patients consecutively recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register. Patients also completed the Rheumatology Attitudes Index, a measure of LH. SES and LH were investigated as predictors of disease outcome (functional disability [Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)] and disease activity [Disease Activity Score in 28 joints]) in a regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, and symptom duration. The role of LH in the relationship between SES and disease outcome was then investigated. Compared to patients of the highest SES, those of the lowest SES had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 0.42; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.08, 0.75). Compared to patients with normal LH, patients with low LH had a significantly better outcome and patients with high LH had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 1.12; 95% CI 0.82, 1.41). There was a significant likelihood that LH mediated the association between SES and disease outcome (P = 0.04). LH is robustly associated with cross-sectional disease outcome in patients with IP, and appears to mediate the relationship between SES and disease outcome. As LH is potentially modifiable, these findings have potential clinical implications. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.

Effects of hypoxic preconditioning on expression of transcription factor NGFI-A in the rat brain after unavoidable stress in the "learned helplessness" model.

PubMed

Baranova, K A; Rybnikova, E A; Mironova, V I; Samoilov, M O

2010-07-01

We report here our immunocytochemical studies establishing that the development of a depression-like state in rats following unavoidable stress in a "learned helplessness" model is accompanied by stable activation of the expression of transcription factor NGFI-A in the dorsal hippocampus (field CA1) and the magnocellular paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, along with an early wave of post-stress expression, which died down rapidly, in the ventral hippocampus (the dentate gyrus) and a long period of up to five days of high-level expression in the neocortex. In rats subjected to three sessions of preconditioning consisting of moderate hypobaric hypoxia (360 mmHg, 2 h, with intervals of 24 h), which did not form depression in these circumstances, there were significant changes in the dynamics of immunoreactive protein content in the hippocampus, with a stable increase in expression in the ventral hippocampus and only transient and delayed (by five days) expression in field CA1. In the neocortex (layer II), preconditioning eliminated the effects of stress, preventing prolongation of the first wave of NGFI-A expression to five days, while in the magnocellular hypothalamus, conversely, preconditioning stimulated a second (delayed) wave of the expression of this transcription factor. The pattern of NGFI-A expression in the hippocampus, neocortex, and hypothalamus seen in non-preconditioned rats appears to reflect the pathological reaction to aversive stress, which, rather than adaptation, produced depressive disorders. Post-stress modification of the expression of the product of the early gene NGFI-A in the brain induced by hypoxic preconditioning probably plays an important role in increased tolerance to severe psychoemotional stresses and is an important component of antidepressant mechanisms.

Association between socioeconomic status, learned helplessness, and disease outcome in patients with inflammatory polyarthritis

PubMed Central

Camacho, E M; Verstappen, S M M; Symmons, D P M

2012-01-01

Objective Independent investigations have shown that socioeconomic status (SES) and learned helplessness (LH) are associated with poor disease outcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to investigate the cross-sectional relationship between SES, LH, and disease outcome in patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP), the broader group of conditions of which RA is the major constituent. Methods SES was measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 for 553 patients consecutively recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register. Patients also completed the Rheumatology Attitudes Index, a measure of LH. SES and LH were investigated as predictors of disease outcome (functional disability [Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)] and disease activity [Disease Activity Score in 28 joints]) in a regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, and symptom duration. The role of LH in the relationship between SES and disease outcome was then investigated. Results Compared to patients of the highest SES, those of the lowest SES had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 0.42; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.08, 0.75). Compared to patients with normal LH, patients with low LH had a significantly better outcome and patients with high LH had a significantly worse outcome (median difference in HAQ score 1.12; 95% CI 0.82, 1.41). There was a significant likelihood that LH mediated the association between SES and disease outcome (P = 0.04). Conclusion LH is robustly associated with cross-sectional disease outcome in patients with IP, and appears to mediate the relationship between SES and disease outcome. As LH is potentially modifiable, these findings have potential clinical implications. PMID:22438290

HELPLESSNESS PREDICTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF HYPERTENSION IN OLDER MEXICAN AND EUROPEAN AMERICANS

PubMed Central

Stern, Stephen L.; Dhanda, Rahul; Hazuda, Helen P.

2009-01-01

Objective The mechanisms by which depression is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease remain unclear. It is possible that depressive symptoms could increase the risk of hypertension, which in turn could predispose to cardiovascular disease. The goal of this study was to explore whether individual depressive symptoms might predict the incidence of hypertension in a cohort of 240 initially normotensive Mexican-American and European-American elders. Methods Subjects were 65–78 years old on entering the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging, an epidemiologic survey, at which time they completed the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale in English or Spanish. Their blood pressure was reassessed a mean of 7.0 years later. Responses to 6 key Scale items (depressed mood, decreased interest, worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness, and fatigue) were evaluated for the ability to predict incident hypertension. Results In univariate analyses, only helplessness significantly predicted incident hypertension (chi-square 13.5, df=1, p=0.0003). In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for sex, education, number of comorbid diseases, current drinking, social well-being, and marital status, helplessness remained a very strong predictor (hazard ratio 4.99, 95% confidence interval 1.90–13.12, p=0.0011). Total depression score also predicted incident hypertension, but less strongly (HR 1.08, CI 1.00–1.17, p=0.0339). Conclusion Helplessness may predict the development of hypertension in the elderly. Further research into this relationship might lead to interventions to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. PMID:19773026

Chronic Stereotype Threat Is Associated With Mathematical Achievement on Representative Sample of Secondary Schoolgirls: The Role of Gender Identification, Working Memory, and Intellectual Helplessness

PubMed Central

Bedyńska, Sylwia; Krejtz, Izabela; Sedek, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

Stereotype threat affects performance in many different groups across many different domains. Despite a large body of experimental research on situational stereotype threat, little attention has been paid to the consequences of repeated experience of stereotype threat. Using structural equation modeling on data from a representative sample of girls from secondary schools, the current research examined the relations of chronic stereotype threat with mathematical achievement, and effectiveness of working memory functions. Moving beyond past theory, this study examined a new mechanism by which chronic stereotype threat decreases school achievement – namely intellectual helplessness. We assumed that repeated experience of stereotype threat works as intellectual helplessness training. After the phase of cognitive mobilization, cognitive exhaustion appears, because the individual has no gain from intense cognitive effort. Corroborating previous research on acute stereotype threat, we demonstrated that chronic stereotype threat is negatively associated with mathematical achievement. Additionally, it was also associated with lower effectiveness of working memory functions, which seems to show depletion of working memory as an effect of chronic stereotype threat. The results also demonstrated that both mediational paths from chronic stereotype threat to mathematical achievement: through working memory depletion and through intellectual helplessness were significant but only for girls that were highly identified with their gender group. In sum, we extended a well-established model of acute stereotype threat to its chronic version and suggested a new mechanism of chronic stereotype threat, which involves intellectual helplessness. Implications for stereotype threat theory and educational practice are discussed. PMID:29666599

Chronic Stereotype Threat Is Associated With Mathematical Achievement on Representative Sample of Secondary Schoolgirls: The Role of Gender Identification, Working Memory, and Intellectual Helplessness.

PubMed

Bedyńska, Sylwia; Krejtz, Izabela; Sedek, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

Stereotype threat affects performance in many different groups across many different domains. Despite a large body of experimental research on situational stereotype threat, little attention has been paid to the consequences of repeated experience of stereotype threat. Using structural equation modeling on data from a representative sample of girls from secondary schools, the current research examined the relations of chronic stereotype threat with mathematical achievement, and effectiveness of working memory functions. Moving beyond past theory, this study examined a new mechanism by which chronic stereotype threat decreases school achievement - namely intellectual helplessness. We assumed that repeated experience of stereotype threat works as intellectual helplessness training. After the phase of cognitive mobilization, cognitive exhaustion appears, because the individual has no gain from intense cognitive effort. Corroborating previous research on acute stereotype threat, we demonstrated that chronic stereotype threat is negatively associated with mathematical achievement. Additionally, it was also associated with lower effectiveness of working memory functions, which seems to show depletion of working memory as an effect of chronic stereotype threat. The results also demonstrated that both mediational paths from chronic stereotype threat to mathematical achievement: through working memory depletion and through intellectual helplessness were significant but only for girls that were highly identified with their gender group. In sum, we extended a well-established model of acute stereotype threat to its chronic version and suggested a new mechanism of chronic stereotype threat, which involves intellectual helplessness. Implications for stereotype threat theory and educational practice are discussed.

[Which route leads from chronic back pain to depression? A path analysis on direct and indirect effects using the cognitive mediators catastrophizing and helplessness/hopelessness in a general population sample].

PubMed

Fahland, R A; Kohlmann, T; Hasenbring, M; Feng, Y-S; Schmidt, C O

2012-12-01

Chronic pain and depression are highly comorbid; however, the longitudinal link is only partially understood. This study examined direct and indirect effects of chronic back pain on depression using path analysis in a general population sample, focussing on cognitive mediator variables. Analyses are based on 413 participants (aged 18-75 years) in a population-based postal survey on back pain who reported chronic back pain at baseline. Follow-up data were collected after 1 year. Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Fear-avoidance-beliefs (FABQ), catastrophizing and helplessness/hopelessness (KRSS) were considered as cognitive mediators. Data were analyzed using path analysis. Chronic back pain had no direct effect on depression at follow-up when controlling for cognitive mediators. A mediating effect emerged for helplessness/hopelessness but not for catastrophizing or fear-avoidance beliefs. These results support the cognitive mediation hypothesis which assumes that psychological variables mediate the association between pain and depression. The importance of helplessness/hopelessness is of relevance for the treatment of patients with chronic back pain.

Two facets of stress and indirect effects on child diet through emotion-driven eating.

PubMed

Tate, Eleanor B; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Pickering, Trevor A; Pentz, Mary Ann

2015-08-01

Stress has been associated with high-calorie, low-nutrient food intake (HCLN) and emotion-driven eating (EDE). However, effects on healthy food intake remain unknown. This study examined two facets of stress (self-efficacy, perceived helplessness) and food consumption, mediated by EDE. Cross-sectional data from fourth-graders (n=978; 52% female, 28% Hispanic) in an obesity intervention used self-report to assess self-efficacy, helplessness, EDE, fruit/vegetable (FV) intake, and high-calorie/low-nutrient (HCLN) food. Higher stress self-efficacy was associated with higher FV intake, β=.354, p<0.001, and stress perceived helplessness had an indirect effect on HCLN intake through emotion-driven eating, indirect effect=.094, p<0.001; χ(2)(347)=659.930, p<0.001, CFI=0.940, TLI=0.930, RMSEA=0.030, p=1.00, adjusting for gender, ethnicity, BMI z-score, and program group. Stress self-efficacy may be more important for healthy food intake and perceived helplessness may indicate emotion-driven eating and unhealthy snack food intake. Obesity prevention programs may consider teaching stress management techniques to avoid emotion-driven eating. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two Facets of Stress And Indirect Effects on Child Diet via Emotion-Driven Eating

PubMed Central

Tate, Eleanor B.; Spruijt-Metz, Donna; Pickering, Trevor A.; Pentz, Mary Ann

2015-01-01

Objective Stress has been associated with high-calorie, low-nutrient food intake (HCLN) and emotion-driven eating (EDE). However, effects on healthy food intake remain unknown. This study examined two facets of stress (self-efficacy, perceived helplessness) and food consumption, mediated by EDE. Methods Cross-sectional data from fourth-graders (n = 978; 52% female, 28% Hispanic) in an obesity intervention used self-report to assess self-efficacy, helplessness, EDE, fruit/vegetable (FV) intake, and high-calorie/low-nutrient (HCLN) food. Results Higher stress self-efficacy was associated with higher FV intake, β = .354, p < 0.001, and stress perceived helplessness had an indirect effect on HCLN intake through emotion-driven eating, indirect effect = .094, p < 0.001; χ2(347) = 659.930, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.940, TLI = 0.930, RMSEA = 0.030, p = 1.00, adjusting for gender, ethnicity, BMI z-score, and program group. Conclusions and Implications Stress self-efficacy may be more important for healthy food intake and perceived helplessness may indicate emotion-driven eating and unhealthy snack food intake. Obesity prevention programs may consider teaching stress management techniques to avoid emotion-driven eating. PMID:26004248

Apelin-13 exerts antidepressant-like and recognition memory improving activities in stressed rats.

PubMed

Li, E; Deng, Haifeng; Wang, Bo; Fu, Wan; You, Yong; Tian, Shaowen

2016-03-01

Apelin is the endogenous ligand for the G-protein-coupled receptor (APJ). The localization of APJ in limbic structures suggests a potential role for apelin in emotional processes. However, the role of apelin in the regulation of stress-induced responses such as depression and memory impairment is largely unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the role of apelin-13 in the regulation of stress-induced depression and memory impairment in rats. We report that repeated intracerebroventricular injections of apelin-13 reversed behavioral despair (immobility) in the forced swim (FS) test, a model widely used for the selection of new antidepressant agents. Apelin-13 also reversed behavioral deficits (escape failure) in the learned helplessness test. The magnitude of the antiimmobility and anti-escape failure effects of apelin-13 was comparable to that of imipramine, a classic antidepressant used as a positive control. Rats exposed to FS stress showed memory performance impairment in the novel object recognition test, and this impairment was improved by apelin-13 treatment. Apelin-13 did not affect recognition memory performance in non-stressed rats. Furthermore, the pretreatment of LY294002 (PI3K inhibitors) or PD98059 (ERK1/2 inhibitor) blocked apelin-13-mediated activities in FS-stressed rats. These findings suggest that apelin-13 exerts antidepressant-like and recognition memory improving activities through activating PI3K and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in stressed rats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Effects of signaling inescapable shock on subsequent escape learning: implications for theories of coping and "learned helplessness".

PubMed

Jackson, R L; Minor, T R

1988-10-01

The present experiments reveal that shuttle-escape performance deficits are eliminated when exteroceptive cues are paired with inescapable shock. Experiment 1 indicated that, as in instrumental control, a signal following inescapable shock eliminated later escape performance deficits. Subsequent experiments revealed that both forward and backward pairings between signals and inescapable shock attenuated performance deficits. However, the data also suggest that the impact of these temporal relations may be modulated by qualitative aspects of the cues because the effects of these relations depended upon whether an increase or decrease in illumination (Experiment 2) or a compound auditory cue (Experiment 4) was used. Preliminary evidence suggests that the ability of illumination cues to block escape learning deficits may be related to their to reduce contextual fear (Experiment 3). The implications of these data for conceptions of instrumental control and the role of fear in the etiology of effects of inescapable shock exposure are discussed.

Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic indications of behavior disorders: analysis of a prisoner's discourse.

PubMed

Timor, Uri; Weiss, Joshua M

2008-02-01

Human verbal language communicates both manifest and latent messages concerning the speaker's world and behavior. To understand his world and analyze his problems,(1) it is important to decode the latent messages as they may hint at the root causes. The authors present a discourse analysis of a prisoner's text and a semantic and morphological analysis of it. This text reflects contempt for the law and its representatives, together with a weak attachment to legitimate society, neutralization of personal responsibility, denial of guilt, and low self-esteem. Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic analysis points toward a more profound evaluation of the perceptions and world of the speaker. It seems that he yearns for attachment, for understanding and social acceptance, and perhaps even to abandon crime. The prisoner's latent feelings of helplessness and fear of humiliation may help the therapist establish a therapeutic relationship and help him change his perceptions and behavior.

R-ketamine: a rapid-onset and sustained antidepressant without psychotomimetic side effects

PubMed Central

Yang, C; Shirayama, Y; Zhang, J-c; Ren, Q; Yao, W; Ma, M; Dong, C; Hashimoto, K

2015-01-01

Although the efficacy of racemate ketamine, a rapid onset and sustained antidepressant, for patients with treatment-resistant depression was a serendipitous finding, clinical use of ketamine is limited, due to psychotomimetic side effects and abuse liability. Behavioral and side-effect evaluation tests were applied to compare the two stereoisomers of ketamine. To elucidate their potential therapeutic mechanisms, we examined the effects of these stereoisomers on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)–TrkB signaling, and synaptogenesis in selected brain regions. In the social defeat stress and learned helplessness models of depression, R-ketamine showed a greater potency and longer-lasting antidepressant effect than S-ketamine (esketamine). Furthermore, R-ketamine induced a more potent beneficial effect on decreased dendritic spine density, BDNF–TrkB signaling and synaptogenesis in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus from depressed mice compared with S-ketamine. However, neither stereoisomer affected these alterations in the nucleus accumbens of depressed mice. In behavioral tests for side effects, S-ketamine, but not R-ketamine, precipitated behavioral abnormalities, such as hyperlocomotion, prepulse inhibition deficits and rewarding effects. In addition, a single dose of S-ketamine, but not R-ketamine, caused a loss of parvalbumin (PV)-positive cells in the prelimbic region of the medial PFC and DG. These findings suggest that, unlike S-ketamine, R-ketamine can elicit a sustained antidepressant effect, mediated by increased BDNF–TrkB signaling and synaptogenesis in the PFC, DG and CA3. R-ketamine appears to be a potent, long-lasting and safe antidepressant, relative to S-ketamine, as R-ketamine appears to be free of psychotomimetic side effects and abuse liability. PMID:26327690

Anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antistress activities of the aqueous extract of Cinnamomum tamala Nees and Eberm in rats

PubMed Central

Upadhyay, Gayaprasad; Khoshla, Sarvesh; Kosuru, Ramoji; Singh, Sanjay

2016-01-01

Objective: The current study was designed to explore anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antistress actions of Cinnamomum tamala (CT) leaves (aqueous extract) in rats. Materials and Methods: Behavioral procedures of anxiety, depression, and stress were assessed in rats. CT (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) was given once a daily for 7 days via oral route and the efficacy was matched by those elicited by lorazepam (1 mg/kg, p.o.), imipramine (10 mg/kg, p.o.), and Withania somnifera (100 mg/kg, p.o.) for anxiolytic, antidepressant, and antistress studies, respectively. Standard drugs were given 1 time, 30 min preceding the behavioral trials. Results: One-way analysis of variance followed by Newman–Keuls multiple comparison test was employed to analyze the results. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant as compared to control. CT at 400 mg/kg produced an antianxiety effect equivalent to lorazepam, in the elevated plus maze, open field, and social interaction tests among selected doses of the CT. CT at 400 mg/kg also induced an antidepressant activity similar to imipramine, in the behavioral despair, learned helplessness test, and tail suspension among selected doses of the CT. Moreover, CT at 400 mg/kg produced a significant antistress effect comparable to W. somnifera in water immersion-restraint stress by decreasing ulcer index, adrenal gland weight, and by normalizing the plasma levels of corticosterone, glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels when related to stress control. Conclusion: The study shows that among the different CT doses, CT at 400 mg/kg possesses significant anxiolytic, antidepressant, and anti-stress effects and has therapeutic beneficial for the management of psychological ailments. PMID:27721543

Beyond the basics. Effects of the Eden Alternative model on quality of life issues.

PubMed

Bergman-Evans, Brenda

2004-06-01

In Life Worth Living, Thomas (1996) proposed that in long-term care facilities for elderly individuals, loneliness, helplessness, and boredom are out of control and are steadily decaying the residents' spirits, adversely affecting quality of life. While Thomas' contention appeals to common sense, no empirical evidence is offered in its support. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to assess the impact of implementation of the Eden Alternative model on levels of loneliness, boredom, and helplessness of older residents of a long-term care facility. The model was introduced into the experimental facility on May 1, 1998. The final sample for the experimental group included 21 cognitively intact older adults from a state veterans home (13 men, 8 women, mean age = 76.1). The final control group was composed of 13 residents in a private long-term care facility (11 women, 2 men, mean age = 85.7). A Background Data Sheet, the Geriatric Depression Scale (includes yes or no questions related to helplessness and boredom), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) were administered by an interviewer at baseline and 1-year post-implementation of the Eden Alternative model. Data analysis from the post-implementation phase revealed significant differences between the groups on levels of boredom (z = -2.6, p = .01) and helplessness (z = -2.2, p = .03). Lower levels of distress were found in the experimental group on both boredom and helplessness, but not loneliness. Findings suggest health care professionals and researchers have an opportunity to take a leading role in impacting services related to quality-of-life issues for this important, but often overlooked, population.

An interactional test of the reformulated helplessness theory of depression in women receiving clinical treatment for eating disorders.

PubMed

Rotenberg, Ken J; Costa, Paula; Trueman, Mark; Lattimore, Paul

2012-08-01

The study tested the Reformulated Helplessness model that individuals who show combined internal locus of control, high stability and high globality attributions for negative life events are prone to depression. Thirty-six women (M=29 years-8 months of age) receiving clinical treatment for eating disorders completed: the Attribution Style Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Stirling Eating Disorder Scales. An HRA yielded a three-way interaction among the attributional dimensions on depressive symptoms. Plotting of the slopes showed that the attribution of negative life events to the combination of internal locus of control, high stability, and a high globality, was associated with the optimal level of depressive symptoms. The findings supported the Reformulated Helplessness as a model of depression. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health promotion and schizophrenia: the year 2000 and beyond.

PubMed

O'Brien, S M

1998-01-01

The health promotion needs of persons with schizophrenia have not been emphasized as a result of historical stigma, the effort required to stabilize symptoms, the relapsing nature of the disease, and the helplessness felt by caregivers. Family members and individuals with schizophrenia experience shame, grief, guilt, fear, and isolation, all of which render them less able to be proactive. Health promotion strategies that change attitudes, build self-esteem, increase insight into the illness, modify behavior, provide sources of income and access to medical care, and support companionship are necessary while research efforts seek a cure for this historically misunderstood illness.

Quasi-experimental Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Therapy on Reliving Migraine Headaches in Migraine Sufferers.

PubMed

Ebrahimi Moghadam, Hosein; Karimi, Ahoo; Seifi, Kimia

2017-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on relieving migraine headaches in migraine sufferers. In this quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test method, the samples were outpatients of public hospitals in Ilam City, southwestern Iran since May-Jul 2010. They were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and divided into experimental and control groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 16 and via multivariate covariance method. Cognitive-behavioral therapy affected on reducing the duration of symptoms of migraine in sufferers ( P <0.05). Cognitive behavioral therapy effects on reducing the time duration of symptoms of migraine headaches. Thistherapeutic method increases the level of individual, familial, social and occupational activities by reducing the time duration of symptoms and this method helps the individuals to resume their activities and regain their previous control instead of founding themselves incapable and helpless due to the pain they suffer from.

The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the Hopelessness, Helplessness, and Haplessness Scale in a Turkish clinical sample.

PubMed

Vatan, Sevginar; Lester, David

2008-12-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the concurrent validity of the Hopelessness, Helplessness, and Haplessness Scale developed by Lester (1998). Data were obtained from 75 psychiatric patients. Cronbach alphas ranged from .67 to .90. Scores on the scales were associated with Beck, Weissman, Lester, and Trexler's measure of hopelessness, with the correlation strongest for the new hopelessness scale.

Protection against perceptions of powerlessness and helplessness during palliative care: the family members' perspective.

PubMed

Milberg, Anna; Strang, Peter

2011-09-01

Resilience in relation to coping with stress, loss, and bereavement has recently received increased attention. The aim of the current study was to describe aspects that are experienced as a protection against powerlessness and/or helplessness during advanced palliative home care (APHC) or as a help when coping with such perceptions. Both family members during ongoing APHC and family members 3-9 months after the patient's death responded (in total, N = 233; response rate 72%) to a postal questionnaire with mainly open-ended questions. The text responses were analyzed using Manifest Content Analysis. Protection against powerlessness and helplessness had been facilitated by a stable patient condition, the patient coping well, a trusting relationship with the patient, practical and emotional support from family and friends, access to palliative expertise, and staff support that was both individually-focused and cooperative. Other aspects that had helped or protected family members against powerlessness and helplessness were a belief that they had their own reliable knowledge to manage the difficult situation, talking to someone, doing good for the patient, distracting activities, acceptance, meaning and hope, and an inner feeling of security. The findings are discussed in relation to existential psychology, the dual process model of coping with bereavement, and repressive coping. Clinical implications are suggested.

Exercise and Prebiotics Produce Stress Resistance: Converging Impacts on Stress-Protective and Butyrate-Producing Gut Bacteria.

PubMed

Mika, A; Rumian, N; Loughridge, A B; Fleshner, M

2016-01-01

The gut microbial ecosystem can mediate the negative health impacts of stress on the host. Stressor-induced disruptions in microbial ecology (dysbiosis) can lead to maladaptive health effects, while certain probiotic organisms and their metabolites can protect against these negative impacts. Prebiotic diets and exercise are feasible and cost-effective strategies that can increase stress-protective bacteria and produce resistance against the detrimental behavioral and neurobiological impacts of stress. The goal of this review is to describe research demonstrating that both prebiotic diets and exercise produce adaptations in gut ecology and the brain that arm the organism against inescapable stress-induced learned helplessness. The results of this research support the novel hypothesis that some of the stress-protective effects of prebiotics and exercise are due to increases in stress-protective gut microbial species and their metabolites. In addition, new evidence also suggests that prebiotic diet or exercise interventions are most effective if given early in life (juvenile-adolescence) when both the gut microbial ecosystem and the brain are plastic. Based on our new understanding of the mechanistic convergence of these interventions, it is feasible to propose that in adults, both interventions delivered in combination may elevate their efficacy to promote a stress-resistant phenotype. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rodent models of depression: learned helplessness using a triadic design in rats.

PubMed

Durgam, R C

2001-05-01

Certain types of human depression are precipitated by stressful life events, and vulnerable individuals experiencing these stressors may develop clinical depression. Understanding the neurobiology of stress vulnerability (depression) as well as stress resiliency (coping) is critical for guiding the development of novel pharmacotherapeutic agents for stress-related disorders such as depression in humans. The use of a triadic design (escapable shock, yoked-inescapable shock and restrained control) allows the investigator to examine the various sequella of stress exposure, while manipulating and quantifying the impact of psychological dynamics of stress such as active behavioral coping (i.e., stress control). Both escape and yoked subjects are exposed to the identical amount, intensity, pattern and duration of stress. The critical distinction between these two groups is that the escape group has the opportunity to terminate the shock stress by turning a wheel at the front of a chamber, while wheel-turning for the yoked subject is of no consequence. Any difference observed between the escape and yoked subjects is a result of the effects of coping, rather than stress exposure per se. The restrained group is included to control for the effects of handling. Any differences between this group and the escape and yoked subjects reflects the impact of stress per se.

Role of parenting style in achieving metabolic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Shorer, Maayan; David, Ravit; Schoenberg-Taz, Michal; Levavi-Lavi, Ifat; Phillip, Moshe; Meyerovitch, Joseph

2011-08-01

To examine the role of parenting style in achieving metabolic control and treatment adherence in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Parents of 100 adolescents with type 1 diabetes completed assessments of their parenting style and sense of helplessness. Parents and patients rated patient adherence to the treatment regimen. Glycemic control was evaluated by HbA(1c) values. An authoritative paternal parenting style predicted better glycemic control and adherence in the child; a permissive maternal parenting style predicted poor adherence. A higher sense of helplessness in both parents predicted worse glycemic control and lesser adherence to treatment. Parental sense of helplessness was a significant predictor of diabetes control after correcting for other confounders (patient age, sex, and treatment method). An authoritative nonhelpless parenting style is associated with better diabetes control in adolescents. Paternal involvement is important in adolescent diabetes management. These results have implications for psychological interventions.

Health-related quality of life, optimism, and coping strategies in persons suffering from localized scleroderma.

PubMed

Szramka-Pawlak, B; Dańczak-Pazdrowska, A; Rzepa, T; Szewczyk, A; Sadowska-Przytocka, A; Żaba, R

2013-01-01

The clinical course of localized scleroderma may consist of bodily deformations, and bodily functions may also be affected. Additionally, the secondary lesions, such as discoloration, contractures, and atrophy, are unlikely to regress. The aforementioned symptoms and functional disturbances may decrease one's quality of life (QoL). Although much has been mentioned in the medical literature regarding QoL in persons suffering from dermatologic diseases, no data specifically describing patients with localized scleroderma exist. The aim of the study was to explore QoL in localized scleroderma patients and to examine their coping strategies in regard to optimism and QoL. The study included 41 patients with localized scleroderma. QoL was evaluated using the SKINDEX questionnaire, and levels of dispositional optimism were assessed using the Life Orientation Test-Revised. In addition, individual coping strategy was determined using the Mini-MAC scale and physical condition was assessed using the Localized Scleroderma Severity Index. The mean QoL score amounted to 51.10 points, with mean scores for individual components as follows: symptoms = 13.49 points, emotions = 21.29 points, and functioning = 16.32 points. A relationship was detected between QoL and the level of dispositional optimism as well as with coping strategies known as anxious preoccupation and helplessness-hopelessness. Higher levels of optimism predicted a higher general QoL. In turn, greater intensity of anxious preoccupied and helpless-hopeless behaviors predicted a lower QoL. Based on these results, it may be stated that localized scleroderma patients have a relatively high QoL, which is accompanied by optimism as well as a lower frequency of behaviors typical of emotion-focused coping strategies.

Manifest dream content as a possible predictor of suicidality.

PubMed

Glucksman, Myron L

2014-12-01

The prediction of suicidal intent remains a clinical problem. This presentation illustrates that a distinction may be made between the manifest dream reports of patients who are potentially or acutely suicidal and those who are not. A review of the literature reveals that the manifest dream reports of clinically depressed, non-suicidal individuals differ from those who are depressed and acutely suicidal. The former contain themes of loss, disappointment, rejection, helplessness, hopelessness, failure, and death. The latter contain themes of dying, death, destruction, and violence directed toward the dreamer or others, as well as hopelessness and helplessness. The author collected manifest dream reports from three clinically depressed, non-suicidal patients and three clinically depressed, potentially or acutely suicidal patients. There are apparent differences between the themes of manifest dream reports in the clinically depressed, non-suicidal patients and the clinically depressed, potentially or acutely suicidal patients. The former contain themes of death, loss, rejection, vulnerability, hopelessness, and helplessness. The latter contain themes of active harm or violence (specifically toward the dreamer), dying or being dead, aloneness, vulnerability, hopelessness, and helplessness. Clinical cases and corresponding manifest dream reports are presented. Although this is a preliminary study, it is possible that manifest dream content may be used as one of the predictors of suicidality, in conjunction with latent dream content, diagnosis, life circumstance, and clinical status.

Anxiety, helplessness/hopelessness and 'desire for hastened death' in Korean cancer patients.

PubMed

Shim, E-J; Hahm, B-J

2011-05-01

Despite a relatively high rate of suicide associated with cancer, this issue has not been explored in Korean patients. This study investigates the prevalence and factors related to 'the desire for hastened death' (DHD) in Korean cancer patients. A cross-sectional survey using standardised measures, including the Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, was performed with 131 patients with different types of cancer. 13.7% of the participants experienced moderate DHD (Schedule of Attitudes toward Hastened Death scores 5-9) and 1.7% experienced high DHD (≥10). Socio-demographic and disease-associated factors of the DHD included age, overall health and shortness of breath. The majority of psychosocial variables such as sadness, distress, 'helplessness/hopelessness' and 'anxious preoccupation' had a moderate association with DHD. Patients with a clinically significant level of anxiety or depression reported higher levels of DHD. Other significant correlates included 'meaning/peace', a sense of burdening family, dignity impairment and suicidal thoughts after diagnosis. Helplessness/hopelessness and anxiety were the strongest predictors of DHD in multivariate analysis. In view of significant role of helplessness/hopelessness and anxiety in the DHD of cancer patients, careful monitoring and management of these factors should be an integral part of cancer care to reduce the occurrence of DHD. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

[An inclusive misunderstanding--why noncategorization in special education for people with emotional and social behavior disorders complicates the cooperation with child and adolescent psychiatry].

PubMed

Ahrbeck, Bernd; Fickler-Stang, Ulrike

2015-07-01

The welcomed coeducation of children and adolescents with and without disabilities is going into dangerous territory since it has become burdened with a number of illusionary expectations. The constraints applied by real-life and meaningful circumstances should be taken into account, especially for children with emotional and social behavior disorders. Practicable prevention and intervention measurements cannot be generated without profound knowledge about disorders among this heterogeneous group of people. Abandoning all previously relevant terminology («noncategorization»), demanded by some radical inclusion advocates, leads to a situation that is helplessly confronted with its duties but lacks the basic skills and the necessary support stemming from an interdisciplinary dialogue. The contact with child and adolescent psychiatry is threatened to the disadvantage of the profession.

The measurement of psychological constructs in people with osteoarthritis of the knee: a psychometric evaluation.

PubMed

Lincoln, Nadina; Moreton, Bryan; Turner, Katie; Walsh, David

2017-02-01

Purpose To examine the measurement properties of measures of psychological constructs in people with knee osteoarthritis. Method Participants with osteoarthritis of the knee completed the beck depression inventory (BDI-II), state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), arthritis helplessness index (AHI), fatigue severity scale (FSS), coping strategies questionnaire (CSQ), beliefs about pain control questionnaire (BPCQ), illness perceptions questionnaire-revised (IPQ-R), pain self-efficacy questionnaire (PSEQ) at home as part of a set of measures covering different aspects of osteoarthritis pain. The questionnaires were returned by pre-paid envelope. Rasch analysis was used to check the psychometric properties of the scales in people with osteoarthritis. Results The STAI-SF was an acceptable measure of anxiety and the revised FSS an acceptable measure of fatigue, with removal of items 1 and 2. The BDI subscales were acceptable for measuring negative thoughts and behaviours related to depressive symptomatology with some modifications to the scale. The helplessness scale of the AHI was acceptable as a measure of helplessness. The PSEQ was an acceptable measure of self-efficacy and the CSQ as a measure of cognitive coping strategies. The BPCQ and IPQ-R did not fit the Rasch model. Conclusions These findings indicate that questionnaires need to be checked for their ability to measure psychological constructs in the clinical groups to which they will be applied. Implications for Rehabilitation For people with osteoarthritis, the STAI-SF is an acceptable measure of anxiety and the revised FSS an acceptable measure of fatigue with removal of items 1 and 2. The BDI subscales, but not the total score, are acceptable for measuring depressive symptomatology with some modifications to the scoring of the scale. And helplessness can be measured using the Helplessness subscale of the AHI. The PSEQ was an acceptable measure of self-efficacy and cognitive coping strategies can be measured with the CSQ. Rasch analysis highlighted lack of unidimensionality, disordered response thresholds and poor targeting in some measures commonly used for people with osteoarthritis.

Evaluation of learned helplessness, self-efficacy and disease activity, functional capacity and pain in Argentinian patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Vergara, F; Rosa, J; Orozco, C; Bertiller, E; Gallardo, M A; Bravo, M; Catay, E; Collado, V; Gómez, G; Sabelli, M; García, M V; Rosemffet, M G; Citera, G; Schneeberger, E E; Catoggio, L J; Soriano, E R

2017-01-01

To evaluate the association between learned helplessness (LH) and self-efficacy (SE) with disease activity, functional capacity, and level of pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to compare LH and SE between patients in remission and patients with active disease. This multicentre, cross-sectional study included consecutive patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with RA according to 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) criteria. LH was measured by the Rheumatology Attitude Index (RAI), Spanish version; SE with the Arthritis Self-efficacy Scale (ASES), Spanish version; functional capacity with the Health Assessment Questionnaire, Argentinian version (HAQ-A); and perceived pain by the visual analogue scale (VAS). Disease activity was measured by the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). A total of 115 patients (82% females) with a mean (± sd) age of 58 ± 13 years were included. We found a significantly positive correlation between LH and perceived pain (p < 0.001), HAQ-A score (p < 0.001), and CDAI (p < 0.001) and a significantly negative correlation between SE and perceived pain (p < 0.001), HAQ-A score (p < 0.001), and CDAI (p < 0.001). We found greater levels of SE and lower grades of LH in patients in remission compared to those with active disease (median 76 vs. 58; p < 0.001 and 6 vs. 11; p < 0.001, respectively). LH and SE correlated significantly with disease activity, functional capacity, and perceived pain. Levels of SE were higher in patients in remission compared to those with active disease as opposed to levels of LH, which were lower in patients in remission compared to those with active disease. These results show that cognitive factors are related to disease activity and their modifications may have importance in the management of RA.

Marital Conflict in the Context of Parental Depressive Symptoms: Implications for the Development of Children’s Adjustment Problems

PubMed Central

Keller, Peggy S.; Cummings, E. Mark; Peterson, Kristina M.; Davies, Patrick T.

2008-01-01

Relations among parental depressive symptoms, overt and covert marital conflict, and child internalizing and externalizing symptoms were examined in a community sample of 235 couples and their children. Families were assessed once yearly for three years, starting when children were in kindergarten. Parents completed measures of depressive symptoms and children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Behavioral observations of marital conflict behaviors (insult, threat, pursuit, and defensiveness) and self-report of covert negativity (feeling worry, sorry, worthless, and helpless) were assessed based on problem solving interactions. Results indicated that fathers’ greater covert negativity and mothers’ overt destructive conflict behaviors served as intervening variables in the link between fathers’ depressive symptoms and child internalizing symptoms, with modest support for the pathway through fathers’ covert negativity found even after controlling for earlier levels of constructs. These findings support the role of marital conflict in the impact of fathers’ depressive symptoms on child internalizing symptoms. PMID:20161202

Helplessness experienced by adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents sheltered in institutions.

PubMed

Miura, Paula Orchiucci; Tardivo, Leila Salomão de La Plata Cury; Barrientos, Dora Mariela Salcedo

2018-05-01

The experience of helplessness or abandonment during pregnancy affects the emotional state of women, hindering their disposition in taking care of themselves and their baby. The aim of this study was to understand the emotional experience arising from intra-family violence experienced by institutionally sheltered adolescent mothers and pregnant adolescents. This study is exploratory, descriptive, clinical and qualitive. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a psychologist from the institution and with six adolescents in the institution: one pregnant girl and five mothers. The data showed that helplessness was experienced by participants both during their pregnancy and throughout their lives. The institution was found to be the only place of protection, care and support for adolescents in the puerperal pregnancy period. The adolescents' mothers had also experienced abandonment by either their family members or their partners and the adolescents themselves repeated this abandonment with their own children. This study concludes that violence has consequences for the lives of adolescents, causing immense suffering and a transgenerational repetition of violence, demanding greater prevention and intervention.

The effects of "psychological inoculation" versus ventilation on the mental resilience of Israeli citizens under continuous war stress.

PubMed

Farchi, Moshe; Gidron, Yori

2010-05-01

Anxiety and hopelessness are common reactions of citizens exposed to continuous war threats. Common interventions focus on support, calming, and emotional ventilation, with few attempts to reduce people's cognitive barriers concerning active coping, which could increase their resilience. This study tested the effects of psychological inoculation (PI), which specifically aims to challenge such barriers, on the mental resilience of Israeli citizens living in Sderot. Participants were randomly assigned to either 2 PI sessions or 2 ventilation sessions, provided over the phone. Anxiety, helplessness, pessimism, and functioning were briefly assessed at baseline and 1 week after interventions. No time, group, or group x time interactions were observed. However, a time x group x sex interaction emerged for helplessness: Men benefited from the PI whereas women benefited from ventilation, in reducing helplessness. Under chronic war stress, it seems difficult to improve people's resilience, although PI may be partly beneficial for men. Further research is needed to test the effects of PI on mental resilience.

Where Have I Been? Where Should I Go? Spatial Working Memory on a Radial Arm Maze in a Rat Model of Depression

PubMed Central

Richter, Sophie Helene; Zeuch, Benjamin; Lankisch, Katja; Gass, Peter; Durstewitz, Daniel; Vollmayr, Barbara

2013-01-01

Disturbances in cognitive functioning are among the most debilitating problems experienced by patients with major depression. Investigations of these deficits in animals help to extend and refine our understanding of human emotional disorder, while at the same time providing valid tools to study higher executive functions in animals. We employ the “learned helplessness” genetic rat model of depression in studying working memory using an eight arm radial maze procedure with temporal delay. This so-called delayed spatial win-shift task consists of three phases, training, delay and test, requiring rats to hold information on-line across a retention interval and making choices based on this information in the test phase. According to a 2×2 factorial design, working memory performance of thirty-one congenitally helpless (cLH) and non-helpless (cNLH) rats was tested on eighteen trials, additionally imposing two different delay durations, 30 s and 15 min, respectively. While not observing a general cognitive deficit in cLH rats, the delay length greatly influenced maze performance. Notably, performance was most impaired in cLH rats tested with the shorter 30 s delay, suggesting a stress-related disruption of attentional processes in rats that are more sensitive to stress. Our study provides direct animal homologues of clinically important measures in human research, and contributes to the non-invasive assessment of cognitive deficits associated with depression. PMID:23614050

Animal Models of Suicide Trait-Related Behaviors

PubMed Central

Malkesman, Oz; Pine, Daniel; Tragon, Tyson; Austin, Daniel R.; Henter, Ioline D.; Chen, Guang; Manji, Husseini K.

2009-01-01

Although antidepressants are at least moderately effective in treating major depressive disorder (MDD), concerns have arisen that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are associated with suicidal thinking and behavior, especially in children, adolescents, and young adults. Virtually no experimental research in model systems has considered the mechanisms by which SSRIs may be associated with this potential side effect in some susceptible individuals. Suicide is a complex behavior that is, at best, complicated to study in humans and impossible to fully reproduce in an animal model. However, by investigating traits that show strong cross-species parallels as well as associations with suicide in humans, animal models may elucidate the mechanisms by which SSRIs are associated with suicidal thinking and behavior in the young. Traits linked with suicide in humans that can be successfully modeled in rodents include aggression, impulsivity, irritability, and hopelessness/helplessness. Differences in animal response to particular paradigms and to SSRIs across the lifespan are also discussed. Modeling these relevant traits in animals can help clarify the impact of SSRIs on these traits, suggesting avenues for reducing suicide risk in this vulnerable population. PMID:19269045

Helplessness and the exercise of power in the analytic session.

PubMed

Steiner, John

2011-02-01

This paper describes a clinical situation in which the analyst may be provoked to become overactive if he feels that his attempts to reach his patient are frustrated. Lack of tolerance for feelings of helplessness may leave him unable to sustain a receptive stance, and he may be drawn into enactments which lead to a power struggle with his patient. I will try to describe situations where such enactments were compelling. I will also consider what enabled me to extricate myself from the activity, at least intermittently, to re-establish an analytic attitude in which understanding and containment were priorities. From time to time I was able to recognize and accept my helplessness and relinquish my attempts to reach the patient. These moments of recognition led to a shift of atmosphere in which a feeling of sadness replaced the more familiar confrontational mood. In these sadder moods the patient felt I was more available, and he too seemed more able to contemplate loss. Theoretical ideas that enabled me to recognize some of the mechanisms at play included an understanding of narcissistic mechanisms, a recognition of previous ideas of power and dominance such as Freud's Bemächtigungstrieb, and the role of dominance in the resolution of the Oedipus complex. My previous work on the dread of humiliation allowed me to be sensitive to the way helplessness can come to be associated with being looked down on and humiliated. Copyright © 2011 Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Antidepressant activity of standardized extract of Bacopa monniera in experimental models of depression in rats.

PubMed

Sairam, K; Dorababu, M; Goel, R K; Bhattacharya, S K

2002-04-01

Bacopa monniera Wettst. (syn. Herpestis monniera L.; Scrophulariaceae) is a commonly used Ayurvedic drug for mental disorders. The standardized extract was reported earlier to have significant anti-oxidant effect, anxiolytic activity and improve memory retention in Alzheimer's disease. Presently, the standardized methanolic extract of Bacopa monniera (bacoside A - 38.0+/-0.9) was investigated for potential antidepressant activity in rodent models of depression. The effect was compared with the standard antidepressant drug imipramine (15 mg/kg, ip). The extract when given in the dose of 20 and 40 mg/kg, orally once daily for 5 days was found to have significant antidepressant activity in forced swim and learned helplessness models of depression and was comparable to that of imipramine.

Regional differences in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pro-peptide, proBDNF and preproBDNF in the brain confer stress resilience.

PubMed

Yang, Bangkun; Yang, Chun; Ren, Qian; Zhang, Ji-Chun; Chen, Qian-Xue; Shirayama, Yukihiko; Hashimoto, Kenji

2016-12-01

Using learned helplessness (LH) model of depression, we measured protein expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) pro-peptide, BDNF precursors (proBDNF and preproBDNF) in the brain regions of LH (susceptible) and non-LH rats (resilience). Expression of preproBDNF, proBDNF and BDNF pro-peptide in the medial prefrontal cortex of LH rats, but not non-LH rats, was significantly higher than control rats, although expression of these proteins in the nucleus accumbens of LH rats was significantly lower than control rats. This study suggests that regional differences in conversion of BDNF precursors into BDNF and BDNF pro-peptide by proteolytic cleavage may contribute to stress resilience.

Cultural context of school communities in rural Hawaii to inform youth violence prevention.

PubMed

Affonso, Dyanne D; Mayberry, Linda; Shibuya, June Y; Archambeau, Olga G; Correa, Mary; Deliramich, Aimee N; Frueh, B Christopher

2010-03-01

Escalation of youth violence within a large geographic school-complex area in southeastern rural Hawaii became a major problem in 2006. How cultural forces impact the problem was an impetus to examine youth violence from perspectives of adults and children in rural communities. Gathering these data was an essential first step toward school-based youth violence prevention program development. Eight focus groups involving 86 community stakeholders included 51 adults (parent, teachers, school staff, community leaders) and 35 children aged 8-15 years old (3rd- to 10-th grade). Qualitative narrative analysis elicited major themes. Five themes emerged: (1) School-community violence takes on many forms that become entrenched in local culture. (2) Disintegration of community resources and a sense of learned helplessness underlie the escalation of youth violence. (3) Inadequate role modeling coupled with behavioral ambivalence among adults has sustained a climate of local cultural acceptance with youth violence. (4) Connection to cultural values has diminished, leading to a sense of loss in cultural identity among students. (5) Cultural values and practices are potential strategies for youth violence prevention. Cultural and community contextual factors contributed to youth violence in rural Hawaiian communities. Study implications include the need to further investigate the impact of vigilant, community involvement of stakeholders in school-based youth violence prevention program development. Cultural revitalization at family, school, and community levels may be critical success factors of such programs.

Allostatic Self-efficacy: A Metacognitive Theory of Dyshomeostasis-Induced Fatigue and Depression.

PubMed

Stephan, Klaas E; Manjaly, Zina M; Mathys, Christoph D; Weber, Lilian A E; Paliwal, Saee; Gard, Tim; Tittgemeyer, Marc; Fleming, Stephen M; Haker, Helene; Seth, Anil K; Petzschner, Frederike H

2016-01-01

This paper outlines a hierarchical Bayesian framework for interoception, homeostatic/allostatic control, and meta-cognition that connects fatigue and depression to the experience of chronic dyshomeostasis. Specifically, viewing interoception as the inversion of a generative model of viscerosensory inputs allows for a formal definition of dyshomeostasis (as chronically enhanced surprise about bodily signals, or, equivalently, low evidence for the brain's model of bodily states) and allostasis (as a change in prior beliefs or predictions which define setpoints for homeostatic reflex arcs). Critically, we propose that the performance of interoceptive-allostatic circuitry is monitored by a metacognitive layer that updates beliefs about the brain's capacity to successfully regulate bodily states (allostatic self-efficacy). In this framework, fatigue and depression can be understood as sequential responses to the interoceptive experience of dyshomeostasis and the ensuing metacognitive diagnosis of low allostatic self-efficacy. While fatigue might represent an early response with adaptive value (cf. sickness behavior), the experience of chronic dyshomeostasis may trigger a generalized belief of low self-efficacy and lack of control (cf. learned helplessness), resulting in depression. This perspective implies alternative pathophysiological mechanisms that are reflected by differential abnormalities in the effective connectivity of circuits for interoception and allostasis. We discuss suitably extended models of effective connectivity that could distinguish these connectivity patterns in individual patients and may help inform differential diagnosis of fatigue and depression in the future.

Allostatic Self-efficacy: A Metacognitive Theory of Dyshomeostasis-Induced Fatigue and Depression

PubMed Central

Stephan, Klaas E.; Manjaly, Zina M.; Mathys, Christoph D.; Weber, Lilian A. E.; Paliwal, Saee; Gard, Tim; Tittgemeyer, Marc; Fleming, Stephen M.; Haker, Helene; Seth, Anil K.; Petzschner, Frederike H.

2016-01-01

This paper outlines a hierarchical Bayesian framework for interoception, homeostatic/allostatic control, and meta-cognition that connects fatigue and depression to the experience of chronic dyshomeostasis. Specifically, viewing interoception as the inversion of a generative model of viscerosensory inputs allows for a formal definition of dyshomeostasis (as chronically enhanced surprise about bodily signals, or, equivalently, low evidence for the brain's model of bodily states) and allostasis (as a change in prior beliefs or predictions which define setpoints for homeostatic reflex arcs). Critically, we propose that the performance of interoceptive-allostatic circuitry is monitored by a metacognitive layer that updates beliefs about the brain's capacity to successfully regulate bodily states (allostatic self-efficacy). In this framework, fatigue and depression can be understood as sequential responses to the interoceptive experience of dyshomeostasis and the ensuing metacognitive diagnosis of low allostatic self-efficacy. While fatigue might represent an early response with adaptive value (cf. sickness behavior), the experience of chronic dyshomeostasis may trigger a generalized belief of low self-efficacy and lack of control (cf. learned helplessness), resulting in depression. This perspective implies alternative pathophysiological mechanisms that are reflected by differential abnormalities in the effective connectivity of circuits for interoception and allostasis. We discuss suitably extended models of effective connectivity that could distinguish these connectivity patterns in individual patients and may help inform differential diagnosis of fatigue and depression in the future. PMID:27895566

Fluoxetine treatment ameliorates depression induced by perinatal arsenic exposure via a neurogenic mechanism

PubMed Central

Tyler, Christina R.; Solomon, Benjamin R.; Ulibarri, Adam L.; Allan, Andrea M.

2014-01-01

Several epidemiological studies have reported an association between arsenic exposure and increased rates of psychiatric disorders, including depression, in exposed populations. We have previously demonstrated that developmental exposure to low amounts of arsenic induces depression in adulthood along with several morphological and molecular aberrations, particularly associated with the hippocampus and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The extent and potential reversibility of this toxin-induced damage has not been characterized to date. In this study, we assessed the effects of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, on adult animals exposed to arsenic during development. Perinatal arsenic exposure (PAE) induced depressive-like symptoms in a mild learned helplessness task and in the forced swim task after acute exposure to a predator odor (2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline, TMT). Chronic fluoxetine treatment prevented these behaviors in both tasks in arsenic-exposed animals and ameliorated arsenic-induced blunted stress responses, as measured by corticosterone (CORT) levels before and after TMT exposure. Morphologically, chronic fluoxetine treatment reversed deficits in adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) after PAE, specifically differentiation and survival of neural progenitor cells. Protein expression of BDNF, CREB, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and HDAC2 was significantly increased in the dentate gyrus of arsenic animals after fluoxetine treatment. This study demonstrates that damage induced by perinatal arsenic exposure is reversible with chronic fluoxetine treatment resulting in restored resiliency to depression via a neurogenic mechanism. PMID:24952232

The Prodrug 4-Chlorokynurenine Causes Ketamine-Like Antidepressant Effects, but Not Side Effects, by NMDA/GlycineB-Site Inhibition

PubMed Central

Zanos, Panos; Piantadosi, Sean C.; Wu, Hui-Qiu; Pribut, Heather J.; Dell, Matthew J.; Can, Adem; Snodgrass, H. Ralph; Zarate, Carlos A.; Schwarcz, Robert

2015-01-01

Currently approved antidepressant drug treatment typically takes several weeks to be effective. The noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has shown efficacy as a rapid-acting treatment of depression, but its use is associated with significant side effects. We assessed effects following blockade of the glycineB co-agonist site of the NMDA receptor, located on the GluN1 subunit, by the selective full antagonist 7-chloro-kynurenic acid (7-Cl-KYNA), delivered by systemic administration of its brain-penetrant prodrug 4-chlorokynurenine (4-Cl-KYN) in mice. Following administration of 4-Cl-KYN, 7-Cl-KYNA was promptly recovered extracellularly in hippocampal microdialysate of freely moving animals. The behavioral responses of the animals were assessed using measures of ketamine-sensitive antidepressant efficacy (including the 24-hour forced swim test, learned helplessness test, and novelty-suppressed feeding test). In these tests, distinct from fluoxetine, and similar to ketamine, 4-Cl-KYN administration resulted in rapid, dose-dependent and persistent antidepressant-like effects following a single treatment. The antidepressant effects of 4-Cl-KYN were prevented by pretreatment with glycine or the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione (NBQX). 4-Cl-KYN administration was not associated with the rewarding and psychotomimetic effects of ketamine, and did not induce locomotor sensitization or stereotypic behaviors. Our results provide further support for antagonism of the glycineB site for the rapid treatment of treatment-resistant depression without the negative side effects seen with ketamine or other channel-blocking NMDA receptor antagonists. PMID:26265321

Stress and opioids: role of opioids in modulating stress-related behavior and effect of stress on morphine conditioned place preference.

PubMed

Bali, Anjana; Randhawa, Puneet Kaur; Jaggi, Amteshwar Singh

2015-04-01

Research studies have defined the important role of endogenous opioids in modulating stress-associated behavior. The release of β-endorphins in the amygdala in response to stress helps to cope with a stressor by inhibiting the over-activation of HPA axis. Administration of mu opioid agonists reduces the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic event by inhibiting fear-related memory consolidation. Similarly, the release of endogenous enkephalin and nociceptin in the basolateral amygdala and the nucleus accumbens tends to produce the anti-stress effects. An increase in dynorphin levels during prolonged exposure to stress may produce learned helplessness, dysphoria and depression. Stress also influences morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) depending upon the intensity and duration of the stressor. Acute stress inhibits morphine CPP, while chronic stress potentiates CPP. The development of dysphoria due to increased dynorphin levels may contribute to chronic stress-induced potentiation of morphine CPP. The activation of ERK/cyclic AMP responsive element-binding (CREB) signaling in the mesocorticolimbic area, glucocorticoid receptors in the basolateral amygdala, and norepinephrine and galanin system in the nucleus accumbens may decrease the acute stress-induced inhibition of morphine CPP. The increase in dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens and augmentation of GABAergic transmission in the median prefrontal cortex may contribute in potentiating morphine CPP. Stress exposure reinstates the extinct morphine CPP by activating the orexin receptors in the nucleus accumbens, decreasing the oxytocin levels in the lateral septum and amygdala, and altering the GABAergic transmission (activation of GABAA and inactivation of GABAB receptors). The present review describes these varied interactions between opioids and stress along with the possible mechanism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Prodrug 4-Chlorokynurenine Causes Ketamine-Like Antidepressant Effects, but Not Side Effects, by NMDA/GlycineB-Site Inhibition.

PubMed

Zanos, Panos; Piantadosi, Sean C; Wu, Hui-Qiu; Pribut, Heather J; Dell, Matthew J; Can, Adem; Snodgrass, H Ralph; Zarate, Carlos A; Schwarcz, Robert; Gould, Todd D

2015-10-01

Currently approved antidepressant drug treatment typically takes several weeks to be effective. The noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has shown efficacy as a rapid-acting treatment of depression, but its use is associated with significant side effects. We assessed effects following blockade of the glycineB co-agonist site of the NMDA receptor, located on the GluN1 subunit, by the selective full antagonist 7-chloro-kynurenic acid (7-Cl-KYNA), delivered by systemic administration of its brain-penetrant prodrug 4-chlorokynurenine (4-Cl-KYN) in mice. Following administration of 4-Cl-KYN, 7-Cl-KYNA was promptly recovered extracellularly in hippocampal microdialysate of freely moving animals. The behavioral responses of the animals were assessed using measures of ketamine-sensitive antidepressant efficacy (including the 24-hour forced swim test, learned helplessness test, and novelty-suppressed feeding test). In these tests, distinct from fluoxetine, and similar to ketamine, 4-Cl-KYN administration resulted in rapid, dose-dependent and persistent antidepressant-like effects following a single treatment. The antidepressant effects of 4-Cl-KYN were prevented by pretreatment with glycine or the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione (NBQX). 4-Cl-KYN administration was not associated with the rewarding and psychotomimetic effects of ketamine, and did not induce locomotor sensitization or stereotypic behaviors. Our results provide further support for antagonism of the glycineB site for the rapid treatment of treatment-resistant depression without the negative side effects seen with ketamine or other channel-blocking NMDA receptor antagonists. Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Association between helplessness, disability, and disease activity with health-related quality of life among rheumatoid arthritis patients in a multiethnic Asian population.

PubMed

Kwan, Yu Heng; Koh, Ee Tzun; Leong, Khai Pang; Wee, Hwee-Lin

2014-08-01

To investigate the association between helplessness, disability, and disease activity with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a multiethnic cohort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Singapore. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Department of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, from October 2010 to October 2011. All patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria for RA. Socio-demographics, clinical, and patient-reported outcome (PRO) variables were collected. HRQoL outcomes were Short Form 36 (SF-36) physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS) scores and Short Form 6 Dimensions (SF-6D) utilities. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were performed using HRQoL outcomes as dependent variables in separate models and with adjustment for helplessness (Rheumatology Attitudes Index, RAI), disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire, HAQ), and disease activity (Disease Activity in 28 joints) followed by socio-demographic, clinical, and PRO variables. Complete data were provided by 473 consenting subjects [mean (SD) age: 60.02 (11.04) years, 85 % female, 77 % Chinese]. After adjustment for all measured covariates, only RAI and HAQ scores remained significantly associated with SF-36 MCS (β: -0.9, p < 0.001; β: -7.0, p < 0.001) and SF-6D utilities (β: -0.005, p < 0.001; β: -0.081, p < 0.001), respectively, while only HAQ scores were significantly associated with SF-36 PCS (β: -7.7, p < 0.001). Interventions to address the sense of helplessness and to prevent or reduce disability could improve HRQoL of RA patients.

Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence and Online Gaming Addiction in Adolescence: The Indirect Effects of Two Facets of Perceived Stress.

PubMed

Che, Dexin; Hu, Jianping; Zhen, Shuangju; Yu, Chengfu; Li, Bin; Chang, Xi; Zhang, Wei

2017-01-01

This study tested a parallel two-mediator model in which the relationship between dimensions of emotional intelligence and online gaming addiction are mediated by perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy, respectively. The sample included 931 male adolescents (mean age = 16.18 years, SD = 0.95) from southern China. Data on emotional intelligence (four dimensions, including self-management of emotion, social skills, empathy and utilization of emotions), perceived stress (two facets, including perceived self-efficacy and perceived helplessness) and online gaming addiction were collected, and bootstrap methods were used to test this parallel two-mediator model. Our findings revealed that perceived self-efficacy mediated the relationship between three dimensions of emotional intelligence (i.e., self-management, social skills, and empathy) and online gaming addiction, and perceived helplessness mediated the relationship between two dimensions of emotional intelligence (i.e., self-management and emotion utilization) and online gaming addiction. These findings underscore the importance of separating the four dimensions of emotional intelligence and two facets of perceived stress to understand the complex relationship between these factors and online gaming addiction.

Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence and Online Gaming Addiction in Adolescence: The Indirect Effects of Two Facets of Perceived Stress

PubMed Central

Che, Dexin; Hu, Jianping; Zhen, Shuangju; Yu, Chengfu; Li, Bin; Chang, Xi; Zhang, Wei

2017-01-01

This study tested a parallel two-mediator model in which the relationship between dimensions of emotional intelligence and online gaming addiction are mediated by perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy, respectively. The sample included 931 male adolescents (mean age = 16.18 years, SD = 0.95) from southern China. Data on emotional intelligence (four dimensions, including self-management of emotion, social skills, empathy and utilization of emotions), perceived stress (two facets, including perceived self-efficacy and perceived helplessness) and online gaming addiction were collected, and bootstrap methods were used to test this parallel two-mediator model. Our findings revealed that perceived self-efficacy mediated the relationship between three dimensions of emotional intelligence (i.e., self-management, social skills, and empathy) and online gaming addiction, and perceived helplessness mediated the relationship between two dimensions of emotional intelligence (i.e., self-management and emotion utilization) and online gaming addiction. These findings underscore the importance of separating the four dimensions of emotional intelligence and two facets of perceived stress to understand the complex relationship between these factors and online gaming addiction. PMID:28751876

Enhanced Eyeblink Conditioning in Behaviorally Inhibited Individuals is Disrupted by Proactive Interference Following US Alone Pre-exposures.

PubMed

Allen, Michael Todd; Miller, Daniel P

2016-01-01

Anxiety vulnerable individuals exhibit enhanced acquisition of conditioned eyeblinks as well as enhanced proactive interference from conditioned stimulus (CS) or unconditioned stimulus (US) alone pre-exposures (Holloway et al., 2012). US alone pre-exposures disrupt subsequent conditioned response (CR) acquisition to CS-US paired trials as compared to context pre-exposure controls. While Holloway et al. (2012) reported enhanced acquisition in high trait anxiety individuals in the context condition, anxiety vulnerability effects were not reported for the US alone pre-exposure group. It appears from the published data that there were no differences between high and low anxiety individuals in the US alone condition. In the work reported here, we sought to extend the findings of enhanced proactive interference with US alone pre-exposures to determine if the enhanced conditioning was disrupted by proactive interference procedures. We also were interested in the spontaneous eyeblinks during the pre-exposure phase of training. We categorized individuals as anxiety vulnerability or non-vulnerable individuals based scores on the Adult Measure of Behavioral Inhibition (AMBI). Sixty-six participants received 60 trials consisting of 30 US alone or context alone pre-exposures followed by 30 CS-US trials. US alone pre-exposures not only disrupted CR acquisition overall, but behaviorally inhibited (BI) individuals exhibited enhanced proactive interference as compared to non-inhibited (NI) individuals. In addition, US alone pre-exposures disrupted the enhanced acquisition observed in BI individuals as compared to NI individuals following context alone pre-exposures. Differences were also found in rates of spontaneous eyeblinks between BI and NI individuals during context pre-exposure. Our findings will be discussed in the light of the neural substrates of eyeblink conditioning as well as possible factors such as hypervigilance in the amygdala and hippocampal systems, and possible learned helplessness. Applications of these findings of enhanced proactive interference in BI individuals to pre-exposure therapies to reduce anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be discussed.

Enhanced Eyeblink Conditioning in Behaviorally Inhibited Individuals is Disrupted by Proactive Interference Following US Alone Pre-exposures

PubMed Central

Allen, Michael Todd; Miller, Daniel P.

2016-01-01

Anxiety vulnerable individuals exhibit enhanced acquisition of conditioned eyeblinks as well as enhanced proactive interference from conditioned stimulus (CS) or unconditioned stimulus (US) alone pre-exposures (Holloway et al., 2012). US alone pre-exposures disrupt subsequent conditioned response (CR) acquisition to CS-US paired trials as compared to context pre-exposure controls. While Holloway et al. (2012) reported enhanced acquisition in high trait anxiety individuals in the context condition, anxiety vulnerability effects were not reported for the US alone pre-exposure group. It appears from the published data that there were no differences between high and low anxiety individuals in the US alone condition. In the work reported here, we sought to extend the findings of enhanced proactive interference with US alone pre-exposures to determine if the enhanced conditioning was disrupted by proactive interference procedures. We also were interested in the spontaneous eyeblinks during the pre-exposure phase of training. We categorized individuals as anxiety vulnerability or non-vulnerable individuals based scores on the Adult Measure of Behavioral Inhibition (AMBI). Sixty-six participants received 60 trials consisting of 30 US alone or context alone pre-exposures followed by 30 CS-US trials. US alone pre-exposures not only disrupted CR acquisition overall, but behaviorally inhibited (BI) individuals exhibited enhanced proactive interference as compared to non-inhibited (NI) individuals. In addition, US alone pre-exposures disrupted the enhanced acquisition observed in BI individuals as compared to NI individuals following context alone pre-exposures. Differences were also found in rates of spontaneous eyeblinks between BI and NI individuals during context pre-exposure. Our findings will be discussed in the light of the neural substrates of eyeblink conditioning as well as possible factors such as hypervigilance in the amygdala and hippocampal systems, and possible learned helplessness. Applications of these findings of enhanced proactive interference in BI individuals to pre-exposure therapies to reduce anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be discussed. PMID:27014001

Preclinical Evidence of Rapid-Onset Antidepressant-Like Effect in Radix Polygalae Extract

PubMed Central

Park, Hyunwoo; Kim, Yoorim; Park, Sung Hyun; Swanberg, Kelley; Shin, Joo-Yeon; Ha, Sang-Kyu; Cho, Yoonju; Bang, Soo-Yong; Lew, Jae-Hwan; Cho, Seung-Hun; Maeng, Sungho

2014-01-01

Radix Polygalae (the root of Polygala tenuifolia) is a herb widely used in traditional Asian medicine that is thought to exert a variety of neuropsychiatric effects. Radix Polygalae extract can protect against N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) neurotoxicity and induce brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, suggesting modulatory roles at glutamatergic synapses and possible antidepressant action. In accordance with this hypothesis, Radix Polygalae extract demonstrated antidepressant-like effects in 8-week-old male C57Bl/6 mice by decreasing behavioral despair in the forced swim and tail suspension tasks and increasing hedonic-like behavior in the female urine sniffing test 30 minutes after a single oral administration of 0.1 mg/kg. Reduced latency to acquire a food pellet in the novely suppressed feeding paradigm, without change in anxiety-like behaviors suggested a rapid-onset nature of the antidepressant-like effect. In addition, it decreased the number of failed escapes in the learned helplessness paradigm after two oral administrations 24 hours and 30 minutes before the first test. Finally, it reversed anhedonia as measured by saccharin preference in mice exposed to the chronic stress model after two administrations of 0.1 mg/kg, in contrast to the repeated administration generally needed for similar effect by monoamergic antidepressants. Immobility reduction in tail suspension task was blocked by the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist NBQX, a pattern previously demonstrated by ketamine and other ketamine-like rapid-onset antidepressants. Also similarly to ketamine, Radix Polygalae appeared to acutely decrease phosphorylation of GluR1 serine-845 in the hippocampus while leaving the phosphorylation of hippocampal mTOR serine 2448 unchanged. These findings serve as preclinical evidence that Radix Polygalae extract exerts rapid-onset antidepressant effects by modulating glutamatergic synapses in critical brain circuits of depression and may be worthy of further evaluation as a safe substitute to other rapid-onset antidepressants known to have unacceptable side effects. PMID:24520403

Life satisfaction post stroke: The role of illness cognitions.

PubMed

van Mierlo, M L; van Heugten, C M; Post, Mwm; de Kort, Plm; Visser-Meily, Jma

2015-08-01

To describe illness cognitions two months and two years post stroke and to investigate changes in illness cognitions over time. We also examined the associations between illness cognitions and life satisfaction at two months and two years post stroke and investigated if changes in illness cognitions predicted life satisfaction two years post stroke, taking demographic and stroke-related factors and emotional symptoms into account. Prospective cohort study in which 287 patients were assessed at two months and two years post stroke. The illness cognitions helplessness (maladaptive), acceptance (adaptive) and perceiving benefits (adaptive) were measured with the Illness Cognition Questionnaire. Life satisfaction was assessed with two life satisfaction questions. Correlational and regression analyses were performed. Patients experienced both maladaptive and adaptive illness cognitions two months and two years post stroke. Only acceptance increased significantly from two months to two years post stroke (p≤0.01). Helplessness, acceptance and perceiving benefits were significantly associated with life satisfaction at two months (R2=0.42) and two years (R2=0.57) post stroke. Furthermore, illness cognitions two months post stroke and changes in illness cognitions predicted life satisfaction two years post stroke (R2=0.57). Illness cognitions and changes in illness cognitions were independently associated with life satisfaction two years post stroke. It is therefore important during rehabilitation to focus on reducing maladaptive behavior and feelings to promote life satisfaction, and on promoting adaptive illness cognitions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Creation of a line of "depressed" mice from a selection of breeders exhibiting a behavioral helplessness].

PubMed

Vaugeois, J M; Costentin, J

1998-01-01

Antidepressants are used since 40 years. All presently used antidepressants have a slow onset of action and do not improve all patients; thus, there is an absolute need for new antidepressants. A variety of animal models, often based upon the monoaminergic theory of depressive disorders, has been used to screen the current antidepressants. In fact, the main focus of most of these animal models has been to predict the antidepressant potential i.e. to establish predictive validity. However, the evaluation of such animal models should also consider face validity, i.e. how closely the model resembles the human condition, and this should help to identify innovating medicines. Antidepressants, when taken by a healthy person, induce nothing more than side effects, unrelated to an action on mood, whereas they alleviate depressive symptomatology in depressed patients. We have speculated that genetically selected animal models would be closer to the human clinical situation than models based on standard laboratory strains. We have depicted here that marked differences exist between strains of mice in the amount of immobility i.e. "spontaneous helplessness" observed in the tail suspension test, a method used to screen potential antidepressants. We have studied the behavioural characteristics of mice selectively bred for spontaneous high or low immobility scores in the tail suspension test. Hopefully, these selectively bred lines will provide a novel approach to investigate behavioural, neurochemical and neuroendocrine correlates of antidepressant action.

The uses of hopelessness.

PubMed

Bennett, M I; Bennett, M B

1984-04-01

If most emotional problems, like most medical problems, are caused by bad luck as well as by factors over which man has control, then those who suffer from such problems must accept a burden of helplessness. When patients and their families overuse theories of causality to avoid accepting their helplessness and to create an illusory sense of human control, unjust assignment of responsibility and excessive expectations for change may erode self-esteem and make change more difficult. The authors present examples of interventions that challenge the overuse of theories of causality. Although these interventions aroused hopelessness, they also fostered realistic hope and change.

Behavioral and biochemical effects of the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin): evidence for selective blockade of dopamine uptake in vivo.

PubMed

Cooper, B R; Hester, T J; Maxwell, R A

1980-10-01

Bupropion (BW 323U; Wellbutrin), a novel compound with antidepressant effects in man, was found to reduce immobility in an "experimental helplessness" forced swimming antidepressant test in rats as did imipramine and amitriptyline. Higher doses produced elevated locomotor activity in an automated open field and produced stereotyped sniffing which was contrasted with apomorphine. When bupropion or desmethylimipramine was given before intracisternal injections of 6-hydroxydopamine, bupropion produced a dose-related selective antagonism of the destruction of dopamine neurons, while under the same conditions, desmethylimipramine produced a dose-related selective antagonism of the destruction of noradrenergic neurons. Studies in which the dose of bupropion and the dose of 6-hydroxydopamine were varied revealed that a dose-related selective antagonism of dopamine depletion by 6-hydroxydopamine occurred when doses up to and including 50 mg/kg i.p. to bupropion were administered. Some antagonism of norepinephrine depletion also occurred at 100 mg/kg of bupropion i.p. Bupropion also selectively reversed the dopamine depletion produced by alpha-methyl-m-tyrosine, a finding which is consistent with the view that bupropion is a dopamine uptake inhibitor in vivo. The importance of dopamine systems for the behavioral effects of bupropion were also studied. When the locomotor stimulant effects of bupropion were tested in rats with chronic destruction of dopamine neurons produced by 6-hydroxydopamine, bupropion failed to elevate locomotor activity. Rats treated with procedures using 6-hydroxydopamine to produce relatively selective norepinephrine depletions responded to bupropion with locomotor activity stimulation like controls. Rats with similar depletions of either dopamine or norepinephrine were also tested for the ability of low doses of bupropion to reduce immobility in the "experimental helplessness" forced swim antidepressant test. Prior destruction of dopamine neurons prevented activity of bupropion in this test. Results indicate that bupropion is a selective dopamine uptake inhibitor in vivo and that dopaminergic systems play an important role in its central nervous system pharmacology.

Coping as a mediator of the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress response: a pilot study.

PubMed

Horiuchi, Satoshi; Tsuda, Akira; Aoki, Shuntaro; Yoneda, Kenichiro; Sawaguchi, Yusuke

2018-01-01

Coping, the cognitive and behavioral effort required to manage the effects of stressors, is important in determining psychological stress responses (ie, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to stressors). Coping was classified into categories of emotional expression (eg, negative feelings and thoughts), emotional support seeking (eg, approaching loved ones to request encouragement), cognitive reinterpretation (eg, reframing a problem positively), and problem solving (eg, working to solve the problem). Stress mindset refers to the belief that stress has enhancing (stress-is-enhancing mindset) or debilitating consequences (stress-is-debilitating mindset). This study examined whether coping mediated the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress responses. Psychological stress responses were conceptualized as depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness. The following two hypotheses were tested: 1) a stronger stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with less frequent use of emotional expression, emotional support seeking, and problem solving, which in turn is associated with lower levels of depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness; 2) a stronger stress-is-debilitating mindset is associated with more frequent use of these coping strategies, which in turn is associated with higher levels of these psychological stress responses. The participants were 30 male and 94 female undergraduate and graduate students (mean age =20.4 years). Stress mindset, coping, and psychological stress responses were measured using self-report questionnaires. Six mediation analyses were performed with stress-is-enhancing mindset or stress-is-debilitating mindset as the independent variable, one of the psychological stress responses as the dependent variable, and the four coping strategies as mediators. Emotional expression partially mediated the relationship between a strong stress-is-debilitating mindset and higher irritability-anger levels. The other three coping strategies did not exhibit mediating effects. None of the coping strategies mediated the relationship between a stress-is-enhancing mindset and psychological stress responses. These results provide initial evidence that stress mindset is associated with psychological stress responses, through coping strategies.

Coping as a mediator of the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress response: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Horiuchi, Satoshi; Tsuda, Akira; Aoki, Shuntaro; Yoneda, Kenichiro; Sawaguchi, Yusuke

2018-01-01

Background Coping, the cognitive and behavioral effort required to manage the effects of stressors, is important in determining psychological stress responses (ie, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to stressors). Coping was classified into categories of emotional expression (eg, negative feelings and thoughts), emotional support seeking (eg, approaching loved ones to request encouragement), cognitive reinterpretation (eg, reframing a problem positively), and problem solving (eg, working to solve the problem). Stress mindset refers to the belief that stress has enhancing (stress-is-enhancing mindset) or debilitating consequences (stress-is-debilitating mindset). This study examined whether coping mediated the relationship between stress mindset and psychological stress responses. Psychological stress responses were conceptualized as depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness. The following two hypotheses were tested: 1) a stronger stress-is-enhancing mindset is associated with less frequent use of emotional expression, emotional support seeking, and problem solving, which in turn is associated with lower levels of depression-anxiety, irritability-anger, and helplessness; 2) a stronger stress-is-debilitating mindset is associated with more frequent use of these coping strategies, which in turn is associated with higher levels of these psychological stress responses. Materials and methods The participants were 30 male and 94 female undergraduate and graduate students (mean age =20.4 years). Stress mindset, coping, and psychological stress responses were measured using self-report questionnaires. Six mediation analyses were performed with stress-is-enhancing mindset or stress-is-debilitating mindset as the independent variable, one of the psychological stress responses as the dependent variable, and the four coping strategies as mediators. Results Emotional expression partially mediated the relationship between a strong stress-is-debilitating mindset and higher irritability-anger levels. The other three coping strategies did not exhibit mediating effects. None of the coping strategies mediated the relationship between a stress-is-enhancing mindset and psychological stress responses. Conclusion These results provide initial evidence that stress mindset is associated with psychological stress responses, through coping strategies. PMID:29535562

Depression-like behaviour in mice is associated with disrupted circadian rhythms in nucleus accumbens and periaqueductal grey.

PubMed

Landgraf, Dominic; Long, Jaimie E; Welsh, David K

2016-05-01

An association between circadian rhythms and mood regulation is well established, and disturbed circadian clocks are believed to contribute to the development of mood disorders, including major depressive disorder. The circadian system is coordinated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master pacemaker in the hypothalamus that receives light input from the retina and synchronizes circadian oscillators in other brain regions and peripheral tissues. Lacking the tight neuronal network that couples single-cell oscillators in the SCN, circadian clocks outside the SCN may be less stable and more susceptible to disturbances, for example by clock gene mutations or uncontrollable stress. However, non-SCN circadian clocks have not been studied extensively in rodent models of mood disorders. In the present study, it was hypothesized that disturbances of local circadian clocks in mood-regulating brain areas are associated with depression-like behaviour in mice. Using the learned helplessness procedure, depression-like behaviour was evoked in mice bearing the PER2::LUC circadian reporter, and then circadian rhythms of PER2 expression were examined in brain slices from these mice using luminometry and bioluminescence imaging. It was found that helplessness is associated with absence of circadian rhythms in the nucleus accumbens and the periaqueductal grey, two of the most critical brain regions within the reward circuit. The current study provides evidence that susceptibility of mice to depression-like behaviour is associated with disturbed local circadian clocks in a subset of mood-regulating brain areas, but the direction of causality remains to be determined. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Hopelessness Theory of Depression: A Quarter Century in Review

PubMed Central

Liu, Richard T.; Kleiman, Evan M.; Nestor, Bridget A.; Cheek, Shayna M.

2015-01-01

Since the formulation of the hopelessness theory of depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989) a quarter century ago, it has garnered considerable interest. The current paper presents a systematic review of this theory including its subsequent elaborations (Rose and Abramson’s [1992] developmental elaboration, Abela and Sarin’s [2002] weakest-link approach, Panzarella, Alloy, and Whitehouse’s [2006] expansion of the hopelessness theory, and the hopelessness theory of suicide [Abramson et al., 2000]), followed by recommendations for future study. Although empirical support was consistently found for several major components of the hopelessness theory, further work is required assessing this theory in relation to clinically significant phenomena. Among the most significant hindrances to advancement in this area is the frequent conceptual confusion between the hopelessness theory and the reformulated learned helplessness theory. PMID:26709338

The Hopelessness Theory of Depression: A Quarter Century in Review.

PubMed

Liu, Richard T; Kleiman, Evan M; Nestor, Bridget A; Cheek, Shayna M

2015-12-01

Since the formulation of the hopelessness theory of depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989) a quarter century ago, it has garnered considerable interest. The current paper presents a systematic review of this theory including its subsequent elaborations (Rose and Abramson's [1992] developmental elaboration, Abela and Sarin's [2002] weakest-link approach, Panzarella, Alloy, and Whitehouse's [2006] expansion of the hopelessness theory, and the hopelessness theory of suicide [Abramson et al., 2000]), followed by recommendations for future study. Although empirical support was consistently found for several major components of the hopelessness theory, further work is required assessing this theory in relation to clinically significant phenomena. Among the most significant hindrances to advancement in this area is the frequent conceptual confusion between the hopelessness theory and the reformulated learned helplessness theory.

Beyond Depression: Towards a Process-Based Approach to Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment.

PubMed

Forgeard, Marie J C; Haigh, Emily A P; Beck, Aaron T; Davidson, Richard J; Henn, Fritz A; Maier, Steven F; Mayberg, Helen S; Seligman, Martin E P

2011-12-01

Despite decades of research on the etiology and treatment of depression, a significant proportion of the population is affected by the disorder, fails to respond to treatment and is plagued by relapse. Six prominent scientists, Aaron Beck, Richard Davidson, Fritz Henn, Steven Maier, Helen Mayberg, and Martin Seligman, gathered to discuss the current state of scientific knowledge on depression, and in particular on the basic neurobiological and psychopathological processes at play in the disorder. These general themes were addressed: 1) the relevance of learned helplessness as a basic process involved in the development of depression; 2) the limitations of our current taxonomy of psychological disorders; 3) the need to work towards a psychobiological process-based taxonomy; and 4) the clinical implications of implementing such a process-based taxonomy.

Beyond Depression: Towards a Process-Based Approach to Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment

PubMed Central

Forgeard, Marie J. C.; Haigh, Emily A. P.; Beck, Aaron T.; Davidson, Richard J.; Henn, Fritz A.; Maier, Steven F.; Mayberg, Helen S.; Seligman, Martin E. P.

2012-01-01

Despite decades of research on the etiology and treatment of depression, a significant proportion of the population is affected by the disorder, fails to respond to treatment and is plagued by relapse. Six prominent scientists, Aaron Beck, Richard Davidson, Fritz Henn, Steven Maier, Helen Mayberg, and Martin Seligman, gathered to discuss the current state of scientific knowledge on depression, and in particular on the basic neurobiological and psychopathological processes at play in the disorder. These general themes were addressed: 1) the relevance of learned helplessness as a basic process involved in the development of depression; 2) the limitations of our current taxonomy of psychological disorders; 3) the need to work towards a psychobiological process-based taxonomy; and 4) the clinical implications of implementing such a process-based taxonomy. PMID:22509072

AlzhaTV: A nonpharmacological intervention to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms in nursing home dementia patients.

PubMed

Varshney, Smita U; Varshney, Juhi U; Tampi, Rajesh R; McCall, William V; Varshney, Upkar

2018-05-01

Currently, 5 million seniors who reside in the community or assisted living or nursing facilities are affected by Alzheimer's disease and other neurocognitive disorders. They experience various psychiatric symptoms. Also, their family members are stressed from caregiving, and may feel guilty for not doing more. We created an innovative nonpharmacological intervention, AlzhaTV, to decrease behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with neurocognitive disorders. We offered AlzhaTV to 9 nursing home patients. In our retrospective examination of this case series, we found AlzhaTV was effective in reducing behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with neurocognitive disorders. We achieved either dose reductions, discontinuation, or avoided initiating the use of antipsychotic medications and benzodiazepines in nearly all patients. AlzhaTV may help decrease behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and decrease or avoid the use of antipsychotic medications or benzodiazepines. It may help in reducing the overall cost of health care in patients with dementia or neurocognitive disorders. AlzhaTV helps patients stay connected to their families, friends, and their past while bringing them joy in the present. It also helps families and caregivers feel more connected and less helpless.

Religion, coping and outcome in out-patients with depression or diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Amadi, K U; Uwakwe, R; Odinka, P C; Ndukuba, A C; Muomah, C R; Ohaeri, J U

2016-06-01

The study assesses the association between religiosity and coping style with the outcome of depression and diabetes. Using a simple random sampling, we recruited 112 participants with diabetes and an equal number with depression consecutively, matching for gender. Religiosity was determined using Religious Orientation Scale (revised) (ROS-R), coping styles with Brief Religious Coping (Brief RCOPE) scale and Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale (adapted). Primary and secondary outcomes were evaluated using Sheehan's Disability Scale (SDS) and Becks Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) respectively. Among participants with diabetes, BDI-II total scores correlated negatively with ROS-R Extrinsic Social (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and Fighting Spirit (r = -0.3, P < 0.05) but correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.3, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.4, P < 0.05). SDS global scores correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.3, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.4, P < 0.05). Among participants with depression, BDI-II total scores correlated negatively with Intrinsic religiosity (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and Fighting Spirit (r = -0.4, P < 0.05) but correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.6, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.7, P < 0.05). SDS global scores correlated negatively with Intrinsic religiosity (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and Fighting Spirit (r = -0.3, P < 0.05) but correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.5, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.4, P < 0.05). High intrinsic and extrinsic religiosities are likely to be associated with positive coping skills and better treatment outcome in patients with depression or diabetes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mouse social stress induces increased fear conditioning, helplessness and fatigue to physical challenge together with markers of altered immune and dopamine function.

PubMed

Azzinnari, Damiano; Sigrist, Hannes; Staehli, Simon; Palme, Rupert; Hildebrandt, Tobias; Leparc, German; Hengerer, Bastian; Seifritz, Erich; Pryce, Christopher R

2014-10-01

In neuropsychiatry, animal studies demonstrating causal effects of environmental manipulations relevant to human aetiology on behaviours relevant to human psychopathologies are valuable. Such valid models can improve understanding of aetio-pathophysiology and preclinical discovery and development of new treatments. In depression, specific uncontrollable stressful life events are major aetiological factors, and subsequent generalized increases in fearfulness, helplessness and fatigue are core symptoms or features. Here we exposed adult male C57BL/6 mice to 15-day psychosocial stress with loss of social control but minimal physical wounding. One cohort was assessed in a 3-day test paradigm of motor activity, fear conditioning and 2-way avoid-escape behaviour on days 16-18, and a second cohort was assessed in a treadmill fatigue paradigm on days 19 and 29, followed by the 3-day paradigm on days 30-32. All tests used a physical aversive stimulus, namely mild, brief electroshocks. Socially stressed mice displayed decreased motor activity, increased fear acquisition, decreased 2-way avoid-escape responding (increased helplessness) and increased fatigue. They also displayed increased plasma TNF and spleen hypertrophy, and adrenal hypertrophy without hyper-corticoidism. In a third cohort, psychosocial stress effects on brain gene expression were assessed using next generation sequencing. Gene expression was altered in pathways of inflammation and G-protein coupled receptors in prefrontal cortex and amygdala; in the latter, expression of genes important in dopamine function were de-regulated including down-regulated Drd2, Adora2a and Darpp-32. This model can be applied to identify targets for treating psychopathologies such as helplessness or fatigue, and to screen compounds/biologics developed to act at these targets. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pain-Related Rumination, But Not Magnification or Helplessness, Mediates Race and Sex Differences in Experimental Pain.

PubMed

Meints, Samantha M; Stout, Madison; Abplanalp, Samuel; Hirsh, Adam T

2017-03-01

Compared with white individuals and men, black individuals and women show a lower tolerance for experimental pain stimuli. Previous studies suggest that pain catastrophizing is important in this context, but little is known about which components of catastrophizing contribute to these race and sex differences. The purpose of the current study was to examine the individual components of catastrophizing (rumination, magnification, and helplessness) as candidate mediators of race and sex differences in experimental pain tolerance. Healthy undergraduates (N = 172, 74% female, 43.2% black) participated in a cold pressor task and completed a situation-specific version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Black and female participants showed a lower pain tolerance than white (P < .01, d = .70) and male (P < .01, d = .55) participants, respectively. Multiple mediation analyses indicated that these race and sex differences were mediated by the rumination component of catastrophizing (indirect effect = -7.13, 95% confidence interval (CI), -16.20 to -1.96, and 5.75, 95% CI, .81-15.57, respectively) but not by the magnification (95% CI, -2.91 to 3.65 and -1.54 to 1.85, respectively) or helplessness (95% CI, -5.53 to 3.31 and -.72 to 5.38, respectively) components. This study provides new information about race and sex differences in pain and suggests that treatments targeting the rumination component of catastrophizing may help mitigate pain-related disparities. This study suggests that differences in pain-related rumination, but not magnification or helplessness, are important contributors to race and sex differences in the pain experience. Interventions that target this maladaptive cognitive style may help reduce disparities in pain. Copyright © 2016 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Frustrated and Helpless Healer: Pathways Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress Disorders.

PubMed

Moss, Donald

2017-01-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a psychophysiological disorder, characterized by the following: chronic sympathetic nervous activation; persisting perceptual/sensory vigilance for threats; recurrent distressing memories of the event, including intrusive memories, flashbacks lived as if in the present moment, and nightmares; and a persisting negative emotional state including fear and shame. The psychophysiological basis for this disorder calls for psychophysiologically based interventions. This article presents the case narrative of a 29-year-old national guardsman, exposed to combat trauma and later to civilian trauma in public safety work. His treatment followed the Pathways model, comprised of multimodal interventions, beginning with self-directed behavioral changes, then the acquisition of skills (including self-hypnosis), and finally professional treatment including clinical hypnosis and EMDR.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Emerging Concepts of Pharmacotherapy

PubMed Central

Baker, Dewleen G.; Nievergelt, Caroline M.; Risbrough, Victoria B.

2009-01-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can result from a traumatic experience that elicits emotions of fear, helpless or horror. Most individuals remain asymptomatic or symptoms quickly resolve, but in a minority intrusive imagery and nightmares, emotional numbing and avoidance, and hyperarousal persist for decades. PTSD is associated with psychiatric and medical co-morbidities, increased risk for suicide, and with poor social and occupational functioning. Psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are common treatments. Whereas, research supports the efficacy of the cognitive behavioral psychotherapies, there is insufficient evidence to unequivocally support the efficacy of any specific pharmacotherapy. Proven effective pharmacologic agents are sorely needed to treat core and targeted PTSD symptoms, and for prevention. This review describes current and emerging pharmacotherapies that advance these goals. PMID:19453285

Illness cognitions as a pathway between religiousness and subjective health in chronic cardiac patients.

PubMed

Karademas, Evangelos C

2010-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine the role of illness cognitions as a possible pathway between religiousness and subjective health in chronic illness. A sample of 135 chronic cardiac patients completed questionnaires about intrinsic religiousness, frequency of church service attendance, basic illness cognitions (i.e., helplessness, illness acceptance, perceived benefits), and physical and emotional well-being. According to the results, religiousness was significantly associated with subjective health. However, this relationship was indirect, with helplessness and illness acceptance serving as mediators between intrinsic religiousness and health. This finding is significant for understanding the complex relation of religiousness to chronic patients' well-being.