scholarly journals Altered relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in people at clinical high risk for psychosis: a preliminary report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Davies ◽  
Elizabeth Appiah-Kusi ◽  
Robin Wilson ◽  
Grace Blest-Hopley ◽  
Matthijs G. Bossong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Clinical High Risk ◽  
Fearful Face ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractEvidence suggests that people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR) have a blunted cortisol response to stress and altered mediotemporal activation during fear processing, which may be neuroendocrine–neuronal signatures of maladaptive threat responses. However, whether these facets are associated with each other and how this relationship is affected by cannabidiol treatment is unknown. We examined the relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in healthy people and in CHR patients. In exploratory analyses, we investigated whether treatment with cannabidiol in CHR individuals could normalise any putative alterations in cortisol-mediotemporal coupling. 33 CHR patients were randomised to 600 mg cannabidiol or placebo treatment. Healthy controls (n = 19) did not receive any drug. Mediotemporal function was assessed using a fearful face-processing functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm. Serum cortisol and anxiety were measured immediately following the Trier Social Stress Test. The relationship between cortisol and mediotemporal blood-oxygen-level-dependent haemodynamic response was investigated using linear regression. In healthy controls, there was a significant negative relationship between cortisol and parahippocampal activation (p = 0.023), such that the higher the cortisol levels induced by social stress, the lower the parahippocampal activation (greater deactivation) during fear processing. This relationship differed significantly between the control and placebo groups (p = 0.033), but not between the placebo and cannabidiol groups (p = 0.67). Our preliminary findings suggest that the parahippocampal response to fear processing may be associated with the neuroendocrine (cortisol) response to experimentally induced social stress, and that this relationship may be altered in patients at clinical high risk for psychosis.

scholarly journals Effects of short-term cannabidiol treatment on response to social stress in subjects at clinical high risk of developing psychosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 237 (4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Appiah-Kusi ◽  
N. Petros ◽  
R. Wilson ◽  
M. Colizzi ◽  
M. G. Bossong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Clinical High Risk ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Intermediate Response ◽  
Harmful Effects

Abstract Rationale Stress is a risk factor for psychosis and treatments which mitigate its harmful effects are needed. Cannabidiol (CBD) has antipsychotic and anxiolytic effects. Objectives We investigated whether CBD would normalise the neuroendocrine and anxiety responses to stress in clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) patients. Methods Thirty-two CHR patients and 26 healthy controls (HC) took part in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and their serum cortisol, anxiety and stress associated with public speaking were estimated. Half of the CHR participants were on 600 mg/day of CBD (CHR-CBD) and half were on placebo (CHR-P) for 1 week. Results One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant effect of group (HC, CHR-P, CHR-CBD (p = .005) on cortisol reactivity as well as a significant (p = .003) linear decrease. The change in cortisol associated with experimental stress exposure was greatest in HC controls and least in CHR-P patients, with CHR-CBD patients exhibiting an intermediate response. Planned contrasts revealed that the cortisol reactivity was significantly different in HC compared with CHR-P (p = .003), and in HC compared with CHR-CBD (p = .014), but was not different between CHR-P and CHR-CBD (p = .70). Across the participant groups (CHR-P, CHR-CBD and HC), changes in anxiety and experience of public speaking stress (all p’s < .02) were greatest in the CHR-P and least in the HC, with CHR-CBD participants demonstrating an intermediate level of change. Conclusions Our findings show that it is worthwhile to design further well powered studies which investigate whether CBD may be used to affect cortisol response in clinical high risk for psychosis patients and any effect this may have on symptoms.

scholarly journals Childhood Adversities and Salivary Cortisol Responses to the Trier Social Stress Test: A Systematic Review of Studies Using the Children Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ)

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Chuk Ling Julian Lai ◽  
Daryl Yu Heng Lee ◽  
Monique On Yee Leung
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Childhood Adversities ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Cortisol Responses

Alteration in cortisol response to acute social stressors has been hypothesized to mediate childhood adversities (CA) and increased morbidity in adulthood. However, the evidence supporting an association between CA and cortisol response to social stressors is inconclusive. The present review addressed this issue by reviewing the literature on CA and cortisol response to acute social stressors, with a focus on studies with adolescents or adults, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess CA, and examining salivary cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Systematic searches of relevant articles in PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect in February and March 2020 identified 12 articles including 1196 participants with mean ages ranging from 15.3 to 52.3 yrs. across studies. CTQ scores were significantly associated with cortisol response in 2 studies. In addition, the physical abuse and emotional neglect subscales were associated with cortisol response respectively in 2 separate studies. The lack of association between CA and cortisol response calls for more longitudinal studies, and the use of formal records of maltreatment or informant reports in future research to complement information collected by retrospective measures. In addition, increased attention to biological mechanisms other than that associated with the regulation of cortisol in explaining the connection between CA and psychiatry morbidity is warranted.

Enhanced glucocorticoid sensitivity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Gaab ◽  
Nicolas Rohleder ◽  
Vera Heitz ◽  
Tanja Schad ◽  
Veronika Engert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Necrosis Factor Alpha ◽  
Enhanced Sensitivity ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome

Objective:Alterations of the immune–neuroendocrine interplay have been described in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Employing a recently developed method, the study set out to investigate whether patients with CFS have an altered sensitivity to glucocorticoids (GCs) when under stress.Methods:A total of 21 CFS patients and 20 healthy age- and gender-matched controls underwent a standardized psychosocial stress test (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). Salivary and plasma cortisol levels were measured repeatedly following exposure to the stressor. GC sensitivity was assessedin vitroby dexamethasone inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNC-α).Results:Cortisol responses following the TSST did not differ significantly between CFS patients and healthy controls. GC sensitivity differed significantly between CFS patients and healthy controls, with CFS patients showing a greater sensitivity towards GCs (TNF-α:F1/39= 7.32,P= 0.01; IL-6:F1/39= 9.73,P= 0.004).Conclusion:Consistent with recent evidence, CFS patients are characterized by an enhanced sensitivity to glucocorticoids. The implications for secondary processes, such as the regulatory influence of glucocorticoids on immune processes, are discussed.

The Trier Social Stress Test 2.0: Using a virtual world to elicit an acute cortisol response

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 600
Author(s):  
M. Fallon ◽  
J. Serrano-Careaga ◽  
D.A. Sbarra ◽  
M.-F. O'Connor
Keyword(s):  
Virtual World ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Response

Childhood Trauma and Cortisol Response to the Trier Social Stress Test in Symptomatic Patients with Eating Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S91-S91
Author(s):  
F. Marciello ◽  
V.-M. Buonomenna ◽  
V. Caivano ◽  
G. Cascino ◽  
G. D’Agostino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
History Of Childhood ◽  
History Of

IntroductionChildhood trauma exposure is associated with the risk of eating disorders (EDs) in adulthood. The biological basis of this link may involve a persistent dysregulation of the endogenous stress response system, in particular the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as a consequence of early life maltreatment.ObjectiveAdult patients with EDs and history of childhood trauma may have a dysregulation of the HPA axis that could be different from EDs patients without childhood trauma exposure.AimsIn order to assess the effects of childhood trauma experiences on HPA-axis activity in EDs, we compared the salivary cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) of adult patients with EDs according to their history of childhood trauma.MethodTwenty-seven EDs patients and 13 healthy women participated in the study. Salivary cortisol responses during exposure to the TSST was measured. Participants also completed the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and eating-related psychopathological rating scales.ResultsAccording to CTQ, 15 individuals with EDs reported childhood maltreatment whereas 12 EDs patients and all the healthy women did not experience childhood maltreatment. Compared with the control group, non-maltreated EDs patient group exhibited a slightly enhanced cortisol response to TSST, whereas the group of non-maltreated EDs patients showed a normal cortisol response. Moreover, EDs patients with childhood maltreatment exhibited statistically significant blunting of cortisol compared to non-maltreated ones.ConclusionsThe present findings support the evidence that, in patients with EDs, there is a dysregulation of HPA-axis activity and that childhood trauma exposure may contribute to this dysregulation.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Sex Differences in the Cortisol Response to the Trier Social Stress Test in Depressed and Nondepressed Adolescents

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raegan Mazurka ◽  
Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards ◽  
Kate L. Harkness
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
Adolescent Period

Two of the most robust findings in depression research are (a) that women are twice as likely to become depressed than men and (b) that stress is an important risk factor for depression. Although sex differences in stress reactivity may be an important determinant of differential risk for depression, few studies have examined sex differences in neurobiological reactivity to stress. The purpose of the current study was to assess sex differences in the HPA axis response to stress in depressed versus healthy controls by comparing the cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test in a community sample of adolescents (ages 12–18). Depressed boys showed significantly heightened cortisol reactivity compared with depressed girls, whose response was blunted compared with nondepressed girls. This diverging pattern of cortisol reactivity to stress among depressed girls and boys may help to explain the sex difference in depression prevalence that emerges during the adolescent period.

scholarly journals Disrupted upregulation of salience network connectivity during acute stress in siblings of schizophrenia patients

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Judith M. C. van Leeuwen ◽  
Christiaan H. Vinkers ◽  
Matthijs Vink ◽  
René S. Kahn ◽  
Marian Joëls ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Salience Network ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity

Abstract Background An adaptive neural stress response is essential to adequately cope with a changing environment. It was previously argued that sympathetic/noradrenergic activity during acute stress increases salience network (SN) connectivity and reduces executive control network (ECN) connectivity in healthy controls, with opposing effects in the late aftermath of stress. Altered temporal dynamics of these networks in response to stress are thought to play a role in the development of psychopathology in vulnerable individuals. Methods We exposed male healthy controls (n = 40, mean age = 33.9) and unaffected siblings of schizophrenia patients (n = 39, mean age = 33.2) to the stress or control condition of the trier social stress test and subsequently investigated resting state functional connectivity of the SN and ECN directly after and 1.5 h after stress. Results Acute stress resulted in increased functional connectivity within the SN in healthy controls, but not in siblings (group × stress interaction pfwe < 0.05). In the late aftermath of stress, stress reduced functional connectivity within the SN in both groups. Moreover, we found increased functional connectivity between the ECN and the cerebellum in the aftermath of stress in both healthy controls and siblings of schizophrenia patients. Conclusions The results show profound differences between siblings of schizophrenia patients and controls during acute stress. Siblings lacked the upregulation of neural resources necessary to quickly and adequately cope with a stressor. This points to a reduced dynamic range in the sympathetic response, and may constitute a vulnerability factor for the development of psychopathology in this at-risk group.

scholarly journals Contemplative Training and Psychological Stress: an Analysis of First-person Accounts

Mindfulness ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liudmila Gamaiunova ◽  
Pierre-Yves Brandt ◽  
Matthias Kliegel
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Psychological Stress ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Attention Allocation ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
First Person ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives Several studies have investigated the relationship between contemplative approaches and psychobiological stress response; however, this area of research is still new, the mechanisms of the relationship between the stress response attenuation and contemplative training have not been fully delineated, and little is known about the effects of contemplative practice on the ways psychological stress is experienced. This study aimed to explore the first-person experience of psychological stress in meditation practitioners. Methods We conducted short semi-structured interviews with twenty-five meditation practitioners and twenty meditation-naïve controls immediately after they had undergone a laboratory task (the Trier Social Stress Test). A mixed-method approach was used to analyze the interviews. Thematic analysis was combined with descriptive statistics of the qualitative information that had been converted to quantitative data. Results Experiences instantiating main themes were identified as follows: (1) primary experiences encountered, describing the most salient experiences associated with the task; (2) reasons for stress, delineating the analyses of why the task was stressful; (3) affect, dealing with emotional experiences during the task; (4) emotion regulation; and (5) attention allocation describing regulatory strategies employed by the participants. Responses to subjective stress experience in meditation practitioners included use of humor, presence of positive affect, combinations of different types of emotion regulation strategies, and adaptive attention allocation. Conclusions This study elucidates particularities of meditators’ subjective experience of psychological stress, provides new insights on the mechanisms of meditation effect on the stress response, and proposes new directions for research.

scholarly journals Increased BNST reactivity to affective images is associated with greater α-amylase response to social stress

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 1263-1272
Author(s):  
Walker S Pedersen ◽  
Tammi R A Kral ◽  
Melissa A Rosenkranz ◽  
Jeanette A Mumford ◽  
Richard J Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Stress System ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Human Stress

Abstract While rodent research suggests that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and centromedial amygdala (CM) coordinate the hormonal stress response, little is known about the BNST’s role in the human stress response. The human BNST responds to negatively valenced stimuli, which likely subserves its role in responding to threat. Thus, variation in BNST reactivity to negatively valenced stimuli may relate to differences in the stress response. We measured participants’ blood oxygenated level-dependent response to affective images and salivary cortisol and α-amylase (AA) levels in response to a subsequent Trier social stress test (TSST). Greater BNST activation to emotionally evocative images was associated with a larger TSST-evoked AA, but not cortisol response. This association remained after controlling for CM activation, which was not related to the cortisol or AA response. These results suggest that the BNST response to negatively valenced images subserves its role in coordinating the stress response, a BNST role in the stress response independent from the CM, and highlight the need for investigation of the conditions under which BNST activation predicts the cortisol response. Our findings are critical for the future study of mood and anxiety disorders, as dysregulation of the stress system plays a key role in their pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Cortisol Stress Reactivity in Response to the Trier Social Stress Test in Inpatients with Major Depressive Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1419
Author(s):  
Markus Gerber ◽  
Christian Imboden ◽  
Johannes Beck ◽  
Serge Brand ◽  
Flora Colledge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Exercise Training ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Aerobic Exercise Training ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity

Physical activity is associated with a favourable (blunted) cortisol stress reactivity in healthy people. However, evidence from experimental study and with psychiatric patients is missing. This study examines whether exercise training impacts on cortisol stress reactivity in inpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD). These new insights are important because the stress reactivity of healthy people and patients with severe symptoms of depression might differ. Methods: The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial (trial registration number: NCT02679053). In total, 25 patients (13 women, 12 men, mean age: 38.1 ± 12.0 years) completed a laboratory stressor task before and after a six-week intervention period. Nine samples of salivary free cortisol were taken before and after the Trier social stress test (TSST). Fourteen participants took part in six weeks of aerobic exercise training, while 11 patients were allocated to the control condition. While the primary outcome of the study was depressive symptom severity, the focus of this paper is on one of the secondary outcomes (cortisol reactivity during the TSST). The impact of aerobic exercise training was examined with a repeated-measures analysis of variance. We also examined the association between change in depression and cortisol response via correlational analysis. Cortisol reactivity did not change from baseline to post-intervention, either in the intervention or the control group. Participation in six weeks of aerobic exercise training was not associated with participants’ cortisol reactivity. Moreover, depressive symptom change was not associated with change in cortisol response. Aerobic exercise training was not associated with patients’ stress reactivity in this study. Because many patients initially showed a relatively flat/blunted cortisol response curve, efforts might be needed to find out which treatments are most efficient to promote a normalization of HPA axis reactivity.

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