Chronic stress and obesity in adolescents: Scientific evidence and methodological issues for epidemiological research

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 511-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. De Vriendt ◽  
L.A. Moreno ◽  
S. De Henauw
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Epidemiological Research

scholarly journals Biobehavioral Mechanisms of Mindfulness as a Treatment for Chronic Stress: An RDoC Perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 247054701771191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric L. Garland ◽  
Adam W. Hanley ◽  
Anne K. Baker ◽  
Matthew O. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Treatment Development ◽  
Attentional Function ◽  
Regulatory Strategies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Mechanisms Of Mindfulness

Mindfulness-based interventions have been heralded as promising means of alleviating chronic stress. While meta-analyses indicate that mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce global measures of stress, how mindfulness-based interventions modulate the specific mechanisms underpinning chronic stress as operationalized by the National Institute of Mental Health research domain criteria (RDoC) of sustained threat has not yet been detailed in the literature. To address this knowledge gap, this article aims to (1) review evidence that mindfulness-based interventions ameliorate each of the 10 elements of behavioral dysregulation characterizing sustained threat via an array of mindful counter-regulatory strategies; (2) review evidence that mindfulness-based interventions modify biological domains implicated in sustained threat, such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, as well as brain circuits involved in attentional function, limbic reactivity, habit behavior, and the default mode network; and (3) integrate these findings into a novel conceptual framework of mindful self-regulation in the face of stress—the Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory. Taken together, the extant body of scientific evidence suggests that the practice of mindfulness enhances a range biobehavioral factors implicated in adaptive stress coping and induces self-referential plasticity, leading to the ability to find meaning in adversity. These mechanistic findings can inform the treatment development process to optimize the next generation of mindfulness-based interventions for greater therapeutic efficacy.

scholarly journals Western Diet: Implications for Brain Function and Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel López-Taboada ◽  
Héctor González-Pardo ◽  
Nélida María Conejo
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Western Diet ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Obesity And Overweight ◽  
And Behavior

The Western diet (WD) pattern characterized by high daily intake of saturated fats and refined carbohydrates often leads to obesity and overweight, and it has been linked to cognitive impairment and emotional disorders in both animal models and humans. This dietary pattern alters the composition of gut microbiota, influencing brain function by different mechanisms involving the gut–brain axis. In addition, long-term exposure to highly palatable foods typical of WD could induce addictive-like eating behaviors and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation associated with chronic stress, anxiety, and depression. In turn, chronic stress modulates eating behavior, and it could have detrimental effects on different brain regions such as the hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and several cortical regions. Moreover, obesity and overweight induce neuroinflammation, causing neuronal dysfunction. In this review, we summarize the current scientific evidence about the mechanisms and factors relating WD consumption with altered brain function and behavior. Possible therapeutic interventions and limitations are also discussed, aiming to tackle and prevent this current pandemic.

Epidemiology of old age psychiatry: an overview of concepts and main studies

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thais Minett ◽  
Blossom Stephan ◽  
Carol Brayne
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Economic Systems ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Epidemiological Research ◽  
Rational Planning ◽  
The World ◽  
Old Age Psychiatry ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Conditions

Epidemiology is the foundation of public health and rational planning of services. In the field of old age psychiatry, the information provided by epidemiological research has been highly influential. As the world older population is growing proportionally faster than the other age segments, there is a continuous need for further epidemiological research in old age psychiatry. Neuropsychiatric conditions, such as depression and dementia, cognitive impairment, behavioural and functional decline, place a considerable onus on the health, social and economic systems. This chapter presents some of the world demographic data and basic epidemiological concepts, discusses some methodological issues in the epidemiology of mental disorders in old age, and presents a summary of many of the most important studies in this field.

Delirium

2020 ◽  
pp. 259-266
Author(s):  
Daniel Davis ◽  
Sarah Richardson ◽  
Esteban Sepulveda
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Brain Dysfunction ◽  
Acute Illness ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Descriptive Epidemiology ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Epidemiological Research ◽  
Considerable Uncertainty ◽  
Population Impact ◽  
Key Questions

Delirium is a common and severe neuropsychiatric syndrome of brain dysfunction characterized by acute and fluctuating inattention and other cognitive and perceptual deficits precipitated by acute illness. Despite being first described by Hippocrates more than two thousand years ago, there exists considerable uncertainty regarding the diagnosis of delirium due to our limited understanding of fundamental concepts, including its definition and pathophysiology. The ensuing lack of standardization results in delirium being frequently undiagnosed and significant misclassification bias in existing research. This chapter discusses the descriptive epidemiology of delirium, including methodological issues around case ascertainment in different population and clinical settings. There remains a lack of epidemiological research in the field, but we indicate the potential for observational longitudinal studies to address key questions on the population impact of delirium alongside fundamental questions of major importance to patients and their families regarding outcomes after delirium.

scholarly journals Methodological issues in observational studies of obesity and mortality

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Dana Flanders ◽  
Liv Berit Augestad
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Error ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Important Health ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Definition Of

Obesity has important health hazards, and the epidemic seems to be growing in developed countries. There is scientific evidence for higher risk of earlier death among the obese. However, most evidence of the effects of obesity on mortality comes from observational studies. The aim of this manuscript is to review<br />some of the most important issues in designing, analyzing and interpreting analytic studies of the effects of obesity on mortality. Key issues are clarity in the definition of the effect under study, confounding, measurement error and a phenomenon sometimes termed reverse causality in which obesity causes some diseases, but some of the diseases also affect adiposity and mortality

scholarly journals Epidemiological foundations for the insurance hypothesis: Methodological considerations

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Boden ◽  
Geraldine F. H. McLeod
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Epidemiological Research ◽  
Insurance Hypothesis ◽  
Food Scarcity ◽  
Methodological Considerations

AbstractNettle et al. evaluate evidence for the insurance hypothesis, which links obesity with the perception of food scarcity. Epidemiological findings in this area have generally been weak and inconsistent. The present commentary examines three key methodological issues arising from the literature on the association between obesity and the perception of food scarcity in humans, with suggestions for future epidemiological research.

Conceptual and methodological issues in the study of chronic stress

1990 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary K. O'Keeffe ◽  
Andrew Baum
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Methodological Issues

Toward a Cognitive-Affective Model of Athletic Burnout

1986 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Exchange Model ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Moderator Variables ◽  
Epidemiological Research ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Way

Although athletic burnout is a frequent topic of discussion and speculation, little in the way of a conceptual model or empirical data currently exists. An attempt is made to incorporate what is known about the nature, causes, and consequences of burnout within a cognitive-affective model of stress and to note the parallel situational, cognitive, physiologic, and behavioral components of stress and burnout. Thibaut and Kelley's social exchange model is used to define the conditions under which withdrawal from a sport can be attributed to burnout. Empirical findings concerning the causes and consequences of burnout derived from nonathletic populations are incorporated within the athletic burnout model, and its implications for preventing and coping with burnout are discussed. A number of conceptual and methodological issues are discussed, including operationalizing and measuring athletic burnout, the need for epidemiological research, and the assessment of causal and moderator variables. Based upon the literature on burnout in nonsport environments and the literature on sources and consequences of athletic stress, a number of testable hypotheses are advanced.

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