MRS Shows Regionally Increased Glutamate Levels among Patients with Exhaustion Syndrome Due to Occupational Stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 3759-3770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivanka Savic
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Glutamine Concentration ◽  
1H Mr Spectroscopy ◽  
Female Predominance ◽  
Tentative Explanation ◽  
Neural Marker

Abstract Despite the rapid increase of reports of exhaustion syndrome (ES) due to daily occupational stress, the mechanisms underlying ES are unknown. We used voxel-based 1H-MR spectroscopy to examine the potential role of glutamate in this condition. The levels of glutamate were found to be elevated among ES patients (n = 30, 16 females) compared with controls (n = 31, 15 females). Notably, this increase was detected only in the anterior cingulate and mesial prefrontal cortex (ACC/mPFC), and the glutamate levels were linearly correlated with the degree of perceived stress. Furthermore, there was a sex by group interaction, as the glutamate elevation was present only in female patients. Female but not male ES patients also showed an increase in N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) levels in the amygdala. No group differences were detected in glutamine concentration (also measured). These data show the key role of glutamate in stress-related neuronal signaling and the specific roles of the amygdala and ACC/mPFC. The data extend previous reports about the neurochemical basis of stress and identify a potential neural marker and mediator of ES due to occupational stress. The observation of specific sex differences provides a tentative explanation to the well-known female predominance in stress-related psychopathology.

scholarly journals Nicotine exposure leads to deficits in differential cued fear conditioning in mice and humans: A potential role of the anterior cingulate cortex

2018 ◽  
Vol 673 ◽  
pp. 142-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munir Gunes Kutlu ◽  
Marie-France Marin ◽  
Jessica M. Tumolo ◽  
Navneet Kaur ◽  
Michael B. VanElzakker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Fear Conditioning ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Nicotine Exposure

Justice at Work, Job Stress, and Employee Health

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaori Fujishiro ◽  
Catherine A. Heaney
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Justice ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Employee Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Occupational Epidemiology ◽  
Work Site

A small but growing literature has documented an association between justice at work and employee health. However, the pathways and mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. This article proposes a conceptual framework that bridges the organizational justice, occupational stress, and occupational epidemiology literatures. Justice appraisals are proposed to be both important mediators and moderators in the causal flow from exposure to the organizational environment to employee health. The potential role of justice in enhancing employee health is compared to that of the well-established concepts of social support and job control. Directions for future research are suggested, along with strategies for overcoming challenges inherent in this multidisciplinary area of research. Implications for work-site health interventions are discussed.

The Relationship Between Plasma Oxytocin and Executive Functioning in Huntington’s Disease: A Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Emily R. Fisher ◽  
Natalia P. Rocha ◽  
Diego A. Morales-Scheihing ◽  
Venugopal Reddy Venna ◽  
Erin E. Furr-Stimming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Plasma Measurement ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Functioning Assessment

The role of oxytocin (OT) in social cognition of patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) has been studied, but its impact on executive functioning has not been explored yet. Healthy controls, premanifest HD, and manifest HD participants underwent executive functioning assessment and OT plasma measurement. There were no significant group differences in plasma OT levels. Higher OT levels were associated with better executive functioning in premanifest HD participants. Our findings revealed an association between OT levels and depressive symptoms in premanifest and manifest HD participants. The potential role of OT in HD deserves further investigation.

scholarly journals Dynamic Causal Modelling of the Reduced Habituation to Painful Stimuli in Migraine: An EEG Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 712
Author(s):  
Iege Bassez ◽  
Frederik Van de Steen ◽  
Katia Ricci ◽  
Eleonora Vecchio ◽  
Eleonora Gentile ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effective Connectivity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Consistent Finding ◽  
Causal Modelling ◽  
Migraine Group ◽  
Somatosensory Areas ◽  
Dynamic Causal Modelling

A consistent finding in migraine is reduced cortical habituation to repetitive sensory stimuli. This study investigated brain dynamics underlying the atypical habituation to painful stimuli in interictal migraine. We investigated modulations in effective connectivity between the sources of laser evoked potentials (LEPs) from a first to final block of trigeminal LEPs using dynamic causal modelling (DCM) in a group of 23 migraine patients and 20 controls. Additionally, we looked whether the strength of dynamical connections in the migrainous brain is initially different. The examined network consisted of the secondary somatosensory areas (lS2, rS2), insulae (lIns, rIns), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), contralateral primary somatosensory cortex (lS1), and a hidden source assumed to represent the thalamus. Results suggest that migraine patients show initially heightened communication between lS1 and the thalamus, in both directions. After repetitive stimulations, connection strengths from the thalamus to all somatosensory areas habituated in controls whereas this was not apparent in migraine. Together with further abnormalities in initial connectivity strengths and modulations between the thalamus and the insulae, these results are in line with altered thalamo-cortical network dynamics in migraine. Group differences in connectivity from and to the insulae including interhemispheric connections, suggests an important role of the insulae.

POPDC proteins and cardiac function

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1393-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Brand
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Striated Muscle ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Muscle Disease ◽  
Disease Genes ◽  
Protein Protein Interaction ◽  
Interaction Partners ◽  
And Function

Abstract The Popeye domain-containing gene family encodes a novel class of cAMP effector proteins in striated muscle tissue. In this short review, we first introduce the protein family and discuss their structure and function with an emphasis on their role in cyclic AMP signalling. Another focus of this review is the recently discovered role of POPDC genes as striated muscle disease genes, which have been associated with cardiac arrhythmia and muscular dystrophy. The pathological phenotypes observed in patients will be compared with phenotypes present in null and knockin mutations in zebrafish and mouse. A number of protein–protein interaction partners have been discovered and the potential role of POPDC proteins to control the subcellular localization and function of these interacting proteins will be discussed. Finally, we outline several areas, where research is urgently needed.

Examining the Role of Language in Play Among Children With and Without Developmental Disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Short ◽  
Rachael Cooper Schindler ◽  
Rita Obeid ◽  
Maia M. Noeder ◽  
Laura E. Hlavaty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Play Skills ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Better Than

Purpose Play is a critical aspect of children's development, and researchers have long argued that symbolic deficits in play may be diagnostic of developmental disabilities. This study examined whether deficits in play emerge as a function of developmental disabilities and whether our perceptions of play are colored by differences in language and behavioral presentations. Method Ninety-three children participated in this study (typically developing [TD]; n = 23, developmental language disorders [DLD]; n = 24, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]; n = 26, and autism spectrum disorder [ASD]; n = 20). Children were videotaped engaging in free-play. Children's symbolic play (imagination, organization, elaboration, and comfort) was scored under conditions of both audible language and no audible language to assess diagnostic group differences in play and whether audible language impacted raters' perception of play. Results Significant differences in play were evident across diagnostic groups. The presence of language did not alter play ratings for the TD group, but differences were found among the other diagnostic groups. When language was audible, children with DLD and ASD (but not ADHD) were scored poorly on play compared to their TD peers. When language was not audible, children with DLD were perceived to play better than when language was audible. Conversely, children with ADHD showed organizational deficits when language was not available to support their play. Finally, children with ASD demonstrated poor play performance regardless of whether language was audible or not. Conclusions Language affects our understanding of play skills in some young children. Parents, researchers, and clinicians must be careful not to underestimate or overestimate play based on language presentation. Differential skills in language have the potential to unduly influence our perceptions of play for children with developmental disabilities.

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