scholarly journals Nicotine disrupts safety learning by enhancing fear associated with a safety cue via the dorsal hippocampus

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 934-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A Connor ◽  
Munir G Kutlu ◽  
Thomas J Gould
Keyword(s):  
Unconditioned Stimulus ◽  
Dorsal Hippocampus ◽  
Trace Conditioning ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Conditioning Paradigm ◽  
Chronic Nicotine ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Learned Safety

Learned safety, a learning process in which a cue becomes associated with the absence of threat, is disrupted in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A bi-directional relationship exists between smoking and PTSD and one potential explanation is that nicotine-associated changes in cognition facilitate PTSD emotional dysregulation by disrupting safety associations. Therefore, we investigated whether nicotine would disrupt learned safety by enhancing fear associated with a safety cue. In the present study, C57BL/6 mice were administered acute or chronic nicotine and trained over three days in a differential backward trace conditioning paradigm consisting of five trials of a forward conditioned stimulus (CS)+ (Light) co-terminating with a footshock unconditioned stimulus followed by a backward CS– (Tone) presented 20 s after cessation of the unconditioned stimulus. Summation testing found that acute nicotine disrupted learned safety, but chronic nicotine had no effect. Another group of animals administered acute nicotine showed fear when presented with the backward CS (Light) alone, indicating the formation of a maladaptive fear association with the backward CS. Finally, we investigated the brain regions involved by administering nicotine directly into the dorsal hippocampus, ventral hippocampus, and prelimbic cortex. Infusion of nicotine into the dorsal hippocampus disrupted safety learning.

scholarly journals Profiles of Emotion Regulation and Post-Traumatic Stress Severity among Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6865
Author(s):  
Marina Muñoz-Rivas ◽  
Ana Bellot ◽  
Ignacio Montorio ◽  
Rosa Ronzón-Tirado ◽  
Natalia Redondo
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Gender Violence ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Critical Pathway ◽  
Post Traumatic

Emotional dysregulation is a construct that has drawn substantial attention as a transdiagnostic contributing factor to the loss of health. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a term used to describe physical, psychological, or sexual assault of a spouse or sexual partner. The aim of the study was to determine the variability of emotional dysregulation among women with different types of IPV revictimization and post-traumatic stress. The cross-sectional survey included 120 women attended by the Integrated Monitoring System of Gender Violence of Madrid, Spain, due to a gender violence complaint. The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (DSM 5 criteria), emotional dysregulation (Emotional Processing Scale (EPS)), childhood trauma, and type of revictimization were evaluated. Cluster analysis found three profiles of emotional regulation: Emotionally Regulated, Avoidance/Non-Impoverished, and Emotional Overwhelm. The results showed that the Emotional Overwhelm group was characterized by a general dysregulation of emotional experiences and a greater intensity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. In addition, women who have suffered several episodes of IPV by different partners showed a differential pattern of emotional regulation than the rest of the victims that entailed greater psychopathology. Findings confirm that emotional dysregulation is a critical pathway to the decrease of health among IPV victims.

scholarly journals Genetic and Neuroimaging Approaches to Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4503
Author(s):  
Sabah Nisar ◽  
Ajaz A. Bhat ◽  
Sheema Hashem ◽  
Najeeb Syed ◽  
Santosh K. Yadav ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Social Burden ◽  
Post Traumatic

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly disabling condition, increasingly recognized as both a disorder of mental health and social burden, but also as an anxiety disorder characterized by fear, stress, and negative alterations in mood. PTSD is associated with structural, metabolic, and molecular changes in several brain regions and the neural circuitry. Brain areas implicated in the traumatic stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex, which play an essential role in memory function. Abnormalities in these brain areas are hypothesized to underlie symptoms of PTSD and other stress-related psychiatric disorders. Conventional methods of studying PTSD have proven to be insufficient for diagnosis, measurement of treatment efficacy, and monitoring disease progression, and currently, there is no diagnostic biomarker available for PTSD. A deep understanding of cutting-edge neuroimaging genetic approaches is necessary for the development of novel therapeutics and biomarkers to better diagnose and treat the disorder. A current goal is to understand the gene pathways that are associated with PTSD, and how those genes act on the fear/stress circuitry to mediate risk vs. resilience for PTSD. This review article explains the rationale and practical utility of neuroimaging genetics in PTSD and how the resulting information can aid the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with PTSD.

scholarly journals Structural Brain Alterations in Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052095962
Author(s):  
Julia C. Daugherty ◽  
Juan Verdejo-Román ◽  
Miguel Pérez-García ◽  
Natalia Hidalgo-Ruzzante
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Female Survivors ◽  
Causal Mechanisms ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Structural Brain ◽  
Structural Brain Alterations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been related to brain alterations in female survivors. Nonetheless, few studies have used an exploratory approach, focusing on brain regions that are traditionally studied in other populations with post-traumatic stress. Traumatic brain injury (TBI), strangulation, and childhood trauma are highly prevalent among this population, and have also been associated with brain alterations and functional deterioration. As such, it is difficult to determine how different brain regions are affected by the complex interplay of these factors in female survivors. The aim of this study is to assess (a) brain alterations in female survivors of IPV as compared to non-victim females and (b) the potential causal mechanisms associated with such alterations. We hypothesized that structural brain differences would be found between female survivors of IPV and non-victims, and that these differences would be related to IPV-related TBI, strangulation, IPV severity, depression, post-traumatic stress, generalized anxiety, and childhood adverse experiences. A total of 27 non-victims and 28 survivors completed structural magnetic resonance imaging and questionnaires to measure the potential causal mechanisms for brain alterations. Structural brain differences were found between groups, principally in volumetric analyses. The brain regions in which between-group differences were found were related to attempted strangulation, IPV-related TBI, severity of IPV, adverse childhood experiences, and post-traumatic stress. These results demonstrate that a wider range of brain regions may be impacted by IPV and that various factors are implicated in the structural brain alterations found in female survivors. This study demonstrates the importance of post-traumatic stress, childhood and adult trauma, and physical violence in assessing brain alterations in IPV survivors. Further, it serves as a critical first step in assessing an extensive list of potential causal mechanisms for structural brain alterations, using a more comprehensive a whole-brain structural analysis of IPV female victims, a largely understudied and vulnerable population.

scholarly journals Inflammation in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Review of Potential Correlates of PTSD with a Neurological Perspective

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammy D. Kim ◽  
Suji Lee ◽  
Sujung Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Inflammatory Markers ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Burden ◽  
Trauma Types ◽  
Post Traumatic

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms of physiological and psychosocial burden. While growing research demonstrated signs of inflammation in PTSD, specific biomarkers that may be representative of PTSD such as the detailed neural correlates underlying the inflammatory responses in relation to trauma exposure are seldom discussed. Here, we review recent studies that explored alterations in key inflammatory markers in PTSD, as well as neuroimaging-based studies that further investigated signs of inflammation within the brain in PTSD, as to provide a comprehensive summary of recent literature with a neurological perspective. A search was conducted on studies published from 2009 through 2019 in PubMed and Web of Science. Fifty original articles were selected. Major findings included elevated levels of serum proinflammatory cytokines in individuals with PTSD across various trauma types, as compared with those without PTSD. Furthermore, neuroimaging-based studies demonstrated that altered inflammatory markers are associated with structural and functional alterations in brain regions that are responsible for the regulation of stress and emotion, including the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex. Future studies that utilize both central and peripheral inflammatory markers are warranted to elucidate the underlying neurological pathway of the pathophysiology of PTSD.

scholarly journals Eating disorders as a repercussion of sexual assault, a consequence to consider

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurore Malet-Karas ◽  
Delphine Bernard-Wallendorf ◽  
Emmanuelle Piet ◽  
Eric Bertin
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Self Mutilation ◽  
Post Traumatic

Abstract Purpose This study aims at clarifying the links between sexual violence and eating disorders (EDs). Methods In a sample of 12638 victims of sexual violence, we analyzed the situation of 546 victims that declared having developed ED. We assessed the characteristics of the assault (age, type of aggression) and the medical consequences (PTSD, depression, suicide attempts, anxiety disorders …). Results ED prevalence was 4.3% in the victim sample. The age of the first assault in ED victims was significantly lower than that of the whole population (12y vs 16 y for median; p<0.001). A much higher prevalence of sexual assault consequences was present in victims developing ED with odd ratios (OR) for: self-mutilation (OR = 11.5 [8.29-15.95], p<0.001); depression (OR=5.7 [4.81-6.86], p<0.001); self-medication (OR = 5.3 [3.86-7.19], p<0.001); suicide attempts (OR =4.5 [3.59-5.67], p<0.001); Post-traumatic stress disorder (OR = 3.8 [2.99-4.78], p<0.001) ; anxiety troubles (OR = 5.2 [4.11-6.47], p<0.001); alcoholism (OR =4.0 [2.81-5.58], p<0.001). Conclusion This study confirms the link between ED and sexual violence, especially in childhood, leading to severe psychological consequences. In this context, ED should be envisaged as a coping strategy accompanying emotional dysregulation due to traumatic events, and be treated as such.

Cellular Physiology of the Basolateral Complex of the Amygdala and Its Modulation by Stress

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan M. O’Flaherty ◽  
Chia-Chun Hsu ◽  
M. Anzar Abbas ◽  
Donald G. Rainnie
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Fear Response ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Basolateral Complex

Fear is a critical emotional response that allows an organism to safely navigate through dangerous environments. The neural systems underlying the fear response have been well characterized, and include the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, nucleus accumbens, and others. While normally these brain regions coordinate to produce an appropriate fear response, the fear network in humans can become dysregulated after a traumatic event. The resulting phenotype of hyperarousal, avoidance, and re-experiencing of fear known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a growing problem in the United States. This chapter focuses on the role of the basolateral complex (BLC) of the amygdala, which has been implicated in the neuropathology of PTSD, particularly the hyperarousal, fear generalization, and fear extinction deficits characteristic of the disorder, as well as aspects of the microcircuitry, network connectivity, and neuromodulation of the BLC that may be involved in the pathophysiology of PTSD.

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