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Changes in vagal tone in response to a startle: A new protocol
R. Reynolds / Psychoneuroendocrinology 61 (2015) 1–78
N = 93 healthy subjects (39 f, 54 m, age = 28 ± 8) completed the Maastricht Vital Exhaustion Questionnaire (Short Form) and reported their physical exercise activities. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The results show a significant influence of physical exercise on vital exhaustion (ˇ = −.300, p < .05). Posthoc analyses show that this association is only evident in female (ˇ = −.368, p < .05), not in male participants (ˇ = .006, p = .966). In the current study the influence of physical exercise on VE in healthy subjects was confirmed only for women. This might be due to the higher range of vital exhaustion scores in women. Further implications of this gender differential effect will be discussed. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.602
PO155 Neural dynamics of stress recovery and their relation to hormonal, cardiac, and subjective changes Janis Reinelt ∗ , Deniz Kumral, Miray Erbey, Josefin Röbbig, Andrea Reiter, H. Lina Schaare, Anahit Babayan, Arno Villringer, Michael Gaebler Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany Stress strongly influences one’s physiological and psychological functioning. With its extensive impact on bodily systems, stress constitutes a major risk factor for mental (Pittenger and Duman, 2008) and physical health (McEwen and Gianaros, 2010). As people differ in the consequences that stress has on them, a better comprehension of such inter-individual differences – especially during stress recovery – is central to understanding psychosomatic health. The brain’s central role in stress processing warrants an investigation of brain network dynamics related to stress. Evidence is accumulating that there is a switch from prefrontal cortex to subcortical, limbic structures during stress exposure (Arnsten, 2009) and the reverse resource allocation in its aftermath (Hermans et al., 2014). Such cerebral dynamics occur in close connection with other bodily (i.e., hormonal and autonomic) changes associated with stress processing. Thirty healthy young male participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993), while a matched sample underwent a placebo TSST procedure. We acquired endocrine (in saliva and blood), cardiac, and subjective measures throughout the whole experiment. Before and after the task, we used a 3T-fMRI scanner to additionally measure brain structure and function (during task-free resting-state sessions). We analyzed the temporal pattern of neural networks before and after acute psychosocial stress in relation to hormonal, cardiac, and subjective measures of stress processing. Through a comprehensive assessment of the neural consequences and dynamics of stress, we hope to gain new insights into the question how individual recovery patterns relate to stress resilience and to psychosomatic health. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.603
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PO156 High allostatic load and atypical diurnal cortisol secretion in nursing professionals Siomara T.F. Yamaguchi, Daniela Coelho, Amanda L. Machado, Amanda R.B. Mendonc¸a, Juliana Nery Souza-Talarico ∗ University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil The vulnerability of nursing professionals to stress is associated with chronic exposure to everyday work stressors. Cumulative effects of chronic exposure to the stress mediators may overload the interconnected biological systems involved in the stress response leading to allostatic load (AL) and increasing the risk to develop stress-related disorders. Despite several studies have reported the high levels of perceived stress in nursing professionals, the cumulative effects of chronic stress related to work remains unclear. The current study examined whether nursing professionals exhibit high AL and atypical rhythm of cortisol secretion. Salivary cortisol of 142 nursing professionals between 23 and 67 years of age, randomly selected, was collected over 2 workdays at morning, afternoon and evening. Ten neuroendocrine, metabolic, immunologic and anthropometric biomarkers were analyzed and values were transformed into an AL index using clinical reference cutoffs. Around 31% of nursing professionals showed atypical pattern (inconsistent or “flat”) of cortisol secretion and 47.2% showed high allostatic load. The higher the time of profession the higher the AL index (p ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest that nursing professionals exhibited signs of wear of the biological systems involved in the regulation of stress response and that the activities related to job may influence this overload. Institutional psychoeducational programs are warranted to support health professionals in order to diminish the risk to develop work-related disorders. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.604
PO157 Changes in vagal tone in response to a startle: A new protocol Alexander Barton 1,2,∗ , Sarah Taub 2 , Jens Pruessner 1,3 1
Douglas Research Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada 3 McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Montreal, QC, Canada 2
Background: The brain’s first response to stress is mediated through the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). In the presence of a stressor the vagal brake is either removed to facilitate peripheral engagement or bolstered to enhance cognitive flexibility. In contrast to other stress response systems, no standardized test exists to determine the integrity of the system in an individual. We attempted to develop such a protocol to reliably and robustly elicit a response from the PSNS. Methods: Participants viewed a series of three neutral and three startle videos wherein an auditory and visual stimulus rapidly appeared on the screen. Videos were onscreen for 15 s with an intervideo length of 150 s. Total viewing duration was 17 min and 30 s. Data were analyzed in MatLab. To test for statistical significance, we performed a repeated measures ANOVA followed by post-hoc, pairwise t-tests.
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R. Reynolds / Psychoneuroendocrinology 61 (2015) 1–78
Results: It was found that the video consistently caused a rapid decrease in vagal tone in response to the startle stimulus (Cohen’s d = 0.922, p < 0.05). Following the decrease, vagal tone displayed a long term increase to levels higher than baseline perhaps reflecting heightened vigilance after exposure to startle (Cohen’s d = 0.583, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This protocol reliably induced changes in vagal PSNS levels. Future studies need to explore inter-individual differences in reactivity patterns, as well as possible correlations with the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.605
PO158 Kinetics of stress-induced trafficking of blood immune cells and alterations of viral shedding under the exposure of acute stressors in healthy human subjects Buqing Yi University of Munich, Munich, Germany Appropriate distribution of immune cells in the human body is one of the decisive factors for a functional and effective human
immune system. Increasing evidence from model animal studies have indicated that an acute stress response induces a rapid and significant redistribution of immune cells among different body compartments, which is assumed to be a fundamental survival strategy that instructs leukocyte subpopulations to specific target organs during stress, and significantly enhances the speed, efficacy and regulation of an immune response. However, it is still largely unknown about the details of stress-induced mobilization and trafficking of blood leukocytes in humans. The experiments described here were designed to investigate the time-course, trajectory, and subpopulation-specificity of stress-induced mobilization and trafficking of blood leukocytes in human subjects exposed to acute free-fall stress during parabolic flight. We have observed elevated cortisol levels, significantly changed leukocyte distribution pattern, and aberrant immune activity displayed as altered viral shedding. The results also revealed significant correlations between cortisol levels and the distribution pattern of leukocytes under the exposure of acute stressors, which is consistent with other investigations about acute stress responses indicating an important role of cortisol in regulating leukocyte redistribution in response to acute stress. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.607
N = 93 healthy subjects (39 f, 54 m, age = 28 ± 8) completed the Maastricht Vital Exhaustion Questionnaire (Short Form) and reported their physical exercise activities. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The results show a significant influence of physical exercise on vital exhaustion (ˇ = −.300, p < .05). Posthoc analyses show that this association is only evident in female (ˇ = −.368, p < .05), not in male participants (ˇ = .006, p = .966). In the current study the influence of physical exercise on VE in healthy subjects was confirmed only for women. This might be due to the higher range of vital exhaustion scores in women. Further implications of this gender differential effect will be discussed. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.602
PO155 Neural dynamics of stress recovery and their relation to hormonal, cardiac, and subjective changes Janis Reinelt ∗ , Deniz Kumral, Miray Erbey, Josefin Röbbig, Andrea Reiter, H. Lina Schaare, Anahit Babayan, Arno Villringer, Michael Gaebler Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany Stress strongly influences one’s physiological and psychological functioning. With its extensive impact on bodily systems, stress constitutes a major risk factor for mental (Pittenger and Duman, 2008) and physical health (McEwen and Gianaros, 2010). As people differ in the consequences that stress has on them, a better comprehension of such inter-individual differences – especially during stress recovery – is central to understanding psychosomatic health. The brain’s central role in stress processing warrants an investigation of brain network dynamics related to stress. Evidence is accumulating that there is a switch from prefrontal cortex to subcortical, limbic structures during stress exposure (Arnsten, 2009) and the reverse resource allocation in its aftermath (Hermans et al., 2014). Such cerebral dynamics occur in close connection with other bodily (i.e., hormonal and autonomic) changes associated with stress processing. Thirty healthy young male participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993), while a matched sample underwent a placebo TSST procedure. We acquired endocrine (in saliva and blood), cardiac, and subjective measures throughout the whole experiment. Before and after the task, we used a 3T-fMRI scanner to additionally measure brain structure and function (during task-free resting-state sessions). We analyzed the temporal pattern of neural networks before and after acute psychosocial stress in relation to hormonal, cardiac, and subjective measures of stress processing. Through a comprehensive assessment of the neural consequences and dynamics of stress, we hope to gain new insights into the question how individual recovery patterns relate to stress resilience and to psychosomatic health. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.603
77
PO156 High allostatic load and atypical diurnal cortisol secretion in nursing professionals Siomara T.F. Yamaguchi, Daniela Coelho, Amanda L. Machado, Amanda R.B. Mendonc¸a, Juliana Nery Souza-Talarico ∗ University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil The vulnerability of nursing professionals to stress is associated with chronic exposure to everyday work stressors. Cumulative effects of chronic exposure to the stress mediators may overload the interconnected biological systems involved in the stress response leading to allostatic load (AL) and increasing the risk to develop stress-related disorders. Despite several studies have reported the high levels of perceived stress in nursing professionals, the cumulative effects of chronic stress related to work remains unclear. The current study examined whether nursing professionals exhibit high AL and atypical rhythm of cortisol secretion. Salivary cortisol of 142 nursing professionals between 23 and 67 years of age, randomly selected, was collected over 2 workdays at morning, afternoon and evening. Ten neuroendocrine, metabolic, immunologic and anthropometric biomarkers were analyzed and values were transformed into an AL index using clinical reference cutoffs. Around 31% of nursing professionals showed atypical pattern (inconsistent or “flat”) of cortisol secretion and 47.2% showed high allostatic load. The higher the time of profession the higher the AL index (p ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest that nursing professionals exhibited signs of wear of the biological systems involved in the regulation of stress response and that the activities related to job may influence this overload. Institutional psychoeducational programs are warranted to support health professionals in order to diminish the risk to develop work-related disorders. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.604
PO157 Changes in vagal tone in response to a startle: A new protocol Alexander Barton 1,2,∗ , Sarah Taub 2 , Jens Pruessner 1,3 1
Douglas Research Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada 3 McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Montreal, QC, Canada 2
Background: The brain’s first response to stress is mediated through the vagus nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS). In the presence of a stressor the vagal brake is either removed to facilitate peripheral engagement or bolstered to enhance cognitive flexibility. In contrast to other stress response systems, no standardized test exists to determine the integrity of the system in an individual. We attempted to develop such a protocol to reliably and robustly elicit a response from the PSNS. Methods: Participants viewed a series of three neutral and three startle videos wherein an auditory and visual stimulus rapidly appeared on the screen. Videos were onscreen for 15 s with an intervideo length of 150 s. Total viewing duration was 17 min and 30 s. Data were analyzed in MatLab. To test for statistical significance, we performed a repeated measures ANOVA followed by post-hoc, pairwise t-tests.
78
R. Reynolds / Psychoneuroendocrinology 61 (2015) 1–78
Results: It was found that the video consistently caused a rapid decrease in vagal tone in response to the startle stimulus (Cohen’s d = 0.922, p < 0.05). Following the decrease, vagal tone displayed a long term increase to levels higher than baseline perhaps reflecting heightened vigilance after exposure to startle (Cohen’s d = 0.583, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This protocol reliably induced changes in vagal PSNS levels. Future studies need to explore inter-individual differences in reactivity patterns, as well as possible correlations with the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.605
PO158 Kinetics of stress-induced trafficking of blood immune cells and alterations of viral shedding under the exposure of acute stressors in healthy human subjects Buqing Yi University of Munich, Munich, Germany Appropriate distribution of immune cells in the human body is one of the decisive factors for a functional and effective human
immune system. Increasing evidence from model animal studies have indicated that an acute stress response induces a rapid and significant redistribution of immune cells among different body compartments, which is assumed to be a fundamental survival strategy that instructs leukocyte subpopulations to specific target organs during stress, and significantly enhances the speed, efficacy and regulation of an immune response. However, it is still largely unknown about the details of stress-induced mobilization and trafficking of blood leukocytes in humans. The experiments described here were designed to investigate the time-course, trajectory, and subpopulation-specificity of stress-induced mobilization and trafficking of blood leukocytes in human subjects exposed to acute free-fall stress during parabolic flight. We have observed elevated cortisol levels, significantly changed leukocyte distribution pattern, and aberrant immune activity displayed as altered viral shedding. The results also revealed significant correlations between cortisol levels and the distribution pattern of leukocytes under the exposure of acute stressors, which is consistent with other investigations about acute stress responses indicating an important role of cortisol in regulating leukocyte redistribution in response to acute stress. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.07.607