Biological Measures Of Stress Research Articles

Alleviating Stress in Parkinson's Disease: Symptomatic Treatment, Disease Modification, or Both?

Psychological stress, a state of mental strain caused by mentally or physically threatening situations, plays a significant role in Parkinson's disease (PD). Motor symptoms worsen during acute stress and common non-motor symptoms in PD, such as anxiety and depression, are linked to chronic stress. Although evidence in humans is lacking, animal models of PD suggest that chronic stress can accelerate dopaminergic cell death. This suggests that stress-reducing interventions have not only symptomatic, but perhaps also disease-modifying effects. Our objective was to identify the most promising strategies for stress-reduction in PD and to analyze their potential value for disease-modification. An unstructured literature search was performed, primarily focusing on papers published between 2020-2023. Several large clinical trials have tested the efficacy of aerobic exercise and mindfulness-based interventions on PD symptoms. The evidence is promising, but not definitive yet: some exercise trials found a reduction in stress-related symptoms, whereas others did not or did not report it. In the majority of trials, biological measures of stress and of disease progression are missing. Furthermore, follow-up periods were generally too short to measure disease-modifying effects. Hence, mechanisms underlying the intervention effects remain largely unclear. These effects may consist of attenuating progressive neurodegeneration (measured with MRI-markers of substantia nigra integrity or cortical thickness), or a strengthening of compensatory cerebral mechanisms (measured with functional neuroimaging), or both. Lifestyle interventions are effective for alleviating stress-related symptoms in PD. They hold potential for exerting disease-modifying effects, but new evidence in humans is necessary to fulfill that promise.

Acute Biological Changes in Gynecologic Surgeons during Surgery: A Prospective Study

To assess changes in biological measures of acute stress in surgeons during surgery in real-world settings DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. A tertiary teaching hospital. 8 consultant and 9 training gynecologists. A total of, 161 elective gynecologic surgeries of 3 procedures: laparoscopic hysterectomy, laparoscopic excision of endometriosis, or hysteroscopic myomectomy. Changes in surgeons' biological measures of acute stress while undertaking elective surgery. Salivary cortisol, mean and maximum heart rate (HR), and indices of the HR variability were recorded before and during surgery. From baseline to during surgery over the cohort, salivary cortisol decreased from 4.1 nmol/L to 3.6 nmol/L (p=.03), maximum HR increased from 101.8 beats per min (bpm) to 106.5 bpm (p <.01), root mean square of standard deviation decreased from 51.1 ms to 39.0 ms (p <.01), and standard deviation of beat-to-beat variability decreased from 73.7 to 59.8 ms (p <.01). Analysis of individual changes in stress by participant-surgery event by paired data graphs reveal inconsistent direction of change in all measures of biological stress despite stratification by surgical experience, role in surgery, level of training, or type of surgery performed. This study measured biometric stress changes at both a group and individual level in real-world, live surgical settings. Individual changes have not previously been reported and the variable direction of stress change by participant-surgery episode identified in this study demonstrates a problematic interpretation of mean cohort findings previously reported. Results from this study suggest that either live surgery with tight environment control or surgical simulation studies may identify what, if any, biological measures of stress can predict acute stress reactions during surgery.

Gender Differences in Perceived Stress and Biological Stress Markers are Associated with Changes in Resting Heart Rate

ObjectiveOur study objective is to evaluate whether gender differences in both perceived and biological stress levels will alter resting heart rates.HypothesisWe hypothesize that females will experience higher levels of perceived and biological stress which will translate to a higher resting heart rate compared to males.Methods19 first‐year medical students participated in this study. Participants wore Fitbits to collect heart rate data throughout the course of the academic year. During exam weeks (the “stressor”), participants filled out a standard psychometric questionnaire to assess perceived stress levels and saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol and alpha‐amylase concentrations.ResultsOur study showed that females have higher resting heart rates than males (65.8±6.8 bpm vs 57.7±4.34 bpm, p&lt;0.001). Females recorded having higher perceived stress levels than males (7.9±4.6 vs. 2.12±5.27, p&lt;0.001), as well as having higher salivary alpha‐amylase concentrations than males (33.95±29.50 U/mL vs. 75.4±76.44 U/mL p=0.001). No difference in salivary cortisol concentrations between females and males are seen (0.44±0.25 ug/dL vs. 0.39±0.24 ug/dL, p= 0.3).In females, there is a weak positive correlation between RHR and perceived stress level (0.22), as well as with amylase (0.26). In males, there is a moderate negative correlation between RHR and perceived stress level (‐0.48) and a weak positive correlation between RHR and cortisol (0.26). There was no relationship between RHR and amylase.ConclusionFemales have higher levels of perceived stress levels which is in agreement with their higher levels of alpha‐amylase, a marker of psychosocial stress via the sympatho‐adrenal‐medullary system. As salivary alpha‐amylase has been suggested to reflect catecholaminergic reactivity, it seems likely that this is responsible for the increased resting heart rate. This relationship is not consistent in males where perceived stress is associated with a decrease in RHR. However, in males a relationship was seen between biological markers of stress (cortisol via the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis) and RHR. This study suggests that the relationship between biological measures of stress and heart rate vary with gender and that females experience an increased level of perceived stress overall.

Understanding and restoring dopaminergic function in fibromyalgia patients using a mindfulness-based psychological intervention: a [18F]-DOPA PET study. Study protocol for the FIBRODOPA study\u2014a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundFibromyalgia (FM) is a very prevalent and debilitating chronic pain disorder that is difficult to treat. Mindfulness-based techniques are regarded as a very promising approach for the treatment of chronic pain and in particular FM. The Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) intervention, a mindfulness-based group intervention, has shown beneficial effects in opioid-treated chronic pain patients, including reduced pain severity, functional interference, and opioid dosing, by restoring neurophysiological and behavioral responses to reward. The first evidence for a hypodopaminergic state and impaired reward processing in FM has been reported. However, little is known about its impact on dopamine (DA) function and in particular with regard to DA responses to monetary reward in FM. The aim of the present study protocol is to evaluate if MORE is able to restore the DA function in FM patients, in particular with regard to the DA responses to reward, and to reduce pain and mood complaints in FM.MethodsThe present study is a multi-center interventional RCT with 3 time points: before the intervention, after completion of the intervention, and 3 months after completion of the intervention. Sixty-four FM patients will be randomly assigned to either the MORE intervention (N = 32) or a non-intervention control group (N = 32). Additionally, a comparison group of healthy women (N = 20) for PET measures will be enrolled and another group of healthy women (N = 15) will do the ambulatory assessments only. The MORE intervention consists of eight 2-h-long group sessions administered weekly over a period of 8 weeks. Before and after the intervention, FM participants will undergo [18F] DOPA positron emission tomography (PET) and functional MR imaging while performing a reward task. The primary outcome will be endogeneous DA changes measured with [18F] DOPA PET at baseline, after the intervention (after 8 weeks for the non-intervention control group), and at 3 months’ follow-up. Secondary outcomes will be (1) clinical pain measures and FM symptoms using standardized clinical scales; (2) functional brain changes; (3) measures of negative and positive affect, stress, and reward experience in daily life using the ambulatory assessment method (AA); and (4) biological measures of stress including cortisol and alpha-amylase.DiscussionIf the findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of MORE in restoring DA function, reducing pain, and improving mood symptoms, MORE can be judged to be a promising means to improve the quality of life in FM patients. The findings of this trial may inform health care providers about the potential use of the MORE intervention as a possible non-pharmacological intervention for FM.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT 04451564. Registered on 3 July 2020. The trial was prospectively registered.

The influence of neighborhood factors on biological measures of stress in home‐dwelling multi‐ethnic older adults with dementia

AbstractBackgroundRecently researchers have begun to examine the possible biological pathways through which neighborhood context may affect the health of vulnerable residents. Although stress is often hypothesized to contribute to the effects of neighborhoods on health, no studies have investigated associations of neighborhood characteristics and stress biomarkers in home dwelling persons living with dementia (PLwD). Identifying these biological pathways is fundamental to increasing our understanding of how neighborhoods can influence health and well being in vulnerable residents including those with dementia.MethodsGuided by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Framework, this pilot study examined pathways linking both micro (individual level) and macro (neighborhood) level factors in home dwelling PLwD. The model was used to determine what community level factors (density, total crime index, median home value, and noise index) were associated with measures of salivary cortisol controlling for sociodemographics, dementia stage, and comorbid illnesses. The sample included 100 participants: 30 Whites, 39 African Americans, and 31 Latinos with an average age of 73.6. Saliva samples were collected using Salivette collection tubes over two days and stored at −20 °C until analysis.ResultsResidents of neighborhoods with lower housing value and higher noise and density were disproportionately composed of racial/ethnic minorities (with the patterning for Hispanics more pronounced than for blacks.) Significantly lower levels of cortisol at wakeup and a less steep decline was associated with adverse neighborhood environments (higher noise, crime, density, and lower housing value). The strongest relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cortisol levels was found for neighborhood crime. Individuals with dementia residing in higher crime neighborhoods had significant lower levels of cortisol at wakeup and with less pronounced initial declines than those residing in low crime neighborhoods.ConclusionGiven that lower cortisol at wakening and slower rate of decline in cortisol across the day are associated with adverse health outcomes, our analyses can inform the identification of risky communities that are most likely to benefit from health‐supportive community interventions to minimize the negative impacts of unsupportive community environment. These pilot results suggest that further investigation of the effects of neighborhood contexts on stress biomarkers and health outcomes in PLwD is warranted.

A Systematic Review of the Association Between Psychological Stress and Dementia Risk in Humans.

It has been estimated that one third of dementia cases may be preventable through modifiable lifestyle interventions. Epidemiological evidence suggests a link between stressful life events and aging-related cognitive decline and dementia; however, inherent methodological limitations in examining subjective and biological measures of stress separately leads to interpretive constraints. The aim of the current study was to conduct a systematic review of the research literature investigating the effect of perceived and biological measures of stress on dementia risk. A systematic review was conducted of cohort, case-control, longitudinal prospective or retrospective studies examining the association between stress and risk of developing dementia. Studies were identified from a systematic search across major electronic databases from inception to February 2020. Overall, 22 studies were identified including a total of 496,556 participants, approximately 50% were females, with sample sizes ranging from 62-270,977. There was considerable heterogeneity in the definition and measurement of stress. Most of the identified studies reported a significant positive association between stress and dementia risk. Evidenced from the current review is that personality traits linked to increased perceived stress and elevated reported perceived stress, are associated with greater statistical risk for dementia. However, this review highlights that caution must be exhibited in interpreting these findings, as methodological issues with confounding adjustment may mediate these results. Future research should focus on the investigation of stress on dementia risk with a full range of confounding adjustment, and on biological measures of stress.

Interdependent self-construal, social evaluative threat and subjective, cardiovascular and neuroendocrine stress response in Chinese

Interdependent self-construal (ISC) is a concept positing that people define their self through social roles and relationships with others. We investigated in two independent studies whether ISC had an effect on psychological and endocrine stress responses. Study 1 collected data of 295 healthy young Chinese participants' subjective report of ISC using the self-construal scale, and daily levels of stress using the daily stress inventory. Correlational analyses showed that individuals with higher ISC perceived higher levels of stress in daily life. Study 2 added biological measures of stress by analyzing both basal cortisol levels and reactive cortisol level of high/low ISC individuals (23 high and 23 low ISC healthy young Chinese participants recruited from a total of 440 participants), in response to the Trier Social Stress test. Participants with high ISC showed higher cortisol stress responses, higher heart rate measurements, and higher subjective stress reports when compared to low ISC participants. Further analyses suggested that participants' perception of social evaluative threat mediated the association between ISC and the cortisol stress response. Taken together, these findings suggest a significant role of ISC in regulating the biological and psychological stress response. These findings are discussed in the context of other personality factors known to affect the stress response, and the cultural-related self-construal literature. We also discuss the possible application of the ISC personality factor for future stress studies.

Impact of acculturation on depression, perceived stress and self-esteem in young Middle Eastern American adults

Background: Human biologists have a longstanding interest in understanding the biological and health impacts of migration. Acculturation, the cultural adjustment that a group or individual experiences when previously separate cultures interact, has been found to be one pathway through which migration may impact human biology and health, not only for the migrants themselves, but also their descendants.Aim: The authors conducted a pilot study to examine the relationship between acculturation and perceived stress, self-esteem and depression among young Middle-Eastern American adults.Subject and methods: Survey data were collected from 48 young Middle-Eastern American adults. Participants were divided into one of two acculturation categories, integrated (American and Middle Eastern culture oriented) and assimilated (American culture oriented). Health measures were compared between these acculturation categories.Results: Integrated individuals had significantly lower stress (F = 8.1, p < 0.01) and depression (F = 10.8, p < 0.01) than assimilated individuals. Integrated individuals had lower self-esteem than assimilated individuals (F = 5.0, p < 0.05). Generational status, a proxy used for acculturation, was only significantly associated with self-esteem (F = 3.15, p = 0.05).Conclusion: This pilot study furthers understanding of the effects acculturation can have on perceived stress and mental health among young Middle-Eastern Americans. Future research should incorporate biological measures of stress to determine the physiological impacts of acculturation.

Chronic Psychosocial Stress and Gut Health in Children: Associations With Calprotectin and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids.

The mechanisms underpinning the association between chronic stress and gut health are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the relationship between bacterial produced short-chain fatty acids, gut barrier function, and stress measures. A fecal sample, hair sample, and questionnaire data were collected from 113 Belgian children (8-16 years old). Biological measures of stress included hair cortisol (most proximal 3 cm) and 5-minute heart rate variability (high frequency). Self-report measures of stress included emotional problems and negative events. Fecal calprotectin was determined as a marker of intestinal inflammation and an indirect indicator of gut barrier integrity. Fecal short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate, acetate, valerate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate) were measured with gas chromatography. Linear regression analyses were adjusted for sex, age, socioeconomic status, body mass index, fiber intake, and protein intake. Emotional problems were significantly associated with higher butyrate (β = 0.263), valerate (β = 0.230), isovalerate (β = 0.231), and isobutyrate (β = 0.233). Heart rate variability reflecting higher parasympathetic activity was related to lower valerate levels (β = -0.217). Hair cortisol was not associated with the short-chain fatty acids. None of the stress measures and none of the fecal short-chain fatty acids were significantly related to fecal calprotectin. In healthy children, the impact of chronic stress is manifested more obviously in short-chain fatty acids than in intestinal inflammation as measured by levels of calprotectin. Despite the rather counterintuitive associations with butyrate, these results point to the need for further research on gut microbiome composition.

Factors Affecting Measurement of Salivary Cortisol and Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Field Studies of Athletes.

Biological and lifestyle factors, such as daily rhythm, caffeine ingestion, recent infection, and antibiotic intake, have been shown to influence measurements of salivary cortisol (SC) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). Current methodology in unsynchronized, field-based biomarker studies does not take these effects into account. Moreover, very little is known about the combined effects of biological and lifestyle factors on SC and sIgA. This study supports development of a protocol for measuring biomarkers from saliva collected in field studies by examining the individual and combined effects of these factors on SC and sIgA. At three time points (start of the pre-season; start of playing season; and end of playing season), saliva samples were collected from the entire squad of 45 male players of an elite Australian Football club (mean age 22.8 ± 3.5 years). At each time, point daily rhythm and lifestyle factors were determined via a questionnaire, and concentrations of both SC and sIgA via an enzyme linked immuno-sorbent (ELISA) assay of saliva samples. In addition, player times to produce 0.5 mL of saliva were recorded. Analysis of covariance of the data across the three time points showed that daily rhythm had a more consistent effect than the lifestyle factors of caffeine ingestion, recent infection, and antibiotic intake on SC, but not on sIgA. Data for sIgA and SC concentrations were then adjusted for the effects of daily rhythm and lifestyle factors, and correlational analysis of the pooled data was used to examine the relative effects of these two sources of influence on sIgA and SC. With the exception of time to produce saliva, the biological measures of stress were affected by players' daily rhythms. When daily rhythm was taken into account the group of lifestyle factors did not have an additional effect. It is recommended that future studies measuring SC and sIgA make additional adjustments for the daily rhythm, in particular time since first sight of daylight, as small measurement errors of biomarkers can confound discrimination among study participants.

Prenatal maternal cortisol measures predict learning and short-term memory performance in 3- but not 5-month-old infants.

Little is known about relations between maternal prenatal stress and specific cognitive processes-learning and memory-in infants. A modified crib-mobile task was employed in a longitudinal design to test relations between maternal prenatal cortisol, prenatal subjective stress and anxiety, psychosocial variables, and learning and memory in 3- and 5-month-old infants. Results revealed that maternal prenatal cortisol was affected by particular psychosocial variables (e.g., maternal age, whether or not the infant's grandmother provided childcare, financial status), but was unrelated to measures of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress. Although maternal prenatal cortisol was not predictive of learning or memory performance in 5-month-old infants, higher levels of basal maternal cortisol and reduced prenatal cortisol response was predictive of some learning and short-term memory measures in 3-month-old infants. These results suggest an influence of maternal neuroendocrine functioning on fetal neurological development, and the importance of separate examination of subjective and biological measures of stress.

Battlefield Trauma Training: A Pilot Study Comparing the Effects of Live Tissue vs. High-Fidelity Patient Simulator on Stress, Cognitive Function, and Performance

Within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Tactical Medicine (TACMED) course is used to train medical technicians (i.e., medics) in battlefield trauma care. Although training is administered using both simulators (SIM) and live tissue (LT), little is known about their relative effects on stress and cognitive function in this context. To address this shortcoming, we conducted a pilot study and collected self-report (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]) and biological measures of stress (salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA]), as well as working memory (WM) and short-term memory (STM) data from medics (N = 20) assigned randomly to training and skill assessment using either SIM or LT. Skill assessment resulted in the elevation of STAI scores and salivary cortisol and DHEA levels. WM and STM performance were better at the time of skill assessment, and WM performance exhibited a positive correlation with salivary cortisol level. Salivary cortisol and DHEA levels, STAI scores, and memory performance did not predict pass/fail rates on combat casualty care skills. Although the TACMED course was associated with elevated stress and improved memory performance, those effects were not affected by the training modality. We end by discussing lessons learned from our pilot study and highlight outstanding questions that remain to be addressed in future studies on this topic.

The relationship between stress, HPA axis functioning and brain structure in first episode psychosis over the first 12 weeks of treatment

Stress and abnormal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis functioning have been implicated in the early phase of psychosis and may partly explain reported changes in brain structure. This study used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether biological measures of stress were related to brain structure at baseline and to structural changes over the first 12 weeks of treatment in first episode patients (n=22) compared with matched healthy controls (n=22). At baseline, no significant group differences in biological measures of stress, cortical thickness or hippocampal volume were observed, but a significantly stronger relationship between baseline levels of cortisol and smaller white matter volumes of the cuneus and anterior cingulate was found in patients compared with controls. Over the first 12 weeks of treatment, patients showed a significant reduction in thickness of the posterior cingulate compared with controls. Patients also showed a significant positive relationship between baseline cortisol and increases in hippocampal volume over time, suggestive of brain swelling in association with psychotic exacerbation, while no such relationship was observed in controls. The current findings provide some support for the involvement of stress mechanisms in the pathophysiology of early psychosis, but the changes are subtle and warrant further investigation.

Stress and the Prodromal Phase of Psychosis

Stress plays a role in most conceptualizations of the etiology of psychotic disorders. This is based on extensive research showing an association between the incidence of psychosis and psychosocial stress exposure (e.g., stressful life events and trauma) both in childhood and the weeks preceding a psychotic episode. There is also evidence of increased sensitivity to stressful events and dysregulation of biological stress systems. To better understand the relation of stress with the initial emergence of psychosis, research has increasingly focused on the psychosis prodrome, the period of functional decline that precedes clinical illness. Preliminary results suggest that increased incidence of early childhood trauma, heightened sensitivity to psychosocial stress, and dysregulation of biological stress response systems are present in the prodrome and associated with the onset and severity of psychosis. The current paper reviews this research and discusses the possible mechanisms responsible for these associations. This discussion includes the possible effect of stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis and hippocampus, and the role adolescent developmental changes may play in mediating this effect. Further longitudinal research combining clinical and biological measures of stress with techniques designed to assess developmental change in neural structure and function, cellular mechanisms, and genetic and epigenetic factors are critical for elucidating the role stress plays in the pathophysiology of psychotic illness.

Psychobiological Changes from Relaxation Response Elicitation: Long-Term Practitioners vs. Novices

The relaxation response (RR) is a physiological state that is the counterpart to the stress response. We investigate the psychological and biological effects, as well as the correlation between these two effects that are associated with short-term vs. long-term practice of techniques that elicit the RR ("RR practice"). The study comprised both a cross sectional and an 8-week prospective design. The study sample included individuals with a long-term RR practice ("long-term practitioners" n = 28) and those with no prior RR practice experience ("novices" n = 28). The novices received 8 weeks of RR-elicitation training ("RR training") for the prospective analysis (short-term practice). Long-term practitioners reported lower levels of psychological distress than the novices before they received RR training. As a result of the 8-week RR training, novices significantly reduced their psychological distress to levels comparable to that of long-term practitioners. Long-term practitioners had greater immediate (after listening to a RR-eliciting CD) decreases in psychological distress level than the 8-week trained novices. Furthermore, the reduction in psychological distress levels for long-term practitioners correlated with a reduction in biological measures of stress, after controlling for baseline values. There was no reduction in biological measures and no correlation with psychological measures in the 8-week trained novices. While our data indicate that even a short-term 8-week RR-eliciting practice can decrease psychological distress levels, only after years of RR practice does psychological distress reduction coincide with biological change.

Plasma Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone and Cortisol Concentrations and Perceived Stress among Pregnant Women with Preterm and Term Birth

We sought to determine if pregnant women with poor psychosocial status or high levels of perceived stress had higher concentrations of plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) or cortisol. This was a secondary analysis of a case-controlled study nested within a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study. Plasma CRH and cortisol concentrations and the Abbreviated Scale for the Assessment of Psychosocial Status in Pregnancy (ASAPS) were available for cases and controls. Among cases and controls, concentrations of CRH and cortisol and overall performance on the ASAPS as well as the individual components of the ASAPS were compared using Kruskal-Wallis or chi-square. There was no association between CRH or cortisol concentrations and performance on the ASAPS overall. Additionally, there was no relationship between CRH or cortisol and perceived stress. In this study, biological measures of stress assessed in the second trimester were not associated with overall psychosocial status or perceived stress. The factors contributing to the elevation in CRH that precedes some preterm birth are complex and poorly understood.

Congress, MH Experts Address Stressors Facing Soldiers

Congress, MH Experts Address Stressors Facing Soldiers

Life style, work and stress, and pregnancy outcome.

Several environmental factors affect the fetus and thereby the outcome of pregnancy. Recent studies have confirmed a relation between stress and pregnancy outcome; furthermore they have indicated that biological measures of stress may predict risk of complications. Altered sex ratio may be an interesting way of measuring the effect of stress during pregnancy. Stress and work load during pregnancy seem to be related to time until conception and to becoming pregnant through assisted reproduction. Drinking large amounts of alcohol is hazardous, but drinking one drink per day appears to be safe. The effect of passive smoking continues to be a matter of debate.