Emotional Reactivity In Individuals Research Articles

The moderating role of interpersonal problems on baseline emotional intensity and emotional reactivity in individuals with borderline personality disorder and healthy controls

Emotion dysregulation, including higher baseline emotional intensity and emotional reactivity (i.e., increased magnitude of change in emotional responding) is theoretically central to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, little research has examined which specific emotions individuals with BPD experience emotion dysregulation in. Interpersonal problems also theoretically drive emotion dysregulation in BPD. However, whether interpersonal problems elicit emotion dysregulation for some specific emotions but not others is unclear. This study aimed to assess whether interpersonal problems moderate the relationship between (1) baseline emotional intensity and (2) emotional reactivity in BPD across six specific emotions (i.e., sadness, disgust, fear, shame, guilt, and anger). Borderline Personality Disorder ( n = 30) and healthy control (HC; n = 30) groups reported their interpersonal problems at baseline and their emotions before and after listening to a laboratory stressor. For the BPD (but not HC) group, higher interpersonal problems were associated with greater baseline sadness, disgust, fear, shame, and guilt. Across groups, higher interpersonal problems were associated with greater sadness, fear, guilt, and anger, but not disgust, reactivity. Higher interpersonal problems were associated with higher shame reactivity specifically for those with BPD. Targeting interpersonal problems may reduce heightened baseline emotional intensity and emotional reactivity for those with BPD, particularly for shame reactivity in BPD.

Sleep disturbance is associated with less emotional reactivity in individuals with heightened repetitive negative thinking

Sleep disturbance is associated with less emotional reactivity in individuals with heightened repetitive negative thinking

0209 The Effect of a Nap on Emotional Reactivity in Individuals with a Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Introduction Mild Traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) affect ~1–3 million people per year in the US alone. Mild TBIs can have lasting (>1 year) impacts on emotional reactivity and regulation. Sleep has also been shown to be significantly altered in individuals with a mTBI, even when tested over a year since the injury. Sleep quality is strongly linked with emotional stability and emotional memory. Therefore, one possible mediating factor between emotional reactivity and mTBIs is sleep. Reduced sleep quality following a mTBI may impair the emotional regulation that typically occurs across sleep. Thus, increasing total sleep time through a nap may help to alleviate some of the emotional symptoms. This study assessed whether individuals with a chronic mTBI showed differences in brain activity associated with emotional regulatory circuits, performance on an emotional reactivity task, and sleep physiology across a nap compared to controls. Methods Participants were 53 young adults (mTBI nap group: n=9; control nap group: n=16; mTBI wake group: n=11; control wake group: n=17). Following a nap, or an equivalent bout of wake (both recorded with polysomnography), participants completed an emotional Go/No-Go task in which they were asked to respond when a particular emotional valence was presented (neutral, fearful, or happy), and withhold a response when a different valence was presented. Results There was a significant main effect of emotion on reaction time (F(2, 98)=26.55, p < 0.001). Participants were slowest to respond to the neutral images. There was also a significant three way interaction between emotion, group, and condition (F(2,98)=4.085, p = 0.02). Conclusion While these results are preliminary, they support that both napping and mTBIs may impact emotional reactivity. Further, napping may help alleviate some of the chronic emotional dysregulation associated with mTBIs. Support Zampell Family Faculty Fellow

Aerobic exercise enhances positive emotional reactivity in individuals with depressive symptoms: Evidence from neural responses to reward and emotional content

Reward sensitivity and emotional reactivity have been identified as two candidate mechanisms of anhedonia in depression. There is a paucity of research examining whether deficits in reward sensitivity and emotional reactivity can be modified through brief, behavioral interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on the reward positivity (RewP) and late positive potential (LPP) among individuals reporting variable symptoms of depression. Using a within-subjects design, 66 young adults completed a 30-min session of aerobic exercise and seated rest on separate days. Reward sensitivity and emotional reactivity were assessed following each session using the RewP and LPP event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Results indicated that the LPP to positive stimuli was potentiated following exercise, while no effect on RewP was observed. Notably, individuals who experienced greater emotional reactivity to positive stimuli following exercise also exhibited increased sensitivity to rewards. Depressive symptom severity failed to moderate any effects, suggesting beneficial effects of acute exercise on positive emotional reactivity across depressive symptom profiles. These findings suggest that aerobic exercise increases emotional engagement to positive stimuli, which may have implications for resolving deficits in emotional reactivity to positive content in depression.

Emotional reactivity in a clinical sample of patients with eating disorders and nonsuicidal self-injury

Emotional reactivity is theorized to contribute to both eating disorders (ED) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Although EDs and NSSI frequently co-occur, no study has examined emotional reactivity in individuals with both conditions. This study examined the following hypotheses in a large clinical sample (N = 648): (1) patients with co-occurring ED and NSSI would report higher emotional reactivity and more severe clinical characteristics; (2) among those with EDs, patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) would be more likely to report NSSI and evidence higher emotional reactivity compared to those with anorexia nervosa (AN); and (3) higher emotional reactivity would be associated with worse treatment outcomes. Data were collected at admission and discharge from inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient treatment programs for EDs or NSSI. The NSSI-only and co-occurring groups reported significantly higher emotional reactivity than the ED-only group. Among those with EDs, individuals with BN reported higher emotional reactivity and were more likely to engage in NSSI compared to those with AN. Emotional reactivity was inconsistently related to treatment outcomes among the co-occurring and ED-only groups. In sum, results highlight the importance of emotional reactivity in clinical presentations, particularly when NSSI is present.

M62. Diminished Emotional Reactivity in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Schizophrenia

M62. Diminished Emotional Reactivity in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Schizophrenia

Correlates between ear postures and emotional reactivity in a wild type mouse species

Facial expressions have been extensively used to assess emotions in humans and thus could be extended to other species that also display facial movements. In mice both painful and fearful situations have been associated with particular shifts in facial expressions. Like other species, mice frequently show a great inter-individual variability when exposed to emotional situations, but so far no study has been conducted to investigate if facial expressions are related to these differences. The aim of this study is to explore if mice of wild origin (Mus spicilegus) express different facial expressions when confronted to novelty and to relate these mimics to their emotional reactivity profile. We used individual exploration scores in a novel odour test and in the elevated plus maze test as proxy measures of individual emotional reactivity. Our results showed that exploration scores in both tests were positively correlated, and both were related to the ear postures expressed by the individuals during their first exploration of the novel odour. This single component of facial expression was in fact a good indicator of inter-individual differences expressed in these two different tests suggesting a strong link between this marker and the individual emotional reactivity. These results highlight the great potential of facial expressions to assess emotional states in animals.

Daily stressors and emotional reactivity in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and cognitively healthy controls.

Daily experiences of stress are common and have been associated with worse affect among older adults. People with mild cognitive impairment (PWMCI) have measurable memory deficits in between normal cognition and dementia and have been identified as having greater psychological distress than cognitively healthy older adults (CHOAs). Little is known about whether daily stressors contribute to distress among PWMCI. We hypothesized that compared with CHOAs, PWMCI would have higher daily negative affect and lower daily positive affect, report greater numbers and severity of daily stressors, and experience greater emotional reactivity to daily stressors. Fifteen clinically diagnosed PWMCI and 25 CHOAs completed daily reports of stressors, stressor severity, and positive and negative affect over an 8-day period. PWMCI reported higher daily negative affect, lower daily positive affect, and higher numbers and greater severity of memory stressors but did not differ from CHOAs in numbers or severity of general stressors. Cognitive status was a moderator of the daily stress-affect relationship. Days with greater numbers and severity of general daily stressors were associated with higher negative affect only for PWMCI. The numbers and severity of memory stressors were not associated with negative affect. In addition, more severe general daily stressors and memory stressors were associated with lower positive affect for all participants. Results suggest that PWMCI are less resilient in the face of daily stress than are CHOAs in terms of negative affect, perhaps because of declines in reserve capacity. The study presents a promising approach to understanding stress and coping in predementia states of cognition.

Contribution of neurophysiological endophenotype, individual frequency of EEG alpha oscillations, to mechanisms of emotional reactivity.

We studied the relationship between individual alpha frequency (IAF) of EEG (neurophysiological endophenotype reflecting individual predisposition to efficacious cognitive and creative activity) and individual emotional reactivity. The psychophysiological study included healthy men in two models of evoked emotions - anxious apprehension (awaiting of inescapable aversive punishment) and discrete (opposite) emotions. Analysis of self-report, multichannel EEG, galvanic skin response, and cardiovascular reactivity showed that individuals with high IAF are characterized by predominance of parasympathetic influences in autonomic regulation circuit, proactive strategies of coping with inescapable threat, higher activity of positive emotional attitude and availability of memory traces about positive experience. Individuals with low IAF demonstrate predominance of sympathetic influences and maladaptive avoidance-like coping with inescapable threat and insufficiency of positive emotional activation mechanisms. It is suggested that IAF participates in the formation of individual emotional space and strategies of coping with emotional challenges.

INDIVIDUAL ALPHA FREQUENCY EEG AS NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL ENDOPHENOTYPE OF AFFECTIVE PREDISPOSITIONS

Individual alpha frequency (IAF) of electroencephalogram (EEG) is regarded as a neurophysiological endophenotypic indicator of cognitive activity featuring individual propensity to efficient cognitive performance and creativity. Considering that cognitive coping style is intrinsic part of emotional regulation, defining medical aspects of individual health as well as risks of psychosomatic diseases, we intended to assess IAF contribution into mechanisms of individual emotional reactivity. As participants was healthy man subjects (n = 62). Three models of laboratory induced emotions were used: emotional perception (1); anxious apprehension (awaiting of inescapable aversive punishment) (2); experience of discrete emotions of anger and joy (3). It was revealed that high IAF individuals exhibit predisposition to prevalence of parasympathetic activity in the global circuit of autonomous regulation, proactive-like coping with inescapable threat, prevailing contribution of the positive emotional stance and better accessibility of recent positive memories. By contrast, low IAF subjects manifested predisposition to prevalence of sympathetic activity in the global circuit of autonomous regulation, maladaptive avoidance-like coping with inescapable threat, insufficiency positive emotional arousal mechanisms. It is suggested that IAF creates a "hardware" construct featuring individual emotional space and adaptability of coping styles to emotional challenges.

The Impact of Validating and Invalidating Responses on Emotional Reactivity

Along with individual factors, such as emotional reactivity and regulatory skill, a biosocial perspective of emotion regulation incorporates social factors, such as parent-child or romantic partner interactions, as key determinants of psychological outcomes. Consistent with this perspective, the current study tested whether two social factors, validating and invalidating responses, influenced affective and physiological reactions to stress while accounting for individual skill in regulating emotions. Hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that participants exposed to invalidating responses experienced significantly higher levels of negative affect, heart rate, and skin conductance over time when compared to participants exposed to validating responses. Results are discussed as support for models incorporating social factors as key determinants of individual emotional reactivity and regulation.

Can emotional reactivity predict stress responses at slaughter in sheep?

The slaughter period is very complex and may represent different types of stress for the animal. The way and extent animals react to these stress factors depend on their individual emotional reactivity. The objective of the present study was to determine in sheep relationships between reactivity profiles measured during rearing, plasma cortisol levels in blood collected at exsanguination, and metabolic activity in the post-mortem muscle. During the rearing period INRA401 lambs ( n = 267) showed coherence in their responses to situations representing different contexts of novelty, social isolation and presence of man. Vigilance and high-pitched bleating were the most often occurring behaviours. Highest levels of these behaviours were observed during novelty and social isolation. Lambs with higher plasma cortisol levels at exsanguination produced meat with lower pH 3 h ( r = −0.19, p = 0.003) and 24 h post-mortem ( r = −0.13, p = 0.05). Multiple regression analysis found that more socially attracted lambs and lambs performing more high-pitched bleating had higher muscle temperature 3 h post-mortem ( p < 0.001), explaining 23.5% of variability. More vigilant lambs had higher pH ( r = 0.14, p = 0.02) 3 h post-mortem. Multiple regression including both cortisol and vigilance as explanatory variable was significant ( p < 0.01) and explained 12.8% of variability of pH 3 h post-mortem. In the present study, slaughter day, that is, day-to-day variations in the slaughter context, explained 18.4% of the variability in cortisol levels and 25.0–72.7% of variability in post-mortem muscle measurements. When analyses were based on averages per category created according to cortisol levels at exsanguination, to reduce the variability due to slaughter days, behavioural traits (vigilance and social attractiveness of flock-mates) explained statistically about 50% of variability in cortisol levels at exsanguination, and pre-slaughter cortisol levels explained up to 50% of variability of ultimate pH. Relationships between post-mortem muscle metabolism and expressions of social distress and reactivity to novelty suggest that reactivity profile may predict stress reactions during slaughter period and that social disturbances and novel environment in the slaughterhouse may be major causes of stress.

Allergic rhinitis induces anxiety-like behavior and altered social interaction in rodents

Epidemiological and clinical studies report higher incidences of anxiety and increased emotional reactivity in individuals suffering from respiratory allergies. To evaluate if respiratory allergies are capable of promoting anxiety-like behavior in rodents, we used models of allergic rhinitis and behavioral evaluations followed by assessment of mRNA for cytokines in relevant brain regions. Mice and rats were sensitized to ovoalbumin or pollen, respectively, following standard sensitization and challenge protocols. After challenge, the animals were evaluated in the open field, elevated plus-maze and resident-intruder tests. Cytokines and corticotropin-releasing factor expression were assessed in several brain regions by real-time RT-PCR and plasma corticosterone concentrations by radioimmunoassay. Mice and rats sensitized and exposed to allergen showed increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced social interaction without any overt behavioral signs of sickness. T-helper type 2 (TH2) cytokines were induced in both rats and mice in the olfactory bulbs and prefrontal cortex and remained unchanged in the temporal cortex and hypothalamus. The same results were found for CRF mRNA expression. No differences were observed in corticosterone concentrations 1h after the last behavioral test. These results show that sensitization and challenge with allergens induce anxiety across rodent species and that these effects were paralleled by an increased expression of TH2 cytokines and CRF in the prefrontal cortex. These studies provide experimental evidence that sensitized rodents experience neuroimmune-mediated anxiety and reduced social interaction associated with allergic rhinitis.

Who cares for a stressed brain? The mother, the kid or both?

Data are emerging that the altered development of adrenocortical and emotional reactivity in individuals exposed perinatally to adverse events is reflected in cognitive change and that maternal care is an important determinant. However, early trauma does not cause a generalized cognitive decline at older age, but rather drives cognitive performance to the extremes, at the expense of the average performance demonstrated by normally reared individuals.

Emotional reactivity to daily life stress in psychosis and affective disorder: an experience sampling study.

To investigate the emotional reactivity to small disturbances in daily life in patients with non-affective psychosis (NAP), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depression [major depressive disorder (MDD)]. Forty-two patients with NAP, 38 with BD, 46 with MDD, and 49 healthy controls were studied with the experience sampling method to assess (i) appraised subjective stress of small disturbances in daily life and (ii) emotional reactivity, reflected in changes in positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Multilevel regression analyses showed an increase in NA in MDD, a decrease in PA in BD and both an increase in NA and a decrease in PA in NAP in association with the subjectively stressful situations, compared with the control subjects. Individuals with NAP, MDD and BD display differences in emotional stress reactivity. Type of mood disorder may exert a pathoplastic effect on emotional reactivity in individuals with MDD and BD. Individuals with NAP may be most vulnerable to the effects of daily life stress.

Violence and Psychopathy

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book Forum: Psychopathy and ViolenceFull AccessViolence and PsychopathyWILLIAM R. FLYNN, M.D., WILLIAM R. FLYNNSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Napa, Calif.Published Online:1 Oct 2002https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.10.1802AboutSectionsView EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail This volume consists of nine papers presented in Spain in 1999 at the Fourth International Meeting on the Biology and Sociology of Violence. They represent the work of the two editors and six others, including psychologists, criminologists, and a neurologist. Together, these authors cite the literature more than 600 times. There are four chapters on the phenomenon of psychopathy, three on serial killers, one on psychosocial contributions to psychopathy and violence, and one on treatment.Robert D. Hare’s contribution is titled “Psychopaths and Their Nature: Some Implications for Understanding Human Predatory Violence.” Hare is a prominent expert on psychopathy and devised the Psychopathy Checklist, which consists of 20 measures by which to evaluate violent patients who meet the DSM-IV criteria for antisocial personality disorder (p. 9) and is an important component in the Violence Risk Assessment Guide (1).A chapter on brain imaging examines the evidence from positron emission tomography scans of differences in the brains, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, of types of murderers; for example, the predatory killer compared with the psychotic killer compared with the normal individual. One chapter on the emotional processes in psychopathy describes research methods using the “startle probe,” an objective means of evaluating differences in emotional reactivity in individuals to test the theory that psychopaths are violent, intimidating, manipulative, and lack empathy in part because they have a “weak defensive activation system” in their brain (p. 72). A chapter on neurobiology explores the possibility that the psychopathic brain differs from others in its structure because of noxious influences prenatally and in early childhood.The first of the three chapters devoted to serial killers, on the concept and history, focuses on differences between serial killers who are psychotic and disorganized and those who are psychopathic and organized. I would have appreciated knowing the credentials of the author, who is associated with a center for the study of violence in Spain. A chapter on the motives of the serial killer is by a criminologist. The third chapter in this section addresses the interrelationships of psychopathy, sadism, and serial killing. The author, whose qualifications are not given, argues for the concept of sadistic personality disorder, which is not in the DSM system, although sexual sadism is.The chapter on psychosocial contributions reviews literature that reports experiments done with infants and children in order to measure the effects of parenting and related experiences on some of the traits that may characterize future sociopaths. This author also discusses his “construct theory” (pp. 157–161); his view is that children acquire their motives as they learn language. Motives, he contends, do not require instinctual drives or wants. He views the putative links between drives and motives as “obfuscating fictions.”Lastly, there is the matter of treatment. Is it possible? The short answer is no, but the author of the chapter on treatment, a German psychologist, after reviewing the record of attempts to treat psychopaths with medications and various psychosocial interventions, tells us what he thinks may work if only we can arrange it. He lists and discusses 15 principles to which a reasonably promising program would need to adhere.Edited by Adrian Raine and José Sanmartin. New York, Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2001, 202 pp., $80.00.Reference1. Hess AK, Weiner IB (eds): The Handbook of Forensic Psychology, 2nd ed. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1999, p 182Google Scholar FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byNone Volume 159Issue 10 October 2002Pages 1802-1803 Metrics History Published online 1 October 2002 Published in print 1 October 2002

Inverse relationship of hippocampal serotonin to avoidance behavior, serotonergic activation by emotional stress differentiated by estrous cycle and surgical stress

The hippocampus is involved in learning, affect, and the neurobiology of stress. After recording individual emotional reactivity (ER) during handling for vaginal smear screening (VSS), serotonin (5-HT) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), in the hypothalamus-preoptic area (HY-PA) and hippocampus were studied in two rat lines with different susceptibility to Freund's adjuvant arthritis (FAA), in relation to active avoidance behavior (AB), and under basal conditions in the FAA susceptible strain, in relation to ER, cycle stage and 20 h prior surgical stress. FAA susceptible rats compared to non-susceptible under equally low ER, showed higher AB, but lower 5-HIAA and 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio, under basal conditions, and upon termination of avoidance assay, only in hippocampus. In rats with different ER after prolonged VSS, high ER paralleled on diestrus-2 (DE-2), increased 5-HIAA and 5-HIAA/5-HT in the hippocampus and HY-PA, and adrenal weight, but decreased thymus and hippocampal weight. Under equal ER 5-HIAA and 5-HIAA/5-HT in the hippocampus and 5-HIAA/5-HT in the HY-PA were diminished on proestrus vs DE-2 but not estrus. Under equal distribution of proestrus and estrus higher ER paralleled higher hippocampal 5-HIAA. After equally high ER, combined with 20 h prior surgical stress, diminished hippocampal 5-HIAA/5-HT ratio, paralleled pronounced increase in adrenal weight compared to controls. Results suggest: negative association of hippocampal 5-HT to avoidance learning, a positive one to ER, modulated by cycle stage, and a role of differentiated 5-HT in homeostasis of HPA system.

Impact of dietary tryptophan and behavioral type on behavior, plasma cortisol, and brain metabolites of young pigs1

The behavioral reactivity in an "open-field" test and plasma cortisol levels were studied in 72 pigs from 12 litters fed for 3 wk one of three diets with different levels of tryptophan: deficient (.14%), adequate (.23%), or excess (.32%). "Open-field" tests were performed three times: 5 d (day W + 5), 23 d (day W + 23) and 45 d (day W + 45) after weaning. The exploration time and the number of grunts provided an adequate measure of the individual emotional reactivity at day W + 5. Significant correlations were obtained between exploration time and the number of grunts at each time (r = -.83 at day W + 5; r = -.46 at day W + 23; r = -.71 at day W + 45). The distinction between animals remained (P less than .05) in terms of exploration time at both 23 and 45 d after weaning. At day W + 23, exploration time was lower in the group fed the adequate diet than in the two other groups. This effect was maintained subsequently after feeding all pigs the same adequate diet (day W + 45). In 36 pigs slaughtered at day W + 23, brain TRP concentration was higher with the excess dietary TRP than with deficient or adequate levels. Conversely, other plasma amino acids (particularly threonine) accumulated only in the brains of pigs fed the deficient diet. Plasma cortisol level assayed at weaning (W) and 2 wk later increased with age and was higher in 16-h fasted (day W + 15) than in 3-h fasted (day W + 17) pigs. Correlations were observed within litters in the fasting state, between the cortisol level and behavioral traits measured at day W + 23 (r = .70 for number of grunts, r = -.60 for exploration time). Dietary TRP did not affect the plasma cortisol level irrespective of the nutritional state after weaning. However, an interaction was noted between plasma cortisol and TRP status (P less than .05). Although dietary TRP induced large variations in brain amino acids and 5-hydroxyindole concentrations, changes in behavioral and cortisol responses were relatively minor.

Discrimination Learning in Horses: Effects of Breed, Age and Social Dominance1

The discrimination learning ability of Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds was compared by means of visual cues in a three-choice test with food as a reward. Quarter Horses learned significantly faster than Thoroughbreds, and learning progressed more rapidly for both breeds in a second discrimination task. Significant negative correlations were observed between age and rate of learning. Quarter Horses tended to be less reactive than Thoroughbreds, but individual emotional reactivity ratings and learning scores were not correlated. No correlation was found between social dominance and learning scores. Learning studies with horses may provide a better understanding of the behavioral traits that influence trainability in this species.