Psychophysiological processes of stress in chronic physical illness: a theoretical perspective

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75576/1/j.1365-2648.1990.tb01843.x.pd

Emotional and Adrenocortical Responses of Infants to the Strange Situation: The Differential Function of Emotional Expression

The aim of the study was to investigate biobehavioural organisation in infants with different qualities of attachment. Quality of attachment (security and disorganisation), emotional expression, and adrenocortical stress reactivity were investigated in a sample of 106 infants observed during Ainsworth’s Strange Situation at the age of 12 months. In addition, behavioural inhibition was assessed from maternal reports. As expected, securely attached infants did not show an adrenocortical response. Regarding the traditionally defined insecurely attached groups, adrenocortical activation during the strange situation was found for the ambivalent group, but not for the avoidant one. Previous ndings of increased adrenocortical activity in disorganised infants could not be replicated. In line with previous ndings, adrenocortical activation was most prominent in insecure infants with high behavioural inhibition indicating the function of a secure attachment relationship as a social buffer against less adaptive temperamental dispositions. Additional analyses indicated that adrenocortical reactivity and behavioural distress were not based on common activation processes. Biobehavioural associations within the different attachment groups suggest that biobehavioural processes in securely attached infants may be different from those in insecurely attached and disorganised groups. Whereas a coping model may be applied to describe the biobehavioural organisation of secure infants, an arousal model explanation may be more appropriate for the other groups

The pursuit of happiness: the social and scientific origins of Hans Selye’s natural philosophy of life

© The Author(s) 2012. Open access article.In 1956, Hans Selye tentatively suggested that the scientific study of stress could ‘help us to formulate a precise program of conduct’ and ‘teach us the wisdom to live a rich and meaningful life’. Nearly two decades later, Selye expanded this limited vision of social order into a full-blown philosophy of life. In Stress without Distress, first published in 1974, he proposed an ethical code of conduct designed to mitigate personal and social problems. Basing his arguments on contemporary understandings of the biological processes involved in stress reactions, Selye referred to this code as ‘altruistic egotism’. This article explores the origins and evolution of Selye’s ‘natural philosophy of life’, analysing the links between his theories and adjacent intellectual developments in biology, psychosomatic and psychosocial medicine, cybernetics and socio-biology, and situating his work in the broader cultural framework of modern western societies.Wellcome Trus

A “How-To” Guide for Designing Judgment Bias Studies to Assess Captive Animal Welfare

Robust methods to assess nonhuman animal emotion are essential for ensuring good welfare in captivity. Cognitive bias measures such as the judgment bias task have recently emerged as promising tools to assess animal emotion. The simple design and objective response measures make judgment bias tasks suitable for use across species and contexts. In reviewing 64 studies published to date, it emerged that (a) judgment biases have been measured in a number of mammals and birds and an invertebrate; (b) no study has tested judgment bias in any species of fish, amphibian, or reptile; and (c) no study has yet investigated judgment bias in a zoo or aquarium. This article proposes that judgment bias measures are highly suitable for use with these understudied taxa and can provide new insight into welfare in endangered species housed in zoos and aquariums, where poor welfare impacts breeding success and, ultimately, species survival. The article includes a “how-to” guide to designing judgment bias tests with recommendations for working with currently neglected “exotics” including fishes, amphibians, and reptiles

Research on stress and smoking: progress and problems

Despite evidence that smoking behaviour increases in the context of stress, there has yet to be a clear-cut demonstration that nicotine intake is similarly enhanced. Although nicotine intake has been shown to reduce reported anxiety in the context of stress, the controlling conditions (type of stressor, intensity, temporal relationships, etc.) need further exploration. Recent findings involving nicotine's effects on the hypophyseal-adrenal axis provide a new perspective on these issues, in that increased nicotine intake during exposure to a stressor may represent, at least in part, behavioral compensation for diminished sensitivity to nicotine brought about by nicotine-stimulated corticosteroid release. Corticosteroids may decrease central nervous system excitability in a way that could account for anxiety reduction; on the other hand, anxiety reduction may be an epiphenomenon with respect to the reinforcement of smoking behaviour. The integration of behavioural, physiological, and biochemical research exemplified by the above approach should lead to a better understanding of stress and smoking.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73317/1/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01815.x.pd

Adrenalectomy-Produced Facilitation of Pavlovian Conditioned Cardiodecelerations in Immobilized Rats

Previous evidence has suggested that both hormonal and behavioral aspects of adrenal stress activation may contribute to heart rate (HR) conditioning during physical/pharmacological immobilization. Accordingly, four studies were conducted to determine if bilateral adrenalectomy facilitates stimulus-control over Pavlovian conditioned cardiodecelerations in rats immobilized either through physical restraint or neuromuscular paralysis. Plasma corticosterone assays were used as an index of the effectiveness of adrenal removal. The results showed that adrenalectomy facilitated both simple and discriminated Pavlovian conditioned cardiodecelerations in rats paralyzed with d-tubocurarine chloride (dTC) without significantly altering the characteristics of EMG recovery from paralysis. Similarly, adrenalectomy facilitated simple Pavlovian HR conditioning in physically restrained rats. The results suggest that adrenal activation may disrupt the parasympathetically-mediated Pavlovian conditioned cardiodeceleration in the physically-and dTC-immobilized rat. However, the specific nature of neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying cardiovascular conditioning during immobilization remains problematical.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75069/1/j.1469-8986.1977.tb03371.x.pd