How repeated and unpredictable experiences turn into fear-memories

(undefined

A systematic review of behavioral, physiological, and neurobiological cognitive regulation alterations in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by cognitive regulation deficits. However, the current literature has focused on executive functioning and emotional response impairments in this disorder. Herein, we conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the behavioral, physiological, and neurobiological alterations in cognitive regulation in obsessive-compulsive patients using the PubMed database. Most of the studies included explored behavioral (distress, arousal, and frequency of intrusive thoughts) and neurobiological measures (brain activity and functional connectivity) using affective cognitive regulation paradigms. Our results pointed to the advantageous use of reappraisal and acceptance strategies in contrast to suppression to reduce distress and frequency of intrusive thoughts. Moreover, we observed alterations in frontoparietal network activity during cognitive regulation. Our conclusions are limited by the inclusion of underpowered studies with treated patients. Nonetheless, our findings support the OCD impairments in cognitive regulation of emotion and might help to improve current guidelines for cognitive therapy.This work has been funded by national funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)—project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020—and by the projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). S.F. was supported by a combined Ph.D. scholarship from the FCT and the company iCognitus4ALL—IT Solutions, Lda (grant number PD/BDE/127839/2016). The funding sources had not been involved in the study design, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, and in the decision to submit the article for publication

Influence of stress in the structure and function of the amygdala

Tese de doutoramento em Ciências da Saúde - Ciências Biológicas e Biomédicas.Stress is a powerful modulator of emotional behavior and is implicated in the etiology of mood disorders like anxiety, depression and phobias. Mood disorders are particularly common and affect a large percentage of the world population with relevant implications to individual’s health and to the society. Fear and anxiety represent specific aspects of emotional behavior that show behavioral resemblances but are triggered by events that activate distinct neuronal pathways: while the amygdala plays a key role in fear-conditioned to cue stimuli, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is implicated in anxiety behavior and responses to contextual stimuli. In addition, the BNST is directly involved in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis being an important relay station of limbic inputs. In the present work, we have thoroughly characterized how emotional behavior, namely fear and anxiety, is affected by chronic stress. In order to uncover structural correlates of behavioral findings stereological estimates of the BNST and amygdaloid complex were performed, followed by 3-dimensional morphometric dendritic analysis. To clarify the relative importance of hormonal (corticosteroids) and central mediators (CRF1R or CRF2R agonists) of the stress response, and their contribution to neuroanatomical changes induced by stress, two additional sets of experiments were designed. Finally, the functional relevance of the observed changes was determined by characterizing the expression of immediate-early genes in control and stressed animals in basal conditions and after anxiogenic stimulus. Results show that chronic stress induces anxiety behavior without influencing fear-conditioning and locomotory/exploratory activity. Stress-induced anxiety correlated with increased volumes of the BNST, but not of the amygdala. Dendritic remodeling was found to make a significant contribution to the stress-induced increase in BNST volume, primarily due to changes in the anteromedial area of the BNST, an area strongly implicated in emotional behavior and in the neuroendocrine control of the stress response. Most of the effects of stress were recapitulated by exogenous corticosterone, while CRF1R reproduced particular aspects of spinogenesis. At last, chronic stress was associated to altered expression of c-fos in the BNST in both basal conditions and after anxiogenic stimuli. In conclusion, this study shows that chronic stress impacts on BNST structure and function establishing a possible correlation between anxiety behavior and structural remodeling. Finally, the functional impairment of the BNST may reflect the loss of inhibitory tone over the HPA and contribute to the perpetuation of corticosteroid neuronal restructuring.O Stress é um modulador potente do comportamento emocional e está implicado na etiologia das perturbações do humor como a ansiedade, a depressão e as fobias. As perturbações do humor são particularmente comuns e afectam uma percentagem grande da população mundial com implicações relevantes para a saúde do indivíduo e da sociedade. O medo e a ansiedade representam aspectos específicos do comportamento emocional que apresentam semelhanças comportamentais mas são despoletados por eventos que activam circuitos neuronais distinctos: enquanto que a amígdala tem um papel central no condicionamento ao medo a estímulos específicos, o núcleo da estria terminal (NET) está implicado na ansiedade e em repostas a estímulos contextualizados. Adicionalmente, o NET está directamente envolvido na regulação do eixo hipotálamo-pituitária-surprarenal (HPA) sendo uma importante estação de passagem para a informação proveniente do sistema límbico. No presente trabalho, caracterizamos como é que o comportamento emocional, nomeadamente medo e ansiedade, é afectado pelo stress crónico. Por forma a estabelecer correlações estruturais com os achados comportamentais realizámos estimativas esterológicas do NET e da amígdala, seguido da análise dendrítica morfométrica de reconstruções 3-D de neurónios. Para clarificar qual a importânica relativa dos mediadores hormonais (corticosteróides) e centrais (agonistas CRF1R ou CRF2R) da resposta ao stress, e qual o seu contributo para as alterações neuroanatómicas observadas, realizámos duas experiências adicionais. Finalmente, a importância functional dos achados foi determinada caracterizando a expressão de genes de activação imediata em condições basais e após exposição a estímulos ansiogénicos. Os resultados mostraram que o stress crónico induz comportamento ansioso sem fectar o comportamento de medo ou actividade exploratória/locomotora. A ansiedade induzida pelo stress correlaciona-se com aumentos no volume do NET, mas não da amígdala. A remodelação dendrítica provou contribuir para o aumento significativo do NET, primariamente associado a alterações na área anteromedial do NET, uma área fortemente implicada no comportamento emocional e no controlo neuroendócrino da resposta ao stress. A maior parte dos efeitos observados pode ser replicado pela administração exógena de corticosteróides, enquanto que os agonistas dos CRF1R reproduziram aspectos particulares da formação de espinhas. Por fim, o stress crónico está associado a alterações na expressão de c-fos no NET quer em situações basais como após estímulos ansiogénicos. Concluindo, este estudo mostra que o stress crónico tem um impacto significativo na estrutura e função do NET estabelecendo uma possível ligação entre o comportamento ansioso e a remodelação estrutural. Finalmente, a disfunção do NET pode reflectir uma perda do tonus inibitório sobre o HPA e contribuir para a perpetuação da reestruturação neuronal pelos corticosteróides

Association between self-reported and accelerometer-based estimates of physical activity in Portuguese older adults

Accurate assessment of physical activity (PA) is crucial in interventions promoting it and in studies exploring its association with health status. Currently, there is a wide range of assessment tools available, including subjective and objective measures. This study compared accelerometer-based estimates of PA with self-report PA data in older adults. Additionally, the associations between PA and health outcomes and PA profiles were analyzed. Participants (n = 110) wore a Xiaomi Mi Band 2® for fifteen consecutive days. Self-reported PA was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Yale Physical Activity Survey (YPAS). The Spearman correlation coefficient was used to compare self-reported and accelerometer-measured PA and associations between PA and health. Bland–Altman plots were performed to assess the agreement between methods. Results highlight a large variation between self-reported and Xiaomi Mi Band 2® estimates, with poor general agreement. The highest difference was found for sedentary time. Low positive correlations were observed for IPAQ estimates (sedentary, vigorous, and total PA) and moderate for YPAS vigorous estimates. Finally, self-reported and objectively measured PA associated differently with health outcomes. Summarily, although accelerometry has the advantage of being an accurate method, self-report questionnaires could provide valuable information about the context of the activity.This research was funded by FEDER funds, through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE), and by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), under the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038. This article has been developed under the scope of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER000013, supported by the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). This work was also supported by the project grants MEDPERSYST (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016428) and GIRO (RESEARCH4COVID, 1st edition, project n. 078) by FCT, and the 2CA-Braga Grant for the 2017 Clinical Research Projects. CD was supported by a combined Ph. D. scholarship from FCT and the company iCognitus4ALL-IT Solutions, Lda, Braga, Portugal (grant number PD/BDE/127831/2016)

Using mouse dynamics to assess stress during online exams

"Lecture notes in computer science series", ISSN 0302-9743, vol. 9121Stress is a highly complex, subjective and multidimensional phenomenon. Nonetheless, it is also one of our strongest driving forces, pushing us forward and preparing our body and mind to tackle the daily challenges, independently of their nature. The duality of the effects of stress, that can have positive or negative effects, calls for approaches that can take the best out of this biological mechanism, providing means for people to cope effectively with stress. In this paper we propose an approach, based on mouse dynamics, to assess the level of stress of students during online exams. Results show that mouse dynamics change in a consistent manner as stress settles in, allowing for its estimation from the analysis of the mouse usage. This approach will allow to understand how each individual student is affected by stress, providing additional valuable information for educational institutions to efficiently adapt and improve their teaching processes.This work is part-funded by ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the COMPETE Programme (operational programme for competitiveness) and by National Funds through the FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028980 (PTDC/EEI-SII/1386/2012) and project PEst-OE/EEI/UI0752/2014

Animal facility videoendoscopic intubation station: tips and tricks from mice to rabbits

Endotracheal intubation of laboratory animals is a common procedure shared by several research fields for different purposes, such as mechanical ventilation of anaesthetized animals, instillation of cytotoxic nanoparticles, infectious agents or tumour cells for induction of disease models, and even for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. These different research purposes, achieved in different animal models, require technical expertise and equipment that suits every research need from animal facilities. In this short report we propose a videoendoscopic intubation station that could be shared among the most common laboratory animals, namely the mouse, rat, guinea pig and rabbit, from neonates to adult animals. This report aims to contribute to the reduction of animals excluded from experiments due to false paths during direct and blind intubations and to the refinement of procedures by replacing surgical approaches such as tracheotomy.Project ON.2 SR&TD Integrated Program (NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000017), co- funded by the North Portugal Regional Operational Program (ON.2-O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work was also supported by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness Factors – COMPETE and National Funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology under the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038. A Miranda was supported by an FCT grant (SFRH/BD/52059/2012)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validation of a wireless bluetooth photoplethysmography sensor used on the earlobe for monitoring heart rate variability features during a stress-inducing mental task in healthy individuals

Heart rate variability (HRV), using electrocardiography (ECG), has gained popularity as a biomarker of the stress response. Alternatives to HRV monitoring, like photoplethysmography (PPG), are being explored as cheaper and unobtrusive non-invasive technologies. We report a new wireless PPG sensor that was tested in detecting changes in HRV, elicited by a mentally stressful task, and to determine if its signal can be used as a surrogate of ECG for HRV analysis. Data were collected simultaneously from volunteers using a PPG and ECG sensor, during a resting and a mentally stressful task. HRV metrics were extracted from these signals and compared to determine the agreement between them and to determine if any changes occurred in the metrics due to the stressful task. For both tasks, a moderate/good agreement was found in the mean interbeat intervals, SDNN, LF, and SD2, and a poor agreement for the pNN50, RMSSD|SD1, and HF metrics. The majority of the tested HRV metrics obtained from the PPG signal showed a significant decrease caused by the mental task. The disagreement found between specific HRV features imposes caution when comparing metrics from different technologies. Nevertheless, the tested sensor was successful at detecting changes in the HRV caused by a mental stressor.This work has been funded by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) - project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020; and by the projects NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000013 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Bruno Correia was supported by a four-year Ph. D. grant from FCT, with the reference PD/BDE/135569/2018

EUStress: A human behaviour analysis system for monitoring and assessing stress during exams

In today’s society, there is a compelling need for innovative approaches for the solution of many pressing problems, such as understanding the fluctuations in the performance of an individual when involved in complex and high-stake tasks. In these cases, individuals are under an increasing demand for performance, driving them to be under constant pressure, and consequently to present variations in their levels of stress. Human stress can be viewed as an agent, circumstance, situation, or variable that disturbs the normal functioning of an individual, that when not managed can bring mental problems, such as chronic stress or depression. In this paper, we propose a different approach for this problem. The EUStress application is a non-intrusive and non-invasive performance monitoring environment based on behavioural biometrics and real time analysis, used to quantify the level of stress of individuals during online exams.FCT - Fuel Cell Technologies Program(NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-017832)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

X3S: A multi-modal approach to monitor and assess stress through human-computer interaction

Stress evaluation is nowadays gaining an increasing importance in a time in which inter-individual competition continuously pushes us to be better. Indeed, in the workplace, in the academia or in many other contexts there is increasing pressure for better performance, which pushes us forward but also wears us out. This phenomenon has been studied from many different angles, including psychology, medicine or occupational dynamics. In a medical or biological context, stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension, which can cause or influence the course of many medical conditions including psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. In these cases, individuals are under an increasing demand for performance, driving them to be under constant pressure, and consequently to present variations in their levels of stress. To mitigate this condition, this paper proposes to add a new dimension in human–computer interaction through the development of a distributed multi-modal framework approach entitled X3S, which aims to monitor and assess the psychological stress of computer users during high-end tasks, in a non-intrusive and non-invasive way, through the access of soft sensors activity (e.g. task performance and human behaviour). This approach presents as its main innovative key the capacity to validate each stress model trained for each individual through the analysis of cortisol and stress assessment survey data. Overall, this paper discusses how groups of medical students can be monitored through their interactions with the computer. Its main aim is to provide a stress marker that can be effectively used in large numbers of users and without inconvenienceThis work is part-funded by ERDF–European Regional Development Fund and by National Funds through the FCT–Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology within project NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-017832. FCT grant with the reference ICVS-BI-2016-005info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Chronic unpredictable stress inhibits nociception in male rats

Chronic stress elicits remarkable alterations to the structure and function of several areas of the central nervous system. Nociception is known to be affected by chronic stress and age, although the observations are contradictory. Herein we report that both young and old rats submitted to a chronic unpredictable stress paradigm have reduced nociception in the tail-flick nociceptive test. Moreover, stressed animals show an increase in nociceptive threshold after three successive exposures to noxious stimulation (within a 2 min interval). While the sustained stress-induced analgesia is usually attributed to the resulting hypercorticalism, the immediate exacerbation of tolerance to pain displayed by stressed animals is most likely mediated through other mechanisms due to the very rapid antinociceptive effect observed.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – Programa Operacional “Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovação” (POCTI), União Europeia (UE). Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) - POCTI/NSE/46399/2002.Grunenthal Foundation