Article
Psychiatry
Sarah Herzog, Hanga Galfalvy, John G. Keilp, J. John Mann, M. Elizabeth Sublette, Ainsley Burke, Maria A. Oquendo, Barbara H. Stanley
Summary: Higher intent suicide attempts are associated with an increased risk of future suicidal behavior. Dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is linked to both nonfatal suicidal behavior and suicide deaths in major depressive disorder. However, few studies have identified biological markers for a high-intent suicidal subgroup.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Maria Meier, Kristina Haub, Marie-Luise Schramm, Marc Hamma, Ulrike U. Bentele, Stephanie J. Dimitroff, Raphaela Gartner, Bernadette F. Denk, Annika B. E. Benz, Eva Unternaehrer, Jens C. Pruessner
Summary: The study focused on the effects of an online version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) on cortisol, alpha amylase, pleasure, and arousal levels in adults. It also compared the cortisol responses between men and women. The results showed that the online TSST successfully induced psychophysiological stress in adults, with significant increases in cortisol, alpha amylase, and arousal levels, and a decrease in pleasure. Moreover, cortisol responses were found to be stronger in males compared to females.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Sarah Glier, Alana Campbell, Rachel Corr, Andrea Pelletier-Baldelli, Mae Yefimov, Carina Guerra, Kathryn Scott, Louis Murphy, Joshua Bizzell, Aysenil Belger
Summary: Dysregulations in autonomic and endocrine stress responses in adolescence are associated with the emergence of psychopathology. This study comprehensively evaluated the coordination of parasympathetic, sympathetic, and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis components in 72 typically developing adolescents. The findings supported the predictions of the Adaptive Calibration Model and highlighted the importance of studying multisystem dynamics in understanding stress response regulation.
Article
Biology
Ayeisha Milligan Armstrong, Tenielle Porter, Hazel Quek, Anthony White, John Haynes, Connie Jackaman, Victor Villemagne, Kylie Munyard, Simon M. Laws, Giuseppe Verdile, David Groth
Summary: Chronic psychosocial stress is recognized as a risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Factors such as dysregulation of the HPA axis and elevated levels of cortisol may contribute to the disease process. Individual differences in sensitivities to glucocorticoid and stress responses could also impact an individual's risk of developing AD.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Christoph Roesner, Oliver Tuescher, Katja Petrowski
Summary: Habituation refers to the physiological adaptation to recurrent stressors, which can be measured by cortisol levels, and is considered a central mechanism in reducing allostatic load. Resilience was investigated as a potential factor influencing stress reduction in this study. The findings suggest that individuals with higher levels of resilience exhibit lower AUCg values throughout the measurements, indicating resilience as a predictor of cortisol habituation.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
James L. Abelson, Brisa N. Sanchez, Stefanie E. Mayer, Hedieh Briggs, Israel Liberzon, Nirmala Rajaram
Summary: Salivary cortisol stress biomarkers are commonly used in epidemiological research to examine the relationship between stress and health problems. However, there has been limited effort to connect these measures with the biological mechanisms involved in stress-related health outcomes. This study found associations between cortisol diurnal decline and feedback sensitivity, as well as between morning cortisol levels and adrenal sensitivity. It also raised questions about the biological meaning of other curve components, such as morning cortisol levels and the cortisol awakening response.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Hannah Klusmann, Noemi Luecking, Sinha Engel, Meike Katharina Blecker, Christine Knaevelsrud, Sarah Schumacher
Summary: Sex disparities in the biological response to acute stressors were investigated in this systematic review and meta-analysis, with a focus on the influence of ovarian hormones on HPA axis functioning. The study found higher cortisol reactivity in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase, suggesting a difference in HPA axis reactivity between menstrual cycle phases. However, more high-quality primary studies are needed to further explore this association. This review was not funded and was pre-registered in PROSPERO.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Samuel Rosin, Kai Xia, M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Alexander L. Carlson, Cathi B. Propper, Amanda L. Thompson, Karen Grewen, Rebecca C. Knickmeyer
Summary: The study shows that gut microbial composition may influence HPA axis reactivity in early human development, suggesting potential for future clinical interventions targeting gut microbes to promote the development of stress-response systems.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Pauline S. Effenberger, Tabea S. Send, Maria Gilles, Josef Frank, Stephan Bongard, Robert Kumsta, Stephanie H. Witt, Marcella Rietschel, Michael Deuschle, Fabian Streit, Isabell A. C. Wolf
Summary: There is no strong association between urbanicity and behavior problems or HPA axis regulation in preschool age, and urinary cortisol and salivary cortisol response after stress exposure are not identified as mediators of this relationship.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
A. Alacreu-Crespo, V. Hidalgo, C. Girod, E. Olie, Ph. Courtet
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the cortisol and emotional responses to social stress in patients with depression, with and without suicide attempts, and found that impulsivity traits play a significant role in suicidal vulnerability and emotional response to stress.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Chuk Ling Julian Lai, Daryl Yu Heng Lee, Monique On Yee Leung
Summary: The association between childhood adversities (CA) and cortisol response to acute social stressors is inconclusive, calling for more longitudinal studies and the use of formal records of maltreatment or informant reports in future research to complement information collected by retrospective measures. Additionally, attention to biological mechanisms other than that associated with the regulation of cortisol in explaining the connection between CA and psychiatry morbidity is needed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Ethan S. Young, Jenalee R. Doom, Allison K. Farrell, Elizabeth A. Carlson, Michelle M. Englund, Gregory E. Miller, Megan R. Gunnar, Glenn Roisman, Jeffry A. Simpson
Summary: The study examined the impact of life stress on cortisol responses and found that early life stress has a greater influence on adult responses.
DEVELOPMENT AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Carly McLaughlin, Robert Schutze, Craig Pennell, David Henley, Monique Robinson, Leon Straker, Anne Smith
Summary: This study explores the relationship between cortisol reactivity to psychosocial stress and early symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders in males and females. While there were gender differences in symptom presentation, limited evidence was found for a direct association between salivary cortisol measures and depression/anxiety symptoms at age 20. The results suggest that individual vulnerability to stress-related diseases may be influenced by the pattern of response to psychosocial stress in a sex-specific manner.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
M. Cima, N. A. Nicolson
Summary: This study explored morning cortisol levels and stress responses in psychopathic offenders, non-psychopathic offenders, and non-offender controls. The researchers found that psychopathic offenders exhibited significantly lower cortisol levels during a stress task compared to controls, while non-psychopathic offenders showed a similar but non-significant trend. However, there were no significant differences in cortisol response slopes among the three groups.
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Michelle Thai, Melinda Westlund Schreiner, Bryon A. Mueller, Kathryn R. Cullen, Bonnie Klimes-Dougan
Summary: This study found different patterns of association between amygdala and vmPFC RSFC and HPA functioning in adolescents with depression compared to healthy controls. While healthy controls showed a positive relationship between frontolimbic connectivity and cortisol levels, adolescents with depression showed a minimal or inverse relationship, suggesting a poor coordination of these systems. This indicates that the intrinsic quality of frontolimbic connection may be related to HPA axis functioning.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Alessia Vincent, Tabita Urben, Christoph Becker, Katharina Beck, Christof Daetwyler, Michael Wilde, Jens Gaab, Wolf Langewitz, Sabina Hunziker
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of an E-learning assignment on medical students' accurate recognition of breaking bad news (BBN) communication techniques. The results showed that the use of E-learning tool could reduce the number of inappropriate BBN elements identified by students.
PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING
(2022)
Article
Family Studies
Verena Ehrbar, Salome Roos, Anna Denzinger, Martina Barbara Bingisser, Sandra Scherer, Jens Gaab, Marcus Vetter, Viola Heinzelmann-Schwarz, Corinne Urech
Summary: The study developed a short-term counselling intervention for families with parental cancer, finding high acceptance and significant improvements in family communication and satisfaction levels. Parental anxiety and depression were low, parental partnership quality was normal, and children reported high quality of life.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Cosima Locher, Sarah Buergler, Nadja Heimgartner, Helen Koechlin, Heike Gerger, Jens Gaab, Stefan Buchi
Summary: This study aimed to explore the definitions of a good treatment in the inpatient setting from the perspective of inpatients and health professionals. The results revealed that a good treatment encompasses patient-specific, treatment-specific, relationship-based, and clinical setting-related components. These findings highlight the importance of individual differences, treatment methods and expertise, communication and relationship building, and the overall clinical environment in successful therapeutic processes.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Corentin A. Wicht, Michael Mouthon, Joelle Nsimire Chabwine, Jens Gaab, Lucas Spierer
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of expectation effects in placebo analgesia (PA) with or without conditioning through prior experience. The results suggest that modifications in the PA-associated brain activity by conditioning are either absent or very small in the presence of verbally-induced expectations.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Yoon Phaik Ooi, Marnie Reed, Emma Marchal-Jones, Andrea Hans Meyer, Jens Gaab
Summary: This study aims to examine the roles of cognitive, psychological, sociocultural, and family factors in the well-being and sociocultural adjustment of third culture kids and their families over time. The study uses both quantitative and qualitative procedures, with data collected at baseline and a 1-year follow-up. The findings will provide insights into the adjustment processes and risk and protective factors associated with third culture kids and their families in Switzerland.
JMIR RESEARCH PROTOCOLS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessia Vincent, Katharina Beck, Emanuel Thommen, Madlaina Widmer, Christoph Becker, Nina Loretz, Sebastian Gross, Jonas Mueller, Simon A. Amacher, Chantal Bohren, Rainer Schaefert, Jens Gaab, Stephan Marsch, Christian Emsden, Kai Tisljar, Raoul Sutter, Sabina Hunziker
Summary: This study found that nearly half of OHCA survivors experienced PICS at 3 and 12 months after hospitalization, with physical, cognitive, and psychological domains being the most commonly affected. Intubation, sedatives, discharge scores, and post-discharge work loss were significantly associated with PICS.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Stefanie Neubrand, Jens Gaab
Summary: This article discusses the concept, operational definition, and clinical applications of impathy, emphasizing its importance and future research directions.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Cora Wagner, Jens Gaab, Karin Hediger
Summary: Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have promising analgesic effects on pain perception when integrated into the treatment rationale. A randomized controlled trial involving 128 healthy participants found that participants who received dog treatment experienced significantly less unpleasantness and lower intensity of pain compared to those who received no treatment. This study highlights the importance of providing a treatment rationale in AAIs for pain.
Article
Psychiatry
Anna-Valeska Baeumer, Lukas Fuerer, Carolin Birkenberger, Andrea Wyssen, Martin Steppan, Ronan Zimmermann, Jens Gaab, Michael Kaess, Klaus Schmeck
Summary: This study investigated the role of outcome expectancy in early intervention for adolescent borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients. The findings suggest that outcome expectancy plays a key role in successful psychotherapy, and low expectancy in the early stages is associated with depression, childhood trauma, and impaired personality functioning.
BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND EMOTION DYSREGULATION
(2022)
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Jens Gaab
Summary: This article revises two early publications by Irving Kirsch on the topic of psychotherapy and its relation to placebo, placing them in both historical and contemporary contexts to pay tribute to his work.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah Buergler, Dilan Sezer, Niels Bagge, Irving Kirsch, Cosima Locher, Claudia Carvalho, Jens Gaab
Summary: This study evaluated placebo effects without the use of a physical placebo by imagining taking a pill. The results showed that both open-label placebos and imaginary pills reduced test anxiety. This finding provides a novel and ethical method to harness placebo effects.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Cosima Locher, Milena Petignat, Cora Wagner, Karin Hediger, Binia Roth, Jens Gaab, Helen Koechlin
Summary: Chronic pain in children and adolescents is burdensome and there is a need for innovative approaches for treatment. Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) may be promising, but there is limited research in pediatric chronic pain. An initial open pilot study involving three children with chronic pain showed reduced disability and distress, as well as improved pain acceptance and ability to defocus. However, recruitment was difficult due to the COVID-19 situation.
JOURNAL OF PAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Social
Marnie Reed, Emma Jones, Jens Gaab, Yoon Phaik Ooi
Summary: Recent studies show that cultural intelligence (CQ) and resilience are crucial for sociocultural adjustment in expatriate populations. This study aimed to examine the relationships between CQ, resilience, and sociocultural adjustment in expatriates in Switzerland. Results confirmed previous findings that higher levels of resilience and CQ are associated with fewer sociocultural adjustment difficulties. Additionally, the study found that the CQ Skills subscale is a significant predictor for sociocultural adjustment, while the other subscales, metacognition and knowledge, are not. Moreover, resilience partially mediates the relationship between CQ and sociocultural adjustment, but does not act as a moderator. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for understanding and supporting expatriate adjustment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTERCULTURAL RELATIONS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Emma E. Jones, Marnie Reed, Andrea H. Meyer, Jens Gaab, Yoon P. Ooi
Summary: This study investigates the contributions of personal and contextual factors in the adjustment process of internationally mobile children and adolescents in Switzerland. A heuristic model of TCK adjustment was tested to identify prevention and treatment targets tailored for the sample population, based on evolutionary developmental theories and theoretical frameworks. The results highlight the contributions of perceived stress and acculturative stress to mental health and sociocultural adjustment, with resilience mediating the relationship between perceived stress and mental health.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Law
Helene Seaward, Sophie Dieffenbacher, Jens Gaab, Marc Graf, Bernice Elger, Tenzin Wangmo
Summary: The number of older prisoners with mental health issues released from prisons and forensic psychiatric institutions is increasing. They face double stigmatization which hampers their reintegration. In this study, mental health professionals supporting older incarcerated adults found that stigma management strategies, such as establishing initial contacts, educating institutions, and collaborating with public organizations, can help reduce stigma and facilitate the reintegration process.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Review
Psychology, Biological
Robert W. Levenson
Summary: This article describes the development of paradigms for studying dyadic interaction in the laboratory, methods, and analytics for dealing with dyadic data. It provides research findings from the author and others, with a particular focus on dyadic measures of linkage or synchrony in physiology, expressive behavior, and subjective affective experience.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Thomas M. Olino, Matthew Mattoni
Summary: This study examined brain function in offspring of mothers with and without depression using monetary and social reward tasks. The results showed no significant differences in task activation and functional connectivity between the two groups. The study discussed the possibility of developmental timing in finding differences.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2024)