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Separating EEG correlates of stress: Cognitive effort, time pressure, and social‐evaluative threat
(2022)
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex is a key player in stress response regulation. Electroencephalographic (EEG) responses, such as a decrease in frontal alpha and an increase in frontal beta power, have been proposed to reflect stress‐related brain activity. However, the stress response is likely composed of different parts such as cognitive effort, time pressure, and social‐evaluative threat, which have not been distinguished in previous studies. This distinction, however, is crucial if we aim to establish reliable tools for early detection of stress‐related conditions and monitoring of stress responses throughout treatment. This randomized cross‐over study (N = 38) aimed to disentangle EEG correlates of stress. With linear mixed models accounting for missing values in some conditions, we found a decrease in frontal alpha and increase in beta power when performing the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT; cognitive effort; n = 32) compared to resting state (n = 33). No change in EEG power was found when the PASAT was performed under time pressure (n = 29) or when adding social‐evaluative threat (video camera; n = 29). These findings suggest that frontal EEG power can discriminate stress from resting state but not more fine‐grained differences of the stress response.
We present the first systematic literature review on stress and burnout in K−12 teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a systematic literature search, we identified 17 studies that included 9,874 K−12 teachers from around the world. These studies showed some indication that burnout did increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were, however, almost no differences in the levels of stress and burnout experienced by K−12 teachers compared to individuals employed in other occupational fields. School principals' leadership styles emerged as an organizational characteristic that is highly relevant for K−12 teachers' levels of stress and burnout. Individual teacher characteristics associated with burnout were K−12 teachers' personality, self-efficacy in online teaching, and perceived vulnerability to COVID-19. In order to reduce stress, there was an indication that stress-management training in combination with training in technology use for teaching may be superior to stress-management training alone. Future research needs to adopt more longitudinal designs and examine the interplay between individual and organizational characteristics in the development of teacher stress and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Following the relational-developmental systems approach, this three-wave study examines whether acute stress (T2) mediates the relationship between the development of personality traits from the beginning of 8th grade (T1, Mage = 15.63, SD = 0.59; 22 girls) to the end of 9th grade (T3). Using the Montréal Imaging Stress Task, which is a task that provokes acute social stress by negative social feedback, this study combined the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), heart rate, and longitudinal survey data of 41 adolescents. Mediation analysis revealed that stress-induced left insula activation partially mediates the longitudinal stability of conscientiousness. These results highlight the impact of negative social feedback during stress on students’ personality development.
There is multiple evidence that emotionally arousing events are preferentially processed, and better remembered than neutral events. In the present dissertation I investigated whether those strong emotional memories are affected by acute and chronic stress. Moreover, I was interested in whether already established emotional memories can be changed by behavioral intervention. According to the modulation hypothesis, emotionally arousing events promote attention and memory processes via noradrenergic and glucocorticoid actions. Recent models suggest that stress hormones differentially impact mnemonic processing, namely encoding, (re-) consolidation and memory retrieval, depending on timing and duration of the stressor relative to the learning experience. Acute stress around the time of encoding has been found to enhance memory, whereas chronic stress has been associated with memory impairments. Furthermore, consolidated memories are not resistant to modifications. Following reactivation, memories can turn into an unstable state and undergo a process called reconsolidated in order to persist. During this vulnerable state, memories are prone to modification, for instance by pharmacological blockade or interference learning. Here, the modulation of newly formed emotional and neutral memories as well as existing emotional and neutral memories was investigated in a well-established picture viewing and recognition memory paradigm using behavioral and neurophysiological measures (event-related potential, ERPs). More elaborative processing of emotional, relative to neutral stimuli has been related to the late positive potential (LPP). During encoding of emotional and neutral pictures, enhanced LPPs (starting at about 400 ms after stimulus onset) are usually observed for emotionally arousing relative to neutral pictures, indicating preferential attention allocation and processing. During recognition, correctly recognized old items evoke larger ERP amplitudes than correctly identified new items. This difference, the ERP old/new effect, was used to measure mnemonic processing during retrieval. The ERP old/new effect over centro-parietal sensor sites (400-800 ms) has been associated with recollection processes, and is enhanced for emotional, compared to neutral materials. Three studies are presented, that investigated 1) the influence of acute stress prior to encoding on long-term memory and its neural correlates, 2) the impact of chronic stress on encoding and memory, and 3) the influence of interference on already established memories (reconsolidation), always contrasting emotionally arousing and neutral scenes. Study 1 investigated subsequent recognition memory after encoding following acute stress using a socially evaluated cold pressure test, while study 2 tested the influence of chronic stress investigating breast cancer survivors about two years after cancer treatment. In study 3, one day after encoding, reconsolidation of the reactivated picture memory was targeted with an interfering learning task. In all three studies, recognition memory was tested one week later. High-density electroencephalograms (EEGs; 257 electrodes) were recorded to measure brain potentials. The results showed, in line with previous research, that emotionally arousing scenes were preferentially processed, as indicated by larger LPPs, and were better remembered than neutral scenes, as indicated by enhanced memory performance and larger ERP old/new differences. Experiencing acute stress prior to encoding enhanced the centro-parietal ERP old/new effect for emotionally arousing pictures at recognition, corroborating that acute stress facilitates memory for emotional scenes (Study 1). In contrast, attenuated LPPs for unpleasant pictures and impaired memory performance for arousing pictures were observed in breast cancer survivors (Study 2), indicating altered attention to emotion and subsequent emotional memory storage in chronically stressed individuals. When memory reactivation was followed by an interfering learning task, recognition memory and ERP old/new differences were attenuated for emotionally arousing scenes, selectively, showing the possibility that emotional memories might be modulated by behavioral interventions (Study 3). The results of all three studies are discussed and integrated into a model of memory modulation by stress and interference. The results highlight the importance of understanding the role of emotional arousal in the processes of memory formation, retrieval and reconsolidation. Moreover, shedding light on the differential effects of acute and chronic stress, interference and their possible interactions might help to prevent and even modify impairing memories that are one of the major concerns in stress- and fear-related mental disorders.
Nachweis der Expression von Adrenorezeptoren auf murinen und humanen Pankreaskarzinomzelllinien
(2013)
Das Pankreaskarzinom ist eine der bösartigsten Krebserkrankungen des Menschen und gehört zu den häufigsten Krebstodesursachen. Die heute zur Verfügung stehenden Therapiemöglichkeiten sind begrenzt und nicht zufriedenstellend. Es ist umso wichtiger neue und alternative Therapieansätze zu erforschen, um in Zukunft den Patienten eine bessere Prognose und Präventionsmaßnahmen zu ermöglichen. Generell scheint Stress und die dadurch bedingte Ausschüttung von Stresshormonen eine wichtige Rolle in der Tumorpathogenese zu haben. Es konnte bereits bei einigen anderen Tumorentitäten gezeigt werden, dass Stress, vermittelt über Katecholamine und die konsekutive Aktivierung von Adrenorezeptoren zu einer Proliferation, Invasion und Migration von Tumorzellen führen kann. Ebenso konnte ein inhibitorischer Effekt auf das Tumorwachstum nach der Behandlung mit entsprechenden Antagonisten, also Adrenorezeptor-blockierenden Substanzen, beobachtet werden. Obwohl es diese Erkenntnisse bereits gibt, sind die zu Grunde liegenden Pathomechanismen auf molekularer und zellulärer Ebene nur unzureichend erforscht. Ein Verständnis gerade dieser Pathomechanismen bildet jedoch die Grundlage für die Entwicklung neuer Therapieoptionen. Die vorliegende Arbeit charakterisiert murine und humane Pankreaskarzinomzellen auf zellulärer Ebene bezüglich des Vorhandenseins von Adrenorezeptoren. Die verschiedenen Pankreaskarzinomzelllinien wurden mit drei unterschiedlichen wissenschaftlich etablierten Methoden auf die Genexpression und das Vorhandensein der Rezeptoren untersucht. Zunächst wurde mittels des Real-Time-PCR-Verfahrens die Genexpression der Rezeptoren auf den Zellen ermittelt und quantifiziert. Im folgenden Schritt wurden die Adrenorezeptoren außerdem auf Proteinebene mit Hilfe der Western Blot-Methode auf den Tumorzellen dargestellt. Abschließend konnten die Rezeptorproteine in der Immunfluoreszenzfärbung nachgewiesen und so veranschaulicht werden. Die Arbeit konnte zeigen, dass sowohl alpha- als auch beta-Rezeptoren bei den murinen und den humanen Karzinomzelllinien exprimiert werden. Zum Teil konnten Unterschiede bezüglich des Vorhandenseins der Subtypen der Adrenorezeptoren ausgemacht werden. Der beta1-Adrenorezeptor wurde nur bei den humanen Karzinomzelllinien MiaPaCa-2 und BXPC-3 nachgewiesen, wohingegen der beta2-Rezeptor bei allen untersuchten Zelllinien nachgewiesen werden konnte. Die Expression des alpha1b-Adrenorezeptor wurde bei den murinen Zelllinien 6606PDA, 6606liver und DT7265 und der humanen Zelllinie BXPC-3 nachgewiesen. Der alpha1d-Rezeptor wurde nur bei murinen Zelllinien, d.h. bei 6606PDA, 6606liver, TD1, TD2, DT7265 gefunden. Die Expression des alpha2a-Adrenorezeptors wurde mit Ausnahme der humanen Zelllinie BXPC-3 bei allen anderen untersuchten Pankreaskarzinomzelllinien nachgewiesen werden, wohingegen der alpha2b-Adrenorezeptor nur bei den humanen Zelllinien nachgewiesen werden konnte. Welche Bedeutung diesen Unterschieden in Qualität und Quantität zukommt, bleibt weiterhin offen. Sicher ist, dass jede der Pankreaskarzinomzelllinien mit Stressrezeptoren ausgestattet ist. Welche Funktion sie haben und wie groß ihre Bedeutung für die Tumorpathogenese ist, muss in weiteren Studien untersucht werden. Möglicherweise könnten die Adrenorezeptoren der Pankreastumorzellen als Angriffspunkt neuer Therapien dienen.