This year we have a dynamic group of speakers working at the frontier of social neuroendocrinology including topics such as partnering, relationships, prosocial behavior, stress and health, dominance hierarchies and aggression.
Ryan Bogdan, Ph.D. Cheryl McCormick, Ph.D. Richard Slatcher, Ph.D.
Amy Cuddy, Ph.D. Elizabeth Page-Gould, Ph.D. Alexa Veenema, Ph.D.
Carsten de Dreu, Ph.D. Gary Sherman, Ph.D. Michelle Wirth, Ph.D.
Matt Fuxjager, Ph.D. Zach Simmons, Ph.D.
Ryan Bogdan, Ph.D.
Washington University in St. Louis
Department of Psychology
Mineralocorticoid Receptor (NR3C2) iso/val (rs5522) genotype and Emotional Neglect Influence Threat-Related Amygdala Reactivity
Abstract: Perceptual processing of threat is strongly linked with amygdala reactivity, which is predictive of individual differences in anxiety and depression and predicted by functional genetic polymorphisms. Emerging research has linked emotional neglect (EN) during childhood with heightened threat-related reactivity and volumetric enlargement of the amygdala. Hence, genetic variation affecting threat responsiveness may interact with childhood EN to shape individual differences in amygdala reactivity. The mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) regulates HPA axis activity with MR overexpression in the amygdala reducing corticosterone and anxiety in rodents. Within the human MR gene (NR3C2), the val allele of a common missense isoleucine(iso)/valine(val) polymorphism (rs5522) is associated with reduced cortisol-related transactivation, heightened basal and stress-related HPA axis activity, and geriatric depression.
The main goals of the present study were to evaluate how this MR genotype and childhood EN map onto threat-related amygdala reactivity. To this end, 279 adolescents recruited from the community completed a widely utilized and well-characterized fMRI probe (matching angry and fearful faces) of threat-related amygdala reactivity and completed the childhood trauma questionnaire. We hypothesized that EN and MR val genotype would be associated with relatively heightened reactivity. Moreover, we hypothesized that a genotype x EN interaction would qualify these main effects wherein EN would be associated with heightened reactivity in iso homozygotes, but not val carriers (who would have heightened reactivity regardless of EN history).
After accounting for gender, pubertal status, and ancestry informative principal component variables, EN and MR val carrier status were associated with heightened right amygdala reactivity. Moreover, a significant interaction emerged, wherein EN was positively associated with reactivity in iso homozygotes but not val carriers. Collectively these effects accounted for 8% of the inter-individual variance in amygdala reactivity. The lack of an association between EN and amygdala reactivity in val carriers may be the consequence of heightened HPA activity (even under basal conditions) that may promote sensitivity to threat and the development of stress-related psychopathology regardless of previous stress exposure.
Amy Cuddy, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Harvard Business School
Effects of Posed Affiliative Nonverbal Postures on Testosterone Levels
Abstract: Coming soon.
Carsten de Dreu, Ph.D.
University of Amsterdam
Department of Psychology
Does Oxytocin Drive Creativity?
Abstract: Humans have a stunning capacity for creativity, yet its neurobiological underpinnings are poorly understood. Here we examine the link between creative cognition and oxytocin, a hypothalamic neuropeptide known to up-regulate approach orientation in humans. Our research includes a study on the relationship between plasma oxytocin and novelty seeking temperament, on genotype differences in creativity and OXTR polymorphism, and a series of double-blind placebo-controlled between-subjects designs in which effects of intranasal oxytocin (vs. placebo) on divergent thinking, and creative performance were examined. Initial results will be presented and possible implications will be discussed for the relevance of oxytocin to (treatment of) Autism Spectrum Disorder characterized by repetitive thought and excessive detail-oriented processing styles.
Matt Fuxjager, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles
Department of Physiological Science
Uncovering the Function of Post-victory Testosterone Release: Insights from Studies in Mice
Abstract: In many species, males increase circulating testosterone in response to periods of intense social competition and/or isolated fights with conspecifics. My research examines the functional significance of this physiological phenomenon, with a particular focus on the role of testosterone in mediating the so-called winner effect (i.e., an increased ability to win fights following prior victories). Using the territorial California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) as a model system, I show that post-victory testosterone release combines additively with experiential cues associated with victory to induce a full and robust winner effect. Interestingly, my work uncovers that formation of the winner effect depends on the location of a fight, as mice that win at home exhibit a testosterone response and develop a strong winner effect, while mice that win in unfamiliar locations do not mount a testosterone response and thus fail to form a full winner effect. I also demonstrate that winning experience and contextual cues associated with winning influence neural phenotype. In other words, the acquisition of victories at home increase the brain’s sensitivity to androgen hormones in select nodes of the mesolimbic system, whereas winning in unfamiliar locations induces fewer of these changes. Androgen sensitivity in these brain areas is positively associated with winning behavior, implying that social victories set-up a brain-level positive feedback loop among winning experience, testosterone release, and neuronal activation of aggression. Together, this work helps provide insight into the function of post-victory testosterone release and how it effectuates changes in behavioral phenotypes.
Cheryl McCormick, Ph.D.
Brock University
Department of Psychology
Social Moderation of Stress Responses in Adolescence and Effects on Social Behaviour in Adulthood in Rats
Abstract: Although organizational (programming) effects of steroid hormones once were considered limited to the perinatal period, there is increasing evidence that adolescence is an opportunity for gonadal and adrenal steroids to modify the trajectory of ongoing brain and behavioural development. I will present research from my lab illustrating how social relationships in adolescence alter stress reactivity. I will then present our recent findings as to the consequences of social stressors in adolescence on adult social behaviour in male rats, specifically social interactions with same-sex conspecifics and reproductive behaviour with females. Our findings suggest that, through effects on gonadal and adrenal function, social interactions in adolescence influence the acquisition of an appropriate social repertoire.
Elizabeth Page-Gould, Ph.D.
University of Toronto Scarborough
Department of Psychology
The Fickle Relationship Between Subjective and Hormonal Stress
Abstract: It is common to assume that activation of the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenocortical (HPA) axis reflects some aspect of our subjective experience of stress, either because stress hormones are seen as precursors of or responses to the psychological experience of stress. In this talk, I will discuss work examining the relationship between subjective and hormonal stress from a variety of perspectives, including a meta-analysis synthesizing 430 effects, measurement of acute stress reactivity combined with the stability of basal cortisol measurements over time, and lab inductions of acute stress reactivity. Altogether, it appears that there is great heterogeneity in the relationship between subjective stress and HPA activation, with a large number of studies finding no relationship at all. The typical relationship is reliable and positive, but small (r = .1). Among other implications for future research, this research calls into question the validity of inferring that participants are self-monitoring or underreporting when self-reports diverge from hormonal responses. Factors that moderate this relationship in the moment and across time will also be discussed.
Gary Sherman, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Kennedy School of Government
Higher Rank, Lower Cortisol: Power Buffers Stress
Abstract: As leaders ascend to more powerful positions in their groups, they face ever-increasing demands. As a result, there is a common perception that leaders have higher stress levels than nonleaders. However, if leaders also experience a heightened sense of control—a psychological factor known to have powerful stress-buffering effects—leadership should be associated with reduced stress levels. Using unique samples of real leaders, including military officers and government officials, we found that, compared with nonleaders, leaders had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower reports of anxiety (study 1). In study 2, leaders holding more powerful positions exhibited lower cortisol levels and less anxiety than leaders holding less powerful positions, a relationship explained significantly by their greater sense of control. Altogether, these findings reveal a clear relationship between leadership and stress, with leadership level being inversely related to stress.
Zach Simmons, Ph.D.
Birmingham-Southern College
Department of Psychology
Men’s Testosterone Responses to Potential Mates: Eliciting Conditions and Functional Consequences
Abstract (coauthored by J. Roney): Males of many vertebrate species exhibit rapid increases in testosterone and glucocorticoid concentrations after non-tactile exposure to potential mates. A recent series of studies likewise demonstrates that brief conversations with young women can trigger rapid testosterone and cortisol increases in young men. Still unclear from the human studies are the precise eliciting conditions for the endocrine responses, as well as the downstream effects of transient hormone increases. In this talk, we will briefly review results from the extant human and nonhuman literatures that address these two issues, and will then present new research findings on these topics. These findings suggest, first, that the rated physical attractiveness of social interaction partners positively predicts the magnitude of men’s testosterone responses and that men in committed relationships show attenuated responses relative to single men. Second, the new research provides some evidence that the magnitude of reactive testosterone increases positively predicts measures of risk-taking and future discounting measured at a delay of 30 minutes after the experimental social interactions. Although the latter finding is consistent with a risk-modulation function for reactive hormone increases, there are many interpretive ambiguities that limit the ability to infer functional causality from such correlations.
Richard Slatcher, Ph.D.
Wayne State University
Department of Psychology
Family Relationships and Cortisol in Everyday Life
Abstract: For over a decade, researchers have incorporated cortisol sampling into investigations of everyday stress in families. However, little is known about how specific ongoing stressors (e.g., work stress) are related to daily fluctuations in cortisol. Further, virtually all studies of everyday stress in families have overlooked child health, focusing exclusively on parents. Our research takes into account the whole family system. In this talk, I present work examining daily stress and cortisol in families and describe current research that uses an innovative technology to assess daily stressors at home. In Study 1, married couples provided saliva samples and indicated their worries about work while at home. Wives’ cortisol was associated positively with their own work worries and with their husbands’ work worries, whereas Husbands’ cortisol was associated positively only with their own work worries. Wives low in self-disclosure showed a stronger association between work worries and cortisol. In Study 2, the preschool-aged children of the couples from Study 1 provided saliva samples at home and wore a device called the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), a digital voice recorder that participants wear while going about their daily lives. EAR-assessed child conflict at home was associated with children having less “healthy” diurnal cortisol rhythms. I then describe our ongoing EAR research investigating the links between everyday family behaviors, asthma morbidity and biological mediators (including diurnal cortisol, gene expression, and epigenetic markers) in adolescents in Detroit, MI. Discussion focuses on the use of emerging technologies and biomarkers in social and clinical health research.
Alexa Veenema, Ph.D.
Boston College
Department of Psychology
Quality of the Early Life Social Environment Determines Differential Expression of Juvenile and Adult Aggressive Behaviors: Link to Vasopressin and Oxytocin Systems
Abstract (coauthored by Q. Meng and R. Bredewold): The early life social environment has profound effects on brain development and subsequent expression of aggressive behaviors. Vasopressin and oxytocin are expressed in the brain during early development and are important regulators of social behavior. This suggests that early life social experiences may alter aggressive behaviors via changes in the vasopressin and/or oxytocin systems. To test this hypothesis, and to gain mechanistic insights, we have utilized two rodent models mimicking either a deprived early social environment (maternal separation) or an adverse early social environment (peer victimization). Maternal separation (rat or mouse litters separated from the dam for 3 h per day during the first two weeks of life) was found to increase aggressive behaviors during juvenile play-fighting and adult aggression. These behavioral alterations were associated with alterations in oxytocin and vasopressin systems in the brain. We also found a causal relationship between changes in vasopressin responsiveness in the lateral septum and impaired social recognition in maternally separated rats. Peer victimization (a 3-week-old male rat, the “victim”, housed with two older same-sex rats for a period of two weeks) was found to decrease dominant behaviors during play-fighting in home-cage and resident-intruder settings. Peer victimization also increased anxiety-related behavior. We are currently investigating changes in vasopressin and oxytocin systems in this model. These initial findings suggest that differences in the quality of the early life social environment result in the differential expression of aggressive behaviors, likely mediated, in part, via changes in vasopressin and oxytocin brain systems.
Michelle Wirth, Ph.D.
University of Notre Dame
Department of Psychology
Not Just Social: Evidence for Broader Effects of Oxytocin on Human Cognition
Abstract (coauthored by A. Gaffey): The peptide hormone oxytocin (OT) affects bonding and other affiliative social behaviors across species, but its role in human cognition is less clear. Some have concluded that OT targets social or socio-emotional cognition without affecting cognition more broadly. However, since OT-cognition studies have largely restricted their examination to processing of social-emotional material, such as images of faces, evidence for this conclusion is lacking. Also, some studies have reported effects of OT on processing of non-social stimuli, and more general effects (e.g. on anxiety or stress) that could globally impact cognitive processing. Furthermore, OT receptors exist in brain regions involved in learning and memory and executive function, giving a plausible mechanism by which OT may generally affect cognitive functions, including working memory. We tested the effects of intranasal OT on working memory and on declarative memory in two placebo-controlled, double-blind studies. We found that, in women (N=40), OT impairs working memory in an “n-back” task using abstract shapes. At the same time, OT had no effect on declarative memory of emotion-related images, casting doubt on the idea that OT has specific effects on emotional processing only. We also report effects of OT on steroid hormone levels, and suggestive evidence for interactions between OT and steroid hormones on cognition. In conclusion, OT appears to have broader effects on the human brain besides only influencing social cognition.