Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Cortisol In Human Milk Predicts Child Bmi, Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, Tran Bao Le, Anna Chung, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective—Breastfeeding is linked to lower rates of childhood obesity. Human milk contains cortisol, known to regulate glucose storage and metabolism. We aimed to test the hypothesis that early exposure to cortisol in human breast milk helps to modulate infant BMI trajectories over the first two years of life.

Methods—Growth curve modeling was used to examine whether infant exposure to cortisol in human milk at 3 months predicted changes in child body mass index percentile (BMIP) at 6, 12, and 24 months of age in 51 breastfeeding mother-child pairs.

Results—Infants exposed to higher milk cortisol levels at 3 …

Gestational Hormone Profiles Predict Human Maternal Behavior At 1-Year Postpartum, Laura M. Glynn, Elyssia Poggi Davis, Curt A. Sandman, Wendy A. Goldberg

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In many non-human species, including primates, gestational reproductive hormones play an essential role in the onset of maternal motivation and behaviors. We investigated the associations between prepartum estradiol and progesterone and maternal behavior at 1-year postpartum in 177 women. Blood was obtained at five gestational time points and an index of quality of maternal care was determined using a well-validated mother-child interaction protocol. Women who exhibited higher quality maternal care at 1-year postpartum were characterized by unique gestational profiles of estradiol, progesterone and the estrogen to progesterone ratio; specifically by slower accelerations and levels of these hormone trajectories beginning in …

Antenatal Glucocorticoid Treatment Is Associated With Diurnal Cortisol Regulation In Term-Born Children, M. N. Edelmann, Curt A. Sandman, Laura M. Glynn, D. A. Wing, Elyssia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Due to the rapid developmental changes that occur during the fetal period, prenatal influences can affect the developing central nervous system with lifelong consequences for physical and mental health. Glucocorticoids are one of the proposed mechanisms by which fetal programing occurs. Glucocorticoids pass through the blood-brain barrier and target receptors throughout the central nervous system. Unlike endogenous glucocorticoids, synthetic glucocorticoids readily pass through the placental barrier to reach the developing fetus. The synthetic glucocorticoid, betamethasone, is routinely given prenatally to mothers at risk for preterm delivery. Over 25% of the fetuses exposed to betamethasone will be born at term. Few …

Subjective Well-Being And Cardiometabolic Health: An 8-11 Year Study Of Midlife Adults, Julia K. Boehm, Ying Chen, David R. Williams, Carol D. Ryff, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Objective: Individuals who are satisfied and experience frequent positive emotions tend to have reduced risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, conflicting evidence exists and little research has investigated whether well-being is associated with early-warning indicators of biological risk that precede CHD. We investigated whether life satisfaction and positive emotions longitudinally predicted reduced risk of incident cardiometabolic conditions and healthier cardiometabolic risk scores, which may provide insight into underlying mechanisms and novel prevention targets.

Methods: Initially healthy men and women (N=754–854) reported their baseline life satisfaction and positive emotions. During follow-up, presence of manifest cardiometabolic conditions was assessed …

Oscillatory Neural Responses Evoked By Natural Vestibular Stimuli In Humans, Steven Gale, Mario Prsa, Aaron Schurger, Annietta Gay, Aurore Paillard, Bruno Herbelin, Jean-Philippe Guyot, Christophe Lopez, Olaf Blanke

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

While there have been numerous studies of the vestibular system in mammals, less is known about the brain mechanisms of vestibular processing in humans. In particular, of the studies that have been carried out in humans over the last 30 years, none has investigated how vestibular stimulation (VS) affects cortical oscillations. Here we recorded high-density electroencephalography (EEG) in healthy human subjects and a group of bilateral vestibular loss patients (BVPs) undergoing transient and constant-velocity passive whole body yaw rotations, focusing our analyses on the modulation of cortical oscillations in response to natural VS. The present approach overcame significant technical challenges …

Relationship Of Optimism And Suicidal Ideation In Three Groups Of Patients At Varying Levels Of Suicide Risk, Jeff C. Huffman, Julia K. Boehm, Scott R. Beach, Eleanor E. Beale, Christina M. Dubois, Brian C. Healy

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Optimism has been associated with reduced suicidal ideation, but there have been few studies in patients at high suicide risk. We analyzed data from three study populations (total N=319) with elevated risk of suicide: (1) patients with a recent acute cardiovascular event, (2) patients hospitalized for heart disease who had depression or an anxiety disorder, and (3) patients psychiatrically hospitalized for suicidal ideation or following a suicide attempt. For each study we analyzed the association between optimism (measured by the Life-Orientation Test-Revised) and suicidal ideation, and then completed an exploratory random effects meta-analysis of the findings to synthesize this data. …

Postoperative Pain Management In Children Of Hispanic Origin: A Descriptive Cohort Study, Rebecca Brown, Michelle A. Fortier, Sheeva Zolghadr, Padma Gulur, Brooke N. Jenkins, Zeev N. Kain

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND:

It has been established that pain is frequently undertreated in children following outpatient surgery. Very few studies, however, have investigated this phenomenon in ethnically diverse populations.

METHODS:

This study included 105 families of children aged 2 to 15 years of Hispanic origin and low income undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery. Participating parents completed baseline and demographic packets. Recorded postoperative pain ratings and administration of analgesics at home for 1 week were collected during home visits.

RESULTS:

Despite the high (70%; 99% confidence interval [CI], 57%–82%) incidence of significant pain in the first 24 hours home, 32% (95% CI, …