Biological Psychology Commons^™

Nobody's Perfect: Examining The Relationship Between Parenting Traits And Perfectionism And The Impact Of Maladaptive Versus Adaptive Perfectionism On Cortisol Regulation After Receiving Criticism, Olivia G. Baron

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The trait of perfectionism has been related to both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Parenting traits, and attachment tendencies affect how children develop relationships and impact them into their adult lives. Parents have a large impact on their child’s personality traits, coping styles, and modeling reactions to outward criticism. Criticism, especially criticism delivered by parents, has been linked to perfectionism. Perfectionism often involves a self-critical component, though perfectionists have not been studied to examine stress responses (e.g. cortisol change) when receiving criticism. This study examined the relationships between parenting traits (positive and negative) and perfectionism (adaptive and maladaptive). Cortisol change scores …

An Ewas Of Dementia Biomarkers And Their Associations With Age, African Ancestry, And Ptsd, Mark W. Miller, Erika J. Wolf, Xiang Zhao, Mark W. Logue, Sage E. Hawn

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Large-scale cohort and epidemiological studies suggest that PTSD confers risk for dementia in later life but the biological mechanisms underlying this association remain unknown. This study examined this question by assessing the influences of PTSD, APOE ε4 genotypes, DNA methylation, and other variables on the age- and dementia-associated biomarkers Aβ40, Aβ42, GFAP, NfL, and pTau-181 measured in plasma. Our primary hypothesis was that PTSD would be associated with elevated levels of these markers.

Methods

Analyses were based on data from a PTSD-enriched cohort of 849 individuals. We began by performing factor analyses of the biomarkers, the results of which …

Mental Workload Modulates The Effects Of Baroreceptor Afferents On Sensorimotor Processing, Xiao Yang, Katie Herberlein, Anthony Reid, Dongfang Jiao, Fang Fang

Psychology Faculty Publications

The heart–brain interaction is the main mechanism for maintaining normative physiological processes, and its dysregulation underlies the somatic symptoms of various mental disorders. Cortical inhibition, triggered by afferent signals from baroreceptor activation, induces systematic variations in sensorimotor responses within a cardiac cycle, with reaction times (RTs) slower at cardiac systole compared to diastole (known as cardiac cycle time effects). However, recent data suggest that baroreceptor afferents not only inhibit simple responses but also facilitate complex sensorimotor responses during cardiac systole. The mental workload that is implicated in complex responses may modulate the cardiac cycle time effects. The current study aimed …

Short-Term Blood Pressure Variability Among Young Adults At High Or Low Risk For Depression, Balázs Bence Nyárády, Miklós Vértes, Edit Dósa, Xiao Yang, Charles J. George, Enikõ Kiss, Iidiko Baji, Krisztina Kapornai, Maria Kovacs

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Depression has been shown to have adverse effects on blood pressure (BP) and is associated with high blood pressure variability (BPV). In turn, high short-term BPV has been related to eventual cardiovascular risk. But it is not clear how early in adulthood the detrimental effects of depression on BPV may be discerned, if being at high risk for depression also compromises BPV, and whether the clinical features of depression moderate its adverse effects. We investigated these three issues among young adults using an office-like setting. Methods: In total, 218 subjects with a history of childhood-onset major depressive episodes (probands), …

Refining The Scope Of Genetic Influences On Alcohol Misuse Through Environmental Stratification And Gene-Environment Interaction, Jeanne E. Savage, Christiaan A. De Leeuw, Josefin Werme, Spit For Science Working Group, Danielle M. Dick, Danielle Posthuma, Sophie Van Der Sluis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background

Gene-environment interaction (G X E) is likely an important influence shaping individual differences in alcohol misuse (AM), yet it has not been extensively studied in molecular genetic research. In this study, we use a series of genome-wide gene-environment interaction (GWEIS) and in silico annotation methods with the aim of improving gene identification and biological understanding of AM.

Methods

We carried out GWEIS for four AM phenotypes in the large UK Biobank sample (N = 360,314), with trauma exposure and socioeconomic status (SES) as moderators of the genetic effects. Exploratory analyses compared stratified genome-wide association (GWAS) and GWEIS modeling approaches. …

Effect Of A Brief Coping Intervention On Activity Of Target Organs Of The Sympathetic And Parasympathetic Nervous Systems During Stress, Kyle P. Rawn

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Stress is a critical aspect of the human experience and how an individual responds to stress can shape future outcomes, such as physical and mental health, as well as shape the patterns of stress responding that persist throughout one’s lifespan. Coping is a central element of stress responding and can strongly influence the outcome of the stress process. Successful coping can alleviate stress, but ineffective coping may lead to less-than-optimal responding. For example, aspects of the biological stress response, such as activity of target organs for the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, have important implications for future susceptibility to health …

Identifying Patterns For Neurological Disabilities By Integrating Discrete Wavelet Transform And Visualization, Soo Yeon Ji, Sampath Jayarathna, Anne M. Perrotti, Katrina Kardiasmenos, Dong Hyun Jeong

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Neurological disabilities cause diverse health and mental challenges, impacting quality of life and imposing financial burdens on both the individuals diagnosed with these conditions and their caregivers. Abnormal brain activity, stemming from malfunctions in the human nervous system, characterizes neurological disorders. Therefore, the early identification of these abnormalities is crucial for devising suitable treatments and interventions aimed at promoting and sustaining quality of life. Electroencephalogram (EEG), a non-invasive method for monitoring brain activity, is frequently employed to detect abnormal brain activity in neurological and mental disorders. This study introduces an approach that extends the understanding and identification of neurological disabilities …