Psychoneuroendocrinology最新文献

{"title":"Affect regulation and allostatic load over time","authors":"Amanda E. Ng ,&nbsp;Tara Gruenewald ,&nbsp;Robert-Paul Juster ,&nbsp;Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Emerging work suggests that affect regulation strategies (e.g., active coping, anger expression) predict disease and mortality risk, with sometimes divergent estimates by sex or education levels. However, few studies have examined potential underlying biological mechanisms. This study assessed the longitudinal association of affect regulation with future allostatic load.</p></div><div><h3>Method</h3><p>In 2004–2006, 574 participants from the Midlife in the United States study completed validated scales assessing use of nine general and emotion-specific regulatory strategies (e.g., denial, anger expression). As a proxy for how flexibly participants regulate their affect, variability in the use of regulatory strategies was operationalized using a standard deviation-based algorithm and considered categorically (i.e., lower, moderate, greater variability) to assess non-linear effects. Participants also provided data on relevant covariates and 24 allostatic load biomarkers (e.g., cortisol, blood pressure). In 2017–2021, these biomarkers were again collected. Linear regressions modeled betas (β) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) examining associations of affect regulatory constructs with future allostatic load.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>In fully-adjusted models including initial allostatic load, general regulatory strategies were unrelated to future allostatic load. Yet, greater versus moderate affect regulation variability levels predicted lower allostatic load (β=−0.14; 95 %CI: −0.27, −0.01). Only among more educated participants, greater use of anger expression predicted lower allostatic load, while the reverse was noted with anger control (β_expression=−0.12; 95 %CI: −0.20, −0.05; β_control=0.14; 95 %CI: 0.05, 0.24).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>While general regulatory strategies appeared unrelated to allostatic load, greater variability in their use and anger-related strategies showed predictive value. Subsequent studies should examine these associations in larger, more diverse samples.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453024002087/pdfft?md5=ede3048ccd95c7bcd4d793c5456c7f24&pid=1-s2.0-S0306453024002087-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141907518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coming of age in war: Early life adversity, age at menarche, and mental health","authors":"Delaney J. Glass ,&nbsp;Meredith Reiches ,&nbsp;Patrick Clarkin","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Armed conflict and forced migration (ACFM) represent a set of extreme environments that are increasingly common for children and adolescents to experience. Adolescence may constitute a sensitive period (puberty and psychoneurological maturation) through which ACFM adversity leaves a lasting mark. Adolescence has become a focal point for analysis and intervention as it relates to the effects of early life adversity on puberty, linear growth, and mental health. Research in public health and psychological science suggests early life adversity (ELA) may accelerate puberty, heightening risks for mental health disorders. However, it is not well substantiated whether ACFM-derived adversities accelerate or delay relative pubertal timing. Secondly, ACFM provides salient context through which to probe the relationships between nutritional, psychosocial, and demographic changes and their respective impact on puberty and mental health. We conducted a narrative review which 1) examined constructions of early life adversity and their proposed influence on puberty 2) reviewed empirical findings (n = 29 studies, n = 36 samples) concerning effects of ACFM ELA on age at menarche and 3) discussed proposed relationships between early life adversity, puberty, and mental ill-health. Contrary to prior research, we found war-derived early life adversity was more consistently associated with pubertal delay than acceleration and may exert counterintuitive effects on mental health. We show that ELA cannot be operationalized in the same way across contexts and populations, especially in the presence of extreme forms of human stress and resilience. We further discuss the ethics of puberty research among conflict-affected youth.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141917301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does it need an app? – Differences between app-guided breathing and natural relaxation in adolescents after acute stress","authors":"Daniel Schleicher ,&nbsp;Irina Jarvers ,&nbsp;Martin Kocur ,&nbsp;Stephanie Kandsperger ,&nbsp;Romuald Brunner ,&nbsp;Angelika Ecker","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A key component of stress management and biofeedback training is the use of relaxation exercises, such as slow/deep breathing (6 breaths/minute) in heart coherence exercises (HCEs). Breathing exercises are also increasingly being integrated into smartphones as part of health apps, though their effectiveness in adolescents after acute stress has rarely been validated scientifically. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of an app-guided HCE (<em>n</em> = 36) after an acute stress situation (Trier Social Stress Test) compared with natural relaxation (<em>n</em> = 37), among healthy adolescents (aged 11–17 years). Endocrine, autonomic, and psychological stress parameters (cortisol, alpha-amylase, heart rate, heart rate variability, mood) were examined in 73 adolescents (46 female, 27 male; <em>M</em>_age = 13.86, <em>SD</em>_age = 1.87). Significant group differences were found in heart rate variability, with higher values in the low frequency band and low-to-high frequency ratio for the HCE condition, possibly indicating improved physiological functions through the stimulation of vagal tone and baroreflex. The use of a general breathing technique (natural and app-guided) also resulted in stronger relaxation reactions in cortisol when controlling for the previous stronger stress reactivity. On the other hand, app-guided slow breathing without a long training may be experienced as more uncomfortable during relaxation. The integration of breathing exercises in health apps for adolescents appears to be useful, offering a helpful and low-threshold coping/relaxation strategy during acute stress situations. Further studies should examine the benefits of app-guided breathing exercises in both psychiatric samples and the general population across a wide age range.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453024001938/pdfft?md5=a821f0b1238b131e341ae0fbf005ad51&pid=1-s2.0-S0306453024001938-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141907519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “Case-co-twin studies as a methodology to examine the adversity immunophenotype while excluding genetic effects: The immunotwin cohort” [Psychoneuroendocrinology (2024) 42-43]","authors":"Jeanne Le Cléac’h ,&nbsp;Archibold Mposhi ,&nbsp;Sophie Mériaux ,&nbsp;Dominika Repcikova ,&nbsp;Dmitry Kuznetsov ,&nbsp;Lena Weigel ,&nbsp;Conchita D’Ambrosio ,&nbsp;Claus Vögele ,&nbsp;Martin Diewald ,&nbsp;Jonathan D. Turner","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107113","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107113","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453024001574/pdfft?md5=adbfcbf20f70a92d39fe6a5f81a01cf7&pid=1-s2.0-S0306453024001574-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141936817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of cortisol in development and treatment of PTSD among service members: A narrative review","authors":"Kiara H. Buccellato ,&nbsp;Alan L. Peterson","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a pervasive issue within military populations, with approximately 29 % of post-9/11 service members experience PTSD at some point in their lifetime. One potentially important factor in PTSD development and treatment response is dysregulation of the stress response system stemming from exposure to multiple traumas and sustained operational stress associated with military training and deployment. In particular, the end-product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, cortisol, is of particular interest to researchers examining physiological stress response in the context of mental health. Research exploring cortisol has been ongoing for decades, both to further understand its pathways and mechanisms, and to develop potential novel PTSD treatments. This paper provides a narrative review of some of the published literature examining cortisol’s role in PTSD as a potential factor in development, maintenance, and treatment augmentation, with emphasis on military populations. The results of this review highlight the importance of exploring alterations to the stress response system, and cortisol in particular, for the evaluation and treatment of PTSD in the military, the need for more comprehensive work towards understanding development of these alterations through military training and service, and its impact on long-term PTSD outcomes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141795806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Oxytocin receptor control social information about fear expression of others in mice","authors":"Yumi Saito ,&nbsp;Kazutaka Mogi ,&nbsp;Takefumi Kikusui","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The social functions of oxytocin are diverse, and the specific aspects of information processing involved in emotional contagion remain unclear. We compared some fear-related behaviors among oxytocin receptor knockout mice and oxytocin-receptor-reduced mice with that of wild-type mice. In the observational fear assay, which reflects fear emotional contagion, mice that observed other individuals receiving electric shocks exhibited vicarious freezing. Mice with reduced or knockout oxytocin receptor expression showed reduced vicarious freezing. In the emotional discrimination assay, which reflects the ability to perceive others’ emotional cues, we compared approach and scent-sniffing behaviors toward fear and emotionally neutral individuals. While wild-type mice were able to detect the fear emotion of others, mice with reduced or knocked-out oxytocin receptors showed reduced discrimination ability. In the fear behavior assays, which do not present social cues, we did not find these differences in oxytocin receptor expression in the brain. These findings indicate that oxytocin plays a role in emotional contagion by perceiving the emotions of others.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453024001951/pdfft?md5=d0c51600fa93fdb3228f6df42c03a53f&pid=1-s2.0-S0306453024001951-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141796625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hyperglycemia sensitizes female mice to stress-induced depressive-like behavior in an inflammation-independent manner","authors":"Laura E. Kusumo,&nbsp;Kayla R. Gilley-Connor,&nbsp;Madilyn G. Johnson,&nbsp;Grace M. Hall,&nbsp;Avery E. Gillett,&nbsp;Riley G. McCready,&nbsp;Elisabeth G. Vichaya","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Depression is a multifaceted disorder that represents one of the most common causes of disability. The risk for developing depression is increased in women and among individuals with chronic diseases. For example, individuals in the United States with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at a twofold increased risk of developing depression compared to the general population and approximately one-quarter of women with diabetes have comorbid depression. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association between diabetes and depression is not fully understood and is particularly under-investigated in female models. We sought to explore the role of neuroinflammation in diabetes-induced depression in a female mouse model of hyperglycemia.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>To this end, we utilized female C57BL/6 J mice to (1) characterize the depressive-like symptoms in response to 75 mg/kg/day dose of streptozotocin (STZ) over 5 days, a dose reported to induce hyperglycemia in female mice (<em>n</em>=20), (2) determine if female hyperglycemic mice are sensitized to unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS)-induced depressive-like behavior and neuroinflammation (<em>n</em>=28), and (3) investigate if female hyperglycemic mice are primed to respond to a subthreshold dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an acute inflammatory challenge (<em>n</em>=21).</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Our results demonstrate that female mice exhibit robust hyperglycemia but limited evidence of depressive-like behavior in response to 75 mg/kg STZ. Additionally, we observe that healthy female mice have limited response to our stress protocol; however, hyperglycemic mice display increased stress-sensitivity as indicated by increased immobility in the forced swim test. While STZ mice show evidence of mild neuroinflammation, this effect was blunted by stress. Further, STZ mice failed to display a sensitization to inflammation-induced depressive-like behavior.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>We interpret this data to indicate that while STZ-induced hyperglycemia does increase vulnerability to stress-induced depressive-like behavior, this effect is not a consequence of neuroinflammatory priming. Future studies will seek to better understand the mechanisms underlying this sensitization.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141796344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reduced hippocampal volume unmasks distinct impacts of cumulative adverse childhood events (ACEs) on psychotic-like experiences in late childhood and early adolescence","authors":"Katherine S.F. Damme ,&nbsp;Ivanka Ristanovic ,&nbsp;Vijay A. Mittal","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Stress is associated with increased vulnerability to psychosis, yet the mechanisms that contribute to these effects are poorly understood. Substantial literature has linked reduced hippocampal volume to both psychosis risk and early life stress. However, less work has explored the direct and indirect effects of stress on psychosis through the hippocampus in preclinical samples- when vulnerability for psychosis is accumulating. The current paper leverages the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study sample to examine whether objective psychosocial stressors, specifically adverse childhood experiences (ACE), are linked to vulnerability for psychosis, measured by psychotic-like experiences (PLE) severity, in late childhood and early adolescence, both directly and indirectly through the deleterious effects of stress on the hippocampus. Baseline data from 11,728 individuals included previously examined and validated items to assess ACE exposure, hippocampal volume, and PLE severity – a developmentally appropriate metric of risk for psychosis. Objective psychosocial stress exposure in childhood was associated with elevated PLE severity during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Hippocampal volume was significantly reduced in individuals with greater PLE severity and greater childhood stress exposure compared to peers with low symptoms or low stress exposure. These findings are consistent with a hippocampal vulnerability model of psychosis risk. Stress exposure may cumulatively impact hippocampal volume and may also reflect a direct pathway of psychosis risk. Objective psychosocial stress should be considered as a treatment target that may impact neurodevelopment and psychosis risk.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141845260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of probiotic supplementation on sleep, depression-like behaviour, and central glucose and lactate metabolism in male and female pubertal mice exposed to chronic sleep disruption","authors":"Michael Murack ,&nbsp;Anthony K. Kadamani ,&nbsp;Alexi Guindon-Riopel ,&nbsp;Olivia H. Traynor ,&nbsp;Umar Haris Iqbal ,&nbsp;Stéphane Bronner ,&nbsp;Claude Messier ,&nbsp;Nafissa Ismail","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The prevalence of depression significantly increases during puberty and adolescence. Puberty is the period during which sexual maturity is attained, while adolescence persists beyond puberty and includes physiological, social, emotional, and cognitive maturation. A stressor that has been shown previously to induce depression is chronic sleep disruption. Probiotics can prevent stress-induced depression. However, it was unclear whether probiotics could prevent depression following chronic sleep disruption and what mechanism may be involved. Therefore, we investigated whether pubertal probiotic treatment could prevent depression-like behavior in mice following chronic sleep disruption. We also examined whether probiotic treatment could improve sleep quality, and increase serotonin, tryptophan, glucose, and L-lactate concentrations in chronically sleep-disrupted mice. We hypothesized that probiotic treatment would prevent depression-like behavior, improve sleep quality, and increase serotonin, tryptophan, glucose, and L-lactate concentrations in sleep-disrupted mice. Male and female mice (N=120) received cannula and electroencephalogram (EEG) electrode implants at postnatal day (PND) 26. Mice received Lacidofil® or Cerebiome® probiotics (PND 33–51) and were sleep-disrupted for the first 4 hours of the light phase (sleep period) (PND 40–51). Hippocampal L-lactate and glucose concentrations and sleep were measured over a 24-h period (PND 48–49). Depression-like behaviour was evaluated using tail suspension (PND 49) and forced swim tests (PND 50). Chronic sleep disruption increased depression-like behaviour and NREM duration in the dark phase, and reduced all metabolites and neuromodulating biomolecules measured within the brain. However, mice treated with probiotics did not display depression-like behaviour or decreased hippocampal L-lactate following chronic sleep disruption. Cerebiome prevented decreases to prefrontal serotonin and hippocampal glucose concentrations, while Lacidofil increased NREM duration in the latter half of the light phase. The current study not only replicates previous findings linking chronic sleep disruption to depression, but also demonstrates that pubertal probiotic treatment can mitigate the effects of chronic sleep disruption on depression-like behaviour and on the neural mechanisms underlying depression in a strain-dependent manner.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453024001914/pdfft?md5=41eed72e682ed14a189ffd7db05ef771&pid=1-s2.0-S0306453024001914-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141848822","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of human-animal interaction on salivary and urinary oxytocin in children and dogs","authors":"Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan ,&nbsp;Katherine M. King ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Carranza ,&nbsp;Abigail C. Flyer ,&nbsp;Gianna Ossello ,&nbsp;Paige G. Smith ,&nbsp;Netzin G. Steklis ,&nbsp;H. Dieter Steklis ,&nbsp;C. Sue Carter ,&nbsp;Jessica J. Connelly ,&nbsp;Melissa Barnett ,&nbsp;Nancy Gee ,&nbsp;Stacey R. Tecot ,&nbsp;Evan L. MacLean","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Oxytocin pathways are hypothesized to play important roles in human-animal interactions and may contribute to some benefits of these interspecific social relationships. We explored the effects of naturalistic interactions between children and dogs on oxytocin release in both species, as well as associations between methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (<em>OXTR</em>m), social behavior, and oxytocin response in this context. Children (N = 55) participated in a within-subjects design involving a) interaction with their pet dog, b) interaction with an unfamiliar dog, and c) a nonsocial control condition (solitary play). We used immunoassays to measure salivary and urinary oxytocin in both the children and dogs, behavioral coding to characterize dog-child interactions, and bisulfite sequencing to quantify methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene (N = 32 children). Child salivary oxytocin decreased moderately across time in all conditions, but the extent of this effect varied between conditions, with greater oxytocin output during interactions with dogs than the control condition. In the pet dog condition, children’s salivary oxytocin response was positively associated with the duration of visual co-orientation between the child and dog. Child urinary oxytocin did not deviate substantially from baseline in any condition. Children with higher levels of <em>OXTR</em>m had greater oxytocin output during interactions with their pet dogs, but lower oxytocin output in the control condition, and engaged in lower levels of affectionate interaction with dogs across conditions. Children’s pet dogs exhibited increases in salivary oxytocin, but we observed the opposite pattern in the unfamiliar dog, who exhibited decreases in both urinary and salivary oxytocin on average. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that oxytocin pathways may shape and respond to social interactions between children and dogs, highlighting an important role for companion animals in child development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141853206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}