R-3 Repository :: Browsing by Author "Fagundes, Christopher P."

Browsing by Author "Fagundes, Christopher P."

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Attachment and telomere length: more evidence for psychobiological connections between close relationships, health, and aging
(Springer, 2018) Murdock, Kyle W.; Zilioli, Samuele; Ziauddin, Khadija; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Individuals with a history of poor interpersonal relationships are more likely to demonstrate negative health outcomes than those who have had high quality relationships. We sought to evaluate how attachment orientations, stress-induced respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and self-reported stress were associated with length of telomeres measured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Participants (N = 213) completed self-report measures of attachment and stress. Measurement of RSA was conducted before and after a stressful task and a blood draw was completed for analysis of telomere length. Attachment orientations were not directly associated with telomere length; however, we found that high attachment anxiety was associated with shorter length of telomeres via high self-reported stress. Attachment avoidance was also associated with telomere length via self-reported stress, but only among those with high stress-induced RSA. Exploratory analyses of T cell subsets indicated that stress was most strongly associated with telomeres from CD8CD28+ cells in comparison to CD8CD28− and CD4 cells. Study findings indicate that attachment orientations are associated with telomere length via stress, providing novel insights into the mechanisms through which close relationships can impact health and aging.
Bereavement and Food: An investigation of postprandial immune responses
(2021-08-12) Brown, Ryan L; Fagundes, Christopher P.
The death of a spouse is the most common stressful life event that adults are likely to face. As a result of prolonged physiological dysregulation, bereaved individuals are at considerable risk for morbidity and mortality, primarily in the first three months following bereavement and most commonly from heart disease. In my thesis, I examined how (a) bereavement status and (b) prolonged cognitive activation of a stressor (i.e., perseverative cognition) might influence inflammation after a high-fat meal. Following the death of one’s spouse, many bereaved individuals are at increased nutritional risk due to eating alone, skipping meals, and having a poorer overall diet. Bereaved spouses often attribute these changes to a loss of the shared experience of eating together. I hypothesized that people would experience different degrees of inflammation following a meal high in saturated fat based on (1) bereavement status and (2) their tendency to worry or ruminate (defined later as perseverative cognition). I recruited 14 recently bereaved and 14 matched controls who came to the lab for a blood draw before and 4 hours after eating a high saturated fat meal. Overall, there was mixed support for my hypotheses: (1) there were no reliable differences in postprandial inflammation based on whether a participant was bereaved or a matched control. (2) Although there was not an average increase in inflammation from pre- to post-meal in this study, higher levels of trait worry, but not rumination, were associated with increased postprandial inflammation, particularly among the bereaved participants.
Biological mechanisms underlying widowhood's health consequences: Does diet play a role?
(Elsevier, 2021) Fagundes, Christopher P.; Wu, E. Lydia
The loss of a spouse is a highly stressful event that puts older adults at increased risk for morbidity and mortality. The risk is highest in the first year to 18 months post-loss; nevertheless, widow(er)s, in general, are at heightened risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) related morbidity and mortality, and to a lesser extent, non-CVD related morbidity and mortality. The primary goal of this article is to argue for a perspective that considers diet and emotion-induced autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune dysregulation, in unison, to understand the mechanisms underlying morbidity and mortality in early widowhood. Toward this end, we first summarize our previously published work, as well as work from other investigatory teams, showing that compared with those who were not bereaved, widow(er)s have higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine production and more dysregulated autonomic and neuroendocrine activity than non-widow(er)s, independent of health behaviors such as diet. We highlight that a major gap in our current understanding of the biobehavioral mechanisms that underlie the widowhood effect is the role of diet and hypothesize that the adverse health impact of grief and associated negative emotions and diet may be more than additive. Therefore, we propose that diet may be a pathway by which widow(er)s are at higher CVD risk requiring further investigation.
Emotion Regulation, Parasympathetic Function, and Psychological Well-Being
(Frontiers Media S.A., 2022) Brown, Ryan L.; Chen, Michelle A.; Paoletti, Jensine; Dicker, Eva E.; Wu-Chung, E. Lydia; LeRoy, Angie S.; Majd, Marzieh; Suchting, Robert; Thayer, Julian F.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
The negative emotions generated following stressful life events can increase one’s risk of depressive symptoms and promote higher levels of perceived stress. The process model of emotion regulation can help distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies to determine who may be at the greatest risk of worse psychological health across the lifespan. Heart rate variability (HRV) may affect these relationships as it indexes aspects of self-regulation, including emotion and behavioral regulation, that enable an individual to dynamically adapt to the changing demands of both internal and external environments. In this study, we expected individual differences in resting vagally mediated HRV to moderate the influence of emotion regulatory strategies among our sample of 267 adults. We found support for the hypothesis that higher vagally mediated HRV buffers against the typical adverse effects of expressive suppression when evaluating depressive symptoms and found weak support when considering perceived stress. There was no evidence for an interaction between cognitive reappraisal and vagally mediated HRV but there was a significant, negative association between cognitive reappraisal and depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Future work may determine if intervening on either emotion regulation strategies or HRV may change these within-persons over time.
Exercise, inflammation, and fatigue in cancer survivors
(International Society of Exercise and Immunology, 2016) LaVoy, Emily C.P.; Fagundes, Christopher P.; Dantzer, Robert
Cancer-related fatigue significantly disrupts normal functioning and quality of life for a substantial portion of cancer survivors, and may persist for years following cancer treatment. While the causes of persistent fatigue among cancer survivors are not yet fully understood, accumulating evidence suggests that several pathways, including chronic inflammation, autonomic imbalance, HPA-axis dysfunction, and/or mitochondrial damage, could contribute towards the disruption of normal neuronal function and result in the symptom of cancer-related fatigue. Exercise training interventions have been shown to be some of the more successful treatment options to address cancer-related fatigue. In this review, we discuss the literature regarding the causes of persistent fatigue in cancer survivors and the mechanisms by which exercise may relieve this symptom. There is still much work to be done until the prescription of exercise becomes standard practice for cancer survivors. With improvements in the quality of studies, evidenced-based exercise interventions will allow exercise scientists and oncologists to work together to treat cancer-related fatigue.
Fatigue in Parkinson's disease: report from a mutidisciplinary symposium
(Nature Publishing Group, 2016) Friedman, Joseph H.; Beck, James C.; Chou, Kelvin L.; Clark, Gracia; Fagundes, Christopher P.; Goetz, Christopher G.; Herlofson, Karen; Kluger, Benzi; Krupp, Lauren B.; Lang, Anthony E.; Lou, Jao-Shin; Marsh, Laura; Newbould, Anne; Weintraub, Daniel
Fatigue is a severe problem for many people living with Parkinson's disease (PD). Best estimates suggest that more than 50% of patients experience this debilitating symptom. Little is known about its etiology or treatment, making the understanding of fatigue a true unmet need. As part of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation Community Choice Research Program, patients, caregivers, and scientists attended a symposium on fatigue on 16 and 17 October 2014. We present a summary of that meeting, reviewing what is known about the diagnosis and treatment of fatigue, its physiology, and what we might learn from multiple sclerosis (MS), depression, and cancer-disorders in which fatigue figures prominently too. We conclude with focused recommendations to enhance our understanding and treatment of this prominent problem in PD.
Fear of missing out and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic
(Wiley, 2023) LeRoy, Angie S.; Lai, Vincent D.; Tsay-Jones, Arya; Fagundes, Christopher P.
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments issued public health safety measures (e.g., “stay-at-home” ordinances), leaving many people “missing out” on integral social aspects of their own lives. The fear of missing out, popularly shortened as, “FoMO,” is a felt sense of unease one experiences when they perceive they may be missing out on rewarding and/or enjoyable experiences. Among 76 participants (ages M = 69.36, SD = 5.34), who were at risk for hospitalization or death if infected with COVID-19, we found that FoMO was associated with depressive symptoms at Time 1, even when controlling for perceived stress, loneliness, and fear of COVID-19. However, FoMO did not predict future depressive symptoms, about 1 week later, when controlling for Time 1 depressive symptoms. These findings provide further evidence that FoMO is associated with depressive symptoms in a short period of time even when accounting for other powerful social factors such as loneliness. Future research should explore the potential causal relationships between FoMO and depression, especially those that may establish temporal precedence.
Lexical markers of cognitive reappraisal, bereavement, and proinflammatory cytokine production
(American Psychological Association, 2023) Shahane, Anoushka D.; Brown, Ryan L.; Denny, Bryan T.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Objective: The loss of a spouse is considered one of the most significant life change-related stressors. Bereaved spouses have significantly increased risk of chronic inflammation, and ultimately greater morbidity and mortality. High levels of proinflammatory cytokines are related to negative health outcomes. In bereavement, the ability to successfully regulate emotion is a vital skill for healthy coping and may represent a key psychological mechanism accounting for varying degrees of resilience. Psychological distancing is a frequently adaptive emotion regulation strategy in which an individual appraises a negative situation by taking a step back and distancing oneself, and coolly evaluates what is happening. The objective of the present work was to investigate whether psychological distancing, implemented implicitly via natural language use (i.e., linguistic distancing [LD]), is related to inflammation and bereavement-related health indicators. Method: Participants (N = 144) underwent a blood draw for the inflammation assay, completed questionnaire measures evaluating grief symptoms and health, and completed an oral task describing their relationship with their deceased spouse, which was used for the lexical analyses. Results: We found that LD was significantly associated with a panel of a priori proinflammatory stimulated cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-17A, and IL-2), bereavement-related health indices, and the relationship between grief symptoms and inflammation varied depending on the participants’ implementation of LD. Conclusions: LD may have a buffering effect for this vulnerable population. This work elucidates novel dependencies among language, emotion, and health. This work identifies resilience factors and probes the translational value of LD.
Low childhood subjective social status and telomere length in adulthood: The role of attachment orientations
(Wiley, 2018) Murdock, Kyle W.; Seiler, Annina; Chirinos, Diana A.; Garcini, Luz M.; Acebo, Sally L.; Cohen, Sheldon; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Low subjective social status (SSS) in childhood places one at greater risk of a number of health problems in adulthood. Theoretical and empirical evidence indicates that exposure to supportive parenting may buffer the negative effects of low childhood SSS on adult health. Given the importance of supportive caregivers and close others for the development of attachment orientations throughout the lifespan, attachment theory may be important for understanding why some individuals are resilient to the negative effects of low childhood SSS on adult health while others are not. We examined if attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance altered the association between childhood subjective social status (SSS) and length of telomeres in white blood cells in adulthood. Shorter telomere length is associated with increased risk of age‐related diseases including cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Participants (N = 128) completed self‐report measures of childhood SSS and attachment orientations, as well as a blood draw. We found that among those with low childhood SSS, low attachment anxiety was associated with longer telomere length in white blood cells in comparison to high attachment anxiety controlling for participant age, sex, race, body mass index, and adult SSS. Among those with high childhood SSS, low attachment anxiety was associated with a slight decrease in telomere length. Attachment avoidance was unrelated to length of telomeres. Such findings provide further evidence for the role that close relationships may have on buffering SSS related health disparities.
Obesity, Dietary Factors, Nutrition, and Breast Cancer Risk
(Springer, 2018) Seiler, Annina; Chen, Michelle A.; Brown, Ryan L.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Purpose of Review: To synthesize the critical role of obesity-associated inflammation, dietary factors, and nutrition in determining breast cancer risk. Recent Findings: Obesity-associated inflammation is strongly linked to breast cancer risk and progression, largely via two processes: inflammatory pathways and dysregulated metabolism. Cytokine production in excess adipose tissues creates a chronic inflammatory microenvironment, which favors tumor development. Lifestyle factors, including diet, have long been recognized as important determinants of breast cancer risk and mortality. Summary: Obesity increases the risk of developing breast cancer in both pre- and postmenopausal women and also negatively affects breast cancer recurrence and survival. Poor dietary habits characterized by the high intake of refined starches, sugar, and both saturated and trans-saturated fats, as well as the low intake of omega-3 fatty acids, natural antioxidants, and fiber, modulate inflammation and, thereby, appear to be linked to increased risk of breast cancer and mortality.
Perceived partner responsiveness alters the association between marital distress and well-being in dementia spousal caregivers
(Elsevier, 2024) Lai, Vincent D.; Paoletti-Hatcher, Jensine; Wu-Chung, E. Lydia; Mahant, Itee; Argueta, Daniel L.; Brice, Kelly N.; Denny, Bryan T.; Green, Charles; Medina, Luis D.; Schulz, Paul E.; Stinson, Jennifer M.; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Caregivers for spouses with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience drastic changes in the marital relationship that may put them at risk for worsening well-being. Perceived partner responsiveness, or feeling cared for, understood, and appreciated by one's spouse, may help mitigate these effects. In this study, we investigated the associations between marital distress, perceived partner responsiveness, and psychological and physiological well-being indicators among ADRD spousal caregivers. Method A sample of 161 caregivers provided blood samples and completed self-report measures of marital distress, perceived partner responsiveness, and depressive symptoms. We tested hypotheses in our sample cross-sectionally based on two theoretical frameworks. Results Testing the marital discord model of depression, caregivers who reported greater marital distress also reported more depressive symptoms, and this association was stronger as participants reported lower perceived partner responsiveness. Caregivers who reported greater marital distress exhibited elevated proinflammatory cytokine production by in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated peripheral blood leukocytes at low levels of perceived partner responsiveness, but not mean or high levels. Testing the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model, caregivers who reported more depressive symptoms also reported greater marital distress. Further, caregivers who exhibited elevated LPS-stimulated proinflammatory cytokine production reported greater marital distress at mean and high levels of perceived partner responsiveness, but not low levels. These patterns of results held even when accounting for the dementia stage and reported hours of caregiving per day. Discussion This study's findings contribute to the body of research examining interpersonal factors that shape health and well-being among the caregiver population.
Socioeconomic disparities in health: Changes in sleep quality and inflammation during bereavement
(Elsevier, 2021) Wu, E. Lydia; Brown, Ryan L.; Chirinos, Diana A.; Chen, Michelle A.; de Dios, Marcel A.; Taylor, Daniela M.; Butner, Jonathan E.; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Fagundes, Christopher P.; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
Widow(er)s experience significant sleep disruption that may dysregulate immune functioning. This longitudinal study aimed to determine 1) whether changes in sleep quality were associated with changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine production during the first six months of bereavement and 2) whether these relationships depended on objective socioeconomic status (SES) and/or subjective social status. One hundred and six bereaved spouses (M = 68.49 years, SD = 9.35, 69 females) completed the following assessments at approximately three months post-death and six-month post-death: a venous blood draw and self-report questionnaires on sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), SES (MacArthur Sociodemographic Questionnaire), health, and demographic information. T-cell stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed, including IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17A, and IL-2. Worsening sleep quality was associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory activity even after adjusting for confounding variables. The present study also identified SES as an important factor for understanding health following spousal bereavement: individuals with low SES were more susceptible to sleep-related changes in immune function. Compared to more educated widow(er)s, less educated widow(er)s showed greater increases and decreases in inflammation when sleep quality worsened or improved, respectively, over time. Findings provide evidence for a biobehavioral pathway linking bereavement to disease risk, highlight SES disparities in late adulthood, and identify individuals who may require tailored interventions to offset SES-related burden that impedes adaptive grief recovery.
Socioeconomic disparities in health: Changes in sleep quality and inflammation during bereavement
(Elsevier, 2021) Wu, E. Lydia; Brown, Ryan L.; Chirinos, Diana A.; Chen, Michelle A.; de Dios, Marcel A.; Taylor, Daniela M.; Butner, Jonathan E.; Heijnen, Cobi J.; Fagundes, Christopher P.
Widow(er)s experience significant sleep disruption that may dysregulate immune functioning. This longitudinal study aimed to determine 1) whether changes in sleep quality were associated with changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine production during the first six months of bereavement and 2) whether these relationships depended on objective socioeconomic status (SES) and/or subjective social status. One hundred and six bereaved spouses (M = 68.49 years, SD = 9.35, 69 females) completed the following assessments at approximately three months post-death and six-month post-death: a venous blood draw and self-report questionnaires on sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), SES (MacArthur Sociodemographic Questionnaire), health, and demographic information. T-cell stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed, including IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17A, and IL-2. Worsening sleep quality was associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory activity even after adjusting for confounding variables. The present study also identified SES as an important factor for understanding health following spousal bereavement: individuals with low SES were more susceptible to sleep-related changes in immune function. Compared to more educated widow(er)s, less educated widow(er)s showed greater increases and decreases in inflammation when sleep quality worsened or improved, respectively, over time. Findings provide evidence for a biobehavioral pathway linking bereavement to disease risk, highlight SES disparities in late adulthood, and identify individuals who may require tailored interventions to offset SES-related burden that impedes adaptive grief recovery.
The Effects of Strain-Based Work–Parenting Conflict on Dual Income Couples’ Energy
(MDPI, 2022) Paoletti, Jensine; Derrick, Jaye L.; Fagundes, Christopher P.; Leonard, Kenneth E.
(1) Background: Gender differences between men’s and women’s parenting roles are well-documented as the “second shift”. We examined the main effects and interaction of work distress and parenting distress with energy (i.e., vigor) in a sample of 310 dual-income, different-sex couples with kids married for approximately nine years. (2) Methods: We used actor–partner interdependence modeling (APIM) to examine how spouses’ distress was associated with their energy. (3) Results: For both wives and husbands, there were negative associations between the actor’s parenting distress and their energy level and between the actor’s work distress and their energy level. However, only wives experienced a significant interaction of work and parenting distress such that high levels of both forms of distress were associated with low levels of energy, indicating that only wives experience this form of work–family conflict. (4) Conclusions: When women experience more strain at home than men, they may need more time to recover from their work and family duties. If they cannot do so, they will have less energy to carry out their responsibilities and may be at a higher risk of future adverse health outcomes.
When couples’ hearts beat together: Synchrony in heart rate variability during conflict predicts heightened inflammation throughout the day
(Elsevier, 2018) Wilson, Stephanie J.; Bailey, Brittney E.; Jaremka, Lisa M.; Fagundes, Christopher P.; Andridge, Rebecca; Malarkey, William B.; Gates, Kathleen M.; Kiecolt-Glaser, Janice K.
Hostile conflict in marriage can increase risks for disease and mortality. Physiological synchrony between partners-e.g., the linkage between their autonomic fluctuations-appears to capture engagement, or an inability to disengage from an exchange, and thus may amplify the health risks of noxious interactions such as marital conflict. Prior work has not examined the unique health correlates of this physiological signature. To test associations between couples' heart rate variability (HRV) synchrony during conflict and inflammation, 43 married couples engaged in a marital problem discussion while wearing heart monitors and provided four blood samples; they repeated this protocol at a second visit. When couples' moment-to-moment HRV changes tracked more closely together during conflict, they had higher levels of three inflammatory markers (i.e., IL-6, stimulated TNF-α, and sVCAM-1) across the day. Stronger HRV synchrony during conflict also predicted greater negative affect reactivity. Synchrony varied within couples, and was related to situational factors rather than global relationship traits. These data highlight partners' HRV linkage during conflict as a novel social-biological pathway to inflammation-related disease.

Browsing by Author "Fagundes, Christopher P."

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