The effect of mortality salience and early-life maternal care on neuroendocrine, autonomic, and psychological stress responses.

Adverse early-life experiences alter the regulation of major stress systems such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Low early-life maternal care (MC) has repeatedly been related to blunted cortisol stress responses. Likewise, an acutely increased awareness of mortality (mortality salience [MS]) also has been shown to blunt cortisol responses.

Early life adversity blunts the subjective and physiological relaxation response in healthy adults.

While Early Live Adversity (ELA) is a known risk factor for mental and physical diseases, the investigation into the mechanisms behind this connection is ongoing. In the present study, we investigated whether ELA blunts the relaxation response in healthy adults. Using a within-subjects design, we employed a paced breathing exercise (four seconds inhale, six seconds exhale) and a 360° nature video as relaxation interventions while measuring physiological relaxation using heart rate variability and subjective relaxation using the Relaxation State Questionnaire.

The effect of cognitive reappraisal and early-life maternal care on neuroendocrine stress responses.

Early-life adversity (ELA) is related to profound dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, reflected in both, blunted or exaggerated cortisol stress responses in adulthood. Emotion regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal might contribute to this inconsistent finding. Here, we investigate an interaction of early-life maternal care (MC), where low MC represents a form of ELA, and instructed emotion regulation on cortisol responses to acute stress.

Increased empathic distress in adults is associated with higher levels of childhood maltreatment.

While many studies investigated basic facets of empathy, less is known about the association with early life adversity (ELA). To investigate a possible association of empathy with ELA, we assessed self-reported ELA, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for mother and father, and empathy, using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), in a sample of N = 228 (83% female, age = 30.51 ± 9.

Rapid risk assessment tool (RRAT) to prioritize emerging and re-emerging livestock diseases for risk management.

Increasing globalization and international trade contribute to rapid expansion of animal and human diseases. Hence, preparedness is warranted to prevent outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging diseases or detect outbreaks in an early stage. We developed a rapid risk assessment tool (RRAT) to inform risk managers on the incursion risk of multiple livestock diseases, about the main sources for incursion and the change of risk over time.