Metabolic effects on attention, emotion and cognition

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My laboratory is interested in the interaction of the stress /energy systems, and the effects of this interaction on psychological variables including attention, emotion and cognition. There are three main metabolic systems in the human body that regulate energy availability and energy use in response to varying demands: the sympathetic and parasympathetic branch of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), and the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis. Through neural (ANS) and endocrine (HPA & ANS) mediators, these systems regulate glucose production and release, glucose uptake into cells, blood pressure, heart period, heart rate variability, among others. Previous research has formulated theoretical frameworks that describe how these three systems interact and contribute to the psychological functioning of the individual. For example, the biopsychosocial model of stress, the adaptive calibration model, and the allostatic load model have made specific predictions as to how these systems function and interact, and what effects dysregulations can have. The study of the effect of the interaction on normal psychological functioning has so far not been pursued systematically, however, in part due to a lack of suitable methodology. We have developed challenge tests which allow to investigate each system, and the interaction across the systems, to study the resulting psychological effects on attention, emotion and cognition. Previous studies typically were restricted in looking at the effects of one of the stress / energy systems on psychological variables. Our recent finding that the stress /energy systems are interacting, and partially compensating for each other, necessitates the combined study of the systems, to understand the effects on psychological functioning. Over the course of the five year research program, we aim to study 200 normal healthy subjects using three different challenge paradigms that specifically probe the sympathetic or the parasympathetic branch of the ANS, or the HPA. The combination of the three tasks will allow an improved understanding of the interaction of the stress / energy systems. Then, across studies and subjects, we will employ measures of attention (visual probe task), emotion (standardized questionnaires), and cognition (recognition of emotional and neutral material), to study and understand the effects of the interaction of the stress / energy systems on these parameters. From this work, we expect to gain a significantly improved understanding of the association among the energy systems and key psychological parameters as a consequence of engaging in the here outlined research program.