Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition

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dc.contributor.advisorSolms, Mark
dc.contributor.authorBuenk, Caitlin
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-17T09:38:24Z
dc.date.available2025-01-17T09:38:24Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.date.updated2025-01-17T09:24:24Z
dc.description.abstractWhile the negative effects of early life stress (ELS) are well-documented, non-invasive biomarkers that can be used to aid early detection of vulnerable groups and overcome some of the limitations of self-report tools are not readily available. Recently, pupillometry has been recognised as a novel, non-invasive approach to identify potential abnormalities in cognitive and emotional functioning linked to ELS and stress-induced alterations in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) pathway. However, to date, no studies have investigated the relationship between pupil dilation (PD) and blink rate (EBR), and ELS. In this study, we therefore explored the utility of pupillometry for distinguishing between groups of participants with histories of high versus low ELS. We investigated to what extent ELS predicts PD during cognitive processing in adulthood and the potential roles of cognitive ability, mood, and emotion regulation style in these relationships. Participants (N = 94) completed the Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. PD in response to a challenging cognitive task was used as a proxy for active coping or cognitive effort. Heart rate variability served as a physiological biomarker of emotional regulation. A battery of cognitive tests were utilised to assess core domains of cognition. We hypothesised that PD responses would differ between ELS groups under the baseline and cognitive conditions and depression would be associated with a reduced EBR. Our results indicated that the high ELS group had more depressive symptoms, lower levels of dopamine, and poorer cognitive outcomes, irrespective of education and age. There was evidence to suggest that emotional disturbance may be linked to alterations in the LC-NE pathway as a more rapid decline in pupil size was observed in participants with more depressive symptoms during the memory recall task condition. However, contrary to our hypothesis, there were no anomalies in PD directly related to ELS. While self-report tools that assess mood disturbances appear to offer more predictive power, the clinical utility of pupillometry as a biomarker of the effects of ELS is still under debate due to methodological limitations.
dc.identifier.apacitationBuenk, C. (2024). <i>Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40811en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationBuenk, Caitlin. <i>"Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2024. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40811en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBuenk, C. 2024. Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40811en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Buenk, Caitlin AB - While the negative effects of early life stress (ELS) are well-documented, non-invasive biomarkers that can be used to aid early detection of vulnerable groups and overcome some of the limitations of self-report tools are not readily available. Recently, pupillometry has been recognised as a novel, non-invasive approach to identify potential abnormalities in cognitive and emotional functioning linked to ELS and stress-induced alterations in the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) pathway. However, to date, no studies have investigated the relationship between pupil dilation (PD) and blink rate (EBR), and ELS. In this study, we therefore explored the utility of pupillometry for distinguishing between groups of participants with histories of high versus low ELS. We investigated to what extent ELS predicts PD during cognitive processing in adulthood and the potential roles of cognitive ability, mood, and emotion regulation style in these relationships. Participants (N = 94) completed the Traumatic Antecedents Questionnaire, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. PD in response to a challenging cognitive task was used as a proxy for active coping or cognitive effort. Heart rate variability served as a physiological biomarker of emotional regulation. A battery of cognitive tests were utilised to assess core domains of cognition. We hypothesised that PD responses would differ between ELS groups under the baseline and cognitive conditions and depression would be associated with a reduced EBR. Our results indicated that the high ELS group had more depressive symptoms, lower levels of dopamine, and poorer cognitive outcomes, irrespective of education and age. There was evidence to suggest that emotional disturbance may be linked to alterations in the LC-NE pathway as a more rapid decline in pupil size was observed in participants with more depressive symptoms during the memory recall task condition. However, contrary to our hypothesis, there were no anomalies in PD directly related to ELS. While self-report tools that assess mood disturbances appear to offer more predictive power, the clinical utility of pupillometry as a biomarker of the effects of ELS is still under debate due to methodological limitations. DA - 2024 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Psychological Research LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2024 T1 - Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition TI - Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40811 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/40811
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationBuenk C. Exploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2024 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/40811en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectPsychological Research
dc.titleExploring the utility of pupillometry as a biomarker for relationships between early life stress, emotion regulation, and cognition
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMA
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