Control and flexibility: investigating self-regulation

01/04/2022

48

Institute for Advanced Studies (University of Luxembourg)

Nora Nicolai; Claus Vögele

Jon Turner (LIH); Nadine Messerli-Bürgy (University of Lausanne)

Children with leukaemia occurring in early childhood often experience several acute stressors as a consequence of receiving treatment, e.g., chemotherapy and separation from their family, which can be conceptualized as traumatic and stressful events. Previous research has shown that short- and long-term physical and mental health outcomes can be negatively impacted by early life stress (ELS). It remains unclear, however, what changes can be observed in children with early childhood leukaemia at psychological, psychophysiological, molecular and epigenetic levels, and how they are related to each other. The first aim of this project, therefore, concerns the examination of psychological, psychophysiological, molecular and epigenetic processes in the context of adverse life events operationalized as leukaemia in children who receive chemotherapy. To prevent serious negative physical and mental health consequences of experiencing ELS, interventions should be implemented early on for the children concerned. Thus, the project’s second aim is to evaluate the efficacy of a brief psychological intervention to help children with early childhood leukaemia cope with adverse experiences resulting from chemotherapy. The project will be conducted as a longitudinal, clinical, prospective and multicentre study. Semi-structured interviews, self- and parent reports and questionnaires, and cortisol- and blood samples are used to monitor psychological, psychophysiological, molecular and epigenetic variables. In collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, the Luxembourg Institute of Health and hospitals, e.g., Mutterhaus Trier, we intend to advance basic and intervention research to optimize acute treatment and aftercare concepts for children with leukaemia. The expected findings will help to provide essential new insights in research on early life stress in children with severe physical illnesses.

15/01/2022

48

FNR; DFG

Dominika Repcikova; Claus Vögele; Conchita D’Ambrosio

Jon Turner (LIH); Martin Diewald (University of Bielefeld)

The overarching aim of ImmunoTwin is to identify molecular mechanisms that link negative psychological, social, and sociological experiences (adversity) to the life-long increased risk of disease, while excluding genetic mechanisms. In this project we hypothesise that in a manner similar to early-life adversity we will see increased
immunosenescence and an altered circulating lymphocyte population biased towards inflammaging after exposure to psychosocial adversity in adulthood. Inflammaging and immunosenescence are key drivers of many noncommunicable diseases.
Psychosocial adversity is a key element in the panoply of non-molecular factors that ead to the development and progression of many non-communicable diseases and is part of the complex interaction between the individual and its’ environment. This interdisciplinary project brings together four collaborators from three institutions (LIH, University of Bielefeld and University of Luxembourg) working in four very different domains. The project proposers have complimentary expertise in molecular epigenetics of stress and of the immune system (LIH), psychobiology and clinical
psychology (University of Luxembourg), sociology (University of Bielefeld) and economics (University of Luxembourg).

01/10/2021

48

FNR-PRIDE (DTU 3E)

Roxane Philips; Claus Vögele; Tibor Neugebauer

Damien Brevers (University of Louvain); Ralph Hertwig (MPI Berlin)

The ‘Affect Gap’ describes differences in decision behavior across decision domains that are more or less affectively laden (e.g., medical compared to financial domain). There is also a wealth of research investigating differences in how people make decisions for themselves as compared to other people. In the medical domain, for instance, people tend to be more cautious when deciding on treatments for someone else than for themselves.

The present project seeks to further elucidate the processes underlying the affect gap and to investigate self-other differences within this context. We will take a closer look at the role of affect in the affect gap by integrating physiological and self-report measures of affect into a commonly used paradigm. Further, we integrate a measure of interoceptive ability as this has been found to relate to differences in emotional experience and decision-making.

01/09/2021

48

Horizon Europe – Marie Curie ITN

James Harris; Claus Vögele

Damien Brevers (University of Louvain); Martin Dijst (LISER); Gunnthora Olafsdottir

Objectives: (1) To further investigate the impact of exposure to green spaces versus the built environment on indicators of physical and mental health (e.g. stress reactivity, mental well being and cell ageing). (2) To examine the interaction between environmental factors and health behaviours (i.e. physical activity in a nature environment) affecting the choice architecture and behaviour change processes by using established health behaviour change frameworks, and by contrasting nudge and boost approaches to increase physical activity in a nature-rich environment. (3) To conduct randomised controlled trials using experimental (laboratory-based) and quasi-experimental (field-based) designs to compare nudge and boost interventions in terms of their efficacy and acceptance.

Expected results: The expected results will contribute to improving existing models of health effects of the natural environment and inform interventions designed to improve health behaviours.

https://surreal-itn.eu/

01/12/2021

12

FNR

Claus Vögele

Charles Benoy (CHNP); Raquel Gómez Bravo (CHNP)

Reports on long-term effects of COVID-19 symptoms are rising. The so-called ‘Long-COVID’ is characterized by symptoms of fatigue, sleep disturbance, headache, dyspnea or anosmia. These symptoms are often associated with disruptions to work, and social and home-life. A considerable number of people with Long-COVID seem to be affected by a syndrome involving symptoms at the psychosomatic, psychological and neuropsychological level, such as depression, anxiety and cognitive symptoms, although not much is known at this stage about their specificity. The aim of this project is to gain a greater knowledge about the psychosomatic, psychological and neuropsychological syndrome associated with Long-COVID. To this end, the research team of this project has initiated an international multi-center study to address this specific question in a large and international online survey. The results of which are crucially important for buffering the adverse effects of the pandemic at an individual and societal level. The Luxemburgish research team is leading this multi-center study, and the funding will be used to perform this research in Luxembourg.