@article{onita_virtual_2025,

title = {Virtual Reality Trier Social Stress and Virtual Supermarket Exposure: Electrocardiogram Correlates of Food Craving and Eating Traits in Adolescents},

author = {C. A. Onita and D. -V. Matei and E. Chelarasu and R. G. Lupu and D. Petrescu-Miron and A. Visnevschi and S. Vudu and C. Corciova and R. Fuior and N. Tupita and S. Bouchard and V. Mocanu},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105026068857&doi=10.3390%2Fnu17243924&partnerID=40&md5=fde16e892b1a18284dc51ac869ba8ee9},

doi = {10.3390/nu17243924},

issn = {20726643 (ISSN)},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Nutrients},

volume = {17},

number = {24},

abstract = {Background/Objectives: Acute stress is known to influence food-related motivation and decision-making, often promoting a preference for energy-dense, palatable foods. However, traditional laboratory paradigms have limited ecological validity. This study examined the relationship between stress-induced physiological changes, eating behavior traits, and food cravings using a virtual reality (VR) adaptation of the Trier Social Stress Test (VR-TSST) followed by a VR supermarket task in adolescents. Methods: Thirty-eight adolescents (mean age 15.8 ± 0.6 years) participated in the study. Physiological parameters (HR, QT, PQ intervals) were recorded pre- and post-stress using a portable ECG device (WIWE). Perceived stress and eating behavior traits were evaluated with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21C), respectively. Immediately after the VR-TSST, participants performed a VR supermarket task in which they rated cravings for sweet, fatty, and healthy foods using visual analog scales (VAS). Paired-samples t-tests examined pre–post changes in physiological parameters, partial correlations explored associations between ECG responses and eating traits, and a 2 × 3 mixed-model Repeated Measures ANOVA assessed the effects of food type (sweet, fatty, healthy) and uncontrolled eating (UE) group (low vs. high) on post-stress cravings. Results: Acute stress induced significant increases in HR and QTc intervals (p < 0.01), confirming a robust physiological stress response. The ANOVA revealed a strong main effect of food type (F(1.93, 435.41) = 168.98, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.43), indicating that stress-induced cravings differed across food categories, with sweet foods rated highest. A significant food type × UE group interaction (F(1.93, 435.41) = 16.49, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.07) showed that adolescents with high UE exhibited greater cravings for sweet and fatty foods than those with low UE. Overall, craving levels did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that acute stress selectively enhances cravings for high-reward foods, and that this effect is modulated by baseline uncontrolled eating tendencies. The combined use of VR-based stress induction and VR supermarket simulation offers an innovative, ecologically valid framework for studying stress-related eating behavior in adolescents, with potential implications for personalized nutrition and the prevention of stress-induced overeating. © 2025 by the authors.},

keywords = {acute stress, Adolescent, Adolescents, adult, article, controlled study, craving, decision making, Eating, eating behavior, ecological validity, electrocardiogram, electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters, Electrocardiography, feeding behavior, female, food craving, food preference, Food Preferences, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hyperphagia, male, mental stress, motivation, normal human, overnutrition, pathophysiology, Perceived Stress Scale, personalized nutrition, physiological stress, physiology, PQ interval, Psychological, psychology, QTc interval, questionnaire, reward, simulation, social stress, Stress, supermarket, Surveys and Questionnaires, three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, Trier Social Stress Test, virtual reality, virtual supermarket, visual analog scale},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{onita_autonomic_2025,

title = {Autonomic and Neuroendocrine Reactivity to VR Game Exposure in Children and Adolescents with Obesity: A Factor Analytic Approach to Physiological Reactivity and Eating Behavior},

author = {C. A. Onita and D. -V. Matei and L. -M. Trandafir and D. Petrescu-Miron and C. Corciova and R. Fuior and L. -M. Manole and B. -M. Mihai and C. -G. Dascalu and M. Tarcea and S. Bouchard and V. Mocanu},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105013574948&doi=10.3390%2Fnu17152492&partnerID=40&md5=d1e974dae00d424b9f6fae86b8a7cc6a},

doi = {10.3390/nu17152492},

issn = {20726643 (ISSN)},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Nutrients},

volume = {17},

number = {15},

abstract = {Background/Objectives: The aim was to identify patterns of autonomic and neuroendocrine reactivity to an immersive virtual reality (VR) social-emotional stressor and explore their associations with perceived stress and eating behavior. Methods: This one-group pretest–posttest study included 30 children and adolescents with obesity (15 boys and 15 girls), aged 8 to 17 years. The VR protocol consisted of two consecutive phases: a 5 min relaxation phase using the Forest application and a 5 min stimulation phase using a cognitively engaging VR game designed to elicit social-emotional stress. Physiological responses were measured using heart rate variability (HRV) indices and salivary stress biomarkers, including cortisol and alpha amylase. Subjective stress and eating responses were assessed via visual analogue scales (VAS) administered immediately post-exposure. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21C) was used to evaluate cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). Results: The cortisol reactivity was blunted and may reflect both the attenuated HPA axis responsiveness characteristic of pediatric obesity and the moderate psychological challenge of the VR stressor used in this study. Two distinct autonomic response patterns were identified via exploratory factor analysis: (1) parasympathetic reactivity, associated with increased RMSSD and SDNN and decreased LF/HF, and (2) sympathetic activation, associated with increased heart rate and alpha-amylase levels and reduced RR intervals. Parasympathetic reactivity was correlated with lower perceived stress and anxiety, but also paradoxically with higher uncontrolled eating (UE). In contrast, sympathetic activation was associated with greater cognitive restraint (CR) and higher anxiety ratings. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that immersive VR game exposure elicits measurable autonomic and subjective stress responses in children and adolescents with obesity, and that individual differences in physiological reactivity are relevantly associated with eating behavior traits. The findings suggest that parasympathetic and sympathetic profiles may represent distinct behavioral patterns with implications for targeted intervention. © 2025 by the authors.},

keywords = {Adolescent, adolescent obesity, alpha amylase saliva isoenzyme, alpha-Amylases, amylase, anthropometry, anxiety assessment, appetite, article, Autonomic Nervous System, autonomic nervous system function, chemistry, Child, childhood obesity, clinical article, controlled study, craving, eating behavior, Electrophysiology, emotional eating, emotional stress, exploratory factor analysis, Factor Analysis, feeding behavior, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, hypothalamus hypophysis adrenal system, immersive VR game, male, mental stress, metabolism, neuroendocrine system, Neurosecretory Systems, pathophysiology, Pediatric Obesity, physiology, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol, social stress, Statistical, Stress, stress assessment, subjective stress, three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ), Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, video game, Video Games, virtual reality, virtual reality exposure therapy, visual analog scale},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{doney_chronic_2024,

title = {Chronic Stress Exposure Alters the Gut Barrier: Sex-Specific Effects on Microbiota and Jejunum Tight Junctions},

author = {E. Doney and L. Dion-Albert and F. Coulombe-Rozon and N. Osborne and R. Bernatchez and S. E. J. Paton and F. N. Kaufmann and R. O. Agomma and J. L. Solano and R. Gaumond and K. A. Dudek and J. K. Szyszkowicz and F. Aardema and L. A. Bentaleb and J. Beauchamp and H. Bendahmane and E. Benoit and L. Bergeron and A. Bertone and N. Bertrand and F. -A. Berube and P. Blanchet and J. Boissonneault and C. J. Bolduc and J. -P. Bonin and F. Borgeat and R. Boyer and C. Breault and J. -J. Breton and C. Briand and J. Brodeur and K. Brule and L. Brunet and S. Carriere and C. Chartrand and R. Chenard-Soucy and T. Chevrette and E. Cloutier and R. Cloutier and H. Cormier and G. Cote and J. Cyr and P. David and L. De Benedictis and M. -C. Delisle and P. Deschenes and C. D. Desjardins and G. Desmarais and J. -L. Dubreucq and M. Dumont and A. Dumais and G. Ethier and C. Feltrin and A. Felx and H. Findlay and L. Fortier and D. Fortin and L. Fortin and N. Francois and V. Gagne and M. -P. Gagnon and M. -C. Gignac-Hens and C. -E. Giguere and R. Godbout and C. Grou and S. Guay and F. Guillem and N. Hachimi-Idrissi and C. Herry and S. Hodgins and S. Homayoun and B. Jemel and C. Joyal and E. Kouassi and R. Labelle and D. Lafortune and M. Lahaie and S. Lahlafi and P. Lalonde and P. Landry and V. Lapaige and G. Larocque and C. Larue and M. Lavoie and J. -J. Leclerc and T. Lecomte and C. Lecours and L. Leduc and M. -F. Lelan and A. Lemieux and A. Lesage and A. Letarte and J. Lepage and A. Levesque and O. Lipp and D. Luck and S. Lupien and F. -A. Lusignan and R. Lusignan and A. J. Luyet and A. Lynhiavu and J. -P. Melun and C. Morin and L. Nicole and F. Noel and L. Normandeau and K. O'Connor and C. Ouellette and V. Parent and M. -H. Parizeau and J. -F. Pelletier and J. Pelletier and M. Pelletier and P. Plusquellec and D. Poirier and S. Potvin and G. Prevost and M. -J. Prevost and P. Racicot and M. -F. Racine-Gagne and P. Renaud and N. Ricard and S. Rivet and M. Rolland and M. Sasseville and G. Safadi and S. Smith and N. Smolla and E. Stip and J. Teitelbaum and A. Thibault and L. Thibault and S. Thibault and F. Thomas and C. Todorov and V. Tourjman and C. Tranulis and S. Trudeau and G. Trudel and N. Vacri and L. Valiquette and C. Vanier and K. Villeneuve and M. Villeneuve and P. Vincent and M. Wolfe and L. Xiong and A. Zizzi and M. Lebel and A. Doyen and A. Durand and F. Lavoie-Cardinal and M. -C. Audet and C. Menard and Cecile Lepage on behalf of Signature Consortium},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85162172419&doi=10.1016%2fj.bpsgos.2023.04.007&partnerID=40&md5=aae4250eee5bd708599126cf76c3f5d7},

doi = {10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.04.007},

issn = {26671743 (ISSN)},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science},

volume = {4},

number = {1},

pages = {213–228},

publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},

abstract = {Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Of individuals with MDD, 30% to 50% are unresponsive to common antidepressants, highlighting untapped causal biological mechanisms. Dysfunction in the microbiota-gut-brain axis has been implicated in MDD pathogenesis. Exposure to chronic stress disrupts blood-brain barrier integrity; still, little is known about intestinal barrier function in these conditions, particularly for the small intestine, where absorption of most foods and drugs takes place. Methods: We investigated how chronic social or variable stress, two mouse models of depression, impact the jejunum intestinal barrier in males and females. Mice were subjected to stress paradigms followed by analysis of gene expression profiles of intestinal barrier–related targets, fecal microbial composition, and blood-based markers. Results: Altered microbial populations and changes in gene expression of jejunum tight junctions were observed depending on the type and duration of stress, with sex-specific effects. We used machine learning to characterize in detail morphological tight junction properties, identifying a cluster of ruffled junctions in stressed animals. Junctional ruffling is associated with inflammation, so we evaluated whether lipopolysaccharide injection recapitulates stress-induced changes in the jejunum and observed profound sex differences. Finally, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, a marker of gut barrier leakiness, was associated with stress vulnerability in mice, and translational value was confirmed on blood samples from women with MDD. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence that chronic stress disrupts intestinal barrier homeostasis in conjunction with the manifestation of depressive-like behaviors in a sex-specific manner in mice and, possibly, in human depression. © 2023 The Authors},

note = {Publisher: Elsevier Inc.},

keywords = {animal experiment, animal model, animal tissue, article, chronic social defeat, chronic stress, chronic variable stress, claudin 3, Claudins, controlled study, corticosterone, corticosterone blood level, Cytokines, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, female, human, immunohistochemistry, intestine flora, jejunum, lipopolysaccharide, lipopolysaccharide binding protein, Machine learning, major depression, male, mouse, nonhuman, pathogenesis, protein expression, real time polymerase chain reaction, sex difference, sex differences, social stress, tight junction, Variable stress},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{daudelin-peltier_effect_2017,

title = {The effect of acute social stress on the recognition of facial expression of emotions /631/378/2649 /631/378/1457 article},

author = {C. Daudelin-Peltier and H. Forget and C. Blais and A. Deschênes and D. Fiset},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85018189261&doi=10.1038%2fs41598-017-01053-3&partnerID=40&md5=4405225de4b80852d5d98a2fd2171812},

doi = {10.1038/s41598-017-01053-3},

issn = {20452322},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-01-01},

journal = {Scientific Reports},

volume = {7},

number = {1},

publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},

abstract = {This study investigates the effect of acute social stress on the recognition of facial expression of emotions in healthy young men. Participants underwent both a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (TSST-G) and a control condition. Then, they performed a homemade version of the facial expressions megamix. All six basic emotions were included in the task. First, our results show a systematic increase in the intensity threshold for disgust following stress, meaning that the participants' performance with this emotion was impaired. We suggest that this may reflect an adaptive coping mechanism where participants attempt to decrease their anxiety and protect themselves from a socio-evaluative threat. Second, our results show a systematic decrease in the intensity threshold for surprise, therefore positively affecting the participants' performance with that emotion. We suggest that the enhanced perception of surprise following the induction of social stress may be interpreted as an evolutionary adaptation, wherein being in a stressful environment increases the benefits of monitoring signals indicating the presence of a novel or threatening event. An alternative explanation may derive from the opposite nature of the facial expressions of disgust and surprise; the decreased recognition of disgust could therefore have fostered the propensity to perceive surprise. © 2017 The Author(s).},

note = {Publisher: Nature Publishing Group},

keywords = {adult, Anxiety, clinical study, controlled study, disgust, evolutionary adaptation, Facial Expression, Facial Recognition, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, monitoring, pathophysiology, Pattern Recognition, Photic Stimulation, photostimulation, physiology, Psychological, reaction time, social stress, Stress, Visual, Young Adult},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}