Kathleen C Light
Biographic Data
| ID | 765509 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kathleen C Light |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kathleen C |
| FAMILY NAME | Light |
| SIGNATURE | LIGHT K C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 33 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 33 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 33 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1989 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Relationship of Psychological Characteristics to Daily Life Ischemia
OBJECTIVE: Cardiac ischemia during daily life is associated with an increased risk of adverse outcomes. Mental stress is known to provoke cardiac ischemia and is related to psychological variables. In this multicenter cohort study, we assessed whether psychological characteristics were associated with ischemia in daily life. METHODS: This study examined patients with clinically stable coronary artery disease (CAD) with documented cardiac ischemia…
Relationship quality and oxytocin
Prior studies report that couples with higher relationship quality show higher oxytocin (OT) levels, yet other studies report those with higher distress have increased OT. This study investigated these competing predictions in the context of a support enhancement intervention among 34 young married couples ( N = 68). Preintervention marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) was examined for associations with plasma and salivary OT levels 4 weeks …
Differences in Metabolite-Detecting, Adrenergic, and Immune Gene Expression After Moderate Exercise in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Patients With Multiple Sclerosis, and Healthy Controls
OBJECTIVE: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are characterized by debilitating fatigue, yet evaluation of this symptom is subjective. We examined metabolite-detecting, adrenergic, and immune gene expression (messenger ribonucleic acid [mRNA]) in patients with CFS (n = 22) versus patients with MS (n = 20) versus healthy controls (n = 23) and determined their relationship to fatigue and pain before and after exercise. METHO…
Influence of a “Warm Touch” Support Enhancement Intervention Among Married Couples on Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Oxytocin, Alpha Amylase, and Cortisol
Objective: To investigate whether a support intervention (warm touch enhancement) influences physiological stress systems that are linked to important health outcomes. Growing evidence points to a protective effect of social and emotional support on both morbidity and mortality. Methods: In this study, 34 healthy married couples (n = 68), aged 20 to 39 years (mean = 25.2 years), were randomly assigned to a “behavior monitoring” control group or p…
Ethnicity is associated with alterations in oxytocin relationships to pain sensitivity in women
These data suggest that reduced oxytocinergic function may be one of multiple biological factors contributing to the greater sensitivity to experimental ischemic pain, and to the greater burden of some types of clinical pain experienced by African Americans compared with Whites
Associations of Abdominal Fat With Perceived Racism and Passive Emotional Responses to Racism in African American Women
Findings support an association between daily stress and WHR but do not support our hypothesis that passive emotional responses to perceived racism increase abdominal fat. Further study of the stress physiology of perceived racism in African American women is warranted
More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women
Effects of Partner Support on Resting Oxytocin, Cortisol, Norepinephrine, and Blood Pressure Before and After Warm Partner Contact
Objective: We examined whether the magnitude of plasma oxytocin (OT), norepinephrine (NE), cortisol, and blood pressure (BP) responses before and after a brief episode of warm contact (WC) with the spouse/partner may be related to the strength of perceived partner support. Methods: Subjects were 38 cohabiting couples (38 men, 38 women) aged 20 to 49 years. All underwent 10 minutes of resting baseline alone, 10 minutes of WC together with their pa…
African Americans Show Alterations in Endogenous Pain Regulatory Mechanisms and Reduced Pain Tolerance to Experimental Pain Procedures
OBJECTIVES: To examine ethnic differences in pain sensitivity and relationship of pain tolerance to blood pressure and neuroendocrine factors. METHODS: Fifty-one African Americans (24 men, 27 women) and 55 people from other ethnic groups (primarily Caucasian; 26 men, 29 women) were tested twice for pain sensitivity to tourniquet ischemia, thermal heat, and cold pressor tests, once following mental stress and once following rest control. Resting a…
Historical Sexual Abuse and Current Thyroid Axis Profiles in Women With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Objective: This study investigated whether women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) who also had histories of sexual abuse differed from women with PMDD with no previous sexual abuse and from women without PMDD in hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (axis measures). Methods: Ten sexually abused women with PMDD were compared with 18 nonabused women with PMDD and 22 nonabused women without PMDD for hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis hormone co…
Depressive Symptoms Are Related to Higher Ambulatory Blood Pressure in People With a Family History of Hypertension
OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether parental history of hypertension (FH+) enhances the impact of depressed mood, indexed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). METHODS: Twenty-four-hour ABP, urinary norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol were obtained in 314 unmedicated normotensive and hypertensive men and women (age 18-64 years) who also completed the BDI. RESULTS: Subjects with a positive family history of hypertens…
Biological Correlates of Abuse in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Healthy Controls
OBJECTIVE: To examine the biological correlates associated with histories of sexual or physical abuse in women meeting DSM criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and in healthy, non-PMDD controls. METHODS: Twenty-eight women with prospectively confirmed PMDD were compared with 28 non-PMDD women for cardiovascular and neuroendocrine measures at rest and in response to mental stressors, and for beta-adrenergic receptor responsivity, du…
Warm Partner Contact Is Related to Lower Cardiovascular Reactivity
The authors investigated the relationship between brief warm social and physical contact among cohabitating couples and blood pressure (BP) reactivity to stress in a sample of healthy adults (66 African American, 117 Caucasian; 74 women, 109 men). Prior to stress, the warm contact group underwent a 10-minute period of handholding while viewing a romantic video. Followed by a 20-second hug with their partner, while the no contact group rested quie…
Hypertension and the Reactivity Hypothesis
Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology Stress and Health Research Program University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Women With Eating Disorder Tendencies Display Altered Cardiovascular, Neuroendocrine, and Psychosocial Profiles
OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and psychosocial profiles were investigated in women with eating disorder tendencies, but who had never met clinical criteria for an eating disorder, and in healthy controls. METHODS: Twenty-six women who scored in the highest distribution of the Eating Disorder Inventory bulimia subscale (HEDI women) and 27 women who scored in the lowest distribution (LEDI women) completed psychosocial questionnaires, u…
Sexual and Physical Abuse Associated With Cardiovascular Response to Stress
Oxytocin Relationships to Blood Pressure in Breast- And Bottle-Feeding Mothers of Infants
s of Papers for 1999 Annual Meeting: Paper Session: Psychobiological Processes During Pregnancy and the Post-Partum Period
Hormone Replacement Reduces Lab and 24-Hour Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Postmenopausal Women
Adamian, M. S.; Girdler, S. S.; West, S. G.; Grewen, K. M.; Chung, S. H.; Koo, J.; Hinderliter, A.; Light, K. C. Author Information
Allopregnanolone, Stress and Mood in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Straneva, P.; Girdler, S. S.; Light, K. C.; Benjamin, S. E.; Morrow, L. Author Information
Hostility and Cardiovascular Responses in Married Couples During Conflict and Other Interactions
s of Papers for 1999 Annual Meeting: Symposium: Social Interactions, Relationships, and Cardiovascular Response
Cognitive Appraisal of the Stable Character of Negative Events Interacts With Ses to Influence 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure
Family Support and Cardiovascular Responses in Married Couples During Conflict and Other Interactions
Neuroendocrine Factors in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Girdler, S.; Sherwood, A.; Hinderliter, A.; Stanwyck, C.; Pedersen, C.; Maixner, W.; Light, K. Author Information
Depressive Symptoms and Heart Rate Variability
Sheffield, D. PhD; Sheps, D.S. MD; Light, K.C. PhD; Freedland, K.E. PhD; Carney, R.M. PhD; Coghlan, C.G. MD; Cohen, J.D. MD; Goldberg, A.D. MD; Pepine, C.J. MD; Stone, P.H. MD; Kaufmann, P.G. PhD; McMahon, R.P. PhD Author Information
Reproducibility of Mental Stress-Induced Myocardial Ischemia in the Psychophysiological Investigations of Myocardial Ischemia (Pimi)
OBJECTIVE: Many patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) develop myocardial ischemia in response to mental stress. This has been documented both in the natural environment and in the laboratory. However, the reproducibility of laboratory mental stress-induced ischemia has not been investigated. METHOD: Sixty patients with documented CAD and a positive exercise stress test discontinued cardiac medications and underwent two standardized mental s…
Associations of Abdominal Fat With Perceived Racism and Passive Emotional Responses to Racism in African American Women
Findings support an association between daily stress and WHR but do not support our hypothesis that passive emotional responses to perceived racism increase abdominal fat. Further study of the stress physiology of perceived racism in African American women is warranted
Relationship quality and oxytocin
Prior studies report that couples with higher relationship quality show higher oxytocin (OT) levels, yet other studies report those with higher distress have increased OT. This study investigated these competing predictions in the context of a support enhancement intervention among 34 young married couples ( N = 68). Preintervention marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) was examined for associations with plasma and salivary OT levels 4 weeks …
Ethnicity is associated with alterations in oxytocin relationships to pain sensitivity in women
These data suggest that reduced oxytocinergic function may be one of multiple biological factors contributing to the greater sensitivity to experimental ischemic pain, and to the greater burden of some types of clinical pain experienced by African Americans compared with Whites
Effects of aerobic exercise training on hemodynamic responses during psychosocial stress in normotensive and borderline hypertensive type A men
This study assessed the effects of aerobic exercise training on cardiovascular responses to a 5-min reaction time competition task. Twenty-seven Type A men (aged 30-56) participated in this randomized study in which 14 underwent supervised aerobic training and 13 strength training, with sessions scheduled three times per week for 12 consecutive weeks. Aerobic exercise training was associated with a 13.6% increase in VO2max compared to 2.9% for th…
Gender differences in blood pressure control during a variety of behavioral stressors
This study assessed gender differences in hemodynamic response patterns to behavioral stressors. In addition, the extent to which gender differences in cardiovascular reactivity were a function of the type of challenge was determined by employing tasks relying on stereotypically male areas of competence and a task relying on stereotypically female areas of competence. Sixteen female and 15 male graduate, medical or dental students were exposed to…
Depression and type A behavior pattern in patients with coronary artery disease
A sample of 45 patients with a history of coronary heart disease and documented myocardial ischemia during exercise testing were evaluated in an investigation of the possible relationships between psychological factors (depression and Type A behavior pattern), plasma beta-endorphin response and pain experience during maximal exercise-induced ischemia. Depression was assessed using the MMPI-D subscale, while Type A was evaluated using the Structur…
Cardiovascular responses to an active coping challenge as predictors of blood pressure patterns 10 to 15 years later
To assess the long-term predictive importance of high cardiovascular reactivity in relation to subsequent blood pressure, 51 men from a pool of 204 men originally tested at age 18 to 22 years were recruited for blood pressure assessment 10 to 15 years later. Initial testing uniformly involved monitoring of systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and heart rate during a reaction time task involving threat of shock. In 30 of the 51 men who participa…
Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
OBJECTIVE: This study tested the hypothesis that coronary artery disease patients with higher depression scores have lower heart rate variability during daily life. METHOD: Thirty-three men and nine women, ranging in age from 46 to 79, with coronary artery disease and exercise-induced ischemia were studied. The standard deviation of normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and average heart rate were obtained from 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monit…
Stress in Employed Women
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Ischemic but Not Thermal Pain Sensitivity Varies Across the Menstrual Cycle
OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: Findings from both animal and human research suggest that pain sensitivity changes across the menstrual cycle; however, among humans the nature of these menstrual cycle effects remains unclear. The present study used a repeated-measures design to evaluate changes in thermal and ischemic pain responses during three phases of the menstrual cycle, midfollicular (postmenstrual), ovulatory, and mid-to-late luteal (premenstrual), …
Family Support and Cardiovascular Responses in Married Couples During Conflict and Other Interactions
Neuroendocrine Factors in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Girdler, S.; Sherwood, A.; Hinderliter, A.; Stanwyck, C.; Pedersen, C.; Maixner, W.; Light, K. Author Information
Depressive Symptoms and Heart Rate Variability
Sheffield, D. PhD; Sheps, D.S. MD; Light, K.C. PhD; Freedland, K.E. PhD; Carney, R.M. PhD; Coghlan, C.G. MD; Cohen, J.D. MD; Goldberg, A.D. MD; Pepine, C.J. MD; Stone, P.H. MD; Kaufmann, P.G. PhD; McMahon, R.P. PhD Author Information
Reproducibility of Mental Stress-Induced Myocardial Ischemia in the Psychophysiological Investigations of Myocardial Ischemia (Pimi)
OBJECTIVE: Many patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) develop myocardial ischemia in response to mental stress. This has been documented both in the natural environment and in the laboratory. However, the reproducibility of laboratory mental stress-induced ischemia has not been investigated. METHOD: Sixty patients with documented CAD and a positive exercise stress test discontinued cardiac medications and underwent two standardized mental s…
Hormone Replacement Reduces Vasoconstriction and Mean Blood Pressure at Rest and During Stress in Healthy Postmenopausal Women
Light, Kathleen C.; Girdler, Susan S.; West, Sheila G.; Grewen, Karen M.; Steege, John F.; Stanwyck, Catherine L.; Ranc, Jean; Lamothe, Traci L.; Chung, Sunny H.; Brown, Heather; Hinderliter, Alan L. Author Information
Sexual and Physical Abuse Associated With Cardiovascular Response to Stress
Oxytocin Relationships to Blood Pressure in Breast- And Bottle-Feeding Mothers of Infants
s of Papers for 1999 Annual Meeting: Paper Session: Psychobiological Processes During Pregnancy and the Post-Partum Period
Hormone Replacement Reduces Lab and 24-Hour Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Postmenopausal Women
Adamian, M. S.; Girdler, S. S.; West, S. G.; Grewen, K. M.; Chung, S. H.; Koo, J.; Hinderliter, A.; Light, K. C. Author Information
Allopregnanolone, Stress and Mood in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Straneva, P.; Girdler, S. S.; Light, K. C.; Benjamin, S. E.; Morrow, L. Author Information
Hostility and Cardiovascular Responses in Married Couples During Conflict and Other Interactions
s of Papers for 1999 Annual Meeting: Symposium: Social Interactions, Relationships, and Cardiovascular Response
Cognitive Appraisal of the Stable Character of Negative Events Interacts With Ses to Influence 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure
Women With Eating Disorder Tendencies Display Altered Cardiovascular, Neuroendocrine, and Psychosocial Profiles
OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, and psychosocial profiles were investigated in women with eating disorder tendencies, but who had never met clinical criteria for an eating disorder, and in healthy controls. METHODS: Twenty-six women who scored in the highest distribution of the Eating Disorder Inventory bulimia subscale (HEDI women) and 27 women who scored in the lowest distribution (LEDI women) completed psychosocial questionnaires, u…
Hypertension and the Reactivity Hypothesis
Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology Stress and Health Research Program University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Biological Correlates of Abuse in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and Healthy Controls
OBJECTIVE: To examine the biological correlates associated with histories of sexual or physical abuse in women meeting DSM criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and in healthy, non-PMDD controls. METHODS: Twenty-eight women with prospectively confirmed PMDD were compared with 28 non-PMDD women for cardiovascular and neuroendocrine measures at rest and in response to mental stressors, and for beta-adrenergic receptor responsivity, du…
Warm Partner Contact Is Related to Lower Cardiovascular Reactivity
The authors investigated the relationship between brief warm social and physical contact among cohabitating couples and blood pressure (BP) reactivity to stress in a sample of healthy adults (66 African American, 117 Caucasian; 74 women, 109 men). Prior to stress, the warm contact group underwent a 10-minute period of handholding while viewing a romantic video. Followed by a 20-second hug with their partner, while the no contact group rested quie…
Historical Sexual Abuse and Current Thyroid Axis Profiles in Women With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
Objective: This study investigated whether women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) who also had histories of sexual abuse differed from women with PMDD with no previous sexual abuse and from women without PMDD in hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (axis measures). Methods: Ten sexually abused women with PMDD were compared with 18 nonabused women with PMDD and 22 nonabused women without PMDD for hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis hormone co…
Depressive Symptoms Are Related to Higher Ambulatory Blood Pressure in People With a Family History of Hypertension
OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether parental history of hypertension (FH+) enhances the impact of depressed mood, indexed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). METHODS: Twenty-four-hour ABP, urinary norepinephrine (NE), and cortisol were obtained in 314 unmedicated normotensive and hypertensive men and women (age 18-64 years) who also completed the BDI. RESULTS: Subjects with a positive family history of hypertens…
More frequent partner hugs and higher oxytocin levels are linked to lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women
Medicine (30 works) · Psychology (25 works) · Internal Medicine (24 works) · Internal Medicine (22 works) · Blood pressure (16 works) · Clinical Psychology (12 works) · Heart rate (10 works) · Psychiatry (10 works) · Cardiac Health and Mental Health (8 works) · Endocrinology (8 works)