Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mental processes and disorders: A neurobehavioral perspective in human biometeorology

  • Multi-author Review
  • Human Biometeorology and Geopathology
  • Published:
Experientia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Research concerning the complex relation between weather and psychological processes has emphasized three important issues: methodological problems, the determination of the major behavioral factors, and the isolation of neurobiological mechanisms. This paper reviews the current status of each issue. Weather changes are most frequently associated with behaviors that are the endpoints of inferred psychological processes that include mood, subclinical pain, anxiety, and the correlates of schedule shifts. Learning and conditioning appear to mediate a powerful influence over weather-related responses. This may explain the large individual variability in these behaviors. The most well-known group effects associated with weather changes involve psychiatric populations. Clinical subpopulations may respond in different ways to different aspects of the same weather system as well as to different types of air masses. Likely neurobiological mechanisms through which meteorogenic stimuli may mediate whole organismic effects include the locus coeruleal and limbic systems. Expected psychobiological consequences are examined in detail. The magnitude and temporal-spatial characteristics of weather effects indicate they are the subject matter of behavioral epidemiology.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Amaral, D.G., and Sinnamon, H.M., The locus coeruleus: neurobiology of a central noradrenergic nucleus. Prog. Neurobiol.9 (1977) 147–196.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Banziger, G., and Owens, K., Geophysical variables and behavior: II. Weather factors as predictors of local social indicators of maladaptation in two non-urban areas. Psychol. Rep.43 (1978) 427–434.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Besançon, F., Ricome, H., Pezzi-Girault, D., and Chaptal, E., Circonstances météorologiques des infarctus du myocarde, des accidents vasculaires cérébraux et des tentatives de suicide. Sem. Hôp. Paris57 (1981) 1609–1611.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Besedovsky, H.O., del Rey, A., Sorkin, E., da Prada, M., and Keller, H.H., Immunoregulation mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. Cell Immun.48 (1979) 346–355.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Briere, J., Downs, A., and Spensley, J., Summer in the city: urban weather conditions and psychiatric emergency-room visits. J. abnorm. soc. Psychol.92 (1982) 77–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chlopocka-Wozniak, M., and Strzyzewski, W., The influence of biometeorological factors on the occurrence of depressive phases. Psychiat. Pol.13 (1979) 471–478.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cooper, J.R., Bloom, F.E., and Roth, R.H. The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology. Oxford, New York 1982.

  8. Davitz, J.R., The Language of Emotion Academic Press, New York 1969.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Driscoll, D.M., and Merker, D. G., A search for associations between weather and onset of human parturition. Int. J. Biomet.28 (1984) 211–224.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Faust, V.V., Wiedmann, M., and Wehner, W., The influence of meteorological factors on children and youths: a 10% selection of 16,000 pupils and apprentices in Basel City, Switzerland. Acta paedeopsychiat.44 (1974) 150–156.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Faust, V., and Hole, G., Meteorologisch bedingte Schlafstörungen bei psychiatrischen Patienten. Psychiat. clin.5 (1972) 265–288.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Gellhorn, E., and Loofbourrow, G., Emotions and Emotional Disorders: A Neurophysiological Approach, Harper and Row, New York 1963.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Glassman, A.H., Jackson, W.K., Walsh, B.T., Roose, S.P., and Rosenfeld, B., Cigarette craving, smoking withdrawal, and clonidine. Science226 (1984) 864–866.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Hensel, H., Neural processes in thermoregulation. Physiol. Rev.53 (1973) 948–1017.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Hollander, J.L., Environment and musculoskeletal diseases. Arch. envir. Hlth6 (1963) 527–536.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hopkins, W.F., and Johnston, D., Frequency-dependent noradrenergic modulation of long-term potentiation in the hippocampus. Science226 (1984) 350–352.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Krantz, P., Differences between single- and multiple-automobile fatal accidents. Accid. Anal. Prev.11 (1979) 225–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Large, W.A., and Johnson, F.N., Psychiatric diagnosis on acute admission related to prevailing weather conditions. Psychiat. clin.13 (1980) 90–95.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Lebowitz, M.D., A comparative analysis of the stimulus-response relationship between mortality and air pollution-weather. Envir. Res.6 (1973) 106–118.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Ludwig, H.W., A hypothesis concerning the absorption mechanism of atmospherics in the nervous system. Int. J. Biomet.12 (1968) 93–98.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. MacLean, P.D., The limbic brain in relation to the psychoses, in: Physiological Correlates of Emotion, pp. 129–146. Ed. P. Black. Academic Press, New York 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Makarec, K., and Persinger, M.A., Weather, individual periodicities and self-reports over a six-month winter period (1986) submitted.

  23. Neuwirth, R., and Faust, V., Neue medizinmeteorologische Ergebnisse an psychisch Kranken. Münch. med. Wschr.117 (1975) 431–436.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Persinger, M.A., (Ed.), ELF and VLF Electromagnetic Field Effects Plenum Press, New York 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Persinger, M.A., Lag responses in mood reports to changes in the weather matrix. Int. J. Biomet.19 (1975) 108–114.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Persinger, M.A., The Weather Matrix and Human Behavior. Praeger, New York 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Persinger, M.A., and Levesque, B.F., Geophysical variables and behavior: XII. The weather matrix accommodates large portions of variance of measured daily mood. Perc. Mot. Skills57 (1983) 868–870.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Persinger, M.A., Winter blahs and spring irritability: the chronic but subtle behavioral operations. Percept. Mot. Skills57 (1983) 496–498.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Redman, D.E., Alterations in function of the nucleus locus coeruleus: a possible model for studies of anxiety in: Animal Models in Psychiatry and Neurology, pp. 293–305. Eds. I. Hanin and E. Usdin. Pergamon Press, New York 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Reiman, E.M., Raichle, M.F., Butler, F.K., Herscovitch, P., and Robins, E., A focal brain abnormality in panic disorder, a severe form of anxiety. Nature310 (1984) 683–685.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Rotton, J., and Frey, J., Air pollution, weather, and violent crimes: concomitant time-series analysis of archival data. J. Personality soc. Psych. (1986) in press.

  32. Ruhenstroth-Bauer, G., Baumer, H., Kugler, J., Spatz, R., Soenning, W., and Filipiak, B., Epilepsy and weather: a significant correlation between the onset of epileptic seizures and specific atmospheric-a pilot study. Int. J. Biomet.28 (1984) 333–340.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Sarto, A., Le ciclonosi mentali. Osp. Psichiat.47 (1979) 240–262.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Stebbings, J.H., Panel studies of acute health effects on air pollution. II. A methodologic study of linear regression analysis of asthma panel data. Envir. Res.17 (1978) 10–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Tamarkin, L., Baird, C.J., and Almeida, O.F.X., Melatonin: a coordinating signal for mammalian reproduction? Science227 (1985) 714–720.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Terman, G.W., Shavit, Y., Lewis, J.W., Cannon, J.T., and Liebeskind, J.C., Intrinsic mechanisms of pain inhibition: activation by stress. Science226 (1984) 1270–1277.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Teyler, T.J., and DiScenna, P., The topological anatomy of the hippocampus: a clue to its function. Brain Res. Bull.12 (1984) 711–719.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Tromp, S.W., Biometeorological Analyses of Daily and Monthly Variations in Restlessness and Ill-temperedness of Mental Patients in the Western Part of The Netherlands. Bioclimatological Research Centre, Leiden 1959.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Tromp, S.W., Medical Biometeorology. Elsevier, New York 1963.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Ungeheuer, H., Das menschliche Befinden bei verschiedenen Wettertypen. Therapiewoche7 (1957) 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Wessman, A.E., and Ricks, D.F., Mood and Personality. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Whissell, C.M., Self-ratings of mood and emotion: predictors of between-word variance. Percept. Mot. Skills58 (1984) 299–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Whitton, J.L., Kramer, P., and Eastwood, R., Weather and infradian rhythms in self-reports of health, sleep and mood measures. J. psychosom. Res.26 (1982) 231–235.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Whitton, J.L., Periodicities in self-reports of health, sleep and mood variables. J. psychosom. Res.22 (1978) 111–115.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Wilk, S., Cerebrospinal fluid levels of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid in psychiatric patients: a critical assessment, in: Serotonin and Behavior, pp. 483–497. Eds J. Barchas and E. Usdin. New York 1973.

  46. Thanks to Dr M. Moroz for the translation of the Polish articles and to Dr H. Falter for the translation of the German articles.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Children's Mental Health Centre Sudbury Algoma Hospital, P3E 1X3, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

    M. A. Persinger

Authors
  1. M. A. Persinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Persinger, M.A. Mental processes and disorders: A neurobehavioral perspective in human biometeorology. Experientia 43, 39–48 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01940351

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01940351

Key words

Search

Navigation