Remembering pride and shame: Self-enhancement and the phenomenology of autobiographical memory

People's self-images are grounded in autobiographical memories and, in particular, in the phenomenological experience associated with remembering. The desire to increase or maintain the positivity of the self-image (i.e., the self-enhancement motive) might thus play an important role in shaping memory phenomenology. This study examined this hypothesis by asking participants to recall positive and negative events that involve self-evaluations (i.e., pride and shame) and positive and negative events that involve evaluations about others (i.e., admiration and contempt); various phenomenological characteristics (e.g., sensory details, feeling of re-experiencing) were assessed using rating scales. The results show a positivity bias (i.e., subjectively remembering positive events with more details than negative events) for events that involve self-evaluations but not for events that involve evaluations of others. In addition, this bias was stronger for people high in self-esteem. It is concluded that biases affecting the phenomenology of autobiographical memory are part of the arsenal of psychological mechanisms people use to maintain a positive self-image

Phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for emotional and neutral events in older and younger adults

The authors investigated age-related differences in phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories for positive, negative, and neutral events. Younger and older participants were asked to recall two specific memories of each type and then to rate their memories on several sensorial ( e. g., visual, taste) and contextual ( e. g., location, time) characteristics. The authors found that emotional ( both positive and negative) memories contained more sensorial and contextual details than neutral memories in both age groups, whereas positive and negative memories did not differ on most dimensions. In addition, negative memories were associated with a higher intensity of positive feelings and a reduced complexity of storyline in older as compared to younger adults. These results suggest that the effect of emotion on phenomenal characteristics of autobiographical memories is similar in younger and older adults, but that older adults tend to reappraise negative events in a more positive light than younger adults

Oleuropein or rutin consumption decreases the spontaneous development of OA in hartley guinea pig

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Construction of an optimal destructive sampling design for noncompartmental AUC estimation

Based on toxicokinetic studies of a destructive sampling design, this work was aimed at selecting the number of time points, their locations, and the number of replicates per time point in order to obtain the most accurate and precise noncompartmental estimate of the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC). From a prior population pharmacokinetic model, the design is selected to minimize the scaled mean squared error of AUC. Designs are found for various sample sizes, number of time paints, and a distribution of animals across time points from being very unbalanced to balanced. Their efficiencies are compared both theoretically and based on simulations. An algorithm has been implemented for this purpose using the symbolic resolution and numerical minimization capabilities of Mathematica(TM) and an example of its use is provided. This method provides efficient tools for constructing, validating and comparing optimal sampling designs for destructive sampled toxicokinetic studies

Oleuropein or rutin consumption decreases the spontaneous development of osteoarthritis in the Hartley guinea pig

SummaryObjectiveTo assess the potential protective effects of three polyphenols oleuropein, rutin and curcumin, on joint ageing and osteoarthritis (OA) development.DesignSixty 4-week-old Dunkin–Hartley guinea pigs were randomized into four groups and received daily during 31 weeks either standard guinea pig diet (control group) or a standard guinea pig diet enriched with oleuropein (0.025%), rutin (0.5%) or rutin/curcumin (0.5%/0.25%) association. Biomarkers of OA (Coll2-1, Coll2-1NO2, Fib3-1, Fib3-2, ARGS), as well as inflammation prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were quantified in the serum. Histological assessments of knee cartilage and synovial membrane were performed at week 4 (five young reference guinea pigs) and week 35.ResultsAt week 35, guinea pigs in the control group spontaneously developed significant cartilage lesions with mild synovial inflammation. The histological scores of cartilage lesions and synovitis were well correlated with the increased level of serum biomarkers. Histologically, all treatments significantly reduced the cartilage degradation score (P < 0.01), but only oleuropein significantly decreased the synovial histological score (P < 0.05) and serum PGE2 levels (P < 0.01) compared to the control group. Coll2-1 was decreased by rutin and the combination of rutin/curcumin, Fib3-1 and Fib3-2 were only decreased by the rutin/curcumin mixture, while Coll2-1NO2 was significantly decreased by all treatments (P < 0.05).ConclusionOleuropein and rutin ± curcumin significantly slowed down the progression of spontaneous OA lesions in guinea pigs. While no additive effect was seen in the curcumin + rutin group, the differential effects of oleuropein and rutin on inflammatory and cartilage catabolic markers suggest an interesting combination for future studies in OA protection