Increased Prefrontal Cortical Thickness Is Associated with Enhanced Abilities to Regulate Emotions in PTSD-Free Women with Borderline Personality Disorder

Previous studies suggest that amygdala, insula and prefrontal cortex (PFC) disintegrity play a crucial role in the failure to adequately regulate emotions in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, prior results are confounded by the high rate of comorbidity with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which itself has been associated with changes in frontolimbic circuitry. We thus scrutinized the link between PFC, amygdala, insula, and the ability to regulate emotions, contrasting 17 women with BPD without comorbid PTSD to 27 non-clinical control women and in addition to those with BPD and PTSD (n = 14). BPD women without PTSD, but not those with comorbid PTSD, had increased cortical thickness in the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) in comparison to control women. Furthermore, cortical thickness in the DLPFC of BPD women without PTSD positively correlated with emotion regulation scores and furthermore was positively associated with amygdala volume, as well as cortical thickness of the insula. Our findings highlight the importance of disentangling the impact of BPD and PTSD on the brain and suggest possible compensatory mechanisms for the impaired emotion regulation in BPD women without PTSD

Early and Differential Diagnosis of Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment Design and Cohort Baseline Characteristics of the German Dementia Competence Network

Background: The German Dementia Competence Network (DCN) has established procedures for standardized multicenter acquisition of clinical, biological and imaging data, for centralized data management, and for the evaluation of new treatments. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was set up for patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), patients with mild dementia and control subjects. The aims were to establish the diagnostic, differential diagnostic and prognostic power of a range of clinical, laboratory and imaging methods. Furthermore, 2 clinical trials were conducted with patients suffering from MCI and mild to moderate Alzheimer's Disease (AD). These trials aimed at evaluating the efficacy and safety of the combination of galantamine and memantine versus galantamine alone. Results: Here, we report on the scope and projects of the DCN, the methods that were employed, the composition and flow within the diverse groups of patients and control persons and on the clinical and neuropsychological baseline characteristics of the group of 2,113 subjects who participated in the observational and clinical trials. Conclusion: These data have an impact on the procedures for the early and differential clinical diagnosis of dementias, the current standard treatment of AD as well as on future clinical trials in AD. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base

READING and FEELING: the effects of a literature-based intervention designed to increase emotional competence in second and third graders

Emotional competence has an important influence on development in school. We hypothesized that reading and discussing children’s books with emotional content increases children’s emotional competence. To examine this assumption, we developed a literature-based intervention, named READING and FEELING, and tested it on 104 second and third graders in their after-school care center. Children who attended the same care center but did not participate in the emotion-centered literary program formed the control group (N = 104). Our goal was to promote emotional competence and to evaluate the effectiveness of the READING and FEELING program. Emotional competence variables were measured prior to the intervention and nine weeks later, at the end of the program. Results revealed significant improvements in the emotional vocabulary, explicit emotional knowledge, and recognition of masked feelings. Regarding the treatment effect for detecting masked feelings, we found that boys benefited significantly more than girls. These findings underscore the assumption that children’s literature is an appropriate vehicle to support the development of emotional competence in middle childhood

Моделирование особенностей движения геохода с ножевым исполнительным органом

Objective. To evaluate depressive symptoms regarding their association with the acute outcome in first-episode schizophrenia comparing risperidone and haloperidol. Method. A total of 274 patients were analysed within a double-blind randomized controlled trial and treated with risperidone or haloperidol. The patients were grouped according to their baseline HAMD-21 total score in a "depressed" (HAMD-21 >= 16) or "non-depressed" (HAMD-21 < 16) patient subgroup. PANSS, HAMD-21, GAF, SOFAS and AIMS ratings were performed. Early response was defined as an initial 20% reduction of the PANSS total score from admission to week 2, response as an at least 50% reduction of the PANSS total score from admission to discharge and remission according to the consensus criteria. Results. A total of 124 patients were classified as depressive at baseline with 22 patients still being depressive at discharge. The depressed and non-depressed patients did not significantly differ regarding the treatment with risperidone and haloperidol (P = 0.2270). The depressive patients suffered from significantly more suicidal tendencies (P = 0.0165), had significantly less insight into their illness (P = 0.0152) and featured significantly worse functioning (P = 0.0066). Patients with depressive symptoms achieved remission significantly less often than non-depressed patients. Conclusion. The importance of a specific and adequate treatment of depressive symptoms is highlighted

Diminished emotional empathic ability in Alexithymia

The present study has been designed to disentangle cognitive and emotional dimensions of empathy in a group of mentally healthy and highly alexithymic individuals (ALEX, n=24) and well-matched controls (n=26) with Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) as questionnaire measure, and Multi Faceted Empathy Task (MET) used during the fMRI and after the fMRI. Simultaneously, Skin Conductance Response (SCR) has been acquired as an implicit measure of emotional reaction. Results show an impaired emotional empathic ability in alexithymic individuals, with lower levels of SCR and higher activation in prefrontal brain regions such as VLPFC and IFG. Cognitive empathy was not impaired in the alexithymic group and the results were accompanied by a higher activation left-IFG. The study leads to the conclusion that alexithymia doesn't only involve a diminished ability to identify and describe one’s own emotions. Furthermore, it is related to a deeper disability of emotion regulation, which becomes visible in impaired emotional concern for others and higher levels of personal distress

Evaluating Depressive Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Psychometric Comparison of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale

Background: The aim of this study was to compare two measures of depression in patients with schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, including patients with delusional and schizoaffective disorder, to conclude implications for their application. Sampling and Methods: A total of 278 patients were assessed using the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was also applied. At admission and discharge, a principal component analysis was performed with each depression scale. The two depression rating scales were furthermore compared using correlation and regression analyses. Results: Three factors were revealed for the CDSS and HAMD-17 factor component analysis. A very similar item loading was found for the CDSS at admission and discharge, whereas results of the loadings of the HAMD-17 items were less stable. The first two factors of the CDSS revealed correlations with positive, negative and general psychopathology. In contrast, multiple significant correlations were found for the HAMD-17 factors and the PANSS sub-scores. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that the HAMD-17 accounted more for the positive and negative symptom domains than the CDSS. Conclusions:The present results suggest that compared to the HAMD-17, the CDSS is a more specific instrument to measure depressive symptoms in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, especially in acutely ill patients. Copyright (c) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Impact of axial active magnetic bearing stiffness coefficient on resonance frequencies of reaction wheel rotor

Разработана математическая модель системы «ротор - электромагнитные подшипники» для электродвигателя-маховика системы ориентации и стабилизации космического аппарата. Модель учитывает собственные частоты изгибных колебаний ротора и коэффициенты жесткости электромагнитных подшипников. Предложен способ повышения угловой жесткости системы путем применения многополюсного осевого электромагнитного подшипника и рассмотрено влияние его коэффициента жесткости на собственные частоты системы.The paper presents the mathematical model of «rotor - active magnetic bearings» system for reaction wheel used in spacecraft attitude control system. Developed model consider the natural frequencies of rotor bending oscillations and stiffness parameters of electromagnetic bearing. Method of angular stiffness increasing by using multipolar axial magnetic bearing is suggested and the results of impact analysis of multipolar axial magnetic bearing stiffness on resonance frequencies of system is considered

Inefficient cognitive control in adult ADHD: evidence from trial-by-trial Stroop test and cued task switching performance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Contemporary neuropsychological models of ADHD implicate impaired cognitive control as contributing to disorder characteristic behavioral deficiencies and excesses; albeit to varying degrees. While the traditional view of ADHD postulates a core deficiency in cognitive control processes, alternative dual-process models emphasize the dynamic interplay of bottom-up driven factors such as activation, arousal, alerting, motivation, reward and temporal processing with top-down cognitive control. However, neuropsychological models of ADHD are child-based and have yet to undergo extensive empirical scrutiny with respect to their application to individuals with persistent symptoms in adulthood. Furthermore, few studies of adult ADHD samples have investigated two central cognitive control processes: interference control and task-set coordination. The current study employed experimental chronometric Stroop and task switching paradigms to investigate the efficiency of processes involved in interference control and task-set coordination in ADHD adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>22 adults diagnosed with persistent ADHD (17 males) and 22 matched healthy control subjects performed a manual trial-by-trial Stroop color-word test and a blocked explicitly cued task switching paradigm. Performance differences between neutral and incongruent trials of the Stroop task measured interference control. Task switching paradigm manipulations allowed for measurement of transient task-set updating, sustained task-set maintenance, preparatory mechanisms and interference control. Control analyses tested for the specificity of group × condition interactions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Abnormal processing of task-irrelevant stimulus features was evident in ADHD group performance on both tasks. ADHD group interference effects on the task switching paradigm were found to be dependent on the time allotted to prepare for an upcoming task. Group differences in sustained task-set maintenance and transient task-set updating were also found to be dependent on experimental manipulation of task preparation processes. With the exception of Stroop task error rates, all analyses revealed generally slower and less accurate ADHD group response patterns.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The current data obtained with experimental paradigms deliver novel evidence of inefficient interference control and task-set coordination in adults with persistent ADHD. However, all group differences observed in these central cognitive control processes were found to be partially dependent on atypical ADHD group task preparation mechanisms and/or response inconsistency. These deficiences may have contributed not only to inefficient cognitive control, but also generally slower and less accurate ADHD group performance. Given the inability to dissociate these impairments with the current data, it remains inconclusive as to whether ineffecient cognitive control in the clinical sample was due to top-down failure or bottom-up engagement thereof. To clarify this issue, future neuropsychological investigations are encouraged to employ tasks with significantly more trials and direct manipulations of bottom-up mechanisms with larger samples.</p

Assessment of the anionic composition of the soil with the influence of eartworms activity

We established by capillary electrophoresis method that earthworms increase the chloride ion content and reduce the content of sulfate, nitrate and phosphate ions in experimental mesocosm soils. With increasing depth, the concentration of all anions decreases

Does Adherence Moderate the Effect of Physical or Mental Training on Episodic Memory in Older Women?

Objective: The aim was to investigate the overall amount of time spent on physical or mental activity training units (i.e., adherence) as a predictor of episodic memory performance in older healthy women. Methods: Women (N = 171, aged 70 -93 years) took part in a 6-month randomized controlled trial (physical activity or computer training, 3 times weekly). Pre-and post-intervention episodic memory and adherence were assessed. Adherence covers the objectively measured frequency of training participation including travel time to and from course sites. Results: Within the physical exercise group, adherence (β = .19, p = .03) had positive effects on cognitive performance. In the computer group, an interaction between adherence and pre-intervention episodic memory (β = −.17, p = .056) indicated improvement for low-ability women. Conclusions: Adhering to a stimulating mental or physical activity intervention is a prerequisite for healthy older women to maintain or slightly improve their episodic memory performance. Travel activity should be taken into account to cover an overall stimulation. Adherence to mental activity training indicates a moderating effect of mental activity training on episodic memory. Predominantly low-ability women improve their episodic memory performance. In contrast, adherence to physical activity training is positively associated with cognitive performance, regardless of pre-intervention episodic memory performance