Selective alteration of personality and social behavior by serotonergic intervention

Serotonin release by parachloroamphetamine in rats with high and low sociability: High prefrontal release capacity in sociable females

BACKGROUND

Social behaviour is the expression of one of the most generally accepted independent dimensions of personality. Serotonergic neurotransmission has been implicated in typical social response and drugs that promote serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) release have prosocial effects. By using the social interaction test, we have previously demonstrated sociability as a temperamental trait in male Wistar rats.

AIMS

To assess sociability in male rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain and in female rats of both Wistar and Sprague-Dawley strain, and extracellular levels of 5-HT in rats with high and low sociability (high sociability (HS)- and low sociability (LS)-rats).

METHODS

Social interaction test conducted with different weight-matched partners was used to assess sociability, and in vivo, microdialysis was performed before and after administration of a low dose (2 mg/kg) of parachloroamphetamine (PCA) in the prefrontal cortex, dorsamedial striatum and ventral tegmental area.

RESULTS

Similarly to male Wistar rats, female Wistars and Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes displayed trait-wise sociability. Male Wistar HS-rats had lower extracellular levels of 5-HT in prefrontal cortex at baseline and after administration of PCA, and higher PCA-induced increase of extracellular 5-HT in ventral tegmental area. In dorsomedial striatum, PCA elicited a comparable increase in extracellular dopamine in HS- and LS-rats, but higher release of 5-HT in HS-rats. Comparison of PCA-induced 5-HT release in prefrontal cortex of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats revealed a larger 5-HT response in female HS-rats.

CONCLUSIONS

5-HT release potential is higher in rats with high expression of sociability trait, whereas some regionally variable differences may be related to relative contributions of social motivation and anxiety in shaping social behaviour.

Focal pharmacological manipulation of serotonin signaling in the amygdala does not alter social behavior

Serotonin signaling plays critical roles in social and emotional behaviors. Likewise, decades of research demonstrate that the amygdala is a prime modulator of social behavior. Permanent excitotoxic lesions and transient amygdala inactivation consistently increase social behaviors in non-human primates. In rodents, acute systemic administration of drugs that increase serotonin signaling is associated with decreased social interactions. However, in primates, the direct involvement of serotonin signaling in the amygdala, particularly in affiliative social interaction, remains unexplored. Here, we examined the effects of serotonin manipulations within the amygdala on social behavior in eight pairs of familiar male macaques. We microinfused drugs targeting the serotonin system into either the basolateral (BLA) or central (CeA) amygdala and measured changes in social behavior. Surprisingly, the results demonstrated no significant differences in social behavior following the infusion of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 5-HT1A agonist or antagonist, 5-HT2A agonist or antagonist, or 5-HT3 agonist or antagonist into either the BLA or CeA. These findings suggest that serotonin signaling in the amygdala does not directly contribute to the regulation of social behavior between familiar conspecifics. Future research should explore alternative mechanisms and potential interactions with other brain regions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex neural circuitry governing social behavior.

Research Report: A Link between Sertraline Treatment and Susceptibility to (Mis)information

Recent research revealed that several psycho-cognitive processes, such as insensitivity to positive and negative feedback, cognitive rigidity, pessimistic judgment bias, and anxiety, are involved in susceptibility to fake news. All of these processes have been previously associated with depressive disorder and are sensitive to serotoninergic manipulations. In the current study, a link between chronic treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline and susceptibility to true and fake news was examined. Herein, a sample of 1162 participants was recruited via Prolific Academic for an online study. Half of the sample reported taking sertraline (Zoloft) for at least 8 weeks (sertraline group), and the other half confirmed not taking any psychiatric medication (control group). The sertraline group was further divided according to their daily dosage (50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/day). All participants completed a susceptibility to misinformation scale, wherein they were asked to determine the veracity of the presented true and fake news and their willingness to behaviorally engage with the news. The results were compared between those of the sertraline groups and the control group. The results showed that sertraline groups did not differ significantly in the assessment of the truthfulness of information or their ability to discern the truth. However, those taking sertraline appeared to have a significantly increased likelihood of behavioral engagement with the information, and this effect was observed for both true and fake news. The research presented here represents the initial endeavor to comprehend the neurochemical foundation of the susceptibility to misinformation. The association between sertraline treatment and increased behavioral engagement with information observed in this study can be explained in light of previous studies showing positive correlations between serotonin (5-HT) system activity and the inclination to engage in social behaviors. It can also be attributed to the anxiolytic effects of sertraline treatment, which mitigate the fear of social judgment. The heightened behavioral engagement with information in people taking sertraline may, as part of a general phenomenon, also shape their interactions with fake news. Future longitudinal studies should reveal the specificity and exact causality of these interactions.

Preclinical Models of Chronic Stress: Adaptation or Pathology?

The experience of prolonged stress changes how individuals interact with their environment and process interoceptive cues, with the end goal of optimizing survival and well-being in the face of a now-hostile world. The chronic stress response includes numerous changes consistent with limiting further damage to the organism, including development of passive or active behavioral strategies and metabolic adjustments to alter energy mobilization. These changes are consistent with symptoms of pathology in humans, and as a result, chronic stress has been used as a translational model for diseases such as depression. While it is of heuristic value to understand symptoms of pathology, we argue that the chronic stress response represents a defense mechanism that is, at its core, adaptive in nature. Transition to pathology occurs only after the adaptive capacity of an organism is exhausted. We offer this perspective as a means of framing interpretations of chronic stress studies in animal models and how these data relate to adaptation as opposed to pathology.

Ethics Inside the Black Box: Integrating Science and Technology Studies into Engineering and Public Policy Curricula

There is growing need for hybrid curricula that integrate constructivist methods from Science and Technology Studies (STS) into both engineering and policy courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, institutional and disciplinary barriers have made implementing such curricula difficult at many institutions. While several programs have recently been launched that mix technical training with consideration of "societal" or "ethical issues," these programs often lack a constructivist element, leaving newly-minted practitioners entering practical fields ill-equipped to unpack the politics of knowledge and technology or engage with skeptical publics. This paper presents a novel format for designing interdisciplinary coursework that combines conceptual content from STS with training in engineering and policy. Courses following this format would ideally be team taught by instructors with advanced training in diverse fields, and hence co-learning between instructors and disciplines is a key element of the format. Several instruments for facilitating both student and instructor collaborative learning are introduced. The format is also designed for versatility: in addition to being adaptable to both technical and policy training environments, topics are modularized around a conceptual core so that issues ranging from biotech to nuclear security can be incorporated to fit programmatic needs and resources.

Can antidepressant use be associated with emotional blunting in a subset of patients with depression? A scoping review of available literature

INTRODUCTION

Despite frequent recognition of emotional blunting in the published literature, either as a primary symptom of depression or as an adverse effect of antidepressants, there is no systematic synthesis on this topic to our knowledge. We undertook this scoping review to assess the prevalence, clinical features, implicated causes and management of emotional blunting, outlining the phenomenological and clinical gaps in research.

METHOD

A systematic search was done until March 15, 2022, to include all original studies (i.e., interventional trials, cohort & cross-sectional studies, case reports, and case series). All reviewed data were delineated to answer pertinent clinical, phenomenological, and management questions related to the phenomenon of emotional blunting.

RESULTS

A total of 25 original studies were included in our scoping review. Emotional blunting was described as a persistent diminution in both positive and negative feelings in depressed patients, who could subjectively differentiate it from their acute symptoms. However, the literature lacked the distinction between emotional blunting as a primary symptom of depression or an adverse effect of antidepressants. Common clinical strategies to manage antidepressant-induced emotional blunting included dose reduction or switching to a different antidepressant.

CONCLUSION

Emotional blunting was a significant patient-reported concern with antidepressants. Future research should clarify phenomenological and neurobiological constructs underlying emotional blunting to improve diagnostic and management skills.

The Dopamine System in Mediating Alcohol Effects in Humans

Brain-imaging studies show that the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is determined by a complex interaction of different neurotransmitter systems and multiple psychological factors. In this context, the dopaminergic reinforcement system appears to be of fundamental importance. We focus on the excitatory and depressant effects of acute versus chronic alcohol intake and its impact on dopaminergic neurotransmission. Furthermore, we describe alterations in dopaminergic neurotransmission as associated with symptoms of alcohol dependence. We specifically focus on neuroadaptations to chronic alcohol consumption and their effect on central processing of alcohol-associated and reward-related stimuli. Altered reward processing, complex conditioning processes, impaired reinforcement learning, and increased salience attribution to alcohol-associated stimuli enable alcohol cues to drive alcohol seeking and consumption. Finally, we will discuss how the neurobiological and neurochemical mechanisms of alcohol-associated alterations in reward processing and learning can interact with stress, cognition, and emotion processing.

Enhanced social reward response and anxiety-like behavior with downregulation of nucleus accumbens glucocorticoid receptor in BALB/c mice

Social anhedonia is a psychological state with difficulty in experiencing pleasure from social interactions and is observed in various diseases, such as depressive disorders. Although the relationships between social reward responses and anxiety- and depression-like behaviors have remained unclear, a social reward conditioned place preference (SCPP) test can be used to analyze the rewarding nature of social interactions. To elucidate these relationships, we used 5-week-old male mice of AKR, BALB/c, and C57BL/6J strains and conducted behavioral tests in the following order: elevated plus-maze test (EPM), open field test (OFT), SCPP, saccharin preference test (SPT), and passive avoidance test. The nucleus accumbens of these mice were collected 24 hr after these behavioral tests and were used for western blotting to determine the levels of receptors for brain-derived neurotrophic factors and glucocorticoids. BALB/c mice displayed the highest levels of anxiety-like behavior in EPM and OFT as well as physical anhedonia-like behaviors in SPT. They also showed increased responses to social rewards and huddling behaviors in SCPP, with downregulated glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Regression analysis results revealed positive influences of anxiety- and physical anhedonia-like behaviors and expressions of GR on social reward responses. Collectively, temperament associated with anxiety and physical anhedonia may affect social reward responses, which possibly is influenced by the expression of GR that can modify these psychological traits.

Efficacy of adjunctive brexpiprazole on symptom clusters of major depressive disorder: A post hoc analysis of four clinical studies

BACKGROUND

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a clinically heterogenous condition and its treatment should be individualized according to the presence of particular symptom clusters. The aim of this pooled analysis was to investigate the effects of adjunctive brexpiprazole on different symptom clusters in MDD.

METHODS

Data were included from four similarly designed, short-term, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of adjunctive brexpiprazole in adults with MDD and inadequate response to 2-4 antidepressant treatments (ADTs), including 1 administered by investigators. Mean changes from baseline and Cohen's d effect sizes (ES) versus placebo were determined for the following Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale symptom clusters: core, anhedonia, dysphoria, retardation, vegetative, loss of interest, and lassitude.

RESULTS

Over 6 weeks, ADT + brexpiprazole 2 mg (n = 486) showed greater improvement than ADT + placebo (n = 585) for all symptom clusters: core (ES = 0.36; p < 0.0001), anhedonia (ES = 0.43; p < 0.0001), dysphoria (ES = 0.27; p < 0.0001), retardation (ES = 0.32; p < 0.0001), vegetative (ES = 0.29; p < 0.0001), loss of interest (ES = 0.30; p < 0.0001), and lassitude (ES = 0.33; p < 0.0001). Improvements of similar magnitude were observed for ADT + brexpiprazole 2-3 mg (n = 770) versus ADT + placebo (n = 788) (ES = 0.24-0.38; all clusters p < 0.0001). In most cases, improvement over ADT + placebo was observed from Week 1 onwards.

LIMITATIONS

Post hoc analysis with no adjunctive active comparator.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients receiving adjunctive brexpiprazole versus adjunctive placebo showed improvements across a range of MDD symptom clusters. Improvements appeared early (generally from Week 1) and were maintained over 6 weeks. These data indicate that adjunctive brexpiprazole may benefit multiple subtypes of patient with MDD and inadequate response to ADTs.

Hostility, Anger, Psycho-emotional Factors and Cardiovascular Disease

The review presents the main aspects of the relationship between psychoemotional factors, hostility, anger and cardiovascular diseases. The first chapter describes the main historical stages in the study of this problem, starting from the Middle Ages and ending with fundamental research of the 19-20 centuries. In the second part, the authors demonstrated that hostility/anger are a risk factor for the CVD development and affect the prognosis and course of CVD (hypertension, ischemic heart disease, various cardiac arrhythmias, etc.). In the third chapter, there were studies that found that high rates of hostility/ anger reduced the effectiveness of cardiovascular therapy. In the fourth part, there are the main correlation mechanisms of negative emotions, hostility/anger and the cardiovascular system, carried out through the relationships with the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, autonomic nervous system, platelet activation, with the changes in the risk factors characteristics etc. In the final chapter, the authors suggested prospects for further study of the problem, probably associated with the assessment of behavioral interventions, pharmacological or complex effects on the severity of hostility/anger to reduce CVD mortality in individuals with high rates of hostility / anger.

Ethanol enhanced MDPV- and cocaine-induced aggressive behavior in mice: Forensic implications

BACKGROUND

Reports concerning the causal link between aggressive behavior and use and abuse of different substances (i.e., alcohol, MDPV) can be found in the literature. Nonetheless, the topic concerning the effects of acute ethanol administration on MDPV and cocaine induced aggressive behavior has yet to be thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate such synergistic effects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 360 male mice were employed in the study. Ethanol was diluted with saline solution and administered 10 min before MDPV or cocaine injection via oral gavage needles. Similarly, MDPV and cocaine were dissolved in saline solution and administered by intraperitoneal injection. Different associations of specific drug doses were then tested. To investigate the acute effects of MDPV and cocaine and their interaction with ethanol on aggression in mice, a resident-intruder test was used.

RESULTS

Ethanol alone was ineffective at dosages of 0.05 g/kg and 0.25 g/kg but increased the aggressiveness of the mice at 0.125 g/kg. Similarly, the injection of both cocaine alone and MDPV alone did not significantly increase the aggressiveness of the mice; conversely, the combination of ethanol and cocaine and ethanol and MDPV enhanced aggression at specific ethanol dosages (0.05 g/kg and 0.125 g/kg).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that acute ethanol administration enhances MDPV- and cocaine-induced aggressive behavior in mice. This aggressive response is particularly enhanced when MDVP and cocaine are coupled with specific ethanol dosages, proving that psychostimulant drugs may act synergistically under certain conditions.

Effects of 16 Weeks of Taekwondo Training on the Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity, Circulating Neurotransmitters, and Subjective Well-Being of Obese Postmenopausal Women

We investigated the effects of Taekwondo training on the body composition, serum lipid profiles, plasma neurotransmitter levels, cerebral blood flow velocities, and subjective well-being of 24 obese postmenopausal women. The women were randomly assigned into the experimental (n = 12) and control (n = 12) groups. The experimental group underwent Taekwondo training five times per week for 16 weeks, while the control group did not. All participants underwent evaluation for the following parameters before and after the intervention: body composition; serum lipid profiles; plasma serotonin and dopamine levels; cerebral blood flow velocities; positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) scores; satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) scores. After the intervention, it was observed that the weight, body mass index, body fat percentage, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and PANAS-NA (negative affect in the PANAS questionnaire) scores were significantly decreased (p < 0.05)—while the plasma serotonin levels were significantly increased (p < 0.05)—in the experimental group. Conversely, there were no significant changes in the cerebral blood flow velocities (p > 0.05). Taekwondo training can be effective in not only reducing obesity, but also in increasing the circulating neurotransmitters and enhancing the subjective well-being of obese postmenopausal women.

Different Components of Subjective Well-being Are Associated With Chronic Nondisabling and Disabling Knee Pain: ELSA-Brasil Musculoskeletal Cohort

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Chronic knee pain (CKP) is a common pain complaint in older adults that is often associated with disability. This study investigated the relationship between 2 components of subjective well-being (depressive symptoms and life satisfaction) and CKP phenotypes based on the presence of knee disability.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed at baseline of ELSA-Brasil Musculoskeletal cohort (2012-2014). Chronic knee pain phenotypes were identified according to the presence of CKP that was accompanied or not by disability, which was assessed by a question on pain-related limitations to perform everyday activities (overall), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index's physical function subscale (daily tasks) and 5-times sit-to-stand test (objective). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised and life satisfaction by the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Multinomial logistic regressions used CKP phenotypes as response variables (no CKP as reference).

RESULTS

The sample comprised 2898 participants (mean age, 55.9 ± 8.9 years; 52.9% were female). After adjustments for sociodemographic and clinical factors, depressive symptoms were associated with daily tasks disabling CKP (odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.45-3.66) and objective disabling CKP (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.29-2.93) and with nondisabling CKP for the overall disability measure (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.17-2.04). Life satisfaction was inversely associated with all phenotypes in fully adjusted models, with strongest magnitude of associations observed for disabling CKP.

CONCLUSIONS

The association of depressive symptoms and life satisfaction with CKP phenotypes suggest the need to address both negative and positive components of subjective well-being in the assessment of individuals with knee complaints.

Psychiatric risk and resilience: Plasticity genes and positive mental health

OBJECTIVE

The at-risk mental state (ARMS) for psychosis has long played a key role in diathesis-stress models of schizophrenia. More recent studies, however, have called for extending the boundaries of the ARMS construct beyond attenuated psychosis in nonhelp-seeking samples to include not only other vulnerability indicators but also protective factors related to genotype, mental health, personality, and cognition.

METHOD

Accordingly, we assessed in a sample of 100 college students, the ARMS construct with the Brief Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-B) for psychosis, in conjunction with measures of positive mental health, childhood adversity, psychiatric symptoms, personality traits, social cognition, and genetic variables derived from assays of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

RESULTS

Higher PQ-B scores correlated positively with vulnerability indicators of childhood adversity and heightened levels of a wide variety of psychiatric symptoms but correlated negatively with protective factors of better overall mental health, social cognition as well as with a distinct NEO profile marked by reduced neuroticism and elevated agreeableness and conscientiousness. Multivariate analyses indicated that a composite ARMS measure comprised of PQ-B scores plus anxiety and depression symptoms revealed significant genotype differences, with lowest risk and highest resilience for allelic carriers of 5-HTTLPR-short and BDNF Met polymorphisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Results provided support for extending the ARMS construct, pointing to important contributions of personality, social cognition, and genes that support neural plasticity in mitigating vulnerability and enhancing resilience and well-being.

Dopaminergic Genetic Variation in Young Adolescents: Associations with Sensation-Seeking

Deficient reward functioning, including reward-related personality, is implicated in depression's etiology. A dopaminergic genetic multilocus genetic profile score (MGPS) has previously been associated with neural reward responsivity but, despite theoretical basis, has not been studied with reward-related personality. Such research is needed to elucidate associations between genetic variation and reward-related personality in a developmentally sensitive population. In the present study, we examined associations between dopaminergic MGPS's and self-report reward-related personality in two young adolescent samples aged 10-15 years old (Sample 1: N = 100 girls, 82% White, 18% Other; Sample 2: N = 141, 65 girls, 76 boys, 89.36% White, 10.64% Other) using an established MGPS and an augmented MGPS. A "mini" meta-analysis synthesized results across samples. In Sample 1, an exploratory mediation analysis intended to gauge effect size for future work tested a path between the MGPS and depression through significant reward traits. In each independent sample, both MGPS's showed significant associations with sensation-seeking but not social drive, a pattern that persisted following correction. Effect sizes of novel variants were at least as robust as established variants, suggesting their added utility. Additionally, the exploratory mediation analysis suggested no noteworthy indirect effect, but a small (R² = 0.022), statistically non-significant direct effect of the MGPS predicting prospective depressive symptoms. Results suggest that dopaminergic genetic variation is associated with the reward-related personality trait of sensation seeking but not social drive. Additional work is needed to probe whether sensation seeking may be a path through which this genetic variation confers depression risk.

Involvement of dorsal raphe nucleus serotonergic systems in social approach-avoidance behaviour and in the response to fluoxetine treatment in peri-adolescent female BALB/c mice

Serotonergic systems are involved in the development and regulation of social behaviour, and drugs that target serotonin neurotransmission, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), also alter aspects of social approach-avoidance. The midbrain dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), which is a major serotonergic nucleus and main source of serotonergic innervation of the forebrain, has been proposed as an important target for SSRIs, although evidence in females is lacking. In this study, we examined the involvement of the DR serotonergic systems in social behaviour and in response to SSRI treatment, using peri-adolescent female BALB/c mice. Mice were exposed to the SSRI fluoxetine either chronically (18 mg/kg/day, in drinking water, for 12 days) or acutely (18 mg/kg, i.p.), or to vehicle control condition (0.9 % saline, i.p.), prior to being exposed to the three-chambered sociability test. Activation of serotonergic neurons across subregions of the DR were subsequently measured, using dual-label immunohistochemistry for TPH2 and c-Fos. Acute fluoxetine administration increased generalised and social avoidance, while mice exposed to chronic fluoxetine treatment showed levels of social approach behaviour that were comparable to controls. Serotonergic populations across the DR showed reduced activity following acute fluoxetine treatment. Further, activation of serotonergic neurons in the ventral DR correlated with social approach behaviour in vehicle-treated control mice. These data provide some support for the involvement of discrete populations of DR serotonergic neurons in the regulation of social approach-avoidance, although more research is needed to understand the effects and mechanisms of chronic SSRI treatment in females.

Emotional and interpersonal mechanisms in community SSRI treatment of social anxiety disorder

BACKGROUND

Affective and interpersonal behavioural patterns characteristic of social anxiety disorder show improvement during treatment with serotonin agonists (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), commonly used in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. The present study sought to establish whether, during community psychopharmacological treatment of social anxiety disorder, changes in positive or negative affect and agreeable or quarrelsome behaviour mediate improvement in social anxiety symptom severity or follow from it.

METHODS

Adults diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (n = 48) recorded their interpersonal behaviour and affect naturalistically in an event-contingent recording procedure for 1-week periods before and during the first 4 months of treatment with paroxetine. Participants and treating psychiatrists assessed the severity of social anxiety symptoms monthly. A multivariate latent change score framework examined temporally lagged associations of change in affect and interpersonal behaviour with change in social anxiety symptom severity.

RESULTS

Elevated agreeable behaviour and positive affect predicted greater subsequent reduction in social anxiety symptom severity over the following month of treatment. Elevated negative affect, but not quarrelsome behaviour, predicted less subsequent reduction in symptom severity.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations included limited assessment of extreme behaviour (e.g., violence) that may have precluded examining the efficacy of paroxetine because of the lack of a placebo control group.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests that interpersonal behaviour and affect may be putative mechanisms of action for serotonergic treatment of social anxiety disorder. Prosocial behaviour and positive affect increase during serotonergic treatment of social anxiety disorder. Specifically, modulating agreeable behaviour, positive affect and negative affect in individuals' daily lives may partially explain and refine clinical intervention.

Effect of acute citalopram on self-referential emotional processing and social cognition in healthy volunteers

BACKGROUND

Depression is characterised by negative views of the self. Antidepressant treatment may remediate negative self-schema through increasing processing of positive information about the self. Changes in affective processing during social interactions may increase expression of prosocial behaviours, improving interpersonal communications.

AIMS

To examine whether acute administration of citalopram is associated with an increase in positive affective learning biases about the self and prosocial behaviour.

METHOD

Healthy volunteers (n = 41) were randomised to either an acute 20 mg dose of citalopram or matched placebo in a between-subjects double-blind design. Participants completed computer-based cognitive tasks designed to measure referential affective processing, social cognition and expression of prosocial behaviours.

RESULTS

Participants administered citalopram made more cooperative choices than those administered placebo in a prisoner's dilemma task (β = 20%, 95% CI: 2%, 37%). Exploratory analyses indicated that participants administered citalopram showed a positive bias when learning social evaluations about a friend (β = 4.06, 95% CI: 0.88, 7.24), but not about the self or a stranger. Similarly, exploratory analyses found evidence of increased recall of positive words and reduced recall of negative words about others (β = 2.41, 95% CI: 0.89, 3.93), but not the self, in the citalopram group.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants administered citalopram showed greater prosocial behaviours, increased positive recall and increased positive learning of social evaluations towards others. The increase in positive affective bias and prosocial behaviours towards others may, at least partially, be a mechanism of antidepressant effect. However, we found no evidence that citalopram influenced self-referential processing.

Low Resting Heart Rate and Stalking Perpetration

There is consistent evidence to suggest that individuals with low resting heart rate are more likely to engage in a variety of antisocial behaviors. The present study examines whether this finding can be extended to stalking perpetration. Drawing from fearlessness theory and stimulation-seeking theory, as well as conceptual work of Meloy and Fisher, we find that individuals with low resting heart rates had significantly greater odds of engaging in stalking behavior, net of controls for sex, age, race, self-control, parental affection, delinquent peers, attitudes/beliefs toward crime, and aggression. When disaggregated by sex, the heart rate-stalking relationship was found to be significant for males, but not for females. The implications of these findings are discussed from a biosocial perspective.

The 4 D's of Pellagra and Progress

Nicotinamide homeostasis is a candidate common denominator to explain smooth transitions, whether demographic, epidemiological or economic. This 'NAD world', dependent on hydrogen-based energy, is not widely recognised as it is neither measured nor viewed from a sufficiently multi-genomic or historical perspective. Reviewing the importance of meat and nicotinamide balances during our co-evolution, recent history suggests that populations only modernise and age well with low fertility on a suitably balanced diet. Imbalances on the low meat side lead to an excess of infectious disease, short lives and boom-bust demographics. On the high side, meat has led to an excess of degenerative, allergic and metabolic disease and low fertility. A 'Goldilocks' diet derived from mixed and sustainable farming (preserving the topsoil) allows for high intellectual capital, height and good health with controlled population growth resulting in economic growth and prosperity. Implementing meat equity worldwide could lead to progress for future generations on 'spaceship' earth by establishing control over population quality, thermostat and biodiversity, if it is not already too late.

The Association Between Genetic Predisposition and Parental Socialization: An Examination of Gene-Environment Correlations Using an Adoption-Based Design

An extensive body of research has examined the role that genetic influences play in the development of antisocial behavior. Even so, there remains much that is unknown regarding the intersections among antisocial behavior, environments, and genetic influences. The current study is designed to shed some light on this issue by examining whether gene-environment correlations are present in the lives of adopted adolescents. More specifically, this article seeks to contribute to scholarship efforts aimed at understanding whether biological parents' antisocial behavioral phenotypes-behaviors often attributed to an increased likelihood of receiving a genetic propensity for antisocial behaviors-predict variation in environments that are experienced by their adopted-away offspring. To do so, the biological parents of adoptees were assessed and used to identify ways in which children elicit certain responses from their adoptive parents based, in part, on their genotype. Correlational analyses were calculated on a sample of adoptees (the final analytic sample ranged between n = 229 and n = 293) drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). The results of the study revealed very little evidence of gene-environment correlations. The implications of these findings are considered.

Treatment of personality pathology through the lens of the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology: Developing a research agenda

Despite the emphasis on evidence-based treatment for psychological disorders, to date, there has been limited research examining treatment for nine of the 10 categorical personality disorders in DSM-5 Section 2. This is perhaps not surprising given the complex heterogeneity and co-morbidity within personality pathology. The hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (HiTOP) was proposed to address limitations within the traditional categorical model of the diagnostic system. Within this system are five spectra: detachment, antagonistic externalizing, disinhibited externalizing, thought disorder and internalizing. These foundational personality traits potentially have direct and specific treatment implications. The purpose of this paper is to highlight potential psychotherapeutic and pharmacological treatment recommendations within the personality spectra. Additionally, we outline the advantages of considering the personality science found within dimensional models of psychopathology in clinical assessment and intervention to aid in treatment planning. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The role of maladaptive personality domains across multiple levels of the HiTOP structure

This study aimed to examine associations between maladaptive personality traits and psychopathology from the perspective of the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (HiTOP). We tested hierarchical structural models to further validate a portion of the structural components of HiTOP. We also tested a priori personality and psychopathology associations with three levels of the HiTOP hierarchy: general psychopathology, spectra and syndromes/disorders. We used a large sample from the general Australian population who completed a large set of personality and psychopathology inventories online. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that internalizing, externalizing and thought dysfunction spectra emerged structurally, as expected per HiTOP, but also revealed that obsessive-compulsive disorder loaded on both internalizing and thought dysfunction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on both externalizing and internalizing. Furthermore, results indicated that almost all personality and psychopathology hypotheses were supported, although trait antagonism did not predict externalizing to the degree initially expected. Implications for personality and psychopathology are discussed. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Genes and environment in attachment

In the last two decades, there has been increasing research interest in disentangling the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in attachment, and in identifying the genes involved in shaping attachment. Twin studies suggest that as attachment changes during the course of development, genetic factors may play a progressively more important role, while shared environmental effects might decrease. However, most of this literature is limited by low power, measurement issues, and cross-sectional design. The findings of molecular genetic studies are, overall, inconclusive. The literature on main genetic effects and gene-by-environment interactions on attachment is filled with inconsistent and unreplicated findings. Also, most studies are underpowered. Challenges for future research are to identify the unshared environmental mechanisms involved in shaping attachment, and to better elucidate the genes involved and their interaction with the environment. Some pioneer studies suggested that the incorporation of epigenetic processes into G × E interaction models might represent a promising future way for investigating the complex, dynamic interplay between genes, environment, and attachment.

Influence of prenatal transportation stress-induced differential DNA methylation on the physiological control of behavior and stress response in suckling Brahman bull calves

The objective of this experiment was to examine potential differential methylation of DNA as a mechanism for altered behavioral and stress responses in prenatally stressed (PNS) compared with nonprenatally stressed (Control) young bull calves. Mature Brahman cows (n = 48) were transported for 2-h periods at 60 ± 5, 80 ± 5, 100 ± 5, 120 ± 5, and 140 ± 5 d of gestation (Transported group) or maintained as nontransported Controls (n = 48). From the offspring born to Transported and Control cows, a subset of 28-d-old intact bulls (n = 7 PNS; n = 7 Control) were evaluated for methylation of DNA of behavior and stress response-associated genes. Methylation of DNA from white blood cells was assessed via reduced representation bisulfite sequencing methods. Because increased methylation of DNA within gene promoter regions has been associated with decreased transcriptional activity of the corresponding gene, differentially methylated (P ≤ 0.05) CG sites (cytosine followed by a guanine nucleotide) located within promoter regions (n = 1,205) were used to predict (using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software) alterations to canonical pathways in PNS compared with Control bull calves. Among differentially methylated genes (P ≤ 0.05) related to behavior and the stress response were OPRK1, OPRM1, PENK, POMC, NR3C2, TH, DRD1, DRD5, COMT, HTR6, HTR5A, GABRA4, GABRQ, and GAD2. Among altered (P < 0.05) signaling pathways related to behavior and the stress response were Opioid Signaling, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Signaling, Dopamine Receptor Signaling, Dopamine-DARPP32 Feedback in cAMP Signaling, Serotonin Receptor Signaling, and GABA Receptor Signaling. Alterations to behavior and stress response-related genes and canonical pathways supported previously observed elevations in temperament score and serum cortisol through weaning in the larger population of PNS calves from which bulls in this study were derived. Differential methylation of DNA and predicted alterations to behavior and stress response-related pathways in PNS compared with Control bull calves suggest epigenetic programming of behavior and the stress response in utero.

Anatomical and behavioral impact of a lentiviral tool tapping onto hippocampal serotonin reuptake in rats

We aimed at the further characterization of rats in which SERT gene silencing was achieved by hippocampal injection of a lentiviral vector, carrying three si-RNA to block SERT mRNA at 66% of normal levels. Improved self-control and reduced restlessness were already demonstrated in these rats. Present further studies consisted of male adult rats, bilaterally inoculated within the hippocampus; control rats received lentivirus particles inactivated with heat. Both groups were maintained in isolation for 5 months, starting from inoculation. Neurochemical changes were studied by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS): we found increased hippocampal viability and bioenergetic potential; however, rats showed a behaviorally depressive pattern, also characterized by enhanced affiliation. Based on the extent of such effects, the whole lenti-SERT group was divided into two subgroups, termed intermediate- and extreme- phenotype profiles. While all rats had a widespread modification within dorsal/ventral striatum, amygdala, and hypothalamus, only the former subgroup showed an involvement of Raphé medialis, while, for the latter subgroup, an increase of SERT within hippocampus was unexpectedly caused. Within the less-affected "intermediate" rats, hippocampal 5-HT7 receptors were down-modulated, and also similarly within substantia nigra, septum, and neocortex. This picture demonstrates that additional rather than fewer neurobiological changes accompany a lower phenotypic expression. Overall, tapping hippocampal SERT affected the balance between habits versus strategies of coping by promoting morphogenetic processes indicative of a serotonergic fiber plasticity. Supplementary studies about serotonergic dynamics and neurogenesis within fronto-striatal circuits are needed.

Impulsivity differences between bipolar and unipolar depression

BACKGROUND

Even though particularly bipolar depression and unipolar depression seem to be similar, they show differences in terms of the etiology, phenomenology, course, and treatment process. Bipolar depression is associated with mood lability, motor retardation, and hypersomnia to a larger extent. Early age of onset, a high frequency of depressive episodes, and history of bipolar disease in the family are suggestive of bipolar disorder (BD) rather than major depression. Bipolar and unipolar disorders are also associated with increased impulsivity during illness episodes. However, there is little information about impulsivity during euthymia in these mood disorders. The aim of this study was to illustrate the difference in impulsivity in euthymic bipolar and unipolar patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Impulsivity was evaluated by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11A), in 78 interepisode BD patients, 72 interepisode unipolar disorder patients, and 70 healthy controls. The diagnosis was established by severe combined immunodeficiency. One-way between-groups ANOVA was used to compare the BIS-11A mean scores for all three groups.

RESULTS

Impulsivity scores of the bipolar and unipolar disorder patients were significantly higher than controls on total and all subscales measures. There was no difference between the bipolar and unipolar disorder groups on total, attentional, and nonplanning impulsivity measures. However, BD patients scored significantly higher than the unipolar patients on motor impulsivity measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Both interepisode bipolar and unipolar disorder patients had increased impulsivity compared to healthy individuals. There was no significant difference on attention and nonplanning impulsivity subscales; however, on the motor subscale, bipolar patients were more impulsive than unipolar disorder patients.

Affect, interpersonal behaviour and interpersonal perception during open-label, uncontrolled paroxetine treatment of people with social anxiety disorder: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Laboratory-based research with community samples has suggested changes in affective, behavioural and cognitive processes as possible explanations for the effects of serotonergic medications. Examining the effects of serotonergic medications using an ecological momentary measure (such as event-contingent recording) in the daily lives of people with social anxiety disorder would contribute to establishing the effects of these medications on affect, behaviour and one form of cognition: perception of others’ behaviour.

METHODS

The present study assessed changes in affect, interpersonal behaviour and perception of others’ behaviour in adults with social anxiety disorder using ecological momentary assessment at baseline and over 4 months of a single-arm, uncontrolled, open-label trial of treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine.

RESULTS

Anxiety and concurrent depressive symptoms decreased. Participants also reported increased positive and decreased negative affect; increased agreeable and decreased quarrelsome behaviour; increased dominant and decreased submissive behaviour; and increased perception that others behaved agreeably toward them. Moreover, participants demonstrated reduced intraindividual variability in affect, interpersonal behaviour and perception of others’ behaviour.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations included the lack of a placebo group, the inability to identify the temporal order of changes and the restricted assessment of extreme behaviour.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study demonstrate changes during pharmacotherapy in the manifestation of affect, interpersonal behaviour and interpersonal perception in the daily lives of people with social anxiety disorder. Given the importance of interpersonal processes to social anxiety disorder, these results may guide future research seeking to clarify mechanisms of action for serotonergic medications.

The Effects of Housing Density on Social Interactions and Their Correlations with Serotonin in Rodents and Primates

Population density has been suggested to affect social interactions of individuals, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. In contrast, neurotransmission of monoamines such as serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) has been demonstrated to play important roles in social behaviors. Here, we investigated whether housing density affected social interactions of rodents and non-human primates housed in groups, and its correlations with monoamines. Japanese macaques exhibited higher plasma 5-HT, but not DA, concentrations than rhesus macaques. Similarly, C57BL/6 mice exhibited higher plasma and brain tissue 5-HT concentrations than DBA2 mice. Under crowding, C57BL/6 mice and Japanese macaques exhibited more prominent social avoidance with mates than DBA2 mice and rhesus macaques, respectively. Although DBA2 mice and rhesus macaques in crowding exhibited elevated plasma stress hormones, such stress hormone elevations associated with crowding were absent in C57BL/6 mice and Japanese macaques. Administration of parachlorophenylalanine, which inhibits 5-HT synthesis, increased social interactions and stress hormones in C57BL/6 mice under crowding. These results suggest that, animals with hyperserotonemia may exhibit social avoidance as an adaptive behavioral strategy to mitigate stress associated with crowding environments, which may also be relevant to psychiatric disorder such as autism spectrum disorder.

Fluoxetine Administration in Juvenile Monkeys: Implications for Pharmacotherapy in Children

Fluoxetine therapy has been approved for children with major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder for over 14 years and has expanded to other childhood behavior disorders. As use increases, more detail on fluoxetine effects during juvenile brain development can help maintain safe and effective use of this therapy. Here, a narrative review is provided of previously published findings from a large nonhuman primate project. Fluoxetine was administered to juvenile male rhesus monkeys for an extended period (2 years) prior to puberty. Compared to controls, treated monkeys showed sleep disruption, facilitated social interaction, greater impulsivity, and impaired sustained attention during treatment. No effects on growth were seen. Metabolomics assays characterized a distinctive response to fluoxetine and demonstrated individual differences that were related to the impulsivity measure. Fluoxetine interactions with monoamine oxidase A polymorphisms that influenced behavior and metabolomics markers were an important, previously unrecognized finding of our studies. After treatment was discontinued, some behavioral effects persisted, but short-term memory and cognitive flexibility testing did not show drug effects. This detailed experimental work can contribute to clinical research and continued safe and effective fluoxetine pharmacotherapy in children.

The effects of acute inflammation on cognitive functioning and emotional processing in humans: A systematic review of experimental studies

OBJECTIVE

The cognitive neuropsychological model of depression proposes that negative biases in the processing of emotionally salient information have a central role in the development and maintenance of depression. We have conducted a systematic review to determine whether acute experimental inflammation is associated with changes to cognitive and emotional processing that are thought to cause and maintain depression.

METHODS

We identified experimental studies in which healthy individuals were administered an acute inflammatory challenge (bacterial endotoxin/vaccination) and standardised tests of cognitive function were performed.

RESULTS

Fourteen references were identified, reporting findings from 12 independent studies on 345 participants. Methodological quality was rated strong or moderate for 11 studies. Acute experimental inflammation was triggered using a variety of agents (including endotoxin from E. coli, S. typhi, S. abortus Equi and Hepatitis B vaccine) and cognition was assessed over hours to months, using cognitive tests of i) attention/executive functioning, ii) memory and iii) social/emotional processing. Studies found mixed evidence that acute experimental inflammation caused changes to attention/executive functioning (2 of 6 studies showed improvements in attention executive function compared to control), changes in memory (3 of 5 studies; improved reaction time: reduced memory for object proximity: poorer immediate and delayed memory) and changes to social/emotional processing (4 of 5 studies; reduced perception of emotions, increased avoidance of punishment/loss experiences, and increased social disconnectedness).

CONCLUSIONS

Acute experimental inflammation causes negative biases in social and emotional processing that could explain observed associations between inflammation and depression.

IGFBP2 Produces Rapid-Acting and Long-Lasting Effects in Rat Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder via a Novel Mechanism Associated with Structural Plasticity

BACKGROUND

Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by deficits in the extinction of aversive memories. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is the only growth factor that has shown anxiolytic and antidepressant properties in human clinical trials. In animal studies, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2) shows both IGF1-dependent and IGF1-independent pharmacological effects, and IGFBP2 expression is upregulated by rough-and-tumble play that induces resilience to stress.

METHODS

IGFBP2 was evaluated in Porsolt, contextual fear conditioning, and chronic unpredictable stress models of posttraumatic stress disorder. The dependence of IGFBP2 effects on IGF1- and AMPA-receptor activation was tested using selective receptor antagonists. Dendritic spine morphology was measured in the dentate gyrus and the medial prefrontal cortex 24 hours after in vivo dosing.

RESULTS

IGFBP2 was 100 times more potent than IGF1 in the Porsolt test. Unlike IGF1, effects of IGFBP2 were not blocked by the IGF1-receptor antagonist JB1, or by the AMPA-receptor antagonist 2,3-Dioxo-6-nitro-1,2,3,4 tetrahydrobenzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide (NBQX) in the Porsolt test. IGFBP2 (1 µg/kg) and IGF1 (100 µg/kg i.v.) each facilitated contextual fear extinction and consolidation. Using a chronic unpredictable stress paradigm, IGFBP2 reversed stress-induced effects in the Porsolt, novelty-induced hypophagia, sucrose preference, and ultrasonic vocalization assays. IGFBP2 also increased mature dendritic spine densities in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus 24 hours postdosing.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that IGFBP2 has therapeutic-like effects in multiple rat models of posttraumatic stress disorder via a novel IGF1 receptor-independent mechanism. These data also suggest that the long-lasting effects of IGFBP2 may be due to facilitation of structural plasticity at the dendritic spine level. IGFBP2 and mimetics may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.

The role of serotonin in personality inference: tryptophan depletion impairs the identification of neuroticism in the face

Serotonergic mechanisms mediate the expression of personality traits (such as impulsivity, aggression and anxiety) that are linked to vulnerability to psychological illnesses, and modulate the identification of emotional expressions in the face as well as learning about broader classes of appetitive and aversive signals. Faces with neutral expressions signal a variety of socially relevant information, such that inferences about the big five personality traits, including Neuroticism, Extraversion and Agreeableness, can be accurately made on the basis of emotionally neutral facial photographs. Given the close link between Neuroticism and psychological distress, we investigated the effects of diminished central serotonin activity (achieved by tryptophan depletion) upon the accuracy of 52 healthy (non-clinical) adults' discriminations of personality from facial characteristics. All participants were able to discriminate reliably four of the big five traits. However, the tryptophan-depleted participants were specifically less accurate in discriminating Neuroticism than the matched non-depleted participants. These data suggest that central serotonin activity modulates the identification of not only negative facial emotional expression but also a broader class of signals about personality characteristics linked to psychological distress.

The Roles of Dopamine D1 Receptor on the Social Hierarchy of Rodents and Nonhuman Primates

BACKGROUND

Although dopamine has been suggested to play a role in mediating social behaviors of individual animals, it is not clear whether such dopamine signaling contributes to attributes of social groups such as social hierarchy.

METHODS

In this study, the effects of the pharmacological manipulation of dopamine D1 receptor function on the social hierarchy and behavior of group-housed mice and macaques were investigated using a battery of behavioral tests.

RESULTS

D1 receptor blockade facilitated social dominance in mice at the middle, but not high or low, social rank in the groups without altering social preference among mates. In contrast, the administration of a D1 receptor antagonist in a macaque did not affect social dominance of the drug-treated animal; however, relative social dominance relationships between the drug-treated and nontreated subjects were altered indirectly through alterations of social affiliative relationships within the social group.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that dopamine D1 receptor signaling may be involved in social hierarchy and social relationships within a group, which may differ between rodents and primates.

Effects of psychotropic drugs used in the treatment of anxiety disorders on the recognition of facial expressions of emotion: Critical analysis of literature

Deficits in recognition of facial expressions of emotion (RFEE) play a central role in the manifestation of anxiety disorders (AD). We systematically reviewed the literature to determine effects of drugs used in AD treatment on RFEE, based on outcomes of accuracy rate, reaction time, and intensity. Electronic databases, including Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Scielo, were used without time constraints. Twenty-six clinical/experimental studies on healthy subjects, focusing on 11 drugs, published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, were selected. We found that increased recognition of happiness was associated with acute use of citalopram, fluoxetine, duloxetine, and reboxetine. Increased and decreased recognition of negative emotions were associated with the use of selective serotonin and/or norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, respectively. Benzodiazepine favored recognition of negative emotions. Differences in reaction time were rarely observed. Stimuli with distinct emotion intensities produced similar effects. Specific changes occurred in RFEE depending on the drug, its administration route and dose, and emotion valence. Evidences indicate significant effects on emotional processing relevant to clinical practice, particularly in treating patients with emotional disorders.

Specific Pharmacological Effects of Paroxetine Comprise Psychological but Not Somatic Symptoms of Depression

Background

Meta-analyses of placebo-controlled trials of SSRIs suggest that only a small portion of the observable change in depression may be attributed to "true" pharmacological effects. But depression is a multidimensional construct, so treatment effects may differ by symptom cluster. We tested the hypothesis that SSRIs uniquely alter psychological rather than somatic symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Method

Outpatients with moderate to severe MDD were randomly assigned to receive paroxetine (n = 120) or placebo (n = 60).

Results

Paroxetine significantly outperformed placebo on all psychological subscales of the syndrome measures, but not on any of the somatic subscales. The difference in score reduction between paroxetine and placebo was more than twice as great for the psychological symptoms compared to the somatic symptoms.

Conclusions

Paroxetine appears to have a “true” pharmacological effect on the psychological but not on the somatic symptoms of depression and anxiety. Paroxetine's influence on somatic symptoms appears to be mostly duplicated by placebo.

Biological mechanisms underlying evolutionary origins of psychotic and mood disorders

Psychotic and mood disorders are brain dysfunctions that are caused by gene environment interactions. Although these disorders are disadvantageous and involve behavioral phenotypes that decrease the reproductive success of afflicted individuals in the modern human society, the prevalence of these disorders have remained constant in the population. Here, we propose several biological mechanisms by which the genes associated with psychotic and mood disorders could be selected for in specific environmental conditions that provide evolutionary bases for explanations of when, why, and where these disorders emerged and have been maintained in humans. We discuss the evolutionary origins of psychotic and mood disorders with specific focuses on the roles of dopamine and serotonin in the conditions of social competitiveness/hierarchy and maternal care and other potential mechanisms, such as social network homophily and symbiosis.

Different mechanisms of risperidone result in improved interpersonal trust, social engagement and cooperative behavior in patients with schizophrenia compared to trifluoperazine

AIM

Atypical antipsychotic treatment (e.g. risperidone) has been found to improve social functioning more than standard antipsychotic treatment. However, it is unclear which specific social behaviors are implicated in this improvement. The current study employed an interactive puzzle game to examine how social behaviors contribute to the improvement of social functioning by comparing patients receiving risperidone with those receiving trifluoperazine.

METHODS

Scores on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, executive functioning, and social functioning were obtained from 24 patients with schizophrenia receiving either risperidone (n = 12) or trifluoperazine (n = 12), before their social behavior was measured in the interactive Tangrams Game. Immediately after the Tangrams Game, participants filled in two questionnaires measuring their interpersonal trust and rejection toward their game partner.

RESULTS

Patients receiving risperidone showed more social engagement, cooperative behavior and interpersonal trust toward their game partners than those receiving trifluoperazine. Additional multivariate analysis of variance revealed that lower affiliative behavior was a function of positive symptoms; interpersonal trust had an impact on social engagement but executive functioning did not explain lower interpersonal trust or social disengagement.

CONCLUSION

Improvement of social competence by risperidone might be related to the enhancement of both social behaviors and interpersonal trust as well as better symptom resolution.

The Importance of Considering Clinical Utility in the Construction of a Diagnostic Manual

The development of major diagnostic manuals primarily has been guided by construct validity rather than clinical utility. The purpose of this article is to summarize recent research and theory examining the importance of clinical utility when constructing and evaluating a diagnostic manual. We suggest that construct validity is a necessary but not sufficient criterion for diagnostic constructs. This article discusses components of clinical utility and how these have applied to the current and forthcoming diagnostic manuals. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.

Competitive Game Play Attenuates Self-Other Integration during Joint Task Performance

Joint task performance is facilitated by sharing and integrating each other’s action representations. Research has shown that the amount of this so-called self-other integration depends on situational aspects related to the social context, including differences in the social relationship between co-acting individuals. There are indications that a cooperative relationship facilitates self-other integration while a competitive relationship results in more individualistic task performance. However, findings from previous studies in which the cooperative or competitive element was manipulated during task performance are inconsistent. Therefore, the present study aimed to manipulate the social relationship between two individuals prior to performing a social Simon task. This task is frequently used to measure self-other integration and distinction processes. A mixed-within-and-between-subjects design was used in which three groups of participants performed both a standard Simon task and a social Simon task after having played a Tetris game either individually, in cooperation with a co-actor, or in competition against another participant. Performance on the standard Simon task was not affected by the Tetris manipulation. However, a sustained effect of the induced cooperative versus competitive relationship was found on the social Simon Task. Less self-other integration was found in participants who had first played a competitive Tetris game compared to participants who had played a cooperative or solo version of the game. The current study thus demonstrates that an established cooperative or competitive relationship is sufficient to modulate the degree of self-other integration on subsequent joint task performance. Importantly, by using Tetris, attention to others’ actions was beneficial both during cooperative and competitive game play and can thus not explain the competition-induced reduction of self-other integration.

Antidepressant drug action--From rapid changes on network function to network rewiring

There has been significant recent progress in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of antidepressant treatments. The delayed-onset of action of monoamine-based antidepressant drugs have been associated to their ability to slowly increase synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability via altering neurotrophic signaling (synthesis of BDNF and activation of its receptor TrkB), dematuration of GABAergic interneurons and inhibition of "breaks of plasticity". On the other hand, antidepressants rapidly regulate emotional processing that - with the help of heightened plasticity and appropriate rehabilitation - gradually lead to significant changes on functional neuronal connectivity and clinical recovery. Moreover, the discovery of rapid-acting antidepressants, most notably ketamine, has inspired interest for novel antidepressant developments with better efficacy and faster onset of action. Therapeutic effects of rapid-acting antidepressants have been linked with their ability to rapidly regulate neuronal excitability and thereby increase synaptic translation and release of BDNF, activation of the TrkB-mTOR-p70S6k signaling pathway and increased synaptogenesis within the prefrontal cortex. Thus, alterations in TrkB signaling, synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability are shared neurobiological phenomena implicated in antidepressant responses produced by both gradually and rapid acting antidepressants. However, regardless of antidepressant, their therapeutic effects are not permanent which suggests that their effects on neuronal connectivity and network function remain unstable and vulnerable for psychosocial challenges.

Depressive symptoms, life satisfaction and prevalence of sleep disturbances in the general population of Germany: results from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study

OBJECTIVES

It appears that not only depression, but also low life satisfaction (LS), is related to sleep disorder in the general population. We evaluate whether the prevalence of sleep disorder attributable to depressed mood is greater among participants with low LS.

SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOME MEASURES

Analysis of cross-sectional data from 3880 cohort members from the German Heinz Nixdorf Recall study (2006-2008) aged 51-81 years. Standard mood (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D) for Depressive symptoms and a single-item life satisfaction measure) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) measures were conducted as part of the survey. Multiple imputation was used to deal with missing data in outcome, exposures or covariates. Relative excess risk for interaction (RERI) and its 95% CIs were estimated using adjusted prevalence ORs. Owing to the study size, the precision of the measures of additive interaction is relatively low.

RESULTS

We observed an association between depressed mood (5-units increase in CES-D score) (POR=1.7 (95% CI 1.6 to 1.8)) and sleep disorder, and between low LS (not very satisfied vs very satisfied) (POR=1.5 (1.1 to 2.2)) and sleep disorder. Also, we observed a synergistic effect between lower level of LS (not very satisfied) and depressed mood (score ≥ 16) on prevalence of sleep disorders (RERI=3.7 (-0.2 to 7.1)). Furthermore, these findings were corroborated in sensitivity analysis carried out with the complete case data set and in sex-specific analyses (RERI=5.5 (-0.4 to 11.3), and RERI=2.4 (-2.5 to 7.4) for men and women, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Both depressed mood and LS are notably associated with sleep quality, and these relationships are best captured by considering their joint effects. Depression and LS need to be taken into consideration when analysing sleep quality.

The neurobiology of dispositional negativity and attentional biases to threat: Implications for understanding anxiety disorders in adults and youth

When extreme, anxiety can become debilitating. Anxiety disorders, which often first emerge early in development, are common and challenging to treat, yet the neurocognitive mechanisms that confer increased risk have only recently begun to come into focus. Here we review recent work highlighting the importance of neural circuits centered on the amygdala. We begin by describing dispositional negativity, a core dimension of childhood temperament and adult personality and an important risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders and other kinds of stress-sensitive psychopathology. Converging lines of epidemiological, neurophysiological, and mechanistic evidence indicate that the amygdala supports stable individual differences in dispositional negativity across the lifespan and contributes to the etiology of anxiety disorders in adults and youth. Hyper-vigilance and attentional biases to threat are prominent features of the anxious phenotype and there is growing evidence that they contribute to the development of psychopathology. Anatomical studies show that the amygdala is a hub, poised to govern attention to threat via projections to sensory cortex and ascending neuromodulatory systems. Imaging and lesion studies demonstrate that the amygdala plays a key role in selecting and prioritizing the processing of threat-related cues. Collectively, these observations provide a neurobiologically-grounded framework for understanding the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in adults and youth and set the stage for developing improved intervention strategies.

Four broad temperament dimensions: description, convergent validation correlations, and comparison with the Big Five

A new temperament construct based on recent brain physiology literature has been investigated using the Fisher Temperament Inventory (FTI). Four collections of behaviors emerged, each associated with a specific neural system: the dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, and estrogen/oxytocin system. These four temperament suites have been designated: (1) Curious/Energetic, (2) Cautious/Social Norm Compliant, (3) Analytical/Tough-minded, and (4) Prosocial/Empathetic temperament dimensions. Two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have suggested that the FTI can measure the influence of these neural systems. In this paper, to further the behavioral validation and characterization of the four proposed temperament dimensions, we measured correlations with five variables: (1) gender; (2) level of education; (3) religious preference; (4) political orientation; (5) the degree to which an individual regards sex as essential to a successful relationship. Subjects were 39,913 anonymous members of a US Internet dating site and 70,000+ members in six other countries. Correlations with the five variables characterize the FTI and are consistent with mechanisms using the proposed neuromodulators. We also report on an analysis between the FTI and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, using a college sample (n = 215), which showed convergent validity. The results provide novel correlates not available in other questionnaires: religiosity, political orientation, and attitudes about sex in a relationship. Also, an Eigen analysis replicated the four clusters of co-varying items. The FTI, with its broad systems and non-pathologic factors complements existing personality questionnaires. It provides an index of some brain systems that contribute to temperament, and may be useful in psychotherapy, business, medicine, and the legal community.

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: Minding the Gaps in Our Knowledge of a Common Postoperative Complication in the Elderly

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication associated with significant morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. There is much interest in and controversy about POCD, reflected partly in the increasing number of articles published on POCD recently. Recent work suggests surgery may also be associated with cognitive improvement in some patients, termed postoperative cognitive improvement (POCI). As the number of surgeries performed worldwide approaches 250 million per year, optimizing postoperative cognitive function and preventing/treating POCD are major public health issues. In this article, we review the literature on POCD and POCI, and discuss current research challenges in this area.

Is premenstrual dysphoric disorder really a disorder?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) was recently moved to a full category in the DSM-5 (the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). It also appears set for inclusion as a separate disorder in the ICD-11 (the upcoming edition of the World Health Organization's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems). This paper argues that PMDD should not be listed in the DSM or the ICD at all, adding to the call to recognise PMDD as a socially constructed disorder. I first present the argument that PMDD pathologises understandable anger/distress and that to do so is potentially dangerous. I then present evidence that PMDD is a culture-bound phenomenon, not a universal one. I also argue that even if (1) medication produces a desired effect, (2) there are biological correlates with premenstrual anger/distress, (3) such anger/distress seems to occur monthly, and (4) women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with affective disorders, none of these factors substantiates that premenstrual anger/distress is caused by a mental disorder. I argue that to assume they do is to ignore the now accepted role that one's environment and psychology play in illness development, as well as arguments concerning the social construction of mental illness. In doing so, I do not claim that there are no women who experience premenstrual distress or that their distress is not a lived experience. My point is that such distress can be recognised and considered significant without being pathologised and that it is unethical to describe premenstrual anger/distress as a mental disorder. Further, if the credibility of women's suffering is subject to doubt without a clinical diagnosis, then the way to address this problem is to change societal attitudes towards women's suffering, not to label women as mentally ill. The paper concludes with some broader implications for women and society of the change in status of PMDD in the DSM-5 as well as a sketch of critical policy suggestions to address these implications.