Misunderstanding analysis of covariance

Associations between PTSD and temporal discounting: The role of future thinking

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Despite documented alterations in future thinking in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), our understanding of how individuals with PTSD make future-oriented decisions is limited. We tested the hypothesis that increased discounting in association with PTSD reflects failure to spontaneously envision future rewarding situations.

METHODS

Thirty-seven trauma exposed war-zone veterans completed a standard temporal discounting task as well as a temporal discounting task accompanied by episodic future thinking cues.

RESULTS

Severity of PTSD symptoms was associated with preference for sooner, smaller rewards in the standard task. Consistent with our hypothesis, when participants engaged in future thinking, greater PTSD symptom severity was no longer associated with steeper discounting. Moreover, difficulty anticipating future events, as measured contemporaneously in a separate task (Verfaellie et al., 2024), mediated the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and degree of discounting in the standard task. Among PTSD symptom clusters, the severity of avoidance and negative alterations in cognition and mood was related to steeper discounting. Measures of depression and alcohol use were not associated with discounting.

LIMITATIONS

The sample included mostly male, predominantly White veterans who experienced primarily combat-related trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

PTSD-associated alterations in temporal discounting reflect failure to spontaneously imagine future positive events. Two common correlates of PTSD, depression and alcohol use, could not account for the observed associations between PTSD and future-oriented decisions.

Callous-unemotional traits, cognitive functioning, and externalizing problems in a propensity-matched sample from the ABCD study

BACKGROUND

Many studies show that both callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., low empathy, lack of guilt) and cognitive difficulties increase risk for externalizing psychopathology across development. However, other work suggests that some aggression (e.g., relational, proactive) may rely on intact cognitive function, which could vary based on the presence of CU traits. Moreover, no prior research has adequately accounted for common risk factors shared by CU traits, cognitive difficulties, and externalizing problems, which confounds conclusions that can be drawn about their purported relationships. The current study addressed these knowledge gaps by leveraging rigorous propensity matching methods to isolate associations between CU traits and different dimensions of cognitive function and externalizing problems.

METHODS

Associations between CU traits, cognitive functioning, and externalizing outcomes were tested within dimensional (n = 11,868) and propensity-matched group-based (n = 1,224) models using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study®, with rigorous statistical control for shared sociodemographic risk factors. Cross-sectional outcomes were parent-reported symptoms of conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Longitudinal outcomes were child-reported overt and relational aggression.

RESULTS

CU traits were uniquely related to more parent-reported CD, ODD, ADHD symptoms, as well as more child-reported aggressive behaviors. Effects of cognitive difficulties were domain specific and were not consistent across dimensional and propensity matched models. There was minimal evidence for divergent associations between CU traits and externalizing outcomes as a function of cognition (i.e., no moderation).

CONCLUSIONS

Rigorous control for sociodemographic factors within propensity-matched models establish CU traits as a robust and unique risk factor for externalizing psychopathology, over and above difficulties with cognitive functioning.

Pathways between grief, depression, hopelessness, reasons for living, and suicidal ideation in bereaved individuals

BACKGROUND

Associations between comorbid depression and grief with suicidal ideation (SI) have been inconsistent. To identify at-risk individuals, it is important to determine the role of symptom severity by examining both continuous and clinical-threshold grief and depression, in addition to other factors (i.e., hopelessness, reasons for living-RFL) associated with SI.

METHODS

Participants (n = 216) bereaved by combat, accident, or suicide completed an online survey. Associations between depression, grief, SI, RFL, and hopelessness were examined by multivariable logistic regressions and structural equation modeling (SEM).

RESULTS

Across the sample, hopelessness and RFL were associated with SI while continuous measures of grief and depression were not. In contrast, clinical-threshold grief, clinical-threshold depression, hopelessness, and RFL each were associated with SI. In addition, of the grief characteristics, yearning was the most robust correlate of SI, and Survival/Coping Beliefs (SCB) was the RFL most associated with SI. SEM indicated that direct paths between grief and SI, hopelessness and SI, and RFL and SI were significant, but not between depression and SI. Instead, depression had a strong direct effect on hopelessness, and hopelessness had a direct effect on SI.

DISCUSSION

Results are consistent with previously-identified associations between SI and clinical levels of depression and grief. More nuanced findings suggest hopelessness, yearning, and SCB as additional targets for reducing risk for SI in bereaved individuals regardless of whether they meet clinical thresholds for grief or depression.

Atomoxetine reduces decisional impulsivity in human cocaine addiction

BACKGROUND

Impulsivity is a well-known determinant of maladaptive behaviour in cocaine use disorder, but there are currently no effective strategies for managing excessive impulsivity. Growing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies suggests that atomoxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, is effective in improving impulse control in both health and neuropsychiatric conditions.

METHODS

We investigated the effects of atomoxetine on decisional impulsivity in patients with cocaine use disorder. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 28 patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe cocaine use disorder and 28 matched healthy control participants completed the Cambridge Gamble Task in two separate sessions, where they either received placebo or a single dose of 40 mg atomoxetine on each session. Computational modelling was used to decompose decision-making into three separable components: value, probability, and decisional impulsivity.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed that patients with cocaine use disorder were impaired in all components of decision-making. Atomoxetine selectively reduced decisional impulsivity in cocaine use disorder patients by reducing their risk-seeking tendencies whilst enhancing their ability to tolerate delays. By contrast, atomoxetine did not affect impulsivity in control participants, but increased their sensitivity to prospective losses.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, our findings support the hypothesis of noradrenergic dysfunction in patients with cocaine use disorder and provide novel translational evidence for the efficacy of atomoxetine in remediating decisional impulsivity in cocaine use disorder.

Neurocognitive Intraindividual Variability in Veterans with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury History and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Veterans with a history of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be at risk for greater cognitive concerns and worse functional outcomes compared to those with either condition in isolation. However, traditional neuropsychological assessment approaches have yielded equivocal results in these populations. The present study examined an alternative method for detecting subtle cognitive inefficiencies: neurocognitive intraindividual variability (IIV), a measure of within-person performance consistency.

METHOD

Participants were 79 male Veterans with a history of blast-related mTBI and current PTSD (mTBI/PTSD group; n = 54) or neither diagnosis (controls; n = 25). Mean T-scores and IIV scores were calculated from neuropsychological measures of attention and speed of information processing (A/SoP) as well as executive functioning (EF).

RESULTS

Global IIV was significantly higher in the mTBI/PTSD group compared to controls (p = .047, Cohen's d = 0.49). At the domain level, larger effect sizes were observed for EF IIV (Cohen's d = 0.46) compared to A/SoP IIV (d = 0.32), although neither were statistically significant. Within the mTBI/PTSD group, higher Global IIV was associated with worse self-reported executive dysfunction, psychological quality of life, and cognitive post-concussive symptoms; at the domain level, these clinical outcomes were generally associated with greater A/SoP IIV (but not EF IIV).

CONCLUSION

Findings extend previous investigations of neurocognitive IIV in individuals with a history of mTBI across PTSD status. Among Veterans with a history of mTBI and comorbid PTSD, neurocognitive variability may be a better indicator of self-reported cognitive inefficiencies and Veteran experience of daily cognitive functioning than mean neuropsychological performances.

Borderline personality disorder and learning: The influences of emotional state and social versus nonsocial feedback

BACKGROUND

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been associated with decision-making deficits, yet such deficits may be context dependent, particularly emotional state and social context. Reinforcement learning models offer an avenue to pinpoint decision-making impairments. The current study used reinforcement learning models to examine whether feedback type (social vs. nonsocial) or emotional state (neutral vs. negative) influence the association between BPD and decision making.

METHOD

Adults (N = 131) with a range of BPD symptoms completed a diagnostic interview and a computerized learning task after neutral and negative emotion inductions. We examined accuracy, learning rate, and exploration.

RESULTS

We conducted linear models to examine the association between BPD criteria, feedback type, and emotional state on learning parameters and learning accuracy. We found that the negative emotion condition was associated with greater exploration, particularly for those with elevated BPD features. Furthermore, elevated BPD features were associated with impaired accuracy when aiming to avoid loss. A 3-way interaction between BPD, emotion, and feedback indicated that, for people with higher BPD features, learning performance was further impaired when receiving social feedback in the negative emotion condition.

LIMITATIONS

Several limitations warrant mention, including a relatively homogenous sample, possible co-occurring diagnoses, and methodological consideration with the learning task.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study underscored the link between BPD and learning impairments. Amplified learning alterations under negative social contexts have important implications for identifying optimal venues to teach new skills (of relevance to treatment) for those with BPD.

Shared and distinct alterations in brain morphology in children with ADHD and obesity: Reduced cortical surface area in ADHD and thickness in overweight/obesity

OBJECTIVE

To investigate shared versus distinct differences in brain structure among children with ADHD and obesity, we examined the morphology of regions implicated in cognitive control and reward function in a single cross-sectional cohort of children with and without ADHD and overweight/obesity (OV/OB).

METHOD

Participants included 471 children ages 8-12 years with ADHD (n = 244; 58 OV/OB) and neurotypical (NT) controls (n = 227; 81 OV/OB) classified as healthy-weight (HW; BMI %ile 5th to <85th) vs. having OV/OB (BMI %ile≥85th). Structural MRI was performed to obtain measures of cortical and subcortical morphology and compared across ADHD × BMI groups.

RESULTS

Surface area was generally lower in ADHD vs. NT including in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), medial (m)PFC, and primary motor (M1) cortex. In contrast, cortical thickness was generally lower in OV/OB vs. HW for ACC, dlPFC, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), mPFC, and supplementary motor cortex (SMC). Furthermore, ADHD × OV/OB interactions were observed for the ACC and OFC, with the lowest ACC volume in the ADHD + OV/OB group and the highest OFC surface area in the NT + OV/OB group. Subcortical volumes did not differ between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal distinct alterations in cortical morphology in association with ADHD and overweight, with cortical surface area reduced in ADHD vs. thickness reduced in OV/OB. Additionally, the findings provide evidence of combined effects of ADHD × OV/OB in brain regions integral to cognition and motivation. Our results support further investigation of causes and correlates of shared and distinct ADHD- and OV/OB-associated differences in developing frontocingulate morphology.

Increased Parenchymal Macrophages are associated with decreased Tyrosine Hydroxylase mRNA levels in the Substantia Nigra of people with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder

Increased activation of inflammatory macrophages and altered expression of dopamine markers are found in the midbrains of people with schizophrenia (SZ). The relationship of midbrain macrophages to dopamine neurons has not been explored, nor is it known if changes in midbrain macrophages are also present in bipolar disorder (BD) or major depressive disorder (MDD). Herein, we determined whether there were differences in CD163+ cell density in the Substantia Nigra (SN), and cerebral peduncles (CP) of SZ, BD, and MDD compared to controls (CTRL). We also analyzed whether CD163 protein and dopamine-synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA levels differed among diagnostic groups and if they correlated with the density of macrophages. Overall, perivascular CD163+ cell density was higher in the gray matter (SN) than in the white matter (CP). Compared to CTRL, we found increased density of parenchymal CD163+ cells in the SN of the three psychiatric groups and increased CD163 protein levels in SZ. CD163 protein was positively correlated with density of perivascular CD163+ cells. TH mRNA was reduced in SZ and BD and negatively correlated with parenchymal CD163+ cell density. We provide the first quantitative and molecular evidence of an increase in the density of parenchymal macrophages in the midbrain of major mental illnesses and show that the presence of these macrophages may negatively impact dopaminergic neurons.

Correcting visual acuity beyond 20/20 improves contour element detection and integration: A cautionary tale for studies of special populations

Contrary to popular lore, optimal visual acuity is typically better than 20/20. Could correcting acuity beyond 20/20 offer any benefit? An affirmative answer could present new confounds in studies of aging, development, psychiatric illness, neurodegenerative disorders, or any other population where refractive error might be more likely. An affirmative answer would also offer a novel explanation of inter-observer variability in visual performance. To address the question, we had individuals perform two well-studied visual tasks, once with 20/20 vision and once with optical correction, so that observers could see one line better on an eye chart. In the contour integration task, observers sought to identify the screen quadrant location of a sparsely defined (integrated) shape embedded in varying quantities of randomly oriented "noise" elements. In the collinear facilitation task, observers sought to detect a low-contrast element flanked by collinear or orthogonal high-contrast elements. In each case, displays were scaled in size to modulate element visibility and spatial frequency (4-12 cycles/deg). We found that improving acuity beyond 20/20 improved contour integration for the high spatial frequency displays. Although improving visual acuity did not affect collinear facilitation, it did improve detection of the central low-contrast target, especially at high spatial frequencies. These results, which were large in magnitude, suggest that optically correcting beyond 20/20 improves the detection and integration of contour elements, especially those that are smaller and of higher spatial frequency. Refractive blur within the normal range may confound special population studies, explain inter-observer differences, and meaningfully impact performance in low-visibility environments.

Atrophy in the supramarginal gyrus associated with impaired cognitive inhibition in grieving Chinese Shidu parents

Background: The loss of an only child, known as Shidu in China, is a profoundly distressing experience, often leading to Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). Despite its impact, the structural brain alterations associated with PGD, potentially influencing cognitive impairments in Shidu parents, remain understudied.Objective: This study aims to identify brain structural abnormalities related to prolonged grief and their relation with cognitive inhibition in Shidu parents.Methods: The study included 40 Shidu parents and 42 non-bereaved participants. Prolonged grief was evaluated using the Prolonged Grief Questionnaire (PG-13). We employed voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess brain structural alterations and their correlation with cognitive inhibition, as measured by Stroop interference scores.Results: Findings suggest that greater prolonged grief intensity correlates with reduced grey matter volume in the right amygdala and the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG). Additionally, enhanced amygdala-to-whole-brain structural connectivity showed a marginal association with prolonged grief, particularly with emotional-related symptoms. Furthermore, a decrease in SMG volume was found to mediate the relation between prolonged grief and Stroop Time Inference (TI) score, indicating an indirect effect of prolonged grief on cognitive inhibition.Conclusions: The study provides insight into the neural correlates of prolonged grief in Shidu parents, highlighting the SMG's role in cognitive inhibition. These findings emphasise the need for comprehensive grief interventions to address the complex cognitive and emotional challenges faced by this unique bereaved population.

Reduced positive attentional bias in patients with borderline personality disorder compared with non-patients: results from a free-viewing eye-tracking study

BACKGROUND

Attentional processes are important for regulating emotional states and coping with stressful events. Orientation of attention acts as filter for subsequent information processing. So far, only few eye-tracking studies have examined attentional processes during emotion perception in borderline personality disorder (BPD). In these studies, gaze behaviour was analysed during simultaneous or delayed evaluation of single stimuli. The objective of the present eye-tracking study was to investigate early and late attention allocation towards emotional facial expressions in patients with BPD and non-patients (NPs) based on a free-viewing paradigm, which allows to examine processes of self-generated attention deployment.

METHODS

In a multiple-stimulus free-viewing task with facial expressions, i.e. happy, angry, sad, and neutral faces, presented simultaneously early and late attentional allocation was analysed in 43 patients with BPD and 43 age- and sex-matched NPs. We assessed study participants' trait anxiety, depressive symptoms, level of alexithymia, traumatic childhood experiences, and borderline symptoms. Entry time was used to measure initial gaze orientation, whereas dwell time was calculated as an index of late attention allocation.

RESULTS

As could be expected, patients with BPD reported more anxiety, depressive symptoms, experiences of childhood maltreatment, and showed higher levels of alexithymia than NPs. Patients differed from NPs in dwell time on happy facial expressions but not in dwell time on angry, sad, and neutral expressions. Contrary to our hypothesis, patients did not differ from NPs concerning entry times on angry facial expressions.

CONCLUSIONS

According to our results, patients with BPD show a reduced attentional preference for happy facial expression during free viewing compared to NPs. A decreased positive attentional bias at a late processing stage could be part of emotion regulation impairments and add to the vulnerability for negative affects in BPD, which represent core symptoms of the disorder. In contrast to previous eye-tracking research in BPD examining attention during evaluative processing, our dwell time data could be more indicative of self-generated, endogenously controlled attentional processes in emotion perception. The present data do not support an early vigilance for threatening social information in BPD.

Does practice make perfect? Functional connectivity of the salience network and somatosensory network predicts response to mind-body treatments for fibromyalgia

Background

Mind-body treatments can improve coping mechanisms to deal with pain, improve the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and reduce perceived pain in some cases. However, responses to these treatments are highly variable, the mechanisms underpinning them remain unclear, and reliable predictors of treatment response are lacking. We employed resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent (rsBOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) following mind-body treatment that may relate to and predict pain relief.

Methods

We recruited patients with FMS who underwent either mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; n = 18) or a psychoeducational program (FibroQoL; n = 22) and a treatment-as-usual FMS group (TAU; n = 18). We collected rsBOLD data, alongside subjective pain, anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing measures prior to and following treatments. We examined behavioral changes and FC changes in the salience network (SN) and sensorimotor network (SMN) and performed regression analyses to identify predictors for treatment response.

Results

The MBSR and FibroQoL groups experienced significant reductions in pain catastrophizing. After treatment, the FC of the sensorimotor cortex with the rest of the SMN became significantly reduced in the MBSR group compared to the TAU group. The FC between the SN and the SMN at baseline was negatively correlated with pain reductions following MBSR but positively correlated with pain reductions in the FibroQoL group. These results yielded large to very large effect sizes. Following MBSR, only for those patients with lower baseline SMN-SN FC, minutes of mindfulness practice were positively associated with clinical improvement (small to medium effect size).

Conclusions

Different mind-body treatments are underpinned by discrete brain networks. Measures of the functional interplay between SN and SMN have the potential as predictors of mind-body treatment response in patients with FMS.

Externally orienting cues improve cognitive control in OCD

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

An executive overload model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) posits that broad difficulties with executive functioning in OCD result from an overload on the executive system by obsessive thoughts. It implies that, if individuals with OCD "snap out" of their obsessive thoughts, their performance on neurocognitive tasks will improve.

METHODS

We test this prediction using the revised Attention Network Test, ANT-R, and distinct subsamples of data from unmedicated OCD and healthy controls (HC). ANT-R includes Simon and Flanker tasks; in both, incongruent trials take longer to resolve ('conflict costs'). On some trials, a warning cue helps participants to respond faster ('alerting benefits'). In OCD (N = 34) and HC (N = 46), matched on age, IQ, and sex, we tested (1) the effect of OCD on alerting benefits, and (2) the effect of OCD on warning cue related reductions in conflict costs. In a distinct subsample of OCD (N = 32) and HC (N = 51), we assessed whether alerting benefits and cue-related reductions in conflict costs are associated differently with different OCD symptoms.

RESULTS

A warning cue can help individuals with OCD more than HC to improve performance on Simon and Flanker tasks. This effect is positively associated with severity of contamination symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

This study did not directly assess how distracted participants are by obsessive thoughts. It relied on the ANT-R subtraction measures. Symptom severity was assessed using self-report measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Difficulties in resolving conflict during decision-making in OCD can be modulated by a warning cue presented immediately before an attentional task.

Publication guidelines for human heart rate and heart rate variability studies in psychophysiology-Part 1: Physiological underpinnings and foundations of measurement

This Committee Report provides methodological, interpretive, and reporting guidance for researchers who use measures of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in psychophysiological research. We provide brief summaries of best practices in measuring HR and HRV via electrocardiographic and photoplethysmographic signals in laboratory, field (ambulatory), and brain-imaging contexts to address research questions incorporating measures of HR and HRV. The Report emphasizes evidence for the strengths and weaknesses of different recording and derivation methods for measures of HR and HRV. Along with this guidance, the Report reviews what is known about the origin of the heartbeat and its neural control, including factors that produce and influence HRV metrics. The Report concludes with checklists to guide authors in study design and analysis considerations, as well as guidance on the reporting of key methodological details and characteristics of the samples under study. It is expected that rigorous and transparent recording and reporting of HR and HRV measures will strengthen inferences across the many applications of these metrics in psychophysiology. The prior Committee Reports on HR and HRV are several decades old. Since their appearance, technologies for human cardiac and vascular monitoring in laboratory and daily life (i.e., ambulatory) contexts have greatly expanded. This Committee Report was prepared for the Society for Psychophysiological Research to provide updated methodological and interpretive guidance, as well as to summarize best practices for reporting HR and HRV studies in humans.

Structural and functional connectivity in relation to executive functions in antipsychotic-naïve patients with first episode schizophrenia and levels of glutamatergic metabolites

Patients with schizophrenia exhibit structural and functional dysconnectivity but the relationship to the well-documented cognitive impairments is less clear. This study investigates associations between structural and functional connectivity and executive functions in antipsychotic-naïve patients experiencing schizophrenia. Sixty-four patients with schizophrenia and 95 matched controls underwent cognitive testing, diffusion weighted imaging and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging. In the primary analyses, groupwise interactions between structural connectivity as measured by fixel-based analyses and executive functions were investigated using multivariate linear regression analyses. For significant structural connections, secondary analyses examined whether functional connectivity and associations with executive functions also differed for the two groups. In group comparisons, patients exhibited cognitive impairments across all executive functions compared to controls (p < 0.001), but no group difference were observed in the fixel-based measures. Primary analyses revealed a groupwise interaction between planning abilities and fixel-based measures in the left anterior thalamic radiation (p = 0.004), as well as interactions between cognitive flexibility and fixel-based measures in the isthmus of corpus callosum and cingulum (p = 0.049). Secondary analyses revealed increased functional connectivity between grey matter regions connected by the left anterior thalamic radiation (left thalamus with pars opercularis p = 0.018, and pars orbitalis p = 0.003) in patients compared to controls. Moreover, a groupwise interaction was observed between cognitive flexibility and functional connectivity between contralateral regions connected by the isthmus (precuneus p = 0.028, postcentral p = 0.012), all p-values corrected for multiple comparisons. We conclude that structural and functional connectivity appear to associate with executive functions differently in antipsychotic-naïve patients with schizophrenia compared to controls.

Autobiographical memory phenomenology in transgender and cisgender individuals

Transgender individuals face challenges to identity as they transition from their sex assigned at birth to their affirmed gender. Memories may support a sense of self through the recall of events with more phenomenological detail than others, making them feel closer to the current self. Autobiographical memories of 90 transgender and 90 cisgender adults were compared on self-reported memory phenomenology. Memory phenomenology was more variable in transgender individuals, with a larger difference between phenomenological ratings of recent and distant memories. Memory phenomenology specifically varied in relation to the timing of coming out to a parent. High points reported after this time were rated with higher phenomenological quality and these ratings were linked to positive well-being. Results affirm the relevance of phenomenological continuity to the identity of transgender individuals, suggesting that events from before coming out are recalled with less phenomenological quality than events after coming out.

Menopause and Traumatic Brain Injury: A NIDILRR Collaborative Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the experience of menopause symptoms in women with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

SETTING

Five sites of the TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) program.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were 210 women, aged 40-60 years, who were not taking systemic hormones and did not have both ovaries removed: 61 participants were enrolled in the TBIMS, who were at least 2 years post-TBI and living in the community. One hundred forty-nine participants without TBI were recruited from a research registry and the metropolitan Detroit community.

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

A checklist comprised of 21 menopause symptoms assessing 4 symptom clusters (vasomotor, somatic, psychological, and cognitive).

RESULTS

TBI and non-TBI groups did not significantly differ and showed small effect sizes on vasomotor symptoms. On the remaining symptom clusters, women with TBI showed greater presence and severity of symptoms than women without TBI, as well as fewer differences between premenopausal and postmenopausal women on those symptoms. A profile indicating an additive or potentiating effect of TBI on menopause symptoms was not observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings support a conceptual model of menopause and TBI indicating that symptoms most closely associated with estrogen decline are similar for women with and without TBI, whereas symptoms that overlap with common TBI sequelae are generally more frequent and severe among these women. Likely because of lower baseline of symptoms premenopause, postmenopausal women without TBI reported more numerous and severe symptoms relative to their premenopausal counterparts without TBI. Overall, it may be that women without TBI experience menopause as more of a "change" of life, whereas women with TBI chronically face significantly more of these symptoms than women without TBI.

Symptoms of autism in Williams syndrome: a transdiagnostic approach

Williams syndrome (WS) is associated with atypical social communication and cognition reminiscent of the behaviours observed in autism. Nonetheless, WS also differs significantly from autism, such as regarding social motivation, which is typically enhanced in WS and reduced in autism. This study sought to examine the conditions' transdiagnostic similarities and differences for autistic symptoms and social functioning, and their developmental trajectories, by comparing individuals with WS (n = 24) and those diagnosed with idiopathic autism (n = 24) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 24), aged 9 to 53 years, on measures of autism, social functioning, IQ and cooccurring psychiatric conditions. Although only 12.5% in the WS group met the criteria for an autism diagnosis, a majority exhibited distinct difficulties within social communication, social cognition, repetitive behaviours, and atypical sensory reactivity resembling autism. Conversely, elevated social motivation and a high number of social initiatives accompany these characteristics. No group differences in the developmental trajectories of autism symptoms were found. Our results demonstrate that autistic behaviours are more frequent in individuals with WS, than in individuals with idiopathic ADHD, and emphasize the need for clinical management of these behaviours.

From the U.S. to Denmark and Beyond: It's Time to Reimagine the Use of Control Variables in Observational Research

Methodologists from a variety of social and behavioral sciences have called attention to misunderstandings, misclassifications, and misapplications of third variable "controls" in observational research. We are unaware, however, of a comprehensive discussion of these issues in the sexological literature. In this article, we attempt to detail several of the more important potential pitfalls within the context of a case study commentary on a recent Journal of Sex Research inquiry into Danish persons' pornography use, sexual satisfaction, and sexual behavior. We emphasize that our own (still limited) edification came only through personal error and chart an optimistic path forward wherein the current state of practice can be transformed into theoretical progress and innovation.

White matter microstructure, traumatic brain injury, and disruptive behavior disorders in girls and boys

Introduction

Girls and boys presenting disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) display differences in white matter microstructure (WMM) relative to typically developing (TD) sex-matched peers. Boys with DBDs are at increased risk for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which are also known to impact WMM. This study aimed to disentangle associations of WMM with DBDs and TBIs.

Methods

The sample included 673 children with DBDs and 836 TD children, aged 9-10, from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Thirteen white matter bundles previously associated with DBDs were the focus of study. Analyses were undertaken separately by sex, adjusting for callous-unemotional traits (CU), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), age, pubertal stage, IQ, ethnicity, and family income.

Results

Among children without TBIs, those with DBDs showed sex-specific differences in WMM of several tracts relative to TD. Most differences were associated with ADHD, CU, or both. Greater proportions of girls and boys with DBDs than sex-matched TD children had sustained TBIs. Among girls and boys with DBDs, those who had sustained TBIs compared to those not injured, displayed WMM alterations that were robust to adjustment for all covariates. Across most DBD/TD comparisons, axonal density scores were higher among children presenting DBDs.

Discussion

In conclusion, in this community sample of children, those with DBDs were more likely to have sustained TBIs that were associated with additional, sex-specific, alterations of WMM. These additional alterations further compromise the future development of children with DBDs.

Frontal alpha asymmetry is associated with chronic stress and depression, but not with somatoform disorders

Cardinal characteristics of somatoform disorders (SFDs) are worry of illness, and impaired affective processing. We used relative frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), a method to measure functional lateralization of affective processing, to investigate psychobiological correlates of SFDs. With alpha activity being inversely related to cortical network activity, relative FAA refers to alpha activity on the right frontal lobe minus alpha activity on the left frontal lobe. Less relative left frontal activity, reflected by negative FAA scores, is associated with lower positive and greater negative affectivity, such as observed in depression. Due to its negative affective component (illness anxiety), we expected to find less relative left frontal activity pattern in SFDs, and positive associations with self-reported chronic stress and depression symptoms. We recorded resting-state EEG activity with 64 electrodes, placed in a 10-10 system in 26 patients with a primary SFD, 23 patients with a major depressive disorder and 25 healthy control participants. The groups did not differ in FAA. Nevertheless, across all participants, less relative left frontal activity was associated with chronic stress and depression symptoms. We concluded that FAA may not serve as an indicator of SFDs. As the relationship of FAA and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by chronic stress, future studies have to clarify whether the association between FAA and chronic stress may represent a shared underlying factor for the manifestation of mental health complaints, such as depression.

Sexual functioning is not, but psychological burden is predictive for receiving help in pelvic physical therapy practice: A cross-sectional study

Background

Pelvic floor complaints are common among women and often accompanied by sexual dysfunction and psychological burden. They are also associated with pregnancy and childbirth. However, not all women with these complaints receive help in pelvic physical therapy practice. This study explored if pregnancy, parity, pelvic floor complaints, sexual functioning, and psychological burden are predictive of receiving help in pelvic physical therapy practice.

Methods

In a cross-sectional exploratory design, women completed an online survey about pelvic floor complaints, sexual function, and psychological burden. Binary logistic analysis was used to analyze the predictive value of the above-mentioned factors.

Results

Data from 542 participants were analyzed. Pregnancy and parity, PFC severity, psychological burden, and the interaction between pelvic floor complaints and psychological burden were significant predictors of receiving help. Against expectations, sexual functioning was not predictive of receiving help.

Conclusions

Women's psychological burden is an important factor in determining if or when women receive help in PPT practice. More research is needed to unravel the role of sexual functioning in the context of pelvic floor complaints and women's psychological burden. More insight into this area of expertise could possibly improve and enhance pelvic health care for women with pelvic floor complaints.

Neurobiology-based Cognitive Biotypes Using Multi-scale Intrinsic Connectivity Networks in Psychotic Disorders

Objective

Understanding the neurobiology of cognitive dysfunction in psychotic disorders remains elusive, as does developing effective interventions. Limited knowledge about the biological heterogeneity of cognitive dysfunction hinders progress. This study aimed to identify subgroups of patients with psychosis with distinct patterns of functional brain alterations related to cognition (cognitive biotypes).

Methods

B-SNIP consortium data (2,270 participants including participants with psychotic disorders, relatives, and controls) was analyzed. Researchers used reference-informed independent component analysis and the NeuroMark 100k multi-scale intrinsic connectivity networks (ICN) template to obtain subject-specific ICNs and whole-brain functional network connectivity (FNC). FNC features associated with cognitive performance were identified through multivariate joint analysis. K-means clustering identified subgroups of patients based on these features in a discovery set. Subgroups were further evaluated in a replication set and in relatives.

Results

Two biotypes with different functional brain alteration patterns were identified. Biotype 1 exhibited brain-wide alterations, involving hypoconnectivity in cerebellar-subcortical and somatomotor-visual networks and worse cognitive performance. Biotype 2 exhibited hyperconnectivity in somatomotor-subcortical networks and hypoconnectivity in somatomotor-high cognitive processing networks, and better preserved cognitive performance. Demographic, clinical, cognitive, and FNC characteristics of biotypes were consistent in discovery and replication sets, and in relatives. 70.12% of relatives belonged to the same biotype as their affected family members.

Conclusions

These findings suggest two distinctive psychosis-related cognitive biotypes with differing functional brain patterns shared with their relatives. Patient stratification based on these biotypes instead of traditional diagnosis may help to optimize future research and clinical trials addressing cognitive dysfunction in psychotic disorders.

Altered neural anticipation of reward and loss but not receipt in adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder

BACKGROUND

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent, unwanted thoughts and repetitive actions. Such repetitive thoughts and/or behaviors may be reinforced either by reducing anxiety or by avoiding a potential threat or harm, and thus may be rewarding to the individual. The possible involvement of the reward system in the symptomatology of OCD is supported by studies showing altered reward processing in reward-related regions, such as the ventral striatum (VS) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), in adults with OCD. However, it is not clear whether this also applies to adolescents with OCD.

METHODS

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, two sessions were conducted focusing on the anticipation and receipt of monetary reward (1) or loss (2), each contrasted to a verbal (control) condition. In each session, adolescents with OCD (n1=31/n2=26) were compared with typically developing (TD) controls (n1=33/ n2=31), all aged 10-19 years, during the anticipation and feedback phase of an adapted Monetary Incentive Delay task.

RESULTS

Data revealed a hyperactivation of the VS, but not the OFC, when anticipating both monetary reward and loss in the OCD compared to the TD group.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that aberrant neural reward and loss processing in OCD is associated with greater motivation to gain or maintain a reward but not with the actual receipt. The greater degree of reward 'wanting' may contribute to adolescents with OCD repeating certain actions more and more frequently, which then become habits (i.e., OCD symptomatology).

The future of psychophysiology, then and now

Since its founding in 1973, Biological Psychology has showcased and provided invaluable support to psychophysiology, a field that has grown and changed enormously. This article discusses some constancies that have remained fundamental to the journal and to the field as well as some important trends. Some aspects of our science have not received due consideration, affecting not only the generalizability of our findings but the way we develop and evaluate our research questions and the potential of our field to contribute to the common good. The article offers a number of predictions and recommendations for the next period of growth of psychophysiology.

Controlling biases in targeted plant removal experiments

Targeted removal experiments are a powerful tool to assess the effects of plant species or (functional) groups on ecosystem functions. However, removing plant biomass in itself can bias the observed responses. This bias is commonly addressed by waiting until ecosystem recovery, but this is inherently based on unverified proxies or anecdotal evidence. Statistical control methods are efficient, but restricted in scope by underlying assumptions. We propose accounting for such biases within the experimental design, using a gradient of biomass removal controls. We demonstrate the relevance of this design by presenting (1) conceptual examples of suspected biases and (2) how to observe and control for these biases. Using data from a mycorrhizal association-based removal experiment, we show that ignoring biomass removal biases (including by assuming ecosystem recovery) can lead to incorrect, or even contrary conclusions (e.g. false positive and false negative). Our gradient design can prevent such incorrect interpretations, regardless of whether aboveground biomass has fully recovered. Our approach provides more objective and quantitative insights, independently assessed for each variable, than using a proxy to assume ecosystem recovery. Our approach circumvents the strict statistical assumptions of, for example, ANCOVA and thus offers greater flexibility in data analysis.

EEG alpha reactivity on eyes opening discriminates patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder

OBJECTIVE

Alpha activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) is typically dominant during rest with closed eyes but suppressed by visual stimulation. Previous research has shown that alpha-blockade is less pronounced in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy individuals, but no studies have examined it in schizoaffective disorder.

METHODS

A resting state EEG was used for the analysis of the alpha-reactivity between the eyes closed and the eyes opened conditions in overall (8 - 13 Hz), low (8 - 10 Hz) and high (10 - 13 Hz) alpha bands in three groups: schizophrenia patients (SC, n = 30), schizoaffective disorder (SA, n = 30), and healthy controls (HC, n = 36). All patients had their first psychotic episode and were receiving antipsychotic therapy.

RESULTS

A significant decrease in alpha power was noted across all subjects from the eyes-closed to eyes-open condition, spanning all regions. Alpha reactivity over the posterior regions was lower in SC compared to HC within overall and high alpha. SA showed a trend towards reduced alpha reactivity compared to HC, especially evident over the left posterior region within the overall alpha. Alpha reactivity was more pronounced over the middle and right posterior regions of SA as compared to SC, particularly in the high alpha. Alpha reactivity in SC and SA patients was associated with various negative symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings imply distinct alterations in arousal mechanisms in SC and SA and their relation to negative symptomatology. Arousal is more preserved in SA.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study is the first to compare the EEG features of arousal in SC and SA.

A comparison of visual attention to pictures in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in children and adolescents with ADHD and/or autism

Background

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions which frequently co-occur. The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) is commonly used to aid with diagnostic assessment of ASD but was not originally designed for use in those with comorbid ADHD. Visual attention to social stimuli has been often studied in ASD using eye-tracking, to obtain quantitative indices of how attention is deployed to different parts of a social image/scene. As the ADOS includes tasks that rely on attending to and processing images of social scenes, these measures of visual attention could provide useful additional objective measurement alongside ADOS scores to enhance the characterisation of autistic symptoms in those with ADHD.

Methods

Children with ASD, comorbid ASD and ADHD, ADHD and Neurotypical (NT) controls were recruited (n=84). Visual attention was measured using eye-tracking during free viewing of social scenes selected from the ADOS. The full ADOS was then administered. Stimulant medication was temporarily withdrawn during this assessment. Research diagnoses were based on the Development and Wellbeing Assessment (DAWBA), ADOS, Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ, a measure of ASD severity) and Conners' Rating Scales (CRS-3, a measure of ADHD severity) following clinical consensus.

Results

Using factorial ANOVAs to model ADHD, Autism and their interaction, we found that fixation duration to faces was reduced in those with ASD (ASD and ASD+ADHD) compared to those without ASD (ADHD and NT). Reduced visual attention to faces in the whole sample was associated with Autism symptom severity (SCQ subscale scores) but not ADHD symptom severity (CRS-3 scores).

Discussion

Our findings provide preliminary evidence in support of implementing visual attention measurement during assessment of ASD in the context of comorbidity with ADHD. For example, if a child with ADHD was found to reduce attention to faces in ADOS pictures this may suggest additive difficulties on the autism spectrum. Replication across a larger sample would be informative. This work has future potential in the clinic to help with complex cases, including those with co-occurring ADHD and ASD.

Environmental and sociocultural factors are associated with pain-related brain structure among diverse individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain: intersectional considerations

Chronic musculoskeletal pain including knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Previous research indicates ethnic-race groups differ in the pain and functional limitations experienced with knee OA. However, when socioenvironmental factors are included in analyses, group differences in pain and function wane. Pain-related brain structures are another area where ethnic-race group differences have been observed. Environmental and sociocultural factors e.g., income, education, experiences of discrimination, and social support influence brain structures. We investigate if environmental and sociocultural factors reduce previously observed ethnic-race group differences in pain-related brain structures. Data were analyzed from 147 self-identified non-Hispanic black (NHB) and non-Hispanic white (NHW), middle and older aged adults with knee pain in the past month. Information collected included health and pain history, environmental and sociocultural resources, and brain imaging. The NHB adults were younger and reported lower income and education compared to their NHW peers. In hierarchical multiple regression models, sociocultural and environmental factors explained 6-37% of the variance in pain-related brain regions. Self-identified ethnicity-race provided an additional 4-13% of explanatory value in the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, bilateral primary somatosensory cortex, and thalamus. In the rostral/caudal anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, self-identified ethnicity-race was not a predictor after accounting for environmental, sociocultural, and demographic factors. Findings help to disentangle and identify some of the factors contributing to ethnic-race group disparities in pain-related brain structures. Numerous arrays of environmental and sociocultural factors remain to be investigated. Further, the differing sociodemographic representation of our NHB and NHW participants highlights the role for intersectional considerations in future research.

Supraphysiological testosterone levels from anabolic steroid use and reduced sensitivity to negative facial expressions in men

RATIONALE

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are used to improve physical performance and appearance, but have been associated with deficits in social cognitive functioning. Approximately 30% of people who use AAS develop a dependence, increasing the risk for undesired effects.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the relationship between AAS use (current/previous), AAS dependence, and the ability to recognize emotional facial expressions, and investigate the potential mediating role of hormone levels.

METHODS

In total 156 male weightlifters, including those with current (n = 45) or previous (n = 34) AAS use and never-using controls (n = 77), completed a facial Emotion Recognition Task (ERT). Participants were presented with faces expressing one out of six emotions (sadness, happiness, fear, anger, disgust, and surprise) and were instructed to indicate which of the six emotions each face displayed. ERT accuracy and response time were recorded and evaluated for association with AAS use status, AAS dependence, and serum reproductive hormone levels. Mediation models were used to evaluate the mediating role of androgens in the relationship between AAS use and ERT performance.

RESULTS

Compared to never-using controls, men currently using AAS exhibited lower recognition accuracy for facial emotional expressions, particularly anger (Cohen's d = -0.57, pFDR = 0.03) and disgust (d = -0.51, pFDR = 0.05). Those with AAS dependence (n = 47) demonstrated worse recognition of fear relative to men without dependence (d = 0.58, p = 0.03). Recognition of disgust was negatively correlated with serum free testosterone index (FTI); however, FTI did not significantly mediate the association between AAS use and recognition of disgust.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate impaired facial emotion recognition among men currently using AAS compared to controls. While further studies are needed to investigate potential mechanisms, our analysis did not support a simple mediation effect of serum FTI.

Future thinking and anticipatory pleasure in adolescents with major depression: Association with depression symptoms and executive functions

OBJECTIVE

Impairments in episodic future thinking and anticipatory pleasure were noted to explain the depressive symptoms in adults however similar studies are not there in adolescents. This study examined whether there are impairments in episodic future thinking and anticipatory pleasure in clinically-depressed adolescents as compared to non-depressed adolescents, and their association with depression when controlled for executive functions and anxiety symptoms among the depressed adolescents.

METHODS

The study included 29 adolescents with major depression and 29 adolescents from local schools through convenient sampling technique. All the participants were assessed with standardized measures of depression and anxiety, episodic future thinking, anticipatory pleasure and executive functioning.

RESULTS

Depressed adolescents significantly differed from the non-depressed adolescents in autobiographical memory specificity, anticipatory pleasure, and specific dimensions of executive functions. The ANCOVAs indicated executive function slightly attenuated group differences on future specificity which were still non-significant (all p's > .05). For memory specificity and for anticipatory pleasure, group differences were still significant at p < .05 level.

CONCLUSION

Adolescents with major depressive episode may display similar, but less pronounced, impairments in future thinking than what is previously reported in adults. Though, autobiographical specificity is prominent. The deficits are attributable to depression than executive functioning deficits.

Beyond change scores: Employing an improved statistical approach to analyze the impact of entry fitness on physical performance during British Army basic training in men and women

The aim was to use a robust statistical approach to examine whether physical fitness at entry influences performance changes between men and women undertaking British Army basic training (BT). Performance of 2 km run, seated medicine ball throw (MBT) and isometric mid-thigh pull (MTP) were assessed at entry and completion of Standard Entry (SE), Junior Entry-Short (JE-Short), and Junior Entry-Long (JE-Long) training for 2350 (272 women) recruits. Performance change was analyzed with entry performance as a covariate (ANCOVA), with an additional interaction term allowing different slopes for courses and genders (p < 0.05). Overall, BT courses saw average improvements in 2 km run performance (SE: -6.8% [-0.62 min], JE-Short: -4.6% [-0.43 min], JE-Long: -7.7% [-0.70 min]; all p < 0.001) and MBT (1.0-8.8% [0.04-0.34 m]; all p < 0.05) and MTP (4.5-26.9% [6.5-28.8 kg]; all p < 0.001). Regression models indicate an expected form of "regression to the mean" whereby test performance change was negatively associated with entry fitness in each course (those with low baseline fitness exhibit larger training improvements; all interaction effects: p < 0.001,η p 2 $$ {\eta}_{\mathrm{p}}^2 $$  > 0.006), particularly for women. However, when matched for entry fitness, men displayed considerable improvements in all tests, relative to women. Training courses were effective in developing recruit physical fitness, whereby the level of improvement is, in large part, dependent on entry fitness. Factors including age, physical maturity, course length, and physical training, could also contribute to the variability in training response between genders and should be considered when analyzing and/or developing physical fitness in these cohorts for future success of military job-task performance.

Maternal parenting stress and social-emotional problems of Chinese preschoolers: The role of the mother-child relationship and maternal adverse childhood experiences

BACKGROUND

Previous research suggests that maternal parenting stress is a significant predictor of social-emotional problems in children. However, little is known regarding the mother-child relationship and the effect of maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on this association.

METHODS

Three waves of longitudinal panel data were collected from 2893 Chinese preschoolers with a follow-up interval of 6 months. The mothers of preschoolers were asked to complete anonymous questionnaires concerning demographic variables, maternal ACEs and parenting stress in Wave 1, mother-child relationships in Wave 2, and children's social-emotional problems in Wave 3. The parallel mediation model was conducted to analyze the mediating role of three dimensions of mother-child relationships, and the moderation model was conducted to examine the moderating role of maternal ACEs.

RESULTS

The results showed that maternal parenting stress predicted children's social-emotional problems directly or indirectly through the mother-child relationship, with an intimate mother-child relationship mediating this main effect negatively but a conflicted and dependent mother-child relationship mediating this main effect positively. In addition, moderating results indicated that the main effect of maternal parenting stress on children's social-emotional problems was more marked among participants with at least one maternal ACEs than those without maternal ACEs. Furthermore, the moderating effect was only detected in children whose mothers had a high school education or less.

LIMITATIONS

The subjectivity of mothers' reports may somewhat reduce the credibility due to the possible overestimation or underestimation of children's social-emotional problems.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide new evidence for the effects of maternal parenting stress on children's social-emotional development and highlight the need for more attention to children with mothers having ACE exposure, lower educational level and poor parent-child relationships.

Working and short-term memory in children with ADHD: an examination of prefrontal cortical functioning using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

Working memory impairments are an oft-reported deficit among children with ADHD, and complementary neuroimaging studies implicate reductions in prefrontal cortex (PFC) structure and function as a neurobiological explanation. Most imaging studies, however, rely on costly, movement-intolerant, and/or invasive methods to examine cortical differences. This is the first study to use a newer neuroimaging tool that overcomes these limitations, functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), to investigate hypothesized prefrontal differences. Children (aged 8-12) with ADHD (N = 22) and typically developing (N = 18) children completed phonological working memory (PHWM) and short-term memory (PHSTM) tasks. Children with ADHD evinced poorer performance on both tasks, with greater differences observed in PHWM (Hedges' g = 0.67) relative to PHSTM (g = 0.39). fNIRS revealed reduced hemodynamic response among children with ADHD in the dorsolateral PFC while completing the PHWM task, but not within the anterior or posterior PFC. No between-group fNIRS differences were observed during the PHSTM task. Findings suggest that children with ADHD exhibit an inadequate hemodynamic response in a region of the brain that underlies PHWM abilities. The study also highlights the use of fNIRS as a cost-effective, noninvasive neuroimaging technique to localize/quantify neural activation patterns associated with executive functions.

Childhood abuse and craving in methamphetamine-dependent individuals: the mediating role of alexithymia

Individuals with a history of childhood abuse (CA, including neglect and abuse by caregivers before the age of 18 years) have more severe substance dependence problems than those without a history of childhood abuse. However, whether a history of CA exacerbates craving and the mechanism of this effect remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the role of alexithymia in the effects of CA on craving in a large sample of methamphetamine-dependent individuals based on latent vulnerability theory. A total of 324 methamphetamine-dependent individuals who met DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder were recruited. CA, alexithymia, and craving data were collected from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, and the Obsessive Compulsive Drug Use Scale, respectively. t tests and ANCOVA were conducted to compare variables between the CA and non-CA groups, while partial correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to examine the potential mediating role of alexithymia in the relationship between CA and craving. Abused methamphetamine-dependent individuals reported higher levels of craving and higher levels of alexithymia than those of non-abused methamphetamine-dependent individuals. Alexithymia partially mediated the link between CA and craving, especially the effect of CA on craving frequency was fully mediated by alexithymia. Our findings reveal that a history of childhood abuse has a lasting effect on craving in stimulant-dependent individuals, and alexithymia contributes to some extent to the severity of substance abuse problems in abused methamphetamine-dependent individuals.

Dispositional traits help explain individual differences in relationships between a radiographic knee osteoarthritis measure, pain, and physical function

Background

The concordance between radiograph-derived Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) scores for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and experimental and clinical pain and KOA-related physical function is conflicting.

Objectives

We investigate whether the inclusion of dispositional traits reduces variability between KOA radiographic findings, experimental pain, clinical pain, and function in individuals with knee pain.

Design

This study is a cross-sectional, secondary analysis of data collected from the UPLOAD-II study.

Methods

Adults aged 45-85 years with and without knee pain were enrolled. Data collected included sociodemographics, knee radiographs, experimental pain, clinical pain and function, and trait affect. Vulnerable and protective dispositional traits were classified from combined positive and negative trait affect measures. KL scores were determined from the knee radiographs. Unadjusted and adjusted (age, sex, comorbidities, and body mass index) regression analyses were completed with SAS version 9.4 (Cary, NC, USA).

Results

The study included 218 individuals with a mean age of 58 years, 63.6% women, and 48.2% non-Hispanic black adults. Dispositional traits were associated with the experimental pain measures. No association between radiographic KOA and experimental pain was observed. In a combined and adjusted analysis, dispositional traits were predictive of knee punctate pain temporal summation (p = 0.0382). Both dispositional traits and radiographic KOA scores independently and combined were predictive of Graded Chronic Pain Scale pain and function, and Western Ontario and McMaster University pain and function (ps ⩽ 0.01). Improvements in R2 were noted across all models with the inclusion of dispositional traits.

Conclusion

Consideration of dispositional traits reduces the variability between radiographic KOA and pain and function. Non-pathological and associated pain-related psychological factors and dispositional traits might serve as parsimonious proxy tools to improve clinical assessments.

Registration

N/A.

Resting-state amygdala subregion and precuneus connectivity provide evidence for a dimensional approach to studying social anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent and disabling mental health condition, characterized by excessive fear and anxiety in social situations. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigms have been increasingly used to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of SAD in the absence of threat-related stimuli. Previous studies have primarily focused on the role of the amygdala in SAD. However, the amygdala consists of functionally and structurally distinct subregions, and recent studies have highlighted the importance of investigating the role of these subregions independently. Using multiband fMRI, we analyzed resting-state data from 135 participants (42 SAD, 93 healthy controls). By employing voxel-wise permutation testing, we examined group differences of fMRI connectivity and associations between fMRI connectivity and social anxiety symptoms to further investigate the classification of SAD as a categorical or dimensional construct. Seed-to-whole brain functional connectivity analysis using multiple 'seeds' including the amygdala and its subregions and the precuneus, revealed no statistically significant group differences. However, social anxiety severity was significantly negatively correlated with functional connectivity of the precuneus - perigenual anterior cingulate cortex and positively correlated with functional connectivity of the amygdala (specifically the superficial subregion) - parietal/cerebellar areas. Our findings demonstrate clear links between symptomatology and brain connectivity in the absence of diagnostic differences, with evidence of amygdala subregion-specific alterations. The observed brain-symptom associations did not include disturbances in the brain's fear circuitry (i.e., disturbances in connectivity between amygdala - prefrontal regions) likely due to the absence of threat-related stimuli.

Whose Signals Are Being Amplified? Toward a More Equitable Clinical Psychophysiology

Research using psychophysiological methods holds great promise for refining clinical assessment, identifying risk factors, and informing treatment. Unfortunately, unique methodological features of existing approaches limit inclusive research participation and, consequently, generalizability. This brief overview and commentary provides a snapshot of the current state of representation in clinical psychophysiology, with a focus on the forms and consequences of ongoing exclusion of Black participants. We illustrate issues of inequity and exclusion that are unique to clinical psychophysiology, considering intersections among social constructions of Blackness and biased design of current technology used to measure electroencephalography, skin conductance, and other signals. We then highlight work by groups dedicated to quantifying and addressing these limitations. We discuss the need for reflection and input from a wider variety of stakeholders to develop and refine new technologies, given the risk of further widening disparities. Finally, we provide broad recommendations for clinical psychophysiology research.

Examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and disruptions in cortical networks identified using data-driven methods

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with lower cortical thickness (CT) in prefrontal, cingulate, and insular cortices in diverse trauma-affected samples. However, some studies have failed to detect differences between PTSD patients and healthy controls or reported that PTSD is associated with greater CT. Using data-driven dimensionality reduction, we sought to conduct a well-powered study to identify vulnerable networks without regard to neuroanatomic boundaries. Moreover, this approach enabled us to avoid the excessive burden of multiple comparison correction that plagues vertex-wise methods. We derived structural covariance networks (SCNs) by applying non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) to CT data from 961 PTSD patients and 1124 trauma-exposed controls without PTSD. We used regression analyses to investigate associations between CT within SCNs and PTSD diagnosis (with and without accounting for the potential confounding effect of trauma type) and symptom severity in the full sample. We performed additional regression analyses in subsets of the data to examine associations between SCNs and comorbid depression, childhood trauma severity, and alcohol abuse. NMF identified 20 unbiased SCNs, which aligned closely with functionally defined brain networks. PTSD diagnosis was most strongly associated with diminished CT in SCNs that encompassed the bilateral superior frontal cortex, motor cortex, insular cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, medial occipital cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex. CT in these networks was significantly negatively correlated with PTSD symptom severity. Collectively, these findings suggest that PTSD diagnosis is associated with widespread reductions in CT, particularly within prefrontal regulatory regions and broader emotion and sensory processing cortical regions.

Cognition and post-concussive symptom status after pediatric mild traumatic brain injury

Cognitive impairment and post-concussive symptoms (PCS) represent hallmark sequelae of pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI). Few studies have directly compared cognition as a function of PCS status longitudinally. Cognitive outcomes were therefore compared for asymptomatic pmTBI, symptomatic pmTBI, and healthy controls (HC) during sub-acute (SA; 1-11 days) and early chronic (EC; approximately 4 months) post-injury phases. We predicted worse cognitive performance for both pmTBI groups relative to HC at the SA visit. At the EC visit, we predicted continued impairment from the symptomatic group, but no difference between asymptomatic pmTBI and HCs. A battery of clinical (semi-structured interviews and self-report questionnaires) and neuropsychological measures were administered to 203 pmTBI and 139 HC participants, with greater than 80% retention at the EC visit. A standardized change method classified pmTBI into binary categories of asymptomatic or symptomatic based on PCS scores. Symptomatic pmTBI performed significantly worse than HCs on processing speed, attention, and verbal memory at SA visit, whereas lower performance was only present for verbal memory for asymptomatic pmTBI. Lower performance in verbal memory persisted for both pmTBI groups at the EC visit. Surprisingly, a minority (16%) of pmTBI switched from asymptomatic to symptomatic status at the EC visit. Current findings suggest that PCS and cognition are more closely coupled during the first week of injury but become decoupled several months post-injury. Evidence of lower performance in verbal memory for both asymptomatic and symptomatic pmTBI suggests that cognitive recovery may be a process separate from the resolution of subjective symptomology.

Cognitive flexibility impairment in temporal lobe epilepsy: The impact of epileptic foci lateralization on executive functions

INTRODUCTION

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) has been associated with memory impairments, which are typically linked to hippocampal and mesial temporal cortex lesions. Considering the presence of extensive bidirectional frontotemporal connections, it can be hypothesized that executive dysfunction in TLE is modulated by the lateralization of the epileptic foci.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A comprehensive neuropsychological executive functions protocol was administered to 63 participants, including 42 individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (20 with right-TLE and 22 with left-TLE) and 21 healthy controls aged 20-49.

RESULTS

The results indicate that TLE patients exhibit poorer executive performance compared to healthy controls in working memory (F(2,60) = 4.18, p <.01), planning (F(2,60) = 4.71, p <.05), set shifting (F(2,60) = 10.1, p <.001), phonetic verbal fluency (F(2,60) = 11.71, p <.01) and semantic verbal fluency (F(2,60) = 9.61, p <.001. No significant differences were found in cognitive inhibition. Furthermore, right-TLE patients showed lower performance than left-TLE in set shifting (F(1,61) = 6.45, p <.05), while no significant differences were observed in working memory, planning, inhibition, and verbal fluency.

CONCLUSIONS

This research emphasize the importance of considering the lateralization of the temporal lobe focus to achieve a more accurate neuropsychological characterization. The cognitive differences between left and right TLE patients highlight the need for individualized approaches in their treatment and care.

Characterizing upper extremity fine motor function in the presence of white matter hyperintensities: A 7 T MRI cross-sectional study in older adults

BACKGROUND

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are a prevalent radiographic finding in the aging brain studies. Research on WMH association with motor impairment is mostly focused on the lower-extremity function and further investigation on the upper-extremity is needed. How different degrees of WMH burden impact the network of activation recruited during upper limb motor performance could provide further insight on the complex mechanisms of WMH pathophysiology and its interaction with aging and neurological disease processes.

METHODS

40 healthy elderly subjects without a neurological/psychiatric diagnosis were included in the study (16F, mean age 69.3 years). All subjects underwent ultra-high field 7 T MRI including structural and finger tapping task-fMRI. First, we quantified the WMH lesion load and its spatial distribution. Secondly, we performed a data-driven stratification of the subjects according to their periventricular and deep WMH burdens. Thirdly, we investigated the distribution of neural recruitment and the corresponding activity assessed through BOLD signal changes among different brain regions for groups of subjects. We clustered the degree of WMH based on location, numbers, and volume into three categories; ranging from mild, moderate, and severe. Finally, we explored how the spatial distribution of WMH, and activity elicited during task-fMRI relate to motor function, measured with the 9-Hole Peg Test.

RESULTS

Within our population, we found three subgroups of subjects, partitioned according to their periventricular and deep WMH lesion load. We found decreased activity in several frontal and cingulate cortex areas in subjects with a severe WMH burden. No statistically significant associations were found when performing the brain-behavior statistical analysis for structural or functional data.

CONCLUSION

WMH burden has an effect on brain activity during fine motor control and the activity changes are associated with varying degrees of the total burden and distributions of WMH lesions. Collectively, our results shed new light on the potential impact of WMH on motor function in the context of aging and neurodegeneration.

Exploring the cognitive profiles related to unimodal auditory versus multisensory hallucinations in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders

INTRODUCTION

Hallucinations can be experienced across multiple sensory modalities, but psychiatric studies investigating the cognitive mechanisms of hallucinations have been somewhat restricted to the auditory domain. This study explored the cognitive profiles of individuals experiencing multisensory hallucinations (MH) in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and compared these to those experiencing unimodal auditory hallucinations (AH) or no hallucinations (NH).

METHODS

Participants included SSD patients (n = 119) stratified by current hallucination status (NH, AH, MH) and nonclinical controls (NCs; n = 113). Group performance was compared across several cognitive domains: speed of processing, attention, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning and problem-solving, social cognition, and inhibition.

RESULTS

The clinical groups performed worse than NCs but differences between the clinical groups were not evident across most cognitive domains. Exploratory analyses revealed that the MH group was more impaired on the visual learning task compared to the NH (but not AH) group.

CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary results suggest that impaired visual learning may be related to MH. This could be attributed to the presence of visual hallucinations (VH), or greater psychopathology, in this group. However, replication is needed, as well as the investigation of other potential cognitive mechanisms of MH.

The brain dynamics of visuospatial perspective-taking captured by intracranial EEG

Visuospatial perspective-taking (VPT) is the ability to imagine a scene from a position different from the one used in self-perspective judgments (SPJ). We typically use VPT to understand how others see the environment. VPT requires overcoming the self-perspective, and impairments in this process are implicated in various brain disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. However, the underlying brain areas of VPT are not well distinguished from SPJ-related ones and from domain-general responses to both perspectives. In addition, hierarchical processing theory suggests that domain-specific processes emerge over time from domain-general ones. It mainly focuses on the sensory system, but outside of it, support for this hypothesis is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to spatiotemporally distinguish brain responses domain-specific to VPT from the specific ones to self-perspective, and domain-general responses to both perspectives. In particular, we intended to test whether VPT- and SPJ specific responses begin later than the general ones. We recorded intracranial EEG data from 30 patients with epilepsy who performed a task requiring laterality judgments during VPT and SPJ, and analyzed the spatiotemporal features of responses in the broad gamma band (50-150 Hz). We found VPT-specific processing in a more extensive brain network than SPJ-specific processing. Their dynamics were similar, but both differed from the general responses, which began earlier and lasted longer. Our results anatomically distinguish VPT-specific from SPJ-specific processing. Furthermore, we temporally differentiate between domain-specific and domain-general processes both inside and outside the sensory system, which serves as a novel example of hierarchical processing.

Avian obligate brood parasitic lineages evolved variable complex polycrystalline structures to build tougher eggshells

Avian brood parasites and their hosts display varied egg-puncture behaviors, exerting asymmetric co-evolutionary selection pressures on eggshells' breaking strength. We investigated eggshell structural and textural characteristics that may improve its mechanical performance. Parasitic eggshell calcified layers showed complex ultra- and microstructural patterns. However, stronger parasitic eggshells are not due to lower textural severity (characterized by lower preferred crystallographic orientation, larger local grain misorientation and smaller Kearns factor), but rather to grain boundary (GB) microstructure characteristics within the eggshell outermost layer (palisade layer, PL). Accordingly, the thicker the PL and the more complex the GB pathways are, the tougher the parasitic eggshells will be. These characteristics, which we can identify as a "GB Engineering" driven co-evolutionary process, further improve eggshell breaking strength in those parasitic species that suffer relatively high frequencies of egg-puncturing by congeneric or hosts. Overall, plain textural patterns are not suitable predictors for comparing mechanical performance of bioceramic materials.

Distraction versus focusing during VR exposure therapy for acrophobia: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The therapeutic mechanisms of exposure therapy are not well understood. Research suggests that focusing on the most feared aspect might not be necessary, and that distraction with a low cognitive load (e.g., conversation) might enhance exposure. We aimed at systematically testing the efficacy of exposure therapy with focusing vs. conversational distraction, hypothesizing that distracted exposure would yield superior effects.

METHODS

Thirty-eight patients with acrophobia (specific phobia of heights; clinician-determined) (free from relevant somatic or other mental disorders) were randomly assigned (1:1) to one virtual reality (VR) session of either focused (n = 20) or distracted exposure (n = 18). This monocentric trial took place at a psychiatric university hospital.

RESULTS

Both conditions resulted in a significant reduction of acrophobic fear and avoidance, and a significant increase of self-efficacy (primary outcome variables). However, condition did not have a significant effect on any of these variables. Effects were stable at four-week follow-up. Heart rate and skin conductance level indicated significant arousal, but did not differ between conditions.

LIMITATIONS

Eye-tracking was unavailable, nor did we assess emotions other than fear. Power was limited due to sample size.

CONCLUSIONS

A balanced exposure protocol combining attention to fear cues with conversational distraction, while not being superior, might be as effective as focused exposure for acrophobia, at least during the initial stages of exposure therapy. These results support previous findings. This study demonstrates how VR can be exploited for therapy process research, as VR supports dismantling designs and the incorporation of online process measures.

Effects of current and past depressive episodes on behavioral performance and subjective experience during an N-back task

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Depression impairs working memory (WM). And, while many studies have documented impairment in WM during depression remission, those using the N-back task did not find differences between individuals with remitted depression and healthy controls. One reason for these findings may be that certain depression phenotypes, such as the childhood-onset form, which is likely to be associated with persistent WM problems, are underrepresented or unevenly represented in the studies. Because childhood-onset depression (COD) affects individuals while cognitive development is still ongoing, it is more likely to have lasting detrimental effects, as evidenced in residual memory impairment, than depression that onsets later in life. Further, it is unclear if depression episodes have cumulative effects on WM when measured via the N-back.

METHODS

We examined the effects of depression on WM performance (response time, accuracy, signal detection d') and subjective experience (difficulty, mental effort required) during a four-level N-back task among 112 adults with COD (42 currently depressed; 70 remitted depressed) and 80 never-depressed controls.

RESULTS

Compared to never-depressed controls, there was minimal evidence of impaired WM performance among participants with remitted or current depression; the groups also reported overall similar subjective experiences during the N-back. Notably, number of lifetime depressive episodes had a detrimental cumulative effect on response accuracy and d'.

LIMITATIONS

WM was assessed only in regard to verbal memory. The sample size of currently depressed cases was smaller than that of the other groups.

CONCLUSIONS

WM remains largely intact among adults with remitted COD, but increased number of depression episodes worsens WM performance.

Evaluating the impact of sling provision and training upon maternal mental health, wellbeing and parenting: A randomised feasibility trial

BACKGROUND

Close body contact interventions such as Kangaroo Mother Care have been shown to improve maternal mental health following birth. Infant carriers ('slings') facilitate hands-free close body contact. No studies have specifically examined whether sling use improves maternal mental health. A full-scale efficacy study is needed to examine whether sling use is beneficial to maternal mental health. The current study is a feasibility study designed to gather information to support the design of a future RCT, such as acceptability and study parameters, including recruitment rates, consent rate and attrition.

METHOD

Mothers of infants aged 0-6 weeks were randomised to one of two conditions: intervention (n = 35) vs. waitlist control (n = 32). Intervention participants received sling training, support, and free sling hire for 12 weeks. Participants completed self-report measures of mood, wellbeing and parenting at baseline (Time 1), and 6- (Time 2) and 12- (Time 3) weeks post-baseline.

RESULTS

Eligibility and consent rates met feasibility objectives, though there were some difficulties with retention of participants in the study. Preliminary effectiveness analyses showed a non-significant improvement with a small effect size in postnatal depression from T1 to T3, and a significant improvement with a medium effect size in maternal self-efficacy from T1 to T3. Qualitative feedback indicated acceptability of the intervention and study participation. Intervention participants attributed greater autonomy, bonding with their baby, and parental self-confidence, to the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate a randomised study of the impact of a sling and related support intervention upon maternal mental health is feasible. These findings should be interpreted within the context of sampling bias (due to the use of volunteer sampling methods), an absence of feedback from those who discontinued participation in the study, and the study not being adequately powered.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registration number ISRCTN88575352.

Neurocomputational mechanisms of biased impression formation in lonely individuals

Social impressions are fundamental in our daily interactions with other people but forming accurate impressions of our social partners can be biased to different extents. Loneliness has previously been suggested to induce biases that hinder the formation of accurate impressions of others for successful social bonding. Here, we demonstrated that despite counterfactual evidence, negative first impressions bias information weighting, leading to less favorable trustworthiness beliefs. Lonely individuals did not only have more negative expectations of others' social behavior, but they also manifested a stronger weighting bias. Reduced orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activity was associated with a stronger weighting bias in lonelier individuals and mediated the relationship between loneliness and this weighting bias. Importantly, stronger coupling between OFC and temporoparietal junction compensated for such effects, promoting more positive trustworthiness beliefs especially in lonelier individuals. These findings bear potential for future basic and clinical investigations on social cognition and the development of clinical symptoms linked to loneliness.