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Wollet M, Hernandez A, Nip K, Pugh J, Kim JH. Impacts of Perinatal Nicotine Exposure on nAChR Expression and Glutamatergic Synaptic Transmission in the Mouse Auditory Brainstem. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.08.592930. [PMID: 38765998 PMCID: PMC11100749 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.08.592930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to nicotine in utero, often due to maternal smoking, significantly elevates the risk of auditory processing deficits in offspring. This study investigated the effects of chronic nicotine exposure during a critical developmental period on the functional expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), glutamatergic synaptic transmission, and auditory processing in the mouse auditory brainstem. We evaluated the functionality of nAChRs at a central synapse and explored the impact of perinatal nicotine exposure (PNE) on synaptic currents and auditory brainstem responses (ABR) in mice. Our findings revealed developmentally regulated changes in nAChR expression in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) neurons and presynaptic Calyx of Held terminals. PNE was associated with enhanced acetylcholine-evoked postsynaptic currents and compromised glutamatergic neurotransmission, highlighting the critical role of nAChR activity in the early stages of auditory synaptic development. Additionally, PNE resulted in elevated ABR thresholds and diminished peak amplitudes, suggesting significant impairment in central auditory processing without cochlear dysfunction. This study provides novel insights into the synaptic disturbances that contribute to auditory deficits resulting from chronic prenatal nicotine exposure, underlining potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
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Visual P300 as a neurophysiological correlate of symptomatic improvement by a virtual reality-based computer AT system in patients with auditory verbal hallucinations: A Pilot study. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 151:261-271. [PMID: 35512620 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Previous comparative trials showed that virtual reality (VR) therapies achieved larger effects than gold-standard cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on overall auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs). However, no trial has examined the corresponding underlying electrophysiological mechanisms. We performed a pilot randomized comparative trial evaluating the efficacy of a virtual reality-based computer AT system (CATS) over CBT for schizophrenia (SCZ) patients with treatment-resistant AVHs and explored these potential electrophysiological changes via the visual P300 component. Patients (CATS, n = 32; CBT, n = 33) completed the clinical assessments pre- and post-interventions and at 12-week follow-up. The visual P300 were measured before and after both therapies. The analysis of changes in psychiatric symptoms used linear mixed-effects models, and the P300 response in temporal and time-frequency domains was analyzed with repeated-measures analysis of variance. There was no interaction effect between change in clinical symptoms and treatment group. However, several statistically significant within-group improvements were found for CATS and CBT over time. AVH improved significantly after both treatments, as measured with the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales-Auditory Hallucinations (PSYRATS-AH) sub-scores. Especially for the CATS group, omnipotence beliefs, anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, and quality of life also remained improved at the 12-week follow-up. Moreover, P300 amplitude had a significant interaction effect and correlation with AVH response. Overall, our analysis did not demonstrate general clinical superiority of CATS over CBT, but CATS improved refractory AVH in SCZ patients, likely by increasing P300 amplitude. These findings support the continued development of CATS for persistent AVH and suggest further trials to clarify the neurological effects of CATS.
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Choueiry J, Blais CM, Shah D, Smith D, Fisher D, Illivitsky V, Knott V. CDP-choline and galantamine, a personalized α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor targeted treatment for the modulation of speech MMN indexed deviance detection in healthy volunteers: a pilot study. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3665-3687. [PMID: 32851421 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05646-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The combination of CDP-choline, an α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) agonist, with galantamine, a positive allosteric modulator of nAChRs, is believed to counter the fast desensitization rate of the α7 nAChRs and may be of interest for schizophrenia (SCZ) patients. Beyond the positive and negative clinical symptoms, deficits in early auditory prediction-error processes are also observed in SCZ. Regularity violations activate these mechanisms that are indexed by electroencephalography-derived mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to auditory deviance. OBJECTIVES/METHODS This pilot study in thirty-three healthy humans assessed the effects of an optimized α7 nAChR strategy combining CDP-choline (500 mg) with galantamine (16 mg) on speech-elicited MMN amplitude and latency measures. The randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, and counterbalanced design with a baseline stratification method allowed for assessment of individual response differences. RESULTS Increases in MMN generation mediated by the acute CDP-choline/galantamine treatment in individuals with low baseline MMN amplitude for frequency, intensity, duration, and vowel deviants were revealed. CONCLUSIONS These results, observed primarily at temporal recording sites overlying the auditory cortex, implicate α7 nAChRs in the enhancement of speech deviance detection and warrant further examination with respect to dysfunctional auditory deviance processing in individuals with SCZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelle Choueiry
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada.
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Crystal M Blais
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dhrasti Shah
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dylan Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Derek Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Vadim Illivitsky
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Verner Knott
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Atagun MI, Drukker M, Hall MH, Altun IK, Tatli SZ, Guloksuz S, van Os J, van Amelsvoort T. Meta-analysis of auditory P50 sensory gating in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2020; 300:111078. [PMID: 32361172 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The ability of the brain to reduce the amount of trivial or redundant sensory inputs is called gating function. Dysfunction of sensory gating may lead to cognitive fragmentation and poor real-world functioning. The auditory dual-click paradigm is a pertinent neurophysiological measure of sensory gating function. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the subcomponents of abnormal P50 waveforms in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia to assess P50 sensory gating deficits and examine effects of diagnoses, illness states (first-episode psychosis vs. schizophrenia, remission vs. episodes in bipolar disorder), and treatment status (medication-free vs. medicated). Literature search of PubMed between Jan 1st 1980 and March 31st 2019 identified 2091 records for schizophrenia, 362 for bipolar disorder. 115 studies in schizophrenia (4932 patients), 16 in bipolar disorder (975 patients) and 10 in first-degree relatives (848 subjects) met the inclusion criteria. P50 sensory gating ratio (S2/S1) and S1-S2 difference were significantly altered in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and their first-degree relatives. First-episode psychosis did not differ from schizophrenia, however episodes altered P50 sensory gating in bipolar disorder. Medications improve P50 sensory gating alterations in schizophrenia significantly and at trend level in bipolar disorder. Future studies should examine longitudinal course of P50 sensory gating in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murat Ilhan Atagun
- Department of Psychiatry, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University Medical School, Universities Region, Ihsan Dogramaci Boulevard. No: 6, Bilkent, Cankaya, Ankara Turkey.
| | - Marjan Drukker
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Mei Hua Hall
- Psychosis Neurobiology Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ilkay Keles Altun
- Department of Psychiatry, Bursa Higher Education Training and Education Hospital, Bursa, Turkey
| | | | - Sinan Guloksuz
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jim van Os
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht, the Netherlands; King's Health Partners Department of Psychosis Studies, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychiatry, Brain Centre Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Thérèse van Amelsvoort
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Freedman R, Olsen-Dufour AM, Olincy A. P50 inhibitory sensory gating in schizophrenia: analysis of recent studies. Schizophr Res 2020; 218:93-98. [PMID: 32061454 PMCID: PMC7299819 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Inhibitory sensory gating of the P50 cerebral evoked potential to paired auditory stimuli (S1, S2) is a widely used paradigm for the study of schizophrenia and related conditions. Its use to measure genetic, treatment, and developmental effects requires a metric with more stable properties than the simple ratio of the paired responses. METHODS This study assessed the ratio P50S2μV/P50S1μV and P50S2μV co-varied for P50S1μV in all 27 independent published studies that compared schizophrenia patients with healthy controls from 2000 to 2019. The largest study from each research group was selected. The Colorado research group's studies were excluded to eliminate bias from the first report of the phenomenon. RESULTS Across the 27 studies encompassing 1179 schizophrenia patients and 1091 healthy controls, both P50S2μV co-varied for P50S1μV and P50S2μV/P50S1μV significantly separated the patients from the controls (both P < 0.0001). Effect size for P50S2μV co-varied for P50S1μV is d' = 1.23. The normal distribution of P50S2μV co-varied for P50S1μV detected influences of maternal inflammation and effects on behavior in a recent developmental study, an emerging use for the P50 inhibitory gating measure. P50S2μV/P50S1μV was not normally distributed. Results from two multi-site NIMH genetics collaborations also support the use of P50S2μV as a biomarker. CONCLUSION Both methods detect an abnormality of cerebral inhibition in schizophrenia with high significance across multiple independent laboratories. The normal distribution of P50S2μV co-varied for P50S1μV makes it more suitable for studies of genetic, treatment, and other influences on the development and expression of inhibitory deficits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Freedman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Center, Mail Stop F546, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Amanda M. Olsen-Dufour
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Center, Mail Stop F546, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Ann Olincy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Center, Mail Stop F546, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
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Terry AV, Callahan PM. α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors as therapeutic targets in schizophrenia: Update on animal and clinical studies and strategies for the future. Neuropharmacology 2020; 170:108053. [PMID: 32188568 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental illness and its effective treatment is among the most challenging issues in psychiatry. The symptoms of schizophrenia are heterogeneous ranging from positive symptoms (e.g., delusions, hallucinations) to negative symptoms (e.g., anhedonia, social withdrawal) to cognitive dysfunction. Antipsychotics are effective at ameliorating positive symptoms in some patients; however, they are not reliably effective at improving the negative symptoms or cognitive impairments. The inability to address the cognitive impairments is a particular concern since they have the greatest long-term impact on functional outcomes. While decades of research have been devoted to the development of pro-cognitive agents for schizophrenia, to date, no drug has been approved for clinical use. Converging behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic evidence led to the identification of the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) as a therapeutic target several years ago and there is now extensive preclinical evidence that α7-nAChR ligands have pro-cognitive effects and other properties that should be beneficial to schizophrenia patients. However, like the other pro-cognitive strategies, no α7-nAChR ligand has been approved for clinical use in schizophrenia thus far. In this review, several topics are discussed that may impact the success of α7-nAChR ligands as pro-cognitive agents for schizophrenia including the translational value of the animal models used, clinical trial design limitations, confounding effects of polypharmacy, dose-effect relationships, and chronic versus intermittent dosing considerations. Determining the most optimal pharmacologic strategy at α7-nAChRs: agonist, positive allosteric modulator, or potentially even receptor antagonist is also discussed. article is part of the special issue on 'Contemporary Advances in Nicotine Neuropharmacology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin V Terry
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, 30912, Georgia; Small Animal Behavior Core, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, 30912, Georgia.
| | - Patrick M Callahan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, 30912, Georgia; Small Animal Behavior Core, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, 30912, Georgia
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Choueiry J, Blais CM, Shah D, Smith D, Fisher D, Illivitsky V, Knott V. Combining CDP-choline and galantamine: Effects of a selective α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist strategy on P50 sensory gating of speech sounds in healthy volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 2019; 33:688-699. [PMID: 30920339 DOI: 10.1177/0269881119836217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and relatives have deficits in early cortical sensory gating (SG) typically measured by suppression of electroencephalography-derived P50 event-related potentials (ERPs) in a conditioning-testing (S1-S2) paradigm. Associated with alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) dysfunction and shown to be improved with nicotine and α7 nAChR agonists, SG has recently been shown to be improved in low P50 suppressing SCZ patients following acute CDP-choline treatment. AIMS This pilot study in healthy humans assessed the SG effects of an α7 nAChR strategy combining CDP-choline with galantamine, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of nAChRs, aimed at increasing and prolonging nicotinic receptor activity. METHODS The combined effect of CDP-choline (500 mg) and galantamine (16 mg) on speech P50 gating indices rP50 (S2/S1) and dP50 (S1-S2) was examined in 30 healthy participants stratified into low and high baseline P50 suppressors in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and counterbalanced design. RESULTS In low suppressors, CDP-choline/galantamine (vs. placebo) improved rP50 and dP50 gating, and reduced S2P50 amplitudes. No P50 gating effects were observed in high suppressors; however, CDP-choline/galantamine (vs. placebo) increased their S2P50 amplitudes. CONCLUSION Findings from this pilot study with CDP-choline/galantamine in a healthy, SCZ-like surrogate deficient gating sample are consistent with the association of α7 nAChR mechanisms in SG impairment in SCZ and support further research trials with CDP-choline and galantamine targeting sensory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelle Choueiry
- 1 Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Crystal M Blais
- 2 Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dhrasti Shah
- 3 School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dylan Smith
- 3 School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Derek Fisher
- 4 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | | | - Verner Knott
- 1 Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,2 Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,3 School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,5 The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,6 University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Choueiry J, Blais CM, Shah D, Smith D, Fisher D, Labelle A, Knott V. Combining CDP-choline and galantamine, an optimized α7 nicotinic strategy, to ameliorate sensory gating to speech stimuli in schizophrenia. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 145:70-82. [PMID: 30790597 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Neural α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) expression and functioning deficits have been extensively associated with cognitive and early sensory gating (SG) impairments in schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and their relatives. SG, the suppression of irrelevant and redundant stimuli, is measured in a conditioning-testing (S1-S2) paradigm eliciting electroencephalography-derived P50 event-related potentials (ERPs), the S2 amplitudes of which are typically suppressed relative to S1. Despite extensive reports of nicotine-related improvements and several decades of research, an efficient nicotinic treatment has yet to be approved for SCZ. Following reports of SG improvements in low P50 suppressing SCZ patients and healthy participants with the α7 agonist, CDP-choline, this pilot study examined the combined modulatory effect of CDP-choline (500 mg) and galantamine (16 mg), a nAChR positive allosteric modulator and acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, on SG to speech stimuli in twenty-four SCZ patients in a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled design. As expected, in low P50 suppressors CDP-choline/galantamine (vs. Placebo) improved rP50 and dP50 scores by increasing inhibitory mechanisms as reflected by S2P50 amplitude reductions. Results also suggest a moderating role for auditory verbal hallucinations in treatment response. These preliminary findings provide supportive evidence for the involvement of α7 nAChR activity in speech gating in SCZ and support additional trials, examining different dose combinations and repeated doses of this optimized and personalized targeted α7 cholinergic treatment for SG dysfunction in subgroups of SCZ patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joelle Choueiry
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Crystal M Blais
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dhrasti Shah
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dylan Smith
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Derek Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Alain Labelle
- The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Verner Knott
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada; School of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS, Canada; The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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