Sustainable materials: a linking bridge between material perception, affordance, and aesthetics

The perception of material properties, which refers to the way in which individuals perceive and interpret materials through their sensory experiences, plays a crucial role in our interaction with the environment. Affordance, on the other hand, refers to the potential actions and uses that materials offer to users. In turn, the perception of the affordances is modulated by the aesthetic appreciation that individuals experience when interacting with the environment. Although material perception, affordances, and aesthetic appreciation are recognized as essential to fostering sustainability in society, only a few studies have investigated this subject matter systematically and their reciprocal influences. This scarcity is partially due to the challenges offered by the complexity of combining interdisciplinary topics that explore interactions between various disciplines, such as psychophysics, neurophysiology, affective science, aesthetics, and social and environmental sciences. Outlining the main findings across disciplines, this review highlights the pivotal role of material perception in shaping sustainable behaviors. It establishes connections between material perception, affordance, aesthetics, and sustainability, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary research and integrated approaches in environmental psychology. This integration is essential as it can provide insight into how to foster sustainable and durable changes.

Impact of COVID-19 on Mothers Raising Children with Special Needs: Insights from a Survey Study

Home confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak had psychological effects that continue to be explored by researchers. This study investigated factors influencing the mental health of mothers caring for special needs children in Italy's first lockdown. Specifically, we investigated the relationships between emotional states of depression, anxiety, stress, perceived distress related to home confinement, coping strategies, and other contextual variables (such as opportunities for distance learning and remote working) in a group of 68 mothers of children with special needs and 68 matched mothers of typically developing children. Data from an online survey showed no significant difference between the two groups. However, the research revealed that being a remote worker was a significant predictor of reduced stress in mothers of children with special needs, while distance learning was a significant predictor of reduced stress in mothers of typically developing children. In addition, the study found that hyperarousal symptoms were predictive of stress in mothers of children with special needs, while intrusive thoughts and avoidance coping were predictive of stress in mothers of typically developing children. In conclusion, further research is needed to develop effective support and intervention strategies for families with children with special needs and to deeply investigate the impact of flexible work arrangements and social aid on the mental health of mothers in non-emergency settings.

Effectiveness of a Brief Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention for University Students

Objectives

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in Web-based education, lacking face-to-face student-teacher and student-student interaction, and consequently impairing students' sense of belonging to a community, interoceptive awareness, and academic self-efficacy. This study examined how a brief mindfulness-based intervention in an online university course can be effective in enhancing attention resources, developing a stronger sense of academic self-efficacy, and improving the sense of belonging to a community, which represent critical factors affecting students' participation in online and blended courses.

Method

Four-hundred and eighty-six participants (Mage 22.88) completed a battery of measures at pre- and post-treatment. One class (experimental group) participated in a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (42%), whereas the other one (control group) did not take part in the intervention (58%). The intervention included breathing meditation at the beginning of class, sharing of experiences, mini-lectures on mindfulness, and daily practice, and lasted for 28 consecutive days.

Results

Participants in the experimental group when compared to controls showed a significant increase in the feeling of influencing the course activities (F = 9.628; p < 0.005), in the self-regulation of attention (F = 19.133; p < 0.001), in academic self-efficacy (F = 9.220; p < 0.005), and, particularly, in their self-efficacy in regulating learning (F = 12.942; p < 0.001). The students' adherence to the assigned practice could partially explain the effectiveness of the intervention.

Conclusions

This study offers useful clues about the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in the classroom in enhancing sense of belonging to a community, attention grounded in bodily sensations, and academic self-efficacy.

Preregistration

This study is not preregistered.

Reward prospect affects strategic adjustments in stop signal task

Interaction with the environment requires us to predict the potential reward that will follow our choices. Rewards could change depending on the context and our behavior adapts accordingly. Previous studies have shown that, depending on reward regimes, actions can be facilitated (i.e., increasing the reward for response) or interfered (i.e., increasing the reward for suppression). Here we studied how the change in reward perspective can influence subjects’ adaptation strategy. Students were asked to perform a modified version of the Stop-Signal task. Specifically, at the beginning of each trial, a Cue Signal informed subjects of the value of the reward they would receive; in one condition, Go Trials were rewarded more than Stop Trials, in another, Stop Trials were rewarded more than Go Trials, and in the last, both trials were rewarded equally. Subjects participated in a virtual competition, and the reward consisted of points to be earned to climb the leaderboard and win (as in a video game contest). The sum of points earned was updated with each trial. After a learning phase in which the three conditions were presented separately, each subject performed 600 trials testing phase in which the three conditions were randomly mixed. Based on the previous studies, we hypothesized that subjects could employ different strategies to perform the task, including modulating inhibition efficiency, adjusting response speed, or employing a constant behavior across contexts. We found that to perform the task, subjects preferentially employed a strategy-related speed of response adjustment, while the duration of the inhibition process did not change significantly across the conditions. The investigation of strategic motor adjustments to reward’s prospect is relevant not only to understanding how action control is typically regulated, but also to work on various groups of patients who exhibit cognitive control deficits, suggesting that the ability to inhibit can be modulated by employing reward prospects as motivational factors.

Restart errors reaction time of a two-step inhibition process account for the violation of the race model's independence in multi-effector selective stop signal task

Goal-oriented actions often require the coordinated movement of two or more effectors. Sometimes multi-effector movements need to be adjusted according to a continuously changing environment, requiring stopping an effector without interrupting the movement of the others. This form of control has been investigated by the selective Stop Signal Task (SST), requiring the inhibition of an effector of a multicomponent action. This form of selective inhibition has been hypothesized to act through a two-step process, where a temporary global inhibition deactivating all the ongoing motor responses is followed by a restarting process that reactivates only the moving effector. When this form of inhibition takes place, the reaction time (RT) of the moving effector pays the cost of the previous global inhibition. However, it is poorly investigated if and how this cost delays the RT of the effector that was required to be stopped but was erroneously moved (Stop Error trials). Here we measure the Stop Error RT in a group of participants instructed to simultaneously rotate the wrist and lift the foot when a Go Signal occurred, and interrupt both movements (non-selective Stop version) or only one of them (selective Stop version) when a Stop Signal was presented. We presented this task in two experimental conditions to evaluate how different contexts can influence a possible proactive inhibition on the RT of the moving effector in the selective Stop versions. In one context, we provided the foreknowledge of the effector to be inhibited by presenting the same selective or non-selective Stop versions in the same block of trials. In a different context, while providing no foreknowledge of the effector(s) to be stopped, the selective and non-selective Stop versions were intermingled, and the information on the effector to be stopped was delivered at the time of the Stop Signal presentation. We detected a cost in both Correct and Error selective Stop RTs that was influenced by the different task conditions. Results are discussed within the framework of the race model related to the SST, and its relationship with a restart model developed for selective versions of this paradigm.

Attention Deficits Influence the Development of Motor Abnormalities in High Functioning Autism

Early attentional dysfunction is one of the most consistent findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including the high functioning autism (HFA). There are no studies that assess how the atypical attentional processes affect the motor functioning in HFA. In this study, we evaluated attentional and motor functioning in a sample of 15 drug-naive patients with HFA and 15 healthy children (HC), and possible link between attentional dysfunction and motor impairment in HFA. Compared to HC, HFA group was seriously impaired in a considerable number of attentional processes and showed a greater number of motor abnormalities. Significant correlations between attention deficits and motor abnormalities were observed in HFA group. These preliminary findings suggest that deficit of attentional processes can be implied in motor abnormalities in HFA.

Perseverative Cognition in the Positive Valence Systems: An Experimental and Ecological Investigation

Perseverative cognition (PC) is a transdiagnostic risk factor that characterizes both hypo-motivational (e.g., depression) and hyper-motivational (e.g., addiction) disorders; however, it has been almost exclusively studied within the context of the negative valence systems. The present study aimed to fill this gap by combining laboratory-based, computational and ecological assessments. Healthy individuals performed the Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT) before and after the induction of PC or a waiting period. Computational modeling was applied to dissociate the effects of PC on reward sensitivity and learning rate. Afterwards, participants underwent a one-week ecological momentary assessment of daily PC occurrence, as well as anticipatory and consummatory reward-related behavior. Induction of PC led to increased response bias on the PRT compared to waiting, likely due to an increase in learning rate but not in reward sensitivity, as suggested by computational modeling. In daily-life, PC increased the discrepancy between expected and obtained rewards (i.e., prediction error). Current converging experimental and ecological evidence suggests that PC is associated with abnormalities in the functionality of positive valence systems. Given the role of PC in the prediction, maintenance, and recurrence of psychopathology, it would be clinically valuable to extend research on this topic beyond the negative valence systems.

Can't get it off my brain: Meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on perseverative cognition

Perseverative cognition (i.e. rumination and worry) describes intrusive, uncontrollable, repetitive thoughts. These negative affective experiences are accompanied by physiological arousal, as if the individual were facing an external stressor. Perseverative cognition is a transdiagnostic symptom, yet studies of neural mechanisms are largely restricted to specific clinical populations (e.g. patients with major depression). The present study applied activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses to 43 functional neuroimaging studies of perseverative cognition to elucidate the neurobiological substrates across individuals with and without psychopathological conditions. Task-related and resting state functional connectivity studies were examined in separate meta-analyses. Across task-based studies, perseverative cognition engaged medial frontal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, insula, and posterior cingulate cortex. Resting state functional connectivity studies similarly implicated posterior cingulate cortex together with thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), yet the involvement of ACC distinguished between perseverative cognition in healthy controls (HC) and clinical groups. Perseverative cognition is accompanied by the engagement of prefrontal, insula and cingulate regions, whose interaction may support the characteristic conjunction of self-referential and affective processing with (aberrant) cognitive control and embodied (autonomic) arousal. Within this context, ACC engagement appears critical for the pathological expression of rumination and worry.

Network abnormalities in generalized anxiety pervade beyond the amygdala-pre-frontal cortex circuit: Insights from graph theory

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has excessive anxiety and uncontrollable worry as core symptoms. Abnormal cerebral functioning underpins the expression and perhaps pathogenesis of GAD:. Studies implicate impaired communication between the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex (PFC). Our aim was to longitudinally investigate whether such network abnormalities are spatially restricted to this circuit or if the integrity of functional brain networks is globally disrupted in GAD. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 16 GAD patients and 16 matched controls at baseline and after 1 year. Using network modeling and graph-theory, whole-brain connectivity was characterized from local and global perspectives. Overall lower global efficiency, indicating sub-optimal brain-wide organization and integration, was present in patients with GAD compared to controls. The amygdala and midline cortices showed higher betweenness centrality, reflecting functional dominance of these brain structures. Third, lower betweenness centrality and lower degree emerged for PFC, suggesting weakened inhibitory control. Overall, network organization showed impairments consistent with neurobiological models of GAD (involving amygdala, PFC, and cingulate cortex) and further pointed to an involvement of temporal regions. Such impairments tended to progress over time and predict anxiety symptoms. A graph-analytic approach represents a powerful approach to deepen our understanding of GAD.

Age-related changes in brain deactivation but not in activation after motor learning

It is poorly understood how healthy aging affects neural mechanisms underlying motor learning. We used blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) contrasts to examine age-related changes in brain activation after acquisition and consolidation (24 h) of a visuomotor tracking skill. Additionally, structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging were used to examine age-related structural changes in the brain. Older adults had reduced gray matter volume (628 ± 57 ml) and mean white matter anisotropy (0.18 ± 0.03) compared with young adults (741 ± 59 ml and 0.22 ± 0.02, respectively). Although motor performance was 53% lower in older (n = 15, mean age 63.1 years) compared with young adults (n = 15, mean age 25.5 years), motor practice improved motor performance similarly in both age groups. While executing the task, older adults showed in general greater brain activation compared with young adults. BOLD activation decreased in parietal and occipital areas after skill acquisition but activation increased in these areas after consolidation in both age groups, indicating more efficient visuospatial processing immediately after skill acquisition. Changes in deactivation in specific areas were age-dependent after consolidating the motor skill into motor memory. Young adults showed greater deactivations from post-test to retention in parietal, occipital and temporal cortices, whereas older adults showed smaller deactivation in the frontal cortex. Since learning rate was similar between age groups, age-related changes in activation patterns may be interpreted as a compensatory mechanism for age-related structural decline.

Neural Correlates of Divided Attention in Natural Scenes

Individuals are able to split attention between separate locations, but divided spatial attention incurs the additional requirement of monitoring multiple streams of information. Here, we investigated divided attention using photos of natural scenes, where the rapid categorization of familiar objects and prior knowledge about the likely positions of objects in the real world might affect the interplay between these spatial and nonspatial factors. Sixteen participants underwent fMRI during an object detection task. They were presented with scenes containing either a person or a car, located on the left or right side of the photo. Participants monitored either one or both object categories, in one or both visual hemifields. First, we investigated the interplay between spatial and nonspatial attention by comparing conditions of divided attention between categories and/or locations. We then assessed the contribution of top-down processes versus stimulus-driven signals by separately testing the effects of divided attention in target and nontarget trials. The results revealed activation of a bilateral frontoparietal network when dividing attention between the two object categories versus attending to a single category but no main effect of dividing attention between spatial locations. Within this network, the left dorsal premotor cortex and the left intraparietal sulcus were found to combine task- and stimulus-related signals. These regions showed maximal activation when participants monitored two categories at spatially separate locations and the scene included a nontarget object. We conclude that the dorsal frontoparietal cortex integrates top-down and bottom-up signals in the presence of distractors during divided attention in real-world scenes.

Hippocampus age-related microstructural changes in schizophrenia: a case-control mean diffusivity study

Macrostructural-volumetric abnormalities of the hippocampus have been described in schizophrenia. Here, we characterized age-related changes of hippocampal mean diffusivity as an index of microstructural damage by carrying out a neuroimaging study in 85 patients with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia and 85 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We performed analyses of covariance, with diagnosis as fixed factor, mean diffusivity as dependent variable and age as covariate. Patients showed an early increase in mean diffusivity in the right and left hippocampus that increased with age. Thus, microstructural hippocampal changes associated with schizophrenia cannot be confined to a specific time window.

Brain microstructural changes and cognitive correlates in patients with pure obsessive compulsive disorder

OBJECT

The aim of this study was to investigate macrostructural and microstructural brain changes in patients with pure obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and to examine the relationship between brain structure and neuropsychological deficits.

METHOD

20 patients with OCD underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. A combined voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis was used to capture gray matter (GM) and white matter changes in OCD patients as compared to pair-matched healthy volunteers. Multiple regression designs explored the relationship between cognition and neuroimaging parameters.

RESULTS

OCD patients had increased mean diffusivity (MD) in GM nodes of the orbitofronto-striatal loop (left dorsal anterior cingulate [Z = 3.67, P < 0.001] left insula [Z = 3.35 P < 0.001] left thalamus [Z = 3.59, P < 0.001] left parahippocampal gyrus [Z = 3.77 P < 0.001]) and in lateral frontal and posterior associative cortices (right frontal operculum [Z = 3.42 P < 0.001], right temporal lobe [Z = 3.79 P < 0.001] left parietal lobe [Z = 3.91 P < 0.001]). Decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) was detected in intrahemispheric (left superior longitudinal fasciculus [Z = 4.07 P < 0.001]) and interhemispheric (body of corpus callosum [CC, Z = 4.42 P < 0.001]) bundles. Concurrently, the semantic fluency score, a measure of executive control processes, significantly predicted OCD diagnosis (Odds Ratio = 1.37; 95% Confidence Intervals = 1.09-1.73; P = 0.0058), while variation in performance was correlated with increased MD in left temporal (Z = 4.25 P < 0.001) and bilateral parietal regions (left Z = 3.94, right Z = 4.19 P < 0.001), and decreased FA in the right posterior corona radiata (Z = 4.07 P < 0.001) and the left corticospinal tract (Z = 3.95 P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The reported deficit in executive processes and the underlying microstructural alterations may qualify as behavioral and biological markers of OCD.

Plasma fatty acid lipidomics in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the n-3 series have been linked to brain physiology and cognitive decline, but little is known about the other components of the complex fatty acids category. Here, we compared 30 molecular species pertaining to saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids, measured in plasma by gas chromatography, in 14 patients with a diagnosis of amnestic single domain mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), 30 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 30 healthy controls (HC). As no participants showed neuroimaging evidence of cerebrovascular disease, patients could be considered as purely neurodegenerative. We found differences in specific components of almost all fatty acid classes except n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids. Compared with HC, aMCI and AD patients had higher levels of arachidic (C20:0), erucic (C22:1, n-9), and vaccenic acid (C18:1, n-9) and lower levels of cerotic (C26:0) and linoleic acid (C18:2, n-6). In particular, level of linoleic acid decreased and level of mead acid increased progressively from HC to aMCI to AD patients, and they were also inversely correlated in AD and aMCI patients. In conclusion, we found a previously unrecognized linoleic acid deficiency in the early phase of neurodegeneration that was strongly supported by an increased, compensatory mead acid level. These findings suggest the importance of creating new dietary manipulation strategies to counteract disease progression.

Hippocampal multimodal structural changes and subclinical depression in healthy individuals

BACKGROUND

Several neuroimaging studies report reduced hippocampal volume in depressed patients. However, it is still unclear if hippocampal changes in healthy individuals can be considered a risk factor for progression to clinical depression. Here, we investigated subclinical depression and its hippocampal correlates in a non-clinical sample of healthy individuals, with particular regard to gender differences.

METHODS

One-hundred-two participants underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment, a high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging protocol using a 3T MRI scanner. Data of macro-(volume) and micro-(mean diffusivity, MD) structural changes of the hippocampus were analyzed with reference to the Beck Depression Inventory score.

RESULTS

Results of multivariate regression analyses revealed reduced bilateral volume, along with increased bilateral MD in hippocampal formation predicting subclinical depressive phenomenology only in healthy males. Conversely, subclinical depressive phenomenology in healthy female was accounted for by only lower educational level, in the absence of any hippocampal structure variations.

LIMITATIONS

To date, this is the only evidence reporting a relationship between subclinical depressive phenomenology and changes in hippocampal formation in healthy individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrated that reduced volume, along with increased MD in hippocampal formation, is significantly associated with subclinical depressive phenomenology in healthy males. This encourages to study the hypothesis that early macro- and microstructural changes in hippocampi associated with subclinical depression may constitute a risk factor of developing depressive disorders in males.

Age-related brain trajectories in schizophrenia: a systematic review of structural MRI studies

Using the Pubmed database, we performed a detailed literature search for structural magnetic resonance imaging studies on patients with schizophrenia, investigating the relationship between macroscopic and microscopic structural parameters and age, to delineate an age-related trajectory. Twenty-six studies were considered for the review, from January 2000 to June 2012. Research results are heterogeneous because of the multifactorial features of schizophrenia and the multiplicity of the methodological approaches adopted. Some areas, within the amygdala-hippocampus complex, which are affected early in life by schizophrenia, age in a physiological way. Other regions, such as the superior temporal gyrus, appear already impaired at the onset of symptoms, undergo a worsening in the acute phase but later stabilize, progressing physiologically over years. Finally, there are regions, such as the uncinate fasciculus, which are not altered early in life, but are affected around the onset of schizophrenia, with their impairment continuously worsening over time. Further extensive longitudinal studies are needed to understand the timing and the possible degenerative characteristics of structural impairment associated with schizophrenia.

New evidence for the cerebellar involvement in personality traits

Following the recognition of its role in sensory-motor coordination and learning, the cerebellum has been involved in cognitive, emotional, and even personality domains. This study investigated the relationships between cerebellar macro- and micro-structural variations and temperamental traits measured by Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). High resolution T1-weighted, and Diffusion Tensor Images of 100 healthy subjects aged 18-59 years were acquired by 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance scanner. In multiple regression analyses, cerebellar Gray Matter (GM) or White Matter (WM) volumes, GM Mean Diffusivity (MD), and WM Fractional Anisotropy (FA) were used as dependent variables, TCI scores as regressors, gender, age, and education years as covariates. Novelty Seeking scores were associated positively with the cerebellar GM volumes and FA, and negatively with MD. No significant association between Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence or Persistence scores and cerebellar structural measures was found. The present data put toward a cerebellar involvement in the management of novelty.

5-HTTLPR, anxiety and gender interaction moderates right amygdala volume in healthy subjects

Genetic variants within the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) impact the neurobiology and risk for anxiety-related behaviours. There are also gender differences in the prevalence of anxiety-related behaviours. Although numerous studies have investigated the influence of 5-HTTLPR genotype on the neural systems involved in emotional regulation, none have investigated how these effects are modulated by gender and anxiety. We investigated this issue using two complementary region of interest-based structural neuroimaging approaches (voxel-based morphometry and Freesurfer) in 138 healthy individuals categorized into 'no anxiety' and 'subclinical anxiety' groups based on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A). Preliminarily, using anxiety as a continuous variable, we found a significant interaction effect of genotype by gender on anxiety. Females homozygous for the Short allele showed the highest HAM-A scores and males the lowest. In addition, a three-way significant interaction among genotype, gender and anxiety category was found for the right amygdala volume. Post hoc tests revealed that homozygous females carrying the Short variant with a subclinical anxiety condition had larger volume. The reported interaction effects demonstrate that gender strongly modulates the relationship between 5-HTTLPR genotype and subclinical expression of anxiety acting on amygdala, one region of the emotional neural network specifically involved in the anxiety-like behaviours.

Fronto-thalamic volumetry markers of somatic delusions and hallucinations in schizophrenia

Although the psychotic phenomena of schizophrenia have been extensively investigated, somatic delusions and hallucinations have seldom been reported and their mechanisms are substantially unexplored. Here, we aimed to identify the brain structural correlates of somatic psychotic phenomena using combined volumetry and diffusivity structural neuroimaging techniques. Seventy-five individuals with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of schizophrenia and 75 healthy controls (HC) underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment, a high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and a diffusion tensor imaging protocol using a 3T MRI scanner. Voxel-based volumetry and mean diffusivity (MD) of gray matter (GM) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter (WM) of the whole brain were calculated for each subject. Reduced left fronto-insular GM volume was found in patients with somatic delusions compared with patients without somatic delusions and HC. Increased GM volume was found in the bilateral thalami, primarily in the right ventral-anterior thalamic nucleus projecting to the prefrontal-temporal cortices and the bilateral pars triangularis of the inferior frontal lobe, of patients with somatic hallucinations and HC compared with patients without somatic hallucinations. No differences emerged in GM MD and in WM FA between patients with and without psychotic somatic phenomena (i.e. delusions or hallucinations). These findings provide the first evidence that a frontal-thalamic structural perturbation mediates somatic psychotic phenomena in schizophrenia.

Depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease and in non-neurological medical illnesses

BACKGROUND

Patients with neurological and non-neurological medical illnesses very often complain of depressive symptoms that are associated with cognitive and functional impairments. We compared the profile of depressive symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with that of control subjects (CS) suffering from non-neurological medical illnesses.

METHODS

One-hundred PD patients and 100 CS were submitted to a structured clinical interview for identification of major depressive disorder (MDD) and minor depressive disorder (MIND), according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR), criteria. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were also administered to measure depression severity.

RESULTS

When considering the whole groups, there were no differences in depressive symptom frequency between PD and CS apart from worthlessness/guilt, and changes in appetite reduced rates in PD. Further, total scores and psychic and somatic subscores of HDRS and BDI did not differ between PD and CS. After we separated PD and CS in those with MDD, MIND, and no depression (NODEP), comparing total scores and psychic/somatic subscores of HDRS and BDI, we found increased total depression severity in NODEP PD and reduced severity of the psychic symptoms of depression in MDD PD, with no differences in MIND. However, the severity of individual symptom frequency of depression was not different between PD and CS in MDD, MIND, and NODEP groups.

CONCLUSION

Although MDD and MIND phenomenology in PD may be very similar to that of CS with non-neurological medical illnesses, neurological symptoms of PD may worsen (or confound) depression severity in patients with no formal/structured DSM-IV-TR, diagnosis of depressive mood disorders. Thus, a thorough assessment of depression in PD should take into consideration the different impacts of neurological manifestations on MDD, MIND, and NODEP.

Hedonic tone and its mood and cognitive correlates in Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

Anhedonia has been mainly reported as a symptom of depression and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Here, we investigated whether hedonic tone depends on depression and clarified its relationship with the cognitive performance of PD patients with different mood disorders.

METHODS

In 254 patients, we assessed hedonic tone using the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, depression severity using the Beck Depression Inventory, and cognitive performances using the Mental Deterioration Battery. A structural psychiatric interview was used to diagnose major depressive disorder (MDD) and minor depressive disorder (MIND), according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria.

RESULTS

PD patients with diagnosis of MDD were more anhedonic than those with MIND and those without depressive disorders. Reduced hedonic tone correlated with depression severity in patients with MDD and no depressive disorders. In multivariate models that consider depression severity and cognitive performances together, anhedonia was related to increased depression severity and episodic memory (auditory-verbal learning) impairment, in patients with MDD and with increased depression severity and attention impairment in patients with no depressive disorders. In patients with MIND, anhedonia did not correlate with depression severity or any cognitive performance score.

DISCUSSION

Our findings suggest that anhedonia is related to depression severity and specific cognitive performances in patients with MDD and with no depressive disorder. By contrast, the reduced hedonic tone in patients with MIND is independent from depression severity and cognition. Thus, anhedonia in PD is a heterogeneous and multidimensional phenomenon and require investigation at different levels.

Elevated levels of circulating IL-18BP and perturbed regulation of IL-18 in schizophrenia

Background

The pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin (IL)-18 has been proposed to play a role in schizophrenia, since elevated circulating levels of its protein and altered frequencies of genetic variants in its molecular system are reported in schizophrenic patients.

Methods

We analyzed 77 patients with schizophrenia diagnosis (SCZ) and 77 healthy control subjects (HC) for serum concentration of both IL-18 and its natural inhibitor, the IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP).

Results

We confirmed that serum levels of total IL-18 are significantly increased in SCZ, as compared to HC. However, due to a highly significant increase in levels of circulating IL-18BP in SCZ, as compared to HC, the levels of free, bioactive IL-18 are not significantly different between the two groups. In addition, the relationships between the levels of IL-18 and its inhibitor, as well as between the two molecules and age appear dissimilar for SCZ and HC. In particular, the elevated levels of IL-18BP, likely a consequence of the body’s attempt to counteract the early prominent inflammation which characterizes schizophrenia, are maintained in earlier and later stages of the disease. However, the IL-18BP elevation appears ineffective to balance the IL-18 system in younger SCZ patients, while in older patients the levels of circulating bioactive IL-18 are comparable to those of HC, if not lower.

Conclusions

In conclusion, these findings indicate that the IL-18 system is perturbed in schizophrenia, supporting the idea that this pro-inflammatory cytokine might be part of a pathway of genetic and environmental components for vulnerability to the disease.

Brain microstructure of subclinical apathy phenomenology in healthy individuals

Although apathy has been extensively studied in relation to neuropsychiatric disorders, it is still unclear whether, in healthy people, it should be considered as a physiological phenomenon or whether it is a risk factor for progression to clinical disturbances. Here, we investigated subclinical apathy phenomenology and its brain microstructural correlates in healthy individuals. We submitted 72 participants to a comprehensive clinical assessment, a high-resolution structural MRI and a diffusion tensor imaging scan protocol. Data of individual microstructural (mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy) variations were processed across genders in relation to the Apathy Rating Scale score. In females, subclinical apathy phenomenology was associated with microstructural variation of the bilateral thalami, the anterior thalamic radiation, the forceps major, and the corona radiate. These are white matter areas mostly connecting the thalami to the frontal and occipital cortices, regions that are known to be implicated in the expression of apathy in clinical samples. No significant relationship with brain microstructure was found in males who showed a positive correlation between subclinical apathy and somatic phenomenology of depression. In conclusion, our results show that in healthy individuals subclinical apathy phenomenology is associated with different mechanisms across genders, and raise the issue about whether brain microstructural changes associated with subclinical apathy in healthy females could be a precocious marker useful in the prediction of progression to more severe apathetic conditions.

Suicidal attempts and increased right amygdala volume in schizophrenia

Suicide is a major cause of death in schizophrenia. Neurobiological studies suggest that suicidality is associated with abnormal brain structure and connectivity in fronto-temporo-limbic regions. However, it is still unclear whether suicidality in schizophrenia is related to volumetric abnormalities in subcortical structures that play a key role in emotion regulation, aggression and impulse control. Therefore, we aimed to examine whether the volume of selected subcortical regions is associated with previous suicidal attempts and self-aggression in schizophrenia. For this cross-sectional study, we recruited 50 outpatients with schizophrenia and 50 healthy controls (HC) matched for age and gender. Fourteen patients had a history of one or more suicide attempts. Different forms of aggression were assessed using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale. All participants underwent structural MR imaging at 3 Tesla. Physical volumetric measures were calculated for the lateral ventricles, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, caudate, putamen, pallidum and accumbens using an automatic segmentation method on T1-weighted high-resolution (voxel size 1×1×1mm(3)) images. Multivariate and follow-up univariate ANOVAs revealed a selective increase in volume in the right amygdala of patients with a history of suicidality compared both to patients without such a history and HC. Moreover, in the entire patient group increased right amygdala volume was related to increased self-aggression. Our findings suggest that right amygdala hypertrophy may be a risk factor for suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia and this could be relevant for suicide prevention.

Attending to multiple visual streams: interactions between location-based and category-based attentional selection

Behavioral studies indicate that subjects are able to divide attention between multiple streams of information at different locations. However, it is still unclear to what extent the observed costs reflect processes specifically associated with spatial attention, versus more general interference due the concurrent monitoring of multiple streams of stimuli. Here we used a factorial design to disentangle the correlates of location- versus category-based selection processes during fMRI. In all conditions, participants were presented with two overlapping visual stimuli (red shapes and green shapes) in each hemifield. In different blocks, subjects either: (1) attended to one single stimulus category, red shapes or green shapes, in one hemifield; (2) attended to both stimulus categories in the same hemifield; (3) attended to one single stimulus category, but monitoring both hemifields at the same time; or (4) attended to one stimulus category in one hemifield, and the other category in the opposite hemifield. The behavioral data showed the expected costs of dividing spatial attention across the two hemifields, and the cost of monitoring two stimulus categories versus one category. The imaging data revealed activation of a dorsal fronto-parietal network, both for dividing spatial attention and for monitoring multiple stimulus categories. However, unlike behavioral data, the imaging results also showed a significant interaction between location- and category-based attention within the same network. This demonstrates that the fronto-parietal cortex engages in both of these selective attention functions, and that a mere increase in task difficulty cannot explain colocalization of these processes. We conclude that, under conditions of multiple streams monitoring, fronto-parietal regions control location- and category-based attentional selection.

Shifting attention across near and far spaces: implications for the use of hands-free cell phones while driving

In three experiments, participants performed two tasks concurrently during driving. In the peripheral detection task, they responded manually to visual stimuli delivered through a LED placed on the internal rear mirror; in the conversation task, they were engaged in a conversation with a passenger, or through earphone-operated, loudspeaker-operated, or hand-held cell phones. Results showed that drivers were slower at responding to the visual stimuli when conversing through a hand-held cell phone or an earphone-operated cell phone than when conversing through a loudspeaker-operated cell phone or with a passenger. These results suggest that due to the brain coding the space into multiple representations, devices that make phone conversations taking place in the near, personal space make drivers slower at responding to visual stimuli, compared to devices that make the conversation occurring in a far space.

Controlling attention through action: observing actions primes action-related stimulus dimensions

Previous findings suggest that planning an action "backward-primes" perceptual dimension related to this action: planning a grasp facilitates the processing of visual size information, while planning a reach facilitates the processing of location information. Here we show that dimensional priming of perception through action occurs even in the absence of active action planning. Subjects watched video clips showing a grasping or reaching action before detecting size- or location-defined deviants in visual stimulus sequences. Size deviants were detected faster after seeing a grasp and location deviants were detected faster after seeing a reach. This supports the assumption that perceptual codes and action plans share a common representational medium, and that "attention to action" controls "attention to stimuli".

Switching between goals mediates the attentional blink effect

Humans are fundamentally limited in processing information from the outside world. This is particularly evident in the attentional blink (AB), the impaired ability to identify the second of two targets presented in close succession. We report findings from three experiments showing that the AB is significantly reduced when observers are set to achieve one single goal (reporting combinations of the two targets) instead of separate goals (reporting the two targets). This finding raises questions about the nature of AB, and suggests that processes involved in goal-switching must be taken into account by theories of the AB phenomenon.

Audio-visual dynamic remapping in an endogenous spatial attention task

Several studies on cross-modal attention showed that remapping processes between sensory modalities occur in the spatial orienting of attention. One hypothesis that accounts for such links is that spatial attention operates upon representations of common locations in the external space. However, convincing evidence only exists for cross-modal links in spatial orienting, leaving the dynamics of these effects unexplored. Four experiments were designed to cope with this issue by having participants being involved in an endogenous orienting task to visual and auditory target stimuli. Targets on invalid trials were embedded into two different kinds of sequences of stimuli: (1) long sequences, wherein three valid trials in one modality preceded the invalid trial in the other modality; (2) short sequences, wherein only one valid trial in one modality preceded the invalid trial in the other modality. Results revealed modality-specific meridian effects in the short sequences, and a significant decrement of the modality-specific meridian effect in the long sequences. The results of these experiments indicate that cross-modal links in visual and auditory spatial attention are based on representations of common locations in the external space across sensory modalities. Moreover, the results strongly support the hypothesis that representations of space are dynamically built and updated according to task demands.

Intentional control of attention: action planning primes action-related stimulus dimensions

Neurophysiological observations suggest that attending to a particular perceptual dimension, such as location or shape, engages dimension-related action, such as reaching and prehension networks. Here we reversed the perspective and hypothesized that activating action systems may prime the processing of stimuli defined on perceptual dimensions related to these actions. Subjects prepared for a reaching or grasping action and, before carrying it out, were presented with location- or size-defined stimulus events. As predicted, performance on the stimulus event varied with action preparation: planning a reaching action facilitated detecting deviants in location sequences whereas planning a grasping action facilitated detecting deviants in size sequences. These findings support the theory of event coding, which claims that perceptual codes and action plans share a common representational medium, which presumably involves the human premotor cortex.

Caffeine, but not nicotine, enhances visual feature binding

The distributed organization of the human visual cortex calls for a mechanism that integrates and binds the features of a perceived event, and neural synchronization is a prime candidate to serve that purpose. Animal studies suggest that synchronization in the visual cortex is enhanced by the muscarinic cholinergic system. Here we show that in healthy humans the binding of shape and colour, and of shape and location, of visual objects is increased by stimulating the muscarinic cholinergic system (caffeine consumption) but not by stimulating the nicotinic cholinergic system (nicotine consumption). Binding across perception and action is unaffected by either manipulation, suggesting a specific link between the visual system and the muscarinic cholinergic system.

Intermittent treatment with high dose nebulized beclomethasone for recurrent wheezing in infants due to upper respiratory tract infection

BACKGROUND

To investigate if high dose inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate started early after upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) could reduce recurrent wheezing in infants.

METHODS

Twenty-six ambulatory infants, 7-12 months of age, with recurrent wheezing during upper respiratory tract infection participated. All experienced at least three wheezing attacks. Those with underlying lung or systemic disease were excluded. Infants were divided into two groups in an open unblinded manner, until 13 patients had been recruited for each group. The groups were similar in risk factors for recurrent wheezing. Four treatment periods of 5 days were planned for group 1. The dose regimen was nebulized beclomethasone 400 mg by mask tid for 5 days. Treatment was started at the very first sign of URTI prior to any sign of wheezing. Group 2 did not receive any preventive treatment and constituted the control group. Symptoms scores were recorded. The number of emergency room visits, hospital admissions and short courses with oral steroids was also noted.

RESULTS

Twelve infants completed 48 treatment periods. Five visited the emergency room, only one during beclomethasone therapy. Six received oral steroids, two receiving beclomethasone. No patient was admitted to the hospital. Symptom scores were significantly lower during beclomethasone treatment (p<0.05). No apparent adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The infant with recurrent wheezing during URTI is a therapeutic challenge. Most of these infants have prodromal symptoms for about 24 hours before wheezing starts. In the present study we observed favorable results, decrease in the number the child wheezed and the number of acute attacks, when high dose inhaled beclomethasone is administered during this critical time.

Radial maze performance and open-field behaviours in aged C57BL/6 mice: further evidence for preserved cognitive abilities during senescence

C57BL/6 mice, aged 2 or 24 months, were tested in a radial maze and observed for an 8-min period, repeated on 3 consecutive days, in an open-field situation with a novel object. In the eight-arm maze, the number of unrepeated path choices made by old mice does not significantly increase with training, whereas it does in young mice. Older animals also take significantly longer to solve the task but the two age groups do not differ with respect to how many paths they run before making the first error or in the strategies used to solve the task. In the open-field situation, the two age groups differ with regard to grooming and rearing behaviour, while in the novelty situation, older animal show a higher level of locomotor activity, perform less freezing, and interact more with the novel object. Habituation curves for all parameters, except grooming in the open field, do not differ between the two groups, thus indicating that this form of nonassociative learning does not vary substantially with increasing age. Results are discussed in terms of preserved cognitive abilities during senescence in that strain.

Effects of oxotremorine on inhibitory avoidance behaviour in two inbred strains of mice: interaction with 5-methoxy-NN-dimethyltriptamine

The effects of the cholinergic muscarinic agonist, oxotremorine (0.005, 0.01, 0.02 and 0.04 mg/kg), the serotonergic agonist, 5-methoxy-NN-dimethyltriptamine (5-MeODMT) (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg), and their combination, were investigated in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice using a one-trial inhibitory avoidance task, drug treatment being given immediately after the acquisition trial. Post-trial administration of oxotremorine facilitated, while post-trial administration of 5-MeODMT inhibited memory retention of both strains in a dose-dependent fashion. The DBA/2 strain was more affected by oxotremorine than the C57BL/6 mice; no strain-dependent sensitivity to serotonergic agonist administration was observed. In both strains, the combination of oxotremorine plus 5-MeODMT inhibited the performance improvement shown by the administration of the cholinergic agonist alone. The facilitatory role of cholinergic stimulation on retention performance was confirmed and an inhibitory action of the serotonergic system on memory processes was suggested. Moreover, the present results support a functional interaction between cholinergic and serotonergic systems on memory consolidation.

Genotype-dependent involvement of limbic areas in spatial learning and postlesion recovery

Male C57BL/6 (C57) and DBA/2 (DBA) mice with hippocampal, amygdaloid, or sham lesions were tested in a radial eight-arm maze 1 or 4 weeks after surgery. The results show that the effect of the lesions varied according to the performance level of the strain considered. In the high-learner C57 strain, the two lesions impaired acquisition at both postlesion intervals. Conversely, in the low-learner DBA strain, only hippocampal lesions impaired acquisition 1 week but not 4 weeks after lesioning. It is hypothesized that if more limbic areas are involved in controlling spatial learning in C57 mice, these structures could be processing distinct but complementary memory attributes, thus contributing to a high baseline performance. This, however, also entails an increased sensitivity of C57 performance to brain damage with reduced possibilities of long-term recovery.

Serotonergic influence on cholinergic-induced analgesia: differences in two inbred strains of mice

C57BL/6 (C57) and DBA/2 (DBA) inbred mice showed different analgesic responses to cholinergic stimulation. The simultaneous administration of muscarinic and serotonergic agonists, oxotremorine and 5-methoxy-NN-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeODMT), lowered the antinociceptive effect of the cholinergic drug in DBA mice, while no effects were detectable in the C57 strain. These results suggest a strain-dependent behavioural effect of the interaction of cholinergic and serotonergic neuronal systems.

Dose-dependent effect of GM1 ganglioside during development on inhibitory avoidance behaviour in mice: influence of the period of administration

Groups of C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with GM1 monosialoganglioside at different ages during development and subsequently tested for the retention of an inhibitory avoidance task 24 h after training. Results show improvements in inhibitory avoidance retention according to the age of the animals, the doses of GM1 used and the length of treatment. The effective doses ranged from 20 mg/kg for all age groups after 7 days treatment to 280 mg/kg for 6- and 7-week old animals after pre-trial treatment. Six- and 7-week-old mice are more sensitive to GM1 treatment than 5-week-old animals and, with decreasing lengths of treatment, increasing doses of GM1 are needed to improve the performance of the animals. These findings show that short treatment durations can be effective in improving inhibitory avoidance retention as long as the doses of GM1 administered are increased and that animals are more sensitive to the treatment when they are 6 or 7 weeks of age than when they are 5 weeks old.

Spatial learning in two inbred strains of mice: genotype-dependent effect of amygdaloid and hippocampal lesions

Spatial learning performance and maze-running strategies were estimated in two inbred strains of mice, C57BL/6 and DBA/2, submitted to an 8-arm radial maze task. Subsequently the genotype-dependent effect of hippocampus and amygdala on the mastering of this task was examined as a function of the different acquisition model provided by each strain. The results firstly show that unoperated C57BL/6 mice reach a higher level of performance and develop a stronger preference for adjacent arms - 45 degrees angle - turns than unoperated DBA/2 mice. In the high learner C57BL/6 strain, both hippocampal and amygdaloid lesions impair performance and modify maze-running strategies. With practice, however, the difference between amygdala-lesioned mice and controls disappears while that between hippocampus-lesioned mice and controls persists. Conversely, in the low learner DBA/2 strain, hippocampal lesions have a negative effect on a single parameter of performance, while amygdaloid lesions only affect maze-running strategies. Taken together, these results confirm the specific control exerted by the hippocampus on spatial learning. Moreover, they suggest that the amygdala can parallel the role of the hippocampus as far as the baseline level of performance of the strain considered is high.

Open field behaviours and spatial learning performance in C57BL/6 mice: early stage effects of chronic GM1 ganglioside administration

One month intact C57BL/6 mice were treated with GM1 ganglioside for 3 consecutive weeks. At 2 months of age, treated and control mice were observed in the open-field situation and tested for spatial learning in a radial eight-arm maze. The results showed that, in the open-field, treated mice displayed less freezing but more rearing behavior than control animals. In the radial maze, GM1-treated mice made more correct path choices before the first error within each trial than control mice. However, this improvement was limited to the first stage of training. These results suggest an early stimulating effect of the GM1 ganglioside treatment which could facilitate adaptive reactions to new situations.

Chronic administration of phosphatidylserine during ontogeny enhances subject-environment interactions and radial maze performance in C57BL/6 mice

A longitudinal behavioral study was performed in mice exposed to the bovine brain phospholipid phosphatidylserine (BC-PS) from birth until sixty days. Examination of treated and control pups revealed no effect of the treatment on body weight nor on sensorimotor reflexes. At one and two months of age, when placed in an open field and, particularly, in the presence of a novel object, treated mice were found more interactive with their environment than control mice. Finally, when submitted to a radial eight-arm maze problem, choice accuracy was higher and maze-running strategies more adaptive in treated than in control adult mice. These results suggest a stimulating effect of the treatment on subject-environment interactions during ontogeny underlying improved cognitive abilities in adulthood.

[Gardner syndrome. A report of 3 cases in members of the same family]

The aim of the present report is to describe the overall mandibular and extramandibular lesions correlated to Gardner's syndrome which were found in the same family (mother and two daughters). In two cases (mother and one daughter) mandibular lesions consisted of osteoma. In the latter, these were associated with composite odontoma. In the other daughter the lesions consisted of desmoid fibroma. The two daughters revealed single colonic polyposis whereas the mother was affected by multiple colonic polyposis and subcutaneous lipoma. Such a constellation of lesions may be attributed to Gardner's syndrome, a Mendelian hereditary syndrome which is often incomplete. In fact, intestinal polyposis can only be associated with one of the various extraintestinal manifestations of the syndrome. The recognition of the syndrome is important given the high percentage of intestinal polyp-adenocarcinoma associations.

Age-related cholinergic drug effects on analgesia in two inbred strains of mice

The two inbred strains of mice C57BL/6 and DBA/2 are characterized by a different behavioral reactivity to cholinergic agents during development. The present experiment revealed that the strain-dependent differences in cholinergic-mediated analgesia during development disappeared during adult life. In fact, oxotremorine administration (0.0025 and 0.005 mg/kg) exerted the same analgesic effect in both strains at 6 months of age, in contrast with the finding of the lack of any effect of the drug in C57 mice at two months of age in comparison with DBA.

Effect of chronic GM1 ganglioside administration on passive avoidance retention in mice

Chronic administration of GM1 ganglioside to C57BL/6 mice during development improved passive avoidance retention. A significant weight increase was also evident in the treated animals in comparison with the control group. The results are discussed in terms of the possible effects exerted by GM1 upon the cholinergic mechanisms of this inbred strain.

Developmental differences of antinociceptive effects of oxotremorine in two inbred strains of mice

During development the C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mouse strains present morphological variations in cholinergic forebrain structures correlated with different behavioral reactivities to cholinergic agents. The present research assessed that these strain-dependent differences are also present in cholinergic-mediated analgesia. The administration of oxotremorine (0.0025, 0.005 and 0.01 mg/kg) to 30- and 60-day-old C57 and DBA mice resulted in dose- age- and strain-dependent analgesia. In particular oxotremorine is more effective in DBA/2 than in C57BL/6 mice and the latter strain showed a significant decrease of analgesic response in adulthood.

Phosphatidylserine administration during postnatal development improves memory in adult mice

Postnatal administration of an aqueous suspension of phosphatidylserine (BC-PS) to C57BL/6 mice resulted in improvement of memory processes in adulthood, as assessed in a passive avoidance task. These findings are discussed in terms of the effects of BC-PS on cholinergic mechanisms and of cholinergic patterns of this inbred strain.