Increased amygdala fMRI activation after secretin administration.

It has recently been reported that secretin activates gene expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala in rats. To examine the neurophysiological effects of secretin on amygdalar activation in humans, the authors measured Blood Oxygen Level Dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging signal change during facial affect processing in a placebo-controlled double-blind study. The authors studied 12 healthy male subjects who were presented with three stimulus conditions: viewing happy, fearful, and neutral faces, before and after infusion with either secretin or placebo. To test whether treatment was associated with distinct patterns of activation, the two conditions (Pre and Post) were subjected to a subtraction analyses in SPM99 and hypotheses regarding the activation of the left and right amygdala were tested using a region-of-interest approach. Subtraction of treatment minus baseline activation during the fear condition yielded significant (p=.001) activation in the right amygdala and a nonsignificant increase in activation in the left amygdala. No significant differences were seen between the treatment conditions for the amygdala when viewing happy or neutral faces. These preliminary findings indicate that secretin may alter responsivity to affective stimuli. The presence of increased activation of the amygdala during the viewing of fearful faces is consistent with findings from animal studies and suggests a mechanism by which secretin may modulate social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive-behavioral factors in seasonal affective disorder.

To longitudinally examine cognitive-behavioral correlates of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the authors assessed women with a history of SAD and nondepressed, matched controls across fall, winter, and summer. SAD history participants reported more automatic negative thoughts throughout the year than controls and demonstrated a progression from decreased activity enjoyment during fall to reduced activity frequency during winter. Ruminative response style, measured in fall, predicted symptom severity during the winter. Across assessments, SAD history women endorsed greater depressive affect in response to low light intensity stimuli than to bright or ambiguous intensity stimuli, but less depressed mood to bright light stimuli than controls. These results suggest that the cognitive-behavioral factors related to nonseasonal depression may play a role in SAD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Stroop Color-Word Test: Genetic and environmental influences; Reading, mental ability, and personality correlates.

Using a relatively large adult sample (271 participants in the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart, including 50 pairs of monozygotic and 37 pairs of dizygotic twins), the authors evaluated prior findings of reading, mental ability, and personality correlates of Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT; J. R. Stroop, 1935) scores. The twin sample allowed the authors to estimate genetic and environmental influences associated with the SCWT scores. No meaningful personality correlates were detected. Genetic influences ranged from 35% for the Interference effect to 53% for the Word score. In spite of significant correlations between the SCWT scores and selected measures of mental ability, genetic influence on SCWT scores was relatively unaffected when the influences of correlated ability measures were removed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frontal Lobe Activation During Object Alternation Acquisition.

Object alternation (OA) tasks are increasingly used as probes of ventral prefrontal functioning in humans. In the most common variant of the OA task, subjects must deduce the task rule through trial-and-error learning. To examine the neural correlates of OA acquisition, the authors measured regional cerebral blood flow with positron emission tomography while subjects acquired an OA task, performed a sensorimotor control condition, or performed already learned and practiced OA. As expected, activations emerged in the ventral prefrontal cortex. However, activation of the presupplemental motor area was more closely associated with successful task performance. The authors suggest that areas beyond the ventral prefrontal cortex are critically involved in OA acquisition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A social-cognitive-behavioral model of academic predictors of adolescents' life satisfaction.

The current study provided a comprehensive examination of factors related to school that are implicated in students' life satisfaction. A theoretical model is put forth that hypothesizes that behavior experiences (classroom conduct, school grades) and social experiences (perceived school climate) at school influence students' cognitions relative to their global academic beliefs and attitudes toward their current school. These cognitive contexts of schooling are hypothesized to constitute students' judgments of their satisfaction with school, an important predictor of global life satisfaction. Self-report measures assessing adolescents' perceptions of these constructs were administered to a pilot sample of 321 high school students in a southeastern city. Simultaneous regression and correlational analyses clarified which aspects of school climate and other school-related factors were significantly associated with students' life satisfaction. Results of a revised path model provided preliminary support for the model. Findings support the relevance of considering students' quality of life in addition to the current focus on monitoring academic achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decreased venous return is neither sufficient nor necessary to elicit ultrasonic vocalisations of infant rat pups.

It has been proposed that all ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in young rats are by-products of a cardiovascular response to decreased venous return, the abdominal compression reaction. To test the hypothesis, venous return was decreased in infant rats while USV and cardiovascular measures were monitored. Neither injection of the vasodilator sodium nitroprusside nor blood withdrawal from the superior vena cava or carotid artery elicited USV from pups in their home cage. Thus, decreased venous return by itself is not sufficient to elicit USV. To test whether venous return is a necessary mechanism for USV production, 5% dextrose in water or blood was infused intravenously into isolated pups that were producing USV. This artificial increase of venous return did not affect the rate of USV. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The positive by-products of spinal cord injury and their correlates.

Objective: To assess positive by-products from the struggles with traumatic spinal cord injury and to explore their correlates. Study Design: Forty-two participants and nominated proxy informants were interviewed 18-36 months post spinal cord injury. Main Outcome Measures: The Perceived Benefit Scales (J. C. McMillen & R. Fisher, 1998) and Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (L. R. Derogatis, 1994). Results: Increased compassion and family closeness and decreased alcohol consumption were commonly reported following injury. Correlations between self- and proxy ratings of positive by-products were low. Positive by-products were not related to psychopathology and had different correlates. Conclusion: Positive by-products are different from other kinds of outcomes, but because loved ones do not necessarily notice these benefits, their validity remains in doubt. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The neural correlates of implicit sequence learning in schizophrenia.

Twenty-seven schizophrenia spectrum patients and 25 healthy controls performed a probabilistic version of the serial reaction time task (SRT) that included sequence trials embedded within random trials. Patients showed diminished, yet measurable, sequence learning. Postexperimental analyses revealed that a group of patients performed above chance when generating short spans of the sequence. This high-generation group showed SRT learning that was similar in magnitude to that of controls. Their learning was evident from the very 1st block; however, unlike controls, learning did not develop further with continued testing. A subset of 12 patients and 11 controls performed the SRT in conjunction with positron emission tomography. High-generation performance, which corresponded to SRT learning in patients, correlated to activity in the premotor cortex and parahippocampus. These areas have been associated with stimulus-driven visuospatial processing. Taken together, these results suggest that a subset of patients who showed moderate success on the SRT used an explicit stimulus-driven strategy to process the sequential stimuli. This adaptive strategy facilitated sequence learning but may have interfered with conventional implicit learning of the overall stimulus pattern. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The addiction-prone personality.

Reviews the book, The addiction-prone personality by Gordon E. Barnes, Robert P. Murray, David Patton, Peter M. Bentler, and Robert E. Anderson (see record 2000-08683-000). In the first section of this text, Barnes et al. embark on a review, almost exclusively of the alcohol-personality literature using l979 as the point of departure. This date marked the publication of a previous review by Barnes, in which the traits of stimulus augmenting-reducing, ego strength, neuroticism, and field dependence were featured. The literature to that date, viewed sympathetically, was replete with untestable theoretical ideas, methodologically limited investigations, and suspect and contradictory conclusions. These facts, recognized by Barnes, nonetheless resulted in a conclusion emphasizing these four traits and the initiation of a 20-year journey chronicalled in this text. Thus, the present review, in part, represents an effort to evaluate this 1979 conclusion in light of more recent findings. As one might suspect, this attempt though laudable is only partially successful. Although embarking on a treacherous time-consuming voyage with prospects of disaster and time wasted, Barnes et al. have produced a composite, cogent, and consistent picture of the role of personality in alcohol problems, which is both highly informative and challenging. Barnes, Murray, Patton, Bentler, and Anderson have not only survived the passage, justifying years of concentrated effort, but also have provided interested researchers and therapists with a relatively consistent picture to guide inquiry and practice. In particular, the challenge is raised to the treatment community to begin to account for these predictors in their efforts, and to develop appropriate treatment and prevention strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)