情绪通路异常与认知情绪偏差:慢性痛与抑郁症共病的神经心理机制

慢性疼痛与抑郁症具有高度共病性,但迄今尚无成熟理论能够阐释二者共病的神经心理机制。对慢性痛与抑郁的脑机制研究提示,慢性痛和抑郁常常涉及到相似的情绪脑区活动的异常改变;与此相对应的是,行为学研究发现,疼痛患者与抑郁患者在加工疼痛或抑郁相关信息时表现出了模式相似的认知情绪偏差(CAB)。近年来,越来越多证据趋于一致,指出慢性痛和抑郁共有的情绪通路异常变化可能导致了相似的信息加工异常,是二者共病的神经心理基础,而认知情绪偏差则在行为上反映了这种变化,并且很可能是共病发生、发展及维持的重要因素。     

痛与镇痛机制研究的辩证思维

1　内源性痛与镇痛物质及其相关受体的发现过程机体内既然存在疼痛的感受和感知过程 ,在客观上必然存在着感受疼痛的物质基础 ,它包括机体接受内、外环境刺激后 ,组织产生和释放致痛物质、疼痛感受器的致敏、痛觉信息的传导和感觉中枢的感知 ,最终进入意识阶段的一个非常复杂的过程[1] 。在与疼痛进行的长期斗争中 ,人们总结出阿片类制剂是一种作用于中枢神经系统的强效镇痛药物 ,虽然长期使用不当可成瘾 ,但它的强效镇痛作用却能为患者解除痛苦。那么 ,阿片类药物如何作用于人体 ,其机理如何 ,如何趋其利而避其害 ?长期困扰着人们。起初 ,…     

论慢性痛心理

一、慢性痛的本质日常生活中的疼痛是众所周知的,但在所有的疼痛中与个体的心理社会因素联系最大的乃是慢性痛(Chronic pain)。Ghadiali对慢性痛下定义为:“慢性痛通常是指至少持续6个月的疼痛,此疼痛行为与个体的感觉和情绪因素相伴。”近年来,人们发现从心理社会方面来解释和对慢性痛是极为重要的,其原因有二。①慢性痛的医学处理模式的失败。随着慢性痛患者就医次数的增多,他们对医学模式的失望感加强,各种药物对他们的疼痛似乎毫无作用。②人们发班许多慢性痛患者并无病理学根源。一般情况     

网络成瘾者的大脑异于常人吗?

研究网络成瘾者的大脑是否异于常人的问题有助于对网络成瘾进行定性、诊断和治疗。近年来认知神经科学研究发现, 与正常人相比, 网络成瘾者的大脑主要存在四个方面的异常：①额叶和扣带回多部位存在结构性萎缩和功能退化, 导致其对上网行为的冲动控制出现障碍。②海马功能障碍, 导致其认知功能特别是工作记忆能力下降。③奖赏中枢功能代偿性增强, 可能与其多巴胺系统的功能异常有关。④内囊后肢的神经纤维结构较密、活性较高, 可能与其长时间兴奋性操作键盘、鼠标或游戏手柄有关。目前的研究结果至少说明：网络成瘾者的大脑存在一些功能性的、与物质成瘾者类似的异常, 但这些异常是否由网络成瘾导致, 以及这些异常是结构性的, 还是持久性的, 则还需要进一步的研究来证实。     

身体拥有感错觉对疼痛的影响及其作用机制

身体拥有感错觉以多通道的感官整合为基础, 包括视觉-触觉、视觉-本体感觉、触觉-本体感觉、视觉-内感受的整合等。来自实验室急性痛以及慢性痛的大量结果表明拥有感错觉可产生镇痛作用。身体部位尺寸大小、肢体透明度等相关影响因素也逐渐得到揭示。拥有感错觉影响疼痛的机制与身体表征的改变有关, 该过程可能涉及“身体网络”与“疼痛网络”间的连接, 其中后顶叶皮层可能有重要作用。未来研究应更为深入地探索拥有感错觉范式以考察不同因素对疼痛的影响; 在现有多感官整合的范式中重视内感受的作用; 考察拥有感错觉改变疼痛的认知神经机制; 区分急、慢性痛条件下以及不同慢性痛类型中拥有感错觉对疼痛的不同影响。     

中枢肥大细胞在脑功能和行为调节中的作用

已知肥大细胞作为免疫细胞在过敏反应和炎性疾病中发挥重要作用。肥大细胞在中枢亦有表达, 但对其作用了解不足。新近的研究发现中枢肥大细胞在脑功能和行为调节中发挥重要的内源性平衡作用。一方面, 中枢肥大细胞在维持相关脑区发育, 正常神经活动, 以及动机, 情绪和认知等多种行为中发挥保护性作用, 各种应激条件诱导的中枢肥大细胞表达和活动改变参与脑和行为的适应性反应过程。另一方面, 中枢肥大细胞过度激活或者过度抑制都可导致脑功能和行为异常, 并参与某些免疫相关心身疾病的病理过程。体外神经解剖学和功能学研究证据提示中枢肥大细胞与神经系统间存在结构性和功能性相互作用网络。肥大细胞和神经组织间通过形成类似突触的结构性联系直接影响相邻细胞的活动。肥大细胞还可以通过脱颗粒释放多种生物活性介质调节神经活动, 同时表达多种受体接受脑内免疫性和神经性分子调节。但是目前对于中枢肥大细胞-神经系统相互作用的认识主要基于体外研究, 其在脑内相互作用方式及其与特定脑区功能和行为表型的关系所知甚少, 开展相关研究可以为认识脑与行为的神经免疫调节机制提供新的视角。     

痛成分的心理学研究

近年来.疼痛原理的研究有了迅速的发展,最近提出了针刺对痛的不同成分的影响问题。关于痛的问题,至今尚没有它的科学定义。十九世纪以前,有人把痛看作是紧密地和不愉快的情绪相联系的;自本世纪以来,痛是感觉的观点占了优势。人们都承认痛不同于视、听等感觉,因为它还带有明显的情绪色彩。心理学和生理学教科书中,一方面说痛     

恐惧情绪加工的神经机制

恐惧是一种基本情绪,在人类的生存和适应中具有重要意义.研究者认为对恐惧情绪的加工存在着两种方式——阈上加工和阈下加工,而最近更多的研究者认为对恐惧的加工是需要中枢神经系统参与的阈上加工.在恐惧的形成与表达中,杏仁核、前扣带回、眶额叶皮质等脑区发挥着重要的作用;恐惧记忆的编码与巩固受到海马和各相关脑区的共同影响;前扣带回、内侧前额叶皮质等相关脑区是恐惧情绪调节的高级中枢;在恐惧的消退过程中,内侧前额叶发挥着重要的作用,它影响杏仁核、海马等相关脑区的活动.未来研究应该从恐惧情绪加工过程中脑区的交互机制、恐惧易感性以及发展认知神经科学等角度对恐惧神经机制展开大量研究,力图全方位地理解恐惧加工的神经机制.     

触觉的情绪功能及其神经生理机制

触觉是个体探知外部世界的重要感觉通道, 其情绪功能在维系社会联结、促进人际沟通等方面具有重要作用。触觉的情绪功能一方面表现为通过触觉动作本身直接传递情绪信息, 另一方面则是通过增强注意和锐化社会评价的方式促进个体对跨通道情绪信息的加工。神经生理学研究发现, 触觉情绪信息由无髓鞘C纤维介导, 经脊髓丘脑束通路投射于岛叶(头面部触觉情绪信息的传导路径尚不明确), 并在杏仁核、内侧前额叶、后颞上沟等“社会脑”网络的核心区域被精细加工。未来还应对触觉情绪的人际依赖性、文化独特性、操作标准化, 及其在神经水平上与感觉-辨识系统间的关联性与独立性做深入探究。     

γ节律神经振荡：反映自闭症多感觉整合失调的一项重要生物指标

多感觉整合是对不同感官信息进行选择、联系、统一乃至解释的加工过程, 它需要神经系统不同功能区域的共同投入与相互协调, 以实现多种感觉信息的时间捆绑以及全局性的预测编码。而γ神经振荡因具有反映神经皮层兴奋/抑制的平衡状况, 实现多感官信息的时间同步, 以及通过跨频耦合实现全局性预测编码的特点, 在多感觉整合的加工过程中发挥着重要作用。相比正常个体, 自闭症患者神经系统中的GABA中间神经元存在结构与功能异常, 导致γ神经振荡紊乱, 由此破坏了正常的时间同步以及预测编码加工, 并最终引发多感觉整合失调。基于上述因果关联, 未来研究可结合无创可逆性干预技术, 以γ节律神经振荡为生物反馈指标, 形成科学系统化的临床干预治疗方案。     

Schmerz ist nicht gleich Schmerz

Pain is an emotional state that is inextricably linked to the mental state and sociocultural background of the person experiencing the pain. The basis of our current understanding of the pain are the bio-psycho-social model and knowledge regarding complex physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms. Nociceptive pain is caused by a painful stimulus; upon activation of peripheral nociceptors, signals are sent to the brain for processing. It has a protective function because it leads to reflexes or behavior-based reactions to minimize damage to tissue. Neuropathic pain is—apart from a few exceptions—a chronic, non-malignant pain condition that is caused by diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. In contrast to acute pain, the causes of chronic pain are usually not known and remain even when no tissue damage is present.     

Working memory: a developmental study of phonological recoding

A cross-sectional study using children aged 3 to 7 years and a cross-sequential study using children aged between 5 and 8 years showed that the development of phonological recoding in working memory was more complex than the simple dichotomous picture portrayed in the current literature. It appears that initially children use no strategy in recall, which is proposed to represent the level of automatic activation of representations in long-term memory and the storage capacity of the central executive. This is followed by a period in which a visual strategy prevails, followed by a period of dual visual-verbal coding before the adult-like strategy of verbal coding finally emerges. The results are discussed in terms of three working memory models (Baddeley, 1990; Engle, 1996; Logie, 1996) where strategy use is seen as the development of attentional processes and phonological recoding as the development of inhibitory mechanisms in the central executive to suppress the habitual response set of visual coding.     

Working memory: A developmental study of phonological recoding

A cross-sectional study using children aged 3 to 7 years and a cross-sequential study using children aged between 5 and 8 years showed that the development of phonological recoding in working memory was more complex than the simple dichotomous picture portrayed in the current literature. It appears that initially children use no strategy in recall, which is proposed to represent the level of automatic activation of representations in long-term memory and the storage capacity of the central executive. This is followed by a period in which a visual strategy prevails, followed by a period of dual visual-verbal coding before the adult-like strategy of verbal coding finally emerges. The results are discussed in terms of three working memory models (Baddeley, 1990; Engle, 1996; Logie, 1996) where strategy use is seen as the development of attentional processes and phonological recoding as the development of inhibitory mechanisms in the central executive to suppress the habitual response set of visual coding.     

Mapping the central structure core in social representation of pain

Previous evidence had revealed gender differences in perception of pain and its socialization. The present research studies gender differences by mapping the central structure core in social representation of pain. Eighty males and eighty females participated in a free evocation task for collecting cognitive elements of “pain.” By defining the elements as nodes and their co‐occurrences as lines, structural characteristics of social representation are analyzed by network analysis. Females have a central structure core in their network structure of social representation of pain. In contrast, males have no such core. These results suggest gender differences in socialization processes around the concept of pain and extend practical methods for studies of the central nucleus theory of social representation.     

The paradox of healing pain

Pain may be seen as a problem to be healed or as a means for healing. The secular biomedical view of pain is that it is to be avoided and alleviated; its only meaning is as a symptom of underlying disease. In contrast, there have been throughout history other views of suffering—as redemptive or as transformative, for example. This paper considers the disparity between these perspectives, examining the role of the emotions and the underlying neurobiological processes though which pain and suffering come to be experienced as meaningful, then analyzes interview material exploring how religion and religious beliefs help people cope with suffering or with pain. The experience of pain is subjective, enculturated experience; the meaning that pain or suffering holds within a given cultural context affects the experience of pain and suffering. In a context where pain and suffering are understood to be valuable, those experiences can be used for spiritual transformation and integrated within a meaningful identity. In contrast, in a context where pain and suffering are not understood to have value, that attitude can create more suffering, even in conditions meant to alleviate suffering, such as in biomedical situations.     

The paradox of healing pain

Pain may be seen as a problem to be healed or as a means for healing. The secular biomedical view of pain is that it is to be avoided and alleviated; its only meaning is as a symptom of underlying disease. In contrast, there have been throughout history other views of sufferingdas redemptive or as transformative, for example. This paper considers the disparity between these perspectives, examining the role of the emotions and the underlying neurobiological processes though which pain and suffering come to be experienced as meaningful, then analyzes interview material exploring how religion and religious beliefs help people cope with suffering or with pain. The experience of pain is subjective, enculturated experience; the meaning that pain or suffering holds within a given cultural context affects the experience of pain and suffering. In a context where pain and suffering are understood to be valuable, those experiences can be used for spiritual transformation and integrated within a meaningful identity. In contrast, in a context where pain and suffering are not understood to have value, that attitude can create more suffering, even in conditions meant to alleviate suffering, such as in biomedical situations.     

Hierarchical factor solution of coding and planning processes: Any new insights?

Hierarchical factor solution was used in the present paper in order to examine if two coding processes, simultaneous and successive, would load on a general 2nd level factor. It was further used to test if the coding processes and a factor representing planful behavior will not share the same general factor, revealing their relative independence as expected from a theoretical model of cognitive functions. Results supported the grouping of the coding tasks within a general factor, as well as the emergence of two general factors, one each for coding and planning. Further correlational evidence supported the relative independence of these two kinds of cognitive processes. These findings were discussed in the context of a general factor of intelligence.     

疼痛对心理的影响及其机制

疼痛对个体的认知、情绪等心理过程有消极影响。疼痛会干扰个体的选择性和持续性注意, 损害其记忆功能。长期疼痛还会诱发焦虑和抑郁等消极情绪。目前疼痛的机制主要有闸门控制理论和神经网络理论, 分别从脊髓水平和大脑水平解释疼痛与心理的交互作用。大脑对疼痛信息的编码方式包括特异化理论、模块化理论和中枢整合机制学说。未来研究应注意实验室研究与临床研究的差异, 区分急、慢性疼痛的特有机制, 进一步探讨疼痛理论的合理性。     

Understanding neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is defined as a chronic pain condition that occurs or persists after a primary lesion or dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system. Traumatic injury of peripheral nerves also increases the excitability of nociceptors in and around nerve trunks and involves components released from nerve terminals (neurogenic inflammation) and immunological and vascular components from cells resident within or recruited into the affected area. Action potentials generated in nociceptors and injured nerve fibers release excitatory neurotransmitters at their synaptic terminals such as L-glutamate and substance P and trigger cellular events in the central nervous system that extend over different time frames. Short-term alterations of neuronal excitability, reflected for example in rapid changes of neuronal discharge activity, are sensitive to conventional analgesics, and do not commonly involve alterations in activity-dependent gene expression. Novel compounds and new regimens for drug treatment to influence activity-dependent long-term changes in pain transducing and suppressive systems (pain matrix) are emerging.     

Visual working memory is enhanced by mixed strategy use and semantic coding

Visual working memory is enhanced by processes related to verbalisation. However, the mechanism underlying this enhancement is unclear. Experiment 1 investigated the potential contribution of the phonological loop of working memory, by assessing the effects of articulatory suppression on two versions of the Visual Patterns Test—one low and one high in availability of verbal coding. The lack of interaction suggested that the phonological loop is not responsible; however, active use of combined verbal and visual strategies, as well as activated semantic knowledge, both appear to be related to increased capacity. Experiment 2 assessed the role of central executive resources. Because central executive suppression removed the benefit of the high verbal coding task version, central executive resources, assumed to relate to the temporary maintenance of multimodal codes in the episodic buffer, appear to underlie the benefit associated with verbalisation.