Sexual Peak: Socially Shared Cognitions About Desire,Frequency, and Satisfaction in Men and Women

Is a man’s sexual peak earlier than a woman’s? Three studies were conducted to examine (a) whether the perception that men achieve their sexual peak at a younger age than do women is shared across individuals of different ages and sexes, (b) whether sexual peak is defined differently for men and women, and (c) whether differences between definitions contribute to differences in the age at which men and women are perceived to reach sexual peak. Study 1 suggested that participants believed that females reach their sexual peak at an older age than do males. Study 2 indicated that the defining feature of sexual peak for males was sexual desire and for females was sexual satisfaction. Study 3 suggested that predictions of male sexual peak coincided with participants’ predictions of male age of highest desire and frequency, but not satisfaction, and that female sexual peak coincided with participants' predictions of female age of highest satisfaction but not frequency or desire. Discussion focuses on potential reasons for differences between the perception of male and female sexuality, as well as the social and evolutionary importance of each of the dimensions of sexuality for both males and females.     

Every time you go away: changes in affect, behavior, and physiology associated with travel-related separations from romantic partners

This study investigated changes in day-to-day affect, behavior, and physiology (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity) associated with temporary physical separations from romantic partners (such as those brought about by work-related travel). Daily diaries and measures of salivary cortisol were collected from 42 couples over a 21-day period that was timed to coincide with a naturally occurring 4- to 7-day separation. There were significant changes from preseparation to separation and from separation to reunion in the quality of partners' interactions, their positive and negative affect, sleeping problems, subjective stress, physical symptoms, and cortisol levels. Separation and reunion effects were generally more pronounced in homebound partners, partners with high attachment anxiety, and partners who had less contact with each other during the separation. Separation and reunion effects were not moderated by relationship length, relationship satisfaction, how often couples underwent separations, or the presence of children in the home. The results are discussed with respect to the role of daily proximity and contact between partners for day-to-day affective and physiological regulation.     

Yohimbine impairs extinction of cocaine-conditioned place preference in an alpha2-adrenergic receptor independent process

Extinction, a form of learning that has the ability to reshape learned behavior based on new experiences, has been heavily studied utilizing fear learning paradigms. Mechanisms underlying extinction of positive-valence associations, such as drug self-administration and place preference, are poorly understood yet may have important relevance to addiction treatment. Data suggest a major role for the noradrenergic system in extinction of fear-based learning. Employing both pharmacological and genetic approaches, we investigated the role of the alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor (alpha(2)-AR) in extinction of cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP) and glutamatergic transmission in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). We found that pre-extinction systemic treatment with the alpha(2)-AR antagonist yohimbine impaired cocaine CPP extinction in C57BL/6J mice, an effect that was not mimicked by the more selective alpha(2)-AR antagonist, atipamezole. Moreover, alpha(2A)-AR knockout mice exhibited similar cocaine CPP extinction and exacerbated extinction impairing effects of yohimbine. Using acute brain slices and electrophysiological approaches, we found that yohimbine produces a slowly evolving depression of glutamatergic transmission in the BNST that was not mimicked by atipamezole. Further, this action was extant in slices from alpha(2A)-AR knockout mice. Our data strongly suggest that extinction-modifying effects of yohimbine are unlikely to be due to actions at alpha(2A)-ARs.     

Reversing the picture superiority effect: A speed—accuracy trade-off study of recognition memory

Speed-accuracy trade-off methods have been used to contrast single- and dual-process accounts of recognition memory. With these procedures, subjects are presented with individual test items and required to make recognition decisions under various time constraints. In three experiments, we presented words and pictures to be intentionally learned; test stimuli were always visually presented words. At test, we manipulated the interval between the presentation of each test stimulus and that of a response signal, thus controlling the amount of time available to retrieve target information. The standard picture superiority effect was significant in long response deadline conditions (i.e., > or = 2,000 msec). Conversely, a significant reverse picture superiority effect emerged at short response-signal deadlines (< 200 msec). The results are congruent with views suggesting that both fast familiarity and slower recollection processes contribute to recognition memory. Alternative accounts are also discussed.     

Language outcome after perinatal stroke: does side matter?

The goal of this study was to examine structured language skills in children with perinatal strokes. Participants were 28 school-age children with early focal brain lesions (17 with left hemisphere [LH] damage, 11 with right hemisphere [RH] damage), and 57 controls. A standardized test of language (Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised) was administered. Receptive, Expressive, and Total Language scores, as well as subtest scores, were analyzed. Control participants scored within the normal range, whereas the LH and RH groups scored significantly more poorly than did controls. There were no differences between the LH and RH groups on any of the language scores, and all scores were below the 14th percentile. Within the lesion group as a whole, scores were not related to lesion laterality, site, or severity. Results also were not accounted for by socioeconomic status or IQ. However, children who experienced seizures demonstrated significantly poorer performance than did children who did not experience seizures. Damage to either the LH or RH early in development adversely affects later language abilities, particularly on tasks with structured and complex linguistic demands. Although lesion side has little effect, the presence or absence of seizures is a major contributor to language outcome.     

The stability of inhibited/uninhibited temperament from ages 3 to 11 years in mauritian children

Stability of inhibited/uninhibited temperament was assessed using 1,795 Mauritian children tested at ages 3, 8, and 11 years. Children were divided into uninhibited, middle, and inhibited groups at each age based on social behavior. Results indicated that, relative to uninhibited children (1) those inhibited at age 3 obtained larger inhibition scores at age 8 (p< .0001), (2) those inhibited at age 8 obtained larger inhibition scores at age 11 (p< .002), and (3) those remaining inhibited from ages 3 to 8 obtained larger inhibition scores at age 11 (p< .002). Relative to children who changed classification from ages 3 to 8, those remaining inhibited obtained larger inhibition scores (p< .05) and those remaining uninhibited obtained smaller inhibition scores (p< .015) at age 11. Inhibition scores tended to be higher in females by age 11. Results remained regardless of ethnicity. The results provide some support that inhibited/uninhibited temperament remains stable from ages 3 to 8 and may continue to age 11. The results suggest cross-cultural generalizability of these findings with implications regarding the development of anxiety disorders in the Mauritian population. The efforts of Cyril Dalais, Brian Bell, Athenea Chiriaca, and all the local members of the longitudinal study, the Mauritius Joint Child Health Project, are gratefully acknowledged. We are also especially thankful to Drs. Michael E. Dawson, David Walsh, and Bill McClure for their helpful comments and suggestions.The data used in this study were collected while the project was supported by the Medical Research Council (UK), the Wellcome Trust (UK), and the Mauritian government. The data were analyzed and findings written as part of the first author's dissertation work under the support of the NIMH Pre-doctoral Individual National Research Service Award and a USC Dissertation Fellowship Award.     

Preliminary Evidence for Associations of CHRM2 with Substance Use and Disinhibition in Adolescence

Evidence for shared heritable influences across domains of substance use suggests that some genetic variants influence broad risk for externalizing behaviors. Theories of externalizing psychopathology also suggest that genetic liability for substance use manifests as temperamental risk factors, particularly those related to behavioral disinhibition, during adolescence. The cholinergic muscarinic receptor 2 gene (CHRM2) is a promising candidate for studying genetic influences on broad-based risk for externalizing traits. This study examined a candidate CHRM2 polymorphism (rs1455858) in relation to substance use and personality measures of disinhibition in a sample of high-risk adolescents (n?=?124). Bivariate analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM) evaluated associations of rs1455858 with measures of drug involvement (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) and disinhibition (indexed by impulsivity and sensation seeking scores). Bivariate analyses showed significant associations of CHRM2 with several behavioral phenotypes. In SEM analyses CHRM2 related significantly to latent measures of substance use and disinhibition; additionally, disinhibition mediated the association of CHRM2 with substance use. These results suggest that CHRM2 variants are potentially relevant for adolescent substance use and that temperamental risk factors could contribute to these associations.