Effect of chronic angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on spatial memory and anxiety-like behaviours in rats

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) are widely used anti-hypertensive agents that are also reported to have positive effects on mood and cognition. The present study examined the influence of the ACEi, perindopril, on cognitive performance and anxiety measures in rats. Two groups of rats were treated orally for one week with the ACEi, perindopril, at doses of 0.1 and 1.0mg/kg/day. Learning was assessed by the reference memory task in the water maze, comparing treated to control rats. Over five training days both perindopril-treated groups learnt the location of the submerged platform in the water maze task significantly faster than control rats. A 60s probe trial on day 6 showed that the 1.0mg/kg/day group spent significantly longer time in the training quadrant than control rats. This improved performance in the swim maze task was not due to the effect of perindopril on motor activity or the anxiety levels of the rats as perindopril-treated and control animals behaved similarly in activity boxes and on the elevated+maze. These results confirm the anecdotal human studies that ACEis have a positive influence on cognition and provide possibilities for ACEis to be developed into therapies for memory loss.     

Trust and respect as mediators of the other‐ and self‐profitable trait effects on interpersonal attraction

Mediators of the effects of other‐profitable (e.g., sincere vs. irresponsible) or self‐profitable (e.g., intelligent vs. unintelligent) traits on attraction were investigated. In Experiment 1 (N = 256), valence of a single other‐ or self‐profitable trait was varied, and trust in, respect for, and attraction toward the partner were measured. The three constructs were distinct. Moreover, the effects of the other‐profitable traits on attraction were solely mediated by trust, and those of the self‐profitable traits were mediated more strongly by respect than trust. In Experiment 2 (N = 144), an other‐profitable trait was crossed with the self‐profitable one, and diagnosticity ratings of those traits for the partner's warmth and competence and the previous three responses were taken. The five constructs were empirically distinct. Although trust mediated the effect of other‐profitable trait on attraction, there was a direct effect also. Respect was the sole mediator of the self‐profitable trait effect. Theoretical and methodological implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gender Roles in Immigrant Families: Parenting Views, Practices, and Child Development

Ecological and acculturation frameworks are especially central to understanding the experiences of immigrant populations and to date, current research has yielded new conceptual and methodological tools for documenting the cultural and developmental processes of children and their families. This special issue of 12 articles focuses on immigrant families and the importance of gender along various dimensions: parental roles, parent–child relationships, child outcomes. The collection of articles also represents various innovative methodologies used, including quantitative and qualitative approaches.     

Musical Naturalism in the Thought of JI Kang

Wei-Jin period is characterized by neo-Daoism (xuanxue 玄學), and JI Kang lived in the midst of this philosophical exploration. Adopting the naturalism of the Zhuangzi, Ji Kang expressed his socio-political concerns through the medium of music, which was previously regarded as having moral bearing and rectitude. Denying such rectitude became central for Ji Kang, who claimed that music was incapable of possessing human emotion, releasing it from the chains of Confucian ritualism. His investigation into the name and reality of musical expression gave music an “aesthetic turn” lacking in Qin and early Han thought, and by making use of concepts such as natural harmony and spontaneity, Ji Kang was able to turn away from the negative aesthetics of earlier thinkers such as He Yan and Wang Bi to one cherishing the naturalism espoused by Zhuangzi.     

Lying about flying: The efficacy of the information protocol and model statement for detecting deceit

Due to time constraints, interviews aimed to detect deception in airport settings should be brief and veracity assessments should be made in real time. In two experiments carried out in the departure hall of an international airport, truth tellers were asked to report truthfully their forthcoming trip, whereas liars were asked to lie about the purpose of their trip. In Experiment 1, we examined five verbal cues that we thought had potential to discriminate truth tellers from liars in short airport interviews: elaboration in disclosing information, checkable details, how many people are aware of the trip, complications, and plausibility. In Experiment 2, we attempted to improve the interview protocol by adding a second interview phase in which we introduced an information protocol and model statement. All five cues differentiated truth tellers from liars in both experiments, but the information protocol and model statement did not enhance these differences.     

Men don’t just get mad; they get even: Revenge but not anger mediates gender differences in physical aggression

Past research indicates that men are more physically aggressive than women, but very little research has examined mediators of this gender difference. Indeed, the only established finding to date is that one plausible mediator - namely trait anger - shows no reliable gender difference whatsoever. Drawing on sexual selection theory and social-learning theories, we predicted that revenge may mediate this gender difference even though anger does not. Three studies using both personality questionnaires (Studies 1 and 2) and objective laboratory measures of aggression (Study 3) provided support for this contention. The results provide some of the first evidence for a reliable mediator of gender difference in physical aggression.     

Disruption of memory reconsolidation impairs storage of other, non-reactivated memory

Two hypotheses were tested in this study. First, blockade of neural activity by lidocaine immediately following the retrieval of a memory may impair the reconsolidation and subsequent expression of that memory. Second, a non-retrieved memory would not be affected by this lidocaine treatment. Since the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) is involved in emotion-related memory, an intra-BLA lidocaine infusion was used immediately after the retrieval of two emotion-related memories, the step-through passive avoidance response (PA) and cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Intra-BLA lidocaine infusion immediately after cocaine-induced CPP retrieval diminished CPP magnitude in retests. However, intra-BLA lidocaine infusion alone did not affect cocaine-induced CPP performance. Intra-BLA lidocaine infusion immediately after PA retrieval decreased PA performance in retests. Omission of PA retrieval procedure, intra-BLA lidocaine infusion did not affect subsequent PA performance. Surprisingly, intra-BLA lidocaine infusion immediately following the retrieval of PA or cocaine-induced CPP diminished both PA and cocaine-induced CPP performance in the retests. Finally, Fos-staining results revealed that a number of BLA neurons were activated by the retrieval of both cocaine-induced CPP and PA. We conclude that inactivation of neural activity in BLA immediately following retrieval of a fear or cocaine-conditioned memory can impair subsequent expression of both memories. More importantly, retrieval of a memory does not seem to be an absolute condition for rapidly changing the memory.     

The impact of self‐confidence on the compromise effect

This research reports an investigation into whether the personality aspect of self‐confidence affects the compromise effect. We hypothesize that highly self‐confident people have greater certainty in making decisions and are more attracted to risk‐taking, which makes them less likely to choose the safe or middle option in a large choice set. The three studies involved are conducted using between‐ and within‐subjects experimental designs. Various product categories are used to generalize the findings. Study 1 looks at purchasing decisions and utilizes three scales of self‐confidence, risk preference, and uncertainty; it demonstrates that consumers with high self‐confidence are less likely to choose a compromise option due to high certainty in their decision‐making. Study 2 discovers that people with low self‐confidence are more likely to choose the middle option in a risky condition than in a nonrisky condition. Study 3 decomposes self‐confidence into general and specific self‐confidence, and reveals that people with low general self‐confidence and low specific self‐confidence are more likely to choose the middle option.     

The impact of the opinions of others on variety‐seeking behavior

One reason for consumer variety‐seeking behavior is interpersonal motivation. Building on previous theories, we suggest that the different information types of interpersonal sources influence the variety‐seeking behavior of individuals. Two laboratory experiments are conducted to examine the influence of the opinions of others on such behavior. The results support the author's contention that to derive more enjoyment from a shared product, an individual will make choices congruent with the opinions of others in online information. The managerial implications and study limitations are also discussed.     

Comparing the Effects of Three Cognitive Tasks on Indicators of Mental Fatigue

Abstract

This investigation assessed the impact of three cognitively demanding tasks on cognitive performance, subjective, and physiological indicators of mental fatigue. Following familiarization, participants completed four testing sessions, separated by 48?h. During each session, participants watched a 45-min emotionally neutral documentary (control) or completed one of the following computer tasks: Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT); AX-Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT); or Stroop Task. Mental fatigue was assessed before and at regular periods for 60?min following the 45-min treatments. Cognitive performance was assessed using 3-min PVT, and task performance. Subjective assessments were conducted using the Brunel Mood Scale, and visual analog scales (VAS). Physiological indicators of mental fatigue included electroencephalography (EEG), and heart rate variability (HRV). Subjective ratings of mental fatigue increased from pre to 0-min post in all-treatments, but not the documentary (p?p?相似文献