Assessment of deviant arousal in adult male sex offenders with developmental disabilities

Ten individuals, residing in a treatment facility specializing in the rehabilitation of sex offenders with developmental disabilities, participated in an arousal assessment involving the use of the penile plethysmograph. The arousal assessments involved measuring change in penile circumference to various categories of stimuli both appropriate (adult men and women) and inappropriate (e.g., 8- to 9-year-old boys and girls). This approach extends the existing assessment literature by the use of repeated measurement and single-subject experimental design. Data from these assessments were analyzed to determine if clear and informative outcomes were obtained. Overall, three general patterns of results emerged. Some participants showed differentiated deviant arousal or higher levels of arousal to specific inappropriate stimuli (deviant is a term used in the existing sex-offender literature to describe this type of arousal). Other participants showed undifferentiated deviant arousal, in which case they showed nonspecific arousal to inappropriate stimuli. The remaining participants showed no arousal to inappropriate stimuli but did show arousal to appropriate stimuli. Implications for assessment, treatment, and future directions are discussed.     

Differential efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention versus pharmacological treatment in the management of fibromyalgic syndrome

Given that studies about the differential efficacy of existing treatments in fibromyalgia syndrome are scarce, the aim of this study was to compare the differential efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral and a pharmacological therapy on fibromyalgia. Using a randomized controlled clinical trial, 28 fibromyalgic patients were assigned to one of following experimental conditions: (a) pharmacological treatment (i.e., cyclobenzaprine), (b) cognitive-behavioral intervention (i.e., stress inoculation training), (c) combined pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatment and (d) no treatment. The results show the superiority of cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce the severity of fibromyalgia both at the end of the treatment and at follow-up. We conclude that cognitive-behavioral interventions must be considered a primary treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome.     

The Budapest meeting 2005 intensified networking on ethics of science

This paper reports on the meeting of the Sounding Board of the EU Reprogenetics Project that was held in Budapest, Hungary, 6-9 November 2005. The Reprogenetics Project runs from 2004 until 2007 and has a brief to study the ethical aspects of human reproductive cloning and germline gene therapy. Discussions during The Budapest Meeting are reported in depth in this paper as well as the initiatives to involve the participating groups and others in ongoing collaborations with the goal of forming an integrated network of European resources in the fields of ethics of science.     

Endogenous BDNF is required for long-term memory formation in the rat parietal cortex

Information storage in the brain is a temporally graded process involving different memory phases as well as different structures in the mammalian brain. Cortical plasticity seems to be essential to store stable long-term memories, although little information is available at the moment regarding molecular and cellular events supporting memory consolidation in the neocortex. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates both short-term synaptic function and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in hippocampal and cortical neurons. We have recently demonstrated that endogenous BDNF in the hippocampus is involved in memory formation. Here we examined the role of BDNF in the parietal cortex (PCx) in short-term (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) formation of a one-trial fear-motivated learning task in rats. Bilateral infusions of function-blocking anti-BDNF antibody into the PCx impaired both STM and LTM retention scores and decreased the phosphorylation state of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). In contrast, intracortical administration of recombinant human BDNF facilitated LTM and increased CREB activation. Moreover, inhibitory avoidance training is associated with a rapid and transient increase in phospho-CREB/total CREB ratio in the PCx. Thus, our results indicate that endogenous BDNF is required for both STM and LTM formation of inhibitory avoidance learning, possibly involving CREB activation-dependent mechanisms. The present data support the idea that early sensory areas constitute important components of the networks subserving memory formation and that information processing in neocortex plays an important role in memory formation.     

LGBT Community, Social Network Characteristics, and Smoking Behaviors in Young Sexual Minority Women

Smoking rates among young sexual minority women (YSMW) are disproportionately high as compared to heterosexual populations. While this disparity has commonly been attributed to the sexual minority stress process, little empirical work has explored what may protect YSMW from high rates of smoking. Using data (N = 471) from a cross-sectional study designed to investigate YSMW’s (age 18–24) smoking behaviors and correlates; we explore the relationship of LGBT community connections, YSMW’s social network characteristics, and stress to smoking behaviors (i.e., status, frequency, amount). Through this analysis, we find support for LGBT community connection as well as friendships with other sexual minorities as protective in relation to YSMW’s smoking behaviors. We discuss the implications of our results, highlighting the need for future longitudinal research and interventions designed to bolster YSMW’s connections to the LGBT community and their social networks.     

Emoción expresada: Introducción al concepto,evaluación e implicaciones pronosticas y terapéuticas

RESUMEN

Los autores comienzan analizando el concepto de emoción expresada y los modos de evaluarla en el nucleo familiar de pacientes esquizofrénicos, clarificando sus dos componentes básicos: implicación emocional excesiva y actitud crítica. Seguidamente repasan diversos estudios en torno a la validez y utilidad de este constructo y otros en relación con cuestiones de carácter conceptual y metodológico. Finalmente abordan las implicaciones y desarrollos terapéuticos, centrándose en las intervenciones sociales llevadas a cabo en Gran Bretaña y en la terapia familiar conductual y ofreciendo algunos de sus resultados. El trabajo concluye que la revisión de los estudios sobre emoción expresada en familiares de sujetos esquizofrénicos pone de relieve la adecuación y utilidad de estas medidas, ofreciendo algunas pautas para investigaciones futuras.