Brain functional connectivity correlates of coping styles

Coping abilities represent the individual set of mental and behavioral strategies adopted when facing stress or traumatic experiences. Coping styles related to avoidance have been linked to a disposition to develop psychiatric disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, and major depression, whereas problem-oriented coping skills have been positively correlated with well-being and high quality of life. Even though coping styles constitute an important determinant of resilience and can impact many aspects of everyday living, no study has investigated their brain functional connectivity underpinnings in humans. Here we analyzed both psychometric scores of coping and resting-state fMRI data from 102 healthy adult participants. Controlling for personality and problem-solving abilities, we identified significant links between the propensity to adopt different coping styles and the functional connectivity profiles of regions belonging to the default mode (DMN) and anterior salience (AS) networks—namely, the anterior cingulate cortex, left frontopolar cortex, and left angular gyrus. Also, a reduced negative correlation between AS and DMN nodes explained variability in one specific coping style, related to avoiding problems while focusing on the emotional component of the stressor at hand, instead of relying on cognitive resources. These results might be integrated with current neurophysiological models of resilience and individual responses to stress, in order to understand the propensity to develop clinical conditions (e.g., PTSD) and predict the outcomes of psychotherapeutic interventions.     

The role of kinematic mental simulation in creating false memories

Our investigation focuses on memory for scenes depicted in photos. According to the mental model theory, the observation of a static scene depicted in a photo which portrays an actor near to perform an action can trigger a kinematic mental simulation of that action unfolding in time. The deriving prediction is that such a kinematic mental model supports the creation of a false memory of the actor performing an advanced phase of the action. We test this prediction in three experiments in which participants are presented with static scenes of actions, and after three days they perform a recognition task in which they assess recognition of old and novel static scenes depicting actions. The results confirm that false memories occur for actions that represent the unfolding over time of the static action initially observed. Our theoretical framework can accommodate also several previous findings in the literature on false memories.     

Grounding,Quantifiers, and Paradoxes

Journal of Philosophical Logic - The notion of grounding is usually conceived as an objective and explanatory relation. It connects two relata if one—the ground—determines or explains...     

Self-projection in middle childhood: a study on the relationship between theory of mind and episodic future thinking

Cognitive Processing - Growing evidence suggests that theory of mind (ToM) and episodic future thinking (EFT) are closely related at both brain and functional level. This study explored the...     

The relation between workload and personal well-being among university professors

Current Psychology - The aim of the present study was to explore the level of perceived workload of university professors and to evaluate related psychosocial risks, such as addiction to work,...     

Charles S. Peirce and the Medieval Doctrine of consequentiae

In 1898 C. S. Peirce declares that the medieval doctrine of consequences had been the starting point of his logical investigations in the 1860s. This paper shows that Peirce studied the scholastic theory of consequentiae as early as 1866–67, that he adopted the scholastics’ terminology, and that that theory constituted a source of logical doctrine that sustained Peirce for a lifetime of creative and original work.     

Psychological well-being of patients with insomnia and its relationship with anxiety and depression

The aims of the present study are to evaluate the impact of insomnia on psychological well-being and to examine the associations of insomnia and psychological well-being with anxiety and depression. Forty-one patients attending our hospital-based Centre for sleep medicine were administered scales for the evaluation of insomnia (ISI), anxiety (STAI-Y), depression (BDI-II) and psychological well-being (PWB). The scores were compared to those of a control group of 68 subjects attending the hospital for routine examinations or as accompanying persons. Significant differences between patients and controls were detected for anxiety and depression, as well as for psychological well-being. Even if subclinical on average, anxiety and depression symptoms were significantly related to poor psychological well-being, whereas insomnia per se was not. These findings suggest that patients with insomnia report a relevant impact on their psychological well-being, and that such an impact seems to be strongly associated with concomitant subthreshold symptoms of anxiety and depression. The implications for diagnosis and treatment are discussed.     

Castañeda’s Moral Theory and Globalization

This paper examines the moral theory presented by Castañeda in his 1974 book The Stucture of Morality and illustrates its usefulness in dealing with some intercultural phenomena concerning women and children rights which globalization has brought to the fore. In particular, Castañeda’s crucial distinction between moral codes and the moral ideal is highlighted. Moreover, the role that freedom and happiness play in his framework is discussed and further elaborated by appealing to Berlin’s distinction between negative and positive freedom and current empirical studies on happiness.     

Human locomotor adjustments during perturbed walking

The locomotor adjustment induced by step perturbation of human subjects walking on a treadmill was described by a quantitative analysis of the EMG activities of selected trunk and leg muscles and by rotations of leg joints. The role of the proprioceptive input in the EMG reaction was also evaluated. The perturbation was obtained by a rapid and unexpected increase of belt speed. The motor response showed the stereotyped characteristics of a motor automatism and was accomplished without affecting the basic motor pattern of the gait. The EMG adjustment showed short-latency reflex responses (40–60 msec) of muscles acting at the joints more directly affected by the perturbing stimulus. This result supports the hypothesis of a spinal neuronal mechanism involved in the rapid adjustment of gait. The activity of primary spindle afferents seems to play an important role in the production of the faster EMG responses.