Basolateral amygdala noradrenergic activity mediates corticosterone-induced enhancement of auditory fear conditioning

The present experiment examined whether posttraining noradrenergic activity within the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) is required for mediating the facilitating effects of acutely administered glucocorticoids on memory for auditory-cue classical fear conditioning. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received five pairings of a single-frequency auditory stimulus and footshock, followed immediately by bilateral infusions of the beta1-adrenoceptor antagonist atenolol (0.5 microg in 0.2 microl) or saline into the BLA together with a subcutaneous injection of either corticosterone (3.0 mg/kg) or vehicle. Retention was tested 24 h later in a novel test chamber and suppression of ongoing motor behavior served as the measure of conditioned fear. Corticosterone facilitated memory as assessed by suppression of motor activity during the 10-s presentation of the auditory stimulus and intra-BLA administration of atenolol selectively blocked this corticosterone-induced memory enhancement. These findings provide evidence that, as found with other emotionally arousing tasks, the enhancing effects of corticosterone on memory consolidation of auditory-cue fear conditioning require posttraining noradrenergic activity within the BLA.     

Posttraining handling facilitates memory for auditory-cue fear conditioning in rats

A large number of studies have indicated that stress exposure or the administration of stress hormones and other neuroactive drugs immediately after a learning experience modulates the consolidation of long-term memory. However, there has been little investigation into how arousal induced by handling of the animals in order to administer these drugs affects memory. Therefore, the present study examined whether the posttraining injection or handling procedure per se affects memory of auditory-cue classical fear conditioning. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, which had been pre-handled on three days for 1 min each prior to conditioning, received three pairings of a single-frequency auditory stimulus and footshock, followed immediately by either a subcutaneous injection of a vehicle solution or brief handling without injection. A control group was placed back into their home cages without receiving any posttraining treatment. Retention was tested 24 h later in a novel chamber and suppression of ongoing motor behavior during a 10-s presentation of the auditory-cue served as the measure of conditioned fear. Animals that received posttraining injection or handling did not differ from each other but showed significantly less stimulus-induced movement compared to the non-handled control group. These findings thus indicate that the posttraining injection or handling procedure is sufficiently arousing or stressful to facilitate memory consolidation of auditory-cue classical fear conditioning.     

Beyond faces and modularity: the power of an expertise framework

Studies of perceptual expertise typically ask whether the mechanisms underlying face recognition are domain specific or domain general. This debate has so dominated the literature that it has masked the more general usefulness of the expertise framework for studying the phenomenon of category specialization. Here we argue that the value of an expertise framework is not solely dependent on its relevance to face recognition. Beyond offering an alternative to domain-specific accounts of face specialization in terms of interactions between experience, task demands, and neural biases, expertise studies reveal principles of perceptual learning that apply to many different domains and forms of expertise. As such the expertise framework provides a unique window onto the functional plasticity of the mind and brain.     

画人智力测验评分项目的再确定

该研究参照国内外已有的画人测验材料 ,并在以往使用绘人智能测验的基础上 ,重新设计 ,提出了一份包含 80个评分项目的画人评分标准。新标准首先在课题组内试用修改 ,然后又用于 9名标准评分员的培训 ,最后运用总计 2 5 8名 ,年龄为 6～ 1 2岁的小学儿童作预试 ,进行系统的项目分析。在上述过程中 ,对项目进行反复推敲删改 ,最终形成了一份供制订画人智力测验常模用的画人评分标准。该标准分有无、细节、比例、奖励四个维度 ,按身体部位分成头、头发、眼、耳、鼻、口、颈、躯干、上肢、手、下肢、脚以及连接和服饰共十四个大类 ,每大类包含 4～ 8个评分点 ,总计 75个评分点。     

初中学生问题解决能力发展的跨文化研究

本研究采用多因素实验设计。实验中的问题是初三教学涉及的电阻定律,要求学生自己动牧比较抽象概括来解决问题。通过方差分析考察诸多因素对问题解决水平的影响。结果表明：初中学生解决问题能力的水平有多个层次,目前约有６５％的初中生面对较复杂问题无法进行较好的抽象概括,但有针对怀的启发对问题解决有明显遥促进作用;学生的年龄、智力、学绩、教学方式和社会文化环境影响着问题解决的水平。     

Alcohol-related knowledge and attitudes in people with a mild learning disability – the effects of a ‘sensible drinking’ group

Alcohol-related knowledge and attitudes in people with a mild learning disability, who were either living, or being prepared to live, in relatively independent conditions in the community, were assessed through a structured interview format. Compared with non-learning-disabled teenagers, adults and a hospitalized patient sample, alcohol-related knowledge in the people with a learning disability was found to be significantly poorer, alcohol was reported as having particularly negative effects and susceptibility to social pressure to drink alcohol was greater. A ‘sensible drinking’ group, taking a social skills and influences approach to alcohol education, was conducted with a subgroup of the individuals with a learning disability. The group format and methods, including in vivo sessions in a public house, are described. Follow-up evaluations suggested some significant positive changes in knowledge, attitudes and sensible drinking skills. It is concluded that this population, which is increasingly living, or being moved into, independent conditions in the community, is at least as vulnerable to social influences on alcohol use and abuse as are young people. As with young people, the usefulness of making available such alcohol-education programmes as described in this study, is discussed.     

An introduction to the cognitive therapy of evaluation-[1]

This paper introduces a new cognitive therapy which is evolving from the theoretical background of general semantics theory. This therapy is being tested since 1985 with several samples, the results being favorable and promising. Nevertheless, only its theoretical rational and clinical background will be introduced. Subsequently, the cognitive therapy of evaluation will be defined, and its main therapeutic ingredients described; finally, its differences and similarities with current cognitive therapies will be highlighted.     

A double-blind,sham-controlled,trial of home-administered rhythmic 10-Hz median nerve stimulation for the reduction of tics,and suppression of the urge-to-tic,in individuals with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorder

Tourette syndrome (TS) and chronic tic disorder (CTD) are neurological disorders of childhood onset characterized by the occurrence of tics; repetitive, purposeless, movements or vocalizations of short duration which can occur many times throughout a day. Currently, effective treatment for tic disorders is an area of considerable unmet clinical need. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a home-administered neuromodulation treatment for tics involving the delivery of rhythmic pulse trains of median nerve stimulation (MNS) delivered via a wearable ‘watch-like’ device worn at the wrist. We conducted a UK-wide parallel double-blind sham-controlled trial for the reduction of tics in individuals with tic disorder. The device was programmed to deliver rhythmic (10 Hz) trains of low-intensity (1–19 mA) electrical stimulation to the median nerve for a pre-determined duration each day, and was intended to be used by each participant in their home once each day, 5 days each week, for a period of 4 weeks. Between 18th March 2022 and 26th September 2022, 135 participants (45 per group) were initially allocated, using stratified randomization, to one of the following groups; active stimulation; sham stimulation or to a waitlist (i.e. treatment as usual) control group. Recruited participants were individuals with confirmed or suspected TS/CTD aged 12 years of age or upward with moderate to severe tics. Researchers involved in the collection or processing of measurement outcomes and assessing the outcomes, as well as participants in the active and sham groups and their legal guardians were all blind to the group allocation. The primary outcome measure used to assess the ‘offline’ or treatment effect of stimulation was the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale–Total Tic Severity Score (YGTSS–TTSS) assessed at the conclusion of 4 weeks of stimulation. The primary outcome measure used to assess the ‘online’ effects of stimulation was tic frequency, measured as the number of tics per minute (TPM) observed, based upon blind analysis of daily video recordings obtained while stimulation was delivered. The results demonstrated that after 4-week stimulation, tic severity (YGTSS-TTSS) had reduced by 7.1 points (35 percentile reduction) for the active stimulation group compared to 2.13/2.11 points for the sham stimulation and waitlist control groups. The reduction in YGTSS–TTSS for the active stimulation group was substantially larger, clinically meaningful (effect size = .5) and statistically significant (p = .02) compared to both the sham stimulation and waitlist control groups, which did not differ from one another (effect size = −.03). Furthermore, blind analyses of video recordings demonstrated that tic frequency (tics per minute) reduced substantially (−15.6 TPM) during active stimulation compared to sham stimulation (−7.7 TPM). This difference represents a statistically significant (p < .03) and clinically meaningful reduction in tic frequency (>25 percentile reduction: effect size = .3). These findings indicate that home-administered rhythmic MNS delivered through a wearable wrist-worn device has the potential to be an effective community-based treatment for tic disorders.     

学龄儿童汉语正字法意识发展的研究

该研究以小学一年级、三年级、五年级儿童及大学生为被试,让他们对左右、上下和半包围三种结构类型的９０个真字、假字和非字进行词汇判断,以探讨儿童正字法意识的发展,结构类型的相应影响,以及年龄对汉字识别中结构类型效应的作用。结果表明;（１）儿童正字法意识的形成是以识字为基础的逐步发展的过程。小学一年级儿童已萌发了正字法意识,但至五年级时才基本达到了成人水平。（２）只有小学一年级被试的真字识别受结构类型影响。汉字识别中是否存在结构类型效应可能与被试识字经验、材料熟悉性等因素有关．（３）年级内部正字法意识的萌发和年级之间正字法意识发展的差异不受结构类型的影响,但萌发之后各年级内部均是对左右结构汉字正字法意识优于上下结构和半包围结构。