Hyperactivity and Learning Deficits in Transgenic Mice Bearing a Human Mutant Thyroid Hormone β1 Receptor Gene

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a human syndrome mapped to the thyroid receptor β (TRβ) gene on chromosome 3, representing a mutation of the ligandbinding domain of the TRβ gene. The syndrome is characterized by reduced tissue responsiveness to thyroid hormone and elevated serum levels of thyroid hormones. A common behavioral phenotype associated with RTH is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To test the hypothesis that RTH produces attention deficits and/or hyperactivity, transgenic mice expressing a mutant TRβ gene were generated. The present experiment tested RTH transgenic mice from the PV kindred on behavioral tasks relevant to the primary features of ADHD: hyperactivity, sustained attention (vigilance), learning, and impulsivity. Male transgenic mice showed elevated locomotor activity in an open field compared to male wild-type littermate controls. Both male and female transgenic mice exhibited impaired learning of an autoshaping task, compared to wild-type controls. On a vigilance task in an operant chamber, there were no differences between transgenics and controls on the proportion of hits, response latency, or duration of stimulus tolerated. On an operant go/no-go task measuring sustained attention and impulsivity, there were no differences between controls and transgenics. These results indicate that transgenic mice bearing a mutant human TRβ gene demonstrate several behavioral characteristics of ADHD and may serve a valuable heuristic role in elucidating possible candidate genes in converging pathways for other causes of ADHD.     

Nietzsche and decadence: The revaluation of morality

The creation of moralities is necessary for the enhancement of the species, yet, the assigning of values is a sign of decadence. According to Nietzsche, this is the problem of decadence with which human beings (in particular philosophers) must contend: they must place a value on life, but placing a value on life (even on one's individual life) is problematic because it involves fracturing the whole of life into pieces. The primary objective in this paper is to address Nietzsche's own battle with the problem of decadence as it applies to individuals. I will argue that in this battle, Nietzsche carried out a revaluation of decadence and transformed himself into a strong decadent. In calling himself a strong decadent, Nietzsche not only admitted to his own decadence, but also provided himself as an example for how other strong types might contend with the problem of decadence.     

Changes in Accuracy of Self-Estimates

Subjects in this study were 100 ninth-grade students who expressed an interest in receiving test results. Subjects were assigned to one of four groups on the basis of self-regard measures. Treatment consisted of reporting standardized test results to the experimental groups but not to the control groups. Immediately following test reporting and two weeks afterward, students characterized by high self-regard made significantly more accurate self-estimates of interests, aptitudes, and achievements than did low self-regard students. In addition, accuracy of self-estimates was significantly greater for students receiving reports of test results than for students not receiving test results.     

Memory in reading and listening to discourse

After reading or listening to short passages, Ss attempted to recognize semantically changed sentences and paraphrases (syntactically and lexically changed sentences). The intervals between the original presentation and test ranged from 1 to 23 sec. In general, paraphrases were poorly detected after a brief time, supporting earlier findings that the exact wording of sentences is not stored in long-term memory. An exception was the high recognition of active-passive changes with the visual presentation. Recognition at the first test interval was significantly better after listening than after reading, although the eventual level of recognition memory was not different in the two modes. This result, consistent with other studies of modality effects in short-term memory, suggests that acoustic-phonetic memory played a role in the storage of the auditorally presented material.     

Dynamic Relational Group Psychotherapy: A Neurobiologically Informed Model of Change

In this article, we introduce a preliminary, neurobiologically informed model of group therapy that links the timing and nature of specific group interventions with hypothesized changing neurobiological needs of the group. We suggest that the observed phases of group development reflect an underlying reorganization of neuronal circuitry that occurs as members progress through a hierarchically organized treatment, and that this reorganization involves the integration and homeostatic rebalancing of subcortical and neural networks. Our preliminary Dynamic Relational Model suggests that an understanding of the neurobiological processes involved in group development may help inform and direct effective group-based psychotherapy interventions.