Executive neurocognitive functioning and neurobehavioral systems indicators in borderline personality disorder: a preliminary study

It is argued that borderline personality disorder (BPD) represents the interaction of underlying neurobehavioral systems that are reflected principally in the phenotypic constructs of positive emotion, negative emotion, and nonaffective constraint (Depue & Lenzenweger, 2001). This preliminary and exploratory study sought to examine predictions made from the Depue-Lenzenweger model with respect to controlled (effortful) information processing in BPD. It was hypothesized that (a) BPD subjects may display deficits on tasks that require controlled information processing (sustained attention, spatial working memory, and executive functioning), (b) they may reveal elevated negative emotion as well as decreased positive emotion and nonaffective constraint, and (c) nonaffective constraint should be substantially inversely associated with accurate performance on controlled information processing tasks. The results of this study, which examined 24 BPD diagnosed individuals and 68 normal adults, found support for each of these predictions in relation to performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The implications of these results for further experimental psychopathology investigations of BPD as well as further refinement of theoretical models of the disorder are discussed.     

Exploring the psychometric properties and construct validity of the MCMI-III anxiety and avoidant personality scales

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI; Millon, 1983) is a commonly used self-report instrument designed to aid in the assessment of Axis I and Axis II disorders. Concerns have been expressed regarding the procedures used in the normative research for the current version of the MCMI (MCMI-III; Millon, 1994) leading to a call for additional validity research on the MCMI-III (Retzlaff, 1996). In this study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the MCMI-III's Anxiety and Avoidant personality scales in a sample of patients diagnosed with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) anxiety disorders. Our results suggest that the MCMI-III Avoidant scale is reliable (r =.89) and it was found to demonstrate appropriate convergent and divergent validity with other self-report measures. The MCMI-III Anxiety scale also showed adequate reliability (r =.78); however, our findings raise some concerns about the discriminant validity of this scale. A scale composed of the MCMI-III core anxiety items was found to have better discriminant validity. These findings are consistent with those reported by other researchers regarding the relationship between self-report measures of anxiety, avoidance, and depression. We conclude that the MCMI-III measures of anxiety and avoidance are consistent with other measures of these constructs and may provide valuable clinical information in this regard.     

The alias advantage and perceptions of guilt

The present study is an examination of the perception of guilt based on the number of aliases used by a defendant. Participants in Experiment 1 (N = 275) reviewed materials summarizing an actual crime in which the defendant was identified with no alias information or with 1, 5, or 9 aliases. Participants were asked to decide if the suspect was guilty and if so, what his sentence should be. Results showed that the presence of alias information influenced perceptions of guilt. However, in conditions where the defendant had more aliases, the maximum sentence was imposed less often. Relationship information linking the suspect and the victim in the materials was removed for some of the participants in Experiment 2. Participants (N = 265) were provided with either no alias information or all 9 aliases. An interaction was found in Experiment 2 demonstrating the alias advantage only when the relationship information was present. However, the relationship information had minimal effect on the attributions made toward the victim.     

Cognitive-behavior therapy for discontinuation of SSRI treatment of panic disorder: a case series

In this report we describe the outcome of eight outpatients with panic disorder and agoraphobia who discontinued their treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) in the context of a structured, group program of cognitive-behavior therapy. All patients successfully discontinued their SSRI medication while demonstrating clinical improvement. These results were maintained at 3-month follow-up. This case series suggests that manualized CBT for discontinuation of benzodiazepine treatment for panic disorder may be successfully applied to SSRI discontinuation as well.     

Cross-national transfer of policy models to developing countries: Epilogue

What lessons can we learn from the historical and contemporary narratives and analyses from the previous articles? Can any tendencies or trends be distinguished as to the dos and don’ts of policy transfer to developing countries? To answer that question, we will first go back to the issues raised in the prologue and then relate them to the particular events in the different cases.     

Differential contributions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus to auditory trace fear conditioning

The effect of excitotoxic lesions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus on the acquisition and expression of auditory trace fear conditioning was examined in two studies. In Experiment 1, animals received excitotoxic lesions of either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus or sham surgeries one week prior to conditioning, and were tested 24 h later. In Experiment 2, animals received excitotoxic lesions of either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus or sham surgeries 24 h after training, and were tested one week after surgery. Both pre- and post-training lesions of ventral hippocampus impaired the acquisition and expression, respectively, of auditory trace fear conditioning. Pre-training lesions of dorsal hippocampus had no effect on the acquisition of trace fear conditioning, while post-training lesions of dorsal hippocampus dramatically impaired expression during subsequent testing. Although in some cases animals with lesions of ventral hippocampus exhibited locomotor hyperactivity, it is unlikely that the pattern of observed deficits can be attributed to this effect. Collectively these data suggest that the dorsal and ventral hippocampus may contribute differentially to the mnemonic processes underlying fear trace conditioning.     

Translating Empirically Supported Strategies Into Accessible Interventions: The Potential Utility of Exercise for the Treatment of Panic Disorder

Many patients suffering from panic disorder do not receive adequate care. Advances in the conceptualization and treatment of panic disorder encourage innovative strategies for targeting core fears (fears of anxiety sensations) that underlie this disorder. In this article, we discuss the use of exercise as a potential strategy for therapeutic exposure to these feared sensations, and the role that exercise may play as an acceptable intervention to aid the dissemination of exposure-based approaches to the treatment of panic disorder. Evidence for the efficacy of exercise for the treatment of anxiety and panic is presented; along with strategies to enhance the role exercise can play as an interoceptive (internal sensation) exposure procedure. Finally, issues of comorbidity and exercise acceptability are discussed. Our conclusion is that exercise-based interventions are promising strategies for improving the utilization of exposure-based interventions for panic disorder. Clinical guidelines and future research directions are discussed.