Trait displaced aggression and psychopathy differentially moderate the effects of acute alcohol intoxication and rumination on triggered displaced aggression

When angered, alcohol and rumination increase aggression toward the source of a subsequent minor annoyance. Little is known about individual differences that moderate this phenomenon. One hundred university students (47 men, 53 women) were provoked and given either alcohol or placebo and subsequently induced to ruminate or engage in distraction. Participants were then given the opportunity to aggress against a somewhat annoying fictitious participant by determining the amount of hot sauce the other participant must consume. Alcohol and rumination independently augmented aggressive behavior, and these effects were moderated by trait displaced aggression and psychopathy, respectively. These findings suggest alcohol use and rumination as targets of intervention, specifically for those high in trait displaced aggression and psychopathy.     

Lifestyle differences between smokers,ex-smokers and non-smokers,and implications for their health

Abstract

Much evidence has been published in order to demonstrate that smoking cessation leads to a decrease in morbidity and mortality. Using data from the Health and Lifestyle Survey respondents were divided into three groups: smokers, ex-smokers and non-smokers and lifestyle characteristics such as diet and exercise were compared. Smokers were more likely to eat chips (French fries), fried food, butter and less likely to eat fresh fruit in winter, green vegetables and margarine high in polyunsaturated fats. Non-smokers were more likely than smokers and ex-smokers to take part in keepfit, jogging and swimming. Non-smokers in smoking households were more likely than non-smokers in non-smoking households to eat fried food, chips and butter and less likely to eat fruit in winter or margarine high in polyunsaturated fats. Results suggest that part of the assumed health benefits of smoking cessation are due to ex-smokers having a healthier diet than that of smokers.     

Individual Variation in Psychological and Psychomotor Symptoms Following Smoking Cessation: The Implications for Treatment

Some commonly experienced signs and symptoms occur during abstinence from tobacco, but specific signs and symptoms and their intensity vary greatly from individual to individual. The aim of this study was to re-examine psychological and psychomotor symptoms in smokers in the general population, and to explore the individual variation in these. Quitting smokers (n = 123) reported their experiences pre- and post-cessation, on a questionnaire developed for the study. Analysis of variance and frequency analysis showed significant decreases between pre- and post-cessation on positive experiences (F = 9.81, p<0.0001) but no significant change on negative experiences, suggesting a loss of pleasure rather than increased negative affect upon quitting. The variance of the pre- to post-cessation difference score suggested wide variation in the reporting of withdrawal symptoms. These results lead us to consider the implications for treatment, using cognitive therapies and moderating the significant emphasis that is at present put on withdrawal.     

Generalizing treatment effects of functional family therapy: Three replications

Abstract

Functional Family Therapy with status delinquents has undergone careful scrutiny in well designed studies that included random assignment, realistic comparison treatment programs, formally trained therapists, and reasonable follow-up periods. The current report describes three replications in which FFT has been extended to new populations, has utilized less formally trained therapists, and has been applied in new treatment contexts. Taken together the replications provide important support for the generalizability of FFT across client and therapist populations.     

Unraveling the contributions of the diencephalon to recognition memory: a review

Both clinical investigations and studies with animals reveal nuclei within the diencephalon that are vital for recognition memory (the judgment of prior occurrence). This review seeks to identify these nuclei and to consider why they might be important for recognition memory. Despite the lack of clinical cases with circumscribed pathology within the diencephalon and apparent species differences, convergent evidence from a variety of sources implicates a subgroup of medial diencephalic nuclei. It is supposed that the key functional interactions of this subgroup of diencephalic nuclei are with the medial temporal lobe, the prefrontal cortex, and with cingulate regions. In addition, some of the clinical evidence most readily supports dual-process models of recognition, which assume two independent cognitive processes (recollective-based and familiarity-based) that combine to direct recognition judgments. From this array of information a "multi-effect multi-nuclei" model is proposed, in which the mammillary bodies and the anterior thalamic nuclei are of preeminent importance for recollective-based recognition. The medial dorsal thalamic nucleus is thought to contribute to familiarity-based recognition, but this nucleus, along with various midline and intralaminar thalamic nuclei, is also assumed to have broader, indirect effects upon both recollective-based and familiarity-based recognition.     

Aspects of nicotine utilization

This commentary reviews the effects of nicotine on mood and cognition in support of the drug utilization concept of Müller & Schumann (M&S). Specifically, it amplifies the concept with the nicotine utilization hypothesis (NUH), which opposes the nicotine withdrawal hypothesis (NWH). Evidence against NWH comes from changes in mood after abstinence and the performance effects of nicotine supporting drug utilization.     

The competitive reaction time task: The development and scientific utility of a flexible laboratory aggression paradigm

Laboratory measures play an important role in the study of aggression because they allow researchers to make causal inferences. However, these measures have also been criticized. In particular, the competitive reaction time task (CRTT) has been criticized for allowing aggression to be operationalized in multiple ways, leaving it susceptible to “p-hacking.” This article describes the development of the CRTT and the ways in which its paradigm flexibility and analytic flexibility allows it to test a wide range of hypotheses and research questions. This flexibility gives the CRTT significant scientific utility, but as with any research paradigm, comes with the obligation that it has to be used with integrity. Although safeguards exist and there is little evidence of misuse, study preregistration can increase confidence in CRTT findings. The importance of findings such as those of Hyatt et al. (in press), which provide further evidence for the validity of the CRTT, are also noted.     

A randomized clinical trial of a manual-guided risk reduction intervention for HIV-positive injection drug users.

This study randomized 90 HIV-seropositive, methadone-maintained injection drug users (IDUs) to an HIV Harm Reduction Program (HHRP+) or to an active control that included harm reduction components recommended by the National AIDS Demonstration Research Project. The treatment phase lasted 6 months, with follow-ups at 6 and 9 months after treatment entry. Patients in both treatments showed reductions in risk behaviors. However, patients assigned to HHRP+ were less likely to use illicit opiates and were more likely to adhere to antiretroviral medications during treatment; at follow-up, they had lower addiction severity scores and were less likely to have engaged in high risk behavior. Findings suggest that enhancing methadone maintenance with an intervention targeting HIV-seropositive IDUs increases both harm reduction and health promotion behaviors.