Developmental Instability and Individual Variation in Brain Development: Implications for the Origin of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

ABSTRACT— Research on the origin of neurodevelopmental disorders has traditionally been pursued within a constrained, disorder-specific perspective. The developmental instability (DI) model described here offers a broader approach based on the evolutionary genetics of normal variation, reflecting our understanding that the processes generating genetic diversity are not unique to any specific disorder. The DI model helps account for shared features, including atypical functional and anatomic asymmetries, reduced general intellectual functioning, and complex patterns of heritability, across different types of neural variation. The model suggests research strategies that may help illuminate the specific and unique causal factors characterizing different types of neural variation.     

对老年认知障碍中医药防治研究的思考和对策

中医学基础理论和临床实践范式的特殊性,使得中医学科学研究面临着困惑和困难。本文从“中医理法”的角度对中医药防治老年认知障碍研究工作进行了思考,提出应重视辨病论治和辨证论治相结合;重视预防研究;重视病因研究;重视体质研究;强调形神合一;跟踪现代医学研究的进展;重视科研方法学和技术的学习和应用,以进一步提高中医科学研究工作的水平。     

协作还是斗争——心理障碍治疗百年

长期以来,在心理障碍治疗领域存在着心理治疗师与精神科医生的相互斗争,从协作的角度对心理治疗百年史进行回顾,认为百年心理治疗史实际上是心理医生与临床医生相互斗争走向协作的历史。这一过程可大致区分为自发、附属、斗争到整合四大阶段。就长远来看,在心理障碍的治疗中,这两类专业人员的相互配合是不可避免的。     

An experimental analysis of body checking

The relationship between repeated body checking and its impact on body size estimation and body dissatisfaction is of interest for two reasons. First, it has importance in theoretical accounts of the maintenance of eating disorders and, second, body checking is targeted in cognitive-behavioural treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of manipulating body checking on body size estimation and body dissatisfaction. Sixty women were randomly assigned either to repeatedly scrutinize their bodies in a critical way in the mirror ("high body checking") or to refrain from body checking but to examine the whole of their bodies in a neutral way ("low body checking"). Body dissatisfaction, feelings of fatness and the strength of a particular self-critical thought increased immediately after the manipulation among those in the high body checking condition. Feelings of fatness decreased among those in the low body checking condition. These changes were short-lived. The manipulation did not effect estimations of body size or the discrepancy between estimations of body size and desired body size. The implications of these findings for understanding the influence of body checking on the maintenance of body dissatisfaction are considered.     

视知觉神经心理障碍的内隐和外显加工分离及其神经基础

外显和内隐认知功能区别的关键是有无意识觉察的出现,脑损伤神经心理障碍为探讨内隐/外显加工的“纯净”分离提供了可能。通过对典型的视知觉神经障碍中的盲视、认识不能、单侧忽视的内隐和外显加工分离的实验证据及其神经基础的探讨,证明了视知觉神经心理障碍的内隐加工完好和外显加工损伤之间的分离,说明内隐和外显加工有着不同的神经基础,但这种分离的神经基础是什么以及这种分离的本质还有待于进一步的研究。视知觉神经心理障碍的内隐/外显加工的反向损伤是没有进行研究的领域。     

Development of the Behavioral Evaluation of Disorders of Sleep Scale

We describe the development, preliminary psychometric properties, and cross-validation of the Behavioral Evaluation of Disorders of Sleep (BEDS: Schreck 1997/1998). Parental reports of problem sleep behavior in elementary school aged children 5 years to 12 years were collected for two samples. With the first sample, an exploratory factor analysis of parental responses (N = 307) resulted in reports of five distinct types of sleep problems: Expressive Sleep Disturbances; Sensitivity to the Environment; Disoriented Awakening; Sleep Facilitators; and Apnea/Bruxism. Four of these factors (Expressive Sleep Disturbances; Sensitivity to the Environment; Disoriented Awakening; and Apnea) were confirmed with the new participant sample (N = 1054). These factors of problem sleep behavior were similar to findings in other studies, with the exception of the exclusion of bedtime behavior problems.     

Prevalence of Smoking in Anxiety Disorders Uncomplicated by Comorbid Alcohol or Substance Abuse

This study examined the point prevalence of smoking in patients with anxiety disorders who do not have comorbid alcohol or substance abuse or dependence (ASAD). In a retrospective chart review, the smoking status of 581 patients with anxiety disorders was assessed. Patients, ages 18–65, were seeking treatment for anxiety disorders at an outpatient clinic that specialized in anxiety and related disorders. All participants were interviewed using the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule—IV, during which their smoking status was assessed. The prevalence of smoking across all anxiety disorders was 14.8%, which is much lower than found in the general population (23.3%; CDC, 2002) and even lower than previous estimates in individuals with comorbid anxiety and ASAD. Individuals with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder had the highest prevalence of smoking, although these rates were still considerably lower than those found in previous studies of smokers with anxiety disorders. Reasons for lower prevalence estimates are discussed.     

Social contagion of time perception

To test the hypothesis that the perception of time’s passage converges towards consensus in interactive groups, 38 participants completed a “word puzzles” task in groups of four to six. Four groups performed the task interactively (Interactive Condition) and four groups performed it without interacting (Control Condition). Both intraclass correlations and within-group variance measures revealed, as predicted, that more within-group consensus emerged in the Interactive Condition (versus the Control Condition) for measures of perceived time speed and mood. Alternatives to an explanation based on the dynamics of interaction are discussed, and the results are placed in the larger scope of recent theory and research on socially shared cognition.     

Frequency and duration of mood fluctuations: effects of dependency, self-criticism, and negative events

Few studies have examined the relation between depressive vulnerability factors and the duration of symptom disturbance, defined as the length of time during which mood states are elevated above a certain threshold. We examined the duration of mood disturbances in male (N=31) and female (N=71) college-aged individuals who completed mood checklists twice weekly for 10 weeks. Results showed that dependency and self-criticism were related to the mean severity of ratings across all checklists and the mean duration of disturbances, as well as the number of disturbances lasting at least 7 or 14 days. Some evidence for the congruency model was found. Dependency and self-criticism moderated the relation between vulnerability congruent hassles and mood. Sensitivity analyses showed that altering the threshold at which symptom scores were designated as symptom disturbances did not affect the pattern of results for dependency and self-criticism. Results have implications for the debate concerning the relation between vulnerability factors and depressive severity.