海马NMDA受体经SP-NK1受体通路参与慢性应激诱发的抑郁样行为

为探讨海马N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸(N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, NMDA)受体与P物质(Substance P, SP)及其神经激肽1 (neurokinin1, NK1)受体在慢性不可预见性温和应激(chronic unpredictable mild stress, CUMS) 中的作用及其关系, 通过建立CUMS动物模型, 大鼠海马微量注射给药, 测量大鼠体重, 并采用糖水偏爱测试、旷场实验和悬尾实验等方法对大鼠进行行为学检测, 运用高效液相色谱(HPLC)法分析大鼠海马组织中SP和谷氨酸(glutamate, Glu)的含量变化。结果显示, CUMS诱发大鼠表现出明显的抑郁样行为, 海马组织中SP和Glu水平显著增加; 海马注射NMDA, 大鼠表现出与CUMS/SAL组相似的抑郁样行为, 且海马组织中SP的含量比正常对照组显著增加; 微量注射NK1受体阻断剂CP-96345和/或NMDA受体阻断剂MK-801后, 大鼠抑郁样行为明显改善, 且MK-801使CUMS导致的大鼠海马P物质水平升高得到明显控制, 而CP-96345没有明显改变CUMS引起的海马Glu水平升高; CP-96345使NMDA引起的抑郁样行为得到极显著改善。以上结果表明, 慢性应激引起大鼠海马Glu过量释放, 通过激活NMDA受体, 促进P物质合成释放增加, 激活NK1受体, 是导致抑郁样行为发生的重要途径之一。     

进行中任务变化对轻度认知功能障碍者基于事件前瞻记忆的影响

本实验采用2被试组别(MCI组、正常老年组) × 3进行中任务变化(无变化、顺序变化、随机变化)被试间设计探究进行中任务变化对轻度认知功能障碍者基于事件前瞻记忆的影响。结果表明：(1)轻度认知功能障碍者的前瞻记忆成绩显著低于正常老年人的前瞻记忆成绩; (2)进行中任务变化对两组被试前瞻记忆和进行中任务的反应时影响存在显著差异。进行中任务变化越大, 轻度认知功能障碍者完成前瞻记忆和进行中任务的反应速度越慢; 而正常老年被试则不受影响。研究支持前瞻记忆策略加工的理论观点, 认为执行功能损伤可能是导致轻度认知功能障碍者前瞻记忆失败的主要原因。     

短声强度为95dB时猫的两耳听现象

研究短声强度为95dB时猫的两耳听现象,探讨两耳干涉作用和交叉听力在听觉脑干电反应(ABR)上的表达。以ABR为检测指标,观察和比较耳蜗破坏前后对侧耳负荷75dB SWN时95dB短声诱发的ABR各波振幅的变化。结果：(1)耳蜗破坏前对侧耳负荷的75dB SWN可使95dB短声诱发的ABR之PⅢ、PⅣ波振幅增大(P＜0．01)。(2)耳蜗破坏后对侧耳负荷的75dB SWN对95dB短声诱发的ABR各波振幅无影响(P＞0．05)。(3)耳蜗破坏前对侧耳负荷75dB SWN时95dB短声诱发的ABR之PⅣ波振幅比耳蜗破坏后95dB短声诱发的ABR之PⅣ减小(P＜0．05)。结论：短声强度为95dB时,交叉听力现象在ABR之PⅢ、PⅣ波上均有表达,与75dB5WN产生的两耳干涉作用仅在ABR之PⅣ波有表达。     

How age affects memory task performance in clinically normal hearing persons

The main objective of this study is to investigate memory task performance in different age groups, irrespective of hearing status. Data are collected on a short-term memory task (WAIS-III Digit Span forward) and two working memory tasks (WAIS-III Digit Span backward and the Reading Span Test). The tasks are administered to young (20–30 years, n = 56), middle-aged (50–60 years, n = 47), and older participants (70–80 years, n = 16) with normal hearing thresholds. All participants have passed a cognitive screening task (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)). Young participants perform significantly better than middle-aged participants, while middle-aged and older participants perform similarly on the three memory tasks. Our data show that older clinically normal hearing persons perform equally well on the memory tasks as middle-aged persons. However, even under optimal conditions of preserved sensory processing, changes in memory performance occur. Based on our data, these changes set in before middle age.     

Teachers’ Experience, Attitudes, Feelings and Behavioural Intentions towards Children with Special Educational Needs

This project examined teachers’ attitudes to children with special educational needs. Understanding the implicit and explicit attitudes of teachers is an important precursor to improving teaching practices for children with special needs. Participants (N=77) were pre-service teachers and experienced teachers during in-service training courses. Results showed that behavioural intentions related to explicit rather than implicit attitudes, and that feelings of guilt and anxiety were associated with intentions for negative actions. Profiles of attitudes were substantially similar in terms of personal and teaching experiences. However, attitudes were less positive about children with low social skills and more positive about children with low cognitive skills. Findings have direct application to training teachers of children with special educational needs.     

阿尔兹海默症及轻度认知障碍静息态大尺度脑网络功能连接的改变

静息态功能磁共振成像作为非侵入性可视化成像方法, 且数据采集简便易行, 已成为探索阿尔兹海默症及轻度认知障碍脑功能变异的主要成像手段。近年来静息态研究显示在其前驱症状期轻度认知障碍阶段患者已显现出静息态脑网络的变异, 而阿尔兹海默症患者的网络改变更加弥散。研究发现随着病程推进, 患者显示出默认网络连接逐渐减弱以及额叶认知网络连接先增强后减弱的整体趋势。此外, 脑结构和功能网络的改变并非单向因果关系, 二者在病程进展中存在交互作用。未来研究可以从诊断的标志性神经通路、疗效的大尺度脑网络标记, 以及疾病的异质性等角度入手, 进一步探索静息态脑网络作为阿尔兹海默症诊断和病程监控指标的可能性。     

Mental health and mediumship: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

There is a lack of research examining the mental health of practicing mediums, yet the nature of mediumship work inherently presents a number of challenges to the mental health of practitioners. In this study, we aimed to gain an understanding of how mediums experience their mental health in relation to their mediumistic practice and how they recognise and respond to psychological difficulties experienced by their clients. Fourteen mediums from the North West of England took part in one-to-one interviews, which were transcribed and subject to interpretative phenomenological analysis. Four themes were identified: from past traumas to mediumistic identity; spirit makes sense, mental illness is chaos; being resilient but vulnerable; and ethical mediumistic practice. The research highlights the value of not dismissing or attempting to change appraisals of valued aspects of mediums’ anomalous experiences. However, the findings do indicate that support for exposure to clients’ difficulties might be helpful.     

Visual associations to retrieve episodic memory across healthy elderly,mild cognitive impairment,and patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Episodic memory tests need to determine the degree to which patients with moderate to severe memory deficits can still benefit from retrieval support. Especially in the case of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), this may support health care to be more closely aligned with patients’ memory capacities. We investigated whether the different measures of episodic memory of the Visual Association Test-Extended (VAT-E) can provide a more detailed and informative assessment on memory disturbances across a broad range of cognitive decline, from normal to severe impairment as seen in AD, by examining differences in floor effects. The VAT-E consists of 24 pairs of black-and-white line drawings. In a within-group design, we compared score distributions of VAT-E subtests in healthy elderly controls, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD (n = 144), as well as in relation to global cognitive impairment. Paired associate recall showed a floor effect in 41% of MCI patients and 62% of AD patients. Free recall showed a floor effect in 73% of MCI patients and 84% of AD patients. Multiple-choice cued recognition did not show a floor effect in either of the patient groups. We conclude that the VAT-E covers a broad range of episodic memory decline in patients. As expected, paired associate recall was of intermediate difficulty, free recall was most difficult, and multiple-choice cued recognition was least difficult for patients. These varying levels of difficulty enable a more accurate determination of the level of retrieval support that can still benefit patients across a broad range of cognitive decline.     

汉语聋生与健听生口语叙事和书面叙事发展特征的比较研究

以小学3-5年级的汉语聋生为被试,考察其口语叙事与书面叙事的发展特征,并与健听生比较,揭示聋生叙事发展特征的特异性。结果发现：（1）无论口语叙事还是书面叙事,聋生和健听生在宏观结构上表现相当,但聋生在微观结构上表现较差。（2）在宏观结构和平均句长上,无论健听生还是聋生,书面叙事得分均显著好于口语叙事;（3）在词汇密度上,健听生在口语叙事和书面叙事上的表现相当,但聋生的词汇密度在口语叙事下表现较差。（4）在词汇丰富性和词汇密度指标上,聋生和健听生存在年级间发展特征的差异。研究结果对聋生的叙事教学有重要启示。