抑郁反刍的认知神经机制

抑郁反刍是指个体把注意力集中在抑郁症状以及这些症状含意的行为和想法, 包含反复思虑抑郁症状、抑郁的可能原因、以及抑郁可能引起的后果。抑郁反刍主要表现出对负性信息过度关注、认知控制缺陷以及非适应性的自我参照加工等认知特点。基于这些特点, 近期脑成像研究发现, 抑郁反刍主要与杏仁核、前额叶以及默认网络等脑区或神经网络有关。未来应在不同亚型抑郁反刍的神经机制、基因以及开发有效的干预技术与方法等方面展开深入研究。     

不同频率经颅交流电刺激在精神疾病中的应用

近年来, 研究者开始将经颅交流电刺激技术应用于精神疾病领域中, 其中, 以γ、α频率最受关注。tACS作用于精神疾病的可能机制包括两个方面, 直接调节异常的大脑神经活动和间接改善患者的认知功能。首先, 使用特定频率的tACS作用目标脑区, 可以调节对应频率的神经振荡和大脑功能连接, 通过作用于疾病相关的异常大脑活动, 直接改善患者的临床症状。其次, 并不针对某种疾病特异受损的大脑活动, 而是用tACS激活与认知功能相关的大脑环路, 广泛地提高患者的注意、记忆等多种认知功能, 进而整体上缓解不良症状。目前, 使用tACS治疗精神疾病这一领域还有一些尚未解决、值得探讨的问题。tACS的作用机制研究、刺激参数和范式改进、技术升级, 可以成为心理学、脑科学以及临床医学的重点研究方向。     

时间性前瞻记忆的影响因素及机制

时间性前瞻记忆是指个体记得在未来的某一时间或间隔一段时间以后做某事。与事件性前瞻记忆相比, 时间性前瞻记忆需要更多自我启动的注意资源, 并主要受到任务重要性、年龄、进行中任务的性质、时间间隔等因素的影响。时间性前瞻记忆主要与额叶有关, 对于其内部认知机制解释的理论模型主要有测试-等待-测试-退出模型以及注意阀门模型。但是时间性前瞻记忆的影响因素以及机制, 尤其是神经机制方面尚需要进一步的研究。     

Thurstone's discriminal processes fifty years later

Four issues are discussed concerning Thurstone's discriminal processes: the distributions governing the representation, the nature of the response decision rules, the relation of the mean representation to physical characteristics of the stimulus, and factors affecting the variance of the representation. A neural schema underlying the representation is proposed which involves samples in time of pulse trains on individual neural fibers, estimators of parameters of the several pulse trains, samples of neural fibers, and an aggregation of the estimates over the sample. The resulting aggregated estimate is the Thurstonian representation. Two estimators of pulse rate, which is monotonic with signal intensity, are timing and counting ratios and two methods of aggregation are averaging and maximizing. These lead to very different predictions in a speed-accuracy experiment; data indicate that both estimators are available and the aggregation is by averaging. Magnitude estimation data are then used both to illustrate an unusual response rule and to study the psychophysical law. In addition, the pattern of variability and correlation of magnitude estimates on successive trials is interpreted in terms of the sample size over which the aggregation takes place. Neural sample size is equated with selective attention, and is an important factor affecting the variability of the representation. It accounts for the magical number seven phenomenon in absolute identification and predicts the impact of nonuniform distributions of intensities on the absolute identification of two frequencies. 1977 Psychometric Society Presidential Address. This work was supported in part by a grant of the National Science Foundation to Harvard University. I wish to express my appreciation to S. Burbeck, D. M. Green, M. Shaw, and B. Wandell for their useful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

EVOLUTION OF RELIGIOUS CAPACITY IN THE GENUS HOMO: TRAIT COMPLEXITY IN ACTION THROUGH COMPASSION

In this third and last article on the evolution of religious capacity, the authors focus on compassion, one of religious expression's common companions. They explore the various meanings of compassion, using Biblical and early related documents, and derive general cognitive components before an evolutionary analysis of compassion using their model. Then, in taking on neural reuse theory, they adapt a model from linguistics theory to understand how neural reuse could have operated to fix religious capacity in the human genome. They present a teaching tool on “Religious Capacity in Action,” and develop an example of compassionate decision making in very early Homo sapiens in North Africa. They round out their analysis of compassion by exploring theory in neuroscience on a standard decision‐making model, and investigate what goes on in the human brain when a values‐based decision is made.     

Surprisingly Neuroplastic Human Brains: Reading,Science, Philosophy,Theology

Human brains, dramatically more complex than anything else in the known universe, are marvelously mutable. Recent neuroscience focuses on how humans create cumulative transmissible cultures which in turn shape mental development. When cultures become literate, cognitive powers escalate. Although until recently only a comparative few learned to read and write, this takes place with the serendipitous re-use of pattern recognizing capacities, such as those for recognizing faces. With sustained reading diligence, as required during education in science, philosophy, and theology, this results in advanced cognitive skills.