New lessons from knockout mice: The role of serotonin during development and its possible contribution to the origins of neuropsychiatric disorders

Serotonin (5-HT) modulates numerous processes in the central nervous system that are relevant to neuropsychiatric function and dysfunction. It exerts significant effects on anxiety, mood, impulsivity, sleep, ingestive behavior, reward systems, and psychosis. Serotonergic dysfunction has been implicated in several psychiatric conditions but efforts to more clearly understand the mechanisms of this influence have been hampered by the complexity of this system at the receptor level. There are at least 14 distinct receptors that mediate the effects of 5-HT as well as several enzymes that control its synthesis and metabolism. Pharmacologic agents that target specific receptors have provided clues regarding the function of these receptors in the human brain. 5-HT is also an important modulator of neural development and several groups have employed a genetic strategy relevant to behavior. Several inactivation mutations of specific 5-HT receptors have been generated producing interesting behavioral phenotypes related to anxiety, depression, drug abuse, psychosis, and cognition. In many cases, knockout mice have been used to confirm what has already been suspected based on pharmacologic studies. In other instances, mutations have demonstrated new functions of serotonergic genes in development and behavior.     

什么是临时内在性问题？

Lewis的临时内在性问题出名地难以理解,也许是因为它质疑了某些我们认为理所当然的基本概念。本文通过简明地陈述问题和对若干可能解法的分析试图使之易于理解。此外,本文给出了一个产生Bradley倒退的简明易懂的方法。     

University Students' Emotion During Online Search Task: A Multiple Achievement Goal Perspective

Endorsing a multiple goal perspective, students' academic emotions were examined with different goal profiles while solving learning tasks online. One hundred and seven Chinese undergraduates were classified based on the 2 × 2 achievement goal framework into three groups: Mastery-approach-focused, Approach-oriented, and Avoidance-oriented group. Participants' emotional states were assessed immediately prior to the task and following the task. Prior to the task, the Avoidance-oriented group reported significantly higher levels of deactivated negative emotion (i.e., bored and confused) than the Approach-oriented group. The Mastery-approach-focused group reported significantly higher levels of activated positive emotions (i.e., excited and eager) than the Avoidance-oriented group after the task. Within each group, all three groups followed a similar emotion change pattern prior versus after the search task in deactivated positive emotion, with a significant increase. In addition, the Mastery-approach-focused group also reported a significantly higher level of happiness after completing the task, whereas the other two groups did not report much change. The Avoidance-oriented group also reported a significant drop in the feeling of excitement, eagerness, anxiety, and nervousness; whereas, the Approach-oriented group reported a significantly higher level of confusion after the task was finished. Implications of the findings are further discussed.     

缰核在抑郁症中的作用:研究和治疗的新途径

缰核是哺乳动物神经系统中连接前脑和中脑的重要节点,这一古老的核团因其与抑郁症的密切联系,近来获得国内外研究者的关注.缰核接受来自边缘系统、基底神经节等的传入信号,向下投射到中脑5-羟色胺系统和多巴胺系统.在应激条件下缰核免疫活动增强,向下游的投射信号增强,以此调节单胺类递质释放,参与抑郁症的发病机制,并且参与抗抑郁治疗的起效途径.这些证据提示缰核在抑郁症中具有重要作用,将成为研究和治疗的新途径.未来研究应从缰核与上下游核团的神经联系、与丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的相互影响、以及与免疫激活的交互作用等方面进一步探索,为研究抑郁症病理机制和治疗方法提供线索.     

Effects of Guided Notes on Enhancing College Students’ Lecture Note-Taking Quality and Learning Performance

This study investigates the intervention effects of guided notes on college students’ quality of lecture note-taking and learning performance under the provision of outline notes. It adopted a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest–delayed-posttest design. Sixty-five undergraduates from two psychology classes in a university were recruited as participants. One class was assigned to the experimental group and the other to the control group. Students in the experimental group were provided with outline note plus guided note handouts and asked to complete the guided notes in class, whereas students in the control group received outline note handouts only. The results showed that (1) in the delayed posttest, the experimental group performed better than the control group on the quality of note-taking; (2) in the posttest and delayed posttest, the experimental group performed better than the control group on learning performance; (3) the experimental group had a positive attitude towards the guided notes.     

一个中枢炎性免疫诱发长时程抑郁样行为的新模型

脂多糖(lipopolysaccharide, LPS)免疫激活模型是研究抑郁症细胞因子假说的重要动物模型, 目前国际上常用外周单次LPS注射诱发抑郁样行为, 但该模型中抑郁样行为持续仅有数小时。为建立诱发较长时程抑郁样行为的免疫激活动物模型, 本研究尝试侧脑室注射LPS激活大鼠中枢免疫炎性反应, 考察单次以及重复中枢LPS注射诱发抑郁样行为的效果, 以及中枢炎性免疫诱发行为改变的时程。结果显示：单次中枢LPS注射后24 h只能诱发旷场自发活动和探索行为下降等部分抑郁样行为, 未能诱导糖水偏好下降和悬尾不动时间增加; 3次重复注射则在末次LPS注射后24 h表现出显著的糖水偏好下降, 自发活动和探索行为减少, 悬尾不动时间增加等行为。且自发活动、探索行为减少和悬尾不动时间增加能够延续至末次LPS注射后72 h。这些结果表明脑室重复LPS注射可诱发较长时程的抑郁样行为, 这种新的中枢炎性免疫激活诱发的抑郁症模型, 为研究抑郁症炎性免疫机制提供了更为有效的动物模型, 有助于深入探讨行为和免疫功能间的复杂关系。     

Chinese undergraduates' preferences for altruistic traits in mate selection and personal advertisement: Evidence from Q‐sort technique

Human's preferences for altruistic mates have been confirmed by many researchers. Under the deep influence of Confucianism that authorised more parental control over offspring's mate selection, Chinese people's mating strategies and mate preferences may be different from what the evolutionary psychologists have suggested. This study used the Q‐sort technique to assess the roles of altruistic traits in mate selection and personal advertisement. A total of 200 university students participated in the Q‐sort procedures and were asked to sort 50 traits (among which altruistic traits were mixed) according to their importance when choosing (or advertising to) a long‐term (LT) or a short‐term (ST) mate. Our findings were quite different from prior studies. When Chinese participants chose a mate or advertised themselves to a potential mate, kin altruism was considered to be the most important trait; altruistic traits were more preferred by males than by females and females tended to advertise themselves as more altruistic; preferences for altruistic traits showed no difference between LT and ST mate selections (or between personal advertisement to a LT and a ST mate).     

“养育脑”网络及其影响因素

“养育脑” (parental brain)是成人响应婴儿刺激(面孔、声音等)时, 大脑中与养育行为密切相关的一系列神经回路的总称, 主要涉及动机-奖赏、共情、情绪调节和执行功能等网络, 眶额皮层、前扣带皮层、前脑岛、杏仁核和辅助运动区等核心脑区。而成人养育经验、催产素和精神障碍特征等因素都会影响“养育脑”网络, 具体表现为育儿经验的增长以及催产素水平的提高促进了成人对婴儿刺激的加工, 而精神障碍则损害了其对婴儿刺激的加工。未来研究可考察追踪“养育脑”在不同时期大脑结构的变化以及多脑间的协调同步。另外, 还需进一步探究父亲异常“养育脑”的神经基础, 重视异常父母的预防和干预以及加强本土化研究。     

父母冲突与大学生宿舍冲突方式的关系:自我分化的中介作用

采用分层整群抽样的方法从北京四所不同类型大学选取1023名大一至大四的学生进行问卷调查,以探讨大学生感知到的父母冲突对其宿舍冲突方式的影响,以及大学生的自我分化在其中的中介作用。通过SPSS19.0和AMOS 17.0软件进行方差分析、相关分析和结构方程模型分析,结果表明:(1)总体来说,大学生最常见的宿舍冲突方式是合作,其次是顺从、回避,最少见的是竞争,而且男生采用竞争宿舍冲突方式的频率显著高于女生;(2)大学生感知到的父母冲突与其自我分化水平呈显著负相关,与消极的宿舍冲突方式(顺从、回避和竞争)呈显著正相关,但与积极的宿舍冲突方式(合作)相关不显著;(3)大学生自我分化水平与消极的宿舍冲突方式(顺从、回避和竞争)呈显著负相关,但只有其中两个维度(情绪反应和自我位置)与积极的宿舍冲突方式(合作)呈显著正相关;(4)大学生的自我分化在父母冲突与消极宿舍冲突方式的关系中起中介作用,并且中介模式存在性别差异:自我分化在父母冲突与女生消极宿舍冲突的关系中起完全中介作用,但在父母冲突与男生消极宿舍冲突的关系中起部分中介作用。     

基于社交媒体数据的心理指标识别建模:机器学习的方法

心理指标识别建模是基于海量数据结合计算机机器学习算法识别心理特征的一种新兴方式。由于传统纸笔测量方式所存在的诸多限制,本文对基于社交媒体数据的心理建模方法及应用于心理测量的可行性进行综述,介绍了特征及提取方法、常用机器学习算法以及应用场景,并对心理指标识别建模的优势和不足进行了总结与展望。该测量方法基于社交媒体数据,相比自我报告法具有时效性高、可回溯测量、生态效度好等独特优势。然而,基于社交媒体的心理指标识别建模方法也在学习成本、硬件成本等方面存在局限性。未来研究人员需要进一步探索社会媒体信息与用户心理变量间的关联机制,并将心理指标识别模型同传统心理学研究方法结合进行更多的探索和应用。心理指标识别建模结合心理测量基本原理和计算机领域机器学习的技术,将为心理学研究打开一扇新的大门。