Effects of LY354740, a novel glutamatergic metabotropic agonist, on nonhuman primate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and noradrenergic function

The search for novel anxiolytics and antidepressants has focused on compounds with the potential to reduce excessive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. L-glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter ubiquitously present within the central nervous system, conceivably plays an important role in activating the neural sites involved in stress modulation. Deactivation of the HPA axis by glutamatergic neurotransmission modulation may represent a novel therapeutic approach. Accordingly, the acute intravenous effects of the novel metabotropic (mGlu2/3) agonist LY354740 were tested on bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) undergoing acute infusions of yohimbine, a noradrenergic stimulant. Dependent measures were the magnitude of the increase of plasma cortisol and plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) customarily elicited by yohimbine. Next, the effects of 6 weeks of chronic oral administration of LY354740 on baseline (postcapture) plasma cortisol and MHPG levels in comparison to the identical measure in untreated controls were assessed. Subjects chronically treated with LY354740 received yohimbine infusions which were compared to yohimbine infusions and saline infusions in non-LY354740-treated subjects. Preliminary evidence supports the view that acute LY354740 infusion resulted in a marked diminution of yohimbine-induced stress response, as manifest by a substantial attenuation of cortisol and MHPG response observed in comparison to the saline-treated yohimbine condition. Chronic oral administration of LY354740 led to postcapture baseline cortisol levels which were markedly reduced (approximately 50 percent) in comparison to untreated control subjects; however, there were no significant parallel differences in MHPG levels. Yohimbine infusions elicited an increase in cortisol and MHPG levels in both LY354740-treated and non-LY354740-treated subjects, in comparison to declines in cortisol values observed following vehicle infusions (group X time interaction; P<.0001). Chronic LY354740-treated subjects failed to achieve cortisol levels comparable in range to those of untreated subjects primarily because of their low baseline cortisol levels. In contrast, despite equivalent baselines, yohimbine-induced MHPG values were increased overall in the chronically treated group compared to the saline and yohimbine-alone groups. Thus, LY354740 markedly reduced the acute corticoid and noradrenergic response elicited by yohimbine infusion. Chronic administration of LY354740 appears to present a safe and effective mechanism to markedly down-modulate the HPA axis while retaining noradrenergic responsivity.     

Operant conditioning in antlion larvae and its impairment following exposure to elevated temperatures

Animal Cognition - Although ambush predators were previously considered limited in their cognitive abilities compared to their widely foraging relatives, there is accumulating evidence it does not...     

Attachment Security,Personality, and Adjustment of Elementary School Children

Children's development is assumed to be closely related to their attachment security and their personality. The authors’ aim was to examine the joint contribution of attachment security and personality traits to children's adjustment by examining diverse children's outcomes (emotional symptoms, social functioning, and behavioral problems) and using various perspectives (children, parents, and teachers). The sample comprised 247 8–12-year-old children from low socioeconomic status neighborhoods. Personality and attachment contribute to the different domains of adjustment. In cases of moderation, attachment security moderates the implications of personality traits on children's adjustment. The findings highlight the contribution of positive personality tendencies in playing down the difficulties of insecurely attached children.     

Family Relationships,Leaving Home,and Adjustment to Military Service

Associations between family relationships and individual adjustment were studied within a sample of 19-year-old soldiers during their first weeks of basic training. Results showed that family relationships partly explained soldiers' closeness to best friends, number of social nominations, and commanders' ratings of soldiers' military and social competence. In addition, family relations explained soldiers' perceived social competence as assessed via closeness to best friends and number of sociometric nominations. Together, the results reiterate the role played by the family and attitudes toward offspring leaving home and toward their adjustment to military service.     

Relatedness and Individuation Among Young Adults Born Preterm: The Role of Relationships with Parents and Death Anxiety

Preterm birth may constitute a risk factor for long-term difficulties when facing developmental tasks of relatedness and individuation in young adulthood. Since these early experiences might leave individuals more susceptible to anxiety, we examined whether relationships with parents and death anxiety mediated the associations between preterm birth and difficulties in relatedness and individuation. The sample included 57 emerging adults who were born preterm, and a paired control group that filled out questionnaires: The Perceptions of Adult Attachment Questionnaire, Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships, the death anxiety test, and projective assessment of death anxiety. Preterm young adults and their counterparts exhibited similar levels of closeness with their parents, with romantic partner, and with best friend. A different picture emerged with regard to differentiation and death anxiety. Preterm young adults exhibited higher levels of emotional reactivity and fusion with others, and higher levels of death anxiety than their counterparts. Death anxiety mediated the relations between preterm birth status and differentiation. It appears that, despite the fact that these youngsters experienced a traumatic event early in their lives, they overcame this difficult experience and were successful in maintaining closeness with close others. In contrast, the traces of the preterm birth might be more pronounced in the domain of differentiation. People who experienced separations from significant others, especially early in life, may develop high levels of death anxiety as death is experienced as the ultimate separation from a close person. Enduring death anxiety might complicate the individuation process. Gender differences that were found are in accord with previous findings. The strengths and limitations of the study as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.     

What happens in a psychoanalysis?

A group of experienced analysts has developed scales and a coding manual illustrated with clinical examples to evaluate recorded analyses and psychodynamic therapies. The analytic process scales (APS) assesses three dimensions: (1) the contribution of the analyst: helping to develop a relationship in which the analyst can provide clarification and interpretation of transference and resistance; (2) the contribution of the patient: the communication of experience and the expression of feeling in ways which provide information about needs, wishes and conflicts, accompanied by self-reflection; and (3) interactional characteristics of the emerging relationship, explored by studying sessions divided into psychoanalytically coherent segments. A preliminary study of nine sessions has established that the variables assessed by the APS can be rated reliably. Study of the analysts' contributions illuminated their varied and complexstructure. Important differences emerged among the three patient-analyst pairs studied, and changes in scores over time tracked developments in the analytic work which would imply different treatment outcomes. The APS appears to be a reliable tool facilitating the systematic study of psychoanalyses.     

Brief experimental analysis of early reading interventions

The purpose of this study was to investigate how brief experimental analyses (BEAs) could be used to identify effective interventions for Kindergartners (2 girls and 2 boys, 5 years and 7-10 months old) with low performance and/or growth slope in letter sound fluency (LSF). Interventions were tested within a multielement design with brief mini-reversals until an intervention yielding at least 20% improvement on a specific subskill measure or a curriculum-based measure of LSF was identified. BEA-identified interventions were implemented one-on-one for 5 to 9 weeks. A multiple-baseline design across participants showed large intervention effects (average adjusted d = 2.4) on general outcome measures, supporting treatment validity of BEAs. Findings extend the BEA literature to younger participants, early reading interventions, and early reading measures.