Role of psychopathology in elucidating the underlying neural mechanisms

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S65-S65
Author(s):  
F. Oyebode
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Precise Description ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Misidentification Syndromes

IntroductionPsychopathology is the systematic study of abnormal subjective experience and behaviour and it aims to give precise description, categorisation and definition of abnormal subjective experiences.AimI aim to demonstrate that the most appropriate approach to elucidating the biological origins of psychiatric disorders is firstly to identify elementary abnormal phenomena and then to relate these to their underlying neural mechanisms. I will exemplify this by drawing attention to studies of Delusional Misidentification Syndromes (DSM).ResultsI will show that there are impairments in face recognition memory in individuals with DSM without impairments in the recognition of emotion and that there are abnormalities of right hemisphere function and of the autonomic recognition pathways that determine sense of familiarity.ConclusionsBasic psychopathological phenomena are more likely to throw light on the basic neural mechanisms that are important in psychiatric disorders than studying disease level categories.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

Emotion Dysregulation: A Review of the Concept and Implications for Clinical Practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S528-S529
Author(s):  
A. D’Agostino ◽  
S. Covanti ◽  
M. Rossi Monti ◽  
V. Starcevic
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Emotion Dysregulation ◽  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Emotional Awareness ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Expression Of Emotions ◽  
Psychology Literature ◽  
Definition Of

IntroductionOver the past decade, emotion dysregulation has become a very popular term in the psychiatric and clinical psychology literature and it has been described as a key component in a range of mental disorders. For this reason, it has been recently called the “hallmark of psychopathology” (Beauchaine et al., 2007). However, many issues make this concept controversial.ObjectivesTo explore emotion dysregulation, focusing on problems related to its definition, meanings and role in many psychiatric disorders.AimsTo clarify the psychopathological core of emotion dysregulation and to discuss potential implications for clinical practice.MethodsA literature review was carried out by examining articles published in English between January 2003 and June 2015. A search of the databases PubMed, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Medline, EMBASE and Google Scholar was performed to identify the relevant papers.ResultsAlthough, there is no agreement about the definition of emotion dysregulation, the following five overlapping, not mutually exclusive dimensions were identified: decreased emotional awareness, inadequate emotional reactivity, intense experience and expression of emotions, emotional rigidity and cognitive reappraisal difficulty. These dimensions characterise a number of psychiatric disorders in different proportions, with borderline personality disorder and eating disorders seemingly more affected than other conditions.ConclusionsThis review highlights a discrepancy between the widespread clinical use of emotion dysregulation and inadequate conceptual status of this construct. Better understanding of the various dimensions of emotion dysregulation has implications for treatment. Future research needs to address emotion dysregulation in all its multifaceted complexity.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Inflammation and Pruning May Inform Risk to Psychiatric Disorders. Lessons From Large Genetic Data

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S56-S56
Author(s):  
C. Crisafulli
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Molecular Mechanics ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Molecular Pathway ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Single Effect ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
The Brain ◽  
New Hypothesis

BackgroundIt's known that psychiatric disorders are caused to either environmental and genetics factors. Through the years several hypotheses were tested and many genes were screened for association, resulting in a huge amount of data available for the scientific community. Despite that, the molecular mechanics behind psychiatric disorders remains largely unknown. Traditional association studies may be not enough to pinpoint the molecular underpinnings of psychiatric disorder. We tried to applying a methodology that investigates molecular-pathway-analysis that takes into account several genes per time, clustered in consistent molecular groups and may successfully capture the signal of a number of genetic variations with a small single effect on the disease. This approach might reveal more of the molecular basis of psychiatric disorders.Methodsi)We collected data on studies available in literature for the studied disorder (e.g. Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder);ii)We extracted a pool of genes that are likely involved with the disease;iii)We used these genes as starting point to map molecular cascades function-linked. The molecular cascades are then analyzed and pathways and sub-pathways, possibly involved with them, are identified and tested for association.Results/discussionWe obtained interesting results. In particular, signals of enrichment (association) were obtained multiple times on the molecular pathway associated with the pruning activity and inflammation. Molecular mechanics related to neuronal pruning were focused as a major and new hypothesis for the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and the role of inflammatory events has been extensively investigated in psychiatry. intersting, inflammatory mechanics in the brain may also play a role in neuronal pruning during the early development of CNS.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of expectations and stimulus relevance on stimulus-specific neural representations and conscious report

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik L Meijs ◽  
Pim Mostert ◽  
Heleen A Slagter ◽  
Floris P de Lange ◽  
Simon van Gaal
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Neural Representations ◽  
Dependent Signal ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Abstract Subjective experience can be influenced by top-down factors, such as expectations and stimulus relevance. Recently, it has been shown that expectations can enhance the likelihood that a stimulus is consciously reported, but the neural mechanisms supporting this enhancement are still unclear. We manipulated stimulus expectations within the attentional blink (AB) paradigm using letters and combined visual psychophysics with magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings to investigate whether prior expectations may enhance conscious access by sharpening stimulus-specific neural representations. We further explored how stimulus-specific neural activity patterns are affected by the factors expectation, stimulus relevance and conscious report. First, we show that valid expectations about the identity of an upcoming stimulus increase the likelihood that it is consciously reported. Second, using a series of multivariate decoding analyses, we show that the identity of letters presented in and out of the AB can be reliably decoded from MEG data. Third, we show that early sensory stimulus-specific neural representations are similar for reported and missed target letters in the AB task (active report required) and an oddball task in which the letter was clearly presented but its identity was task-irrelevant. However, later sustained and stable stimulus-specific representations were uniquely observed when target letters were consciously reported (decision-dependent signal). Fourth, we show that global pre-stimulus neural activity biased perceptual decisions for a ‘seen’ response. Fifth and last, no evidence was obtained for the sharpening of sensory representations by top-down expectations. We discuss these findings in light of emerging models of perception and conscious report highlighting the role of expectations and stimulus relevance.

Genetic determinants of psychic resilience after a diagnosis of cancer

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S596-S596
Author(s):  
M. Christensen ◽  
A. Drago
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Adjustment Disorder ◽  
Genetic Determinants ◽  
Co Morbidity ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Diagnosis Of Cancer ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Definition Of

IntroductionCo-morbidity between cancer and psychiatric disorders including adjustment disorder, depressive disorders or angst can seriously influence the prognosis and the quality of life of patients.AimThe identification of the psychological and biological profile of patients at risk for such co-morbidity is not yet available. Classical candidate genes such as the BDNF, the 5-HTLPR and genes whose products are involved in inflammatory events have received some attention, but results are inconclusive.Object and methodsIn the present review the association between cancer and psychiatric disorders is reviewed, a focus on the investigation of the Gene X environment and the epigenetic control over the activation of the HPA axis is proposed as a tool to refine the definition of the biologic profile at risk for co-morbidity between psychiatry and cancer.Results and conclusionA number of genes and socio-demographic variables that may influence risk to suffer from a psychiatric disorder after a diagnosis of cancer is identified and discussed. The identification of such biologic and socio-demographic profile is instrumental in the identification of subjects at risk of a double diagnosis, both somatic and psychiatric. An early identification of such profile risk would pave the way to the implementation of early intervention strategies.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Promoting the Dignity of the Child in Hospital

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Reed ◽  
Pam Smith ◽  
Margaret Fletcher ◽  
Angela Bradding
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
District General Hospital ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Theoretical Position ◽  
The Social ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship

This article aims to deconstruct the concept of dignity in a way that is meaningful, in particular to nurses and other health workers who seek to promote the dignity of children in their care. Despite the emphasis in a variety of codes and policies to promote dignity, there is a lack of a clear definition of dignity in the literature. In particular there is little reference to dignity, theoretically or empirically, as it relates to children. Without clarity it is not possible to act in an ethical way on behalf of children whose dignity could otherwise be compromised. The theoretical position taken has evolved from the medico-nursing and philosophical discourse concerning the nature of human dignity and more recent sociological texts that discuss the social construction of the child and childhood. The article is further influenced by additional insights derived from an ethnographic pilot study at a large district general hospital. This study was undertaken in an attempt to appreciate the subjective experience of dignity by children, and to begin to address the empirical gap in the literature and promote discussion. The concept of a macro and a micro dignity is discussed, together with the role of the nurse in articulating the relationship between the two. The importance of control and witnesses in the experience of dignity is discussed and, finally, also the ethical implications when seeking to promote the dignity of children.

scholarly journals Self-regulatory Solitude: A Qualitative Exploration of Solitude in Indian Youth

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aishwarya Iyer ◽  
Tanushree V L ◽  
Sucheta Chakravarty
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Social Avoidance ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Affective Outcomes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Solitude has often been confused with co-existing affective states of 'loneliness' and 'aloneness' (Long et al., 2003). A growing body of literature (Nguyen et al., 2018) has quantitatively explored existing drives, affective outcomes and determinants of experience of solitude. Despite extensive research, a comprehensive conceptualization of solitude is yet to be achieved. Therefore, the current study qualitatively explores the subjective definition of solitude, individual experiences and the purposes behind seeking solitude through 10 semi-structured interviews with Bangalore you (24-28 years). Through thematic analysis, the study found that participants differed (social avoidance, self-regulation, productivity) in their purpose behind seeking solitude and the solitary activities that they engaged in. The role of space and agency in the experience of solitude was also highlighted. The study discusses the subjective experience of solitude in relation to existing literature and holds important implications regarding the use of solitude as a tool for affective self-regulation

The Role of Right Hemisphere Dysfunction in Psychiatric Disorders

1992 ◽  
Vol 160 (5) ◽  
pp. 583-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Cutting
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Right Hemisphere Dysfunction

In 1861 Broca, a Parisian surgeon, reported a postmortem he had carried out on a man who had lost his ability to speak 20 years previously and who in the intervening period had only regained the use of one phrase: “Tan-tan”. Broca found that this man had an old infarct in his left hemisphere, affecting the posterior portions of the second and third frontal gyri.

scholarly journals What do displays of empathy do in palliative care consultations?

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Ford ◽  
Alexa Hepburn ◽  
Ruth Parry
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Medical Perspective ◽  
Or Task

Empathy is an important way for doctors to demonstrate their understanding of patients’ subjective experiences. This research considers the role of empathy in 37 doctor–patient palliative or end-of-life care consultations recorded in a hospice. Specifically, it focuses on four contexts in which there is a disparity between patients’ displayed experience of their illness and the doctor’s biomedical, expertise-driven perspective on their illness. These include cases in which the patient is sceptical of the medical perspective, cases in which the patient’s expectations exceed what can realistically be provided and cases in which patients have an overly pessimistic view of their condition. The analysis shows how doctors can use empathic statements to display that they are attentive to the patient’s subjective experience even when the task at hand is, ostensibly, an expertise-driven, biomedical one. It thus demonstrates that empathy is of importance throughout palliative care consultations, even in those phases which might seem biomedical or task-driven.

The Subjective Experience of Poverty

SATS ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gottfried Schweiger ◽  
Gunter Graf
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Martha Nussbaum ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Amartya Sen ◽  
Social Critique ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Philosophical Critique ◽  
The Capability Approach

AbstractWhat significance should the subjective experiences of poor people have in a normative philosophical critique of poverty? In this paper, we take up this question and answer it by looking at two different normative theories: the capability approach of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum and the recognition approach of Axel Honneth. While Sen and Nussbaum are largely quite reluctant toward the role of subjective experiences of poor people, the recognition approach views them as central for its social critique of poverty. We will defend the thesis that a more inclusive view on the role of the subjects of suffering and injustice is needed, that such subjective experiences and the unique first-hand knowledge it produces cannot be substituted by objective criteria, while such criteria are needed to bolster – and in some cases also criticize – the poverty knowledge of poor people.

scholarly journals The Role of Right Hemisphere in Language Is Executive Rather than Linguistic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixi Kang ◽  
Afshin Azadikhah ◽  
Jie Mei
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
History Of Research ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right

Despite a long history of research favors left lateralization of language, increasingevidence provides support to the claim that the right hemisphere also plays a role inlanguage. Although studies have indicated that the right hemisphere contributes tolanguage representation, the underlying neural mechanisms are partly investigated andremain elusive. In this review, we hypothesize that the right hemisphere is involved inlanguage but its contributions are more likely to be domain-general rather than linguistic.The present work provides a thorough review of the growing body of research that hasdemonstrated how the right hemisphere is related to language with a focus on specificneural mechanisms underlying various aspects of language, and discusses why somebrain regions of the right hemisphere such as supramarginal gyrus are essential fordomain-general processes (e.g., verbal working memory) involved in language, ratherthan directly contributing to language itself.

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