scholarly journals Circuits regulating pleasure and happiness: evolution and role in mental disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton J.M. Loonen ◽  
Svetlana A. Ivanova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Evolutionary Origin ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Extrapyramidal System ◽  
Reward Seeking ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Emotional Behaviour ◽  
Hippocampal Complex ◽  
Striatal System

Taking the evolutionary development of the forebrain as a starting point, the authors developed a biological framework for the subcortical regulation of human emotional behaviour which may offer an explanation for the pathogenesis of the principle symptoms of mental disorders. Appetitive-searching (reward-seeking) and distress-avoiding (misery-fleeing) behaviour are essential for all free-moving animals to stay alive and to have offspring. Even the oldest ocean-dwelling animal creatures, living about 560 million years ago and human ancestors, must therefore have been capable of generating these behaviours. Our earliest vertebrate ancestors, with a brain comparable with the modern lamprey, had a sophisticated extrapyramidal system generating and controlling all motions as well as a circuit including the habenula for the evaluation of the benefits of their actions. Almost the complete endbrain of the first land animals with a brain comparable with that of amphibians became assimilated into the human amygdaloid and hippocampal complex, whereas only a small part of the dorsal pallium and striatum developed into the ventral extrapyramidal circuits and the later insular cortex. The entire neocortex covering the hemispheres is of recent evolutionary origin, appearing first in early mammals. During the entire evolution of vertebrates, the habenular system was well conserved and maintained its function in regulating the intensity of reward-seeking (pleasure-related) and misery-fleeing (happiness-related) behaviour. The authors propose that the same is true in humans. Symptomatology of human mental disorders can be considered to result from maladaptation within a similar amygdalo/hippocampal–habenular–mesencephalic–ventral striatal system.

scholarly journals The evolutionary old forebrain as site of action to develop new psychotropic drugs

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 1277-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton JM Loonen ◽  
Svetlana A Ivanova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Secondary System ◽  
Lateral Habenula ◽  
Reward Seeking ◽  
Medial Habenula ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour ◽  
New Treatments ◽  
Specific Symptoms

Background: Previously, the authors have developed a model of how reward-seeking and distress- avoiding behaviour is regulated by the human brain. The forebrain’s evolution in vertebrates was taken as a starting point. Aims: The authors want to inspire colleagues to study in particular the pharmacological effects on the described ancient forebrain structures in order to modify specific symptoms of mental disorders. Methods: Compilation of data and ideas of previous articles, with examples to illustrate. Results: A primary (lamprey-like), secondary (frog-like) and tertiary (mammal-like) forebrain can be distinguished, organized according to a Russian doll model. The first constituent is primarily involved in producing the emotional response, while the last is principally concerned with constructing conscious cognitive behaviour (including verbal and written communication). Mental disorders comprise (partly related and partly unrelated) biological and rational phenomena. The secondary system regulates the intensity of reward-seeking and distress-avoiding behaviour. An essential component of the primary forebrain evaluates the results of behavioural actions: the lateral habenula-projecting pallidum. These neurons regulate the activity of ascending dopaminergic pathways. The authors suggest that these habenula-projecting pallidum neurons are targeted by subanaesthetic dosages of ketamine. The medial habenula is enriched with nicotinergic acetylcholine receptors and regulates the activity of ascending adrenergic and serotonergic neurons. This may link varenicline-induced hostility to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-induced aggression. Conclusions: Studying the effects of new compounds on the primary and secondary brains in lampreys and frogs may yield interesting new treatments of mental disorders.

scholarly journals Linking emotional valence and anxiety in a mouse insula-amygdala circuit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Nicolas ◽  
Anes Ju ◽  
Yifan Wu ◽  
Hazim Eldirdiri ◽  
Sebastien Delcasso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basolateral Amygdala ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Projection Neurons ◽  
Negative Valence ◽  
Glutamatergic Neurons ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Positive And Negative Valence

Abstract The response of the insular cortex (IC) and amygdala to stimuli of positive and negative valence were found to be altered in patients with anxiety disorders. However, the coding properties of neurons controlling anxiety and valence remain unknown. Combining photometry recordings and chemogenetics in mice, we uncover the anxiogenic control of projection neurons in the anterior IC (aIC), independently of their projection target. Using viral tracing and ex vivo electrophysiology, we characterize the monosynaptic aIC to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) connection, and employed projection-specific optogenetics, to reveal anxiogenic properties of aIC-BLA neurons in anxiety-related behaviors. Finally, using photometry recordings, we identified that aIC-BLA neurons are active in anxiogenic spaces, and in response to aversive stimuli. Together, these findings show that negative valence, as well as anxiety-related information and behaviors, are encoded by aICBLA glutamatergic neurons, providing a starting point to understand how alterations of this pathway contribute to psychiatric disorders.

Bipolar disorder evolved as an adaptation to severe climate

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia A. Sherman
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Evolutionary Origin

Keller & Miller (K&M) assert that mental disorders could not have evolved as adaptations, but they fail to make their case against the theory of the evolutionary origin of bipolar disorder that I have proposed (Sherman 2001). Such an idea may be unorthodox, but it has considerable explanatory power and heuristic value.

scholarly journals Revisando algunos aspectos de nuestra Salud Mental

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Luis Cibanal Juan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Good Mental Health ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Salud Mental

Resumen Se sigue mezclando salud mental y enfermedad mental. De la misma manera que todos tenemos a lo largo de nues- tra vida ciertos problemas físicos, que no enfermedades físicas (aunque también), también tenemos ciertos proble- mas psicológicos o mentales sin que por eso sean enfermedades mentales. Uno de los pilares fundamentales de una buena salud mental es la autoestima. Como punto de partida, la visión que nos da sor Callista Roy de la imagen que uno tiene de sí mismo. También se recorrerán las bases de la autoestima, de su cuidado y las consecuencias de tener una autoestima adecuada o baja. Abstract The mixture of mental health and mental disorders persists. Just as, along our lives, we all have certain physical prob- lems (not necessarily physical illnesses), we also have certain mental or psychological problems, different from men- tal disorders. One of the main pillars of good mental health is the Self-esteem. As a starting point, Sister Callista Roy's description of the own image of the self. Other aspects discussed will be the self-esteem basics, its care and the con- sequences of having an appropriate or a low self-esteem. Keywords: mental health, self concept, self esteem.

Psychiatric Diagnosis as a Precursor to Research Diffi culties in Mental Health

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-71
Author(s):  
Denise Russell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnosis ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Statistical Manual ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Conceptual Core

The starting point for most mental health research is psychiatric diagnosis. If diagnoses are controversial or unreliable, then the results of the research will be difficult to interpret and its value will be undercut. The most widely used system of psychiatric diagnosis is found in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This article looks at the conceptual core of diagnosis in the latest manual, examines the definition of mental disorder, and exposes some key underlying conceptual issues especially with regard to the notions of “distress,” “impairment,” and “dysfunction.” The role of subjectivity and values in the application of these concepts is also stressed and discussed in relation to specific mental disorders.

Single spies and battalions: the clinical epidemiology of mental disorders

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 891-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Clinical Epidemiology ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Clinical Thinking ◽  
The Individual

SynopsisClinical epidemiology, a term that has been variously defined, is used here to refer to a discipline which, commencing with examination and diagnosis of the individual patient who presents in medical practice, proceeds to study the occurrence of similar, possibly connected cases in the local community, and in so doing may provide hypotheses for population-based studies of disease and its risk factors. While the relevance of this discipline to the modern practice of clinical psychiatry remains largely unexplored, its importance in the search for causes of mental disorder is attested by many instances, both historical and more recent, in which the spread or clustering of psychiatric syndromes in populations could be related to nutritional deficiency, infectious disease, the presence of environmental neurotoxins, the social communication of psychopathology or the transmission of abnormal, harmful behaviour patterns within family groups. Observations made in clinical practice have repeatedly served as the starting point for epidemiological investigation of mental disorders, while conversely epidemiological findings have influenced clinical thinking about their classification, diagnosis, prognosis and morbid risk. A review of the relevant literature underlines the need for a keener awareness of environmental risk factors and a fundamentally epidemiological frame of reference in trying to grapple with the aetiological problems of mental disorder.

scholarly journals Management of work-related common mental disorders in general practice: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Rivière ◽  
Youenn Toullic ◽  
Patrick Lerouge ◽  
Thierry Blanchon ◽  
Ariane Leroyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Starting Point

Abstract Background: General practitioners (GPs) often manage individuals with work-related common mental disorders (CMD: depressive disorders, anxiety and alcohol abuse). However, little is known about the ways in which they proceed. The aim of this study is to analyze GPs’ management and patterns of referral to other health professionals of patients with work-related CMD and associated factors. Method: We used data from a cross-sectional study of 2 027 working patients of 121 GPs in the Nord – Pas-de-Calais region in France (April – August 2014). Statistical analyses focused on patients with work-related CMD detected by the GP and examined the ways in which GPs managed these patients’ symptoms. Associations between patient, work, GP and contextual characteristics and GPs’ management were explored using modified Poisson regression models with robust variance.Results: Among the 533 patients with work-related CMD in the study, GPs provided psychosocial support to 88.0%, prescribed psychotropic treatment to 82.4% and put 50.7% on sick leave. Referral rates to mental health specialists and occupational physicians were respectively 39.8% and 26.1%. Several factors including patients’ characteristics (occupational and sociodemographic), GPs’ characteristics and environmental data were associated with the type of management used by the GP.Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the major and often lonesome role of the GP in the management of patients with work-related CMDs. Better knowledge of the way GPs manage those patients could help GPs in their practice, improve patients care and be a starting point to implement a more collaborative care approach.

scholarly journals The Impact of Modulation Style Extinguish Negative in Reducing Social Exclusion for the Widows

2018 ◽  
Vol 212 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-160
Author(s):  
Dr. Nadira jameel Hamad
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Counseling Program ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Building Program ◽  
The Impact

        The widows of the  woman  most exposed to stress  and traumatic events, because the  husband represents the force that is based upon the wife in the exercise of her life all this leads to psychological damage affect them a starting point for many mental disorders, so the goal of current research to know the level of social exclusion and building program  and counseling  know the effect of the counseling program in reducing social exclusion, so the researcher used the scale Alttiara 2011 extracted validity and  reliability to him and extracted item discrimination  and statistical methods used by the researcher is testing Mann Whitney and chi square test and T- test samples  for one sample and the use of the bag statistical Spss  well as the researcher has built a  counseling program in a  Modulation style extinguish negative  for Beck consists of 10 sessions for   45 minutes session on women, widows, and the researcher found that the effect of extension of the program to reduce social exclusion among widows and reached a number of recommendations and proposal

A volunteer working with people with mental disorders – selected aspects

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 55-78
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Zadrożna
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Support System ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
The Law

Volunteering is an unpaid activity for the benefit of various groups of people, incl. persons experiencing mental disorders. Motivations for volunteering may differ and involve the desire to gain experience and new knowledge, the need to repay to the community and to help those in need, and also the need to feel accepted or the desire to establish new relationships and verify one’s own aspirations. Some of the reasons for volunteering are related to the willingness to “give”, while others are related to “receiving”. The volunteers working with people with mental disorders are a valuable part of the support system. The volunteers can work in many places and in various ways. Volunteering activities are included both in the law defining the framework of the volunteering as well as in the code of ethics of volunteers, which can be a starting point for designing appropriate volunteering activities. Volunteering plays a significant role in supporting people with mental disorders, volunteering activities complements institutional support, and volunteers themselves can support professionals. In view of the role of volunteering, it is important to continue looking for ways to improve the recruiting, training and management of volunteering, and to support volunteers in their work, to minimize burnout and to reduce frequency of volunteers’ turnover, as well as to maximize the potential of every individual.

Exploring test batteries for depression- and anxiety-like behaviours in female and male ICR and black Swiss mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 293-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydmila Kazavchinsky ◽  
Sofi Dahan ◽  
Haim Einat
Keyword(s):  
Animal Models ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Behavioural Phenotype ◽  
Drug Treatments ◽  
Emotional Behaviour ◽  
Behavioural Test ◽  
Outbred Mice ◽  
Behavioural Tests ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractObjective and rationale: Animal models are critical for the study of mental disorders and their treatments but are repeatedly criticized for problems with validity and reproducibility. One approach to enhance validity and reproducibility of models is to use test batteries rather than single tests. Yet, a question regarding batteries is whether one can expect a consistent individual behavioural phenotype in mice across tests that can be presumed to be part of the same construct. This study was designed to explore the relationship between the behaviours of mice across tests in some variations of test batteries for depression- and anxiety-like behaviours. Methods: Female and male healthy, intact, and untreated mice from the ICR and black Swiss strains were used in four separate experiments. With some variations, mice were exposed to a battery of behavioural tests representing affective- and anxiety-like behaviours. Data were analysed for differences between sexes and for correlations between behaviours within and across the tests in the battery. Results: No differences were found between the sexes. With very few exceptions, we found correlations within tests (when one test has more than one measure or is repeated) but not across different tests within the battery. Conclusions: The results cast some doubt on the utility of behavioural test batteries to represent different facets of emotional behaviour in healthy intact outbred mice, without any interventions or treatments. Additional studies are designed to explore whether stronger relationship between the tests will appear after manipulations or drug treatments.

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