scholarly journals Transition to substance use disorders: impulsivity for reward and learning from reward

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1182-1191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoinette Poulton ◽  
Robert Hester

Abstract Substance dependence constitutes a profound societal burden. Although large numbers of individuals use licit or illicit substances, few transition to dependence. The specific factors influencing this transition are not well understood. Substance-dependent individuals tend to be swayed by the immediate rewards of drug taking, but are often insensitive to delayed negative consequences of their behavior. Dependence is consequently associated with impulsivity for reward and atypical learning from feedback. Behavioral impulsivity is indexed using tasks measuring spontaneous decision-making and capacity to control impulses. While evidence indicates drug taking exacerbates behavioral impulsivity for reward, animal and human studies of drug naïve populations demonstrate it might precede any drug-related problems. Research suggests dependent individuals are also more likely to learn from rewarding (relative to punishing) feedback. This may partly explain why substance-dependent individuals fail to modify their behavior in response to negative outcomes. This enhanced learning from reward may constitute a further pre-existing risk factor for substance dependence. Although impulsivity for reward and preferential learning from rewarding feedback are both underpinned by a compromised dopaminergic system, few studies have examined the relationship between these two mechanisms. The interplay of these processes may help enrich understanding of why some individuals transition to substance dependence.

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Zheng ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Hang-Yue Ngo ◽  
Xiao-Yu Liu ◽  
Wengjuan Jiao

Abstract. Workplace ostracism, conceived as to being ignored or excluded by others, has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. One essential topic in this area is how to reduce or even eliminate the negative consequences of workplace ostracism. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the current study assesses the relationship between workplace ostracism and its negative outcomes, as well as the moderating role played by psychological capital, using data collected from 256 employees in three companies in the northern part of China. The study yields two important findings: (1) workplace ostracism is positively related to intention to leave and (2) psychological capital moderates the effect of workplace ostracism on affective commitment and intention to leave. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for organizations and employees, along with recommendations for future research.


Author(s):  
Svetlana Sergeevna Kozunova ◽  
Alla Grigorievna Kravets

The article highlights the aspects of risk management in the information system. According to the analysis of the work of Russian and foreign scientists and world practices in the field of risk management, it is stated that there is a need to improve the effectiveness of risk management of information system and to develop a method for managing the risks of the information system. As a solution to the problem of effective risk management of the information system, there has been proposed a formalized procedure for managing the risks of the information system. The scientific novelty of this solution is the use of decision space and optimization space to reduce risks. This procedure allows to assess the damage, risk and effectiveness of risk management of the information system. The risks of the information system are determined and analyzed; a pyramidal risk diagram is developed. This diagram allows you to describe the relationship of risks with the components of the information system. The negative consequences to which these risks can lead are given. The analysis of methods and approaches to risk management has been carried out. Based on the results of the analysis, the methods GRAMM, CORAS, GOST R ISO / IEC scored to the maximum. The weak points of these methods and the difficulty of applying these methods in practice are described. The developed formalized risk management procedure to control the risks of information system can be used as management system’s element of the information security quality that complies with the recommendations of GOST R ISO / IEC 27003-2012. The prospect of further development of the research results is the development of management systems of risk of information system.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 880
Author(s):  
Tuanyuan Shi ◽  
Xinlei Yan ◽  
Hongchao Sun ◽  
Yuan Fu ◽  
Lili Hao ◽  
...  

Cyniclomyces guttulatus is usually recognised as an inhabitant of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in rabbits. However, large numbers of C. guttulatus are often detected in the faeces of diarrhoeic rabbits. The relationship of C. guttulatus with rabbit diarrhoea needs to be clearly identified. In this study, a C. guttulatus Zhejiang strain was isolated from a New Zealand White rabbit with severe diarrhoea and then inoculated into SPF New Zealand white rabbits alone or co-inoculated with Eimeriaintestinalis, another kind of pathogen in rabbits. Our results showed that the optimal culture medium pH and temperature for this yeast were pH 4.5 and 40–42 °C, respectively. The sequence lengths of the 18S and 26S ribosomal DNA fragments were 1559 bp and 632 bp, respectively, and showed 99.8% homology with the 18S ribosomal sequence of the NRRL Y-17561 isolate from dogs and 100% homology with the 26S ribosomal sequence of DPA-CGR1 and CGDPA-GP1 isolates from rabbits and guinea pigs, respectively. In animal experiments, the C. guttulatus Zhejiang strain was not pathogenic to healthy rabbits, even when 1 × 108 vegetative cells were used per rabbit. Surprisingly, rabbits inoculated with yeast showed a slightly better body weight gain and higher food intake. However, SPF rabbits co-inoculated with C. guttulatus and E. intestinalis developed more severe coccidiosis than rabbits inoculated with C. guttulatus or E. intestinalis alone. In addition, we surveyed the prevalence of C. guttulatus in rabbits and found that the positive rate was 83% in Zhejiang Province. In summary, the results indicated that C. guttulatus alone is not pathogenic to healthy rabbits, although might be an opportunistic pathogen when the digestive tract is damaged by other pathogens, such as coccidia.


Author(s):  
Martina Valente ◽  
Sophie Renckens ◽  
Joske Bunders-Aelen ◽  
Elena V. Syurina

Abstract Purpose This mixed-methods study delved into the relationship between orthorexia nervosa (ON) and Instagram. Methods Two quantitative data sources were used: content analysis of pictures using #orthorexia (n = 3027), and an online questionnaire investigating the experience of ON and the use of Instagram of people sharing ON-related content on Instagram (n = 185). Following, interviews (n = 9) were conducted with people posting ON-related content on Instagram and self-identifying as having (had) ON. Results People who share ON-related content on Instagram were found to be primarily young women (questionnaire = 95.2% females, mean age 26.2 years; interviews = 100% females, mean age 28.4 years), who were found to be heavy social media users and favor Instagram over other platforms. Questionnaire respondents agreed in defining ON as an obsession with a diet considered healthy, with bio-psycho-social negative consequences, though those who self-identified as having (had) ON were more likely to point out the negative impairments of ON. Interviewees deemed Instagram partially responsible for the development of ON. Instead, they agreed that Instagram encourages problem realization. Content analysis showed that ON is encoded in pictures of ‘food’, ‘people’, ‘text’ and ‘other.’ Interviewees revealed that they started posting to recover, share information, help others, and they felt inspired to post by other accounts. A sense of belonging to the #orthorexia community emerged, where people share values and ideals, and seek validation from others. Conclusion Conversations around #orthorexia on Instagram generate supportive communities aiding recovery. Individuals use Instagram for helping others and themselves recovering from ON. Understanding how people help each other, manage their health, cope with symptoms, and undertake recovery can inform the implementation of therapeutic interventions for ON. Level of evidence Level III, evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case–control analytic studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-226
Author(s):  
Olympia Panagiotidou

Abstract Asclepius was one of the most popular healing deities in Graeco-Roman antiquity. Patients suffering from various diseases resorted to his sanctuaries, the so-called asclepieia, looking for cure. Many inscriptions preserve stories of supplicants who slept in the abaton of the temples and claimed that they had been healed or received remedies from the god. The historical study may take into consideration modern (neuro)cognitive research on the placebo effects in order to examine the possibilities of actual healing experiences at the asclepeiea. In this paper, I take into account the theoretical premises of the placebo drama theory suggested by Ted Kaptchuk in order to explore the specific factors, including the personality of Asclepius, his patients’ mindsets, the relationship between them, the nature of the supplicants’ impairments, the employed or prescribed treatments and the ritual settings of the cult, which could have mediated health recovery, and contributed to the phenomenal success of the Asclepian therapies via the activation of patients’ placebo responses.


Author(s):  
Mª del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes ◽  
José J. Gázquez ◽  
Mª del Mar Molero ◽  
Fernando Cardila ◽  
África Martos ◽  
...  

Adolescence is characterized by premature experimentation with new experiences and sensations. These experiences sometimes include drugs, which even though legal and socially accepted, begin to have noticeable negative consequences to the adolescent’s development. In recent years, a decrease in use of tobacco by Spanish adolescents has been observed, but not in alcohol. One of the causes of initiation in drug use is impulsive personality or behavior. Thus the purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between impulsiveness and frequency of use of alcohol and tobacco in 822 students aged 13 to 18 years of age. The State Impulsivity Scale (SIS) and an ad hoc questionnaire on demographic characteristics and use of alcohol and tobacco were used for this. The results showed that students who stated they were users scored significantly higher on impulsivity. Thus detailed analysis of the profile of individuals with this risk factor could favor more adequate intervention program design.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3479-3497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihye Seo ◽  
Ki Deuk Hyun

Social media increases opportunities to glimpse celebrities’ glamorous lifestyles and to interact with celebrities. This study examines how the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for celebrity-related information and interactions influences users’ life satisfaction. Data analysis demonstrates that celebrity-related SNS activities decrease users’ life satisfaction by increasing relative deprivation through comparison with celebrities. However, the comparison also leads to system justification, serving a palliative function to cope with the potentially negative consequences of such comparisons, which in turn increases life satisfaction. Interestingly, materialism moderates the relationship such that the effects of comparison with celebrities on system justification are observed only among SNS users who hold high materialism values. Also, the direct positive effects of celebrity-related SNS use on life satisfaction are stronger for those with high materialistic values than for those with low materialistic values. The multifaceted functions of celebrity-related SNS activities for life satisfaction are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athina Papadopoulou ◽  
Milena Menegola ◽  
Jens Kuhle ◽  
Sreeram V Ramagopalan ◽  
Marcus D’Souza ◽  
...  

Background: Progenitor cells from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles are assumed to contribute to remyelination and resolution of black holes (BHs) in multiple sclerosis (MS). This process may depend on the distance between the lesion and the SVZ. Objective: The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between lesion-to-ventricle (LV) distance and persistence of new BHs. Methods: We analysed the magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 289 relapsing–remitting (RR) MS patients, obtained during a multi-centre, placebo-controlled phase II trial over one year. Results: Overall, 112/289 patients showed 367 new BHs at the beginning of the trial. Of these, 225 were located in 94/112 patients at the level of the lateral ventricles on axial MRIs and included in this analysis. In total, 86/225 (38%) BHs persisted at month 12. LV distance in persistent BHs (PBHs) was not longer than in transient BHs. In fact PBHs tended to be closer to the SVZ than transient BHs. A generalised linear mixed multivariate model adjusted for BHs clustered within a patient and including patient- as well as lesion-specific factors revealed size, ring contrast enhancement, and shorter LV distance as independent predictors for BH persistence. Conclusion: Location of BHs close to the lateral ventricles does not appear to favourably influence the resolution of new BHs in RRMS.


2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Buric ◽  
Vladan Ducic ◽  
Jovan Mihajlovic ◽  
Jelena Lukovic ◽  
Jovan Dragojlovic

This study investigates the influence of atmospheric circulation in the Mediterranean region on the precipitation in Montenegro. Nine precipitation parameters have been used in the analysis and the relationship has been investigated by the Mediterranean and West Mediterranean Oscillation change index (MO and WeMO). According to a 60 - year observed period (1951-2010), the research results show that nothing characteristic happens with seasonal and annual precipitation sums because the trend is mainly insignificant. However, precipitation extremes are getting more extreme, which corresponds with a general idea of global warming. Negative consequences of daily intensity increase and frequency of precipitation days above fixed and percentile thresholds have been recorded recently in the form of torrents, floods, intensive erosive processes, etc., but it should be pointed out that human factor is partly a cause of such events. The estimate of the influence of teleconnection patterns primarily related to the Mediterranean Basin has shown that their variability affects the observed precipitation parameters on the territory of Montenegro regarding both seasonal and annual sums and frequency and intensity of extreme events shown by climate indices.


2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-81
Author(s):  
José De Arimatéia da Cruz

This book examines how the perception of terrorism threat erodes civil liberties, sows doubt about the loyalties of immigrants, and heightens the left-right ideological divide. The book presents original analysis of survey data and experiments conducted in Australia, Europe and the United States.Research in the book posits questions that others have largely avoided: How does the threat of terrorist violence undermine multicultural democracies? What are the psychological and social mechanisms that explain how the threat of terrorism can change political attitudes? What is the relationship between terrorism and death threats? What is the role of media in shaping the perception of terrorism threat? And what are the ethical responsibilities of journalists? This book will help readers distinguish between groundless speculation and solid scientific knowledge of the topic. Moreover, it provides concrete recommendations on how to prevent the most negative consequences of the polarization of political attitudes, such as social divisions, exclusivism and conflict. Given the broad geographical scope of the research presented in the book, specifically North America, Europe and Australia, this book will appeal to broad scope of readers.


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