scholarly journals Reduced loss aversion in subclinical negative symptoms and hypomania

Author(s):  
Federica Klaus ◽  
Justin Chumbley ◽  
Erich Seifritz ◽  
Stefan Kaiser ◽  
Matthias Hartmann-Riemer

AbstractLoss aversion is a behavioral phenomenon that describes a higher sensitivity to losses than to gains and influences decisions. Decision-making is altered in several psychopathologic states, such as in the two symptom dimensions of hypomania and negative symptoms. It has been argued that progress in our understanding of psychopathology requires a reorientation from the traditional, syndrome-based perspective to a more detailed study of individual constituent symptoms. In the present study, we made careful efforts to dissociate the relationship of loss aversion to negative symptoms, from its relationship with hypomanic symptoms. We selected a sample of 45 subjects from a healthy student population (n = 835) according to psychopathologic scales for hypomania and negative symptoms and stratified them into a control group (n = 15), a subclinical hypomania group (n = 15) and a negative symptoms group (n = 15). Participants completed a loss aversion task consisting of forced binary choices between a monetary gamble and a riskless choice with no gain or loss. We found, that these two symptom dimensions of hypomania and negative symptoms have a similar inverse relation to loss aversion as demonstrated by analysis of variance. Further research is warranted to describe the underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms at play. Given the partially opposing nature of hypomania and negative symptoms it further needs to be elucidated whether they are linked to loss aversion via dissociable mechanisms.

1990 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 430-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Argyle

Of 20 patients attending a clinic for maintenance therapy of schizophrenia, seven had regular panic attacks, and these were often associated with agoraphobia and social phobia. Similar fears and avoidance in other cases were associated with paranoid ideas and negative symptoms. The relationship of panic to psychotic symptoms varied greatly. In two patients neuroleptics were associated with an increase in panic attacks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianshuang Li ◽  
Tong Li ◽  
Shuo Li ◽  
Lipeng Xie ◽  
Yi-Lin Yang ◽  
...  

Previous studies have demonstrated that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis is closely related to tumors such as malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). This research was conducted in order to detect whether CXCL12/CXCR4 inhibitors could restrain MPM and have a synergistic effect with chemotherapy, also to investigate the relationship of CXCL12/CXCR4 with other gene expressions in MPM. Forty mice were injected MPM cells and randomly divided into four groups: the PBS (control group), AMD3100 (CXCR4-CXCL12 antagonist), pemetrexed and AMD3100 plus pemetrexed. The mice were treated respectively for duration of 3 weeks. The size, bioluminescence and weight of tumors were measured. The differences between gene expressions in each group were analyzed. The tumor weights of each treatment group were lower than that of the control group (p<0.05). The bioluminescence of the tumor of the AMD3100 treatment group and the AMD3100 plus pemetrexed treatment group were lower than that of the control group (p<0.05), and AMD3100 was shown to have synergistic effects with pemetrexed (p<0.05). Among the 2.5 billion genes, several hundreds of genes expressed differently between groups. Results show that AMD3100 and pemetrexed can inhibit the growth of MPM in vivo, also that there is a better result if both are used together. Our findings suggest that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis affects a certain amount of gene expression in MPM.


2008 ◽  
Vol 132 (12) ◽  
pp. 1903-1906
Author(s):  
Amy C. Gruszecki ◽  
Gerald McGwin, Jr ◽  
C. Andrew Robinson, Jr ◽  
Gregory G. Davis

Abstract Context.—Forensic pathologists regularly investigate the deaths of individuals with a history of drug abuse. Autopsy, including toxicology testing, reveals no cause for death in a subset of this cohort. Objective.—To determine whether deaths with an undetermined cause and manner of death are associated with a history of drug abuse. Design.—Retrospective matched case-control study of 52 decedents whose cause of death remained undetermined following autopsy, matched 1:2 to a control group of living patients admitted for cholecystectomy according to age and date of death or procedure. Results.—Individuals whose cause of death was undetermined were 5.3 times (95% confidence interval, 1.9– 14.5) more likely to have a history of drug abuse than were patients with cholecystitis. Conclusions.—Decedents with a history of chronic drug abuse appear to be at an increased risk of dying by their chronic drug abuse, even in the absence of any anatomical or toxicologic finding at autopsy to account for death.


Author(s):  
Georg Northoff ◽  
Karl Erik Sandsten ◽  
Julie Nordgaard ◽  
Troels Wesenberg Kjaer ◽  
Josef Parnas

Abstract Schizophrenia (SCZ) can be characterized as a basic self-disorder that is featured by abnormal temporal integration on phenomenological (experience) and psychological (information processing) levels. Temporal integration on the neuronal level can be measured by the brain’s intrinsic neural timescale using the autocorrelation window (ACW) and power-law exponent (PLE). Our goal was to relate intrinsic neural timescales (ACW, PLE), as a proxy of temporal integration on the neuronal level, to temporal integration related to self-disorder on psychological (Enfacement illusion task in electroencephalography) and phenomenological (Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience [EASE]) levels. SCZ participants exhibited prolonged ACW and higher PLE during the self-referential task (Enfacement illusion), but not during the non-self-referential task (auditory oddball). The degree of ACW/PLE change during task relative to rest was significantly reduced in self-referential task in SCZ. A moderation model showed that low and high ACW/PLE exerted differential impact on the relationship of self-disorder (EASE) and negative symptoms (PANSS). In sum, we demonstrate abnormal prolongation in intrinsic neural timescale during self-reference in SCZ including its relation to basic self-disorder and negative symptoms. Our results point to abnormal relation of self and temporal integration at the core of SCZ constituting a “common currency” of neuronal, psychological, and phenomenological levels.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mrinal K. Oasgupta ◽  
Kelvin B. Bettcher ◽  
Raymond A. Ulan ◽  
Valorie Burns ◽  
Kan Lam ◽  
...  

To examine the relationship of the formation of biofilm (adherent bacterial microcolonies) to recurrent peritonitis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPO) we examined the surfaces of 25 recovered Tenckhoff (T) catheters by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microbiological examination of scrapings. Twelve catheters had been removed after successful transplantation; the patients had not been dialyzed for three months and had no evidence of peritonitis during that period (control group), and only seven had experienced peritonitis (I or 2 episodes) before transplantation. All 13 patients in the study group had experienced repeated episodes of peritonitis (range 3–13, average, 5.6). We detected no significant differences between the control and study groups with respect to the percentage of catheter-surface covered by biofilm, or the proportion of catheter segments whose scrapings yielded positive bacterial cultures. It is concluded that large areas of the T catheters of CAPO patients are colonized by bacterial biofilms but only active dialysis predisposes to recurrent peritonitis.


2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sedat IŞIKAY ◽  
Nurgül IŞIKAY ◽  
Halil KOCAMAZ

Background Familial Mediterranean Fever and celiac disease are both related to auto-inflammation and/or auto-immunity and they share some common clinical features such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and flatulence. Objectives We aimed to determine the association of these two diseases, if present. Methods Totally 112 patients diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever and 32 cases as healthy control were included in the study. All participants were examined for the evidence of celiac disease, with serum tissue transglutaminase IgA levels (tTG IgA). Results Totally 144 cases, 112 with Familial Mediterranean Fever and 32 healthy control cases were included in the study. tTG IgA positivity was determined in three cases with Familial Mediterranean Fever and in one case in control group. In that aspect there was no significant difference regarding the tTG IgA positivity between groups (P=0.81). Duodenum biopsy was performed to the tTG IgA positive cases and revealed Marsh Type 3b in two Familial Mediterranean Fever cases and Marsh Type 3c in the other one while the biopsy results were of the only tTG IgA positive case in control group was Marsh Type 3b. In HLA evaluation of the celiac cases; HLA DQ2 was present in two celiac cases of the Familial Mediterranean Fever group and in the only celiac case of the control group while HLA DQ8 was present in one celiac case of the Familial Mediterranean Fever group. Conclusions We did not determine an association of Familial Mediterranean Fever with celiac disease. Larger studies with subgroup analysis are warranted to determine the relationship of these two diseases.


Author(s):  
Erdal Kurnaz ◽  
Yaşar Şen ◽  
Süleyman Aydın

AbstractBackground:The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of kisspeptin and ghrelin (GAH), as well as the relationship of these two peptides with each other in premature thelarche (PT) and premature adrenarche (PA) cases and to investigate the possibility of using these peptides as markers in the differentiation of puberty disorders.Methods:A PT group aged 1–8 years (n = 40), a PA group aged 1–9 years (n = 23, female/male = 20/3) and control groups consistent with each of the previous groups in terms of age and gender were created for the study. Kisspeptin and ghrelin levels were measured with ELISA methods from blood samples drawn while fasting in the morning.Results:When the PT group was compared with the controls, the plasma kisspeptin levels of the cases were significantly higher than the control group (165.47 ± 15.45 pmol/L, 96.82 ± 12.33 pmol/L, p = 0.005, respectively). Kisspeptin levels in the PA group did not show a difference with the control group (121.36 ± 17.99 pmol/L, 95.52 ± 11.54 pmol/L, p = 0.249, respectively). No significant difference could be found when GAH levels in the PT and PA groups were compared with controls. No significant correlation was found between kisspeptin and GAH levels in the PT and PA groups.Conclusions:Our results indicate that kisspeptin plays an important role in the PT, but GAH is not associated with puberty disorders.


Author(s):  
Naomi Ekas ◽  
Thomas L. Whitman

Abstract Researchers examining the relationship of autism symptomatology and maternal stress have defined symptomatology in terms of level of severity, frequency of occurrence, or symptom type. In the present study, the relationship of maternal perceptions of these dimensions, along with a fourth, symptom diversity, and negative and positive indices of maternal socioemotional functioning was evaluated. Results indicate that each of these symptom dimensions was correlated with most of the measures of negative socioemotional status, together accounting for a substantial portion of the variance in these outcomes. The dimensions were especially robust predictors of negative but not positive maternal outcomes. The need for a systematic multidimensional assessment to evaluate autism symptomatology and its social impact was discussed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1308-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Ventura ◽  
K. L. Subotnik ◽  
A. Ered ◽  
D. Gretchen-Doorly ◽  
G. S. Hellemann ◽  
...  

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