Faculty Opinions recommendation of Meta-analysis of mouse transcriptomic studies supports a context-dependent astrocyte reaction in acute CNS injury versus neurodegeneration.

We present a comprehensive empirical evaluation of the ACT-R-based model of sentence processing developed by Lewis & Vasishth (2005) (LV05). The predictions of the model are compared with the results of a recent meta-analysis of published reading studies on retrieval interference in reflexive-/reciprocal-antecedent and subject-verb dependencies (Jäger, Engelmann, & Vasishth, 2017). The comparison shows that the model has only partial success in explaining the data; and we propose that its prediction space is restricted by oversimplifying assumptions. We then implement a revised model that takes into account differences between individual experimental designs in terms of the prominence of the target and the distractor in memory and context-dependent cue-feature associations. The predictions of the original and the revised model are quantitatively compared with the results of the meta-analysis. Our simulations show that, compared to the original LV05 model, the revised model accounts for the data better. The results suggest that effects of prominence and variable cue-feature associations need to be considered in the interpretation of existing empirical results and in the design and planning of future experiments. With regard to retrieval interference in sentence processing and to the broader field of psycholinguistic studies, we conclude that well-specified models in tandem with high-powered experiments are needed in order to uncover the underlying cognitive processes.

Download Full-text

Unveiling sex-based differences in the effects of alcohol abuse: a comprehensive functional meta-analysis of transcriptomic studies

10.1101/2020.08.17.254185 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Franc Casanova Ferrer ◽

María Pascual ◽

Marta R. Hidalgo ◽

Pablo Malmierca-Merlo ◽

Consuelo Guerri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Intracellular Transport ◽

Alcohol Intake ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Subsequent Development ◽

Social Consequences ◽

Psychological Consequences ◽

Biological Mechanisms ◽

Physiological Mechanisms ◽

Transcriptomic Studies

AbstractThe abuse of alcohol, one of the most popular psychoactive substances, can cause several pathological and psychological consequences, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). An impaired ability to stop or control alcohol intake despite adverse health or social consequences characterize AUD. While AUDs predominantly occur in men, growing evidence suggests the existence of distinct cognitive and biological consequences of alcohol dependence in women. The molecular and physiological mechanisms participating in these differential effects remain unknown. Transcriptomic technology permits the detection of the biological mechanisms responsible for such sex-based differences, which supports the subsequent development of novel personalized therapeutics to treat AUD. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of transcriptomics studies regarding alcohol dependence in humans with representation from both sexes. For each study, we processed and analyzed transcriptomic data to obtain a functional profile of pathways and biological functions and then integrated the resulting data by meta-analysis to characterize any sex-based transcriptomic differences associated with AUD. Global results of the transcriptomic analysis revealed the association of decreased tissue regeneration, embryo malformations, altered intracellular transport, and increased rate of RNA and protein replacement with female AUD patients. Meanwhile, our analysis indicated that increased inflammatory response and blood pressure and a reduction in DNA repair capabilities associated with male AUD patients. In summary, our functional meta-analysis of transcriptomic studies provides evidence for differential biological mechanisms that AUD patients of differing sex.Abstract Figure

Download Full-text

Measuring context-dependent memory in rodents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of important variables in the object-in-context task.

10.1101/2021.03.12.435070 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Milou Sep ◽

Marijn Vellinga ◽

R. Angela Sarabdjitsingh ◽

Marian Joëls

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Animal Experiments ◽

Data Driven ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Critical Factors ◽

Context Dependent ◽

Set Up ◽

Rats And Mice ◽

Learning Trials

Environmental information plays an important role in remembering events. Information about stable aspects of the environment (here referred to as ‘context’) and the event are combined by the hippocampal system and stored as context-dependent memory. In rodents (such as rats and mice), context-dependent memory is often investigated with the object-in-context task. However, the implementation and interpretation of this task varies considerably across studies. This variation hampers the comparison between studies and - for those who design a new experiment or carry out pilot experiments – the estimation of whether observed behavior is within the expected range. Also, it is currently unclear which of the variables critically influence the outcome of the task. To address these issues, we carried out a preregistered systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42020191340) and provide an up-to-date overview of the animal-, task-, and protocol-related variations in the object-in-context task for rodents. Using a data-driven explorative meta-analysis we next identified critical factors influencing the outcome of this task, such as sex, testbox size and the delay between the learning trials. Based on these observations we provide recommendations to create more consensus in the set-up, procedure and interpretation of the object-in-context task for rodents. This could contribute to a more robust and evidence-based design in future animal experiments.

Download Full-text

The meaning of respect under varying context conditions

Journal of Social and Political Psychology ◽

10.5964/jspp.7313 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 536-552

Author(s):

Christoph Daniel Schaefer ◽

Steffen Zitzmann ◽

Lukas Loreth ◽

Julian Paffrath ◽

Hilmar Grabow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intergroup Relations ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Mutual Recognition ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Social Recognition ◽

Context Dependent ◽

Majority Groups ◽

Legal Force

The concept of respect figures prominently in several theories on intergroup relations. Previous studies suggested that the experience of being respected is primarily related to the feeling of being recognized as an equal, as opposed to social recognition of needs or achievements. Those studies focused, however, on either minority groups or ad hoc groups, thereby possibly giving equality recognition an advantage. This article extends previous findings by comparing societal groups situated in various contexts. We examined eight groups from four countries. We anticipated and found that the link between respect and equality recognition was stronger for groups that are in the position of minorities compared to groups associated with majorities. Owing to the moral and legal force of the norm of equality, disadvantaged minorities in particular might be able to improve their societal position by founding their claims on the equality principle. Need recognition, in contrast, was less influential for minority groups than for majority groups. While we observed these context-dependent variations, an internal meta-analysis showed that feeling recognized as an equal was, overall, the strongest indicator for feeling respected. This suggests that demands for respect could often be addressed by establishing relationships in society that are based on mutual recognition as equals, while the implications of achievement and need recognition should additionally be considered in specific contexts.

Download Full-text