GENETIC FACTORS OF ALCOHOLIC PSYCHOSIS DEVELOPMENT

Известно, что наследственную предрасположенность к алкоголизму на фенотипическом уровне можно изучать с помощью генетических маркеров, возможно отражающих их связь с заболеванием [2, 3]. Многие авторы говорят о существовании биологической предрасположенности к алкоголизму, закрепленной на генетическом уровне [1, 4, 5, 6], однако природа и механизмы наследования при алкогольных психозах до настоящего времени остаются неясными. Цель настоящей работы - поиск маркеров повышенного риска развития алкогольных психозов путем проведения молекулярно-генетического анализа ДНК-маркеров основных ферментов метаболизма этанола It is known that the hereditary predisposition to alcoholism at the phenotypic level can be studied with the help of genetic markers, possibly reflecting their connection with the disease [2, 3]. Many authors say that there is a biological predisposition to alcoholism, fixed at the genetic level [1, 4, 5, 6], However, the nature and mechanisms of inheritance in alcoholic psychoses are still unclear. The aim of this work is to search for markers of increased risk of alcohol psychosis by conducting molecular genetic analysis of DNA markers of the main enzymes of ethanol metabolism.

Zrozumieć aleksytymię

The main goal of this article is to present a specific personality disorder that manifests in disorders of cognitive processing and emotion regulation that is known as alexithymia. Alexithymia reduces the chances of high quality of life in the psychosomatic and social aspects. Empirical research has indicated correlates with certain personality traits that affect the quality of interpersonal relations, such as low extraversion, avoidance coping, low self-esteem, poor adaptive skills, predisposition for social isolation. In this review, relationship between alexithymia and somatic health problems is discussed, along with selected research on this subject. Alexithymia is considered a biological predisposition for personality disorders and functional mental disorders. The final part of the article contains recommendations on psychotherapeutic interactions, which should be directed at deepening the awareness of experienced emotional states and modifications of pattern of interpersonal behavior.

The causal direction in the association between Parkinson’s disease and cigarette or nicotine use

The association between cigarette use and Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been well known in the literature since more than 50 years ago. Large population studies showed that smokers developed PD less often than non-smokers and that the duration of smoking was inversely proportional to PD risk. There are two primary hypotheses for this association in the literature. First, long-standing hypothesis, is that smoking cigarettes is neuroprotective. The second, recent hypothesis, is that there exists biological predisposition to PD, which also manifests in decreased stimulus seeking behavior, hence lesser likelihood to smoke or use nicotine (reverse causation). The objective of this article is to summarize the evidence available in the literature and evaluate the causality of the association between Parkinson’s disease and smoking cigarettes or nicotine ingestion. It is found that the first, directly causal hypothesis is a stronger contributor to the effect, although the reversely causal mechanism could play a role. It is found that smokeless tobacco use decreases the risk of PD stronger than smoking cigarettes does, suggesting that nicotine is more important in neuroprotection than other cigarette smoke constituents.

I do not understand but I care

Prosocial behaviour benefits another individual and occurs voluntarily. It may have a cognitive and a motivational component. The actor who benefits a recipient – for example by solving her/his problem (1) must recognize the recipient’s goal and understand how to fulfil it and (2) has to be motivated to support the recipient. In the current paper I will review recent studies on prosocial behavior in dogs and I will compare them to studies with primates. I will address the cognitive and motivational skills required for the actor in order to support the recipient. I conclude that dogs and also chimpanzees display a number of prosocial behaviours, but there are remarkable differences. In contrast to humans, which have an outstanding biological predisposition to benefit others, dogs and chimpanzees only do so under certain conditions.

Biomarkers of Perinatal Psychopathology

Much research has focused on understanding why women are at increased risk of serious mental health symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum. Although psychosocial stressors play a major role in perinatal psychiatric disorders, not every woman who experiences adverse psychosocial circumstances develops a major psychiatric illness during this time. As such, attention has focused on exploring how biological factors might impact the development of perinatal psychopathology. This chapter reviews biological changes during pregnancy and the postpartum that may contribute to the onset and/or exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms and disorders in the perinatal period. It discusses heritability and genetics research suggesting that some women may have a biological predisposition to developing psychopathology in the perinatal period. Then, the chapter focuses on pregnancy- and childbirth-related biological changes in sex hormones; the neurotransmitter, endocrine, and immune systems; and sleep that may be contributing biological factors in perinatal psychopathology for women at risk.

Understanding emotion: Lessons from anxiety

We agree that conceptualisation is key in understanding the brain basis of emotion. We argue that by conflating facial emotion recognition with subjective emotion experience, Lindquist et al. understate the importance of biological predisposition in emotion. We use examples from the anxiety disorders to illustrate the distinction between these two phenomena, emphasising the importance of both emotional hardware and contextual learning.