Efficacy and Effectiveness of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy

Decades of intervention research have produced a rich body of evidence on the effects of psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies with children and adolescents. Here we summarize and critique that evidence. We review findings bearing on the efficacy of psychosocial treatments and medications under controlled experimental conditions. We also report evidence, where available, on the effectiveness of both classes of treatment with clinically referred youth treated in real-world clinical contexts. In general, the large body of evidence on efficacy contrasts sharply with the small base of evidence on effectiveness. Addressing this gap through an enriched research agenda could contribute importantly to linking scientific inquiry and clinical practice—to the benefit of both ventures. This is one element of a multifaceted agenda for future research and for synthesis of research, which will require the interplay of multiple disciplines related to child and adolescent mental health.     

Satellite cells and myonuclei in young and elderly women and men

The overall aim of this study was to assess the effects of aging on the satellite cell population. Muscle biopsies were taken from the tibialis anterior muscle of healthy, moderately active young (age range, 20-32 years; n = 31) and elderly (age range, 70-83 years; n = 27) women and men with comparable physical activity pattern. Satellite cells and myonuclei were visualized using a monoclonal antibody against neural cell adhesion molecule and counterstained with Mayer's hematoxylin. An average of 211 (range, 192-241) muscle fibers were examined for each individual. Compared with the young women and men, the elderly subjects had a significantly lower (P < 0.011) number of satellite cells per muscle fiber but a significantly higher (P < 0.004) number of myonuclei per muscle fiber. The number of satellite cells relative to the total number of nuclei [satellite cells/(myonuclei + satellite cells)] was significantly lower in the elderly than in the young women and men. These results imply that a reduction in the satellite cell population occurs as a result of increasing age in healthy men and women.     

Opiate and digitalis receptor assays distinguish between neuroexcitant and inactive organochlorines and between anesthetics and convulsants

Specific binding of [3H]naloxone to rat brain tissue in vitro was inhibited by the excitant organochlorinated insecticides (OCI), by ether (E) and octanol (OCT), and by the convulsant indoklon (IND) and its anesthetic isomer, isoindoklon (ISO). In the presence of 100 mM NaCl the inhibition of naloxone binding by E, OCT and ISO was greatly potentiated, whereas that by OCI and IND was attenuated. KCl (100 mM) was equally effective as NaCl on the action of anesthetics, but the effect of the excitant drugs was, in contrast to NaCl, unaffected by KCl. Specific binding of [3H]ouabain in the absence of Na, was depressed by anesthetics and enhanced by neuroexcitants. In the presence of NaCl, which by itself inhibits ouabain binding to brain, both anesthetics and excitants enhanced ouabain binding. DDE, a non-insecticidal analog of DDT, and the dimethyl derivative of the OCI, lindane, were inactive in the receptor assays. These observations point to a unique isolated system which responds consistently to anesthetic agents as a class and, in a different way, to neuroexcitant compounds.     

Necdin蛋白与神经元的生长分化

在神经系统 ,Necdin只在成熟神经元的细胞核中表达 ,可能与成熟神经元分裂静止状态的保持有关。近年的研究表明 ,Necdin是一种生长抑制蛋白 ,能与多种因子如SV4 0大T抗原 ,腺病毒E1A ,转录因子E2F1以及肿瘤抑制蛋白p5 3等结合 ,在功能上类似于成视网膜瘤蛋白Rb。necdin基因缺陷时 ,会引起脑内 ,特别是下丘脑神经元分化障碍。人类necdin基因位于PWS综合征的基因缺失区 ,可能与PWS的一些症状有关。本文从Necdin蛋白的基本概况 ,生物功能以及Necdin与疾病三个方面进行了综述     

Learning and forgetting new names and objects in MCI and AD

We studied how subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), early Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-matched controls learned and maintained the names of unfamiliar objects that were trained with or without semantic support (object definitions). Naming performance, phonological cueing, incidental learning of the definitions and recognition of the objects were tested during follow-up. We found that word learning was significantly impaired in MCI and AD patients, whereas forgetting patterns were similar across groups. Semantic support showed a beneficial effect on object name retrieval in the MCI group 8 weeks after training, suggesting that the MCI patients’ preserved semantic memory can compensate for impaired episodic memory. The MCI group performed equally well as the controls in the tasks measuring incidental learning and recognition memory, whereas the AD group showed impairment in this respect. Both the MCI and the AD group benefited less from phonological cueing than the controls. Our findings indicate that word learning is compromised in both MCI and AD, whereas long-term retention of newly learned words is not affected to the same extent. Incidental learning and recognition memory seem to be well preserved in MCI.     

Necdin蛋白与神经元的生长分化

在神经系统,Necdin只在成熟神经元的细胞核中表达,可能与成熟神经元分裂静止状态的保持有关.近年的研究表明,Necdin是一种生长抑制蛋白,能与多种因子如SV40大T抗原,腺病毒E1A,转录因子E2F1以及肿瘤抑制蛋白p53等结合,在功能上类似于成视网膜瘤蛋白Rb.necdin基因缺陷时,会引起脑内,特别是下丘脑神经元分化障碍.人类necdin基因位于PWS综合征的基因缺失区,可能与PWS的一些症状有关.本文从Necdin蛋白的基本概况,生物功能以及Necdin与疾病三个方面进行了综述.     

Dissociation and Counterdissociation: Nuanced and Binary Perceptions of Good and Evil

Dissociated experiences are often communicated to analysts. Clinicians may absorb patients' dissociation, thereby creating “counterdissociated” states. Counterdissociation contributes to binary thinking in the analyst similar to black- and-white thinking commonly seen in patients' dissociated states. This can have both positive and negative effects: Counterdissociation may help therapists identify with patients' experience, thereby cementing the therapeutic bond. If analysts remain counterdissociated, however, patients may remain dissociated. As analysts identify their counterdissociation, they may gain insight into patients' needs for dissociation. As they overcome counterdissociation, patients may concurrently overcome dissociation. This allows both to have a more nuanced view of inner experience. With two extended case studies of sexually abused men, this article tracks how an analyst deals with counterdissociation created through intimate contact with dissociated positive and negative introjects of victimizers, thus forming identifications or overidentifications with the patients' abused parts.     

Hemodynamic and serum cardiac markers and risk of cognitive impairment and dementia

Introduction

Cardiac function is a key player in maintaining energy homeostasis in the brain. Heart failure is closely related to higher risk of neurocognitive disorders. Recent evidence shows that this relationship might not be limited to patients with advanced heart failure, and even suboptimal cardiac functioning is associated with accelerated brain aging. Hence, hemodynamic and serum cardiac markers may provide valuable information about the risk of dementia.

Cardiovascular and somatic startle and defense: Concordant and discordant actions of benzodiazepine receptor agonists and inverse agonists

Benzodiazepine receptor (BZR) agonists and inverse agonists yield generally opposing effects on GABAergic transmission, and the functional consequences of these ligands are often bidirectional. BZR agonists exert anxiolytic effects, whereas the BZR partial inverse agonist FG 7142 has been reported to have anxiogenic actions in a variety of paradigms. In keeping with this literature, we found that the cardioacceleratory defensive response is enhanced by FG 7142, and attenuated by the BZR agonist chlordiazepoxide. In contrast, both compounds attenuated basal and fear-potentiated somatic startle responses. This did not appear to reflect a global reduction of startle reactivity, however, as the cardiac startle response was not significantly altered. These findings support the view that multiple substrates underlie distinct aspects or features of fear and anxiety. The results are consistent with the suggestion that FG 7142 may selectively enhance those aspects of anxiety that depend on cortical-cognitive processing.