Top‐down control of audiovisual search by bimodal search templates

To test whether the attentional selection of targets defined by a combination of visual and auditory features is guided in a modality‐specific fashion or by control processes that are integrated across modalities, we measured attentional capture by visual stimuli during unimodal visual and audiovisual search. Search arrays were preceded by spatially uninformative visual singleton cues that matched the current target‐defining visual feature. Participants searched for targets defined by a visual feature, or by a combination of visual and auditory features (e.g., red targets accompanied by high‐pitch tones). Spatial cueing effects indicative of attentional capture were reduced during audiovisual search, and cue‐triggered N2pc components were attenuated and delayed. This reduction of cue‐induced attentional capture effects during audiovisual search provides new evidence for the multimodal control of selective attention.     

The anti-orienting phenomenon revisited: effects of gaze cues on antisaccade performance

When the eye gaze of a face is congruent with the direction of an upcoming target, saccadic eye movements of the observer towards that target are generated more quickly, in comparison with eye gaze incongruent with the direction of the target. This work examined the conflict in an antisaccade task, when eye gaze points towards the target, but the saccadic eye movement should be triggered in the opposite direction. In a gaze cueing paradigm, a central face provided an attentional gaze cue towards the target or away from the target. Participants (N = 38) generated pro- and antisaccades to peripheral targets that were congruent or incongruent with the previous gaze cue. Paradoxically, facilitatory effects of a gaze cue towards the target were observed for both the pro- and antisaccade tasks. The results are consistent with the idea that eye gaze cues are processed in the task set that is compatible with the saccade programme. Thus, in an antisaccade paradigm, participants may anti-orient with respect to the gaze cue, resulting in faster saccades on trials when the gaze cue is towards the target. The results resemble a previous observation by Fischer and Weber (Exp Brain Res 109:507–512, 1996) using low-level peripheral cues. The current study extends this finding to include central socially communicative cues.     

Increasing sleep duration to lower beat‐to‐beat blood pressure: a pilot study

Strong evidence has accumulated over the last several years, showing that low sleep quantity and/or quality plays an important role in the elevation of blood pressure. We hypothesized that increasing sleep duration serves as an effective behavioral strategy to reduce blood pressure in prehypertension or type 1 hypertension. Twenty‐two participants with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension, and habitual sleep durations of 7 h or less, participated in a 6‐week intervention study. Subjects were randomized to a sleep extension group (48 ± 12 years, N = 13) aiming to increase bedtime by 1 h daily over a 6‐week intervention period, or to a sleep maintenance group (47 ± 12 years, N = 9) aiming to maintain habitual bedtimes. Both groups received sleep hygiene instructions. Beat‐to‐beat blood pressure was monitored over 24 h, and 24‐h urine and a fasting blood sample were collected pre‐ and post‐intervention. Subjects in the sleep extension group increased their actigraphy‐assessed daily sleep duration by 35 ± 9 min, while subjects in the sleep maintenance condition increased slightly by 4 ± 9 min (P = 0.03 for group effect). Systolic and diastolic beat‐to‐beat blood pressure averaged across the 24‐h recording period significantly decreased from pre‐ to post‐intervention visit in the sleep extension group by 14 ± 3 and 8 ± 3 mmHg, respectively (P < 0.05). Though the reduction of 7 ± 5 and 3 ± 4 mmHg in the sleep maintenance group was not significant, it did not differ from the blood pressure reduction in the sleep extension group (P = 0.15 for interaction effect). These changes were not paralleled by pre‐ to post‐intervention changes in inflammatory or sympatho‐adrenal markers, nor by changes in caloric intake. While these preliminary findings have to be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, they encourage future investigations to test whether behavioral interventions designed to increase sleep duration serve as an effective strategy in the treatment of hypertension.     

Cognitive‐Behavioral School‐Based Interventions for Anxious and Depressed Youth: A Meta‐Analysis of Outcomes

A meta‐analysis of school‐based interventions for anxious and depressed youth using QUORUM guidelines was conducted. Studies were located by searching electronic databases, manual effort, and contact with expert researchers. Analyses examined 63 studies with 8,225 participants receiving cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) and 6,986 in comparison conditions. Mean pre–post effect sizes indicate that anxiety‐focused school‐based CBT was moderately effective in reducing anxiety (Hedge's g = 0.501) and depression‐focused school‐based CBT was mildly effective in reducing depression (Hedge's g = 0.298) for youth receiving interventions as compared to those in anxiety intervention control conditions (Hedge's g = 0.193) and depression intervention controls (Hedge's g = 0.091). Predictors of outcome were explored. School‐based CBT interventions for youth anxiety and for youth depression hold considerable promise, although investigation is still needed to identify features that optimize service delivery and outcome.     

Decision‐ and feedback‐related brain potentials reveal risk processing mechanisms in patients with alcohol use disorder

Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are aware of the risks of alcohol abuse yet continue risky drinking. Research indicates that dysfunctional decision processes and trait variables such as impulsivity contribute to this awareness‐behavior discrepancy. The present study focused on decision‐related versus feedback‐related processes as potential contributors to decision making in AUD by examining the relationship between decision choices and decision‐ and feedback‐related ERP phenomena in the balloon analogue risk task (BART). N = 39 AUD and n = 35 healthy comparison participants (HC) performed the BART modified for EEG assessment. In each of 100 runs, participants made a series of choices about whether to pump up a virtual balloon, which popped pseudorandomly, ending the run. Alternatively, participants ended the run by pressing a “cash‐out” button. Each pump not producing a pop provided .05 €; popping resulted in loss of the run’s accumulated gain. Groups made similar choices, though AUD responded more slowly. The decision P3 200?400 ms after decision prompt (balloon) was larger in AUD than in HC, and decision P3 enhancement on high‐risk trials predicted choices to pump. Feedback‐related negativity (FRN) after loss (relative to cash out) feedback was smaller in AUD than in HC, suggesting indifference to negative feedback. In AUD, high impulsivity was associated with risk‐modulated decision P3 but not FRN. Results indicate atypical decision‐ and feedback‐related processes that could contribute to difficulties in engaging with daily challenges effectively.     

Brief school‐based interventions to assist adolescents’ sleep‐onset latency: Comparing mindfulness and constructive worry versus controls

Difficulties falling asleep are common among adolescents, especially during times of stress. Adolescents may thus benefit from brief techniques (15 min) that decrease pre‐sleep cognitive‐emotional arousal and sleep‐onset latency. The present study used a 3 (intervention: mindfulness bodyscan mp3, constructive worry, control) by 3 (time: baseline, week 1, week 2) mixed‐model design on a school‐based sample of adolescents (N = 232; M_age = 15.9 ± 0.8 years, range = 14–18 years; 19% male), and a sub‐sample of adolescents with prolonged sleep‐onset latency (i.e. ≥30 min; N = 119; M_age = 16.9 ± 0.9 years; 21% male). It was expected that the 15‐min pre‐recorded breath‐based mindfulness bodyscan, and constructive worry, would decrease sleep‐onset latency and pre‐sleep arousal similarly over time, relative to the control condition. A significant interaction was observed among adolescents with prolonged sleep‐onset latency, who completed ≥3 days for at least 1 week (p = .001), where mindfulness decreased sleep‐onset latency relative to constructive worry and the control. Neither technique changed pre‐sleep worry or cognitive‐emotional arousal, or associated daytime functioning (both the whole sample and sub‐sample). A pre‐recorded mp3 breath‐based mindfulness bodyscan technique is a promising means by which adolescents with prolonged sleep‐onset latency can decrease sleep‐onset latency. This simple tool has potential for scalable dissemination by stakeholders (e.g. teachers), unqualified to treat adolescent sleep difficulties. Future studies are needed to determine whether benefits may extend to academic performance and mental health, if performed for a longer time period with increased compliance.     

Evidence for multisensory integration in the elicitation of prior entry by bimodal cues

This study reports an experiment investigating the relative effects of intramodal, crossmodal and bimodal cues on visual and auditory temporal order judgements. Pairs of visual or auditory targets, separated by varying stimulus onset asynchronies, were presented to either side of a central fixation (±45°), and participants were asked to identify the target that had occurred first. In some of the trials, one of the targets was preceded by a short, non-predictive visual, auditory or audiovisual cue stimulus. The cue and target stimuli were presented at the exact same locations in space. The point of subjective simultaneity revealed a consistent spatiotemporal bias towards targets at the cued location. For the visual targets, the intramodal cue elicited the largest, and the crossmodal cue the smallest, bias. The bias elicited by the bimodal cue fell between the intramodal and crossmodal cue biases, with significant differences between all cue types. The pattern for the auditory targets was similar apart from a scaling factor and greater variance, so the differences between the cue conditions did not reach significance. These results provide evidence for multisensory integration in exogenous attentional cueing. The magnitude of the bimodal cueing effect was equivalent to the average of the facilitation elicited by the intramodal and crossmodal cues. Under the assumption that the visual and auditory cues were equally informative, this is consistent with the notion that exogenous attention, like perception, integrates multimodal information in an optimal way.     

Efficacy and safety of the SQ‐standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet in mono‐ and polysensitized subjects

The efficacy of single‐allergen‐specific immunotherapy in polysensitized subjects is a matter of debate. We therefore performed a post hoc analysis of pooled data from six randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials (N = 1871) comparing the efficacy and safety of the SQ‐standardized grass allergy immunotherapy tablet (AIT), Grazax (Phleum pratense 75 000 SQ‐T/2800 BAU, ALK, Denmark), in mono‐ and polysensitized subjects. A statistically significant reduction in the mean total combined symptom/medication score (TCS) of 27% was demonstrated in actively treated subjects compared with placebo (P < 0.0001). This was not dependent on sensitization status (P = 0.5772), suggesting a similar treatment effect in mono‐ and polysensitized subjects (i.e. reductions of the TCSs of 28% and 26%, respectively, both P < 0.0001). Finally, a comparable and favourable safety profile of grass AIT was demonstrated in the two subgroups. Thus, no difference in efficacy and safety of single‐allergen grass AIT was observed between mono‐ and polysensitized subjects.     

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for pain management in combat‐related transtibial amputees during rehabilitation and prosthetic training

Military members with war‐related lower limb amputation experience a range of acute and chronic pain symptoms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain during 12 weeks of a military amputee rehabilitation program (MARP ) pre‐ and post‐prosthesis. The data for this study were drawn from a randomized clinical trial comparing MARP supplemented with neuromuscular electrostimulation (MARP  + NMES , n  = 23) to MARP alone (n  = 21) for service members with unilateral transtibial amputation. The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ ) and phantom limb pain/sensations were assessed at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 weeks. Changes within‐ and between‐groups were analyzed with generalized mixed models. Participants reported mild‐to‐moderate pain at all visits, and improved significantly on the MPQ and frequency of phantom limb pain/sensations (p  < .001 for effect of time). Group by time interactions were not significant, indicating both groups showed similar improvement. Univariate tests showed the NMES  + MARP group had lower pain intensity than MARP ‐only group at weeks 3 and 6. Participants in MARP demonstrated good overall pain control and reported reduced pain and fewer days with phantom limb pain/sensations over 12 weeks. Adding NMES to MARP may be beneficial in early rehabilitation, and NMES could potentially enhance physical therapy participation by decreasing pain.     

Diagnostic Yield of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP‐70) and Anti‐HSP‐70 in Behcet‐Induced Uveitis

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are intracellular proteins with pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory actions, playing an important role in the pathogenesis of Behcet's disease (BD). Diagnosis of BD uveitis in early stages is still problematic, thus this study was undertaken to determine diagnostic values of serum HSP‐ and anti‐HSP‐70 in BD uveitis. Serum levels of HSP‐ and anti‐HSP‐70 were measured in 53 patients with BD (26 with and 27 without uveitis). In control group, 25 age‐ and sex‐matched idiopathic uveitis patients were enrolled consecutively. Both groups had no medical problems save uveitis at the time of sampling. Confounders like medications were analysed subsequently. HSP‐ and anti‐HSP‐70 values were measured by commercial ELISA kits. Data were analysed by spss 11.5 and medcalc 11.5.1 software. The Mean HSP‐70 serum levels were different among aforementioned subgroups (P = 0.001, anova ). They were elevated in BD uveitis compared with BD without uveitis (4.84 ± 4.21 versus 2.24 ± 2.08 ng/ml; P = 0.045). HSP‐70 in sera of BD uveitis was also higher than that parameter in patients with idiopathic uveitis (4.84 ± 4.21 versus 2.37 ± 3.30 ng/ml; P = 0.001; cut‐off point value 1.0 9 ng/ml, 95% CI 0.61–0.86, P = 0.0002, ß = 0.06). However, there was not any statistical difference among those groups in the serum anti‐HSP‐70 levels (P = 0.63, anova ). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that among different confounders, only prednisolone increases and BD uveitis decreases HSP‐70 levels independently. This prospective cross‐sectional study suggested that HSP‐70 serum level is impressed over the course of BD uveitis, and it could be utilized to diagnose or predict developing it.     

Applying computational modeling to assess age‐, sex‐, and strategy‐related differences in Spin the Pots,a working memory task for 2‐ to 4‐year‐olds

Working memory (WM) develops rapidly during early childhood. In the present study, visual WM (VSM) was measured using the well‐established Spin the Pots task (Hughes & Ensor, 2005), a complex non‐verbal eight‐location object occlusion task. A self‐ordered hiding procedure was adopted to allow for an examination of children's strategy use during a VWM task. Participants (N = 640) between the ages of 2 and 4 years were tested under semi‐naturalistic conditions, in the home or in a museum. Computational modeling was used to estimate an expected value for the total trials to complete Spin the Pots via a random search and child performance was compared to expected values. Based on this approach, we determined that children who found six stickers retrieved them in significantly fewer trials than the expected value, excluding chance performance and implicating VWM. Results also showed age‐related and sex‐related changes in VWM. Between 2 and 4 years of age, 4‐year‐olds performed significantly better than younger children and girls out‐performed the boys. Spontaneous use of a color matching hiding strategy was associated with a higher success rate on the task. Implications of these findings for early development of VWM are discussed.     

Neural correlates of age-related decline and compensation in visual attention capacity

We identified neural correlates of declined and preserved basic visual attention functions in aging individuals based on Bundesen “Theory of Visual Attention”. In an interindividual difference approach, we contrasted electrophysiology of higher- and lower-performing younger and older participants. In both age groups, the same distinct components indexed performance levels of parameters visual processing speed C and visual short-term memory storage capacity K. The posterior N1 marked interindividual differences in C and the contralateral delay activity marked interindividual differences in K. Moreover, both parameters were selectively related to 2 further event-related potential waves in older age. The anterior N1 was reduced for older participants with lower processing speed, indicating that age-related loss of attentional resources slows encoding. An enhanced right-central positivity was found only for older participants with high storage capacity, suggesting compensatory recruitment for retaining visual short-term memory performance. Together, our results demonstrate that attentional capacity in older age depends on both preservation and successful reorganization of the underlying brain circuits.     

Intentional forgetting might be more effortful than remembering: an ERP study of item-method directed forgetting

This study recorded ERPs while participants engaged in a procedure that combined semantic priming and item-method directed forgetting, aiming to investigate the issues of whether intentional forgetting demands cognitive efforts and modulates the semantic processing of to-be-remembered (TBR) and to-be-forgotten (TBF) items. Participants made lexical decisions to semantically related or unrelated prime and target words. A Remember/Forget cue, presented between the prime and target, designated the prime as TBR or TBF. When the cues were shown for 500 ms, targets preceded by Forget cues yielded a smaller P200 wave than those preceded by Remember cues. Furthermore, the topography of the N400 effect was different for targets preceded by Remember and Forget cues. The cues did not modulate the ERPs of the targets when they were shown for 1500 ms. Because P200 is sensitive to attention influence and the N400 effect reflects semantic processing, we conclude that forgetting is more effortful than remembering and that the semantic processing is different for TBR and TBF items. Nevertheless, there is a temporal limitation for the Remember/Forget cues to modulate the semantic processing and attentional resources in item-method directed forgetting.     

Resistance training does not alter same‐day sleep architecture in institutionalized older adults

Sleep disturbance is a common symptom in institutionalized older adults that reduces their quality of life and may contribute to progression of cognitive impairment. While we found that a 7‐week combination of resistance training, walking and social activity significantly improved sleep in institutionalized older adults compared with a usual care control group, no one to our knowledge has determined the acute effects of resistance training on same‐day sleep in this population. Given the effort required to promote exercise adherence in institutionalized older adults and to obtain a positive training effect, understanding of the acute effects of resistance training on same‐day sleep architecture should be elucidated, especially with respect to unintended consequences. This secondary data analysis assessed if resistance training altered the same‐day sleep architecture in institutionalized older adults. Forty‐three participants (age 81.5 ± 8.1 years, male = 17, female = 26) had two attended overnight polysomnography tests in their rooms for sleep architecture analysis; one polysomnography with same‐day resistance training, one without any resistance training. Resistance training consisted of chest and leg press exercises (three sets, eight repetitions, 80% predicted one‐repetition maximum). There were no significant changes in sleep architecture between either polysomnography nights; sleep efficiency (P = 0.71), time in non‐rapid eye movement stages (P = 0.50), time in rapid eye movement stages (P = 0.14), time awake (P = 0.56), time until sleep onset (P = 0.47), total sleep stage shifts (P = 0.65) or rapid eye movement sleep stage latency (P = 0.57). Our results show no acute same‐day effects of resistance training on sleep architecture in institutionalized older adults. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00888706.     

Four years comparative follow‐up evaluation of community‐based,step‐down,and residential specialist psychodynamic programmes for personality disorders

Although the fulcrum of service provision for personality disorder (PD) has shifted from hospital‐based to psychodynamically‐ and cognitively‐oriented outpatient programmes, very few studies have attempted to compare specialist moderate intensity outpatient programmes with specialist high‐intensity residential models, or to explore whether a period of inpatient treatment may be necessary to improve outcome and prognosis. In this article, we prospectively compare changes over a 4‐year period in 3 groups of patients with personality disorders (N  = 162) treated in a specialist community‐based (CBP, N  = 30), a step‐down (RT‐CBP, N  = 87), and a specialist residential programme (RT, N  = 45) in psychiatric distress, deliberate self‐injury, and suicide attempt using multilevel modelling and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The results showed that percentages of early‐dropout were significantly different (p  = .0001) for the 3 programmes (CBP = 13.4%, RT‐CBP = 10.2%, and RT = 41.4%). A significant interaction between treatment model and time was found for psychiatric distress (p  = .001), with CBP and RT‐CBP achieving more marked changes (g  = 1.20 and g  = 0.68, respectively) compared to RT (g  = 0.30) at 48‐month follow‐up. CBP and RT‐CBP were found to significantly reduce impulsive behaviour (deliberate self‐injury and suicide attempt) compared to RT. Severity of presentation was not found to be a significant predictor of outcome. Long‐term RT showed no advantage over long‐term CBP, either as stand‐alone or as step‐down treatment. Replication may be needed to confirm generalizability of results, and a number of limitations in the study design may moderate the inferences that can be drawn from the results.     

Sleep‐deprivation and autobiographical memory: evidence from sleep‐deprived nurses

Negative effects of sleep deprivation on different types of memory are well documented, but the specific effects on autobiographical memory performance are not well studied. In this study, we investigated performance on the autobiographical memory test in a group of sleep‐deprived and well‐rested nurses. One‐hundred participants divided into sleep‐deprived (N = 50, 25 females) and well‐rested (N = 50, 25 females) groups took part in the study. The sleep‐deprived group included night‐shift nurses with 8–12 hr sleep deprivation, while the well‐rested group had the usual night sleep before performance assessment. All participants were matched for gender, age, education and employment status. They completed depression and anxiety inventories, and underwent the autobiographical memory test, which included 18 cue words with positive, negative and neutral valence. The sleep‐deprived group scored significantly higher in depression scores. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) results showed that sleep‐deprived participants had a significantly poorer autobiographical memory compared with the well‐rested group. Additionally, specific memories were significantly declined in the sleep‐deprived group. This group remembered significantly less positive and more negative memories. Findings implicate that sleep deprivation has detrimental effects on autobiographical memory specificity and valence, and is associated with mood dysregulation.     

Distance‐based Permutation of Inter‐Meal Differences as a Sensitive Test of Temporomandibular Joint Nociception in Rats

We compare nonparametric permutation method using intra‐meal rate as endpoint with existing ANOVA method that uses average daily meal duration as an endpoint for detection of chronic pain in Sprague‐Dawley rats. Nociception following bilateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ ) injection of high dose of Complete Freunds Adjuvant (CFA , 250 μg/50 μL per side) could be detected in young adult male Sprague‐Dawley rats using average daily meal durations as a measure of nociception for up to 19 days (Kramer, Kerins, Schneiderman & Bellinger, Physiology & Behavior , 99, 2010; 669) using ANOVA and multiple comparison range tests. In this study, we reanalyzed the data using a nonparametric permutation procedure based on absolute differences between intra‐meal feeding rate curves. In addition to that experiment, we injected bilaterally the TMJ of naive rats with either a low‐dose CFA (15 μg/50 μL per side, n  = 6) or saline (50 μL of 0.9%, n  = 4) and monitored the animals for 7 days. The permutation test of the intra‐meal feeding rate detected the presence of nociception in the high‐dose CFA treatment group for up to 40 days or twice as long as when using ANOVA on average daily meal durations. The permutation method also detected the low‐dose CFA ‐induced nociception with ten times lower p‐ values and for several days longer than ANOVA of changes in meal durations. CFA ‐induced injury resulted in even reduction in intra‐meal feeding rate and lengthening of the meals in both high‐ and low‐dose CFA ‐injected animals. The rate analysis also showed when the rats first started a meal they were experiencing the same level of nociception as at the end of the meal. This demonstrated that intra‐meal chewing itself did not alter the level of nociception. These results suggest that permutation tests based on differences in intra‐meal feeding rates can be used as a sensitive test to determine and study the temporal patterns of TMJ nociception.     

Sleep condition and cognitive decline in Japanese community‐dwelling older people: Data from a 4‐year longitudinal study

This study examined whether sleep duration and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) are related to cognitive decline among community‐dwelling older adults with intact cognition at baseline, using 4‐year longitudinal data. A total of 3,151 community‐dwelling older individuals aged ≥65 years were studied. They were assessed for cognitive function, including memory, attention, executive function and processing speed. Cognitive impairment was defined based on a score >1.5 standard deviations below the age‐ and education‐specific mean. Cognitive decline was defined in one or more cognitive tests at follow‐up. Self‐reported sleep duration (short, ≤6.0 hr; medium, 6.1–8.9 hr; long, ≥9.0 hr) and EDS at first‐wave examination were assessed and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of sleep duration and EDS with cognitive status at second‐wave examination. The incidence of cognitive decline differed significantly among the sleep‐duration groups (short, 15.9%; medium, 11.9%; long, 20.1%; p = 0.001). The prevalence of having EDS was 13.1%, which was associated with a higher rate of cognitive decline than having no EDS (18.9% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.004). Long sleep duration compared with medium sleep duration (OR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.05–2.13) and EDS (1.43; 1.01–2.03) independently impacted the incidence of cognitive decline. The results were similar after multiple imputations (long, 1.68, 1.12–2.52; EDS, 1.55, 1.05–2.29). In conclusion, our study revealed that both long sleep duration and EDS were independent risk factors associated with cognitive decline after 4 years among older adults.     

A feasibility study of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for individuals with borderline personality disorder

Objectives. Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was originally developed to prevent relapse in recurrent depression. More recently it has been applied to individuals at high risk of suicide or currently suffering with anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to consider the feasibility of MBCT for individuals with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Design. The design of the study was a repeated measures, quasi‐experimental design employing within‐subject and between‐subject comparisons of a sample of participants with BPD. Based on previous studies and theoretical models of the effect of mindfulness and of cognitive therapy, pre‐ and post‐group measures of mindfulness, depression, anxiety, dissociation, impulsivity, experiential avoidance, and attention were obtained. Method. Participants attended an 8‐week adapted MBCT (MBCT‐a) group intervention. A total of 22 participants were assessed pre‐ and post‐intervention and were subsequently divided for analysis into two groups: treatment completers (N= 16) and non‐completers (number of sessions attended < 4; N= 6). Results. The study found that MBCT‐a is acceptable to individuals with BPD. Using intention to treat analyses, only attentional control improved. However, post hoc analyses of treatment improvers (N= 9) identified changes in mindfulness and somatoform dissociation. A dose‐effect analysis suggested a weak improvement in mindfulness, experiential avoidance, state anxiety, and somatoform dissociation. Conclusions. This study suggests that further exploration of MBCT for use with individuals with BPD is merited. The study lends tentative support for attentional and avoidance models of the effects of mindfulness.     

Increased Levels of Interferon‐Inducible Protein 10 (IP‐10) in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS), also known as DiGeorge syndrome, is a genetic disorder with an estimated incidence of 1:4000 births. These patients may suffer from affection of many organ systems with cardiac malformations, thymic hypoplasia or aplasia, hypoparathyroidism, palate anomalies and psychiatric disorders being the most frequent. The incidence of autoimmune diseases is increased in older patients. The aim of the present study was to examine a cytokine profile in patients with 22q11.2 DS by measuring a broad spectrum of serum cytokines. Patients with a proven deletion of chromosome 22q11.2 (n = 55) and healthy individuals (n = 54) recruited from an age‐ and sex‐comparable group were included in the study. Serum levels of 27 cytokines, including chemokines and growth factors, were analysed using multiplex technology. Interferon‐inducible protein 10 (IP‐10) was also measured by ELISA to confirm the multiplex results. The 22q11.2 DS patients had distinctly and significantly raised levels of pro‐inflammatory and angiostatic chemokine IP‐10 (P < 0.001) compared to controls. The patients with congenital heart defects (n = 31) had significantly (P = 0.018) raised serum levels of IP‐10 compared to patients born without heart defects (n = 24). The other cytokines investigated were either not detectable or did not differ between patients and controls.