Feeling addressed! The neural processing of social communicative cues in patients with major depression

The feeling of being addressed is the first step in a complex processing stream enabling successful social communication. Social impairments are a relevant characteristic of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Here, we investigated a mechanism which—if impaired—might contribute to withdrawal or isolation in MDD, namely, the neural processing of social cues such as body orientation and gesture. During funtional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquisition, 33 patients with MDD and 43 healthy control subjects watched video clips of a speaking actor: one version with a gesture accompanying the speech and one without gesture. Videos were filmed simultaneously from two different viewpoints: one with the actor facing the viewer head‐on (frontal) and one side‐view (lateral). After every clip, the participants were instructed to evaluate whether they felt addressed or not. Despite overall comparable addressment ratings and a large overlap in activation patterns in MDD and healthy subjects for gesture processing, the anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral superior/middle frontal cortex, and right angular gyrus were more strongly activated in patients than in healthy subjects for the frontal conditions. Our analyses revealed that patients showed specifically higher activation than healthy subjects for the frontal condition without gesture in regions including the posterior cingulate cortex, left prefrontal cortex, and the left hippocampus. We conclude that MDD patients can recognize and interpret social cues such as gesture or body orientation; however, they seem to require more neural resources. This additional effort might affect successful communication and contribute to social isolation in MDD.     

Computed tomography versus single-contrast arthrotomography in evaluation of the temporomandibular joint disc: A study of autopsy specimens

The lateral, central and medial parts of 15 right temporomandibular joint autopsy specimens were studied to compare the ability of computed tomography (CT) and single-contrast arthrotomography in diagnosing the disc position and configuration. The radiologic findings were compared with macroscopic findings in a blinded fashion. In the CT examination, the diagnostic accuracy was 40% in determining the disc position and 26.7% in determining the disc configuration. However, in many areas of the joints the disc was not possible to evaluate by CT. With arthrotomography the diagnostic accuracy in determining the disc position was 75.6% and the disc configuration 60%. The sensitivity of CT was 0.45 and of arthrotomography 0.95 for the diagnosis of the disc position. The specificity was 0.87 for CT and 0.76 for arthrotomography. From these results, we conclude that arthrotomography is a reliable aid to diagnosis of TMJ disc changes and that CT cannot replace it.     

Rash Impulsiveness and Negative Mood,but not Alexithymia or Reward Sensitivity,Differentiate Young to Middle-Aged Chronic Daily Smokers from Never-Smokers

Given the well-established associations of the personality traits alexithymia, impulsivity, and reward sensitivity with problematic use of a variety of substances, including alcohol and cannabis, the present study sought to determine whether daily tobacco smoking is similarly linked to these traits. Male and female adults aged 18 to 40 years were recruited from the local Australian community, allowing comparison of demographically similar samples of current daily smokers (n = 47) to never-smokers (n = 59) on the relevant self-report measures. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that current smokers scored significantly higher than never-smokers on indices of negative mood, impulsiveness, and risky alcohol use, after controlling for social desirability. No significant group differences were found on indices of alexithymia, reward sensitivity, or punishment sensitivity. Results suggest that chronic daily cigarette smoking may be an exception to the maladaptive behaviors associated with alexithymia, and is driven primarily by mood regulation and poor impulse control.     

Implementing Non-violent Resistance,a Method to Cope with Aggression in Child and Adolescent Residential Care: Exploration of Staff Members Experiences

Staff members in residential care for youth are frequently confronted with aggressive behaviour, which has adverse effects on their stress levels and work satisfaction. This paper describes a qualitative evaluation to find out how staff members benefit from Non-violent Resistance (NVR), a method to create an aggression mitigating residential climate. Staff members were positive about NVR and reported feeling more relaxed. Most valued aspects of this method were the focus on being a team, delayed response and giving up the illusion of control. However, training and the intention to use NVR isn't enough, high quality implementation and maintenance are crucial.