Reputation in an economic game modulates premotor cortex activity during action observation

Our interactions with other people – and our processing of their actions – are shaped by their reputation. Research has identified an Action Observation Network (AON) which is engaged when observing other people's actions. Yet, little is known about how the processing of others’ actions is influenced by another's reputation. Is the response of the AON modulated by the reputation of the actor? We developed a variant of the ultimatum game in which participants watched either the visible or occluded actions of two ‘proposers’. These actions were tied to decisions of how to split a pot of money although the proposers’ decisions on each trial were not known to participants when observing the actions. One proposer made fair offers on the majority of trials, establishing a positive reputation, whereas the other made predominantly, unfair offers resulting in a negative reputation. We found significant activations in two regions of the left dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC). The first of these showed a main effect of reputation with greater activation for the negative reputation proposer than the positive reputation proposer. Furthermore individual differences in trust ratings of the two proposers covaried with activation in the right primary motor cortex (M1). The second showed an interaction between visibility and reputation driven by a greater effect of reputation when participants were observing an occluded action. Our findings show that the processing of others’ actions in the AON is modulated by an actor's reputation, and suggest a predictive role for the PMC during action observation.     

Making behavioral activation more behavioral

Behavioral Activation, an efficacious treatment for depression, presents a behavioral theory of depression--emphasizing the need for clients to contact positive reinforcement--and a set of therapeutic techniques--emphasizing provision of instructions rather than therapeutic provision of reinforcement. An integration of Behavioral Activation with another behavioral treatment, Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, addresses this mismatch. Functional Analytic Psychotherapy provides a process for the therapeutic provision of immediate and natural reinforcement. This article presents this integration and offers theoretical and practical therapist guidelines on its application. Although the integration is largely theoretical, empirical data are presented in its support when available. The article ends with a discussion of future research directions.     

Quantification of roughness of calcific deposits in computed tomography scans of human coronary arteries

OBJECTIVES: The incidence of coronary artery disease has been shown to be greater in patients with calcific deposits than in those without. It has been suggested that the pattern of distribution of coronary calcific deposits within coronary arteries is of greater predictive value for acute coronary events than the overall quantity. Whether roughness of calcific deposits is a predictor of acute coronary events is not known. We derived and tested an algorithm, Voxel-Based Bosselation (VBB), for noninvasive quantification of roughness of calcific deposits in human coronary arteries imaged by computed tomography (CT). METHODS AND RESULTS: VBB was tested on 213 coronary calcific deposits from electron beam CT scans of 27 patients. This algorithm evaluates the 3-dimensional connectedness of surface voxels of each deposit: smooth masses have low VBB and rough masses high VBB. The algorithm was calibrated with artificially generated phantoms as well as background noise mimicking calcific deposits and surrounding heart tissue. The VBB algorithm is applicable to calcific deposits of all scales and gradations. The VBB values of the deposits in this study did not correlate with deposit size further supporting its validity as a measurement of roughness. The VBB index corresponded directly with visual reconstruction using Phong-shaded algorithms. CONCLUSIONS: The VBB index, derived here, is a noninvasive method of quantifying the roughness of calcific deposits in CT scan data which can now be used in future clinical studies to determine possible correlations with increased plaque vulnerability and major acute coronary events.     

Methylphenidate in the treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

OBJECTIVE: To examine the short-term efficacy of methylphenidate in the treatment of youths with bipolar disorder (BD) and comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: A 4-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in youths ages 5 to 17 years was conducted. Subjects met DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder and ADHD, were currently receiving a stable dose of at least one thymoleptic, and while euthymic continued to have clinically significant symptoms of ADHD. Patients received 1 week each of placebo, methylphenidate 5 mg twice daily, methylphenidate 10 mg twice daily, and methylphenidate 15 mg twice daily using a crossover design. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive one of six possible dosing orders. At study's end, and before the blind being broken, a "best dose week" for each subject was determined. The primary outcome measure was the total score on the parent-completed ADHD Rating Scale-IV. RESULTS: Sixteen patients, with a mean age of 10.43 (SD 3.14) years completed the trial. Lower scores during best dose treatment compared to the week of placebo treatment were found on the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (p < .05), suggesting a therapeutic benefit. A large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.90) was found for methylphenidate. Treatment was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Euthymic youths with bipolar disorder and ADHD may benefit from short-term concomitant treatment with methylphenidate.     

Hepatic effects of lovastatin exposure in patients with liver disease: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the potential adverse hepatic effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors ('statins') in patients with existing liver disease; therefore, we examined the risk of liver toxicity with lovastatin exposure in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed using data from a large integrated health plan in Northern California, USA. Patients with laboratory or clinical evidence of liver disease were identified and their exposure to lovastatin was determined. The primary outcome was a pattern of liver-test abnormalities associated with a poor prognosis among patients with drug-induced liver disease, based on Hy's Rule. Secondary outcomes included liver injury (defined as moderate or severe, depending on the degree of ALT level elevations) or the development of either clinical cirrhosis or liver failure. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated and multivariate analyses conducted using extended Cox models. RESULTS: A total of 93 106 patients met the entry criteria. Lovastatin exposure was associated with a lower incidence of all endpoints, including the primary outcome (IRR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.12, 0.55), moderate liver injury (IRR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.47, 0.65), severe liver injury (IRR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.29, 0.81) and the occurrence of either cirrhosis or liver failure (IRR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.21, 0.38); adjustment for age and sex resulted in some attenuation of this reduction in incidence. The observed effects were generally consistent across a range of baseline liver-disease diagnoses and greater cumulative lovastatin exposure was associated with fewer outcome events for some endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective analysis, exposure to lovastatin was not associated with an increased risk of adverse hepatic outcomes. These results do not support concern regarding lovastatin-related hepatotoxicity in patients with existing liver disease.     

Allelic imbalance at the 5q14 locus is associated with decreased apoptotic rate in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs). Possible synergistic effect with p53 gene alterations on apoptosis

Deletions in the 5q14 region have been described in a variety of neoplasms, such as testicular germ cell tumors, ovarian, gastric and lung cancer. The high frequency of allelic losses observed in this region implies the presence of putative tumor suppressor gene(s) (TSGs). In the present study, we investigated in a series of 56 non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) the allelic imbalance (Alm) within the 5q14 region, employing the D5S644 marker, and its relationship with p53 abnormalities, the kinetic parameters [proliferation index (PI) and apoptotic index (AI)] and the ploidy status of the carcinomas. AI at D5S644 was found at a frequency of 51.2%. The rather high percentage of Alm in stage I tumors suggests an early involvement in NSCLC development. LOH at 5q14 was associated with decreased AR in lung tumors insinuating the presence of a putative TSG(s) (P=0.008). Simultaneous alterations of both p53 and D5S644 locus were the most frequent pattern observed (37.5%). Cases demonstrating this profile also exhibited a marked decrease in AI (P=0.001). These findings imply a synergistic mechanism of co-operation between different TSGs. However, proliferation activity was dependent only on p53 status, leading to the assumption that the putative TSG(s) present at 5q14 may probably be involved in normal apoptotic procedures. Further studies are needed to identify the candidate gene(s).