Training of Affect Recognition impacts electrophysiological correlates of facial affect recognition in schizophrenia: Analyses of fixation-locked potentials

Objectives. Training of Affect Recognition (TAR) is a useful approach to restoring cognitive function in schizophrenic patients. Along with improving visual exploration of faces and altering central information processing in relevant brain areas, TAR attenuates impairments in facial affect recognition. In the present study, we investigate the effects of TAR on early electrophysiological correlates of facial affect recognition in schizophrenia. Methods. The study population comprised 12 schizophrenic patients and 14 healthy controls. In each individual, we carried out EEG, concomitant measurements of scanning eye movements and fixation-based low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) analyses of brain electric activity. All analyses were performed at baseline and after participation in TAR. Results. In patients, brain activation patterns significantly changed after completing the TAR. Functional improvements were particularly pronounced in the superior parietal and inferior parietal lobes, where trained patients showed a larger increase in activation than untrained healthy controls. Conclusions. The TAR activates compensatory brain processes involved in the perception, attention and evaluation of emotional stimuli. This may underlie the established behavioral effects of the TAR in schizophrenic patients, which include improvements in facial affect recognition and alterations of visual exploration strategies.     

Sub-clinical neurobehavioral abnormalities associated with low level of mercury exposure through fish consumption

In order to assess early neurotoxic effects associated with relatively low levels of mercury absorbed through fish eating, two groups of 22 adult male subjects, habitual consumers of tuna fish, and 22 controls were examined using a cross-sectional field study. The assessment included neurobehavioral tests of vigilance and psychomotor function, hand tremor measurements and serum prolactin assessment. Mercury in urine (U-Hg) and serum prolactin (sPRL) were measured in all exposed subjects and controls, whereas measurements of the organic component of mercury in blood (O-Hg) were available for only 10 exposed and six controls. U-Hg was significant higher among exposed subjects (median 6.5 microg/g of creatinine, range 1.8-21.5) than controls (median 1.5 microg/g of creatinine, range 0.5-5.3). The median values of O-Hg were 41.5 microg/l among the tuna fish eaters and 2.6 microg/l in the control group. Both U-Hg and O-Hg were significantly correlated with the quantity of fish consumed per week. Significant differences in sPRL were found between exposed (12.6 ng/ml) and controls (9.1 ng/ml). Individual sPRL were significantly correlated with both U-Hg and O-Hg levels. The neurobehavioral performance of subjects who consumed tuna fish regularly was significantly worse on color word reaction time, digit symbol reaction time and finger tapping speed (FT). After considering the education level and other covariates, the multiple stepwise regression analysis indicated that O-Hg concentration was most significantly associated with individual performance on these tests, accounting for about 65% of the variance in test scores.     

Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract and insulin prevents cognitive decline in type 1 diabetic rat by impacting Bcl-2 and Bax in the prefrontal cortex

Metabolic Brain Disease - It is frequently accepted that grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) are efficient antioxidants and beneficial in improving cognitive functions. However, diabetes...     

Rapid Detection, by PCR and Reverse Hybridization, of Mutations in the Helicobacter pylori 23S rRNA Gene, Associated with Macrolide Resistance

A PCR-based reverse hybridization system (research prototype kit INNO-LiPA for H. pylori resistance) was developed and evaluated for simultaneous detection of 23S ribosomal DNA point mutations, associated with macrolide resistance in Helicobacter pylori. Fifty-seven H. pylori strains (51 natural, 6 laboratory-derived artificial, 52 resistant, and 5 susceptible strains) were tested by PCR-LiPA (detecting mutations A2115-->G, G2141-->A, A2142-->G, A2142-->C, A2143-->G, A2143-->C, and A2143-->T), DNA sequencing, restriction fragment length polymorphism, and/or hybridization to oligonucleotide probes. Results were highly concordant, but PCR-LiPA appears to be more sensitive for the simultaneous detection of multiple mutants.     

The follow‐up of progressive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using magnetic resonance rotating frame relaxation times

Magnetic resonance rotating frame relaxation times are an alternative non‐contrast agent choice for the diagnosis of chronic myocardial infarct. Fibrosis typically occurs in progressive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Fibrosis has been imaged in myocardial infarcted tissue using rotating frame relaxation times, which provides the possibility to follow up progressive cardiomyopathy without contrast agents. Mild and severe left ventricular hypertrophy were induced in mice by transverse aortic constriction, and the longitudinal rotating frame relaxation times (T_1ρ) and relaxation along the fictitious field (T_RAFF2, T_RAFF3) were measured at 5, 10, 24, 62 and 89 days after transverse aortic constriction in vivo. Myocardial fibrosis was verified using Masson's trichrome staining. Increases in the relative relaxation time differences of T_1ρ, together with T_RAFF2 and T_RAFF3, between fibrotic and remote tissues over time were observed. Furthermore, T_RAFF2 and T_RAFF3 showed higher relaxation times overall in fibrotic tissue than T_1ρ. Relaxation time differences were highly correlated with an excess of histologically verified fibrosis. We found that T_RAFF2 and T_RAFF3 are more sensitive than T_1ρ to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy‐related tissue changes and can serve as non‐invasive diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging markers to follow up the mouse model of progressive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.     

An elderly female patient with tardive oromandibular dystonia after prolonged use of the histamine analog betahistine

Tardive oromandibular dystonia (OMD) is iatrogenic in origin and is characterised by orofacial and lingual stereotypes more frequently than the idiopathic form of OMD Tardive OMD is often associated with anti-dopaminergic treatment involving drugs such as anti-psychotics, anti-emetics, and anti-vertigo agents, although the syndrome can also be triggered by anti-epileptic or anti-depressant drugs that do not have anti-dopaminergic properties. We report an elderly female patient with OMD after prolonged, self-administered treatment with betahistine dihydrochloride, a histamine analogue.     

A Test of the Usefulness of Perfectionism Theory Across Cultures: Does Perfectionism in the US and Japan Predict Depressive Symptoms Across Time?

The present study examined cultural variations on performance perfectionism (Chang in Cogn Therapy Res 30:677–697, 2006; Cogn Therapy Res 33:334–344, 2009) in 168 European American and 151 Japanese college students. Results of between-groups analyses on performance perfectionism provided support for the general notion of self-enhancement in the West and self-criticism in the East. Moreover, performance perfectionism was found to be associated with concurrent and prospective (2 months later) depressive symptomatology in both cultural groups. Results of regression analyses for both European Americans and Japanese indicated that negative self-oriented performance perfectionism predicted changes in depressive symptomatology at Time 2 even after controlling for initial symptomatology at Time 1. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.