Relationships Between Arousal-Related Moods and Episodic Tension-Type Headache: A Biopsychological Study

An exploratory study was conducted examining arousal-related moods and episodic tension-type headache. Twelve subjects meeting International Headache Society criteria for episodic tension-type headache and 12 headache-free controls recorded headache activity and mood eight times daily for 14 consecutive days. Moods were measured using the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List, a self-report list that subjectively represents general arousal along two dimensions of Tension and Energy. Headache subjects had higher Tension levels than controls even in the absence of pain, and greater variation in this dimension as well. Within the headache group, Tension during pain-free periods was significantly lower than when experiencing headache, and was correlated with headache activity. The results were taken to support Thayer's (1989) biopsychological model of mood and arousal, and are discussed in terms of the model's heuristic value for general arousal and headache research.     

Short term correlates of the Neuro Emotional Technique for cancer-related traumatic stress symptoms: A pilot case series

Introduction As many as one quarter of all cancer survivors report traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences. While the majority of these patients do not meet the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is growing evidence that subsyndromal symptoms can significantly contribute to functional impairment and negative health outcomes. Treatment options for the hallmark symptoms of traumatic stress—unpleasant, intrusive thoughts and avoidant behaviors—have not been well investigated for the cancer survivorship population. Materials and methods Seven female cancer survivors with traumatic stress symptoms from cancer-related experiences and no other major psychopathology, were enrolled to receive three sessions of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET), a brief, targeted treatment that combines traditional desensitization principles with complementary modalities. Results Psychological outcome measures (Impact of Event Scale (IES) and Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) and physiological measures (Heart Rate (HR) and Skin Conductance Level (SCL) demonstrated the following changes: 71% on IES, 88% SUD, 74% on HR, and 65% on SCL following the intervention. Statistically significant changes were observed for all four parameters, and effect size g for proportion improved were 0.50 each for IES, SUD, and HR, and 0.20 for SCL. Conclusions These cases suggest feasibility of the NET intervention for cancer-related traumatic stress and the potential for change in symptoms and physiological reactivity. Further investigation is needed to determine the specific and long-term effects of such an approach. Implications for cancer survivors Traumatic stress from cancer-related experiences might represent a constellation of symptoms that are amenable to brief, targeted interventions. This study was supported by the O.N.E. Research Foundation     

Sexual fantasies of heterosexual and homosexual men

Heterosexual men and homosexual men rated how arousing different sexual fantasies were and how often they had used these fantasies over the previous year. Within each group, sensual and genital same-orientation fantasies were more arousing than either public-sex or dominance-submissive fantasies, which in turn were more arousing than aggressive-sex fantasies. For both heterosexual and homosexual men the extent to which a fantasy was arousing correlated with the person's experience of the activity depicted in the fantasy. The frequency of use of a fantasy correlated positively with its arousal level but not always subtantially so. The results are discussed in the context of the mediating role of fantasy in human sexual arousal.     

Patterns of sexual arousal of accused child molesters involved in custody disputes

Penile plethysmography was used to examine sexual preferences of individuals accused of child molestation in the course of custody conflicts. Information regarding the alleged offenders, victims, and sex offense was gathered. In comparison to accused offenders who are not engaged in custody disputes, the subjects were more often accused of sexually abusing a younger child who was a biological relative. The source of accusations was usually the mother. Additionally, the custody-dispute subjects were less likely to have a prior criminal history. Penile tumescence data suggested that the subjects involved in custody disputes were less sexually aroused by children than those subjects who were not involved in custody conflicts. However, the results revealed that in both groups a substantial number of subjects responded equally or more to the child stimuli. In sum, the alleged offenders involved in custody disputes appeared less deviant on several measures.     

Validity and ethics of penile circumference measures of sexual arousal: A reply to McConaghy

McConaghy (1989) argued that the validity of penile circumference responses (PCRs) is at best unestablished and that penile volume responses (PVRs) have been demonstrated to be clearly superior indices of sexual arousal and orientation. In his critique, McConaghy stated that (i) penile erection has been incorrectly identified with sexual arousal, (ii) that PCRs have not been shown to accurately discriminate between divergent patterns of sexual arousal (including paraphilias), (iii) that the methodologies used to compare the two types of transducers are inappropriate, and (iv) that PCRs should not be used for diagnostic and treatment decisions. In this paper, McConaghy's criticisms are reviewed in the context of the existing literature on the subject. Although PCRs and PVRs involve different methodologies, they generally yield results that bear more similarities than differences. Furthermore, there is an extensive and growing literature on the use of PCR measures with various paraphilias. Several of McConaghy's arguments should be considered tentative while others are clearly unsubstantiated. Most of McConaghy's concerns over the validity and uses of PCR measures are empirical questions. Suggestions for future research are offered.     

Heart rate changes in chronic insomnia

This study assessed physiological activity in patients with chronic insomnia before sleep, during sleep and in response to acute stress. Twenty-four subjects with chronic insomnia and 25 normal sleepers slept in the laboratory overnight and were given a stressful performance task in the morning. Heart rate was significantly higher in the insomniac group at night. The next morning, heart rate was not different at baseline, but was significantly higher during the performance task in the insomniac group. These results are discussed as supporting the notion that insomniacs have greater physiological responsivity to stress. Further research is needed to determine if altered physiological activity is a cause or consequence of insomnia.     

大学生的元担忧、情感表达与友善的关系研究

目的：探讨元担忧、情感表达与友善之间的关系。方法：采用元担忧量表、情感表达量表和友善量表对170名工科大学生进行了问卷调查。结果：①性别对外向思维、友善易接近性和有益性有显著的影响；年级对友善的易接近性有显著影响；在情感描述不能和自我概念上存在性别与年级的交互作用。②元担忧对友善存在直接负向预测作用，对情感表达有直接正向预测作用，情感表达对友善存在直接负向预测作用。结论：打破元担忧恶性循环．增加情感表达，能够有效增强大学生对他人的友善表现。     

妇癌患者的社会心理因素调查

本文以自编病前负性情绪调查表、ＬＳＥ─Ｒ及ＥＰＱ对５６例妇癌住院病人进行了调查，并以５６例内科病住院病人作对照。结果显示，６９．６％的妇癌病人在病前有负性情绪，而内科病病人只有１６．１％；８５．７％的妇癌病人病前经历了负性生活事件，而内科病组则为５８．９％；ＥＰＱ评定结果神经质分亦为前者高于后者，均提示社会心理因素与妇癌的发生密切相关。     

Cardio-respiratory measures following isocapnic voluntary hyperventilation

In some individuals, breathing is greater than at rest following voluntary hyperventilation. Most previous investigations have employed short hyperventilation periods; here we examine the time course of cardio-respiratory measures before, during, and after a 5-min voluntary hyperventilation, maintaining isocapnia throughout. We examined the possible co-involvement of the cardiovascular system; hypothesising that post-hyperventilation hyperpnoea results from an increase in autonomic arousal. In four subjects (two males, two females) of 18 (nine males, nine females) we observed a post-hyperventilation hyperpnoea, characterised by a slow decline of ventilation toward resting levels with a time constant of 109.0 +/- 16.1s. By contrast, heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were unchanged from rest during and after voluntary hyperventilation for all subjects. We concluded that males and females were equally likely to exhibit post-hyperventilation hyperpnoea, and suggest that they may be characterised by an increased resting heart rate and the choice of breathing frequency to increase ventilation during the voluntary hyperventilation. We further concluded that post-hyperventilation hyperpnoea is rare, but when present is a strong and lasting phenomenon, and that it is not the result of an increased autonomic arousal.