Rediscovering Portuguese White Crowberries (Corema album): Cultural Insights and Nutritional Significance.

White crowberries (Corema album) are a fruit from an endemic shrub found in Southern European Atlantic costal dunes. Although this shrub and its fruits never became a formal commercial crop for a number of reasons, it has a long-lasting relevance and tradition, much associated with summer, beach and holidays. The main goal of this study was to conduct a thematic analysis of the words and small expressions people associate with white crowberries. For that, a questionnaire was used, and the participants were asked to indicate in an open-ended question which top-of-mind words/small expressions they associate with white crowberries. A total of 501 people participated in this study, of which only 394 knew about white crowberries, and from those, only 229 answered the open-ended question of interest to this purpose. The results showed that the words/small expressions given by the participants were distributed between five categories (1-Memories of places, people and times, 2-Emotions and experiences, 3-Sensorial perception, 4-Properties and uses, and 5-Natural resources' valuation). Additionally, 18 subcategories were also identified. The most representative of the categories was sensorial perception and the most relevant of the subcategories was habitats (a subcategory from category 1). The most frequent words mentioned by the participants were beach, berry and summer. In addition, the effect of sociodemographic groups was investigated and some variations were observed in the categories of the words mentioned by the participants according to sex, living environment or region. This work allowed for the identification of a high variability in the words or expressions that account for a rich patrimony of tacit knowledge, memories, emotions and perceptions of the population towards white crowberries, thus confirming their social as well as nutritional relevance.

Psychological Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Ideation: A Study in an Adolescent Sample in an Insular Context.

Objectives: Adolescents are at risk of suicide. As suicide is a multifactorial process, risk and protective factors are relevant constructs for suicide prediction. This study explored the effects of risk and protective factors on suicidal ideation in adolescents on the island of São Miguel (Azores). Methods: A sample of 750 adolescents (male: n=358; 47.7%; mean age=14.67 years; standard deviation=1.85 years) from the island of São Miguel (Azores) completed several measures related to suicidal ideation and associated factors. Using a cross-sectional design, this study conducted descriptive, correlational, predictive, mediation, and moderation analyses. Results: Adolescents generally displayed high levels of risk and protective factors; an indicative proportion exhibited significant suicidal ideation with females presenting the greatest vulnerability. Furthermore, the results highlight that depression is the best predictor of suicidal ideation, however, the association between these variables is mediated. Conclusion: The data corroborate that the suicidal reality of adolescents in the Autonomous Region of the Azores is worrisome. Having substantiated the complexity of the suicidal context in young people in the present research, the need to continue studying risk/protective factors in this area is supported.

Chronic pain causes Tau-mediated hippocampal pathology and memory deficits.

Persistent pain has been recently suggested as a risk factor for dementia. Indeed, chronic pain is frequently accompanied by maladaptive brain plasticity and cognitive deficits whose molecular underpinnings are poorly understood. Despite the emerging role of Tau as a key regulator of neuronal plasticity and pathology in diverse brain disorders, the role of Tau has never been studied in the context of chronic pain. Using a peripheral (sciatic) neuropathy to model chronic pain in mice-spared nerve injury (SNI) for 4 months-in wildtype as well as P301L-Tau transgenic mice, we hereby demonstrate that SNI triggers AD-related neuropathology characterized by Tau hyperphosphorylation, accumulation, and aggregation in hippocampus followed by neuronal atrophy and memory deficits. Molecular analysis suggests that SNI inhibits autophagy and reduces levels of the Rab35, a regulator of Tau degradation while overexpression of Rab35 or treatment with the analgesic drug gabapentin reverted the above molecular changes leading to neurostructural and memory recovery. Interestingly, genetic ablation of Tau blocks the establishment of SNI-induced hippocampal morphofunctional deficits supporting the mediating role of Tau in SNI-evoked hippocampal pathology and memory impairment. These findings reveal that exposure to chronic pain triggers Tau-related neuropathology and may be relevant for understanding how chronic pain precipitates memory loss leading to dementia.

Chronic pain susceptibility is associated with anhedonic behavior and alterations in the accumbal ubiquitin-proteasome system.

ABSTRACT: It remains unknown why on similar acute/subacute painful conditions, pain persists in some individuals while in others it resolves. Genetic factors, mood, and functional alterations, particularly involving the mesolimbic network, seem to be key. To explore potential susceptibility or resistance factors, we screened a large population of rats with a peripheral neuropathy and we isolated a small subset (<15%) that presented high thresholds (HTs) to mechanical allodynia (reduced pain manifestation). The phenotype was sustained over 12 weeks and was associated with higher hedonic behavior when compared with low-threshold (LT) subjects. The nucleus accumbens of HT and LT animals were isolated for proteomic analysis by Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra. Two hundred seventy-nine proteins displayed different expression between LT and HT animals or subjects. Among several protein families, the proteasome pathway repeatedly emerged in gene ontology enrichment and KEGG analyses. Several alpha and beta 20S proteasome subunits were increased in LT animals when compared with HT animals (eg, PSMα1, PSMα2, and PSMß5). On the contrary, UBA6, an upstream ubiquitin-activating enzyme, was decreased in LT animals. Altogether these observations are consistent with an overactivation of the accumbal proteasome pathway in animals that manifest pain and depressive-like behaviors after a neuropathic injury. All the proteomic data are available through ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022478.

Chronic pain impact on rodents' behavioral repertoire.

Rodent models have been fundamental to understand chronic pain (CP) pathophysiology and to test for potential treatments. Pain assessment in CP models is most frequently based on the evaluation of allodynia or hyperalgesia. However, these correspond only to a part of CP-related problems which include ongoing pain, depression, anxiety, disrupted sleep and attentional deficits. A growing number of preclinical studies have been assessing these manifestations in CP rodent models. We reviewed and systematized this information by behavioral domain. Observational studies in ethologically relevant conditions, paradigms of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior as well as of memory and executive function were selected. A considerable number of studies reported deficits similar to those observed in CP patients. These behavioral alterations are informative regarding ongoing maladaptive plasticity in multiple brain regions and its use as pain proxies has the potential to greatly improve the predictive value of CP models. However, the inclusion of female and/or older rodents is rare which is in clear dissonance with the clinical representation of CP.

Mesocorticolimbic monoamines in a rodent model of chronic neuropathic pain.

Chronic pain manifests in multiple disorders and is highly debilitating. While its pathophysiology is not fully understood, the involvement of the mesocorticolimbic monoaminergic systems have been shown to play a critical role in chronic pain emergence and/or maintenance. In this study, we analyzed the levels of monoamines dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) in mesocorticolimbic areas - medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, striatum, nucleus accumbens and amygdala - 1 month after a neuropathic lesion, Spared Nerve Injury (SNI). In SNI animals, were observed a marginal decrease of DA and 5-HT in the striatum and a rightward shift in the levels of NA in the nucleus accumbens. While mesocorticolimbic monoamines might be relevant for chronic pain pathophysiology its content appears to be relatively unaffected in our experimental conditions.

High trait impulsivity potentiates the effects of chronic pain on impulsive behavior.

Preclinical studies on impulsive decision-making in chronic pain conditions are sparse and often contradictory. Outbred rat populations are heterogeneous regarding trait impulsivity manifestations and therefore we hypothesized that chronic pain-related alterations depend on individual traits. To test this hypothesis, we used male Wistar-Han rats in two independent experiments. Firstly, we tested the impact of spared nerve injury (SNI) in impulsive behavior evaluated by the variable delay-to-signal test (VDS). In the second experiment, SNI impact on impulsivity was again tested, but in groups previously categorized as high (HI) and low (LI) trait impulsivity in the VDS. Results showed that in an heterogenous population SNI-related impact on motor impulsivity and delay intolerance cannot be detected. However, when baseline impulsivity was considered, HI showed a significantly higher delay intolerance than the respective controls more prevalent in left-lesioned animals and appearing to result from a response correction on prematurity from VDS I to VDS II, which was present in Sham and right-lesioned animals. In conclusion, baseline differences should be more often considered when analyzing chronic pain impact. While this study pertained to impulsive behavior, other reports indicate that this can be generalized to other behavioral dimensions and that trait differences can influence not only the manifestation of comorbid behaviors but also pain itself in a complex and not totally understood manner.

Trait determinants of impulsive behavior: a comprehensive analysis of 188 rats.

Impulsivity is a naturally occurring behavior that, when accentuated, can be found in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. The expression of trait impulsivity has been shown to change with a variety of factors, such as age and sex, but the existing literature does not reflect widespread consensus regarding the influence of modulating effects. We designed the present study to investigate, in a cohort of significant size (188 rats), the impact of four specific parameters, namely sex, age, strain and phase of estrous cycle, using the variable delay-to-signal (VDS) task. This cohort included (i) control animals from previous experiments; (ii) animals specifically raised for this study; and (iii) animals previously used for breeding purposes. Aging was associated with a general decrease in action impulsivity and an increase in delay tolerance. Females generally performed more impulsive actions than males but no differences were observed regarding delay intolerance. In terms of estrous cycle, no differences in impulsive behavior were observed and regarding strain, Wistar Han animals were, in general, more impulsive than Sprague-Dawley. In addition to further confirming, in a substantial study cohort, the decrease in impulsivity with age, we have demonstrated that both the strain and sex influences modulate different aspects of impulsive behavior manifestations.

Transformando as demandas sociais em espaços terapêuticos / Transforming social demands into therapeutic spaces / Transformando las demandas sociales en espacios terapéuticos

A transmissão e representação dos vínculos sociais, suas repercussões para o psiquismo e relações interpessoais, apontam insegurança, confusão e a necessidade de novos espaços e instrumentos terapêuticos. Os avanços tecnológicos e dos meios de comunicação, imprimiram grande velocidade às transformações vividas pela Cultura contemporânea, repercutindo nas famílias e instituições além de comprometer sua função de comunicar e transmitir valores e compromissos, inerentes aos diferentes tipos de vínculos. As demandas de elaboração das mudanças e transmissão de valores em diferentes contextos chamam a atenção para a comunicação, a clareza na transmissão das regras e expectativas, para os ritos e mitos, segundo as autoras. Para fazer frente à perda da segurança dos modelos instituídos da vida social, propõe o grupo e o referencial vincular, como instrumentos para ampliar e flexibilizar as possibilidades de atuação nos diferentes ciclos vitais, nos rituais de passagem, na comunicação, até no uso da linguagem. Fica pois o convite, para a criação e discussão de possibilidades inexploradas.

The transmission and representation of social binds its repercussion for psychological development and inter personal relationship, point out to insecurity, confusion and the need of new spaces and therapeutic instruments. Technological development and new ways of communication, pushed great velocity to contemporaneous Culture transformations, interfering with families and institutions, besides of compromising its functions of communicate values and commitments, as part of various types of bonds. Social demands of working trough changes and its meanings, values transmission on different contexts, ask for attention on communication, and clarity in transmission of rules and expectations, into rituals and myths says the authors. To face the lost of security on institutionalized patterns, they propose working on groups and binds, as instruments for extend and get more flexibility and possibilities of working on vital cycles, in passage rituals, on communication and even on language use. So, the invitation is for creating and to discuss unexplored possibilities for social demands.

La transmisión y representación de los vínculos sociales, sus repercusiones para el desarrollo psíquico y relaciones interpersonales, apuntan inseguridad, confusión y la necesidad de nuevos espacios y instrumentos terapéuticos. Los avanços tecnológicos y de los medios de comunicación, imprimieron grande velocidad a las transformaciones vividas pela cultura contemporánea, repercutiendo en las familias y instituciones además de comprometer sus funciones de comunicar y transmitir valores y compromisos inherentes a los diferentes tipos de vínculos. Las demandas de significación, elaboración de las mudanzas y transmisión de valores en distintos contextos,llaman la atención para la comunicación, la clareza en la transmisión de las reglas y expectativas, para los rituales y mitos, segundo las autoras. Para hacer frente a la pérdida de la segurança de los modelos instituidos de la vida social, proponen lo grupo y lo referencial vincular, como instrumentos para ampliar y flexibilizar las posibilidades de actuación con los diferentes ciclos vitales, los rituales de pasaje, la comunicación y mismo en lo uso de la linguagem. Fica así, la invitación para la creación y la discusión de posibilidades inexploradas.

E foram felizes para sempre? / Were they happy after?

Baseados na experiência de atendimento a uma “família – instituição”, tecnicamente denominada “família de guarda”, que adotou doze crianças, trazemos à discussão a importância de cuidar dos cuidadores, em função de vínculos conscientes e inconscientes que direcionam as dificuldades para exercer as funções familiares ... Será que a adoção intensifica os aspectos de mútua dependência chegando mesmo a paralisar o desenvolvimento dos filhos? Teria isto a ver com alguma parceria entre bondade e dependência? Ou filantropia e adoção? (AU)

E foram felizes para sempre? / Were they happy after?

Baseados na experiência de atendimento a uma “família – instituição”, tecnicamente denominada “família de guarda”, que adotou doze crianças, trazemos à discussão a importância de cuidar dos cuidadores, em função de vínculos conscientes e inconscientes que direcionam as dificuldades para exercer as funções familiares ... Será que a adoção intensifica os aspectos de mútua dependência chegando mesmo a paralisar o desenvolvimento dos filhos? Teria isto a ver com alguma parceria entre bondade e dependência? Ou filantropia e adoção? (AU)

Caminhando na contramão: perspectivas do trabalho grupal

Vivemos mudanças culturais que nos pressionam a desenvolver novos métodos e estratégias para atender às necessidades de contato que a demanda atual impõe e que tem provocado uma crise na clínica grupal e seu setting tradicional. Neste contexto, experimentar novas abordagens é importante para o desenvolvimento do nosso potencial o que nos coloca em uma situação precária, tendo em vista a necessidade de desenvolver estratégias e métodos, atentos para as reformulações que a experiência deverá significar e/ou ressignificar, apoiados no nosso referencial e na preocupação com a pesquisa e a ética. (AU)