Mapping of neuronal and glial primary cilia contactome and connectome in the human cerebral cortex.

Primary cilia act as antenna receivers of environmental signals and enable effective neuronal or glial responses. Disruption of their function is associated with circuit disorders. To understand the signals these cilia receive, we comprehensively mapped cilia's contacts within the human cortical connectome using serial-section EM reconstruction of a 1 mm3 cortical volume, spanning the entire cortical thickness. We mapped the "contactome" of cilia emerging from neurons and astrocytes in every cortical layer. Depending on the layer and cell type, cilia make distinct patterns of contact. Primary cilia display cell-type- and layer-specific variations in size, shape, and microtubule axoneme core, which may affect their signaling competencies. Neuronal cilia are intrinsic components of a subset of cortical synapses and thus a part of the connectome. This diversity in the structure, contactome, and connectome of primary cilia endows each neuron or glial cell with a unique barcode of access to the surrounding neural circuitry.

A randomised wait-list controlled pilot trial of one-session virtual reality exposure therapy for blood-injection-injury phobias.

Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) has been recognized as an effective treatment for specific phobias and has the potential to overcome the limitations of traditional in vivo exposure therapy (e.g., acceptability). No past research has evaluated the efficacy of VRET for the treatment of blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia. Therefore, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the acceptability and efficacy of a single-session VRET intervention for BII phobias. Participants who met DSM-5 criteria for BII phobia (N = 43) were randomized to VRET or a waiting list control group, and completed self-report measures of BII severity (Medical Fear Survey [MFS] and Multidimensional Blood Phobia Inventory [MBPI]) and dental anxiety (Modified Dental Anxiety Scale), as well as clinician ratings of BII phobia severity and catastrophic cognitions at baseline, one-week post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. We found medium to large differences in catastrophic cognitions (probability [g = 0.88] and cost [g = 0.66] ratings), favouring VRET. We found moderate to large differences favouring VRET on the MBPI Injection and Injury fears subscales (g's=0.64-1.14) at one-week post-treatment and 3-month follow-up, and on the MBPI Fainting subscale (g = 0.84) and Injections subscale of the Medical Fear Survey (g = 0.63) at follow-up. There were no other significant group differences. These findings provided some initial evidence to suggest that a single-session VRET may provide some improvements in fears of injections, injury, and fainting. While it may be a useful adjunct or interim step before in vivo exposure therapy, it is not sufficient as a standalone treatment for BII phobia.

The role of memory in the relationship between attention toward thin-ideal media and body dissatisfaction.

PURPOSE: This study examined the causal relationship between attention and memory bias toward thin-body images, and the indirect effect of attending to thin-body images on women's body dissatisfaction via memory. METHOD: In a 2 (restrained vs. unrestrained eaters) × 2 (long vs. short exposure) quasi-experimental design, female participants (n = 90) were shown images of thin models for either 7 s or 150 ms, and then completed a measure of body dissatisfaction and a recognition test to assess their memory for the images. RESULTS: Both restrained and unrestrained eaters in the long exposure condition had better recognition memory for images of thin models than did those in the short exposure condition. Better recognition memory for images of thin models was associated with lower body dissatisfaction. Finally, exposure duration to images of thin models had an indirect effect on body dissatisfaction through recognition memory. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that memory for body-related information may be more critical in influencing women's body image than merely the exposure itself, and that targeting memory bias might enhance the effectiveness of cognitive bias modification programs.

Attention and memory biases toward body-related images among restrained eaters.

This study examined biases in attention and memory toward body-related images among restrained (n=31) and unrestrained (n=29) eaters. Attentional allocation to images of thin and overweight bodies during a visual search task was measured by tracking participants' eyegaze. This task was followed by a recognition test assessing participants' memory for those images. Restrained and unrestrained eaters allocated more attention to body-related images than to control images, but there was no difference in attentional allocation between the two groups. Restrained eaters showed better recognition of body-related images that they had previously seen during the visual search task. Finally, increased attention was associated with better recognition of body-related images for both restrained and unrestrained eaters, but restrained eaters had better overall recognition regardless of the level of attention. These findings suggest that restrained eaters may have more organized strategies for processing body-related information than do unrestrained eaters.