The positive dimension of schizotypy is associated with self-report measures of autobiographical memory and future thinking but not experimenter-scored indices.

ABSTRACTThe ability to remember our past and to imagine the future are critical to our sense of self. Previous research has indicated that they are disrupted in schizophrenia. However, it is unclear (i) whether this is found when examining experimenter-scored indices of content and/or participants' self-report of phenomenological characteristics, and (ii) how these abilities might be related to symptoms. This study sought to address these questions by taking a dimensional approach and measuring positive and negative schizotypal experiences in healthy people (n = 90). Participants were given cue words. For some, they remembered an event from the past and for others they generated an event in the future. No significant relationships were found with any aspect of schizotypy when participants' descriptions were scored by the experimenter according to a standardised episodic content measure. In contrast, several significant positive correlations were observed for past memory and future thinking when examining the positive dimension of schizotypy and participants' ratings, particularly to sensory characteristics of the experience and mental pre- or reliving. These results indicate enhanced subjective experiences of autobiographical memory and future thinking in those who report delusional and hallucinatory-like occurrences, which might be linked to mental imagery or metacognitive alterations.

Adolescent exposure to sucrose increases cocaine-mediated behaviours in adulthood via Smad3.

Adolescence, a critical period of developmental period, is marked by neurobiological changes influenced by environmental factors. Here, we show how exposure to sucrose, which is ubiquitously available in modern diets, results in changes in behavioural response to cocaine as an adult. Rats were given daily access to either 10% sucrose or water during the adolescent period (PND28-42). Following this period, rats are left undisturbed until they reach adulthood. In adulthood, rats were tested for (i) acquisition of a low dose of cocaine, (ii) progressive ratio (PR) test, and (iii) resistance to punished cocaine taking. Sucrose exposure resulted in significant alterations in all behavioural measures. To determine the neurobiological mechanisms leading to such behavioural adaptations, we find that adolescent sucrose exposure results in an upregulation of the transcription factor Smad3 in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) when compared with water-exposed controls. Transiently blocking the active form of this transcription factor (HSV-dnSmad3) during adolescence mitigated the enhanced cocaine vulnerability-like behaviours observed in adulthood. These findings suggest that prior exposure to sucrose during adolescence can heighten the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Furthermore, they identify the TGF-beta pathway and Smad3 as playing a key role in mediating enduring and long-lasting adaptations that contribute to sucrose-induced susceptibility to cocaine. Taken together, these results have important implications for development and suggest that adolescent sucrose exposure may persistently enhance the susceptibility to substance abuse.

Pre-retrieval event-related potentials predict source memory during task switching.

Neural activity preceding memory probes differs according to retrieval goals. These divergences have been linked to retrieval orientations, which are content-specific memory states that bias retrieval towards specific contents. Here, participants were cued to retrieve either spatial location or encoding operations. On the first trial of each memory task ('switch' trials), preparatory ERPs preceding correct source memory judgments differed according to retrieval goal, but this effect was absent preceding memory errors. Initiating appropriate retrieval orientations therefore predicted criterial recollection. Preparatory ERPs on the second trial of each memory task (i.e. 'stay' trials) also differed according to retrieval goal, but the polarity of this effect was reversed from that observed on switch trials and the effect did not predict memory accuracy. This was interpreted as a correlate of retrieval orientation maintenance, with initiation and maintenance forming dissociable components of these goal-directed memory states. More generally, these findings highlight the importance of pre-retrieval processes in episodic memory.

On the sensitivity of event-related fields to recollection and familiarity.

The sensitivity of event-related potentials (ERPs) to the processes of recollection and familiarity has been explored extensively, and ERPs have been used subsequently to infer the contributions these processes make to memory judgments under a range of different circumstances. It has also been shown that event-related fields (ERFs, the magnetic counterparts of ERPs) are sensitive to memory retrieval processes. The links between ERFs, recollection and familiarity are, however, established only weakly. In this experiment, the sensitivity of ERFs to these processes was investigated in a paradigm used previously with ERPs. An early frontally distributed modulation varied with memory confidence in a way that aligns it with the process of familiarity, while a later parietally distributed modulation tracked subjective claims of recollection in a way that aligns it with this process. These data points strengthen the argument for employing ERFs to assess the contributions these processes can make to memory judgments, as well as for investigating the nature of the processes themselves.

Oral curcumin for radiation dermatitis: a URCC NCORP study of 686 breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Despite advances in medical technology, radiation dermatitis occurs in 95% of patients receiving radiation therapy (RT) for cancer. Currently, there is no standard and effective treatment for the prevention or control of radiation dermatitis. The goal of the study was to determine the efficacy of oral curcumin, one of the biologically active components in turmeric, at reducing radiation dermatitis severity (RDS) at the end of RT, using the RDS scale, compared to placebo. METHODS: This was a multisite, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of 686 breast cancer patients. Patients took four 500-mg capsules of placebo or curcumin three times daily throughout their prescribed course of RT until 1 week post-RT. RESULTS: A total of 686 patients were included in the final analyses (87.5% white females, mean age = 58). Linear mixed-model analyses demonstrated that curcumin did not reduce radiation dermatitis severity at the end of RT compared to placebo (B (95% CI) = 0.044 (- 0.101, 0.188), p = 0.552). Fewer curcumin patients with RDS > 3.0 suggested a trend toward reduced severity (7.4 vs. 12.9%, p = 0.082). Patient-reported changes in pain, symptoms, and quality of life were not statistically significant between arms. CONCLUSIONS: Oral curcumin did not significantly reduce radiation dermatitis severity compared to placebo. The skin rating variation and broad eligibility criteria could not account for the undetectable therapeutic effect. An objective measure for radiation dermatitis severity and further exploration for an effective treatment for radiation dermatitis is warranted.

Evidence of absence: no relationship between behaviourally measured prediction error response and schizotypy.

INTRODUCTION: The predictive processing framework has attracted much interest in the field of schizophrenia research in recent years, with an increasing number of studies also carried out in healthy individuals with nonclinical psychosis-like experiences. The current research adopted a continuum approach to psychosis and aimed to investigate different types of prediction error responses in relation to psychometrically defined schizotypy. METHODS: One hundred and two healthy volunteers underwent a battery of behavioural tasks including (a) a force-matching task, (b) a Kamin blocking task, and (c) a reversal learning task together with three questionnaires measuring domains of schizotypy from different approaches. RESULTS: Neither frequentist nor Bayesian statistical methods supported the notion that alterations in prediction error responses were related to schizotypal traits in any of the three tasks. CONCLUSIONS: These null results suggest that deficits in predictive processing associated with clinical states of psychosis are not always present in healthy individuals with schizotypal traits.

Electrophysiological evidence for flexible goal-directed cue processing during episodic retrieval.

A widely held assumption is that memory retrieval is aided by cognitive control processes that are engaged flexibly in service of memory retrieval and memory decisions. While there is some empirical support for this view, a notable exception is the absence of evidence for the flexible use of retrieval control in functional neuroimaging experiments requiring frequent switches between tasks with different cognitive demands. This absence is troublesome in so far as frequent switches between tasks mimic some of the challenges that are typically placed on memory outside the laboratory. In this experiment we instructed participants to alternate frequently between three episodic memory tasks requiring item recognition or retrieval of one of two different kinds of contextual information encoded in a prior study phase (screen location or encoding task). Event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by unstudied items in the two tasks requiring retrieval of study context were reliably different, demonstrating for the first time that ERPs index task-specific processing of retrieval cues when retrieval goals change frequently. The inclusion of the item recognition task was a novel and important addition in this study, because only the ERPs elicited by unstudied items in one of the two context conditions diverged from those in the item recognition condition. This outcome constrains functional interpretations of the differences that emerged between the two context conditions and emphasises the utility of this baseline in functional imaging studies of retrieval processing operations.

A Client-Centered Community Engagement Project: Improving the Health and Wellness of Older Adults in an Assisted Living Facility.

Central to nursing practice is the promotion of health and wellness practices. Drawing on the Community as Partner Model, nursing process, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Logic Model, second-year nursing students collaborated with staff and residents of an assisted living facility to promote health and wellness in the older adult population. Windshield surveys, resident surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group interviews were conducted to gain insight into the perceptions and experiences of staff and residents. The majority of residents indicated they were satisfied with life at the facility and their needs have been adequately met. Strengths and areas for improvement were identified in several aspects, including the facility atmosphere and location, quality of staff and health care services, recreational and dietary services, and social support networks. By partnering with community key stakeholders, valuing all different perspectives, and connecting theory to practice, a successful client-centered community clinical project was demonstrated. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 42(8), 44-51.].

Electrophysiological evidence for retrieval mode immediately after a task switch.

It has been suggested that retrieving episodic information can involve adopting a cognitive state or set: retrieval mode. In a series of studies, an event-related potential (ERP) index of retrieval mode has been identified in designs which cue participants on a trial-by-trial basis to switch between preparing for and then completing an episodic or non-episodic retrieval task. However, a confound in these studies is that along with task type the content of what is to be retrieved has varied. Here we examined whether the ERP index of retrieval mode remains when the contents of an episodic and non-episodic task are highly similar - both requiring a location judgement. In the episodic task participants indicated the screen location where words had been shown in a prior study phase (left/right/new); whereas in the perceptual task they indicated the current screen location of the word (top/middle/bottom). Consistent with previous studies the ERPs elicited while participants prepared for episodic retrieval were more positive-going at right-frontal sites than when they prepared for the perceptual task. This index was observed, however, on the first trial after participants had switched tasks, rather than on the second trial, as has been observed previously. Potential reasons for this are discussed, including the critical manipulation of similarity in contents between tasks, as well as the use of a predictable cue sequence.

Direct real-time neural evidence for task-set inertia.

One influential explanation for the costs incurred when switching between tasks is that they reflect interference arising from completing the previous task-known as task-set inertia. We report a novel approach for assessing task-set inertia in a memory experiment using event-related potentials (ERPs). After a study phase, participants completed a test block in which they switched between a memory task (retrieving information from the study phase) and a perceptual task. These tasks alternated every two trials. An ERP index of the retrieval of study information was evident in the memory task. It was also present on the first trial of the perceptual task but was markedly attenuated on the second. Moreover, this task-irrelevant ERP activity was positively correlated with a behavioral cost associated with switching between tasks. This real-time measure of neural activity thus provides direct evidence of task-set inertia, its duration, and the functional role it plays in switch costs.

Foraging errors play a role in resource exploration by bumble bees (Bombus terrrestris).

If the cognitive performance of animals reflects their particular ecological requirements, how can we explain appreciable variation in learning ability amongst closely related individuals (e.g. foraging workers within a bumble bee colony)? One possibility is that apparent 'errors' in a learning task actually represent an alternative foraging strategy. In this study we investigate the potential relationship between foraging 'errors' and foraging success among bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) workers. Individual foragers were trained to choose yellow, rewarded flowers and ignore blue, unrewarded flowers. We recorded the number of errors (visits to unrewarded flowers) each bee made during training, then tested them to determine how quickly they discovered a more profitable food source (either familiar blue flowers, or novel green flowers). We found that error prone bees discovered the novel food source significantly faster than accurate bees. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the time taken to discover the novel, more profitable, food source is positively correlated with foraging success. These results suggest that foraging errors are part of an 'exploration' foraging strategy, which could be advantageous in changeable foraging environments. This could explain the observed variation in learning performance amongst foragers within social insect colonies.

Human iPSC-derived myelinating organoids and globoid cells to study Krabbe Disease.

Krabbe disease (Kd) is a lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal galactosylceramidase (GALC) which cleaves the myelin enriched lipid galactosylceramide (GalCer). Accumulated GalCer is catabolized into the cytotoxic lipid psychosine that causes myelinating cells death and demyelination which recruits microglia/macrophages that fail to digest myelin debris and become globoid cells. Here, to understand the pathological mechanisms of Kd, we used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from Kd patients to produce myelinating organoids and microglia. We show that Kd organoids have no obvious defects in neurogenesis, astrogenesis, and oligodendrogenesis but manifest early myelination defects. Specifically, Kd organoids showed shorter but a similar number of myelin internodes than Controls at the peak of myelination and a reduced number and shorter internodes at a later time point. Interestingly, myelin is affected in the absence of autophagy and mTOR pathway dysregulation, suggesting lack of lysosomal dysfunction which makes this organoid model a very valuable tool to study the early events that drive demyelination in Kd. Kd iPSC-derived microglia show a marginal rate of globoid cell formation under normal culture conditions that is drastically increased upon GalCer feeding. Under normal culture conditions, Kd microglia show a minor LAMP1 content decrease and a slight increase in the autophagy protein LC3B. Upon GalCer feeding, Kd cells show accumulation of autophagy proteins and strong LAMP1 reduction that at a later time point are reverted showing the compensatory capabilities of globoid cells. Altogether, this supports the value of our cultures as tools to study the mechanisms that drive globoid cell formation and the compensatory mechanism in play to overcome GalCer accumulation in Kd.

Arkansas crisis stabilization unit guests: Baseline characteristics from a longitudinal cohort study.

Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs) are short-term residential facilities that provide care to people experiencing mental health crises, seeking to reduce reliance on local emergency departments and avoid unnecessary jail detention. Despite these intentions, there is little foundational literature to support research on CSU efficacy and a dearth of research on the sociodemographic characteristics and specific needs of CSU patients. Here, we recruited and surveyed 208 participants admitted to one of two focal Arkansas CSUs on their sociodemographic characteristics, justice-involvement, mental health, substance use, and health care utilization. Results revealed that participants were mostly unemployed (68.16%), low-income (72.34%), and experiencing insecure housing (33.33%). They reported extensive justice-involvement (85.57%), high rates of clinically significant mental illness symptom severity (77.00% for anxious symptoms; 78.33% for depressive symptoms; 79.40% for traumatic stress symptoms), and recent substance use (73.34%). Recent engagement with other medical services was common, though more participants reported visiting an emergency department (42.23%) than did receiving outpatient medical care (26.73%). While research on CSU patient outcomes is needed, our results indicate that CSUs have the potential to be an essential part of the health care continuum by serving a population with multiple, intersecting needs and addressing a deficit in community-based crisis care. Continued investigation of community-based crisis intervention services is critical to bridging the gap between vital behavioral health resources and the populations in need of them. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Recollection and familiarity make independent contributions to memory judgments.

Recognition memory can be supported by the processes of recollection and familiarity. Recollection is recovery of qualitative information about a prior event. Familiarity is a scalar strength signal that permits judgments of prior occurrence. There is vigorous debate about how these processes are conceptualized, how they contribute to memory judgments, and which brain regions support them. One popular method for investigating these questions is the Remember/Know procedure, where subjects give a Remember response to studied stimuli for which they can recover contextual details of the study encounter, and a Know response when details are not recovered but subjects nevertheless believe that a stimulus was studied. According to one model, Remember responses are strong memories that are typically associated with relatively high levels of recollection and familiarity. Know responses are weaker memories and are typically associated with lower levels of both processes. Data inconsistent with this account were obtained in this experiment, where magnetoencephalographic (MEG) measures of neural activity were acquired in the test phase of a verbal memory task where healthy human volunteers made Remember, Know, or New judgments to studied and unstudied words. An MEG index of the process of recollection was larger for Remember than Know judgments, whereas the reverse was true for a MEG index of familiarity. Critically, this result is predicted by a model where recollection and familiarity make independent contributions to Remember and Know judgments, and provides a powerful constraint when mapping memory processes onto their neural substrates.

The efficacy of electroencephalography neurofeedback for enhancing episodic memory in healthy and clinical participants: A systematic qualitative review and meta-analysis.

Several studies have examined whether electroencephalography neurofeedback (EEG-NF), a self-regulatory technique where an individual receives real-time feedback on a pattern of brain activity that is theoretically linked to a target behaviour, can enhance episodic memory. The aim of this research was to i) provide a qualitative overview of the literature, and ii) conduct a meta-analysis of appropriately controlled studies to determine whether EEG-NF can enhance episodic memory. The literature search returned 46 studies, with 21 studies (44 effect sizes) meeting the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The qualitative overview revealed that, across EEG-NF studies on both healthy and clinical populations, procedures and protocols vary considerably and many studies were insufficiently powered with inadequate design features. The meta-analysis, conducted on studies with an active control, revealed a small-size, significant positive effect of EEG-NF on episodic memory performance (g = 0.31, p = 0.003), moderated by memory modality and EEG-NF self-regulation success. These results are discussed with a view towards optimising EEG-NF training and subsequent benefits to episodic memory.

An Economic Analysis of the Cost of a Regional Crisis Stabilization Unit.

Crisis stabilization units (CSUs) are one type of "alternative to arrest" program used for jail diversion. We aimed to estimate the economic costs of starting and operating a CSU in Arkansas. We estimated the economic costs of the Pulaski County Regional CSU (PCRCSU) located in Little Rock, Arkansas, from September 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. We collected data through interviews about start-up and ongoing management costs. We calculated total annual economic cost, average admission cost, and average 24 hr admission cost. There were 536 admissions to the CSU during the study period. The average length of stay was 60.27 hr. The total annual cost of the PCRCSU was $1,636,831 and average per admission cost was $3,054. Our results provide valuable economic data to government stakeholders who are considering establishing a CSU.

Morphological characteristics of pollen from triploid watermelon and its fate on stigmas in a hybrid crop production system.

Hybrid crop production is more reliant on pollinators compared to open-pollinated crops because they require cross-pollination between a male-fertile and a male-sterile line. Little is known about how stigma receipt of pollen from male-sterile genotypes affects reproduction in hybrids. Non-viable and non-compatible pollen cannot fertilise plant ovules, but may still interfere with pollination success. Here we used seedless watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai) as a model hybrid plant, to evaluate the morphology, physiology, and movement of pollen from inter-planted genotypes (diploids and triploids). We found that pollen from triploids ('Exclamation' and 'Royal Armada') and diploids ('SP-6', 'Summer Flavor 800', and 'Tiger') was visually distinguishable. Pollen in triploids had more deformities (42.4-46%), tetrads (43-44%), and abnormal growth of callose plugs in pollen tubes. The amount of pollen in triploids to germinate on stigmas was low (8 ± 3%), and few pollen grains produced pollen tubes (6.5 ± 2%). Still, contrary to previous reports our results suggest that some viable pollen grains are produced by triploid watermelons. However, whilst honey bees can collect and deposit pollen from triploids onto stigmas, its effect on hybrid watermelon reproduction is likely to be minimal due to its low germination rate.

Pollinator identity and behavior affect pollination in kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch.).

Many crop plants rely on insect pollination, particularly insect-pollinated crops which are functionally dioecious. These crops require insects to move pollen between separate plants which are functionally male or female. While honey bees are typically considered the most important crop pollinator species, many other insects are known to visit crops but the pollination contribution of the full diversity of these flower visitors is poorly understood. In this study, we examine the role of diverse insect pollinators for two kiwifruit cultivars as model systems for dioecious crops: Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa 'Hayward' (a green-fleshed variety) and A. chinensis var. chinensis 'Zesy002' (a gold-fleshed variety). In our round-the-clock insect surveys, we identified that psychodid flies and mosquitoes were the second and third most frequent floral visitors after honey bees (Apis mellifera L), but further work is required to investigate their pollination efficiency. Measures of single-visit pollen deposition identified that several insects, including the bees Leioproctus spp. and Bombus spp. and the flies Helophilus hochstetteri and Eristalis tenax, deposited a similar amount of pollen on flowers as honey bees (Apis mellifera). Due to their long foraging period and high pollen deposition, we recommend the development of strategies to boost populations of Bombus spp., Eristalis tenax and other hover flies, and unmanaged bees for use as synergistic pollinators alongside honey bees.

Crisis stabilization units for jail diversion: A preliminary assessment of patient characteristics and outcomes.

Crisis stabilization units (CSUs), which offer a range of short-term psychiatric and psychological services, are one of several treatment programs that may create "alternative to arrest" options for law enforcement. Here, we examined the characteristics of the population who was referred to a newly established CSU in its first year of operation and examined the impact of the CSU on regional jail bookings. Administrative medical records and regional jail booking data were merged to form our study sample. Adults who had at least one jail booking and/or one CSU admission during our study period were included. We found that from September 1, 2018 to August 30, 2019, 458 people were admitted into the CSU. Approximately one-third (33.8%) had a jail booking during the study period. In the 3 months following CSU admission, 4.1% had an increase in jail bookings, 11.1% had a decrease, and 66.2% had no change. CSU patients self-reported high depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, while also reporting low quality of life scores overall. We conclude that CSUs may be promising components of jail diversion efforts, providing critical services to populations experiencing significant mental health symptoms and who are at risk for incarceration. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of web-based and face-to-face simulation education programs on nurses' response to patient deterioration: A multi-site interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: Nurses' response to patient deterioration in acute hospital wards is a priority issue. Simulation education programs improve nurses' knowledge and confidence, but the translation into better care is largely unknown for both web based (WB) and face to face (F2F) simulation programs. AIM: To measure the impact of simulation education on nurses' response to patient deterioration in acute medical ward settings, and to compare the impact of WB and F2F versions. DESIGN: An interrupted time series, non-randomised trial across four medical wards in Victoria, Australia. Wards were allocated to either web-based or face-to-face versions of the same simulation program, FIRST2ACT. Interrupted time series measurement for six fortnights both before and after the intervention were used to measure and compare responses to deterioration. Responses to patient deterioration were extracted from medical records and grouped into outcomes for escalation (e.g. initiation of clinical review), assessment and observation (e.g. increased recording of vital signs, conscious state and pain scores) and clinical interventions (e.g. oxygen administration). RESULTS: 126 nurses (89%) participated across the four wards. 946 patient records (506 in the F2F; 440 in the WB group) were included in analyses. There were significant and sustained improvements between pre and post samples in outcomes for escalation (13.0% to 28.8%; p = 0.000) and assessment and observation (conscious state recorded increased from 91.1% to 100%; p = 0.000, and pain score recorded increased from 97.8% to 99.8%; p = 0.000). There were no differences between the web-based and face-to-face groups except in appropriate oxygen application which increased by 7.7% in the F2F group and decreased by 11.8% in the WB group (p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant improvement in nurses' response to patient deterioration following both versions of simulation, indicating that both have a role to play in supporting nurses' response to patient deterioration.