The effect of cognitive reappraisal and early-life maternal care on neuroendocrine stress responses.

Early-life adversity (ELA) is related to profound dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, reflected in both, blunted or exaggerated cortisol stress responses in adulthood. Emotion regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal might contribute to this inconsistent finding. Here, we investigate an interaction of early-life maternal care (MC), where low MC represents a form of ELA, and instructed emotion regulation on cortisol responses to acute stress. Ninety-three healthy young women were assigned to a low (n = 33) or high (n = 60) MC group, based on self-reported early-life MC. In the laboratory, participants received regulation instructions, asking to cognitively reappraise (reappraisal group, n = 45) or to focus on senses (control group, n = 48) during subsequent stress exposure, induced by the Trier Social Stress Test. Salivary cortisol and subjective stress levels were measured repeatedly throughout the experiment. Multilevel model analyses confirmed a MC by emotion regulation interaction effect on cortisol trajectories, while controlling for hormonal status. Individuals with low MC in the control compared with the reappraisal group showed increased cortisol responses; individuals with high MC did not differ. These results highlight the significance of emotion regulation for HPA axis stress regulation following ELA exposure. They provide methodological and health implications, indicating emotion regulation as a promising target of treatment interventions for individuals with a history of ELA.

Childhood maltreatment and mental health problems in a 10-year follow-up study of adolescents in youth residential care: A latent transition analysis.

Childhood maltreatment and mental health problems are common among young people placed out-of-home. However, evidence on the impact of maltreatment on the course of mental health problems in at-risk populations is sparse. The aim of this longitudinal study is twofold: (a) describe the course of mental health problems and the shift in symptom patterns among adolescents in youth residential care into young adulthood and (b) assess how childhood maltreatment is related to the course of mental health problems. One hundred and sixty-six adolescents in Swiss youth residential care were followed up into young adulthood (36.1% women; MAge-Baseline = 16.1 years; MAge-Follow-Up = 26.4 years). Latent transition analysis was employed to analyze transitions of symptom patterns and their association with maltreatment exposure. We found three latent classes of mental health problems: a "multiproblem"-class (51.8% baseline; 33.7% follow-up), a "low symptom"-class (39.2% baseline; 60.2% follow-up), and an "externalizing"-class (9.0% baseline; 6.0% follow-up). Individuals in the "multiproblem"-class were likely to transition towards less-complex symptom patterns. Higher severity of self-reported childhood maltreatment was associated with more complex and persistent mental health problems. Our study underlines the need for collaboration between residential and psychiatric care systems within and after care placements, with a specialized focus on trauma-informed interventions and care.

Enhancing precision in human neuroscience.

Human neuroscience has always been pushing the boundary of what is measurable. During the last decade, concerns about statistical power and replicability - in science in general, but also specifically in human neuroscience - have fueled an extensive debate. One important insight from this discourse is the need for larger samples, which naturally increases statistical power. An alternative is to increase the precision of measurements, which is the focus of this review. This option is often overlooked, even though statistical power benefits from increasing precision as much as from increasing sample size. Nonetheless, precision has always been at the heart of good scientific practice in human neuroscience, with researchers relying on lab traditions or rules of thumb to ensure sufficient precision for their studies. In this review, we encourage a more systematic approach to precision. We start by introducing measurement precision and its importance for well-powered studies in human neuroscience. Then, determinants for precision in a range of neuroscientific methods (MRI, M/EEG, EDA, Eye-Tracking, and Endocrinology) are elaborated. We end by discussing how a more systematic evaluation of precision and the application of respective insights can lead to an increase in reproducibility in human neuroscience.

Estimation of antibody levels after COVID-19 vaccinations: Preliminary evidence for immune interoception.

To date, 72 % of the world's population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccination. The number of antibodies produced by some individuals is exponentially higher than in others, for various mostly unknown reasons. This variation causes great diversity in the future susceptibility to infection by the original or variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The following study investigated whether individuals were able to estimate the strength of their antibody response after their COVID-19 vaccinations. 166 recently vaccinated participants provided a blood sample for determination of antibody titers. Participants were asked to estimate how many antibodies they thought they had produced, and were further asked how protected they felt from COVID-19 due to vaccination. Both self-rated antibody levels, and feelings of protection against COVID-19 were significantly related to their actual IgG spike antibody titers, after controlling for age, days since vaccination, BMI and cross vaccination. These results suggest that individuals may have a form of "immune interoception" which relates to their response to their COVID-19 vaccination.

Increased empathic distress in adults is associated with higher levels of childhood maltreatment.

While many studies investigated basic facets of empathy, less is known about the association with early life adversity (ELA). To investigate a possible association of empathy with ELA, we assessed self-reported ELA, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for mother and father, and empathy, using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), in a sample of N = 228 (83% female, agemean = 30.51 ± 9.88 years, agerange = 18-60). Further, we measured willingness to donate a certain percentage of study compensation to a charity as an index of prosocial behavior. In line with our hypotheses that stated a positive association of empathy with ELA, increased levels of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and emotional and physical neglect were positively correlated with personal distress in response to others' suffering. Likewise, higher parental overprotection and lower parental care were related to higher personal distress. Furthermore, while participants with higher levels of ELA tended to donate more money on a merely descriptive level, only higher levels of sexual abuse were significantly related to larger donations after correction for multiple statistical tests. Other facets of the IRI (empathic concern, perspective taking and fantasy) were not related to any other ELA measure. This suggests ELA only affects levels of personal distress.

Challenges and opportunities of diagnostic markers of Alzheimer's disease based on structural magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVES: This article aimed to carry out a narrative literature review of early diagnostic markers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on both micro and macro levels of pathology, indicating the shortcomings of current biomarkers and proposing a novel biomarker of structural integrity that associates the hippocampus and adjacent ventricle together. This could help to reduce the influence of individual variety and improve the accuracy and validity of structural biomarker. METHODS: This review was based on presenting comprehensive background of early diagnostic markers of AD. We have compiled those markers into micro level and macro level, and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of them. Eventually the ratio of gray matter volume to ventricle volume was put forward. RESULTS: The costly methodologies and related high patient burden of "micro" biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers) hinder the implementation in routine clinical examination. In terms of "macro" biomarkers- hippocampal volume (HV), there is a large variation of it among population, which undermines its validity Considering the gray matter atrophies while the adjacent ventricular volume enlarges, we assume the hippocampal to ventricle ratio (HVR) is a more reliable marker than HV alone the emerging evidence showed hippocampal to ventricle ratio predicts memory functions better than HV alone in elderly sample. CONCLUSIONS: The ratio between gray matter structures and adjacent ventricular volumes counts as a promising superior diagnostic marker of early neurodegeneration.

Nature-Based Relaxation Videos and Their Effect on Heart Rate Variability.

Growing evidence suggests that natural environments - whether in outdoor or indoor settings - foster psychological health and physiological relaxation, indicated by increased wellbeing, reduced stress levels, and increased parasympathetic activity. Greater insight into differential psychological aspects modulating psychophysiological responses to nature-based relaxation videos could help understand modes of action and develop personalized relaxation interventions. We investigated heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of autonomic regulation, specifically parasympathetic activity, in response to a 10-min video intervention in two consecutive studies as well as heart rate (HR). We hypothesized that a nature-based relaxation video elicits HRV increase and HR decrease, with response magnitude being affected by aspects of early life adversity (conceptualized as low parental care and high overprotection/constraint) and trait mindfulness. In Study 1, N = 60 participants (52% female, age mean = 23.92 ± 3.13 years, age range = 18-34 years) watched a relaxation video intervention depicting different natural scenery. We analyzed changes in HR and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a standard HRV measure, both based on 3-min segments from the experimental session, in multiple growth curve models. We found a decrease in HR and increase of RSA during the video intervention. Higher paternal care and lower trait mindfulness observing skills (assessed via questionnaires) were associated with higher RSA values before but not during video exposure. In Study 2, N = 90 participants (50% female, age mean = 22.63 ± 4.57 years, age range = 18-49 years) were assigned to three video conditions: natural scenery from Study 1, meditation video, or short clip from "The Lord of the Rings." Again, HR decreased, and RSA increased during video segments, yet without expected group differences across different video types. We found higher parental care and lower parental overprotection to predict higher RSA at different times during the experiment. Interestingly, lower paternal overprotection predicted overall higher RSA. These results suggest a generic relaxation effect of video interventions on autonomic regulation that we discuss in light of different theories mapping restorative effects of natural environments. Further, psychological characteristics like aspects of early life adversity and trait mindfulness could contribute to individual differences in autonomic regulation. This study contributes to a better understanding of autonomic and psychological responses to relaxation videos.

Open and reproducible science practices in psychoneuroendocrinology: Opportunities to foster scientific progress.

This perspective article was written by invitation of the editors in chief as a summary and extension of the symposium entitled Psychoneuroendocrine Research in the Era of the Replication Crisis which was held at the virtual meeting of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021. It highlights the opportunities presented by the application of open and reproducible scientific practices in psychoneuroendocrinology (PNE), an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of psychology, endocrinology, immunology, neurology, and psychiatry. It conveys an introduction to the topics preregistration, registered reports, quantifying the impact of equally-well justifiable analysis decisions, and open data and scripts, while emphasizing 'selfish' reasons to adopt such practices as individual researcher. Complementary to the call for adoption of open science practices, we highlight the need for methodological best practice guidelines in the field of PNE, which could further contribute to enhancing replicability of results. We propose concrete steps for future actions and provide links to additional resources for those interested in adopting open and reproducible science practices in future studies.

[Digitally supported rheumatological screening consultation : How useful is a questionnaire scoring system (RhePort)?] / Digital unterstützte rheumatologische Screeningsprechstunde : Wie hilfreich ist ein Fragebogen-Scoringsystem (RhePort)?

Regarding scarce capacities an early detection consultation (EDC) was established to discriminate patients in an outpatient setting with inflammatory from non-inflammatory rheumatic diseases. A total of 500 patients suspected of having a rheumatic disease received an appointment within 2 weeks. They were interviewed with the help of a digital questionnaire (RhePort), briefly physically examined followed by a determination of CRP. The questionnaire answers were scored using an algorithm within RhePort (from 0 = non-inflammatory to 4 = highly probably inflammatory). Likewise, after completion of the EDC, the rheumatologists scored the overall assessment. The RhePort score and EDC score were compared with the "true" diagnosis made in a detailed second examination after an average of 10 weeks. In 490 evaluable patients 133 inflammatory (27%) and 357 noninflammatory rheumatic diseases (73%) were diagnosed. A classification based solely on the RhePort questionnaire (score > 1) identified 103 out of 129 as inflammatory (sens. 80%) and 125 out of 355 as non-inflammatory (spec. 35%) resulting in an AUC of 0.62 after ROC analysis. With a score > 1, the rheumatological assessment after EDC classified 130 out of 133 patients as inflammatory (sensitivity 98%) and 261 out of 357 as non-inflammatory (specificity 73%). The combined EDC can decisively increase the sensitivity and specificity compared to an "automated" survey by means of a digital questionnaire alone. In addition to the early identification and treatment of inflammatory patients, rapid identification of patients who are not in need of rheumatological treatment can create capacities for care.

Validation of an online version of the trier social stress test in adult men and women.

The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a reliable and efficient protocol to induce acute psychosocial stress in the laboratory. If circumstances do not allow in-person assessments, an online version of the TSST could create more flexible research opportunities. To date, studies have confirmed subjective and autonomic stress responses to online TSST protocols. In this preregistered study (https://osf.io/u57aj), we focused on the effect of a TSST online for adults (TSST-OA) on cortisol and alpha amylase levels, and pleasure and arousal ratings. As cortisol stress reactivity is mediated by sex, we further compared men and women. We hypothesized significant increases in cortisol, alpha amylase and arousal, and a decrease in pleasure in response to the TSST-OA. Also, we expected stronger cortisol responses in males as compared with females, as in the laboratory TSST. N = 48 adults (56% female, meanage=23.02 years, SD=3.19) participated in the study. Saliva sampling devices were sent to participants' home before testing sessions, during which the experimenter, a mixed-sex panel, and the participant joined a video call. Participants underwent the TSST-OA and overall provided five saliva samples for cortisol and alpha amylase detection. Pleasure and arousal ratings and psychometric questionnaires were also completed online. As hypothesized, the TSST-OA significantly increased cortisol, alpha amylase, and arousal levels, while it decreased pleasure. Moreover, cortisol responses were significantly stronger in males as compared to females. 64% of subjects were classified as responders (cortisol rise>1.5nmol/l). The TSST-OA successfully induced psychophysiological stress in adults. Our protocol offers new possibilities to study stress outside of the laboratory.

[Psychometric Properties of a German Translation of the Parental Bonding Instrument]. / Psychometrische Kennwerte einer deutschen Übersetzung des Parental Bonding Instrument.

Parenting behavior affects a child's development as well as the etiology and treatment of mental disorders. The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; Parker, Tupling & Brown, 1979) is a well-known measurement tool to retrospectively assess parenting styles. Yet, no sufficiently validated German version exists to date. Therefore, we developed an updated translation of the German PBI version (PBI-dt) and analyzed its psychometric properties in an online survey based on a sample of n=791 German-speaking participants with a focus on item and reliability characteristics, construct and criterion validity as well as factorial structure of the PBI-dt.Our results indicated good item characteristics and reliability (α=0.86-0.95). Correlations between PBI and CTQ-SF (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form) scales were in line with the literature. Significant differences in the reported parenting style were found between people with and without mental illness as well as between normal-weight and overweight people. These results indicated the presence of good construct and criterion validity. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated an acceptable model fit for all fit indices in the original 2-factor model of Parker et al. (1979) as well as in the 3-factor model with the scales CareCareCareCareCareCare, Discouragement of behavioral freedomDiscouragement of behavioral freedomDiscouragement of behavioral freedomDiscouragement of behavioral freedomDiscouragement of behavioral freedomDiscouragement of behavioral freedom and Denial of psychological autonomyDenial of psychological autonomyDenial of psychological autonomyDenial of psychological autonomyDenial of psychological autonomyDenial of psychological autonomy. A 3-factor structure provided additional information, e. g., a better differentiation between normal and overweight people. Hence, this German translation of the PBI has good psychometric properties and is a reliable measuring instrument.

Effects of psychological, sensory, and metabolic energy prime manipulation on the acute endocrine stress response in fasted women.

The stress response supports survival through energy mobilization. Paradoxically, a low blood glucose level dampens the endocrine stress response, and sugar consumption prior to stress restores it. Thus, energy availability may play a causal role in the endocrine stress response. Yet, it has never been tested whether sweet taste or expectations towards a drink content modulate the stress response. We investigated the potential role of sweetness, energy load and expectations towards energy load of a drink consumed prior to stress in restoring stress reactivity after fasting. N = 152 women (meanage=21.53, sdage=2.61) participated in the Trier Social Stress Test for groups in the morning after an overnight fast. Prior to stress induction, participants consumed a drink containing saccharose (sugar, n = 51), an equally sweet drink containing non-caloric sweetener (sweetener, n = 46), or water (n = 56). Additionally, participants in the sugar and sweetener group (n = 97) were informed whether or not their drink contained any calories (energy prime), which was deceptive in 50% of the cases. Eight salivary cortisol (-30, -20, -10, 0, +12, +25, +35, +45 min) and three blood glucose samples (-30, 0, +25 min) were assessed throughout the experiment. The effects of the experimental manipulations on cortisol trajectories were tested using multilevel mixed models. We found that compared with water, sugar and sweetener both significantly increased cortisol stress reactivity and with comparable intensity. However, our sensitivity analysis revealed a significant effect of sugar on cortisol trajectories compared to water and to sweetener. Drink-induced changes in blood glucose concentration were not associated with increases in cortisol. The energy prime did not affect the stress response. Overall, we could replicate the boosting effect of sugar consumption in a female sample after 8 h of fasting. The specific contribution of sweet taste and metabolic hormones to this boosting effect should be tested more rigorously in sex-balanced designs in the future.

Influence of stress on physiological synchrony in a stressful versus non-stressful group setting.

Physiological synchrony (PS) is defined as the co-occurrence and interdependence of physiological activity between interaction partners. Previous research has uncovered numerous influences on the extent of PS, such as relationship type or individual characteristics. Here, we investigate the influence of acute stress on PS. We do so in a setting in which PS was not promoted, but contact between group members was explicitly minimized. We reanalyzed cortisol, alpha-amylase, and subjective stress data from 138 participants (mean age = [Formula: see text], 47.1% female) who previously underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for groups (TSST-G) or a non-stressful control task together, collected as part of a larger project by Popovic et al. (Sci Rep 10: 7845, 2020). Using a stability and influence model, an established method to test for synchrony, we tested whether individuals' cortisol and alpha-amylase concentrations could be predicted by group members' levels. We found cortisol PS in participants who were in the same group, the extent of which was stronger in the non-stressful control condition. For alpha-amylase, participants were synchronized as well; furthermore, there was an interaction between previous stress levels and PS. This suggests that while synchrony of both stress markers can occur in group settings even with spurious interaction, stressor exposure might attenuate its extent. We argue that if PS occurs in a sample where interaction was minimal, the phenomenon might be more widespread than previously thought. Furthermore, stressor exposure might influence whether a situation allows for PS. We conclude that PS should be investigated within group settings with various degrees of social interaction to further expose mechanisms of and influence on PS.

The impact of maternal care and blood glucose availability on the cortisol stress response in fasted women.

Individuals with a history of low maternal care (MC) frequently present a blunted, yet sometimes also show an increased cortisol stress response. Fasted individuals with low blood glucose levels who are exposed to acute stress typically show an attenuated response pattern in this endocrine marker. Despite well-documented metabolic dysregulations after low MC, a possible interaction of both factors has not been investigated yet. Here, we examined the effects of MC and blood glucose concentration on various aspects of the stress response. Fasted women (N = 122, meanage = 22.12, sdage = 2.56) who experienced either very high, high, or low MC (based on the Parental Bonding Instrument) were randomly assigned to consume grape juice (condition sugar), or water (condition water) prior to being exposed to the Trier-Social-Stress-Test for groups. Salivary cortisol and alpha amylase, blood glucose, and mood ratings were assessed repeatedly. Using multilevel mixed models, we replicated the boosting effect of glucose on the cortisol stress response. While we found neither an effect of MC, nor an interaction between MC and blood glucose availability on the cortisol stress response, we observed an effect of MC on the amylase stress response. We discuss the results in the light of links between various stress/energy systems that possibly mediate health-related MC effects.

[Effectiveness of in-patient internal-psychosomatic hospital treatment: Evaluation of a treatment-concept in Lower Austria]. / Effektivität stationärer internistisch-psychosomatischer Behandlung im Krankenhaus: Evaluation eines Behandlungskonzepts in Niederösterreich.

Effectiveness of in-patient internal-psychosomatic hospital treatment: Evaluation of a treatment-concept in Lower Austria Background: Medical care for psychosomatic patients in Austria differs from Germany. Besides treatment in psychiatric wards, there are also inpatient programs for psychosomatic patients integrated in internal medical departments. Such an integrated ward in Lower Austria operates for more than 35 years and treats internal-psychosomatic and gastroenterological patients. However, its effectiveness was not yet evaluated. Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an inpatient program for psychosomatic patients. Method: In total, 184 patients participated in the naturalistic study and filled in questionnaires at admission and discharge from inpatient treatment. Primary endpoint was the difference in global symptom burden, as well as symptom burden in the areas of somatization, anxiety, and depression as measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) between admission and discharge. Secondary endpoints were body image (FKB-20) and subjective therapeutic success (BVB-2000). The predictive power of the Structure of Personality (OPD-SF) and adverse childhood experiences (ACE-D) was also investigated. A smaller sample of 59 patients also participated in a four-month follow up assessment. Results: The inpatient treatment was associated with improvement in the primary endpoints that can be interpreted as large effects. The effects were also small to large for the secondary endpoints, however, the improvement was smaller at the follow up time point. Patients with deficits in the dimensions regulation of relationships and internal emotional communication showed less improvement. Discussion: Symptoms improve over the course of the evaluated inpatient treatment program. Specific dimension of the structure of personality predict treatment response and should be considered in treatment planning. Conclusion: This study provides initial evidence for the presented internal-psychosomatic inpatient program. The program might act as model for psychosomatic medical care in Austrian hospitals.

Laughter yoga reduces the cortisol response to acute stress in healthy individuals.

Stress is one of the foremost contributors to the development of psychiatric diseases. Since the prevalence of stress-related complaints is increasing, we are in need for affordable and effective treatment alternatives. Laughter yoga (LY), a popular method encouraging participants to simulate laughter and participate in yogic breathing exercises, is hypothesized to buffer negative effects of stress. Although widely practiced, empirical evidence for beneficial effects of LY is scarce. We investigated the acute effects of a single 30-min LY session on the autonomic, endocrine and psychological response to a standardized psychosocial stressor. Thirty-five healthy subjects (51% female) were randomly assigned to experience either a LY (n = 11), a relaxation breathing (n = 12) or a (non-intervention) control (n = 12) session prior to their exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G). Salivary cortisol, salivary alpha amylase, and subjective stress were assessed repeatedly throughout the experiment. We expected that LY and relaxation breathing group each show a downregulation of stress response indices compared to the control group. Further, we expected that LY has beneficial effects compared to relaxation breathing. The groups did not differ in salivary cortisol, alpha amylase or subjective stress reactivity during the 30-min intervention. However, in response to the TSST-G, the LY, but neither the relaxation breathing, nor the control condition, showed an attenuated cortisol stress response. These findings highlight the potential of LY to buffer the endocrine stress response. Therefore, LY could be used as a cheap and easily-to-implement add-on to more traditional stress interventions. LAY SUMMARY In recent years, more and more people have reported to feel stressed. Although our body is well equipped to deal with acute stress, chronic stress can tire our system and contribute to illness in the long run. Therefore, we need affordable and effective measures to reduce stress. In this study we have investigated whether a single laughter yoga session can help us to deal with acute stress. Although laughter yoga did not change how stressful a situation was perceived, it reduced the amount of stress hormones that were released in response to the situation. As such, laughter yoga might be a cheap and easily-to-implement add-on to more traditional stress reduction interventions.

Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: a block randomized, controlled trial.

Health and disease are strongly linked to psychophysiological states. While stress research strongly benefits from standardized stressors, no established protocol focuses on the induction of psychophysiological relaxation. To maintain health, functioning regenerative systems are however likely as important as functioning stress systems. Thus, the identification of validated relaxation paradigms is needed. Here, we investigated whether standardized massages are capable of reliably inducing physiological and psychological states of relaxation. Relaxation was indicated by changes in high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a vagally-mediated heart rate variability component, and repeated ratings of subjective relaxation, and stress levels. Sixty healthy women were randomly assigned to a vagus nerve massage (n = 19), a soft shoulder massage (n = 22), or a resting control group (n = 19). During the intervention, HF-HRV and subjective relaxation increased, while subjective stress decreased significantly in all groups. Both massage interventions elicited significantly higher HF-HRV compared to the control group. Accordingly, both massage protocols increased psychophysiological relaxation, and may serve as useful tools in future research. However, future work will have to determine which of several protocols might be used as a gold standard to induce a psychophysiological state of relaxation in the laboratory.

The Opposite of Stress.

Cognition is affected by psychophysiological states. While the influence of stress on cognition has been investigated intensively, less studies have addressed how the opposite of stress, a state of relaxation, affects cognition. We investigated whether the extent of parasympathetic activation is positively related to divergent thinking. Sixty healthy female participants were randomly allocated to a standardized vagus nerve massage (n = 19), a standardized soft shoulder massage (n = 22), or a resting control group (n = 19). Subsequently, participants completed the Alternative Uses Test (AUT), a measure of divergent thinking. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a vagally mediated heart rate variability component, was monitored throughout the experiment. The area under the curve with respect to the increase was calculated for RSA trajectories as an indicator of vagal tone during the relaxing intervention. Regressions tested the effect of vagal tone on AUT outcomes. We found an association between vagal tone and subsequent AUT outcomes. Yet, this association was no longer significant when controlling for the effect of the creative potential of an individual, which was strongly related to AUT outcomes. Being exploratory, we found a positive association between creative potential and vagal tone. These results imply that creative potential might be related to the capacity to relax.

The novel antipsychotic cariprazine stabilizes gamma oscillations in rat hippocampal slices.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Gamma oscillations are fast rhythmic fluctuations of neuronal network activity ranging from 30 to 90 Hz that establish a precise temporal background for cognitive processes such as perception, sensory processing, learning, and memory. Alterations of gamma oscillations have been observed in schizophrenia and are suggested to play crucial roles in the generation of positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms of the disease. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: In this study, we investigated the effects of the novel antipsychotic cariprazine, a D3 -preferring dopamine D3 /D2 receptor partial agonist, on cholinergically induced gamma oscillations in rat hippocampal slices from treatment-naïve and MK-801-treated rats, a model of acute first-episode schizophrenia. KEY RESULTS: The D3 receptor-preferring agonist pramipexole effectively decreased the power of gamma oscillations, while the D3 receptor antagonist SB-277011 had no effect. In treatment-naïve animals, cariprazine did not modulate strong gamma oscillations but slightly improved the periodicity of non-saturated gamma activity. Cariprazine showed a clear partial agonistic profile at D3 receptors at the network level by potentiating the inhibitory effects when the D3 receptor tone was low and antagonizing the effects when the tone was high. In hippocampal slices of MK-801-treated rats, cariprazine allowed stabilization of the aberrant increase in gamma oscillation power and potentiated resynchronization of the oscillations. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Data from this study indicate that cariprazine stabilizes pathological hippocampal gamma oscillations, presumably by its partial agonistic profile. The results demonstrate in vitro gamma oscillations as predictive biomarkers to study the effects of antipsychotics preclinically at the network level.

Systematic Comparison of Four Methods for Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales Directly from Blood Cultures.

Early identification of infections caused by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) can help to optimize patient treatment and improve outcome. In this study, protocols for rapid detection of carbapenemase production directly from positive blood cultures were developed applying a concentration and hemolysis step before a test for carbapenemase production was performed. Four different methods (three modified colorimetric assays [ß-Carba, bcCarba NP, and NeoRapid Carb] and a variation of the carbapenem inactivation method [CIM] test with blood cultures [bcCIM]) were assessed on blood cultures spiked with 185 different molecularly characterized Enterobacterales isolates. The challenge collection included 81 carbapenemase-negative isolates and 104 CPEs (OXA-48 [n = 25], NDM [n = 20], KPC [n = 18], VIM [n = 25], GIM [n = 5], OXA-48-like [n = 9], and OXA-48-like plus NDM [n = 2]). The sensitivity/specificity was 99.0%/95.1% for bcCarba NP, 99.0%/91.4% for NeoRapid Carb, 100%/95.1% for ß-Carba and 100%/100% for bcCIM. Weakly hydrolyzing carbapenemases (e.g., OXA-48-like) were also well detected by the assays. The time to result was 20 to 45 min for ß-Carba, 2 to 3 h for bcCarba NP, 2.5 to 2 h for NeoRapid Carb, and 18 to 24 h for bcCIM. In conclusion, all assays demonstrated good detection of CPE. The protocols can be easily implemented in any clinical microbiology laboratory and could help to optimize therapy early in bloodstream infections by CPE.