Traces of culture: The feedback loop between behavior, brain, and disorder.

Culture is part of an extensive series of feedback loops, which involve multiple organismic levels including social contexts, cognitive mediations, neural processes, and behavior. Recent studies in neuroscience show that culturally contingent social processes shape some neural pathways. Studying the influence of cultural context on neural processes may yield new insights into psychiatric disorders. New methodologies in the neurosciences offer innovative ways to assess the impact of culture on mental health and illness. However, implementing these methodologies raises important theoretical and ethical concerns, which must be resolved to address patient individuality and the complexity of cultural diversity. This article discusses cultural context as a major influence on (and consequence of) human neural plasticity and advocates a culture-brain-behavior (CBB) interaction model for conceptualizing the relationship between culture, brain, and psychiatric disorders. Recommendations are made for integrating neuroscientific techniques into transcultural psychiatric research by taking a systems approach to evaluating disorders.

Social Values and Determinants of Cultural Fit in Quebec: The Roles of Ancestry, Linguistic Group, and Mental Health Status.

Many quantitative cross-cultural research studies assume that cultural groups consist of anyone born and raised in the same country. Applying these criteria to the formation of study samples may produce cohorts that share a country but are heterogeneous in relevant domains of culture. For example, in Canada, Franco- and Anglo-Canadians are generally assumed to represent different linguistic groups but the same cultural group. However, speaking a different first language also can mean exposure to different media, information, and conventions, which are known to shape certain cultural domains, such as social values. Other factors may also produce cultural heterogeneity. For example, ancestral origins and recency of familial migration may influence endorsed social values after exposure to diverse cultures or norms. Mental health status or psychiatric conditions may also influence subscription of social values due to different lifestyle demands. Understanding the nuanced contributions of diverse backgrounds to cultural membership and fit (i.e., the degree to which an individual behaves like other cultural members) is useful when performing quantitative cross-cultural studies to minimize alternative explanations for statistical outcomes. This study used Cultural Consensus Analysis (CCA) to assess the cultural fit of social values for 222 Canadians, who had participated in cross-cultural neuropsychological experiments. CCA is an anthropological statistical method for evaluating cultural agreement of a sample. Participants were systematically evaluated by linguistic groups (French and English), migratory generation (1st-3rd+), and mental health status (healthy and patient). Group and individual variances were statistically interrogated. Results demonstrated that Franco- and Anglo-Canadians represent different cultural groups cohabitating in Quebec. Social values dividing Franco- and Anglo-Canadians were also identified. Second and third generation Canadians held more heterogeneous social values than Canadians, whose families had migrated earlier. Second generation Canadians with psychiatric disorders showed notably reduced cultural fit with other Canadians, which supports other literature reporting difficulties experienced by second generation migrants. However, third and later generations of Canadians with psychiatric disorders held a greater range of social values compared to healthy Canadians but still were good fits for Canadian culture. This study concluded that linguistic group and migratory generation partially determines cultural group for the social values domain while mental health status does not, contrary to theories proposed by previous literature.

The adaptive self: Culture and social flexibility in feedback networks.

Culture contextualizes the contents and intentionality of many mental statuses. Cognitive mediation of cultural information shapes these contents and intentionalities, as well as many of the false beliefs of pathology. Flexibility of cognitive mediation processes and resulting beliefs and pathologies may vary by individual, be a key mechanism of the feedback loop, and help characterize network connections.

Heightened Responses of the Parahippocampal and Retrosplenial Cortices during Contextualized Recognition of Congruent Objects.

Context sometimes helps make objects more recognizable. Previous studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have examined regional neural activity when objects have strong or weak associations with their contexts. Such studies have demonstrated that activity in the parahippocampal cortex (PHC) generally corresponds with strong associations between objects and their spatial contexts while retrosplenial cortex (RSC) activity is linked with episodic memory. However these studies investigated objects viewed in associated contexts, but the direct influence of scene on the perception of visual objects has not been widely investigated. We hypothesized that the PHC and RSC may only be engaged for congruent contexts in which the object could typically be found but not for neutral contexts. While in an fMRI scanner, 15 participants rated the recognizability of 152 photographic images of objects, presented within congruent and incongruent contexts. Regions of interest were created to examine PHC and RSC activity using a hypothesis-driven approach. Exploratory analyses were also performed to identify other regional activity. In line with previous studies, PHC and RSC activity emerged when objects were viewed in congruent contexts. Activity in the RSC, inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and fusiform gyrus also emerged. These findings indicate that different brain regions are employed when objects are meaningfully contextualized.

Reactions to Receiving a Gift-Maternal Scaffolding and Cultural Learning in Berlin and Delhi.

This study shows how Berlin (n = 35) and Delhi (n = 28) mothers scaffold a common and highly scripted social situation, namely gift giving, and enable cultural learning in 19-month-olds. Using modeling and prompting to encourage appropriate responses, mothers took culture-specific directions during scaffolding that were in line with the broader cultural model as assessed by maternal socialization goals (SGs). Whereas Berlin mothers prioritized autonomous SGs, Delhi mothers emphasized autonomous and relational SGs to similar degrees. During scaffolding, Berlin mothers focused on maximizing positive affect and acknowledging the gift, whereas Delhi mothers prompted toddlers to acknowledge the giver more often. Furthermore, there were differences in toddlers' behavior in line with these culture-specific scripts guiding gift giving.

Multisensory teamwork: using a tactile or an auditory display to exchange gaze information improves performance in joint visual search.

In joint tasks, adjusting to the actions of others is critical for success. For joint visual search tasks, research has shown that when search partners visually receive information about each other's gaze, they use this information to adjust to each other's actions, resulting in faster search performance. The present study used a visual, a tactile and an auditory display, respectively, to provide search partners with information about each other's gaze. Results showed that search partners performed faster when the gaze information was received via a tactile or auditory display in comparison to receiving it via a visual display or receiving no gaze information. Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of tactile and auditory displays for receiving task-relevant information in joint tasks and are applicable to circumstances in which little or no visual information is available or the visual modality is already taxed with a demanding task such as air-traffic control. Practitioner Summary: The present study demonstrates that tactile and auditory displays are effective for receiving information about actions of others in joint tasks. Findings are either applicable to circumstances in which little or no visual information is available or when the visual modality is already taxed with a demanding task.

Maternal migration and autism risk: systematic analysis.

Autism (AUT) is one of the most prevalent developmental disorders emerging during childhood, and can be amongst the most incapacitating mental disorders. Some individuals with AUT require a lifetime of supervised care. Autism Speaks reported estimated costs for 2012 at £34 billion in the UK; and $3.2 million-$126 billion in the US, Australia and Canada. Ethnicity and migration experiences appear to increase risks of AUT and relate to underlying biological risk factors. Sociobiological stress factors can affect the uterine environment, or relate to stress-induced epigenetic changes during pregnancy and delivery. Epigenetic risk factors associated with AUT also include poor pregnancy conditions, low birth weight, and congenital malformation. Recent studies report that children from migrant communities are at higher risk of AUT than children born to non-migrant mothers, with the exception of Hispanic children. This paper provides the first systematic review into prevalence and predictors of AUT with a particular focus on maternal migration stressors and epigenetic risk factors. AUT rates appear higher in certain migrant communities, potentially relating to epigenetic changes after stressful experiences. Although AUT remains a rare disorder, failures to recognize its public health urgency and local community needs continue to leave certain cultural groups at a disadvantage.

What kind of science for psychiatry?

Psychiatry has invested its hopes in neuroscience as a path to understanding mental disorders and developing more effective treatments and ultimately cures. Recently, the U.S. NIMH has elaborated this vision through a new framework for mental health research, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). This framework aims to orient mental health research toward the discovery of underlying neurobiological and biobehavioral mechanisms of mental disorders that will eventually lead to definitive treatments. In this article we consider the rationale of the RDoC and what it reveals about implicit models of mental disorders. As an overall framework for understanding mental disorders, RDoC is impoverished and conceptually flawed. These limitations are not accidental but stem from disciplinary commitments and interests that are at odds with the larger concerns of psychiatry. A multilevel, ecosocial approach to biobehavioral systems is needed both to guide relevant neuroscience research and insure the inclusion of social processes that may be fundamental contributors to psychopathology and recovery.

Autism and anxiety in males with fragile X syndrome: an exploratory analysis of neurobehavioral profiles from a parent survey.

Although it is suspected that anxiety modifies the clinical presentation of autism in fragile X syndrome (FXS), neuropsychiatric co-morbidity profiles of these two disorders have not been extensively studied. The National Fragile X Survey was completed for 1,027 males with FXS, for whom yes/no information regarding the presence of several disorders is provided. Although the survey exhibited limited depth and lacked validation by standardized measures, this exploratory study was conducted to take advantage of the data as an opportunity for identifying future lines of inquiry. We addressed the following questions: (i) how do the co-morbidity profiles of FXS males with both autism and anxiety compare to those without anxiety?; (ii) do individuals with autism exhibit specific co-morbidity profiles compared to FXS males with anxiety only, or without either autism or anxiety?; (iii) how do co-morbidity profiles in children ages 3-11 differ from profiles of individuals >12 years? The group with autism and anxiety reported the highest prevalence of attention problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, self-injurious behavior and aggressiveness. In addition, the lowest prevalence rates of these conditions were often observed in non-anxious groups regardless of autism status. Overall, this exploratory analysis generated several hypotheses for further study: (i) anxiety increases the severity of autism in FXS, particularly through additional behavioral abnormalities; (ii) some neuropsychiatric and behavioral conditions (i.e., attention problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, aggressiveness) are primarily related to comorbid anxiety, not autism; (iii) prevalence of behavioral abnormalities increases with age. Future studies evaluating these hypotheses should incorporate validated neurobehavioral assessments, and control for cognitive level.

Transfusion of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers in the carboxy state is beneficial during transient focal cerebral ischemia.

Exchange transfusion of large volumes of hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers can protect the brain from middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Hb in the carboxy state (COHb) may provide protection at relatively low volumes by enhancing vasodilation. We determined whether transfusion of rats with 10 ml/kg PEGylated COHb [polyethylene glycol (PEG)-COHb] at 20 min of 2-h MCAO was more effective in reducing infarct volume compared with non-carbon monoxide (CO) PEG-Hb. After PEG-COHb transfusion, whole blood and plasma COHb was <3%, indicating rapid release of CO. PEG-COHb transfusion significantly reduced infarct volume (15 ± 5% of hemisphere; mean ± SE) compared with that in the control group (35 ± 6%), but non-CO PEG-Hb did not (24 ± 5%). Chemically dissimilar COHb polymers were also effective. Induction of MCAO initially produced 34 ± 2% dilation of pial arterioles in the border region that subsided to 10 ± 1% at 2 h. Transfusion of PEG-COHb at 20 min of MCAO maintained pial arterioles in a dilated state (40 ± 5%) at 2 h, whereas transfusion of non-CO PEG-Hb had an intermediate effect (22 ± 3%). When transfusion of PEG-COHb was delayed by 90 min, laser-Doppler flow in the border region increased from 57 ± 9 to 82 ± 13% of preischemic baseline. These data demonstrate that PEG-COHb is more effective than non-CO PEG-Hb at reducing infarct volume, sustaining cerebral vasodilation, and improving collateral perfusion in a model of transient focal cerebral ischemia when given at a relatively low dose (plasma Hb concentration < 1 g/dl). Use of acellular Hb as a CO donor that is rapidly converted to an oxygen carrier in vivo may permit potent protection at low transfusion volumes.

Attenuation of neonatal ischemic brain damage using a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor.

20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) is a cytochrome P450 metabolite of arachidonic acid that that contributes to infarct size following focal cerebral ischemia. However, little is known about the role of 20-HETE in global cerebral ischemia or neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (H-I). The present study examined the effects of blockade of the synthesis of 20-HETE with N-hydroxy-N'-(4-n-butyl-2-methylphenyl) formamidine (HET0016) in neonatal piglets after H-I to determine if it protects highly vulnerable striatal neurons. Administration of HET0016 after H-I improved early neurological recovery and protected neurons in putamen after 4 days of recovery. HET0016 had no significant effect on cerebral blood flow. cytochrome P450 4A immunoreactivity was detected in putamen neurons, and direct infusion of 20-HETE in the putamen increased phosphorylation of Na(+), K(+) -ATPase and NMDA receptor NR1 subunit selectively at protein kinase C-sensitive sites but not at protein kinase A-sensitive sites. HET0016 selectively inhibited the H-I induced phosphorylation at these same sites at 3 h of recovery and improved Na(+), K(+) -ATPase activity. At 3 h, HET0016 also suppressed H-I induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activation and protein markers of nitrosative and oxidative stress. Thus, 20-HETE can exert direct effects on key proteins involved in neuronal excitotoxicity in vivo and contributes to neurodegeneration after global cerebral ischemia in immature brain.