Repression: A Critical Assessment and Update of Freud's 1915 Paper.

The concept of repression has been relegated to the periphery in current psychoanalytic theorizing. This is in part due to a reflexive and ill-informed avoidance of Freudian metapsychology, and in part due to preoccupation with 'primitive' and 'deeper' states of mind, a perspective that presumes that repression operates exclusively in 'higher level' or 'neurotic' forms of psychopathology. A careful scrutiny of psychoanalytic theory and clinical practice does not uphold such compartmentalization. Repression is ubiquitous in mental life. It contributes to normality (e.g., onset of latency), undergirds the 'psychopathology of everyday life' (e.g., parapraxes), exists alongside splitting in severe character disorders (e.g., borderline patients "forgetting" their appointments) and, by permitting a modified return of exiled mental contents, gives birth to neurotic symptoms as well as creative imagination. Taking Freud's seminal discourse on repression (in: Repression. Standard Edition, vol 14. Hogarth, London, pp 141-158 1915a) as its starting point, this paper elucidates the complex, nuanced, and pervasive nature of this defense. It deconstructs Freud's unitary concept of repression into four implicit binaries and updates his proposals in the light of contemporary psychoanalytic theory. The paper offers clear guidelines for clinical applications of these ideas.

The concreteness effect of word processing for highly neurotic individuals: an event-related potential study.

A number of studies have found a concreteness effect and an abstractness effect in word processing. The triple-component hypothesis proposed that the emotional aspect of words, such as the valence of words, contributes to the abstractness effect. Although there is no direct evidence for the role of affective characteristics of individuals in the abstractness effect, some studies have found a negative bias of highly neurotic individuals. The current study was designed to examine the abstractness effect of words for individuals who were highly neurotic. The event-related potential results showed that highly neurotic individuals exhibited an abstractness effect for negative words on the P300, which was evoked by emotion information, and a concreteness effect for negative words on the N400, which was activated by semantic processing. These results are discussed from the perspective of triple-component hypothesis.

Neuroticism and health as individuals age.

Neuroticism and conscientiousness have emerged as key concepts in understanding health and thriving as individuals age, but various conceptual misunderstandings and methodological deficiencies have impaired progress. Personality traits are not analogous to health threats such as infectious microbes or dangerous behaviors or environmental toxins; rather, they can capture biopsychosocial processes across time. This article examines how healthy neuroticism and unhealthy neuroticism play out in differing environments and how these concepts can help clarify and explain the important variability in health and longevity that emerges in middle age. Progress in utilizing personality to improve public health ultimately will depend on the precise study and full specification of causal models, including pathways across time and clear description of unambiguous outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

A STUDY OF ADAPTIVE REACTIONS OF THE CARDIORESPIRATORY SYSTEM IN PSYCHOEMOTIONAL STRESS CONDITIONS.

The article presents modern data on the physiological mechanisms study of the stress resistance development, which occurs in medical students in the dynamics of studying in higher educational institution in junior courses (1-3 courses). The adaptive reactions of the cardiorespiratory system in conditions of psychoemotional load were studied. Results showed that development of adaptation syndrome in those conditions greatly depends on speed of formation and intensity level of intersystem integration in cardiorespiratory system. That relation is revealed most of all on the background of physical activity (load on bicycle ergometer to the full). The variability of stages of adaptation development was found out. In first group of students the first stage of adaptive syndrome is characterized by activation of non-specific adaptive mechanisms (1st year of studies), that is naturally replaced by second stage - specific adaptive reactions, when the intellectual work capacity increases on the background of rationalization of its autonomic supply. In second group of students the second variant of adaptation development occurs - non-specific adaptive mechanisms (1st stage) on the 2nd year of study are changed by the stage of specific adaptation (2nd stage), that is accompanied by excessive psychophysiological indexes. On the 3rd year of study it leads to the depletion of adaptive capabilities (3rd stage). In third group of students the stage of activation of non-specific adaptive mechanisms was rapidly changed by their depletion, that was accompanied by decrease of intersystem integration and intellectual workability. Therefore, the formation of adaptive optimum occurs only in 40% of students. The majority (60%) of students-young women show either the initially insufficient adaptive capabilities, or excessive adaptation. Both insufficient and excessive adaptation naturally leads to psychological and autonomic disorders followed by appearance of psychosomatic neurotic manifestations. The prospects of future research from our point of view should lie in further investigation of gender peculiarities of adaptive reactions development up to psycho-emotional stress that develops in conditions of studying in university. That will make an opportunity to reveal the features of mechanisms of resistance formation depending on gender.

Neural predictors of emotional inertia in daily life.

Assessing emotional dynamics in the brain offers insight into the fundamental neural and psychological mechanisms underlying emotion. One such dynamic is emotional inertia-the influence of one's emotional state at one time point on one's emotional state at a subsequent time point. Emotion inertia reflects emotional rigidity and poor emotion regulation as evidenced by its relationship to depression and neuroticism. In this study, we assessed changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) from before to after an emotional task and used these changes to predict stress, positive and negative emotional inertia in daily life events. Cerebral blood flow changes in the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) predicted decreased non-specific emotional inertia, suggesting that the lPFC may feature a general inhibitory mechanism responsible for limiting the impact that an emotional state from one event has on the emotional state of a subsequent event. CBF changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and lateral occipital cortex were associated with positive emotional inertia and negative/stress inertia, respectively. These data advance the blossoming literature on the temporal dynamics of emotion in the brain and on the use of neural indices to predict mental health-relevant behavior in daily life.

THE PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL STATUS IN CELIAC DISEASE.

Based on the results of a comprehensive study of 35 people aged from 19 to 52 years, among them 20 women and 15 men with celiac disease features of their physiological status were studied, reflecting the severity of the disease and quality of life. The diagnosis was based on the clinical and anamnestic data, endoscopy, histomorphological, immunological and genetic exams. Psychophysiological analysis showed that in celiac disease is characterized by the formation reactions with anxiety, anxiety-phobic, neurotic, affective, and hypochondriacal symptoms. The results of the study emphasized the importance of adaptive physiological capacity of the body to build tolerance to the development of psycho-vegetative, hypochondriacaldepressive and other disorders.

[Vasomotor Endothelial Function in Healthy Individuals: Contact Types of Character].

We studied the vascular endothelial vasomotor function in healthy young individuals, depending on the type of character accentuation, levels of neuroticism, depression and anxiety. It is shown that the types of character accentuation effect on endothelial vasomotor function in healthy men and women. Personality characteristics of a person can be a significant risk factor for disease, the pathogenesis of which is the starting element of endothelial vasomotor dysfunction.

[HEALTH STATUS AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN BORN USING IVF].

In the work the analysis of incidence, the dynamics of physical development during the first year of life among 28 children born using IVF was conducted. It was found out that during the first year of life these children have certain patterns of growth and development, as well as a wide range of diagnosed pathology. Thereby observing children of this category should be optimized.

Pathological gambling: update on decision making and neuro-functional studies in clinical samples.

Given the importance and the burden of pathological gambling (PG) and its effect on gamblers and their relatives, better comprehension of the phenomena involved in its development and persistence is needed. The present paper describes the previous 5 years of studies on decision making and magnetic resonance imaging in people with PG. Twenty-six studies (456 participants with PG) were included. Perseveration in monetary tasks was associated with PG despite intact executive planning abilities. PG was linked with impairment in decision making under uncertainty. Hyperactivation of the reward pathway was repeatedly found. PG was also linked with neural hyperactivation of the reward pathway during high-risk conditions and hypoactivation in low-risk conditions. Furthermore, in PG, near misses activated the brain regions related to wins. Numerous similarities were found between PG and substance use disorders, highlighting the scientific basis of the recent reclassification of PG in the spectrum of addictive disorders.

[Neurosis and genetic theory of etiology and pathogenesis of ulcer disease].

Based on the analysis of literature data and our own research, we have developed the original concept of etiology and pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease. An analysis of the literature shows that none of the theories of pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease does not cover the full diversity of the involved functions and their shifts, which lead to the development of ulcers in the stomach and the duodenum. Our neurogenic-genetic theory of etiology and pathogenesis of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer very best explains the cause-and-effect relationships in the patient peptic ulcer, allowing options for predominance in one or the other case factors of neurosis or genetic factors. However, it is clear that the only other: combination of neurogenic factor with genetically modified reactivity of gastroduodenal system (the presence of the target organ) cause the chronicity of the sores. The theory of peptic ulcer disease related to psychosomatic pathologies allows us to develop effective schema therapy, including drugs with psychocorrective action. On the basis of our theory of the role of Helicobacter pylori infection is treated as a pathogenetic factor in the development of peptic ulcer disease.

Individual EEG differences in affective valence processing in women with low and high neuroticism.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, individual differences in brain electrophysiology during positive and negative affective valence processing in women with different neuroticism scores are quantified. METHODS: Twenty-six women scoring high and low on neuroticism participated on this experiment. A support vector machine (SVM)-based classifier was applied on the EEG single trials elicited by high arousal pictures with negative and positive valence scores. Based on the accuracy values obtained from subject identification tasks, the most distinguishing EEG channels among participants were detected, pointing which scalp regions show more distinct patterns. RESULTS: Significant differences were obtained, in the EEG heterogeneity between positive and negative valence stimuli, yielding higher accuracy in subject identification using negative pictures. Regarding the topographical analysis, significantly higher accuracy values were reached in occipital areas and in the right hemisphere (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Mainly, individual differences in EEG can be located in parietooccipital regions. These differences are likely to be due to the different reactivity and coping strategies to unpleasant stimuli in individuals with high neuroticism. In addition, the right hemisphere shows a greater individual specificity. SIGNIFICANCE: An SVM-based classifier asserts the individual specificity and its topographical differences in electrophysiological activity for women with high neuroticism compared to low neuroticism.

Influence of personality on the relationship between gray matter volume and neuropsychiatric symptoms in multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Research has revealed an association between personality traits and health outcomes, and in multiple sclerosis (MS), there are preliminary data showing a correlation between personality traits and brain volume. We examined the general hypothesis that personality influences the relationship between gray matter volume (GMV) and cognitive/neuropsychiatric MS features. METHODS: Participants were 98 patients with MS who underwent magnetic resonance imaging and were tested with the Symbol Digit Modalities Test and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, the latter providing measures of depression and euphoria that can be characteristic of MS, that is, cheerful indifference and disinhibition. Personality traits were assessed with the NEO Five Factor Inventory. We examined the correlation between personality traits and both GMV and symptoms, and then modeled mediation and moderation influences on the relationships between GMV and cognitive/neuropsychiatric features. RESULTS: Linear regression modeling revealed that GMV (r = 0.54, p < .001) and NEO Five Factor Inventory low conscientiousness (r = 0.36, p = .001) were associated with cognitive function, but no mediator or moderator effects were observed. However, conscientiousness mediated the relationship between GMV and symptoms of euphoria (p = .002). The moderator analysis revealed a significant influence of high neuroticism on the GMV-euphoria relationship (p = .029). CONCLUSIONS: Low conscientiousness and high neuroticism are associated with neuropsychiatric complications in MS, and each influences the relationship between GMV and euphoria. The findings suggest that patients with low conscientiousness are at higher risk for MS-associated cognitive dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms, a conclusion that has implications for the emerging role of personality in clinical neuroscience.

Brain insulin dysregulation: implication for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Arduous efforts have been made in the last three decades to elucidate the role of insulin in the brain. A growing number of evidences show that insulin is involved in several physiological function of the brain such as food intake and weight control, reproduction, learning and memory, neuromodulation and neuroprotection. In addition, it is now clear that insulin and insulin disturbances particularly diabetes mellitus may contribute or in some cases play the main role in development and progression of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Focusing on the molecular mechanisms, this review summarizes the recent findings on the involvement of insulin dysfunction in neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease and also mental disorders like depression and psychosis sharing features of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

Gene by neuroticism interaction and cognitive function among older adults.

OBJECTIVES: Both apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε-4 allele(s) and elevated trait neuroticism, the tendency to experience distress, are associated with cognitive function among older adults. We predicted that neuroticism moderates the association between ApoE and cognitive function and also explored whether other personality dimensions (openness to experience, agreeableness, extraversion, and conscientiousness) affect the association between ApoE status and cognitive function. METHOD: Five-hundred and ninety-seven older adults (mean age of 78 years) enrolled in the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study completed the NEO five-factor inventory of personality. Cognitive function was assessed via the cognitive portion of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale, and a blood sample for ApoE genotyping was drawn. RESULTS: As hypothesized, regression analysis indicated that neuroticism moderated the relationship between the presence of ApoE ε-4 and cognitive function. Individuals with high neuroticism scores had significantly lower scores on the cognitive portion of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale compared with individuals with low neuroticism scores, but this was true only among carriers of ApoE ε-4 (interaction effect ß = 0.124, p = 0.028). There was scant evidence that other personality dimensions moderate the association between ApoE ε-4 and cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive function may be affected by ApoE and neuroticism acting in tandem. Research on the underlying physiological mechanisms by which neuroticism amplifies the effect of ApoE ε-4 is warranted. The study of genotype by phenotype interactions provides an important and useful direction for the study of cognitive function among older adults and for the development of novel prevention programs.

The modulating effect of personality traits on neural error monitoring: evidence from event-related FMRI.

The present study investigated the association between traits of the Five Factor Model of Personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness for Experiences, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) and neural correlates of error monitoring obtained from a combined Eriksen-Flanker-Go/NoGo task during event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging in 27 healthy subjects. Individual expressions of personality traits were measured using the NEO-PI-R questionnaire. Conscientiousness correlated positively with error signaling in the left inferior frontal gyrus and adjacent anterior insula (IFG/aI). A second strong positive correlation was observed in the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC). Neuroticism was negatively correlated with error signaling in the inferior frontal cortex possibly reflecting the negative inter-correlation between both scales observed on the behavioral level. Under present statistical thresholds no significant results were obtained for remaining scales. Aligning the personality trait of Conscientiousness with task accomplishment striving behavior the correlation in the left IFG/aI possibly reflects an inter-individually different involvement whenever task-set related memory representations are violated by the occurrence of errors. The strong correlations in the ACC may indicate that more conscientious subjects were stronger affected by these violations of a given task-set expressed by individually different, negatively valenced signals conveyed by the ACC upon occurrence of an error. Present results illustrate that for predicting individual responses to errors underlying personality traits should be taken into account and also lend external validity to the personality trait approach suggesting that personality constructs do reflect more than mere descriptive taxonomies.

[Fenibut and its citrate prevent psychoneurological disorders caused by chronic stress (paradoxical sleep deprivation)].

The antistress protective action of two structural analogs of GABA, fenibut and its salt with citric acid (fenibut citrate, citrocard, RGPU-147), has been studied using a model of chronic stress caused by seven-fold 24-h deprivation of paradoxical sleep phase at an interval of 24 h between the deprivations. It is established that fenibut and fenibut citrate produce a protective action by (i) reducing the intensity of emotional disorders in the open-field test and elevated plus maze test, (ii) decreasing cognitive disorders in the tests for conditioned avoidance response and extrapolatory deliverance; and (iii) limiting stress reaction due to a decrease in the intensity of adrenal hypertrophy, thymus involution, and stomach mucous membrane ulceration. Fenibut citrate surpasses fenibut in the intensity of antistress protective action.

Neuroticism modifies psychophysiological responses to fearful films.

BACKGROUND: Neuroticism is a personality component frequently found in anxious and depressive psychiatric disorders. The influence of neuroticism on negative emotions could be due to its action on stimuli related to fear and sadness, but this remains debated. Our goal was thus to better understand the impact of neuroticism through verbal and physiological assessment in response to stimuli inducing fear and sadness as compared to another negative emotion (disgust). METHODS: Fifteen low neurotic and 18 high neurotic subjects were assessed on an emotional attending task by using film excerpts inducing fear, disgust, and sadness. We recorded skin conductance response (SCR) and corrugator muscle activity (frowning) as indices of emotional expression. RESULTS: SCR was larger in high neurotic subjects than in low neurotics for fear relative to sadness and disgust. Moreover, corrugator activity and SCR were larger in high than in low neurotic subjects when fear was induced. CONCLUSION: After decades of evidence that individuals higher in neuroticism experience more intense emotional reactions to even minor stressors, our results indicate that they show greater SCR and expressive reactivity specifically to stimuli evoking fear rather than to those inducing sadness or disgust. Fear processing seems mainly under the influence of neuroticism. This modulation of autonomic activity by neurotics in response to threat/fear may explain their increased vulnerability to anxious psychopathologies such as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).

Long-term cognitive complaint and post-concussive symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury: the role of cognitive and affective factors.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether neuropsychological test performance or affective factors predict long-term post-concussive symptoms and cognitive complaint following mild traumatic brain injury. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Participants included 21 individuals with mild traumatic brain injury, 19 individuals with spinal injury but no injury to the brain and 20 neurologically-normal controls. All participants completed measures of post-concussive symptoms, cognitive complaint, depression, anxiety, and personality and were administered a variety of neuropsychological tests. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The hypothesis that depression, anxiety and neuroticism would be better predictors of post-concussive symptoms than neuropsychological test performance for all three groups was supported. Contrary to expectations, however, neuropsychological test performance was a unique predictor of cognitive complaint for the mild traumatic brain injury group. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that long-term post-concussive symptoms are largely representative of psychological symptoms and not brain damage, but that genuine, albeit subtle, cognitive deficits also may be present for long-term periods following mild traumatic brain injury.

The role of the DRD2 C957T polymorphism in neuroticism in persons who stutter and healthy controls.

The present study investigates for the first time the influence of the DRD2 C957T polymorphism on personality in persons who stutter. In a recent study, the CC genotype of this single nucleotide polymorphism has been associated with stuttering, which could not be replicated in a follow-up study. Here, we demonstrate, in N=105 persons who stutter, that carriers of the CC and the CT genotype significantly have the highest neuroticism scores. This shows that the inclusion of personality measures in the investigation of the biological underpinnings of stuttering represents an important new avenue. In healthy control persons, a sex by C+/- allele interaction effect could be demonstrated. Female but not male carriers of the C+ variant report the highest neuroticism scores. Because neuroticism has been reported to be associated with stuttering before, the present data support the idea that this personality trait acts as an endophenotype for stuttering, contributing towards bridging the gap from gene variation to the complex pathology. This idea is supported by an additional path model showing that the polymorphism DRD2 C957T influences the self-reported severity of stuttering mainly by its influence on neuroticism (independent of the variable sex).