Novelty-seeking DRD4 polymorphisms are associated with human migration distance out-of-Africa after controlling for neutral population gene structure.

Numerous lines of evidence suggest that Homo sapiens evolved as a distinct species in Africa by 150,000 years before the present (BP) and began major migrations out-of-Africa ∼50,000 BP. By 20,000 BP, our species had effectively colonized the entire Old World, and by 12,000 BP H. sapiens had a global distribution. We propose that this rapid migration into new habitats selected for individuals with low reactivity to novel stressors. Certain dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) polymorphisms are associated with low neuronal reactivity and increased exploratory behavior, novelty seeking, and risk taking, collectively considered novelty-seeking trait (NS). One previous report (Chen et al.: Evol Hum Behav 20 (1999) 309-324) demonstrated a correlation between migratory distance and the seven-repeat (7R) VNTR DRD4 allele at exon 3 for human populations. This study, however, failed to account for neutral genetic processes (drift and admixture) that might create such a correlation in the absence of natural selection. Furthermore, additional loci surrounding DRD4 are now recognized to influence NS. Herein we account for neutral genetic structure by modeling the nonindependence of neutral allele frequencies between human populations. We retest the DRD4 exon 3 alleles, and also test two other loci near DRD4 that are associated with NS. We conclude there is an association between migratory distance and DRD4 exon 3 2R and 7R alleles that cannot be accounted for by neutral genetic processes alone.

Deficits in the automatic activation of religious concepts in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Religion is central to the lives of billions of people worldwide. To probe processing dynamics of religious cognition and its potential brain correlates, we used a novel priming procedure to assess the integrity of religious and control semantic networks in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and controls. Priming for control, but not religious, concepts was intact in PD patients. Patients with left-onset (right-forebrain disease) evidenced severe impairment activating religious concepts. We next modeled the priming performance with modified cable equations. These analyses suggested that deficient performance of PD patients on activation of religious concepts was due to a change in the time constants governing gain and rate of decay of activation in these semantic networks. These modeling results are consistent with dopaminergic dysfunction in right-sided striatal-prefrontal networks. We conclude that right striatal-prefrontal dopaminergic networks support activation of complex religious concepts but not equally complex and related control concepts.

Gabapentin Therapy in Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: Gabapentin is commonly used off-label in the treatment of psychiatric disorders with success, failure, and controversy. A systematic review of the literature was performed to elucidate the evidence for clinical benefit of gabapentin in psychiatric disorders. DATA SOURCES: Bibliographic reference searches for gabapentin use in psychiatric disorders were performed in PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE search engines with no language restrictions from January 1, 1983, to October 1, 2014, excluding nonhuman studies. For psychiatric references, the keywords bipolar, depression, anxiety, mood, posttraumatic stress disorder (posttraumatic stress disorder and PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive-compulsive disorder and OCD), alcohol (abuse, dependence, withdraw), drug (abuse, dependence, withdraw), opioid (abuse, dependence, withdraw), cocaine (abuse, dependence, withdraw), and amphetamine (abuse, dependence, withdraw) were crossed with gabapentin OR neurontin. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The resulting 988 abstracts were read by 2 reviewers; references were excluded if gabapentin was not a study compound or psychiatric symptoms were not studied. The resulting references were subsequently read, reviewed, and analyzed; 219 pertinent to gabapentin use in psychiatric disorders were retained. Only 34 clinical trials investigating psychiatric disorders contained quality of evidence level II-2 or higher. RESULTS: Gabapentin may have benefit for some anxiety disorders, although there are no studies for generalized anxiety disorder. Gabapentin has less likely benefit adjunctively for bipolar disorder. Gabapentin has clearer efficacy for alcohol craving and withdrawal symptoms and may have a role in adjunctive treatment of opioid dependence. There is no clear evidence for gabapentin therapy in depression, PTSD prevention, OCD, or other types of substance abuse. Limitations of available data include variation in dosing between studies, gabapentin as monotherapy or adjunctive treatment, and differing primary outcomes between trials. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is required to better clarify the benefit of gabapentin in psychiatric disorders.

Relative efficiency of preferred and nonpreferred patterns of lateralized foraging in the gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus).

Lateralized patterns of hand use in species-typical bamboo shoot foraging were evaluated for efficiency in five female and six male gentle lemurs (Hapalemur griseus sp.). Efficiency was defined as amount of time required to complete a foraging response sequence. The foraging pattern consisted of four component movements: PULL-IN, COUNTERFORCE, TURN, and FEED-IN. These component movements had been shown in a previous study to incorporate lateral hand biases that formed subsets of patterns that were characteristic for each gentle lemur. The duration of each foraging sequence was measured from the beginning of the first component to the initiation of the terminal component. Frequency of use scores were employed to divide the pattern sequences of each subject into preferred and nonpreferred categories. A within-subjects comparison of the mean durations of preferred patterns (M = 2.56 sec) with those of non- preferred patterns (M = 3.02 sec) found that preferred patterns were executed more rapidly, t(10) = 3.36, P = .007. A multiple regression showed that order of pattern preference accounted for 89% of the variance in mean duration of response time (R2 = .89, P = .056). Thus, the use of preferred lateralized hand patterns resulted in more rapid bamboo shoot harvesting. Speed in foraging may be regarded as an adaptive strategy for a species that subsists on a high bulk, low nutrient density food such as bamboo. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Beyond neuropathic pain: gabapentin use in cancer pain and perioperative pain.

BACKGROUND: Gabapentin (GBP), originally an antiepileptic drug, is more commonly used in the treatment of neuropathic pain. In recent years, GBP has been used as an adjunct or primary therapy in non-neuropathic pain, most commonly for the treatment of perioperative and cancer pain. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to conduct a clinical evidence literature review of GBP's use in perioperative pain and cancer pain. METHODS: Using PUBMED and OVID Medline databases, keyword searches for surgery and cancer in reference to GBP and pain were carried out. Nonblinded studies and case reports that did not present a unique finding were excluded. Studies that focused only on neuropathic pain were also excluded. RESULTS: An initial 142 references focusing on GBP's use in surgical pain and cancer pain were identified. Of these, 48 studies were quality of evidence at a level of II-2 or higher. DISCUSSION: Although efficacy varies, multiple well-designed clinical trials have demonstrated reduced pain and analgesic use with otolaryngology, orthopedic, mastectomy, and abdominal/pelvic surgical perioperative use of GBP, whereas there is limited or no efficacy for cardiothoracic surgery. Cancer pain studies have had greater design variability, often nonblinded, with pain benefit being mild to moderate, and more efficacious with partial neuropathic pain quality. Overall, GBP seems to have significant benefit in neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain associated with the perioperative period and cancer. Considering its favorable side effect profile, GBP represents a beneficial pain adjunctive therapy, beyond neuropathic symptoms.

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch (1808-82): American physician, public health advocate and social reformer.

Henry Ingersoll Bowditch, a Bostonian physician from the mid-19th century, lived a passionate life full of commitment and devotion to various noble causes--he was a champion of public health, an advocate for inclusion of women in medicine and a staunch abolitionist, all unpopular social perspectives at that time in medical and political history. Seemingly difficult personality traits including his stubbornness and moralistic outlook were likely 'adaptive' as he confronted the political reality of major institutional change. His interest in statistical trends and environmental influences and his inductive reasoning led to a deeper understanding of consumption (tuberculosis), the widespread diagnostic use of the stethoscope and thoracocentesis.

Side of onset in Parkinson's disease and alterations in religiosity: novel behavioral phenotypes.

Behavioral neurologists have long been interested in changes in religiosity following circumscribed brain lesions. Advances in neuroimaging and cognitive experimental techniques have been added to these classical lesion-correlational approaches in attempt to understand changes in religiosity due to brain damage. In this paper we assess processing dynamics of religious cognition in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We administered a four-condition story-based priming procedure, and then covertly probed for changes in religious belief. Story-based priming emphasized mortality salience, religious ritual, and beauty in nature (Aesthetic). In neurologically intact controls, religious belief-scores significantly increased following the Aesthetic prime condition. When comparing effects of right (RO) versus left onset (LO) in PD patients, a double-dissociation in religious belief-scores emerged based on prime condition. RO patients exhibited a significant increase in belief following the Aesthetic prime condition and LO patients significantly increased belief in the religious ritual prime condition. Results covaried with executive function measures. This suggests lateral cerebral specialization for ritual-based (left frontal) versus aesthetic-based (right frontal) religious cognition. Patient-centered individualized treatment plans should take religiosity into consideration as a complex disease-associated phenomenon connected to other clinical variables and health outcomes.

Disease-associated differences in religious cognition in patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to establish whether patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibit change in religiosity as a function of disease progression and asymmetry, medication regimens, mood dysfunction, sex, and age. METHOD: We assessed both controlled (conscious reflection) and automatic (semantic priming) modes of religiosity. In the main study, self-reported religiosity, cognitive, and clinical measures were assessed in 71 patients with midstage PD and 75 age-matched controls with non-neurological chronic health conditions. To understand a potential mechanism associated with change in religiosity in PD patients, we supplemented the findings with pilot investigations. The pilot included 21 PD patients and utilized a different self-report measure than that of the main study and assessed automatic activation of religious concepts both on and off levodopa. RESULTS: The main study results demonstrated that PD patients consistently scored lower in five of six dimensions of religiosity. Multivariate linear regression demonstrated that self-reported religiosity was related to disease stage, asymmetry, and male gender. Results are discussed in the context of other neurologic correlates of religiosity. The pilot study on religious concept activation suggested that the mechanism is organic and hemisphere dependent. On/off drug testing confirmed these findings to be independent of medication effects. Gain/decay semantic modeling suggested that right and left forebrain pathways selectively mediated the time constant of gain and decay, respectively, for religious concepts. CONCLUSION: PD patients exhibit significant differences in both controlled and automatic access to religious concepts with mid/late-stage, male, left-onset patients most impaired in access to religious cognition. The findings indicate that aspects of religious/spiritual cognition appear related to specific cerebral structures.