Astrocytic calcium waves:unveiling their roles in sleep and arousal modulation

Neuron-astrocyte interactions are vital for the brain’s connectome.Understanding astrocyte activities is crucial for comprehending the complex neural network,particularly the population-level functions of neurons in different cortical states and associated behaviors in mammals.Studies on animal sleep and wakefulness have revealed distinct cortical synchrony patterns between neurons.Astrocytes,outnumbering neurons by nearly fivefold,support and regulate neuronal and synaptic function.Recent research on astrocyte activation during cortical state transitions has emphasized the influence of norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter and calcium waves as key components of ion channel signaling.This summary focuses on a few recent studies investigating astrocyte-neuron interactions in mouse models during sleep,wakefulness,and arousal levels,exploring the involvement of noradrenaline signaling,ion channels,and glutamatergic signaling in different cortical states.These findings highlight the significant impact of astrocytes on large-scale neuronal networks,influencing brain activity and responsiveness.Targeting astrocytic signaling pathways shows promise for treating sleep disorders and arousal dysregulation.More research is needed to understand astrocytic calcium signaling in different brain regions and its implications for dysregulated brain states,requiring future human studies to comprehensively investigate neuron-astrocyte interactions and pave the way for therapeutic interventions in sleep-and arousal-related disorders.

The Effect of Food Images on Mood and Arousal Depends on Dietary Histories and the Fat and Sugar Content of Foods Depicted

Background: While brain imaging studies show that reward regions in the human brain that regulate reward-guided behavior and integrate sensory modalities of smell, taste, and texture respond preferentially to high calorie foods, few studies account for dietary histories or account for recent behavioral evidence showing preferential responding for fruits (a low calorie food that tastes sweet). To address these concerns, the present study tested the hypothesis that images of high/low fat and sugar foods, even sugary foods that are low calorie (i.e., fruits), will enhance emotional responsiveness and that these changes may be related to dietary histories with fat and sugar intake. Method: Participants were shown 4 sets of 15 food images with each food image automatically timed every 9 s to transition to a new food image;participant pre-post mood and arousal was measured. The 4 sets of food images were high fat-high sugar (HFHS;desserts), high fat-low sugar (HFLS;fried foods), low fat-high sugar (LFHS;fruits), or low fat-low sugar (LFLS;vegetables) foods. To account for dietary histories, participants also completed estimated daily intake scales (EDIS) for sugar and fat. Results: Mood and arousal significantly increased in all groups, except Group LFLS, and even in a group that was low calorie but shown foods that taste sweet, i.e., Group LFHS. Interestingly, changes in arousal, but not mood, were dependent on participant histories with sugar and fat intake. Conclusion: Changes in emotional responsiveness to food images were nutrient-specific, which can be a more detailed level of analysis for assessing responsiveness to food images. Also, participant histories with sugar and fat should be taken into account as these histories can explain the changes in arousal observed here.

Electroencephalographic Correlates of Sexual Arousal Induced by Sexually-Explicit Reading in Human Females

This study explored the cortical functionality in young women while reading a sexually-explicit text. Electroencephalographic activity (EEG) was recorded in heterosexual women while reading either a sexually-explicit text or one with neutral content. Absolute power (AP) and the degree of EEG synchronization among the prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices were analyzed for the different EEG bands. To evaluate sexual arousal, valence and general activation, Likert-type and Manikin scales were applied. Subjects scored the sexually-explicit text as more pleasurable, and reported greater general activation and sexual arousal than while reading the neutral one. During reading of the sexually-explicit text only, they showed a higher AP in the beta and gamma bands in temporal areas in both hemispheres, and in the theta band in parietal ones, with a lower degree of EEG synchronization between prefronto-temporal areas in the fast bands. Results show that both hemispheres were activated in these sexually-aroused women. The low bilateral synchronization between prefrontal and temporal regions indicates the independent functionality of these cortices, which could be a requirement for inducing and maintaining sexual arousal during reading of sexually-explicit texts in women. These data should broaden our knowledge of the cortical mechanisms that underlie sexual arousal in women.

Provoking Buying Behaviors Amid Crises:Unfolding the Underlying Mechanisms of Psychological Impairments

Crises in the past have caused devastating,long-lasting impacts on the global economy.The after-effects always bring some dynamic and rigorous challenges for businesses and governments.Such challenges have always been a point of discussion for scholars.The recent COVID-19 pandemic emaciated the global economy,leaving everyone mired in uncertainty,fear,and psychological impairments.One of the headwind features utilized by consumers during pandemic was panic buying(PB),which must be explored in various contexts for policymakers and practitioners.To address this gap,this study deployed a moderated mediation mechanism,integrating the health belief model(HBM)and competitive arousal theory(CAT)to excavate the notions underlying PB with the intrusion of evolved real-time psychological disorders:intolerance of uncertainty(IU)and cyberchondria(CYC).The study was conducted as a natural experiment in a South Asian developing economy using online surveys.It found that health beliefs—perceived severity(PSV)and perceived susceptibility(PSC)—positively impact perceived arousal(PA),which causes PB,and that PA has a sturdy mediator role.Moreover,in the relationship between health beliefs and arousal,the different psychological disorders were found to have significant moderating roles The study findings can help mitigate risk uncertainties and panic situations and thus contribute to consumers’wellbeing.

Gazing through the bubble:an experimental investigation into financial risk‑taking using eye‑tracking

Eye tracking can facilitate understanding irrational decision-making in contexts such as financial risk-taking.For this purpose,we develop an experimental framework in which participants trade a risky asset in a simulated bubble market to maximize individual returns while their eye movements are recorded.Returns are sensitive to eye movement dynamics,depending on the presented visual stimuli.Using eye-tracking data,we investigated the effects of arousal,attention,and disengagement on individual payoffs using linear and nonlinear approaches.By estimating a nonlinear model using attention as a threshold variable,our results suggest that arousal positively influences trading returns,but its effect becomes smaller when attention exceeds a certain threshold,whereas disengagement has a higher negative impact on reduced attention levels and becomes almost irrelevant when attention increases.Hence,we provide a neurobehavioral metric as a function of attention that predicts financial gains in boomand-bust scenarios.This study serves as a proof-of-concept for developing future psychometric measures to enhance decision-making.

Heart Rate Variability as an Indicator of Stress in Students’ Athletes

Introduction: The wellbeing of student’s athletes has a paramount importance, a prolonged period of cognitive and physical performance that characterizes the life of student’s athletes often leads to fatigue, and a psychobiological state that increases the risk of injury and accidents. The use of Heart rate variability (HRV) has become increasingly popular as a non-invasive methodology that provides an indirect insight into the autonomic nervous system. HRV can be utilized as a diagnostic tool in detection of autonomic nervous system impairment and sympatho-vagal imbalance. HRV technology is employed to monitor the internal response of athletes to workload and identify athletes’s psychophysical stress to predict and therefore prevent injuries. Objective: The objective of the investigation is to establish whether the use of Polar H10 sensor heart rate monitors worn by athletes in a sitting position (inclination 60 degrees) during periods characterized by stress can provide a valid and non-invasive method to assess the psychophysiological state during sports competition and school exams. Method and Statistics: In the study, the HRV of 12 basketball students athletes and 4 students non-athletes was analyzed as a control group. The autonomic nervous system activity was assessed based on heart variability parameters (HRV): SDNN, rMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF. The measurements were made after establishing the baseline at rest, during the training phase (CT), competition phase (CC) and during the acute phase of stressors due to school exams coinciding with the competitive season (CC + E). Results: Compared to the respective values prior to the stress of the competitions and exams, a significant decrease in HRV indices was found: SDNN (P Conclusions: The analysis and examination of the data on the sample of the student population also showed a statistically significant correlation between decreased cardiac variability and injuries or indisposition to physical exertion.

Somnambulism: Varenicline-Induced Sleep Driving

Background: Varenicline, which is derived from the cytisine compound, is used to assess in smoking cessation. Sleep driving (SD) is often classified as a variant of somnambulism. Although, somnambulism has been reported as a side effect of varenicline, varenicline-induced sleep driving (VISD) has not been reported. Case Report: A 56-year-old man with a history of 35 pack year smoking who presented for smoking cessation counseling. Treatment with varenicline was initiated. In the following night, the patient drove to a shopping center and woke up in his car. Varenicline was discontinued. SD has not been reported in the following nights. In a repeated attempt to stop smoking, treatment with varenicline was resumed by the patient. SD reoccurred in the following night. Varenicline was discontinued indefinitely, and SD has not been reported.

What emotion dimensions can affect working memory performance in healthy adults?A review

Due to the critical roles of emotion and working memory in our daily activities,a great deal of attention has been given to how emotion influences working memory performance.Although the association between emotion and working memory is relatively well established,whether mood enhances or impairs working memory performance remains controversial.The present review provides a relatively representative overview of the research on the effect of different dimensions of emotion on working memory among healthy adults spanning a 30-year period.The findings show that the valence,arousal and motivational dimensions of emotion could all exert an impact on working memory performance.The impact of emotion on working memory might be modulated by task relevance,emotion type,working memory paradigms and individual differences.The vast majority of the studies regarding the effect of emotion on working memory performance focused on the impact of negatively valenced affect and yielded highly contradictory findings.The impacts of arousal and motivation on working memory have been less explored,and inconsistent findings have also been reported.Possible explanations are discussed.Considerable research on the effect of certain dimensions of emotion on working memory has suffered from a lack of control of other emotional dimensions,and different aspects of working memory have been investigated by various paradigms.Directions for further studies should include the exploration of specific dimensions of emotion on different aspects of working memory,with the other dimensions being well controlled.

The Effect of Emotional Conflict on Attention Allocation: An Event-Related Potential Study

Attention allocation research frequently focuses on the valence of emotion. However, there is increasing evidence to indicate that arousal may be more relevant at some stages of affective processing. The present study employed a combined priming and cue-target paradigm and examined event-related potentials (ERPs) in order to explore the effects of emotional conflict of arousal on attention allocation. The background context of arousal was manipulated (using photos of facial expressions) while subjects performed a cognitive task in which a central arrow cue indicated the location of a peripheric target square, and a response was made according to the direction of the square. There was no main effect between incongruent emotion and congruent emotion in the response time, which means the resolution of the emotional conflict facilitate the participant behavioral response. There was a main effect of different emotional states on ERP component. In the present study, incongruent arousal also triggered greater positive potential compared with congruent arousal.

Prenatal nicotine alters development of the laterodorsal tegmentum:Possible role for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and drug dependence

As we cycle between the states of wakefulness and sleep,a bilateral cholinergic nucleus in the pontine brain stem,the laterodorsal tegmentum(LDT),plays a critical role in controlling salience processing,attention,behavioral arousal,and electrophysiological signatures of the sub-and microstates of sleep.Disorders involving abnormal alterations in behavioral and motivated states,such as drug dependence,likely involve dysfunctions in LDT signaling.In addition,as the LDT exhibits connectivity with the thalamus and mesocortical circuits,as well as receives direct,excitatory input from the prefrontal cortex,a role for the LDT in cognitive symptoms characterizing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)including impulsivity,inflexibility,and dysfunctions of attention is suggested.Prenatal nicotine exposure(PNE)is associated with a higher risk for later life development of drug dependence and ADHD,suggesting alteration in development of brain regions involved in these behaviors.PNE has been shown to alter glutamate and cholinergic signaling within the LDT.As glutamate and acetylcholine are major excitatory mediators,these alterations would likely alter excitatory output to target regions in limbic motivational circuits and to thalamic and cortical networks mediating executive control.Further,PNE alters neuronal development and transmission within prefrontal cortex and limbic areas that send input to the LDT,which would compound effects of differential processing within the PNE LDT.When taken together,alterations in signaling in the LDT are likely to play a role in negative behavioral outcomes seen in PNE individuals,including a heightened risk of drug dependence and ADHD behaviors.

The influence of core affect on cyclo-ergometer endurance performance:Effects on performance outcomes and perceived exertion

Background:Core affect is defined as the most general affective construct consciously accessible that is experienced constantly.It can be experienced as free-floating(mood)or related to prototypical emotional episodes.The aim of this study was to examine the influence of pleasant and unpleasant core affect on cyclo-ergometer endurance performance.Specifically,we considered the influence of pleasant and unpleasant core affect on performance outcomes(i.e.,time to task completion)and rate of perceived exertion(RPE;Borg Scale,category ratio-10)collected during the task.Methods:Thirty-one participants aged 20-28 years were recruited.Core affect was randomly elicited by 2 sets of pleasant and unpleasant pictures chosen from the international affective picture system.Pictures were displayed to participants during a cyclo-ergometer performance in 2 days in a counterbalanced order.RPE was collected every minute to detect volunteers’exhaustion.Results:The study sample was split into 2 groups.Group 1 comprised participants who performed better with pleasant core affect,whereas Group 2 included participants who performed better with unpleasant core affect.Mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance revealed a significant 2(group)×2(condition)×5(isotime)interaction(p=0.002,ηp^2=0.158).Post hoc comparisons showed that participants who obtained better performance with pleasant core affect(pleasant pictures;Group 1)reported lower RPE values at 75%of time to exhaustion in a pleasant core affect condition compared to an unpleasant core affect condition.On the other hand,participants who obtained better performance with unpleasant core affect(unpleasant pictures;Group 2)reported lower RPE values at 75%and 100%of time to exhaustion in an unpleasant core affect condition.Conclusion:Findings suggest differential effects of pleasant and unpleasant core affect on performance.Moreover,core affect was found to influence perceived exertion and performance according to participants’preferences for pleasant or unpleasant core affect.

The Physiological Response to Drawing and Its Relation to Attention and Relaxation

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the physiological response of participants during a creative activity and compare the results to their physiological response during states of high attention and relaxation. Our interest was not only about the relationship between creativity and attention, but also about the role of valence and arousal. We used heart rate variability (HRV) as our physiological measure. We asked twenty-two participants to undertake three activities: a stroop test;a relaxation activity;and a drawing activity. After each activity, the participants were asked to reflect on their levels of attention, relaxation and enjoyment. The results showed significant physiological differences between the three activities: mean heart rate, F(2, 42) = 8.96, p = 0.001;log-transformed low frequency HRV power, F(1.43, 30.07) = 18.12, p < 0.001;and log-transformed high frequency HRV power, F(2, 42) = 6.25, p = 0.004. Overall, the results suggested that participants had high levels of attention during the drawing activity, with positive valence. The results also suggested that participants’ levels of arousal differed between the three activities. The implications of these results are described in the discussion.

Alcohol Suppresses the Electroencephalographic Response to Visual Erotic Stimuli in Young Men

Although the combination of alcohol and sex is frequently observed in human social interaction, many questions concerning alcohol’s effects on the processing of sexual stimuli and brain functionality remain unanswered. Erotic films eliciting sexual arousal in humans and affect electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. This study examines the effects of alcohol on cortical EEG activity in young men while viewing an erotic film. Heterosexual males participated in an independent alcohol/placebo group protocol. Thirty-five minutes after beverage ingestion, EEGs were recorded at prefrontal, temporal and parietal derivations in three conditions: baseline, and while watching erotic and neutral films. During the observation of erotic films, only the participants who drank the placebo beverage showed a decrease in alpha1 and an increase in the fast frequencies of the prefrontal regions, as well as a decrease in inter-prefrontal synchronization in the alpha and beta bands. Alcohol suppressed the prefrontal EEG changes associated with watching erotic visual stimuli without affect the sexual arousal. EEG data show that alcohol affecting the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, which could interfere with the adequate processing of visual erotic stimuli. These findings may contribute to improving our understanding of the brain mechanisms that underlie alcohol’s effects on the processing of sexual stimuli.

Sleep Fragmentation and Risk of Automobile Accidents in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea—Sleep Fragmentation and Automobile Accidents in OSA

Objectives: Automobile accidents related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) represent an important public health concern. Frequent arousal response during sleep is responsible for the symptoms of daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of automobile accidents in patients with OSA. We therefore investigated the potential relationships between the intensity of arousal and occurrence of automobile accidents in OSA. Methods: We determined the incidence of automobile accidents in the past 5 years among 51 men with OSA (age, 58.5 ± 10.4 years) using a questionnaire. Daytime sleepiness was rated with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). We calculated an automobile accident score, with two points per automobile accident causing damage and one point per near miss. Standard polysomnography was performed for all patients, and arousals were classified as electroencephalographic (EEG) arousal of an abrupt shift in EEG frequency alone and Movement arousal, which was defined as EEG arousal with increased electromyographic activity persisting for ≥3 s. The number of EEG or Movement arousals per hour (arousal index) was determined. Results: The Movement arousal index was significantly greater in the 27 patients who experienced at least one automobile accident causing damage than in the resting 24 patients who had no history of automobile accidents. Multiple regression analysis including age, body mass index, and sleep parameters revealed that the Movement arousal index was the most significant factor of risk for automobile accidents (β = 0.563, P = 0.017) as well as the ESS score (β = 0.417, P = 0.022). Conclusion: Movement arousal during sleep contributes to daytime sleepiness and the resulting frequent involvement of OSA patients in automobile accidents.

Expressing Food through Art: Evidence for a Nutrient-Specific Effect on Mood

Background: Brain imaging studies show evidence of selective brain reward responses to high calorie foods. Behavioral studies extend this research by showing that such foods can enhance emotions, even for sweet-tasting low calorie foods (i.e., fruits). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that participants will show more positive emotional change when drawing pictures of foods that are high fat or taste sweet compared to bitter-tasting foods—as a possible behavioral intervention for enhancing mood. Method: Participants were randomly assigned to one of four art groups: high fat-high sugar (HFHS;stimulus food: cupcakes), high fat-low sugar (HFLS;stimulus food: pizza), low fat-high sugar (LFHS;stimulus food: strawberries), or low fat-low sugar (LFLS;stimulus food: peppers). Participants used three colors (red, green, black) in their art, were required to use all three colors, and told that the colors they use must reflect actual colors that are natural for the food depicted. Participants drew images of a stimulus food and prepost measures of mood and arousal were recorded. Results: Consistent with the hypothesis, the results show that drawing pictures of high fat foods (cupcakes, pizzas) and a food that tastes sweet (strawberries) results in greater increases in mood compared to drawing a bitter-tasting food (peppers). Changes in mood were independent of BMI, daily sugar intake, daily fat intake, arousal, and hunger. Conclusion: These results extend a growing body of biobehavioral research on the positive impact of food images on mood by showing that this impact can be applied to enhance mood when expressing food images through art.

英语自学口语考试指导(22)

本期话题如下: 1.What is your opinion about medical insurance? Very important Needed by the development of society Pay less and get more Needs one’s awareness of its importance Should be improved 大多数人认同乘飞机、乘轮船要买保险,驾驶汽车要买保险,因为容易出事故。

英语自学口语考试指导(2)

本期话题如下: 1.What comments do you want to make onqualifications? Very important Proof of one’s qualities and skills in a certainfield。 Provide jobs No guarantee of success Too much emphasis on qualifications 资格通常指一个人的文凭、在某个方面所受的培训、经历等。目前在求职、晋升等多方面资格都起着重大甚至是决定性作用。

The“Psychology”of Polygraph’:Engendering Differential Salience-Concerns and Caveats

The“success”of a polygraph examination is predicated on the establishment of differential or emotional salience(a“psychological set”)with an examinee.This,according to polygraph proponents,guarantees that an examinee will respond appropriately during the administration of the in-test(questioning)phase of the polygraph examination.However,polygraph procedure,as prescribed by its governing body,the American Polygraph Association(APA),is a static clinical Westernised process that does not make any provision for human multiplicity(culture/ethnicity,idiosyncrasies,level of education,language proficiency,ideologies,and so forth).Identical(one size fits all)test procedures are applied across the board–a highly controversial methodology.This article,instead of rigidly focusing on validity and reliability issues per se,explores the degree to which certain intentional and unintentional human behaviour modification strategies have the potential to counterbalance claimed polygraph rectitude from a metaphysical and discursive standpoint.The article exposes concerns(potential flaws)relating to polygraph theory in the context of the“psychological set”and is intended to serve as a caveat regarding the unmitigated use thereof.

The AD/HD Syndrome as a Group of Biological Disorders

Problem: There is a need to collect the many and varied data on AD/HD (Attention deficit hyper-activity disorder) into a meaningful overview. Method: Based on peer reviewed and published data as well as own research we try to make sense of the physiological mechanisms resulting in the relevant symptoms. Conclusion: AD/HD clearly has a genetic disposition, but as with many other genetic syndromes, the resulting proteomics must be stressed to become manifest as disease/ disorder. A common trait in the different etiologies is lower arousal.

Improvement for New Energy Vehicle within UI—Case Study on Han EV

New energy vehicle (NEV) refers to a vehicle which is fully or partially powered by electricity instead of petrol. Since petrol price grows constantly and people become more environmentally conscious, people have shown their numerous interests on the NEV. A lot of previous studies have paid more attention on vehicle itself, such as the high technology of the in-car assistance systems, and the pros and cons of electricity as a new energy for vehicle. However, the quality of vehicle should not only be limited to these aspects. Therefore, in this study, author focus more on the relationship between the vehicle and users and gives a brief introduction of some user interface problems through investigating one of the top selling types of NEV, Han EV belonging to BYD company, in terms of Standardize symbol, Gestalt grouping principles, Design of Visual display, Working memory and attention. In addition, corresponding improvement advice will also be provided in the later part of this work.