Progress in Research on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

In recent years, with the increase of natural disasters, wars, and terrorist incidents, etc., there are more and more researches on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This paper bases on the definition, pathogenic mechanism and related gene research of post-traumatic stress disorder. Mechanism, reviews the research status of post-traumatic stress disorder to improve people’s understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder, and prospect for future research.

Methylphenidate Misuse in Adults: Survey of 414 Primary Care Physicians in Germany and Comparison with the Literature

Objectives: This paper deals with the methylphenidate (MPH) misuse by adults in Germany. Results of a survey among primary care physicians/internists have been supplemented by a comparison with the literature. Methods: In the period from October 5-20, 2015, a survey was sent to 414 primary care physicians/internists in four German cities (n = 10 were undeliverable). The response rate was 58% (n = 235). 34 original works on MPH abuse worldwide were found in the literature and are used in the analysis of the present data situation. The literature published before November 9, 2015 is considered in this paper. Results: 14% of the doctors who took part in the survey said that they had been asked for MPH prescriptions without any medical indication. The most frequent reason given for the request (42%) was adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) not verified by documents. According to the comparison with the literature, university students had a lifetime prevalence of MPH misuse ranging from 0.8% to 16.6% and school children had a misuse rate of 4.0%. In the civilian US population, the misuse rate was 4.2%. Among patients in possession of a current MPH prescription due to a diagnosis, the lifetime prevalence was 29% and among adolescents with suspected alcohol and/or drug problems 20%. Conclusions: MPH misuse is a major problem which has not been studied sufficiently. MPH misuse not only plays a role in the field of psychiatry, but also in other disciplines. Misuse particularly following a therapeutic prescription should be taken into account.

Simultaneous Measurement of Neural Activities of Acute Mouse Hippocampal Slices Using Multi-Electrode Array System and Laser Confocal Calcium Imaging

Recently, non-invasive, real-time and multi-point measurement of neural activities has become possible by using a multi-electrode array (MEA). Another method for multi-point measurement is the fluorescent imaging technique using voltage indicator dyes or calcium indicator dyes. Especially, calcium imaging using fluorescent calcium indicator dyes is often more useful, because they exhibit larger changes in the fluorescence intensity than voltage indicator dyes and their fluorescence changes can be detect easily. Additionally, calcium signals play key roles in the brain function, such as the long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus, and calcium imaging can be a powerful tool to elucidate the brain function. In this study, we constructed a measurement apparatus combining the MEA system and laser confocal calcium imaging and simultaneously measured electric signals and calcium signals in acute mouse hippocampal slices. The obtained results showed the availability of the present method.

Adolescent and Adult Circadian Rhythm Activity Modulated Differently Following Chronic Methylphenidate Administration

Methylphenidate is one of the most common pharmaceutical treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). It is also gaining popularity as a cognitive enhancement and recreational substance. The current study assesses the long-term effects of methylphenidate (MPD) on the circadian rhythm activity pattern of adolescent and adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The experiment lasted for 11 days of non-stop recording, the evaluation was divided into 4 phases: acute, induction, washout, and expression phases. Circadian rhythm changes in each phase were compared between the adolescent and adult rats using the following parameters MESOR (midline estimating statistic of rhythm) or average activity, amplitude (distance from MESOR to the peak activity), and acrophase (time at which peak amplitude occurs). Overall, more significant changes in circadian rhythm pattern among adult rats were observed as compared to adolescent rats. As the circadian rhythm governs the diurnal locomotor activity pattern, changes in the locomotor pattern induced by chronic treatment MPD indicate that the drug exerts a long-term effect on the circadian rhythm.

Evaluation of Acute Toxicity and Sedative Effects of Ethylic Extract of <i>Thymelaea lythroides</i>in Wistar Rats

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity and sedative effect of the ethylic extract of Thymelaea lythroides (Tl) on Wistar rats. The study was based on the gavage administration of the ethylic extract of Tl with different doses (i.e. 200, 400, 500 and 5000 mg/kg), where the toxicity and the sedative activity of the plant were observed and the obtained results were analyzed using the ANOVA test followed by the Bonferroni test. The main results of this study showed that the lethal dose of the ethylic extract of Tl was higher than the 5000 mg/kg dose. Moreover, when compared to the control rats, the animals treated with 5000 mg/kg of the extract exhibited significant reduction in appetite for food and water in the first week. Furthermore, results of the psychotropic test conducted during this study showed visible effects on the exploratory activity of the rats. The dose of 5000 mg/kg was also found to have a significant central nervous system effect;the locomotor activities of the animals decreased in a manner similar to those administered with Zepam as control.

Digit Ratio Predicts Spatial Memory Performance in Women

The ratio of the length of the 2nd and 4th digits of the hand is an indicator of prenatal testosterone exposure and has been shown to be a within sex correlate of various abilities, such as visuo-spatial processing in men. However, a number of studies report such links also exist in women, whilst others show no link for either sex. Using a unique paradigm that sub-divides visuo-spatial processing into a distinct subset of component skills we found a strong correlation between finger ratio and spatial memory performance specifically under stereo viewing conditions in women. We argue that the current ambiguity regarding links between digit-ratio and visuo-spatial ability is the result of a lack of clarity between the component skills recruited in different visuo-spatial tasks. Our task independently tested a subset of the component skills used in visuo-spatial tasks such as: mental rotation, cross-dimensionality processing and feature detection. Our results show that digit-ratio, a physical parameter linked to prenatal testosterone levels, indicates performance on a distinct aspect of visuo-spatial processing in women, without contradicting previous links for visuo-spatial processing in men. These results offer an explanation for the differences in previous findings linking visuo-spatial processing in both men and women.

Energy Aspects of Sodium Thiopental Action on Nervous Activity

Sodium thiopental, used in a narcotic dose, makes it possible to identify the nervous processes that underlie consciousness and establish the causes of its disorder. When studying the cortical EEG activity, the impulses of individual nerve cells and the electromyographic activity of the muscles of the forelimb, it was found that thiopental blocks a number of neuronal reactions requiring energy support: tonic activating reactions to acetylcholine, applied to neurons, cease;the rate of spontaneous neuronal activity drops;the stage of non-specific activation in response to electrocutaneous stimulation disappears. So, thiopental blocks consciousness by significant limitation of the brain energy metabolism. This results in a loss of the adaptive function of the central nervous system. At the same time, glutamatergic excitation, the formation of which does not depend on energy support, is resistant to the action of thiopental. The blocking of the brain’s energy supply caused by thiopental, in accordance with its depth, develops in two stages—hypoxic and narcotic. The hypoxic stage is accompanied by hyperactivity in the nervous system, which is manifested by epileptiform discharges on the EEG and powerful unmotivated movement;the narcotic stage is associated with blockade of motor activity and flattening of EEG oscillations. The post-narcotic state associated with the consequence of the hypoxic effect of thiopental leads to the loss of ionic homeostasis and is accompanied by a steady drop in the amplitude of cortical neuron spikes.

Advances in Theory of Neural Network and Its Application

In this article we introduce a large class of optimization problems that can be approximated by neural networks. Furthermore for some large category of optimization problems the action of the corresponding neural network will be reduced to linear or quadratic programming, therefore the global optimum could be obtained immediately.

2,5-Dihydro-2,4,5-Trimethylthiazoline (TMT)-Induced Neuronal Activation Pattern and Behavioral Fear Response in GAD67 Mice

The synthetic predator odor 2,5-dihydro-2,4,5-trimethylthiazoline (TMT) was used to induce innate fear in male GAD67 mice and behavioral changes were correlated with c-fos mRNA levels as marker for neuronal activation to reveal underlying activated fear circuits. Results show the same amount of increased freezing and decreased rearing and grooming behavior of TMT-exposed GAD67 mice and wild type littermates, and therefore suggest that heterozygous knock-in of GFP in the GAD67 gene that is associated with a fifty percent decreased GAD67 protein level in the brain, has no impact on TMT-induced behavioral effects. Exposure to TMT significantly increased the number of c-fos mRNA positive cells in the main olfactory bulb (MOB), the lateral septum (LS), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), the central amygdala (CeA), the anterior-ventral (MeAav), the anterior-dorsal (MeAad) and the posterior-ventral (MeApv) part of the medial amygdala in GAD67 mice. Thus, to further investigate the role of GABAergic neurons in TMT-induced uncontrollable stress responses GAD67 mice that provide the advantage of prelabeled GABAergic neurons through the GABA neuron specific expression of GFP could be a suitable model organism.

The Underlying Reasons of Suicide Attempts among Arab Population in the Holy-Land—Nazareth: View and Overview

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in many western countries, but in eastern countries this phenomenon was until recently extremely rare. Our study, performed during 2005-2012 comes to shed lights on the prevalence and the underlying reasons of the notable increase of suicide attempts in the conservative and religious Arab community of Nazareth, Israel. Extensive interviews, sociodemographic information, suicide risk factors in addition to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) diagnoses were used in current retrospective study of 772 suicide attempters in the emergency room at the Nazareth Hospital. Statistical analysis using SPSS version 17, Pearson χ2 analysis and percentage distribution were used for the statistical analysis. We considered the differences to be significant at the level of p < 0.05. Three fold frequency of suicide attempts were observed among females (77%) compared to males (23%), (P = 0.0001). During the year 2009 the suicide attempts prevalence was the highest 118 (15.3%) and during 2005 it was the lowest 77 (10%). 76.5% of the attempters arrived to the emergency room within 1 - 6 hours. A single suicide attempt was observed among 60% of males compared to 70.5% among females [OR = 0.846 (CI: 0.742 - 0.966)] additionally, more than one suicide attempt was notified among 40% of males whereas 29.5% among females [OR = 1.367 (CI: 1.099 - 1.701), (P = 0.007)]. Psychiatric patients (59.3%) performed more than one suicide attempt compared to normal subjects (21.5%), [OR = 2.76;CI: 2.276 - 3.354, P-value = 0.0001]. Drugs was preferred for suicide attempts in both genders (87.7%), especially among females compared to males (90.6% vs. 78.8% respectively), [OR = 0.869;CI: 0.801 - 0.942, P = 0.001]. 38 of males (21.3%) committed suicide attempts by causing accidents and self harm compared to 56 females (9.4%);[OR = 2.261;CI: 1.552 - 3.294, (P = 0.0001)]. 40 psychiatric patients (18.7%) chose this method compared to 54 non-psychiatric patients (9.7%), [OR = 1.925;CI: 1.32 - 2.806, P-value = 0.001]. The underlying causes of suicide were as follows: 50% social causes, 26% adjustment reactions and 24% psychiatric diseases. Conclusion: Being the first unique study to shed lights on the increasing phenomenon of suicide in the Arab community, our findings unveiled a tragic transition in the rate of suicide attempts in a supposedly conservative and religious community. Even though the rate of suicide attempts is lower than other communities it should not divert focus away from efforts to develop effective strategies to prevent suicide attempts, especially among females.

The Neuroprotective Effect of Picroside II and Its Best Therapeutic Dose and Time Window in Cerebral Ischemic Injury in Rats

Objective: To study the neuroprotective effect of picrosede II and explore the best therapeutic dose and time window according to orthogonal design in cerebral ischemic injury in rats. Methods: The forebrain ischemia rat models were established by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) method. The successful models were randomly grouped according to orthogonal experimental design and treated by injecting picroside II intraperitoneally at different ischemic time with different doses. The contents of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), neuroglial marker protein S100B and myelin basic protein (MBP) in serum and brain tissue were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to evaluate the therapeutic effect of picroside II in cerebral ischemic injury. Results: The best therapeutic time window and dose of picroside II in cerebral ischemic injury may be 1) ischemia 1.5 h with 20 mg/kg and ischemia 1.5 h with 10 mg/kg body weight according to the content of NSE in serum and brain tissue respectively, 2) ischemia 1.5 h with 20 mg/kg according to the content of S100B in both serum and brain tissue, and 3) ischemia 1.5 h with 20 mg/kg and ischemia 1.5 h with 10 mg/kg according to the content of MBP in serum and brain tissue respectively. Conclusion: Based on the principle of the minimization of therapeutic drug dose and maximization of therapeutic time window, the optimal composition of the therapeutic dose and time window of picroside II in treating cerebral ischemic injury should be achieved by injecting picroside II intraperitoneally with 10-20 mg/kg body weight at ischemia 1.5 h in cerebral ischemic injury in rats.

5-HT_2AReceptor Activation Normalizes Exaggerated Fear Behavior in <i>p</i>-Chlorophenylalanine (PCPA)-Treated Rats

Deficits in serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) neurotransmission are implicated in abnormal emotional behaviors such as aggression, anxiety, and depression. However, the specific 5-HT receptor mechanisms involved are not well understood. The role of 5-HT2 receptors in fear potentiated startle, (FPS) was examined in rats chronically treated with pchlorophenylalanine (PCPA) to reduce brain 5-HT. PCPA-treated rats show an enhanced magnitude of FPS. Systemic administration of the 5-HT2 receptor agonist (±)-2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine hydrochloride (DOI) reduced FPS in both PCPA-treated and saline (SAL)-treated control animals, normalizing the exaggerated fear response in PCPA-treated rats. In both SAL- and PCPA-treated animals, the DOI-induced reduction of learned fear was reversed by the 5-HT2 antagonist ketanserin, but not by the 5-HT2B/2C antagonist SB 206553. Together, these findings suggest 5-HT2A receptors are critical regulators of learned fear, and that 5-HT2A receptors may be an important pharmacological target to normalize exaggerated learned fear resulting from chronic 5-HT-ergic disruption.

Health-Related Quality of Life of Experts Who Worked in Air Disasters in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Aim: To evaluate the influence of identifying victims of air disasters in S&atilde;o Paulo on experts’ quality of life (QoL). Methods: QoL was evaluated using the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization (WHO) quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL-bref). We assessed 29 forensic experts who worked in air disasters in S&atilde;o Paulo and 29 experts who have not worked. The results were analyzed with Student’s t-tests;we compared the QoL scores of individuals at the time of the accident with their current QoL scores, and the scores of the control group were compared with the current scores of the disaster group. Results: Statistical analyses revealed a significant decrease in forensic expert QoL when they worked at the accident site, and this result was evident in all WHOQOL-bref domains. No significant difference was observed between the experts’ current QoL scores and those of the control group. Conclusions: The identification of air disaster victims in the city of S&atilde;o Paulo significantly decreased expert health-related QoL (HRQoL) with regard to physical and psychological aspects, social relationships and environment domains. This disturbance on the QoL was not persistent over the years.

Attachment in Children with ADHD

Objective: Parallels in findings of attachment and ADHD research suggest a connection between both constructs. However, the few articles dealing with that tie investigate children with all conceivable expressions of ADHD and have not found sufficient evidence regarding the connection between ADHD and attachment. This study sought to collect evidence of a possible connection between the two aspects among children with the predominantly inattentive ADHD type. Method: The sample consisted of 93 children aged 5 - 9 years, 48 of whom had an ADHD diagnosis of the predominantly inattentive type. Attachment was coded using the German adaptation of the Attachment Story Completion Task, externalizing behavior problems were rated using the Child Behavior Checklist 4 - 18. ADHD was assessed using both clinical diagnoses as well as the German ADHD Rating scale. Results: Results revealed a large difference in the distribution of attachment classification between children with ADHD and those without ADHD. Regression analysis, however, showed no independent effect on ADHD when externalizing behavior problems were controlled for. Conclusions: Both constructs seem to be connected, however, in the investigation of the influence of attachment on the disorder, ADHD as a global construct is too unspecific. As opposed to previous studies, considering only the inattentive type, the relation might completely be moderated by externalizing behavior problems. Subsequent studies should first focus on specific symptom patterns which at best should be analyzed within longitudinal studies.

Investigation of Prefrontal Cortex Activity in University Students with Presenteeism: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Study

Presenteeism refers to impaired performance attributed to attending work with health problems. There has been no study examining the state of presenteeism with objective measures. We compared cerebral hemodynamic changes, measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), during neuropsychological tests conducted by university students with presenteeism and healthy controls. Twenty-two university students participated in the study;11 of them with impaired performance caused by mental health problem were allocated to the presenteeism group and 11 without health problems to the control group. Presenteeism was assessed by the Presenteeism Scale for Students. To evoke hemodynamics changes, the participants completed a Word Fluency Test (WFT) and a Trail Making Test (TMT). The NIRS probes were located over the bilateral prefrontal area. Students with presenteeism had significantly higher incidences of depression than controls. However, there was no significant difference in behavioral performance examinations between the two groups. With regard to hemodynamics changes, the repeated measures analysis of covariance of the NIRS signals revealed significant interactions between group and task activation. Although we observed a significant increase in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration during the WFT among controls (simple main effect;left channel, F(1, 19) = 27.34, P F(1, 19) = 22.05, P < 0.001), no changes were found in students with presenteeism during either the WFT (simple main effect;left channel, F(1, 19) = 0.12, P F(1, 19) = 0.08, P t = ﹣0.94, P with Bonferroni correction = 0.745;right channel, t = ﹣2.19, P with Bonferroni correction < 0.113). This is the first study to reveal differences in activity in the cerebral cortex associated with presenteeism. The fact that students with presenteeism have prefrontal dysfunction might reinforce the concept of presenteeism.

Factors Determining the Detection Time to Flavor in Healthy Adults

This study analyzed the factors responsible for determining the flavor detection time for chewed semi-solid foods. Thirteen healthy young adults (eight males and five females) were asked to chew gummy candies with five different fruit flavors (i.e., apple, grape, orange, pear, and strawberry) in a random order. The detection time to flavor was measured using an electromyography-based system, which was recently developed by the authors. Briefly, each participant was recorded with surface masseter electromyograms on both sides to determine the start of chewing. Each participant was asked to press a button as soon as possible with his/her preferred hand after detecting the flavor. The time elapsed between the start of chewing and the button press was measured. Two taste components, sugars and organic acids, of the gummy candies were chemically analyzed, and two major sugars and organic acid were individually detected. The odor intensity was also analyzed for the gummy candies. The average detection time significantly differed among the five gummy candies and among the participants. Simple regression analyses revealed that the intensity of the odors was significantly associated with the average time intervals, but the amounts of the two major sugars and the organic acids were not. The analysis yielded the following equation for the regression estimation:?? (y = the time interval, x = the intensity of odors). The results suggest that the intensity of odors of the gummy candies, not the taste components, is responsible for determining the flavor detection time.

Statins Protect the Blood Brain Barrier Acutely after Experimental Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Objectives: The goal of this study was to measure the impact of simvastatin and atorvastatin treatment on blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods: Primary ICH was induced in 27 male Wistar rats by stereotactic injection of100mL of autologous blood into the striatum. Rats were divided into three groups (n = 9/group): 1) oral treatment (2 mg/kg) of atorvastatin, 2) oral treatment (2 mg/kg) simvastatin, or 3) phosphate buffered saline daily starting 24-hours post-ICH and continuing daily for the next 3 days. On the fourth day, the animals underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for measurements of T1sat (a marker for BBB integrity), T2 (edema), and cerebral blood flow (CBF). After MRI, the animals were sacrificed and immunohistology or Western blotting was performed. Results: MRI data for animals receiving simvastatin treatment showed significantly reduced BBB dysfunction and improved CBF in the ICH rim compared to controls (P 0.05) 4 days after ICH. Simvastatin also significantly reduced edema (T2) in the rim at 4 days after ICH (P 0.05). Both statin-treated groups demonstrated increased occludin and endothelial barrier antigen levels within the vessel walls, indicating better preservation of BBB function (P 0.05) and increased number of blood vessels (P 0.05). Conclusions: Simvastatin treatment administered acutely after ICH protects BBB integrity as measured by MRI and correlative immunohistochemistry. There was also evidence of improved CBF and reduced edema by MRI. Conversely, atorvastatin showed a non-significant trend by MRI measurement.

Quantitative Analysis of Formation of Active Avoidance Behavior in the Hippocampus Coagulated and Intact White Albino Rats

Unsupervised cluster analysis is proposed for analysis of active avoidance formation in three groups of albino rats: 1) intact;2) with electrolytic lesions of neocortex over the dorsal hippocampus;and 3) with electrolytic lesions of dorsal hippocampus. The term “behavior vector” has been introduced to assess quantitatively the behavior of rats while learning. The proposed approach enables to assess active avoidance behavior in rats simultaneously by all the test parameters: 1) reaction to the light;2) reaction to the electric irritation;and 3) inter-trial spontaneous behavior. The animals were grouped by their behavioral resemblance through the learning process. The proposed method facilitates the assessment of learning capacities in animals and paves way for getting additional information concerning correlative relationships between their learning skills and other neuroethological and neurobiological parameters.

Conscious, Explicit Memory, Implicit Memory, and Instincts as the Four-Component Mind for the Mental Origins of Psychotherapy and Personality

This paper proposes that conscious, explicit memory, implicit memory, and instincts constitute the four-component mind for the mental origins of psychotherapy and personality. The mental origin of the personality theories including the big five personality traits, the MBTI, the social style model, the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and the Schwartz’s theory of basic human values is from the unconscious instincts (the six social and three mental protective instincts). The three mental protective instincts that contain the three instinctive countermeasures against the three adversities are hyperactivity countermeasure against danger, phobia countermeasure against unfamiliarity-uncertainty, and comforter countermeasure against hardship. Each countermeasure is regulated (moderated) by a regulator to minimize overactive countermeasure as physical regulator to minimize overactive immunity in physical immune system. Severe adversities and ineffective regulators over-activate protective countermeasures to generate overactive countermeasures as overactive hyperactivity, overactive phobia, and overactive comforter, corresponding to dramatic-impulsive cluster, anxious-fearful cluster, and odd-eccentric cluster, respectively for personality-mental disorders in the DSM-5. Such disordered behavioral habits are stored in unconscious implicit memory which generates disordered thought patterns in pre-conscious explicit memory. For psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) normalizes disordered thought patterns in explicit memory to normalize disordered behavioral habit memory in implicit memory through the repetitive training in normalizing thought patterns, feelings, and behaviors. For psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation strengthens conscious attention (working memory) to normalize disordered behavioral habit memory through the repetitive training in directing conscious attention to the breath or body. In conclusion, the mental origin of personality-mental disorders is from the overactive mental protective instincts. The mental origin of psychotherapy is from therapeutic implicit memory and conscious attention for CBT and mindfulness meditation, respectively. The mental origin of personality is from the unconscious instincts. Therefore, the four-component mind of conscious, explicit memory, implicit memory, and instincts explains the origin, the storage, and the normalization of personality-mental disorders for psychotherapy, and provides the mental origin of personality.

Consciousness &Time: A Time-Based Model of the Evolution of Consciousness

A novel theoretical model is presented maintaining that consciousness evolved on the basis of time distinctions. Various models of time pertain to the existence of future, present and past. It is proposed that the future represents potentialities, the present the actualization of certain potentialities, and the past a record of actualized potentialities. Actualization of potentialities derives from micro quantum wave function collapses with specific constellations corresponding to macro level form. Consciousness provides for an awareness of potentialities being actualized in the present, the time frame of consciousness closely aligning with the time frame of potentialities being actualized in the moment. Evolution of such awareness is highly probable, given the ensuing motivation enabling behavior to be altered in the moment to minimize the actualization of maladaptive potentialities, and maximize the actualization of adaptive potentialities. The model also provides a logical proof for the occurrence of time distinctions.