Portuguese validation of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale: an Empirical Study

Previous research on Social Networking Sites (SNSs) addiction have suggest the need to improve assessment of this behavioral addiction. The present study aimed at validating a Portuguese version of the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), a widely used instrument to assess addiction to Facebook. A study was conducted in a sample of 509 Portuguese adolescent using an online survey. The psychometric properties (construct validity, criterion validity, and reliability) of the Portuguese BFAS was scrutinized. The results from the psychometric analyses suggested that the new validated instrument had excellent psychometric properties. The CFA confirmed the original one-factor solution of the BFAS and criterion validity was warranted. The reliability of the BFAS was supported by satisfactory levels of internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach’s alpha (α = .83), composite reliability (CR = .82), and factor determinacy (FD = .91). Overall, the results provided empirical support for the validity and reliability of the Portuguese BFAS. Moreover, the results were highly comparable with the findings of the original development study of the BFAS and cross-cultural support for the scale was obtained

Is workaholism associated with inflammatory response? The moderating role of work engagement

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between two different forms of heavy work investment, namely workaholism and work engagement, and serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17), a possible biomarker of stress. Given the different motivational underpinnings and outcomes of workaholism and work engagement and drawing on the allostatic load and the effort-recovery models, we hypothesized that workaholism is positively associated with IL-17, and that work engagement buffers this association. Workers in an Italian healthcare organization (88 females and 31 males) completed a self-report questionnaire, and then underwent blood sample collection. Data were analysed using moderated multiple regression. Results showed that workaholism was positively associated with IL-17, controlling for the effect of gender, age, and body mass index. Work engagement buffered this association, which was nonsignificant when work engagement was high. To reduce the risk of future health complaints, interventions should be aimed at preventing workaholism and promoting work engagement

The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a large-scale cross-sectional study

Over the last decade, research into ‘addictive technological behaviors’ has substantially increased. Research has also demonstrated strong associations between addictive use of technology and comorbid psychiatric disorders. In the present study, 23,533 adults (mean age 35.8 years, ranging from 16 to 88 years) participated in an online cross-sectional survey examining whether demographic variables, symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression could explain variance in addictive use (i.e., compulsive and excessive use associated with negative outcomes) of two types of modern online technologies: social media and video games. Psychometrically robust instruments were utilized. Correlations between symptoms of addictive technology use and mental disorder symptoms were all positive and significant, including the interrelationship between the two addictive technological behaviors. Age appeared to be inversely related to the addictive use of these technologies. Being male was significantly associated with addictive use of video games, whereas being female was significantly associated with addictive use of social media. Being single was positively related to both addictive social networking and video gaming. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that demographic factors explained between 11% and 12% of the variance in addictive technology use. The mental health variables explained between 7% and 15% of the variance. The study significantly adds to our understanding of mental health symptoms and their role in addictive use of modern technology. Clinical implications, strengths, and limitations are discussed

Independent evidence for an association between general cognitive ability and a genetic locus for educational attainment

Cognitive deficits and reduced educational achievement are common in psychiatric illness; understanding the genetic basis of cognitive and educational deficits may be informative about the etiology of psychiatric disorders. A recent, large genome-wide association study (GWAS) reported a genome-wide significant locus for years of education, which subsequently demonstrated association to general cognitive ability (g) in overlapping cohorts. The current study was designed to test whether GWAS hits for educational attainment are involved in general cognitive ability in an independent, large-scale collection of cohorts. Using cohorts in the Cognitive Genomics Consortium (COGENT; up to 20,495 healthy individuals), we examined the relationship between g and variants associated with educational attainment. We next conducted meta-analyses with 24,189 individuals with neurocognitive data from the educational attainment studies, and then with 53,188 largely independent individuals from a recent GWAS of cognition. A SNP (rs1906252) located at chromosome 6q16.1, previously associated with years of schooling, was significantly associated with g (P=1.47x10(-4)) in COGENT. The first joint analysis of 43,381 non-overlapping individuals for this a priori-designated locus was strongly significant (P=4.94x10(-7)), and the second joint analysis of 68,159 non-overlapping individuals was even more robust (P=1.65x10(-9)). These results provide independent replication, in a large-scale dataset, of a genetic locus associated with cognitive function and education. As sample sizes grow, cognitive GWAS will identify increasing numbers of associated loci, as has been accomplished in other polygenic quantitative traits, which may be relevant to psychiatric illness. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Complementation of hypersensitivity to DNA interstrand crosslinking agents demonstrates that XRCC2 is a Fanconi anaemia gene

Background Fanconi anemia (FA) is a heterogeneous inherited disorder clinically characterized by progressive bone marrow failure, congenital anomalies, and a predisposition to malignancies. Objective Determine, based on correction of cellular phenotypes, whether XRCC2 is a FA gene. Methods Cells (900677) from a previously identified patient with biallelic mutation of XRCC2, among other mutations, were genetically complemented with wild-type XRCC2. Results Wild-type XRCC2 corrects each of three phenotypes characteristic of FA cells, all related to the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks, including increased sensitivity to mitomycin C (MMC), chromosome breakage, and G2-M accumulation in the cell cycle. Further, the p.R215X mutant of XRCC2, which is harbored by the patient, is unstable. This provides an explanation for the pathogenesis of this mutant, as does the fact that 900677 cells have reduced levels of other proteins in the XRCC2-RAD51B-C-D complex. Also, FANCD2 monoubiquitination and foci formation, but not assembly of RAD51 foci, are normal in 900677 cells. Thus, XRCC2 acts late in the FA-BRCA pathway as also suggested by hypersensitivity of 900677 cells to ionizing radiation. These cells also share milder sensitivities toward olaparib and formaldehyde with certain other FA cells. Conclusions XRCC2/FANCU is a FA gene, as is another RAD51 paralog gene, RAD51C/FANCO. Notably, similar to a subset of FA genes that act downstream of FANCD2, biallelic mutation of XRCC2/FANCU has not been associated with bone marrow failure. Taken together, our results yield important insights into phenotypes related to FA and its genetic origins

Psychometric properties of three measures of “Facebook engagement and/or addiction” among a sample of English speaking Pakistani university students

For researchers interested in measuring the construct of “Facebook engagement and/or addiction,” there are a number of existing measures including the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale, the Facebook Intensity Scale, and the Addictive Tendencies Scale. Currently, there is limited data on the psychometric properties of these three scales, especially among South Asian samples. The present aim was to address this shortfall. A sample of 308 English-speaking Pakistani university students completed the scales, in their original English versions, on two occasions separated by four weeks. Results demonstrated that for each of the scales, across both administrations, satisfactory psychometric properties were found, including internal reliability, temporal stability, and construct validity. Moreover, for these three scales, using confirmatory factor analysis, a one-factor structure was generally found to be a good description of the data for both male and female samples. These data provide further evidence for the reliability and validity of three scales concerned with “Facebook engagement and/or addiction.

Psychometric testing of three Chinese online-related addictive behavior instruments among Hong Kong university students

Objective: To validate the Chinese version of the nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scales- Short Form (IGDS-SF9), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) among Hong Kong university students. Participants and Methods: Participants aged between 17 and 30 years participated in the present study (n=307; 32.4% males; mean [SD] age=21.64 [8.11]). All the participants completed the IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, SABAS, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to examine the factorial structures and the unidimensionality for IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS. Results: CFAs demonstrated that the three scales were all unidimensional with satisfactory fit indices: comparative fit index = 0.969 to 0.992. In addition, the IGDS-SF9 and BSMAS were slightly modified based on the modification index in CFA. Conclusions: The Chinese IGDS-SF9, BSMAS, and SABAS are valid instruments to assess the addiction levels of internet-related activities for Hong Kong university students

Genetic determinants of cortical structure (thickness, surface area and volumes) among disease free adults in the CHARGE Consortium

Cortical thickness, surface area and volumes (MRI cortical measures) vary with age and cognitive function, and in neurological and psychiatric diseases. We examined heritability, genetic correlations and genome-wide associations of cortical measures across the whole cortex, and in 34 anatomically predefined regions. Our discovery sample comprised 22,824 individuals from 20 cohorts within the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the United Kingdom Biobank. Significant associations were replicated in the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-analysis (ENIGMA) consortium, and their biological implications explored using bioinformatic annotation and pathway analyses. We identified genetic heterogeneity between cortical measures and brain regions, and 160 genome-wide significant associations pointing to wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β and sonic hedgehog pathways. There was enrichment for genes involved in anthropometric traits, hindbrain development, vascular and neurodegenerative disease and psychiatric conditions. These data are a rich resource for studies of the biological mechanisms behind cortical development and aging

ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries

This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of "big data" (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA's activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors

An evolutionary timeline of the oxytocin signaling pathway.

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide associated with both psychological and somatic processes like parturition and social bonding. Although oxytocin homologs have been identified in many species, the evolutionary timeline of the entire oxytocin signaling gene pathway has yet to be described. Using protein sequence similarity searches, microsynteny, and phylostratigraphy, we assigned the genes supporting the oxytocin pathway to different phylostrata based on when we found they likely arose in evolution. We show that the majority (64%) of genes in the pathway are 'modern'. Most of the modern genes evolved around the emergence of vertebrates or jawed vertebrates (540 - 530 million years ago, 'mya'), including OXTR, OXT and CD38. Of those, 45% were under positive selection at some point during vertebrate evolution. We also found that 18% of the genes in the oxytocin pathway are 'ancient', meaning their emergence dates back to cellular organisms and opisthokonta (3500-1100 mya). The remaining genes (18%) that evolved after ancient and before modern genes were classified as 'medium-aged'. Functional analyses revealed that, in humans, medium-aged oxytocin pathway genes are highly expressed in contractile organs, while modern genes in the oxytocin pathway are primarily expressed in the brain and muscle tissue