Detaching from the negative by reappraisal: the role of right superior frontal gyrus (BA9/32)

The ability to reappraise the emotional impact of events is related to long-term mental health. Self-focused reappraisal (REAPPself), i.e., reducing the personal relevance of the negative events, has been previously associated with neural activity in regions near right medial prefrontal cortex, but rarely investigated among brain-damaged individuals. Thus, we aimed to examine the REAPPself ability of brain-damaged patients and healthy controls considering structural atrophies and gray matter intensities, respectively. Twenty patients with well-defined cortex lesions due to an acquired circumscribed tumor or cyst and 23 healthy controls performed a REAPPself task, in which they had to either observe negative stimuli or decrease emotional responding by REAPPself. Next, they rated the impact of negative arousal and valence. REAPPself ability scores were calculated by subtracting the negative picture ratings after applying REAPPself from the ratings of the observing condition. The scores of the patients were included in a voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) analysis to identify deficit related areas (ROI). Then, a ROI group-wise comparison was performed. Additionally, a whole-brain voxel-based-morphometry (VBM) analysis was run, in which healthy participant's REAPPself ability scores were correlated with gray matter intensities. Results showed that (1) regions in the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), comprising the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9) and the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (BA32), were associated with patient's impaired down-regulation of arousal, (2) a lesion in the depicted ROI occasioned significant REAPPself impairments, (3) REAPPself ability of controls was linked with increased gray matter intensities in the ROI regions. Our findings show for the first time that the neural integrity and the structural volume of right SFG regions (BA9/32) might be indispensable for REAPPself. Implications for neurofeedback research are discussed.Fil: Falquez, Rosalux. University of Heidelberg; AlemaniaFil: Couto, Juan Blas Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; ArgentinaFil: Ibáñez Barassi, Agustín Mariano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva. Fundación Favaloro. Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva; ArgentinaFil: Freitag, Martin T.. German Cancer Research Center; AlemaniaFil: Berger, Moritz. German Cancer Research Center; AlemaniaFil: Arens, Elisabeth A.. University of Heidelberg; AlemaniaFil: Lang, Simone. University of Heidelberg; AlemaniaFil: Barnow, Sven. University of Heidelberg; Alemani

The link between self-construal and mental distress in Turkish migrants and German women with depression implications for the psychotherapeutic work with Turkish immigrants

PubMed ID: 23508774Anliegen: Die Untersuchung kultureller Unterschiede im Zusammenhang zwischen Selbstkonzept und psychischer Belastung. Methode: Insgesamt wurden 56 türkische und deutsche stationäre Patientinnen mit Depression untersucht. Ergebnisse: Bei türkischen Frauen war ein interdependentes Selbstkonzept mit einer niedrigeren, bei deutschen Frauen mit einer höheren psychischen Belastung assoziiert. Schlussfolgerung: In der psychotherapeutischen Arbeit mit türkischen Migranten spielen kulturell bedingte Unterschiede im Selbstkonzept eine wichtige Rolle für die Ableitung von Therapiezielen und Interventionen.Objective: The current study aims to analyze cultural differences in the patterns of self-construals (interdependent vs. independent) and their relation to mental distress in a sample of depressed Turkish migrants and German women.Methods: A total number of 56 in-patients with a diagnosis of major depression were compared in terms of self-construals and their relations to different aspects of mental distress.Results: Turkish patients exhibited a stronger interdependent self-construal compared to Germans, whereas no group differences were observed with respect to independence. While for Turkish patients a higher level of interdependence was associated with lower levels of mental distress, the reverse was true for German patients. However, there were no significant ethnic differences in the associations between independence and mental distress.Conclusions: The current study provides evidence that the relation between self-construal and mental distress is moderated by patient's cultural background. The findings have implications for integrating self-construals into psychotherapy practice with culturally diverse populations, in order to adjust therapy goals and intervention techniques.Publisher's Versio

Does Emotion Dysregulation Mediate the Relationship between Early Maltreatment and Later Substance Dependence? Findings of the CANSAS Study

Background/Aims: Maltreatment in childhood and adolescence is a risk factor for substance use disorders (SUDs) in adulthood. This association has rarely been investigated in the light of emotion dysregulation. To fill this gap, this study examines emotion dysregulation and SUDs among adults with a history of early maltreatment. Methods: Comparison of emotion dysregulation in adults with a history of early abuse and neglect who developed either an SUD (n = 105) or no mental disorder (n = 54). Further, a mediation model for the association between the severity of early maltreatment and SUDs was tested. Participants completed research diagnostic interviews for psychopathology, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results: By using hierarchical regression techniques and mediational analyses controlling for age and gender, it was possible to provide evidence for the mediating role of emotion dysregulation between early emotional and physical maltreatment and later SUDs. Conclusions: Emotion dysregulation is a potential mechanism underlying the relationship between early emotional and physical maltreatment and the development of SUDs. In light of these findings, focusing on the early training of adaptive emotion regulation strategies after childhood maltreatment might be of considerable relevance to prevent the development of SUDs

Sad as a matter of evidence: The desire for self-verification motivates the pursuit of sadness in clinical depression

Background: Research on desired emotions revealed that individuals want to feel negative emotions if they expect these emotions to yield certain benefits. In previous studies, the pursuit of sadness (e.g., via pursuing art that evokes sadness) has been attributed to hedonic motives, i.e., to feel pleasure. We propose that in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) the pursuit of sadness may be more strongly related to self-verification motives, i.e., to sustain their sense of self through feeling sad. Methods: Participants with MDD (n = 50) were compared to non-depressed controls (n = 50) in their desired emotional states, as indicated by selected music (sad, happy and neutral), and in their motives (hedonic vs. self-verification) for choosing sad music. Groups were also compared in their self-reported general preference for sadness and the perceived functionality of sadness. Results: MDD participants showed a significant higher desire for sadness; more than half of them deliberately chose sad music. Whereas MDD participants had a marked preference for self-verification over hedonic motives, the reverse was true for non-depressed controls. MDD participants also agreed more strongly with self-verifying functions of sadness and expressed a stronger general preference for sadness. Conclusion: Findings indicate that emotion regulation in MDD might be driven by self-verification motives. They point to the relevance of exploring patients’ desired emotional states and associated motives. The systematic integration of positive affect into the self-image of depressed patients might help to deemphasize the self-verifying function of sadness, thereby overcoming the depression

Value priorities and value conflicts in patients with mental disorders compared to a general population sample

Personal values are considered as guiding principles for humans’ attitudes and behavior, what makes them an essential component of mental health. Although these notions are widely recognized, investigations in clinical samples examining the link between values and mental health are lacking. We assessed n = 209 patients with affective disorders, neurotic disorders, reaction to severe stress, and adjustment disorders and personality disorders and compared them to a stratified random sample (n = 209) drawn from the European Social Survey. Personal values were assessed using the Portraits Value Questionnaire. Severity of psychopathology was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Clinical participants showed a higher preference for the values power, achievement and tradition/conformity and a lower preference for hedonism compared to controls. Patients exhibited more incompatible value patterns than controls. Across diagnostic groups, patients with neurotic disorders reported incompatible values most frequently. Value priorities and value conflicts may have the potential to contribute to a better understanding of current and future actions and experiences in patients with mental disorders

Metta-based therapy for chronic depression

Metta-based therapy for chronic depression - supplementary data for publication in Mindfulnes

Metta-based therapy for chronic depression: a wait list control trial

Objectives: Current treatments for chronic depression have focused on reducing interpersonal problems and negative affect, but paid little attention to promoting prosocial motivation and positive affect. Following this treatment focus, the objective of the present study was to examine whether the combination of metta (Loving Kindness) group meditation and subsequent tailored individual therapy focusing on kindness towards oneself and others (metta-based therapy, MBT) shows greater improvements in depressive symptoms than a wait list control group in patients with chronic depression. Methods: Forty-eight patients with DSM-5 persistent depressive disorder were randomly assigned to MBT or a wait list control condition. Outcome was assessed after group meditation, after subsequent individual therapy, and at 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure was an independent blind rating of depressive symptoms at post-test. Secondary outcome included changes in self-reported depression, behavioral activation, rumination, social functioning, mindfulness, compassion, and clinician-rated emotion regulation. Results: Mixed-design analyses showed significant differences between MBT and WLC in changes from pre- to post-test in clinician-rated and self-rated depression, behavioral activation, rumination, social functioning, mindfulness, and emotion regulation. Most of the changes occurred during group meditation and were associated with large effect sizes. Improvements were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: The results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of MBT in treating chronic depression. Trial Registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN97264476

Characterization of “nodular inflammatory foci” in the neonatal lung 5 days after MCMV-3D infection.

<p>(A–E, G–J) Wildtype or (F) Ncr1^gfp/+ neonatal mice were l.p. infected with 5×10⁴ PFU MCMV-3D, 5 days later mice were sacrificed and lungs explanted. (A, C–E, G–J) Frozen sections were stained with antibodies as indicated and DAPI nuclear staining. (B) Paraffin embedded sections were analyzed after hematoxylin and eosin staining. (C–E) Cellular composition of nodular inflammatory foci. (F) Frozen sections from Ncr1^gfp/+ mice were analyzed by 2-photon microscopy. (A, B) Overview with multiple nodular inflammatory foci (frames in A and B) and solitary mCherry⁺ infected cells (arrowheads in A), (B) one nodular inflammatory focus is magnified. (G) Morphological discrimination between viable infected cells (arrows) and remnants (arrowheads) of infected cells. (H–J) Remnants engulfed by phagocytes are indicated by arrowheads. Scale bars: (A+B) 100 µm, (C–E, G) 50 µm, (F, H–J) 20 µm. AF = autofluorescence of tissue, (A–J) representative of n>6 from >3 independent experiments.</p