Single-Session Attention Bias Modification Training in Victims of Work-Related Accidents

Individuals who experienced traumatic work-related accidents frequently show cognitive deficits and biased processing of trauma-relevant information, which, in turn, could increase the risk of further accidents. The attention bias modification training (ABMT) is designed to reduce hypervigilance toward and enhance attentional disengagement from threat stimuli. The aim of the present study was to assess whether it is possible to implicitly reduce the attentional bias toward trauma-related stimuli through a single session of ABMT in individuals who experienced a traumatic occupational accident. Nineteen individuals who had experienced a traumatic work-related accident and 11 workers who never experienced a work accident (control group) underwent a preliminary assessment of cognitive performance (executive functions and sustained attention) and an evaluation of the attentional bias toward accident-related pictures by means of a dot-probe task. The results showed that injured workers performed more poorly than controls in tasks of executive functions and concentration abilities. Also, injured workers showed an attentional bias toward trauma reminders (i.e., faster reaction times to probes replacing trauma-related pictures). Injured workers were then randomly allocated to a single-session of ABMT (N = 10) or to an Attention Control Condition (ACC; N = 9). After the training, the dot-probe task was administered again to assess changes in the attentional bias toward trauma-relevant pictures. Injured workers who underwent the ABMT, but not those who underwent the ACC, showed a significant reduction of the attentional bias from pre- to post-training. Overall, these results support previous findings reporting an association between traumatic occupational accidents and cognitive dysfunctions. More importantly, these preliminary findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting the effectiveness of a short ABMT in reducing the attentional bias after a traumatic workplace accident

Somatic, but not cognitive-affective, symptoms are associated with reduced heart rate variability in individuals with dysphoria

Background: Somatic, but not cognitive-affective, symptoms of depression have been associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV), and with poor prognosis in cardiovascular patients. However, factors concomitant with cardiovascular diseases may confound the relationship between somatic symptoms of depression and reduced HRV. Therefore, this study examined whether reduced HRV was differentially associated with cognitive-affective and somatic symptoms of depression in medically healthy individuals with and without dysphoria. Methods: Self-reported cognitive-affective and somatic symptoms as measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) questionnaire and time and frequency domain parameters of HRV were collected in 62 medically healthy individuals, of whom 25 with and 37 without dysphoria. Results: Somatic, but not cognitive-affective, symptoms of depression were inversely associated with standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) (beta = -0.476, p .24). Conclusions: By showing that the relationship between somatic depressive symptoms and reduced HRV extends to medically healthy individuals with dysphoria, the present findings suggest that this association is independent of factors concomitant with cardiovascular diseases. The present study also suggests that individuals with somatic rather than cognitive-affective subsets of depressive symptoms may be at greater risk for developing cardiovascular diseases

THE MOLLUSCAN ASSEMBLAGES IN THE FLUVIO-LACUSTRINE SUCCESSION OF THE PLIO-PLEISTOCENE MUGELLO BASIN (TUSCANY, ITALY)

New geologic studies on the fluvio-lacustrine Mugello Basin (Florence, Italy) stimulated a revision of the continental molluscan assemblages known since the last century. The fluvio-lacustrine succession has been subdivided in four synthems composed of fluvio-lacustrine (Torrente Ensa synthem, STE) and alluvial deposits (Scarperia, Luco di Mugello and Sagginale synthems). Two progressive angular unconformities in the STE allowed to distinguish three depositional sequences (S1, S2 and S3) composed of fan-delta gravels and sands, lacustrine silty clays (S1 and S2) and alluvial-fan gravels and sands (S3). Molluscs have been collected in various localities where S1 and S2 fan-delta and lacustrine deposits are exposed. The paleoecologic analysis of the molluscan assemblages is in accordance with the fluvio-lacustrine environment inferred from facies analysis. Different types of humid habitats, ranging from swamps, ponds, to channel-related environments (banks, leeves etc.), and open woody habitats have been recognized. The presence of Villafranchian extinct taxa such as Prososthenia oblonga, Emmericia cf. umbra and Tournouerina belnensis is in general agreement with the vertebrate fauna collected in the fluvio-lacustrine deposits since the last century and referred to the Tasso and Farneta faunal units (Late Villafranchian). A detailed integrated analysis of a 15 m thick gravelly-silty facies section of the S2 sequence reveals alternating depositional conditions in the subaerial portion of the fan deltas. Following a relative rise of base-level (i.e the lake level) flood-channels were disactivated with the formation of a floodplain-like environment dominated by fine-grained deposition, where localized poorly-drained areas created favourable habitats for molluscan taxa loving humid conditions. The sourrounding zones were characterized by open forests inhabited by terrestrial taxa. Low-magnitude, overland flows mixed the molluscan faunas of the different biotopes. The cyclic arrangement of gravels and silty clays reflects high-frequency uplift/denudational cycles during which biotopes for the molluscan fauna were alternatively activated.   SHORT NOTE

Reduced heart rate variability is associated with vulnerability to depression

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) mirrors cardiac autonomic modulation, an index of well-being. Reduced HRV has been reported in depression, but few studies investigated HRV in individuals at-risk of or remitted from a full-blown depressive episode. The present study aimed at examining whether reduced HRV could be a potential indicator of vulnerability to depression. Methods: Self-reported psychological measures and three-minute resting-state ECG were collected in two at-risk populations [group with dysphoria (n = 27), group with past depression (n = 16)] and in a control group (n = 25). Time- and frequency-domain HRV parameters were computed. Analysis of covariance was conducted to detect between-groups differences for each measure. Results: Standard Deviation of Normal to Normal intervals (SDNN) and High Frequency (HF) power of HRV were found to be reduced both in individuals with dysphoria and in those with past depression as compared with controls. Whereas psychological measures did not significantly differ among individuals with past depression and controls, HRV was capable of discriminating between the two groups. Limitations: Past depression was assessed retrospectively with self-reported information. The inclusion of a group with depression would provide an overview about HRV during the illness course. Conclusions: The findings suggest that reduced HRV is likely to be implicated in the risk of developing full-blown depression, rather than being a mere correlate of current depressive state. The results suggest that HRV may improve clinicians\u2019 ability to early identify people at risk for depression who can benefit from targeted prevention by psychiatric and psychological interventions

Not All Competitions Come to Harm! Competitive Biofeedback to Increase Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Managers

Despite the positive impact on achievement, competition has been associated with elevated psychophysiological activation, potentially leading to a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases. Competitive biofeedback (BF) can be used to highlight the effects of competition on the same physiological responses that are going to be controlled through BF. However, it is still unknown whether competition could enhance the effects of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)-BF training in improving cardiac vagal control. The present study explored whether competitive RSA-BF could be more effective than non-competitive RSA-BF in increasing RSA in executive managers, who are at higher cardiovascular risk of being commonly exposed to highly competitive conditions. Thirty managers leading outstanding private or public companies were randomly assigned to either a Competition (n = 14) or a Control (n = 16) RSA-BF training lasting five weekly sessions. Managers in the Competition group underwent the RSA-BF in couples and each participant was requested to produce a better performance (i.e., higher RSA) than the paired challenger. After the training, results showed that managers in the Competition group succeeded in increasing cardiac vagal control, as supported by the specific increase in RSA (p < 0.001), the standard deviation of R-R wave intervals (SDNN; p < 0.001), and root mean square of the successive differences between adjacent heartbeats (rMSSD; p < 0.001). A significant increase in the percentage of successive normal sinus beat to beat intervals more than 50 ms (pNN50; p = 0.023; partial eta squared = 0.17), low frequency (p < 0.001; partial eta squared = 0.44), and high frequency power (p = 0.005; partial eta squared = 0.25) emerged independently from the competitive condition. Intriguingly, managers who compete showed the same reduction in resting heart rate (HR; p = 0.003, partial eta squared = 0.28), systolic blood pressure (SBP; p = 0.013, partial eta squared = 0.20), respiration rate (p < 0.001; partial eta squared = 0.46), and skin conductance level (SCL; p = 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.32) as non-competitive participants. Also, the same reduction in social anxiety (p = 0.005; partial eta squared = 0.25), state (p = 0.038, partial eta squared = 0.14) and trait anxiety (p = 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.31), and depressive symptoms (p = 0.023, partial eta squared = 0.17) emerged in the two groups. The present results showed that managers competing for increasing RSA showed a greater improvement in their parasympathetic modulation than non-competing managers. Most importantly, competition did not lead to the classic pattern of increased psychophysiological activation under competitive RSA-BF. Therefore, competition could facilitate the use of self-regulation strategies, especially in highly competitive individuals, to promote adaptive responses to psychological stress

Tramonto da mulher fatal: uma tragédia Dannunziana

O objetivo desta monografia é demonstrar como o poeta abrucês Gabriele D’Annunzio (1863-1938) se inspira na famosa tragédia grega Medeia, de Eurípedes, para a criação do texto teatral Sogno d’un tramonto d’autunno (1899). Para isso, em primeiro lugar, abordou-se a figura de mulher fatal dannunziana, por meio da breve análise das figuras femininas Pantèa e Gradeniga (da tragédia Sogno d’un tramonto d’autunno), apoiada na obra La tragedia moderna e mediterranea: Sul teatro di Gabriele D’Annunzio (1992) de Valentina Valentini, que descreve o teatro de D’Annunzio como um “poema visibile” (VALENTINI, 1992). Em seguida, esta pesquisa se fundamentou na tese de doutorado de Fernanda Gerbis, O teatro de Gabriele D’Annunzio: tradução e ruptura (2019), e a obra Parola Tramata (2005) de Marilena Giammarco, para identificar elementos de contato entre o texto teatral dannunziano analisado e a tragédia Medeia. Para concluir, foi feito uma breve síntese dos pontos evidenciando como o Vate resgata temas universais oferecidos pelo modelo grego clássico (LACERDA, 2019) para sua escrita

Assessment of linear and nonlinear/complex heartbeat dynamics in subclinical depression (dysphoria)

Objective: Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Most previous studies have focused on major depression, and studies on subclinical depression, such as those on so-called dysphoria, have been overlooked. Indeed, dysphoria is associated with a high prevalence of somatic disorders, and a reduction of quality of life and life expectancy. In current clinical practice, dysphoria is assessed using psychometric questionnaires and structured interviews only, without taking into account objective pathophysiological indices. To address this problem, in this study we investigated heartbeat linear and nonlinear dynamics to derive objective autonomic nervous system biomarkers of dysphoria. Approach: Sixty undergraduate students participated in the study: according to clinical evaluation, 24 of them were dysphoric. Extensive group-wise statistics was performed to characterize the pathological and control groups. Moreover, a recursive feature elimination algorithm based on a K-NN classifier was carried out for the automatic recognition of dysphoria at a single-subject level. Main results: The results showed that the most significant group-wise differences referred to increased heartbeat complexity (particularly for fractal dimension, sample entropy and recurrence plot analysis) with regards to the healthy controls, confirming dysfunctional nonlinear sympatho-vagal dynamics in mood disorders. Furthermore, a balanced accuracy of 79.17% was achieved in automatically distinguishing dysphoric patients from controls, with the most informative power attributed to nonlinear, spectral and polyspectral quantifiers of cardiovascular variability. Significance: This study experimentally supports the assessment of dysphoria as a defined clinical condition with specific characteristics which are different both from healthy, fully euthymic controls and from full-blown major depression

The moderating role of depressive symptoms in the association between heart rate variability and cognitive performance in cardiac patients

Introduction: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is strongly associated with cognitive impairment, which is a core feature of depression, highly prevalent in patients with CHD. Interestingly, patients with CHD and individuals with depression display reduced heart rate variability (HRV), which proxies a complex network integrating autonomic and attentional systems. This study investigated the moderating role of depressive symptoms in the relation between reduced HRV and cognitive performance in patients with CHD. Method: The sample included 274 patients with CHD (mean [standard deviation] age = 62 [9.5] years; 13 % women) admitted to cardiac rehabilitation units. Visual attention and task switching were assessed through the Trail Making Test (TMT). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Resting electrocardiographic recordings were collected to compute HRV indices. Results: Patients with more severe depressive symptoms displayed an inverse association between HRV and cognitive performance (TMT-A: b = -0.08, p = .022; TMTB: b = -0.07, p = .042), whereas patients with milder depressive symptoms showed no significant association (TMT-A: b = -0.00, p = .90; TMTB: b = -0.02, p = .44). Conclusions: Depressive symptoms may strengthen the relation between reduced HRV and poorer cognitive performance in cardiac patients. The presence of depressive symptoms may signal the dysfunction of a network subserving autonomic and cognitive function

Pain-related somatosensory evoked potentials and functional brain magnetic resonance in the evaluation of neurologic recovery after cardiac arrest: a case study of three patients

This case series investigates whether painful electrical stimulation increases the early prognostic value of both somatosensory-evoked potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging in comatose patients after cardiac arrest. Three single cases with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy were considered. A neurophysiological evaluation with an electroencephalogram and somatosensory-evoked potentials during increased electrical stimulation in both median nerves was performed within five days of cardiac arrest. Each patient also underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging evaluation with the same neurophysiological protocol one month after cardiac arrest. One patient, who completely recovered, showed a middle latency component at a high intensity of stimulation and the activation of all brain areas involved in cerebral pain processing. One patient in a minimally conscious state only showed the cortical somatosensory response and the activation of the primary somatosensory cortex. The last patient, who was in a vegetative state, did not show primary somatosensory evoked potentials; only the activation of subcortical brain areas occurred. These preliminary findings suggest that the pain-related somatosensory evoked potentials performed to increase the prognosis of comatose patients after cardiac arrest are associated with regional brain activity showed by functional magnetic resonance imaging during median nerves electrical stimulation. More importantly, this cases report also suggests that somatosensory evoked potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging during painful electrical stimulation may be sensitive and complementary methods to predict the neurological outcome in the acute phase of coma. Thus, pain-related somatosensory-evoked potentials may be a reliable and a cost-effective tool for planning the early diagnostic evaluation of comatose patients