Impact of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms on Scholar Performance in High School and University Students

Emotional processes are important to survive. The Darwinian adaptive concept of stress refers to natural selection since evolved individuals have acquired effective strategies to adapt to the environment and to unavoidable changes. If demands are abrupt and intense, there might be insufficient time to successful responses. Usually, stress produces a cognitive or perceptual evaluation (emotional memory) which motivates to make a plan, to take a decision and to perform an action to face successfully the demand. Between several kinds of stresses, there are psychosocial and emotional stresses with cultural, social and political influences. The cultural changes have modified the way in which individuals socially interact. Deficits in familiar relationships and social isolation alter physical and mental health in young students, producing reduction of their capacities of facing stressors in school. Adolescence is characterized by significant physiological, anatomical, and psychological changes in boys and girls, who become vulnerable to psychiatric disorders. In particular for young adult students, anxiety and depression symptoms could interfere in their academic performance. In this chapter, we reviewed approaches to the study of anxiety and depression symptoms related with the academic performance in adolescent and graduate students. Results from available published studies in academic journals are reviewed to discuss the importance to detect information about academic performance, which leads to discover in many cases the very commonly subdiagnosed psychiatric disorders in adolescents, that is, anxiety and depression. With the reviewed evidence of how anxiety and depression in young adult students may alter their main activity in life (studying and academic performance), we discussed data in order to show a way in which professionals involved in schools could support students and stablish a routine of intervention in any case

Investigación multidisciplinar en neurociencias de la conducta: experiencia virtual de una movilidad internacional en el año 2020

Due to the restructuring of activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, student mobility around the world is being delivered online. On one hand, the management of internationalization between higher education institutions to carry out research internships predominates. On the other hand, there is little reflection on the experience of these virtual internships. The aim of this paper is to highlight, through the analysis of the case of the visiting students program of Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), delivered online for the first time in summer 2020, the importance of the virtual multidisciplinary research internship carried out by Colombian students from different fields of study, who shared a common interest in behavioral neuroscience. Connected with the Institute of Neuroethology in Mexico, which focuses on the biological mechanisms underlying behavior, the future professionals in nursing, accounting and law demonstrate through research activities the contribution of neuroscientific knowledge in taking care of others, in promoting financial culture, and in the practice of litigation, respectively. Additionally, these students bring to the program their personal experience. The paper concludes that although student mobility is virtual, it is still possible to do research, exchange cultural and personal experiences, without diminishing the learning challenges that experimental disciplines online present, but strengthening meaningful learning practices.La movilidad estudiantil en el mundo se realiza en modalidad virtual debido a la restructuración de actividades por la COVID-19. Predomina la gestión de la internacionalización entre instituciones de educación superior para realizar estancias de investigación, sin embargo, es escasa la reflexión sobre la experiencia de estas estancias. Así, con el caso del programa de alumnos visitantes de la Universidad Veracruzana de México, realizado por primera vez en modalidad virtual en el verano 2020, el objetivo de este artículo es resaltar la importancia de la estancia virtual de investigación multidisciplinar realizada entre estudiantes colombianos de diferentes profesiones cuyos intereses convergieron en las neurociencias de la conducta. Conectados con el Instituto de Neuroetología en México, donde se estudian las bases biológicas de la conducta, los futuros profesionales en enfermería, contabilidad y derecho, a través de actividades de investigación, evidencian la contribución del conocimiento neurocientífico en el cuidado de otros, en el fomento de la cultura financiera, y en el ejercicio del litigio, respectivamente, y aportan su experiencia personal. Se concluye que, aunque la movilidad estudiantil sea virtual, es posible hacer investigación, intercambiar experiencias culturales y personales, sin desconocer los retos de aprendizaje para las disciplinas experimentales, pero fortaleciendo el aprendizaje significativo

Neuropharmacology of Anxiety Disorders at Young Age: A Perspective from Preclinical Research

Anxiety is one of the most common psychopathologies in the general population that often begin early in life; however, research on this disorder during early developmental stages has been poorly explored compared to adults. A better understanding of the anxiety disorder through childhood is essential to develop more effective treatments. This chapter provides a general overview of the usefulness of animal models of childhood anxiety and its neurobiological bases to discuss how the studies on animals meet the several criteria of validity to discover pathophysiological mechanisms of human disorders and new treatments for these conditions. The research methodology for this chapter consisted in using a thesaurus system such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms of the National Library of Medicine to find original articles in databases as PubMed or Web of Science about preclinical findings related to the neuropharmacology of anxiety before adulthood. The contribution of this chapter is to provide data from preclinical studies which are encouraged to a better comprehension of anxiety at young age

Health and Academic Achievement

Emotional, physical and social well-being describe human health from birth. Good health goes hand in hand with the ability to handle stress for the future. However, biological factors such as diet, life experiences such as drug abuse, bullying, burnout and social factors such as family and community support at the school stage tend to mold health problems, affecting academic achievements. This book is a compilation of current scientific information about the challenges that students, families and teachers face regarding health and academic achievements. Contributions also relate to how physical activity, psychosocial support and other interventions can be made to understand resilience and vulnerability to school desertion. This book will be of interest to readers from broad professional fields, non-specialist readers, and those involved in education policy

Diferencias en la evaluación de imágenes afectivas en distintas etapas del desarrollo humano

El Sistema Internacional de Imágenes Afectivas (IAPS por sus siglas en inglés) utiliza una serie de estímulos pictográficos con carga emocional, el cual se considera uno de los sistemas más fiables y válidos en el estudio experimental de las emociones. Objetivo. Examinar si existen diferencias en la evaluación de un bloque del IAPS entre adultos jóvenes y adultos medios. Metodología. Se realizó un estudio observacional, transversal y descriptivo, con una muestra de 151 participantes, hombres y mujeres. Se conformaron dos grupos de voluntarios: el primero, compuesto por 83 adultos entre 18-40 años (60% mujeres y 40% hombres, con una edad promedio de 20 años) y el segundo integrado por 68 adultos entre 41-60 años (72% mujeres y 28% hombres, con una edad promedio de 53 años). Resultados. Mediante la prueba de Rangos con signo de Wilcoxon, y usando el software estadístico R, encontramos diferencias significativas en el 61.6% de las imágenes evaluadas. Conclusión. Los resultados demuestran que existe un procesamiento diferente de contenido emocional entre los adultos jóvenes y adultos medios lo que sugiere que la respuesta humana a imágenes afectivas depende de la etapa de desarrollo y las capacidades cognitiva

Investigación multidisciplinar en neurociencias de la conducta: experiencia virtual de una movilidad internacional en el año 2020

Due to the restructuring of activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, student mobility around the world is being delivered online. On one hand, the management of internationalization between higher education institutions to carry out research internships predominates. On the other hand, there is little reflection on the experience of these virtual internships. The aim of this paper is to highlight, through the analysis of the case of the visiting students program of Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico), delivered online for the first time in summer 2020, the importance of the virtual multidisciplinary research internship carried out by Colombian students from different fields of study, who shared a common interest in behavioral neuroscience. Connected with the Institute of Neuroethology in Mexico, which focuses on the biological mechanisms underlying behavior, the future professionals in nursing, accounting and law demonstrate through research activities the contribution of neuroscientific knowledge in taking care of others, in promoting financial culture, and in the practice of litigation, respectively. Additionally, these students bring to the program their personal experience. The paper concludes that although student mobility is virtual, it is still possible to do research, exchange cultural and personal experiences, without diminishing the learning challenges that experimental disciplines online present, but strengthening meaningful learning practices.La movilidad estudiantil en el mundo se realiza en modalidad virtual debido a la restructuración de actividades por la COVID-19. Predomina la gestión de la internacionalización entre instituciones de educación superior para realizar estancias de investigación, sin embargo, es escasa la reflexión sobre la experiencia de estas estancias. Así, con el caso del programa de alumnos visitantes de la Universidad Veracruzana de México, realizado por primera vez en modalidad virtual en el verano 2020, el objetivo de este artículo es resaltar la importancia de la estancia virtual de investigación multidisciplinar realizada entre estudiantes colombianos de diferentes profesiones cuyos intereses convergieron en las neurociencias de la conducta. Conectados con el Instituto de Neuroetología en México, donde se estudian las bases biológicas de la conducta, los futuros profesionales en enfermería, contabilidad y derecho, a través de actividades de investigación, evidencian la contribución del conocimiento neurocientífico en el cuidado de otros, en el fomento de la cultura financiera, y en el ejercicio del litigio, respectivamente, y aportan su experiencia personal. Se concluye que, aunque la movilidad estudiantil sea virtual, es posible hacer investigación, intercambiar experiencias culturales y personales, sin desconocer los retos de aprendizaje para las disciplinas experimentales, pero fortaleciendo el aprendizaje significativo