108 research outputs found
Effects of Aesthetic Chills on a Cardiac Signature of Emotionality
Previous studies have shown that a cardiac signature of emotionality (referred
to as EK, which can be computed from the standard 12 lead electrocardiogram,
ECG), predicts inter-individual differences in the tendency to experience and
express positive emotion. Here, we investigated whether EK values can be
transiently modulated during stimulation with participant-selected music
pieces and film scenes that elicit strongly positive emotion. The phenomenon
of aesthetic chills, as indicated by measurable piloerection on the forearm,
was used to accurately locate moments of peak emotional responses during
stimulation. From 58 healthy participants, continuous EK values, heart rate,
and respiratory frequency were recorded during stimulation with film scenes
and music pieces, and were related to the aesthetic chills. EK values, as well
as heart rate, increased significantly during moments of peak positive emotion
accompanied by piloerection. These results are the first to provide evidence
for an influence of momentary psychological state on a cardiac signature of
emotional personality (as reflected in EK values). The possibility to modulate
ECG amplitude signatures via stimulation with emotionally significant music
pieces and film scenes opens up new perspectives for the use of emotional peak
experiences in the therapy of disorders characterized by flattened
emotionality, such as depression or schizoid personality disorder
Posttraumatic stress disorder among female street-based sex workers in the greater Sydney area, Australia
BACKGROUND: This paper examines rates of exposure to work-related violence and other trauma, and the prevalence of lifetime and current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among female street-based sex workers. It also investigates associations between current PTSD symptoms and: demographic characteristics, psychiatric comorbidity, injecting and sex risk behaviours, and trauma history. METHODS: Cross sectional data collected from 72 women via face to face structured interviews. The interview included structured diagnostic assessment of DSM-IV PTSD; drug dependence; depression; experience of childhood trauma; and an assessment of sex working history. RESULTS: All but one of the women interviewed reported experiencing trauma, with the majority reporting multiple traumas that typically began in early childhood. Child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault and work related violence were commonly reported. Just under half of the women met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD and approximately one-third reported current PTSD symptoms. Adult sexual assault was associated with current PTSD symptoms. Depression and drug dependence were also highly prevalent; cocaine dependence in particular was associated with elevated rates of injecting risk and sexual risk behaviours. CONCLUSION: These women reported complex trauma histories and despite ongoing opportunities for clinical intervention, they continued to experience problems, suggesting that current models of treatment may not be appropriate. More targeted interventions, and integrated mental health and drug treatment services are needed to address the problems these women are experiencing. Outreach services to these women remain a priority. Education strategies to reduce risky injecting and sexual behaviours among sex workers should also remain a priority
Chimera-like states in modular neural networks
Chimera states, namely the coexistence of coherent and incoherent behavior, were previously analyzed in complex networks. However, they have not been extensively studied in modular networks. Here, we consider a neural network inspired by the connectome of the C. elegans soil worm, organized into six interconnected communities, where neurons obey chaotic bursting dynamics. Neurons are assumed to be connected with electrical synapses within their communities and with chemical synapses across them. As our numerical simulations reveal, the coaction of these two types of coupling can shape the dynamics in such a way that chimera-like states can happen. They consist of a fraction of synchronized neurons which belong to the larger communities, and a fraction of desynchronized neurons which are part of smaller communities. In addition to the Kuramoto order parameter ?, we also employ other measures of coherence, such as the chimera-like ? and metastability ? indices, which quantify the degree of synchronization among communities and along time, respectively. We perform the same analysis for networks that share common features with the C. elegans neural network. Similar results suggest that under certain assumptions, chimera-like states are prominent phenomena in modular networks, and might provide insight for the behavior of more complex modular networks
Atypical sympathetic arousal in children with autism spectrum disorder and its association with anxiety symptomatology
Discrepancy between short-term and long-term effects of bone marrow-derived cell therapy in acute myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Risks to emergency medical responders at terrorist incidents: a narrative review of the medical literature
Chronic occupational exposures can influence the rate of PTSD and depressive disorders in first responders and military personnel
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