Gray's Model of Personality and Signal Detection Theory: Uncovering New Relationships of Impulsivity and Anxiety with Learning and Performance Criteria

Research in learning and performance using Gray's (1972, 2001) theory of personality has increased substantially in the last decade. Gray's key postulations, that impulsive individuals are most sensitive to reward while anxious people are most sensitive to punishment, have been investigated using a number of learning and performance paradigms. This paper introduces a prgram of research in progress using Signal Detection Theory to examine learning and performance relationships with Gray's model

Effect of carboplatin when administered after dacarbazine failure: Clinical benefit of sequential therapy

Dacarbazine chemotherapy has been the mainstay of melanoma treatment for >30 years. In the early 2000s, carboplatin (with or without other agents, such as paclitaxel) was the most commonly used second‑line therapy in the UK. The aim of the present study was to report a significant response rate to second‑line carboplatin in patients from three UK institutions who had been previously treated and failed to respond to dacarbazine, and investigate whether sequential therapy may be more effective compared with combination therapy. A total of 104 patients were identified, the majority of whom were treated with carboplatin (area under the curve 5‑6) every 3 weeks for a maximum of 6 cycles. A total of 102 patients were evaluable for response, among whom 11 patients had an objective response (1 complete response and 10 partial responses) and 15 had stable disease, giving an overall response rate of 11% and disease control rate of 26%. The median progression‑free survival was 1.8 months (range, 0.2‑36+ months) and the median overall survival was 4.6 months (range, 0.2‑36+ months). Surprisingly, the majority of the patients who benefited from second‑line carboplatin therapy were those with visceral metastases, the survival of whom would not be expected to exceed 6 months after first‑line treatment

Social pain and social gain in the adolescent brain: A common neural circuitry underlying both positive and negative social evaluation

Social interaction inherently involves the subjective evaluation of cues salient to social inclusion and exclusion. Testifying to the importance of such social cues, parts of the neural system dedicated to the detection of physical pain, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula (AI), have been shown to be equally sensitive to the detection of social pain experienced after social exclusion. However, recent work suggests that this dACC-AI matrix may index $\textit{any}$ socially pertinent information. We directly tested the hypothesis that the dACC-AI would respond to cues of $\textit{both}$ inclusion and exclusion, using a novel social feedback fMRI paradigm in a population-derived sample of adolescents. We show that the dACC and left AI are commonly activated by feedback cues of inclusion and exclusion. Our findings suggest that theoretical accounts of the dACC-AI network as a neural alarm system restricted within the social domain to the processing of signals of exclusion require significant revision.This work was supported by grants from Friends of Peterhouse Medical Fund Cambridge (RG 51114), the Wellcome Trust (RG 074296), and the UK Medical Research Council (MC US A060 0019)

Do Adolescents Like School-Based Mindfulness Training? Predictors of Mindfulness Practice and Responsiveness in the MYRIAD Trial

Objective: We explored what predicts secondary school students’ mindfulness practice and responsiveness to universal school-based mindfulness training (SBMT), and how students experience SBMT. Method: A mixed-methods design was used. Participants were 4,232 students (11-13 years of age), in 43 UK secondary schools, who received universal SBMT (ie, “.b” program), within the MYRIAD trial (ISRCTN86619085). Following previous research, student, teacher, school, and implementation factors were evaluated as potential predictors of students’ out-of-school mindfulness practice and responsiveness (ie, interest in and attitudes toward SBMT), using mixed-effects linear regression. We explored pupils’ SBMT experiences using thematic content analysis of their answers to 2 free-response questions, 1 question focused on positive experiences and 1 question on difficulties/challenges. Results: Students reported practicing out-of-school mindfulness exercises on average once during the intervention (mean [SD] = 1.16 [1.07]; range, 0-5). Students’ average ratings of responsiveness were intermediate (mean [SD] = 4.72 [2.88]; range, 0-10). Girls reported more responsiveness. High risk of mental health problems was associated with lower responsiveness. Asian ethnicity and higher school-level economic deprivation were related to greater responsiveness. More SBMT sessions and better quality of delivery were associated with both greater mindfulness practice and responsiveness. In terms of students’ experiences of SBMT, the most frequent themes (60% of the minimally elaborated responses) were an increased awareness of bodily feelings/sensations and increased ability to regulate emotions. Conclusion: Most students did not engage with mindfulness practice. Although responsiveness to the SMBT was intermediate on average, there was substantial variation, with some youth rating it negatively and others rating it positively. Future SBMT developers should consider co-designing curricula with students, carefully assessing the student characteristics, aspects of the school environment, and implementation factors associated with mindfulness practice and responsiveness. SBMT teacher training is key, as more observed proficiency in SBMT teaching is associated with greater student mindfulness practice and responsiveness to SBMT

Genome-wide association study of response to cognitive-behavioural therapy in children with anxiety disorders

Background Anxiety disorders are common, and cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) is a first-line treatment. Candidate gene studies have suggested a genetic basis to treatment response, but findings have been inconsistent. Aims To perform the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of psychological treatment response in children with anxiety disorders (n = 980). Method Presence and severity of anxiety was assessed using semi-structured interview at baseline, on completion of treatment (post-treatment), and 3 to 12 months after treatment completion (follow-up). DNA was genotyped using the Illumina Human Core Exome-12v1.0 array. Linear mixed models were used to test associations between genetic variants and response (change in symptom severity) immediately post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Results No variants passed a genome-wide significance threshold (P = 5×10−8) in either analysis. Four variants met criteria for suggestive significance (P<5×10−6) in association with response post-treatment, and three variants in the 6-month follow-up analysis. Conclusions This is the first genome-wide therapygenetic study. It suggests no common variants of very high effect underlie response to CBT. Future investigations should maximise power to detect single-variant and polygenic effects by using larger, more homogeneous cohorts

Heel raises versus prefabricated orthoses in the treatment of posterior heel pain associated with calcaneal apophysitis (Sever's Disease): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Posterior Heel pain can present in children of 8 to 14 years, associated with or clinically diagnosed as Sever's disease, or calcaneal apophysitis. Presently, there are no comparative randomised studies evaluating treatment options for posterior heel pain in children with the clinical diagnosis of calcaneal apophysitis or Sever's disease. This study seeks to compare the clinical efficacy of some currently employed treatment options for the relief of disability and pain associated with posterior heel pain in children.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Design: Factorial 2 × 2 randomised controlled trial with monthly follow-up for 3 months.</p> <p>Participants: Children with clinically diagnosed posterior heel pain possibly associated with calcaneal apophysitis/Sever's disease (n = 124).</p> <p>Interventions: Treatment factor 1 will be two types of shoe orthoses: a heel raise or prefabricated orthoses. Both of these interventions are widely available, mutually exclusive treatment approaches that are relatively low in cost. Treatment factor 2 will be a footwear prescription/replacement intervention involving a shoe with a firm heel counter, dual density EVA midsole and rear foot control. The alternate condition in this factor is no footwear prescription/replacement, with the participant wearing their current footwear.</p> <p>Outcomes: Oxford Foot and Ankle Questionnaire and the Faces pain scale.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This will be a randomised trial to compare the efficacy of various treatment options for posterior heel pain in children that may be associated with calcaneal apophysitis also known as Sever's disease.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Trial Number: ACTRN12609000696291</p> <p>Ethics Approval Southern Health: HREC Ref: 09271B</p

Ensembl 2011

The Ensembl project (http://www.ensembl.org) seeks to enable genomic science by providing high quality, integrated annotation on chordate and selected eukaryotic genomes within a consistent and accessible infrastructure. All supported species include comprehensive, evidence-based gene annotations and a selected set of genomes includes additional data focused on variation, comparative, evolutionary, functional and regulatory annotation. The most advanced resources are provided for key species including human, mouse, rat and zebrafish reflecting the popularity and importance of these species in biomedical research. As of Ensembl release 59 (August 2010), 56 species are supported of which 5 have been added in the past year. Since our previous report, we have substantially improved the presentation and integration of both data of disease relevance and the regulatory state of different cell types

Verifying nomenclature of DNA variants in submitted manuscripts: guidance for journals

Documenting variation in our genomes is important for research and clinical care. Accuracy in the description of DNA variants is therefore essential. To address this issue, the Human Variome Project convened a committee to evaluate the feasibility of requiring authors to verify that all variants submitted for publication complied with a widely accepted standard for description. After a pilot study of two journals, the committee agreed that requiring authors to verify that variants complied with Human Genome Variation Society nomenclature is a reasonable step toward standardizing the worldwide inventory of human variation.Molecular Technology and Informatics for Personalised Medicine and Healt