Psychophysiological assessment of trauma-focused Group Music and Imagery therapy for women with PTSD or CPTSD using script-driven imagery. A randomised controlled study.

BackgroundIn posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), physiological reactions during trauma scripts have been anchored to the diagnosis. According to the construct of research domain criteria, physiological reactions and self-rating scales could be used to evaluate treatment effects.ObjectiveIn the present study, self-rated PTSD symptoms combined with physiological reactions during trauma script were used as outcome measurements in the domain of arousal/regulatory systems in a controlled randomised study of Group Music and Imagery (GrpMI) treatment for females with PTSD or complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) related to violence and/or sexual abuse.Methods45 traumatised women were randomised to 12 weeks of active treatment or waiting. Before and after the intervention, an assessment was done using physiological measurements during script-driven imagery (SDI) procedures. Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) were collected immediately after the trauma script (TS). Reactions during the SDI procedure were reported using the Responses to Script Driven Imagery (RSDI) scale, measuring re-experiencing, avoidance, and dissociation. Self-reported PTSD symptoms were accessed using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and electrodermal activity were sampled during the baseline (BL) and TS conditions of the SDI procedure. As a measure of trauma-related reactivity, the difference between TS and BL was used for statistical calculations. HRV measures included high (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) and low (LF; 0.03-0.15 Hz) frequency band power, the LF/HF ratio, and the root mean square of successive inter-beat differences (RMSSD). Measures of electrodermal activity included skin conductance levels (SCL) and frequencies of non-specific skin conductance responses (NS-SCR). Further, correlations between self-rated PTSD symptoms and physiological reactivity measures were analysed.ResultsDuring the TS, the absolute levels of HR, LF/HF-ratio, and NS-SCR, as well as the trauma-related reactivity of HR, RMSSD, HF, LF/HF-ratio, SCL, and NS-SCR, showed significant changes indicating decreased arousal during trauma script after treatment. Compared to the waitlist control, an interaction analysis showed significant treatment effects in the BL level of HR, the absolute TS level of HR and HF, and the trauma-related reactivity of RMSSD and HF, suggesting an improvement of vagal function in the treatment group. Significant treatment-related reductions were found in symptoms of PTSD, re-experiencing and avoidance, as well as SUD. The changes pre- to post-treatment in HR reactivity and self-rated PTSD symptoms correlated significantly. Furthermore, the initial HR reactivity predicted treatment outcome as measured with PCL-5.ConclusionIn the evaluation of treatment methods for PTSD, a combination of self-report and physiological measures seems to be feasible. The physiological measures, in combination with a robust decrease in self-rated PTSD symptoms, indicate that trauma-focused GrpMI is a promising treatment for PTSD or CPTSD. More studies are needed to confirm the results, and further research comparing with other active treatments is necessary to establish the precise role of the treatment.BackgroundIn posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), physiological reactions during trauma scripts have been anchored to the diagnosis. According to the construct of research domain criteria, physiological reactions and self-rating scales could be used to evaluate treatment effects.ObjectiveIn the present study, self-rated PTSD symptoms combined with physiological reactions during trauma script were used as outcome measurements in the domain of arousal/regulatory systems in a controlled randomised study of Group Music and Imagery (GrpMI) treatment for females with PTSD or complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) related to violence and/or sexual abuse.Methods45 traumatised women were randomised to 12 weeks of active treatment or waiting. Before and after the intervention, an assessment was done using physiological measurements during script-driven imagery (SDI) procedures. Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) were collected immediately after the trauma script (TS). Reactions during the SDI procedure were reported using the Responses to Script Driven Imagery (RSDI) scale, measuring re-experiencing, avoidance, and dissociation. Self-reported PTSD symptoms were accessed using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and electrodermal activity were sampled during the baseline (BL) and TS conditions of the SDI procedure. As a measure of trauma-related reactivity, the difference between TS and BL was used for statistical calculations. HRV measures included high (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) and low (LF; 0.03-0.15 Hz) frequency band power, the LF/HF ratio, and the root mean square of successive inter-beat differences (RMSSD). Measures of electrodermal activity included skin conductance levels (SCL) and frequencies of non-specific skin conductance responses (NS-SCR). Further, correlations between self-rated PTSD symptoms and physiological reactivity measures were analysed.ResultsDuring the TS, the absolute levels of HR, LF/HF-ratio, and NS-SCR, as well as the trauma-related reactivity of HR, RMSSD, HF, LF/HF-ratio, SCL, and NS-SCR, showed significant changes indicating decreased arousal during trauma script after treatment. Compared to the waitlist control, an interaction analysis showed significant treatment effects in the BL level of HR, the absolute TS level of HR and HF, and the trauma-related reactivity of RMSSD and HF, suggesting an improvement of vagal function in the treatment group. Significant treatment-related reductions were found in symptoms of PTSD, re-experiencing and avoidance, as well as SUD. The changes pre- to post-treatment in HR reactivity and self-rated PTSD symptoms correlated significantly. Furthermore, the initial HR reactivity predicted treatment outcome as measured with PCL-5.ConclusionIn the evaluation of treatment methods for PTSD, a combination of self-report and physiological measures seems to be feasible. The physiological measures, in combination with a robust decrease in self-rated PTSD symptoms, indicate that trauma-focused GrpMI is a promising treatment for PTSD or CPTSD. More studies are needed to confirm the results, and further research comparing with other active treatments is necessary to establish the precise role of the treatment

The effect of tDCS on task relevant and irrelevant perceptual learning of complex objects

status: publishe

Trauma-focused group music and imagery with women suffering from PTSD/complex PTSD:A feasibility study

Women who have been exposed to physical, psychological and/or sexual abuse, often with a history of childhood abuse and neglect, frequently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). However, the evidence-based treatments recommended for this population help only 50%, so there is a need to investigate complementary methods. In this study one such promising method has been explored: trauma-focused Group Music and Imagery (GrpMI). In a nonrandomised clinical setting the feasibility of GrpMI and the suitability of chosen measurements were explored. Ten participants with PTSD/CPTSD were enrolled in the pilot study, five in each group. All participants completed the treatment. The primary outcome was symptoms of PTSD measured at pre-, postand follow-up. The secondary outcomes were dissociation and quality of life. The results showed a decrease in PTSD and dissociative symptoms, and an increase in quality of life following treatment. This tendency was maintained at follow-up. An analysis of individual, semi-structured interviews with the participants after the termination of the treatment showed that the participants found the group treatment helpful and acceptable. Since the findings indicate that trauma-focused GrpMI has a positive effect on the psychological health of the women, a larger randomised controlled study is needed

The model case of an oxygen storage catalyst - non-stoichiometry, point defects and electrical conductivity of single crystalline CeO2-ZrO2-Y2O3 solid solutions

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The ternary solid solution CeO2–ZrO2 is known for its superior performance as an oxygen storage catalyst in exhaust gas catalysis (e.g. TWC), although the defect chemical background of these outstanding properties is not fully understood quantitatively. Here, a comprehensive experimental study is reported regarding defects and defect-related transport properties of cubic stabilized single crystalline (CexZr1−x)0.8Y0.2O1.9−δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) solid solutions as a model system for CeO2–ZrO2. The constant fraction of yttria was chosen in order to fix a defined concentration of oxygen vacancies and to stabilize the cubic fluorite-type lattice for all Ce/Zr ratios. Measurements of the total electrical conductivity, the partial electronic conductivity, the ionic transference number and the non-stoichiometry (oxygen deficiency, oxygen storage capacity) were performed in the oxygen partial pressure range −25 < lg pO2/bar < 0 and for temperatures between 500 °C and 750 °C. The total conductivity at low pO2 is dominated by electronic transport. A strong deviation from the widely accepted ideal solution based point defect model was observed. An extended point defect model was developed using defect activities rather than concentrations in order to describe the point defect reactions in CeO2–ZrO2–Y2O3 properly. It served to obtain good quantitative agreement with the measured data. By a combination of values for non-stoichiometries and for electronic conductivities, the electron mobility could be calculated as a function of pO2, ranging between 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 10−5 cm2 V−1 s−1. Finally, the origin of the high oxygen storage capacity and superior catalytic promotion performance at a specific ratio of n(Ce)/n(Zr) ≈ 1 was attributed to two main factors: (1) a strongly enhanced electronic conductivity in the high and medium pO2 range qualifies the material to be a good mixed conductor, which is essential for a fast oxygen exchange and (2) the equilibrium constant for the reduction exhibits a maximum, which means that the reduction is thermodynamically most favoured just at this composition

Deliberative Democracy and the American Civil Jury

Civil jury service should be a potent form of deliberative democracy, creating greater civic engagement. However, a 2010 seven-state study of jury service and voting records found no overall boost in civic engagement following service on civil juries, whereas jurors who served on criminal cases did show increased civic engagement following their jury service. This article reports a project that augments the civil jury data set with information about jury decision rule, jury size, defendant identity, and case type and examines whether specific types of civil jury service influence postservice voting. Taking into account preservice voting records, jurors who serve on a civil jury that is required to reach unanimity or a civil jury of 12 are significantly more likely to vote after their service. Jurors who decide cases with organizational, as opposed to individual, defendants likewise show a boost in voting behavior, as do jurors deciding contract or nonautomotive torts cases compared to automotive torts. Limitations and implications of these findings for deliberative democracy theory and jury practice are discussed

Perceptions of Civil Justice: The Litigation Crisis Attitudes of Civil Jurors

Public perceptions that the civil justice system is in crisis are apparently widespread, but little is known about the causes or correlates of such views. This article analyzes the litigation crisis attitudes of a sample of civil jurors. Like the public, jurors endorsed a number of statements suggesting that there is a litigation crisis. Factor analysis identified two independent components: general concern over excessive litigation, and criticism of the civil jury. Litigation crisis views were found in all demographic and attitudinal subgroups. However, attitudes about the civil justice system were related to the respondent\u27s political efficacy, claims consciousness, belief in a just world, age, religion, and race

Epidemiology of MRSA and current strategies in Europe and Japan

The prevalence of health-care associated infections caused by multi-drug resistant organisms has significantly increased over the past decade. Among these organisms, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) plays a prominent and increasing role. Because of consequences for patients and the economic burden in course of prolonged treatment following MRSA infections and additional indirect costs for e.g. isolation or antiseptic treatment, this trend will further damage European health-care systems

SPEKTRALANALYTISCHE AUSWERTUNG SPANNUNGSOPTISCHER BILDER

Two hypotheses have been proposed about the etiology of neurodevelopmental learning disorders, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia: representation impairments and disrupted access to representations. We implemented a multi-method brain imaging approach to directly investigate these representation and access hypotheses in dyscalculia, a highly prevalent but understudied neurodevelopmental disorder in learning to calculate. We combined several magnetic resonance imaging methods and analyses, including univariate and multivariate analyses, functional and structural connectivity. Our sample comprised 24 adults with dyscalculia and 24 carefully matched controls. Results showed a clear deficit in the non-symbolic magnitude representations in parietal, temporal and frontal regions, as well as hyper-connectivity in visual brain regions in adults with dyscalculia. Dyscalculia in adults was thereby related to both impaired number representations and altered connectivity in the brain. We conclude that dyscalculia is related to impaired number representations as well as altered access to these representations.ISSN:1053-8119ISSN:1095-957

Novel Insights into Autism Knowledge and Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward Mental Illness in Dutch Youth and Family Center Physicians

Education and Child Studie

Time evolution of damage under variable ranges of load transfer

We study the time evolution of damage in a fiber bundle model in which the range of interaction of fibers varies through an adjustable stress transfer function recently introduced. We find that the lifetime of the material exhibits a crossover from mean field to short range behavior as in the static case. Numerical calculations showed that the value at which the transition takes place depends on the system's disorder. Finally, we have performed a microscopic analysis of the failure process. Our results confirm that the growth dynamics of the largest crack is radically different in the two limiting regimes of load transfer during the first stages of breaking.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, revtex4 styl