Acute effects of LSD on amygdala activity during processing of fearful stimuli in healthy subjects

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) induces profound changes in various mental domains, including perception, self-awareness and emotions. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the acute effects of LSD on the neural substrate of emotional processing in humans. Using a double-blind, randomised, cross-over study design, placebo or 100 μg LSD were orally administered to 20 healthy subjects before the fMRI scan, taking into account the subjective and pharmacological peak effects of LSD. The plasma levels of LSD were determined immediately before and after the scan. The study (including the a priori-defined study end point) was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov before study start (NCT02308969). The administration of LSD reduced reactivity of the left amygdala and the right medial prefrontal cortex relative to placebo during the presentation of fearful faces (P<0.05, family-wise error). Notably, there was a significant negative correlation between LSD-induced amygdala response to fearful stimuli and the LSD-induced subjective drug effects (P<0.05). These data suggest that acute administration of LSD modulates the engagement of brain regions that mediate emotional processing

STECF Multiannual management plans SWW and NWW (STECF-15-08)

The STECF was tasked with an analysis of the likely effects of proposed management plans for the Southwestern (Bay of Biscay and Iberia) and Northwestern (Celtic sea) waters. Quantitative analyses were carried out to compare the likely effect of those management plans and of the direct application of the CFP on both stocks and fleets involved in these fisheries. Based on the results of simulations of the provisions of the proposed management plans, STECF concluded that, setting fishing opportunities in line with single-species FMSY ranges will provide managers with additional flexibility compared to the basic provisions of the 2013 CFP. Such flexibility is likely to help alleviate the problem of mismatches in quota availability in mixed-species fisheries thereby reducing the risk of early closure of some fisheries due to choke species. Adopting FMSY ranges will therefore increase the likelihood that desired exploitation rates will be achieved and will reduce the risk that some fishing fleets will go out of business. STECF considers that it is crucial that managers take note that persistent fishing at the upper limits of the FMSY ranges across all or most stocks simultaneously negates the flexibility introduced by the FMSY ranges and greatly increases the risk of overfishing. Such an approach will also increase the risk that the objectives of the CFP will not be achieved. STECF concludes that single species biomass safeguards for all stocks should be maintained to provide a basic level of protection. STECF notes that for the fleets affected by the SWW MAP, those providing the highest employment are generally not dependent to a great extent on the species that will be regulated through the MAP proposals. STECF notes that in the NWW there are some fleets which provide significant levels of employment and seem to be very dependent on the species that will be regulated through the MAP proposals. Nevertheless, there are a number of fleets in the NWW area that are not included in the employment analysis because of an absence of appropriate data. .Regarding the number and scope of MAPs as currently defined, STECF considers that a MAP covering a wider geographic area has advantages in terms of reducing management overheads and avoiding multiple regulations affecting the sector. A larger MAP area however, may have disadvantages associated with reducing the emphasis on local management measures and this may discourage the involvement of stakeholders, although this effect will depend on how the process of regionalization operates within the MAP. To evaluate the question of whether management of the species that drive the fisheries adequately allows for the management of by-catch species, the EWG carried out an analysis of correlations between catches of driver species identified in the plan and a variety of by-catch species. The analysis suggested only limited correlation. In view of this, the STECF notes that it is unlikely that relying on the TAC of the driver species to manage other species will be effective, in accordance with CFP requirements. STECF however notes that when analysis was performed at the fleet level, there were more obvious correlations, suggesting some scope to use fleet related management measures for the driver species as a way of managing some of the bycatch species. STECF therefore concludes that management of exploitation rates of non-driver (or bycatch) species is unlikely to occur as an automatic consequence of the management of the main (driver) stocks by TAC considered in the MAP.DG MAR

Increased thalamic resting-state connectivity as a core driver of LSD-induced hallucinations

It has been proposed that the thalamocortical system is an important site of action of hallucinogenic drugs and an essential component of the neural correlates of consciousness. Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD can be used to induce profoundly altered states of consciousness, and it is thus of interest to test the effects of these drugs on this system.; 100 μg LSD was administrated orally to 20 healthy participants prior to fMRI assessment. Whole brain thalamic functional connectivity was measured using ROI-to-ROI and ROI-to-voxel approaches. Correlation analyses were used to explore relationships between thalamic connectivity to regions involved in auditory and visual hallucinations and subjective ratings on auditory and visual drug effects.; LSD caused significant alterations in all dimensions of the 5D-ASC scale and significantly increased thalamic functional connectivity to various cortical regions. Furthermore, LSD-induced functional connectivity measures between the thalamus and the right fusiform gyrus and insula correlated significantly with subjective auditory and visual drug effects.; Hallucinogenic drug effects might be provoked by facilitations of cortical excitability via thalamocortical interactions. Our findings have implications for the understanding of the mechanism of action of hallucinogenic drugs and provide further insight into the role of the 5-HT2A -receptor in altered states of consciousness

LSD Acutely Impairs Fear Recognition and Enhances Emotional Empathy and Sociality

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is used recreationally and has been evaluated as an adjunct to psychotherapy to treat anxiety in patients with life-threatening illness. LSD is well-known to induce perceptual alterations, but unknown is whether LSD alters emotional processing in ways that can support psychotherapy. We investigated the acute effects of LSD on emotional processing using the Face Emotion Recognition Task (FERT) and Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET). The effects of LSD on social behavior were tested using the Social Value Orientation (SVO) test. Two similar placebo-controlled, double-blind, random-order, crossover studies were conducted using 100 μg LSD in 24 subjects and 200 μg LSD in 16 subjects. All of the subjects were healthy and mostly hallucinogen-naive 25- to 65-year-old volunteers (20 men, 20 women). LSD produced feelings of happiness, trust, closeness to others, enhanced explicit and implicit emotional empathy on the MET, and impaired the recognition of sad and fearful faces on the FERT. LSD enhanced the participants' desire to be with other people and increased their prosocial behavior on the SVO test. These effects of LSD on emotion processing and sociality may be useful for LSD-assisted psychotherapy

STECF Evaluation of Fishing Effort Regimes in European Waters - Part 2 (STECF-14-20)

DG MAR

The behavior of osteoblast-like cells on various substrates with functional blocking of integrin-β1 and integrin-β3

This study was designed to examine the influence of integrin subunit-β1 and subunit-β3 on the behavior of primary osteoblast-like cells, cultured on calcium phosphate (CaP)-coated and non coated titanium (Ti). Osteoblast-like cells were incubated with specific monoclonal antibodies against integrin-β1 and integrin-β3 to block the integrin function. Subsequently, cells were seeded on Ti discs, either non coated or provided with a 2 μm carbonated hydroxyapatite coating using Electrostatic Spray Deposition. Results showed that on CaP coatings, cellular attachment was decreased after a pre-treatment with either anti-integrin-β1 or anti-integrin-β3 antibodies. On Ti, cell adhesion was only slightly affected after a pre-treatment with anti-integrin-β3 antibodies. Scanning electron microscopy showed that on both types of substrate, cellular morphology was not changed after a pre-treatment with either antibody. With quantitative PCR, it was shown for both substrates that mRNA expression of integrin-β1 was increased after a pre-treatment with either anti-integrin-β1 or anti-integrin-β3 antibodies. Furthermore, after a pre-treatment with either antibody, mRNA expression of integrin-β3 and ALP was decreased, on both types of substrate. In conclusion, osteoblast-like cells have the ability to compensate to great extent for the blocking strategy as applied here. Still, integrin-β1 and β3 seem to play different roles in attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells, and responses on CaP-coated substrates differ to non coated Ti. Furthermore, the influence on ALP expression suggests involvement of both integrin subunits in signal transduction for cellular differentiation

Are attitudes towards medication adherence associated with medication adherence behaviours among patients with psychosis? A systematic review and meta analysis

Background Studies have shown patient attitudes to be an important predictor for health related behaviours including medication adherence. It is less clear whether patient attitudes are also associated with medication adherence among patients with psychoses. Method We conducted a systematic review and meta analysis of the data of studies that tested the association of attitude measures with medication adherence among patients with psychoses. 14 studies conducted between 1980 and 2010 were included. Results Results show a small to moderate mean weighted effect size (r + = 0.25 and 0.26 for Pearson and Spearman correlations, respectively). Conclusions Theory based interventions that target potentially modifiable attitude components are needed to assess the relationship between positive patient attitudes and adherence behaviours among patients with psychoses

Beyond chance? The persistence of performance in online poker

A major issue in the widespread controversy about the legality of poker and the appropriate taxation of winnings is whether poker should be considered a game of skill or a game of chance. To inform this debate we present an analysis into the role of skill in the performance of online poker players, using a large database with hundreds of millions of player-hand observations from real money ring games at three different stakes levels. We find that players whose earlier profitability was in the top (bottom) deciles perform better (worse) and are substantially more likely to end up in the top (bottom) performance deciles of the following time period. Regression analyses of performance on historical performance and other skill-related proxies provide further evidence for persistence and predictability. Simulations point out that skill dominates chance when performance is measured over 1,500 or more hands of play

What affects you? A conversation analysis of exploring emotions during reflection sessions in Dutch general practitioner training

IntroductionIn Dutch training for general practitioners (GPs), reflection on professional practice is key to their training. Such reflection is considered beneficial for professional development, especially when it entails discussing the emotional dimension of practice experiences. In the GP context, invitations to share the emotional side of things, such as “how did that make you feel?” are considered functional; yet, they are also sometimes viewed by participants as ‘grilling’, ‘just too much’ or ‘too intimate’. Put shortly, putting emotions on the table is institutionally embedded in the GP reflection context, but not always straightforward. Thus, we ask: ‘how do teachers and GP residents invite talk about emotions in educational reflection sessions?’.MethodsIn this study, we explored the Dutch phrase ‘raken, geraakt worden’ (being affected) as one interactional practice used to initiate emotion talk. We conducted a conversation analytic collection study of instances of this phenomenon based on 40 video recordings of hour-long ‘reflection sessions’ at the Dutch GP specialty training. During these sessions, approximately ten GPs in training discuss recent experiences from medical practice under supervision of one or two teachers.ResultsWe found that participants orientated to the relevance of ‘being affected’ as a topic for discussion. Variations of the form ‘what affects you now?’ may contribute to putting emotions on the table; they can project a stepwise exploration of the emotional dimension of an experience. The ‘what affects you now’, often done in interrogative format doing a noticing, in combination with a request, is a powerful tool to instigate transformative sequences. The form is less effective to put emotions on the table when the topic shift it initiates is not grounded in previously presented personal stakes or displayed emotion.DiscussionThe study’s findings show how detailed interactional analysis of one sequentially structured practice can benefit education and contribute to theory on emotions and reflection. The mobilizing power of ‘what affects you’ can serve institutional purposes by doing topical work in relation to educational aims, while its power can also be deflated when prior talk does not project the relevance of unpacking the emotional dimension of an experience. Its interactional workings may translate to other helping contexts as well

Modern Clinical Research on LSD

All modern clinical studies using the classic hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy subjects or patients in the last 25 years are reviewed herein. There were five recent studies in healthy participants and one in patients. In a controlled setting, LSD acutely induced bliss, audiovisual synesthesia, altered meaning of perceptions, derealization, depersonalization, and mystical experiences. These subjective effects of LSD were mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor. LSD increased feelings of closeness to others, openness, trust, and suggestibility. LSD impaired the recognition of sad and fearful faces, reduced left amygdala reactivity to fearful faces, and enhanced emotional empathy. LSD increased the emotional response to music and the meaning of music. LSD acutely produced deficits in sensorimotor gating, similar to observations in schizophrenia. LSD had weak autonomic stimulant effects and elevated plasma cortisol, prolactin, and oxytocin levels. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance studies showed that LSD acutely reduced the integrity of functional brain networks and increased connectivity between networks that normally are more dissociated. LSD increased functional thalamocortical connectivity and functional connectivity of the primary visual cortex with other brain areas. The latter effect was correlated with subjective hallucinations. LSD acutely induced global increases in brain entropy that were associated with greater trait openness 14 days later. In patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening disease, anxiety was reduced for 2 months after two doses of LSD. In medical settings, no complications of LSD administration were observed. These data should contribute to further investigations of the therapeutic potential of LSD in psychiatry