Puzzle-solving in Psychology: the Neo-Galtonian vs. Nomothetic Research Focuses

Accepté pour publication dans New Ideas in PsychologyInternational audienceWe compare the neo-Galtonian and nomothetic approaches of psychological research. While the former focuses on summarized statistics that depict average subjects, the latter focuses on general facts of form 'if conditions then restricted outcomes'. The nomothetic approach does not require quantification as a convenient way of statistical modeling. The nice feature of a general fact is its falsifiability by the observation of a single case. Hence, as a clear sense of scientific error is re-introduced in the research paradigm, we detail two kinds of puzzle-solving: repairing general facts by contraction or by expansion of the initial conditions. This style of research does not require that researchers depend on highly skilled engineers in data analysis, as the very structure of a general fact can be established by scrutinizing a contingency table

Categorical and dimensional study of the predictive factors of the development of a psychotrauma in victims of car accidents

International audienceThis study aimed to evaluate the predictive factors of the emergence of complete PTSD and subsyndromal PTSD (defined as individuals exposed to a traumatic event with at least one psychopathological impact, such as hyperarousal, avoidance or persistent re-experiencing) following a motor vehicle accident (MVA)

Combining green cards, telephone calls and postcards into an intervention algorithm to reduce suicide reattempt (algos): p-hoc analyses of an inconclusive randomized controlled trial

International audienceBrief contact interventions (BCIs) might be reliable suicide prevention strategies. BCI efficacy trials, however, gave equivocal results. AlgoS trial is a composite BCI that yielded inconclusive results when analyzed with Intention-To-Treat strategy. In order to elicit intervention strengths and weaknesses, post-hoc analyses of AlgoS data were performed.AlgoS was a randomized controlled trial conducted in 23 French hospitals. Suicide attempters were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (AlgoS) or the control group (Treatment as usual TAU). In the AlgoS arm, first-time suicide attempters received crisis cards; non first-time suicide attempters received a phone call, and post-cards if the call could not be completed, or if the participant was in crisis and/or non-compliant with the post-discharge treatment. An As Treated strategy, accounting for the actual intervention received, was combined with subgroup analyses.1,040 patients were recruited and randomized into two groups of N = 520, from which 53 withdrew participation; 15 were excluded after inclusion/exclusion criteria reassessment. AlgoS first attempters were less likely to reiterate suicide attempt (SA) than their TAU counterparts at 6 and 13-14 months (RR [95% CI]: 0.46 [0.25-0.85] and 0.50 [0.31-0.81] respectively). AlgoS non-first attempters had similar SA rates as their TAU counterparts at 6 and 13-14 months (RR [95% CI]: 0.84 [0.57-1.25] and 1.00 [0.73-1.37] respectively). SA rates were dissimilar within the AlgoS non-first attempter group.This new set of analysis suggests that crisis cards could be efficacious to prevent new SA attempts among first-time attempters, while phone calls were probably not significantly efficacious among multi-attempters. Importantly, phone calls were informative of new SA risk, thus a key component of future interventions

A pilot study investigating affective forecasting biases with a novel virtual reality-based paradigm

Abstract A body of research indicates that people are prone to overestimate the affective impact of future events. Here, we developed a novel experimental paradigm to study these affective forecasting biases under laboratory conditions using subjective (arousal and valence) and autonomic measures (skin conductance responses, SCRs, and heart rate). Thirty participants predicted their emotional responses to 15 unpleasant, 15 neutral, and 15 pleasant scenarios (affective forecasting phase) to which they were then exposed in virtual reality (emotional experience phase). Results showed that participants anticipated more extreme arousal and valence scores than they actually experienced for unpleasant and pleasant scenarios. The emotional experience phase was characterized by classic autonomic patterns, i.e., higher SCRs for emotionally arousing scenarios and greater peak cardiac acceleration for pleasant scenarios. During the affective forecasting phase, we found only a moderate association between arousal scores and SCRs and no valence-dependent modulation of cardiac activity. This paradigm opens up new perspectives for investigating affective forecasting abilities under lab-controlled conditions, notably in psychiatric disorders with anxious anticipations

Utility of the Mattis dementia rating scale to assess the efficacy of rivastigmine in dementia associated with Parkinson's disease.

International audienceINTRODUCTION: The severe, cortical, cholinergic depletion accompanying Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered as a highly probable correlate of cognitive and behavioural dysfunction. Recent studies have demonstrated that cholinesterase inhibitors (notably rivastigmine) are beneficial in patients suffering from dementia associated with PD (PDD). However, the primary efficacy variables used in such work came from scales designed for Alzheimer's disease (AD), even though the cognitive symptoms in PD and AD dementia do not overlap completely. The aim of the present study (a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial) was to determine the utility of the Mattis dementia rating scale - the most commonly used scale in PD patients - to assess the efficacy of a 24-week rivastigmine treatment. METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with PD, who constituted a subgroup of patients enrolled to the EXPRESS study (Emre et al, N Engl J Med 2004) participated in this study. They suffered from mild to moderately severe dementia (MMSE scores above 10 and below 24), with an onset of cognitive symptoms occurring at least two years after the diagnosis of PD. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with rivastigmine (3 to 12 mg per day) or placebo. The Mattis dementia rating scale was administered to patients from six centres in France at the baseline and end-point visits. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, a 24-week rivastigmine treatment led to a significant improvement in the overall score on the Mattis dementia rating scale (p = 0.031), with a trend towards a significant improvement in the "Attention" subscale score (p = 0.061). Correlation analysis showed that in the rivastigmine group, performance on the Mattis "Attention" and "Initiation" subscales appeared to contribute heavily to the improvement in the overall score. Moreover, the latter was also related to an improvement in activities of daily living and a reduction in behavioural disturbances. DISCUSSION: By using the Mattis dementia rating scale (which comprises items that are sensitive to executive dysfunction), the present study confirmed that rivastigmine has a beneficial effect on cognitive function in PDD. Despite our study's small sample size, the Mattis scale was able to detect this improvement and could thus be considered as an interesting outcome measure in further work

Prevalence of and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among French university students 1 month after the COVID-19 lockdown

International audienceAbstract The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine measures have sparked debate regarding their traumatic nature. This cross-sectional study reports the prevalence rate of probable post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and associated factors among French university students. A total of 22,883 students completed the online questionnaire. The prevalence rate of probable PTSD, assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, was 19.5% [19.0–20.0]. Female (1.32 [1.21–1.45]) or non-binary gender (1.76 [1.35–2.31]), exposure to a non-COVID-19-related traumatic event (3.37 [3.08–3.67]), having lived through quarantine alone (1.22 [1.09–1.37]), poor quality of social ties (2.38 [2.15–2.62]), loss of income (1.20 [1.09–1.31]), poor quality housing (1.90 [1.59–2.26]), low-quality of the information received (1.50 [1.35–1.66]) and a high level of exposure to COVID-19 (from 1.38 [1.24–1.54] to 10.82 [2.33–76.57] depending on the score) were associated with PTSD. Quarantine was considered potentially traumatic by 78.8% of the students with probable PTSD. These findings suggest the pandemic context and lockdown measures could have post-traumatic consequences, stimulating debate on the nosography of PTSD

Factors Associated With Mental Health Disorders Among University Students in France Confined During the COVID-19 Pandemic

International audienceAbstractImportance: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and quarantine measures have raised concerns regarding their psychological effects on populations. Among the general population, university students appear to be particularly susceptible to experiencing mental health problems.Objectives: To measure the prevalence of self-reported mental health symptoms, to identify associated factors, and to assess care seeking among university students who experienced the COVID-19 quarantine in France.Design, setting, and participants: This survey study collected data from April 17 to May 4, 2020, from 69 054 students living in France during the COVID-19 quarantine. All French universities were asked to send an email to their students asking them to complete an online questionnaire. The targeted population was approximately 1 600 000 students.Exposure: Living in France during the COVID-19 quarantine.Main outcomes and measures: The rates of self-reported suicidal thoughts, severe distress, stress, anxiety, and depression were assessed using the 22-item Impact of Events Scale-Revised, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, the 20-item State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (State subscale), and the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory, respectively. Covariates were sociodemographic characteristics, precariousness indicators (ie, loss of income or poor quality housing), health-related data, information on the social environment, and media consumption. Data pertaining to care seeking were also collected. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors.Results: A total of 69 054 students completed the survey (response rate, 4.3%). The median (interquartile range) age was 20 (18-22) years. The sample was mainly composed of women (50 251 [72.8%]) and first-year students (32 424 [47.0%]). The prevalence of suicidal thoughts, severe distress, high level of perceived stress, severe depression, and high level of anxiety were 11.4% (7891 students), 22.4% (15 463 students), 24.7% (17 093 students), 16.1% (11 133 students), and 27.5% (18 970 students), respectively, with 29 564 students (42.8%) reporting at least 1 outcome, among whom 3675 (12.4%) reported seeing a health professional. Among risk factors identified, reporting at least 1 mental health outcome was associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR], 2.10; 95% CI, 2.02-2.19; P < .001) or nonbinary gender (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 2.99-4.27; P < .001), precariousness (loss of income: OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.22-1.33; P < .001; low-quality housing: OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 2.06-2.57; P < .001), history of psychiatric follow-up (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 3.09-3.48; P < .001), symptoms compatible with COVID-19 (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.49-1.61; P < .001), social isolation (weak sense of integration: OR, 3.63; 95% CI, 3.35-3.92; P < .001; low quality of social relations: OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 2.49-2.75; P < .001), and low quality of the information received (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.49-1.64; P < .001).Conclusions and relevance: The results of this survey study suggest a high prevalence of mental health issues among students who experienced quarantine, underlining the need to reinforce prevention, surveillance, and access to care

Combining brief contact interventions (BCI) into a decision-making algorithm to reduce suicide reattempt: the VigilanS study protocol

International audienceINTRODUCTION:The early postattempt period is considered to be one of the most at-risk time windows for suicide reattempt or completion. Among the postcrisis prevention programmes developed to compensate for this risk, brief contact interventions (BCIs) have been proven to be efficient but not equally for each subpopulation of attempters. VigilanS is a region-wide programme that relies on an algorithmic system to tailor surveillance and BCI provisions to individuals discharged from the hospital after a suicide attempt.AIM:VigilanS' main objective is to reduce suicide and suicide reattempt rates both at the individual level (patients included in VigilanS) and at the populational level (inhabitants of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region).METHODS AND ANALYSIS:At discharge, every attempter coming from a participating centre is given a crisis card with an emergency number to contact in case of distress. Patients are then systematically recontacted 6 months later. An additional 10-day call is also given if the index suicide attempt is not the first one. Depending on the clinical evaluation during the phone call, the call team may carry out proportionated crisis interventions. Personalised postcards are sent whenever patients are unreachable by phone or in distress. On the populational level, mean suicide and suicide attempt rates in Nord-Pas-de-Calais will be compared before and after the implementation of the programme. Here/there cross-sectional comparisons with a control region will test the spatial specificity of the observed fluctuations, while time-series analyses will be performed to corroborate the temporal plausibility of imputing these fluctuations to the implementation of the programme. On the individual level, patients entered in VigilanS will be prospectively compared with a matched control cohort by means of survival analyses (survival curve comparisons and Cox models).DISCUSSION:VigilanS interventional components fall under the ordinary law care regime, and the individuals' general rights as patients apply with no addendums or restrictions for their participation in the programme. The research section received authorisation from the Ethical Committee of Lille Nord-Ouest under the caption 'Study aimed at evaluating routine care' and is registered in 'Clinical Trials'. The French Ministry of Health plans to extend the experimentation to other regions and probe the relevance of this type of 'bottom-up' territorial prevention policy at the national level.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:NCT03134885

Glycogen Dynamics Drives Lipid Droplet Biogenesis during Brown Adipocyte Differentiation

International audienceBrowning induction or transplantation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) or brown/beige adipocytes derived from progenitor or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can represent a powerful strategy to treat metabolic diseases. However, our poor understanding of the mechanisms that govern the differentiation and activation of brown adipocytes limits the development of such therapy. Various genetic factors controlling the differentiation of brown adipocytes have been identified, although most studies have been performed using in vitro cultured pre-adipocytes. We investigate here the differentiation of brown adipocytes from adipose progenitors in the mouse embryo. We demonstrate that the formation of multiple lipid droplets (LDs) is initiated within clusters of glycogen, which is degraded through glycophagy to provide the metabolic substrates essential for de novo lipogenesis and LD formation. Therefore, this study uncovers the role of glycogen in the generation of LDs