Efecto ansiogénico del disulfiram en animales tratados con alcohol: Relevancia en la terapia farmacológica antialcohólica

Dotzenes Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 2006-2007)El alcohol etílico, a dosis moderadas, produce efectos ansiolíticos, tanto en humanos como en roedores. Sin embargo, la acumulación de acetaldehído (primer metabolito del alcohol) en el organismo, está considerada aversiva y en humanos produce una respuesta vegetativa conocida como “sensibilidad al alcohol”. Este efecto aversivo, es la base de los tratamientos en alcohólicos mediante el disulfiram, un inhibidor de la Aldehído Deshidrogenada (ALDH), enzima que metaboliza el acetaldehído. La respuesta autonómica comparte muchos de los síntomas vegetativos que caracterizan a un episodio de ansiedad. En este trabajo estudiamos los posibles efectos ansiogénicos de la acumulación periférica de acetaldehído en ratones, utilizando el laberinto elevado en cruz, paradigma clásico para la evaluación de ansiedad en roedores. Como ha sido observado previamente, el alcohol aumentó el porcentaje de entradas en los brazos abiertos del laberinto elevado en cruz. Sin embargo, el pretratamiento con disulfiram produjo una reducción de estos efectos ansiolíticos del etanol a las dosis que fueron efectivas en inhibir la ALDH. Así mismo, el acetaldehído administrado periféricamente demostró reducir el porcentaje de exploración de los animales en los brazos abiertos. La locomoción no se vio modificada significativamente por estas dosis de acetaldehído, lo cual indica que los efectos ansiogénicos no son debidos a un cambio motor inespecífico

DEM-based modelling framework for spray-dried powders in ceramic tiles industry. Part I: Calibration procedure

This work describes a combined experimental-numerical study to characterizefine spray-dried powder used inthe ceramic tile pressing process. A DEM-based granular assembly is endowed with a new set of scaling laws thatallows for simulating reliably industrial processes using a much lower number of granules. To do it, a calibrationstrategy relying on three experimental setups is proposed; (i) compression test of bulk for granule stiffness, (ii)dynamic angle of repose and (iii) image analysis of the powder motion in a rotating drum for the intergranularand granular-boundary sliding and rolling friction coefficients. In order to evaluate the powder motion in a rotat-ing drum, a robust method relying on a direct image analysis is proposed. This methodology makes it possible toquantitatively assess the frictional properties of the powder in contact with different surface materials

Vocalizaciones ultrasónicas: Nuevo paradigma para el registro de respuestas emocionales no aprendidas en animales.

Dotzenes Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 2006-2007)El registro de la respuesta emocional en animales posee obvias limitaciones. Los paradigmas utilizados hasta la fecha se basan en el registro de respuestas indirectas en las cuales el componente motor tiene una gran implicación. Así por ejemplo en roedores, en las respuestas de miedo o aversión innata a las alturas o a espacios iluminados y abiertos se emplean laberintos elevados con zonas protegidas o abiertas y se registra el desplazamiento del animal a esos compartimentos controlando que los efectos motores sean mínimos o corrigiendo el efecto. Por esta razón el registro de una respuesta innata no limitada a la conducta motora general del animal resulta de gran relevancia en el estudio de la emoción. En ratas, se ha observado que en condiciones consideradas aversivas se genera un elevado nivel de vocalizaciones de baja frecuencia (20kHz), mientras que en las consideradas apetitivas aumentan las vocalizaciones de alta frecuencia (75kHz). En nuestro estudio, aplicamos estos parámetros a los efectos de una droga ansiolítica como el alcohol y a las vías de administración de la misma. Demostramos que una inyección periférica genera más vocalizaciones aversivas que la administración intracerebral. Así mismo comprobamos que los animales vocalizan menos en el rango de baja frecuencia cuando se les administra alcohol en relación a cuando se les administra el vehículo lo cual apunta a un efecto de reducción de efectos aversivos de esta dosis de alcohol

Musical preference but not familiarity influences subjective ratings and psychophysiological correlates of music-induced emotions

Listening to music prompts strong emotional reactions in the listeners but relatively little research has focused on individual differences. This study addresses the role of musical preference and familiarity on emotions induced through music. A sample of 50 healthy participants (25 women) listened to 42 excerpts from the FMMS during 8 s while their autonomic and facial EMG responses were continuously recorded. Then, affective dimensions (hedonic valence, tension arousal, and energy arousal) and musical preference were rated using a 9-point scale, as well as familiarity using a 3-point scale. It was hypothesized that preferred and familiar music would be evaluated as more pleasant, energetic and less tense, and would prompt an increase of autonomic and zygomatic responses, and a decrease of corrugator activity. Results partially confirmed our hypothesis showing a strong effect of musical preference but not familiarity on emotion correlates. Specifically, musical preference predicted valence ratings, as well as HR acceleration and facial EMG activity. Overall, current findings suggested a great influence of musical preference on music-induced emotions, particularly modulating hedonic valence correlates. Our findings add evidence about the role of individual differences in the emotional processing through music and suggest the importance of considering those variables in future studies

Cognitive reappraisal is not always successful during pain anticipation: Stimulus-focused and goal-based reappraisal effects on self-reports and peripheral psychophysiology

The present study aims at comparing the effects of two subtypes of cognitive reappraisal (i.e., stimulus-focused vs. goal-based reappraisal) to reduce anticipatory anxiety of pain. Affective ratings, startle reflex, and autonomic measures (electrodermal and heart rate changes) were used as a measure of emotion regulation success. A total of 86 undergraduate students completed an anticipatory task in which they had to regulate their negative emotions or react naturally when faced with the possibility of receiving a painful thermal stimulus. Participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups to compare the stimulus-focused and goal-based strategies explored here. Our results revealed enhanced self-reported anxiety, electrodermal activity and eyeblink response when participants tried to voluntarily down-regulate their negative emotions, compared to the control instruction. Differences between both cognitive reappraisal groups were not found. These unexpected findings suggest that brief reappraisal instructions may not necessarily be favorable for regulating emotions during anticipation of aversive events. Moreover, these results are further explained in terms of the pain expectation, the painful stimuli modality, and emotion regulation instructions.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

Emotion elicitation during music listening: subjective self-reports, facial expression, and autonomic reactivity

The use of music as emotional stimuli in experimental studies has grown in recent years. However, prior studies have mainly focused on self-reports and central measures, with a few works exploring the time course of psychophysiological correlates. Moreover, most of the previous research has been carried out either from the dimensional or categorical model but not combining both approaches to emotions. This study aimed to investigate subjective and physiological correlates of emotion elicitation through music, following the three-dimensional and the discrete emotion model. A sample of 50 healthy volunteers (25 women) took part in this experiment by listening to 42 film music excerpts (14 pleasant, 14 unpleasant, 14 neutral) presented during 8 s, while peripheral measures were continuously recorded. After music offset, affective dimensions (valence, energy arousal, and tension arousal) as well as discrete emotions (happiness, sadness, tenderness, fear, and anger) were collected using a 9-point scale. Results showed an effect of the music category on subjective and psychophysiological measures. In peripheral physiology, greater electrodermal activity, heart rate acceleration, and zygomatic responses, besides lower corrugator amplitude, were observed for pleasant excerpts in comparison to neutral and unpleasant music, from 2 s after stimulus onset until the end of its duration. Overall, our results add evidence for the efficacy of standardized film music excerpts to evoke powerful emotions in laboratory settings; thus, opening a path to explore interventions based on music in pathologies with underlying emotion deregulatory processes.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

Covariate effects of resting heart rate variability on affective ratings and startle reflex during cognitive reappraisal of negative emotions

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been widely studied in laboratory settings due to its clinical implications, primarily as a potential biomarker of emotion regulation (ER). Studies have reported that individuals with higher resting HRV show more distinct startle reflexes to negative stimuli as compared to those with lower HRV. These responses have been associated with better defense system function when managing the context demands. There is, however, a lack of empirical evidence on the association between resting HRV and eyeblinks during laboratory tasks using instructed ER. This study explored the influence of tonic HRV on voluntary cognitive reappraisal through subjective and startle responses measured during an independent ER task. In total, 122 healthy participants completed a task consisting of attempts to upregulate, downregulate, or react naturally to emotions prompted by unpleasant pictures. Tonic HRV was measured for 5 minutes before the experiment began. Current results did not support the idea that self-reported and eyeblink responses were influenced by resting HRV. These findings suggest that, irrespective of resting HRV, individuals may benefit from strategies such as reappraisal that are useful for managing negative emotions. Experimental studies should further explore the role of individual differences when using ER strategies during laboratory task

Atenuación de la respuesta cardíaca de defensa (RCD) como posible biomarcador de déficits motivacionales en depresión subclínica

Las personas jóvenes pueden encontrarse en situaciones estresantes que provocan emociones negativas, tales como ansiedad o depresión, tanto en contextos de desempleo como de empleo. Precisamente, la respuesta cardíaca de defensa (RCD) ha sido ampliamente utilizada en el marco de la investigación del estrés, la ansiedad y la depresión. Esta respuesta —provocada por un estímulo aversivo, intenso e inesperado— combina componentes acelerativos y decelerativos, cuya significación psicológica se atribuye tanto a procesos atencionales como emocionales. En concreto, el segundo componente acelerativo se ha interpretado como un indicador de activación del sistema motivacional defensivo. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo analizar el patrón de RCD en una muestra de 71 jóvenes (39 mujeres) menores de 30 años en situaciones de empleo y desempleo. La tarea experimental consistió en la presentación de un ruido blanco (500 ms, 105 dB) tras un periodo de reposo de 6 minutos. Los componentes acelerativos y decelerativos se obtuvieron a partir de los 80 s posteriores al sonido aversivo. Al finalizar la sesión experimental, se administró una batería de cuestionarios, entre ellos el BDI (Beck Depression Inventory). Los resultados mostraron mayores puntuaciones en depresión y menor reactividad cardíaca en el segundo componente acelerativo en el grupo de jóvenes desempleados/as, comparado con el grupo de empleados/as. Nuestros datos sugieren que la segunda aceleración cardíaca podría considerarse como un biomarcador de posibles déficits en el sistema motivacional defensivo en poblaciones subclínicas con riesgo de sufrir depresión.Young people can find themselves in stressful situations that cause negative emotions, such as anxiety or depression, in both unemployment and employment contexts. To this extent, the cardiac defense response (RCD) has been widely used in the framework of the investigation of stress, anxiety and depression. This response —produced by an aversive, intense and unexpected stimulus— is composed of accelerating and decelerating components, whose psychological significance is attributed to both attentional and emotional processes. In particular, the second accelerating component has been interpreted as an indicator of activation of the defensive motivational system. The present research aims to analyze the RCD pattern in a sample of 71 youths (39 female) under 30 years of age in situations of employment and unemployment. The experimental task consisted of the presentation of a white noise (500 ms, 105 dB) after a rest period of 6 minutes. Accelerating and decelerating components were obtained from the 80 s after the aversive sound. At the end of the experimental session, a battery of questionnaires was administered, including the BDI (Beck Depression Inventory). The results showed higher scores in depression and lower cardiac reactivity in the second accelerating component in the group of unemployed youths, compared to the group of employees. Our data suggest that the second cardiac acceleration might be considered as a biomarker of possible deficits in the defensive motivational system in subclinical populations at risk of depression

Understanding 6He induced reactions at energies around the Coulomb barrier

Recent developments aimed to understand the observed features arising in the scattering of the Borromean nucleus 6He on heavy targets are discussed and compared with recent data for 6He+208Pb measured at the RIB facility at Louvain-la-Neuve at energies around the Coulomb barrier. The analysis of the elastic scattering data in terms of the optical model, reveals the presence of a long range absorption mechanism, that manifests in the form of a large value of the imaginary diffuseness parameter. The elastic data have been also compared with three–body CDCC calculations, based on a di-neutron model of 6He, and four–body CDCC calculations, based on a more realistic three-body model of this nucleus. Finally, the angular and energy distribution of a particles emitted at backward angles are discussed and compared with different theoretical approaches.We find that these a particles are produced mainly by a two-neutron transfer mechanism to very excited states in the residual nucleus

Laterally Extended Endopelvic Resection (Leer) and Reconstructive Techniques for Treatment of Locally Advanced Cervix Cancer: A Case Report

The aim of this report is to describe the surgical procedure done in a 24-year-old woman who presents a locally advanced squamous cervix carcinoma and is proposed to laterally extended endopelvic resection (LEER), intraoperative radiation therapy with electrons (IORT) and urinary and colon diversion with vaginal reconstruction. A year after surgery the patient is alive, without disease and with and acceptable quality of life