2,130 research outputs found
Cerebellar Theta-Burst Stimulation Impairs Memory Consolidation in Eyeblink Classical Conditioning
Associative learning of sensorimotor contingences, as it occurs in eyeblink classical conditioning (EBCC), is known to involve the cerebellum, but its mechanism remains controversial. EBCC involves a sequence of learning processes which are thought to occur in the cerebellar cortex and deep cerebellar nuclei. Recently, the extinction phase of EBCC has been shown to be modulated after one week by cerebellar continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS). Here, we asked whether cerebellar cTBS could affect retention and reacquisition of conditioned responses (CRs) tested immediately after conditioning. We also investigated a possible lateralized cerebellar control of EBCC by applying cTBS on both the right and left cerebellar hemispheres. Both right and left cerebellar cTBSs induced a statistically significant impairment in retention and new acquisition of conditioned responses (CRs), the disruption effect being marginally more effective when the left cerebellar hemisphere was stimulated. These data support a model in which cTBS impairs retention and reacquisition of CR in the cerebellum, possibly by interfering with the transfer of memory to the deep cerebellar nuclei
Fourier Transform Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy: the possibility to obtain constant energy maps and the band dispersion using a local measurement
We present here an overview of the Fourier Transform Scanning Tunneling
spectroscopy technique (FT-STS). This technique allows one to probe the
electronic properties of a two-dimensional system by analyzing the standing
waves formed in the vicinity of defects. We review both the experimental and
theoretical aspects of this approach, basing our analysis on some of our
previous results, as well as on other results described in the literature. We
explain how the topology of the constant energy maps can be deduced from the FT
of dI/dV map images which exhibit standing waves patterns. We show that not
only the position of the features observed in the FT maps, but also their shape
can be explained using different theoretical models of different levels of
approximation. Thus, starting with the classical and well known expression of
the Lindhard susceptibility which describes the screening of electron in a free
electron gas, we show that from the momentum dependence of the susceptibility
we can deduce the topology of the constant energy maps in a joint density of
states approximation (JDOS). We describe how some of the specific features
predicted by the JDOS are (or are not) observed experimentally in the FT maps.
The role of the phase factors which are neglected in the rough JDOS
approximation is described using the stationary phase conditions. We present
also the technique of the T-matrix approximation, which takes into account
accurately these phase factors. This technique has been successfully applied to
normal metals, as well as to systems with more complicated constant energy
contours. We present results recently obtained on graphene systems which
demonstrate the power of this technique, and the usefulness of local
measurements for determining the band structure, the map of the Fermi energy
and the constant-energy maps.Comment: 33 pages, 15 figures; invited review article, to appear in Journal of
Physics D: Applied Physic
Paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder in the months after a physical assault: a longitudinal study examining shared and differential predictors.
Background: Being physically assaulted is known to increase the risk of the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms but it may also skew judgements about the intentions of other people. The objectives of the study were to assess paranoia and PTSD after an assault and to test whether theory-derived cognitive factors predicted the persistence of these problems. Method: At 4 weeks after hospital attendance due to an assault, 106 people were assessed on multiple symptom measures (including virtual reality) and cognitive factors from models of paranoia and PTSD. The symptom measures were repeated 3 and 6 months later. Results: Factor analysis indicated that paranoia and PTSD were distinct experiences, though positively correlated. At 4 weeks, 33% of participants met diagnostic criteria for PTSD, falling to 16% at follow-up. Of the group at the first assessment, 80% reported that since the assault they were excessively fearful of other people, which over time fell to 66%. Almost all the cognitive factors (including information-processing style during the trauma, mental defeat, qualities of unwanted memories, self-blame, negative thoughts about self, worry, safety behaviours, anomalous internal experiences and cognitive inflexibility) predicted later paranoia and PTSD, but there was little evidence of differential prediction. Conclusions: Paranoia after an assault may be common and distinguishable from PTSD but predicted by a strikingly similar range of factors
Temperament in preadolescence is associated with weight and eating pathology in young adulthood
Objective Few longitudinal studies have investigated the role of temperament traits on weight and eating problems thus far. We investigated whether temperament in preadolescence influences body weight and the development of eating pathology in adolescence and young adulthood. Method This study used data from TRAILS (Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey), a Dutch community cohort study (N = 2,230) from preadolescence into adulthood. At age 11, the temperament dimensions negative affectivity and effortful control were measured with the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised. Body mass index (BMI) was measured at all assessment waves. At age 19, the prevalence of eating disorders was investigated by two-stage screening including interviews by eating disorder experts. At age 22 and 26, the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale was used to assess the level of eating pathology. Results Higher negative affectivity in preadolescence was associated with higher BMI and eating pathology in young adulthood. Lower effortful control in preadolescence was found to be a risk factor for the development of obesity in young adulthood. No association was found between effortful control in preadolescence and eating pathology in later life. Discussion Both negative affectivity and effortful control play a role in the development of weight or eating problems during adolescence
What lies beneath: exploring links between asylum policy and hate crime in the UK
This paper explores the link between increasing incidents of hate crime and the asylum policy of successive British governments with its central emphasis on deterrence. The constant problematisation of asylum seekers in the media and political discourse ensures that 'anti-immigrant' prejudice becomes mainstr earned as a common-sense response. The victims are not only the asylum seekers hoping for a better life but democratic society itself with its inherent values of pluralism and tolerance debased and destabilised
Interoception and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Gambling Disorder
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordGambling has long-standing links with excitement and physiological arousal, but prior research has not
considered i) gamblers’ ability to detect internal physiological signals, or ii) markers of parasympathetic
functioning. The present study measured interoception in individuals with gambling disorder, using selfreport measures and a heart beat counting task administered at rest. Resting state Respiratory Sinus
Arrhythmia (RSA), an index of heart rate variability, was measured as a proxy for parasympathetic
control and emotional regulation capacity. In a case-control design, 50 individuals with gambling
disorder were compared against 35 controls without gambling problems. Participants completed two
self-report measures of bodily awareness and a behavioural test of heart beat counting. A resting state
electrocardiogram (five minutes) was used to calculate RSA. There were no significant differences on
the self-report or behavioral interoception probes. The group with gambling disorder displayed
significantly reduced RSA, which at face value is consistent with reduced parasympathetic control.
However, the group difference in RSA did not survive controlling for age and smoking status, as
established predictors of heart rate variability. Our findings do not support any changes in interoceptive
processing in people with gambling disorder, at least under resting conditions. Our observation that
group differences in RSA are partly explained by smoking behavior highlights the importance of
controlling for nicotine use in future research characterizing physiological functioning and emotional
regulation in disordered gambling.Centre for Gambling Research at UBCProvince of British Columbia governmentBritish Columbia Lottery CorporationNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada
Cognitive conflicts in major depression : Between desired change and personal coherence
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposesThe notion of intrapsychic conflict has been present in psychopathology for more than a century within different theoretical orientations. However, internal conflicts have not received enough empirical attention, nor has their importance in depression been fully elaborated. This study is based on the notion of cognitive conflict, understood as implicative dilemma (ID), and on a new way of identifying these conflicts by means of the Repertory Grid Technique. Our aim was to explore the relevance of cognitive conflicts among depressive patientsPeer reviewedFinal Published versio
Substrate-induced band gap opening in epitaxial graphene
Graphene has shown great application potentials as the host material for next
generation electronic devices. However, despite its intriguing properties, one
of the biggest hurdles for graphene to be useful as an electronic material is
its lacking of an energy gap in the electronic spectra. This, for example,
prevents the use of graphene in making transistors. Although several proposals
have been made to open a gap in graphene's electronic spectra, they all require
complex engineering of the graphene layer. Here we show that when graphene is
epitaxially grown on the SiC substrate, a gap of ~ 0.26 is produced. This gap
decreases as the sample thickness increases and eventually approaches zero when
the number of layers exceeds four. We propose that the origin of this gap is
the breaking of sublattice symmetry owing to the graphene-substrate
interaction. We believe our results highlight a promising direction for band
gap engineering of graphene.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures; updated reference
Incidence and drug treatment of emotional distress after cancer diagnosis : a matched primary care case-control study
Notes This work is published under the standard license to publish agreement. After 12 months the work will become freely available and the license terms will switch to a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Conversation analysis of the two-chair self-soothing task in emotion-focused therapy
Despite an increasing recognition of the relevance and significance of self-compassion processes, little research has explored interventions that seek to enhance these in therapy. In this study, we used conversation analysis to examine the compassionate self-soothing task of emotion-focused therapy involving two-chair work, with seven clients. The analysis yielded a detailed description of interactional practices and processes involved in the accomplishment of self-soothing, drawing on Goffman’s concept of the participation frame. In this article we show how therapists and clients collaborate to move from the ordinary frame of therapeutic conversation to a self-soothing frame and back again. Furthermore, we show that in this movement between the frames, they make use of a number interactional practices: therapists' instructions to clients, specific ways of sequencing actions in interaction, explanations and justification of the importance of the self-soothing task, pronouns as a way to distinguish among addressees (e.g., clients versus soothing agents), corrections of clients’ talk, and response tokens (hm mm, yeah, good). These practices are used to help clients accomplish self-soothing in the form of self-praise, disclosing caring, and offering of helpful advice
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