Atypical eye contact in autism: Models, mechanisms and development

An atypical pattern of eye contact behaviour is one of the most significant symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Recent empirical advances have revealed the developmental, cognitive and neural basis of atypical eye contact behaviour in ASD. We review different models and advance a new ‘fast-track modulator model’. Specifically, we propose that atypical eye contact processing in ASD originates in the lack of influence from a subcortical face and eye contact detection route, which is hypothesized to modulate eye contact processing and guide its emergent specialization during development

The detection of intentional contingencies in simple animations in patients with delusions of persecution

Background. It has been proposed that delusions of persecution are caused by the tendency to over-attribute malevolent intentions to other people's actions. One aspect of intention attribution is detecting contingencies between an agent's actions and intentions. Here, we used simplified stimuli to test the hypothesis that patients with persecutory delusions over-attribute contingency to agents' movements. Method. Short animations were presented to three groups of subjects: (1) schizophrenic patients; (2) patients with affective disorders; and (3) normal control subjects. Patients were divided on the basis of the presence or absence of delusions of persecution. Participants watched four types of film featuring two shapes. In half the films one shape's movement was contingent on the other shape. Contingency was either ‘intentional’: one shape moved when it ‘saw’ another shape; or ‘mechanical’: one shape was launched by the other shape. Subjects were asked to rate the strength of the relationship between the movement of the shapes. Results. Normal control subjects and patients without delusions of persecution rated the relationship between the movement of the shapes as stronger in both mechanical and intentional contingent conditions than in non-contingent conditions. In contrast, there was no significant difference between the ratings of patients with delusions of persecution for the conditions in which movement was animate. Patients with delusions of persecution perceived contingency when there was none in the animate non-contingent condition. Conclusions. The results suggest that delusions of persecution may be associated with the over-attribution of contingency to the actions of agents

Development during adolescence of the neural processing of social emotion

In this fMRI study, we investigated the development between adolescence and adulthood of the neural processing of social emotions. Unlike basic emotions (such as disgust and fear), social emotions (such as guilt and embarrassment) require the representation of another's mental states. Nineteen adolescents (10–18 years) and 10 adults (22–32 years) were scanned while thinking about scenarios featuring either social or basic emotions. In both age groups, the anterior rostral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) was activated during social versus basic emotion. However, adolescents activated a lateral part of the MPFC for social versus basic emotions, whereas adults did not. Relative to adolescents, adults showed higher activity in the left temporal pole for social versus basic emotions. These results show that, although the MPFC is activated during social emotion in both adults and adolescents, adolescents recruit anterior (MPFC) regions more than do adults, and adults recruit posterior (temporal) regions more than do adolescents

British imperial expansion and the transformation of violence at sea, 1600-1850: introduction

Published version. Copyright © 2013 by International Maritime Economic History AssociationAbstract not available

Miscellaneous earthworm types in the Natural History Museum, London (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Megadrilacea: Eudrilidae, Lumbricidae, Megascolecidae, Moniligastridae, Octochaetidae)

Recently restored Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758 neotype (NHM Register No. 1973.1.1) is described in greater detail. A lectotype is designated for Amynthas morrisi (Beddard, 1892) and an informal A. morrisi clonal speciescomplex is proposed. Once combined under A. gracilis (Kinberg, 1867), the nominal taxon is revised since its restoration and representation of A. morrisi species-group sensu Sims & Easton (1972), now unwieldy with forty or so members. A restricted A. morrisi sensu stricto is proposed with re-evaluation of its erstwhile synonyms based on types. Limited DNA COI barcode comparisons are appended. A lectotype for A. barbadensis (Beddard, 1892) now becomes a junior synonym of Amynthas gracilis removing it from nomenclatural consideration. Lectotypes of contenders, A. mauritianus (Beddard, 1892) itself closer to A. gracilis, and A. insulae (Beddard, 1896) appear separate from A. morrisi. Next, A. pallidus (Michaelsen, 1892) is restored with retention of some of its synonyms, but A. loveridgei (Gates, 1968) syntype is maintained. An exotic species from Queensland, Australia is a new member of A. morrisi species-group described as Amynthas talus sp. nov. Taxonomic ‘housekeeping’ of Queensland taxa requires re-allocation of Terrisswalkerius leichhardti Jamieson, McDonald et James, 2013 to prior Perionychella Michaelsen, 1907. New Zealand’s possibly extinct Tokea? orthostichon (Schmarda, 1861) and imperfectly known Anisochaeta antarctica (Baird, 1871) are revised in new combinations with slight revision of the genus Tokea Benham, 1904. Samples labelled as Hamburg syntypes of Japanese Metaphire hilgendorfi (Michaelsen, 1892) are briefly noted as are various other megadriles, such as divers pheretimoids and lumbricids, some also on loan, in the Museum’s collection

Avoiding Social Risk in Adolescence

Adolescence is a period of life often characterized by behaviors that, prima facie, are irrational, such as seemingly excessive risk taking and impulsivity. However, these behaviors can be interpreted as adaptive and rational if one considers that a key developmental goal of this period of life is to mature into an independent adult in the context of a social world that is unstable and changing. It is proposed that for adolescents, the social risk of being rejected by peers outweighs other potentially negative outcomes of decisions, such as threats to one’s health or the prospect of getting caught. Furthermore, peer influence in adolescence can lead to prosocial as well as antisocial behaviors. Neurocognitive mechanisms of peer influence include the social reward of being accepted by one’s peer group, arousal, and increased mentalizing, which is associated with development of the social brain network. The findings from cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychology studies fit with recent public health evidence that the opinions of peers are particularly important to adolescents in areas such as school antibullying and antismoking campaigns

The politics of piracy in the British Atlantic, c. 1640-1649

Published version. Copyright © 2013 by International Maritime Economic History AssociationAbstract not available.Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC

The perception of self-produced sensory stimuli in patients with auditory hallucinations and passivity experiences: evidence for a breakdown in self-monitoring

BACKGROUND: To test the hypothesis that certain psychotic symptomatology is due to a defect in self-monitoring, we investigated the ability of groups of psychiatric patients to differentiate perceptually between self-produced and externally produced tactile stimuli. METHODS: Responses to tactile stimulation were assessed in three groups of subjects: schizophrenic patients; patients with bipolar affective disorder or depression; and normal control subjects. Within the psychiatric groups subjects were divided on the basis of the presence or absence of auditory hallucinations and/or passivity experiences. The subjects were asked to rate the perception of a tactile sensation on the palm of their left hand. The tactile stimulation was either self-produced by movement of the subject's right hand or externally produced by the experimenter. RESULTS: Normal control subjects and those psychiatric patients with neither auditory hallucinations nor passivity phenomena experienced self-produced stimuli as less intense, tickly and pleasant than identical, externally produced tactile stimuli. In contrast, psychiatric patients with these symptoms did not show a decrease in their perceptual ratings for tactile stimuli produced by themselves as compared with those produced by the experimenter. This failure to show a difference in perception between self-produced and externally produced stimuli appears to relate to the presence of auditory hallucinations and/or passivity experiences rather than to the diagnosis of schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that auditory hallucinations and passivity experiences are associated with an abnormality in the self-monitoring mechanism that normally allows us to distinguish self-produced from externally produced sensations

Darwin’s earthworms (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megadrilacea) with review of cosmopolitan Metaphire peguana–species group from Philippines.

A chance visit to Darwin allowed inspection of and addition to Northern Territory (NT) Museum’s earthworm collection. Native Diplotrema zicsii sp. nov. from Alligator River, Kakadu NP is described. Town samples were dominated by cosmopolitan exotic Metaphire bahli (Gates, 1945) herein keyed and compared morpho-molecularly with M. peguana (Rosa, 1890) requiring revision of allied species including Filipino Pheretima philippina (Rosa, 1891), P. p. lipa and P. p. victorias sub-spp. nov. A new P. philippina-group now replaces the dubia-group of Sims & Easton, 1972 and Amynthas carinensis (Rosa, 1890) further replaces their sieboldi-group. Lumbricid Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826) and Glossoscolecid Pontoscolex corethrurus (Müller, 1857) are confirmed introductions to the NT. mtDNA barcodes newly include Metaphire houlleti (Perrier, 1872) and Polypheretima elongata (Perrier, 1872) spp.-complexes from the Philippines. Pithemera philippinensis James & Hong, 2004 and Pi. glandis Hong & James, 2011 are new synonyms of Pi. bicincta (Perrier, 1875) that is common in Luzon. Vietnamese homonym Pheretima thaii Nguyen, 2011 (non P. thaii Hong & James, 2011) is replaced with Pheretima baii nom. nov. Two new Filipino taxa are also described: Pleionogaster adya sp. nov. from southern Luzon and Pl. miagao sp. nov. from western Visayas