Personality traits modulate skin conductance response to emotional pictures: An investigation with Cloninger's model of personality

Several studies found strong relationships between main personality dimensions and emotions, and more particularly between neuroticism and negative emotions, as well as between extraversion and positive ones. In these studies, personality was mainly assessed with respect to the big five model, and emotions were evaluated with subjective rating scales. To extend the exploration of the associations between personality and emotion, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between Cloninger's dimensions of personality and emotional reactivity assessed by skin conductance response (SCR). In 55 normal subjects, SCR was recorded while they were presented pictures selected as positive, negative and neutral from the International Affective Picture System. The results showed no influence of personality on response magnitude, but subjects with higher harm avoidance scores showed longer half-recovery times for negative relative to neutral pictures. This result is consistent with the dispositional bias of harm avoidance to respond intensely to signals of aversive stimuli. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Impact of low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation on brain automatic information processing - A mismatch negativity study

peer reviewedRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is considered a powerful method for the study of the relationships between cortical activity and-cognitive processes. Previous ERPs studies' that focused on P300 response have shown that inhibitory/excitatory effects on prefrontal cortex (PFC), induced by low- and high-frequency rTMS, were able to modulate controlled but not automatic information processing. The present study assessed the impact of inhibition over left and right PFC induced by rTMS on mismatch negativity (MMN), which is known to represent automatic cerebral processes for detecting change. Auditory MMN was recorded in 20 subjects before and after application of left and right PFC 1-Hz rTMS for 15 min. MMN was also recorded before and after a sham-occipital 1-Hz rTMS as control condition. Results showed that 1-Hz rTMS induced no modification to either MMN latency or amplitude. In addition, N100 and P200 components to the frequent tones were not affected by rTMS. These results are consistent with previous findings showing that rTMS; over both PFC is unable to disrupt automatic information processing. However, since two sites were stimulated in the present-study, no definite conclusions about the inability of rTMS to disrupt automatic processing can be made

Etat des lieux sur l'usage et la perception de l'ostéopathie par les médecins généralistes de Picardie

INTRODUCTION : L ostéopathie est une thérapeutique très présente dans le paysage médical français tant par l offre que par la demande. Les objectifs de cette enquête sont de mettre en évidence la place du médecin généraliste de Picardie au sein de la prise en charge ostéopathique. METHODE : Il s agit d une enquête épidémiologique, régionale, descriptive, auprès des médecins généralistes de Picardie qu ils soient ostéopathes ou non. RESULTATS : 72 médecins généralistes conventionnels et 8 médecins généralistes pratiquant la médecine manuelle ont été interrogés dans l étude. 77.8% des médecins généralistes conventionnels prescrivent de l ostéopathie, 87.5% à des ostéopathes non médecins, tous pour de la Rhumatologie. 76.4% des médecins interrogés perçoivent l ostéopathie comme efficace. 42.9% des médecins prescripteurs ne pratiquaient pas eux-mêmes l ostéopathie à cause de la formation. 62.5% des non prescripteurs pensent que ce n est pas prouvé scientifiquement, 25% que la formation est douteuse. Un seul des praticiens interrogés connaissaient l existence du certificat de non contre-indications pour certains actes réalisés par des ostéopathes non médecins. Tous les médecins interrogés pratiquant la médecine manuelle ont plus de 10 ans d expérience et pratique une activité mixte avec la médecine générale. 50% ont inscrit leur activité sur leurs ordonnances et 25% sur leur plaque. CONCLUSION : Les médecins généralistes conventionnels utilisent régulièrement l ostéopathie car leur perception globale est positive avec des prescriptions majoritairement à des ostéopathes non médecins, mais sans connaissance du cadre législatif. Les médecins de médecine manuelle ostéopathique sont peu nombreux en Picardie, ne sont pas nouvellement diplômés et revendiquent peu leur activité.AMIENS-BU Santé (800212102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Impact of low frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation on event-related brain potentials.

Contradictory findings exist concerning the inhibitory function of low frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Therefore, the study examines the impact of different duration of low frequency rTMS on ERPs. In 17 subjects, auditory ERPs were measured before and after 1 Hz rTMS delivered over the left prefrontal cortex during 10 min (600 pulses) and 15 min (900 pulses). Results showed that 15 min of 1 Hz rTMS induced a significant increase of P300 latency. There was no effect for early ERP components (N100, P200 and N200). This study confirms and extends that 1 Hz rTMS produces a real inhibitory effect only when the duration of the stimulation is about 15 min. The data suggest that rTMS modifies the speed of cognitive processing rather than the energetical aspect of information processing, and that cortical inhibition induced by the magnetic stimulation affects principally the controlled cognitive processes and not the automatic ones

Evidence of contrasting patterns for suppression and reappraisal emotional regulation strategies in alexithymia

Alexithymia generally refers to difficulties in identifying and describing emotions. In this paper, two studies explored whether the emotion deficits observed in alexithymia may be related to the use of emotion regulation strategies. Relations with various sociodemographic variables were also explored. In the first study, 255 students completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20. For the second study, 1107 participants from the general population completed the ERQ and the Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire. Results demonstrated that alexithymia was related to the use of a suppression strategy and in particular to difficulties verbalizing emotions, suggesting that the capacity to communicate and name one's emotion is a central aspect in alexithymia. Concerning sociodemographic variables, alexithymia and the use of a suppression strategy were found to be related to age and to be higher in males. The results of these studies and their clinical implications for treatment are discussed

Perception of visual illusions with a sensory substitution system

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