Contexto, sí mismo y narrativas en el trastorno obsesivo compulsivo: cuando lo que podría ser importa más que lo que es

El estudio pretende analizar en mayor profundidad ciertas variables relacionadas con el Trastorno Obsesivo Compulsivo (TOC) a las que la investigación no ha dedicado mucha atención pero que sin embargo sí han demostrado su relevancia en el desarrollo y mantenimiento del trastorno. Las variables en las que pretendemos profundizar son el contexto, el self y las narrativas. Concretamente, el estudio pretende analizar las diferencias en estas tres variables entre intrusiones y obsesiones de un mismo individuo. Analizaremos las siguientes variables del contexto en el que surgieron por primera y última vez tanto la intrusión como la obsesión en un mismo individuo: estado emocional, nivel de estrés, eventos vitales estresantes y vínculo existente entre el contexto y el aquí y ahora. También analizaremos si la relación entre el contenido de la obsesión y de la intrusión con el aquí y ahora cambia con el paso del tiempo, así como el contenido temático de las intrusiones y obsesiones .Posteriormente nos proponemos analizar en la misma muestra clínica el rol del self en el desarrollo y mantenimiento de las obsesiones, así como ver las diferencias existentes al respecto entre las intrusiones y las obsesiones en un mismo individuo. Dentro de este área, pretendemos investigar los siguientes puntos: descripción del autoconcepto de los pacientes con TOC; explorar y comparar la relación entre el autoconcepto y el contenido de las obsesiones e intrusiones en un mismo individuo y analizar si el contenido del fear of self (sí mismo temido) tiene relación con el contenido de las obsesiones e intrusiones en un mismo sujeto. El último de nuestros objetivos será analizar en la misma muestra el rol de las narrativas y de la confusión inferencial en el desarrrollo y mantenimiento de las obsesiones, así como ver las diferencias existentes al respecto entre las intrusiones y las obsesiones en un mismo sujeto. Dentro de esta área, pretendemos investigar los siguientes puntos: comparar los niveles de confusión inferencial entre población clínica y población general; observar si existe una relación significativa entre el nivel de confusión inferencial y las narrativas TOC tanto en las obsesiones como en las intrusiones de un mismo sujeto; comparar las narrativas de las obsesiones y de las intrusiones en un mismo sujeto; analizar si la confusión inferencial se asocia más a determinados contenidos de las obsesiones e intrusiones de un mismo sujeto y analizar si la confusión inferencial se asocia más a ciertas características (frecuencia, nivel de maslestar...) de las obsesiones e intrusiones de un mismo individuo

The relationship between obsessions and the self: Feared and actual self-descriptions in a clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder sample

Cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) posit the relevance of the self in OCD, although the nature of this association is still unclear. We aimed to explore actual and feared selves and its association with obsessions and intrusions in a group of OCD patients. A group of 58 patients with OCD identified their most upsetting obsession and intrusion (non-clinical obsession) experienced in the past 3 months. These cognitions were classified as either moral-based or autogenous (obsessions n = 32; intrusions n = 26) or non-moral-based or reactive, depending on their content. Next, patients described their actual self and their feared self, that is, the person they feared being or becoming, and whether they believed these descriptions were associated with their obsessions/intrusions. Results indicate that individuals with OCD described themselves as insecure, anxious and fearful, but also as good and nice. They particularly feared a selfish, aggressive, bad, liar, coward, insecure and arrogant self. Two-thirds of the patients believed that their obsessions said something about their actual self (65.52%) and that their obsessions brought them closer to the person they do not want to be (62.06%). A third of patients believed their intrusions said something about their actual self (actual self: 30.35%; feared self: 25%), which was a significantly lower percentage than for obsessions. These associations existed independent from the content of the obsession and/or intrusion, although patients with obsessions with moral-based contents more often tended to believe that their obsessions brought them closer to the person they do not want to be. Results suggest the relevance of the real and feared selves in the maintenance of obsessions

Is context a crucial factor in distinguishing between intrusions and obsessions in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Objective Some cognitive models of obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) posit that intrusions exist on a continuum with obsessions; others consider that they may be unrelated phenomena that differ in the context where they occur. We aimed to examine and compare, at two different moments, the context of the occurrence of intrusions and obsessions. Method Sixty‐eight patients with OCD completed an interview appraising their most upsetting obsession and intrusion. Results At their onset, the obsessions/intrusions were associated with experiencing negative emotional states and life events, and they were more likely to appear in 'inappropriate' contexts. The context of the obsessions/intrusions differed the last time they were experienced. Autogenous obsessions/intrusions occurred more frequently in contexts with an indirect link. Conclusions The context distinguishes between intrusions and obsessions, not when they emerge, but when the obsession is already established. The results support that there is a continuum or progression from intrusions to obsessions

Spanish version of the Inferential Confusion Questionnaire-Expanded Version: Further support for the role of inferential confusion in obsessive-compulsive symptoms

Objective Some cognitive models of obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) posit that intrusions exist on a continuum with obsessions; others consider that they may be unrelated phenomena that differ in the context where they occur. We aimed to examine and compare, at two different moments, the context of the occurrence of intrusions and obsessions. Method Sixty‐eight patients with OCD completed an interview appraising their most upsetting obsession and intrusion. Results At their onset, the obsessions/intrusions were associated with experiencing negative emotional states and life events, and they were more likely to appear in 'inappropriate' contexts. The context of the obsessions/intrusions differed the last time they were experienced. Autogenous obsessions/intrusions occurred more frequently in contexts with an indirect link. Conclusions The context distinguishes between intrusions and obsessions, not when they emerge, but when the obsession is already established. The results support that there is a continuum or progression from intrusions to obsessions

Validation of the Spanish version of the Fear of Self Questionnaire

Cognitive models, from both the appraisal and inferential confusion perspectives, propose that the self is a relevant variable in the development and maintenance of obsessive-compulsive (OC) disorder. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Fear of Self Questionnaire (FSQ) and analyzed the role of the fear of self (the sort of person we are afraid of becoming) as a predictor of OC beliefs and symptoms. A sample of 359 non-clinical participants completed a set of questionnaires, including the FSQ. Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the original one-factor solution for both the FSQ-8- and 20-item versions. The FSQ demonstrated excellent reliability, and fear of self predicted OC symptoms and cognitions, especially unacceptable obsessions

esTOCma, an app developed to dismiss self-stigma and increase mental health literacy about obsessive-compulsive disorder: how does it perform in a clinical sample?

Introduction. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling condition that can be treated successfully. However, individuals with OCD often fail to seek or delay seeking treatment. In order to overcome this gap and increase the intention to seek for help, a gamified mental health mobile application (app) called esTOCma has been developed with a focus on offering information about OCD and on discussing stigmatizing attitudes toward the disease. The general aim of this study is to analyze the impact of the intervention through esTOCma in a clinical OCD sample. The objective of the study was two-fold. First, to analyze if the intervention changes the following variables in a clinical OCD sample: (1) knowledge about OCD; (2) internalized stigma, guilt, empowerment; and (3) obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Second, to explore satisfaction with the app. Method. Participants were extracted from a total of 330 people who downloaded the app for free and identified themselves as being diagnosed with OCD. From the initial sample, only participants who played till the game was finished and completed a pre- and post-intervention assessment were selected. The final sample comprised 126 (37.4%) participants diagnosed with OCD (mean duration of the disorder 11.56 years; SD=9.73; range 1-45 years). Their mean age was 39.31 years (SD= 39.31; range 18-66), and half of them were women (51.6%). 98.3% had previously asked for help for a mental health problem, and 35.3% belonged to an OCD association. Pre- and post-intervention measures included: (1) mental health literacy about OCD (MHL); (2) the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI); (3) guilt about having OCD (1 item); (4) feeling of empowerment (1 item); (5) Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R); (6) satisfaction with the app (2 items). Results showed that the intervention produced significant but small effect size changes on the measured variables. After using the app, patients showed higher mental health literacy (t(125)= -3.998, p < .0001; Cohen’s d= .398); lower internalized stigma (t (125)= 3.517, p≤0.001, Cohen’s d=0.312); less guilt associated with OCD (t(125)= 3.592, p< .0001; Cohen’s d=0.265); greater empowerment (t(125)= 3,261, p= .001; Cohen’s d=0.429); and less distress associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms (t(125)= 3.110, p=.002, Cohen’s d=0.122). Finally, 91.3% (n=115) found the app helpful, and 84.9% (n=107) would recommend it to a friend. Discussion. Results show that the intervention produced significant changes on the variables of interest and that most patients were satisfied with the app. Effect sizes were small, probably due to the fact that patients had already asked for help and had been or were undergoing treatment. Furthermore, a high percentage belonged to OCD associations. Thus, it is expected that participants with these characteristics had prior basic knowledge of OCD and lower stigma than people who have had no prior contact with mental health services.RTI2018-098349-B-I0

Volume 279, February 2024, 127572

16 p.-4 fig.-4 tab.The filamentous cyanobacterium Limnospira platensis, formerly known as Arthrospira platensis or spirulina, is one of the most commercially important species of microalgae. Due to its high nutritional value, pharmacological and industrial applications it is extensively cultivated on a large commercial scale. Despite its widespread use, its precise manipulation is still under development due to the lack of effective genetic protocols. Genetic transformation of Limnospira has been attempted but the methods reported have not been generally reproducible in other laboratories. Knowledge of the transformation defense mechanisms is essential for understanding its physiology and for broadening their applications. With the aim to understand more about the genetic defenses of L. platensis, in this work we have identified the restriction-modification and CRISPR-Cas systems and we have cloned and characterized thirteen methylases. In parallel, we have also characterized the methylome and orphan methyltransferases using genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation patterns and RNA-seq. The identification and characterization of these enzymes will be a valuable resource to know how this strain avoids being genetically manipulated and for further genomics studies.This work was supported by projects S2013/ABI-2783 (INSPIRA1-CM), S2018/BAA-4532 (ALGATEC-CM) from “Comunidad de Madrid /ESF-ERDF”; RTI2018–094399-A-I00 (SETH) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity; RobExplode PID2019-108458RB-I00 (AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and by Sycosys TED2021–130689B-C33 from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) grants.Peer reviewe

Cuestionario de descripción de la identidad

This is an idiographic self-report, that is based on previous self-discrepancies measures (Carver, Lawrence & Scheier, 1999; Ferrier & Brewin, 2005; Francis, Boldero & Sambell, 2006; Higgins, Bond, Klein & Strauman, 1986; Kinderman & Bentall, 1996) asks participants to generate 5 attributes they would use to describe the person they actually are (actual-self: describe in five words how you see yourself), would ideally like to be (ideal-self: describe in five words how you would like to be), should be or ought to be (ought-self to be: describe in five words how you should be), fear being or worry about being (feared self: describe in five words the sort of person you would be afraid to become) and they believe other people would use to describe them (other´s-actual self: describe in five words how you think the others see you). After this, they are asked to complete the following questions regarding the obsession and intrusion identified in the Semi-structured interview of obsessions and intrusive thoughts in OCD that were written with the patients’ own words in the self-report: Taking into account how you define yourself, do you think this thought (patients’ obsession/ intrusion is written here) says something about how you are?. (answer options: yes, no, I do not know). If the participant answers "yes", they are asked to explain in which way. And regarding the feared self: Taking into account the sort of person you would be afraid to become, do you think this thought (patients’ obsession/ intrusion is written here) gets you closer to that sort of person? (answer options: yes, no, I do not know). If the participant answers "yes", they are asked to explain in which way. In this study, we will focus on the questions regarding the actual and feared self and its relation with the obsessive and intrusive contents

Entrevista semiestructurada de obsesiones y pensamientos intrusivos en TOC (Semi-structured interview of obsessions and intrusive thoughts in OCD)

Entrevista semi-estructurada para valorar la obsesión e intrusión más molesta de una misma persona con diagnóstico de trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo en cuanto a las siguientes variables: contexto de aparición, narrativas, valoraciones disfuncionales, estrategias de control

Caracterizacion de Limnospira platensis PCC 9108 R-M y los sistemas CrispR-Cas

The filamentous cyanobacterium Limnospira platensis, formerly known as Arthrospira platensis or spirulina, is one of the most commercially important species of microalgae. Due to its high nutritional value, pharmacological and industrial applications it is extensively cultivated on a large commercial scale. Despite its widespread use, its precise manipulation is still under development due to the lack of effective genetic protocols. Genetic transformation of Limnospira has been attempted but the methods reported have not been generally reproducible in other laboratories. Knowledge of the transformation defense mechanisms is essential for understanding its physiology and for broadening their applications. With the aim to understand more about the genetic defenses of L. platensis, in this work we have identified the restriction-modification and CRISPR-Cas systems and we have cloned and characterized thirteen methylases. In parallel, we have also characterized the methylome and orphan methyltransferases using genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation patterns and RNA-seq. The identification and characterization of these enzymes will be a valuable resource to know how this strain avoids being genetically manipulated and for further genomics studies.MINECOcomunidad de madridEuropean social fundMICINNDepto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularFac. de Ciencias QuímicasTRUEpu