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

Nystatin Regulates Axonal Extension and Regeneration by Modifying the Levels of Nitric Oxide

Nystatin is a pharmacological agent commonly used for the treatment of oral, mucosal and cutaneous fungal infections. Nystatin has also been extensively applied to study the cellular function of cholesterol-enriched structures because of its ability to bind and extract cholesterol from mammalian membranes. In neurons, cholesterol level is tightly regulated, being essential for synapse and dendrite formation, and for axonal guidance. However, the action of Nystatin on axon regeneration has been poorly evaluated. Here, we examine the effect of Nystatin on primary cultures of hippocampal neurons, showing how acute dose (minutes) of Nystatin increases the area of growth cones, and chronic treatment (days) enhances axon length, axon branching and axon regeneration post-axotomy. We describe two alternative signaling pathways responsible for the observed effects, and activated at different concentrations of Nystatin. At elevated concentrations, Nystatin promotes growth cone expansion through phosphorylation of Akt; whereas at low concentrations, Nystatin enhances axon length and regrowth by increasing nitric oxide levels. Together, our findings indicate new signaling pathways of Nystatin and propose this compound as a novel regulator of axon regeneration

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

Cuando el TOC es el producto y la narrativa su mejor representante

Introducción: Según el modelo inferencial para el Trastorno Obsesivo-Compulsivo (TOC), la confusión inferencial da lugar a la narrativa TOC, o discurso interno que el paciente construy a través de la confusión inferencial y cuya función principal es dar credibilidad y fuerza a la duda obsesiva. Por tanto, cuanto más elaborada sea dicha narrativa, más creíble parecerá la obsesión. Las narrativas TOC y las narrativas de las intrusiones (dudas no clínicas) compartirían herramientas de razonamiento generales pero además, las narrativas que subyacen a las obsesiones presentarían unas herramientas de razonamiento específicas del TOC. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron: (1) analizar el nivel de confusión inferencial en población clínica con diagnóstico de TOC; (2) explorar y comparar las narrativas que subyacen a las obsesiones e intrusiones; (3) explorar si existe una asociación entre las características de las narrativas y el nivel de confusión inferencial. Método: 68 pacientes con diagnóstico de TOC completaron una serie de autoinformes entre los que se evaluó su nivel de confusión inferencial (Cuestionario de confusión inferencial-versión extendida), así mismo se les realizó una entrevista semiestructurada en la que se recogieron textualmente las narrativas correspondientes a su obsesión más molesta y una intrusión (duda no clínica). Posteriormente se analizó la extensión de las mismas, y las herramientas de razonamiento subyacentes a las mismas. Resultados:Los resultados mostraron que los niveles de confusión inferencial son significativamente mayores en población clínica(M=132.04, SD=26.62; N=60)que lo observado en otros estudios con población general; también se observó una diferencia significativa en cuanto al nivel de elaboración de las narrativas, siendo las narrativas TOC (M (SD) de palabras empleadas= 31,37 (16,07)) significativamente más extensas que las narrativas asociadas a las intrusiones (M (SD) de palabras empleadas= 16,91(10,63))(t(65)=5,82, p<,0001; d de Cohen=1,06). Sin embargo, y contrariamente a lo esperado, no hubo diferencias significativas en cuanto al uso de las herramientas de razonamiento específicas del TOC entre las narrativas TOC y aquellas existentes tras las intrusiones.También se observó que a mayor nivel de confusión inferencial, mayor era el nivel de elaboración en las narrativas de las intrusiones pero no se encontró dicha relación en las narrativas TOC. Conclusiones: Los resultados sugieren que las obsesiones se sustentan en narrativas más elaboradas, por lo que podrían ser un factor relevante en el origen y mantenimiento de las obsesiones, pudiendo ser un factor diferencial entre obsesiones e intrusiones. Sin embargo se requiere una mayor investigación sobre el área antes de poder establecer conclusiones.Agradecimientos: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación y Agencia Estatal de Investigación [RTI2018-098349-B-I00] y cofinanciado con fondos FEDER de la UE

Factors that influence the quality of metabolomics data in in vitro cell toxicity studies: a systematic survey

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) is a global strategy and regulation policy of the EU that aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. It entered into force on 1st June 2007 (EC 1907/2006). REACH and EU policies plead for the use of robust high-throughput 'omic' techniques for the in vitro investigation of the toxicity of chemicals that can provide an estimation of their hazards as well as information regarding the underlying mechanisms of toxicity. In agreement with the 3R's principles, cultured cells are nowadays widely used for this purpose, where metabolomics can provide a real-time picture of the metabolic effects caused by exposure of cells to xenobiotics, enabling the estimations about their toxicological hazards. High quality and robust metabolomics data sets are essential for precise and accurate hazard predictions. Currently, the acquisition of consistent and representative metabolomic data is hampered by experimental drawbacks that hinder reproducibility and difficult robust hazard interpretation. Using the differentiated human liver HepG2 cells as model system, and incubating with hepatotoxic (acetaminophen and valproic acid) and non-hepatotoxic compounds (citric acid), we evaluated in-depth the impact of several key experimental factors (namely, cell passage, processing day and storage time, and compound treatment) and instrumental factors (batch effect) on the outcome of an UPLC-MS metabolomic analysis data set. Results showed that processing day and storage time had a significant impact on the retrieved cell's metabolome, while the effect of cell passage was minor. Meta-analysis of results from pathway analysis showed that batch effect corrections and quality control (QC) measures are critical to enable consistent and meaningful estimations of the effects caused by compounds on cells. The quantitative analysis of the changes in metabolic pathways upon bioactive compound treatment remained consistent despite the concurrent causes of metabolomic data variation. Thus, upon appropriate data retrieval and correction and by an innovative metabolic pathway analysis, the metabolic alteration predictions remained conclusive despite the acknowledged sources of variability

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

GSK3β is involved in the relief of mitochondria pausing in a Tau-dependent manner.

Mitochondrial trafficking deficits have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Ser/Thre kinase GSK3β is believed to play a fundamental role in AD pathogenesis. Given that GSK3β substrates include Tau protein, here we studied the impact of GSK3β on mitochondrial trafficking and its dependence on Tau protein. Overexpression of GSK3β in neurons resulted in an increase in motile mitochondria, whereas a decrease in the activity of this kinase produced an increase in mitochondria pausing. These effects were dependent on Tau proteins, as Tau (-/-) neurons did not respond to distinct GSK3β levels. Furthermore, differences in GSK3β expression did not affect other parameters like mitochondria velocity or mitochondria run length. We conclude that GSK3B activity regulates mitochondrial axonal trafficking largely in a Tau-dependent manner

Gypsy endogenous retrovirus maintains potential infectivity in several species of Drosophilids

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sequences homologous to the <it>gypsy </it>retroelement from <it>Drosophila melanogaster </it>are widely distributed among drosophilids. The structure of <it>gypsy </it>includes an open reading frame resembling the retroviral gene <it>env</it>, which is responsible for the infectious properties of retroviruses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study we report molecular and phylogeny analysis of the complete <it>env </it>gene from ten species of the <it>obscura </it>group of the genus <it>Drosophila </it>and one species from the genus <it>Scaptomyza</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results indicate that in most cases <it>env </it>sequences could produce a functional Env protein and therefore maintain the infectious capability of <it>gypsy </it>in these species.</p

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