Moving forward with the BAS: Towards a neurobiology of multidimensional model of approach motivation

One of the hottest topics in neuroscience is the study of brain-behavioural circuits underlying the processing of reward-related stimuli. A growing body of studies has shed new light on the neural structure of this reward system. In this paper, we discuss the significance of these studies from the perspective of a neuropsychological theory of personality, namely the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). RST assumes that variation in sensitivity/reactivity of the reward system is the cause of individual differences in approach motivation (e.g. desire or need for achievement, persistence, and positive emotionality). Within RST, these individual differences are contained in the construct of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS). However, there is an ongoing debate as regards the nature of the BAS. This fact motivated us to review the latest refinements in the neuroscience of the BAS in the context of the reward system. In this review, we identity four distinctive aspects of the BAS: wanting, incentive motivation, striving and liking. Their behavioural effects are compared with the behavioural manifestations of testosterone, dopamine, serotonin and endogenous opioids, respectively. We conclude that the unidimensional view of the BAS is overly oversimplified; and we suggest that it should be studied as a multidimensional construct and, by implication, so too should the reward system

Spontaneous Meckel\u2032s cave hematoma: A rare cause of trigeminal neuralgia

Background: The most common etiology of classic trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is vascular compression. However, other causes must be considered. Among these, spontaneous hematoma of the Meckel\u2032s cave (MC) causing symptomatic TN is very rare. Case Description: We present the case of a 60-year-old woman with a 2-month history of left TN and diplopia. Neuroradiological examinations revealed a well-defined hematoma in the left MC. The patient underwent surgical decompression with a progressive neurological improvement. Conclusion: Despite the number of lesions potentially affecting the MC, spontaneous hemorrhage is rare but should be taken into account in the differential diagnosis

Epistemological Disobedience in a Tasty World: An Auto-Ethnography on Food as an Instrument of Dissent Against Western Epistemology

This thesis is a journey of dissent, an exploration of the counter-movements against the business-as-usual illustrated by the means of food. It relates my intense odyssey as student dealing with her own research process while diving into the fabulous tasty realm of food resistance. I aim through my words to demonstrate the significant potential of food as an instrument of dissent, of resistance against the current Western mainstream epistemology. Facing a multiplicity of crises, the humanity is running full speed in a wall. To stop this mad dash, I suggest that we need both 'ecological activism'—mind and hands—performed through the means of food. While the story of food as a desired mere object of domination is often related through impersonal economical and political studies, the very methodological framework of this thesis provides a more personal perspective, an evocative account. Auto-ethnography immerses the reader into a first-person personal narrative enriched with critical and theoretical reflections on my exploration of food activism. At the same time, this methodology is also an instrument of dissent, a form of epistemic resistance that challenges the traditional research inquiry, and to a larger extent the Western epistemology too

Simulation for climate change and indicator of vulnerability on four French sandy beaches

Water Qualit

Anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents in transitional Albania

Aim: The purpose of this study was twofold: i) in a case-control design, to determine the relationship between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents; ii) to assess the association between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and aneurisms among patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Albania in 2013-2014, including 100 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and 100 controls (individuals without cerebrovascular accidents). Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage underwent a CT angiography procedure, whereas individuals in the control group underwent a magnetic resonance angiography procedure. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between cerebrovascular accidents and the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis. Conversely, Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the prevalence of aneurisms between subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with and without anatomical variations of the circle of Willis. Results: Among patients, there were 22 (22%) cases with anatomical variations of the circle of Willis compared with 10 (10%) individuals in the control group (P=0.033). There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference in the types of the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis between patients and controls (P=0.402). In age- and-sex adjusted logistic regression models, there was evidence of a significant positive association between cerebrovascular accidents and the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis (OR=1.87, 95%CI=1.03-4.68, P=0.048). Within the patients’ group, of the 52 cases with aneurisms, there were 22 (42.3%) individuals with anatomical variations of the circle of Willis compared with no individuals with anatomical variations among the 48 patients without aneurisms (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study provides useful evidence on the association between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents in transitional Albania. Furthermore, findings from this study confirm the role of the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis in the occurrence of cerebral aneurisms

Avanzando con el SAC: Hacia la neurobiología del modelo multidimensional de la motivación de acercamiento

One of the hottest topics in neuroscience is the study of brain-behavioural circuits underlying the processing of reward-related stimuli. A growing body of studies has shed new light on the neural structure of this reward system. In this paper, we discuss the significance of these studies from the perspective of a neuropsychological theory of personality, namely the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST). RST assumes that variation in sensitivity/reactivity of the reward system is the cause of individual differences in approach motivation (e.g. desire or need for achievement, persistence, and positive emotionality). Within RST, these individual differences are contained in the construct of the Behavioural Approach System (BAS). However, there is an ongoing debate as regards the nature of the BAS. This fact motivated us to review the latest refinements in the neuroscience of the BAS in the context of the reward system. In this review, we identity four distinctive aspects of the BAS: wanting, incentive motivation, striving and liking. Their behavioural effects are compared with the behavioural manifestations of testosterone, dopamine, serotonin and endogenous opioids, respectively. We conclude that the unidimensional view of the BAS is overly oversimplified; and we suggest that it should be studied as a multidimensional construct and, by implication, so too should the reward system.Uno de los temas candentes en la neurociencia es es el estudio de circuitos cerebro-conductuales que están en la base del procesamiento de estímulos relacionados con la recompensa. El número creciente de investigaciones han arrojado una nueva luz sobre la estructura neuronal de este sistema de recompensas. En este trabajo discutimos la importancia estos estudios desde la perspectiva de la teoría neuropsicológica de la personalidad, más concreto, la Teoría de la Sensibilidad al Refuerzo (TSR). TSR supone que la variación en la sensibilidad/reactividad del sistema de recompensas es la causa de diferencias individuales en la motivación de acercamiento (p. ej. deseo o necesidad de logro, perseverancia y emocionalidad positiva). Dentro de TSR estas diferencias individuales se encuentran en el constructo del Sistema de activación conductual (SAC). Sin embargo, existe un debate sobre la índole de SAC. Este hecho nos ha motivado a revisar los últimos hallazgos en la neurociencia de SAC en el contexto del sistema de recompensas. En esta revisión identificamos cuatro aspectos distintivos de SAC: carencia, motivación de incentivo, esfuerzos y gustos. Sus efectos conductuales se comparan con las manifestaciones de testosteronas, dopamina, serotonina y opioides endógenos, respectivamente. Concluimos que la vista unidimensional de SAC es demasiado simplificada y sugerimos estudiarlo como un constructo multidimensional, lo que implica lo mismo para el sistema de recompensas

Anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents in transitional Albania

Aim: The purpose of this study was twofold: i) in a case-control design, to determine the relationship between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents; ii) to assess the association between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and aneurisms among patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Albania in 2013-2014, including 100 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and 100 controls (individuals without cerebrovascular accidents). Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage underwent a CT angiography procedure, whereas individuals in the control group underwent a magnetic resonance angiography procedure. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between cerebrovascular accidents and the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis. Conversely, Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the prevalence of aneurisms between subarachnoid hemorrhage patients with and without anatomical variations of the circle of Willis.Results: Among patients, there were 22 (22%) cases with anatomical variations of the circle of Willis compared with 10 (10%) individuals in the control group (P=0.033). There was no evidence of a statistically significant difference in the types of the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis between patients and controls (P=0.402). In age- and-sex adjusted logistic regression models, there was evidence of a significant positive association between cerebrovascular accidents and the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis (OR=1.87, 95%CI=1.03-4.68, P=0.048). Within the patients’ group, of the 52 cases with aneurisms, there were 22 (42.3%) individuals with anatomical variations of the circle of Willis compared with no individuals with anatomical variations among the 48 patients without aneurisms (P<0.001).Conclusion: This study provides useful evidence on the association between anatomical variations of the circle of Willis and cerebrovascular accidents in transitional Albania. Furthermore, findings from this study confirm the role of the anatomical variations of the circle of Willis in the occurrence of cerebral aneurisms

Improvement of a low-cost buoy for the measurement of the sea wave weather

This article presents the result of an experimental meteorological buoy designed by the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo, characterized by low costs and great versatility, and equipped with industrially certified measuring and detection instruments. This buoy can measure the parameters of the water column and continuously transmit the data to a remote acquisition centre. Maintenance requirements are very limited