For which side the bell tolls: The laterality of approach-avoidance associative networks

The two hemispheres of the brain appear to play different roles in emotion and/or motivation. A great deal of previous research has examined the valence hypothesis (left hemisphere = positive; right = negative), but an increasing body of work has supported the motivational hypothesis (left hemisphere = approach; right = avoidance) as an alternative. The present investigation (N = 117) sought to provide novel support for the latter perspective. Left versus right hemispheres were briefly activated by neutral lateralized auditory primes. Subsequently, participants categorized approach versus avoidance words as quickly and accurately as possible. Performance in the task revealed that approach-related thoughts were more accessible following left-hemispheric activation, whereas avoidance-related thoughts were more accessible following right-hemispheric activation. The present results are the first to examine such lateralized differences in accessible motivational thoughts, which may underlie more “downstream” manifestations of approach and avoidance motivation such as judgments, decision making, and behavior

Nitrous Oxide Inhalation Among Adolescents: Prevalence, Correlates, and Co-Occurrence with Volatile Solvent Inhalation

Few studies have examined the prevalence of nitrous oxide (NO) inhalation or co-occurrence of NO and volatile solvent (VS) use in adolescents. Study aims were to (1) describe the independent and conjoint prevalence of NO and VS use in incarcerated youth, (2) compare adolescent users of both NO and VS inhalants (NO+VS) to users of NO-only, VS-only, and nonusers of NO and VS (NO/VNS nonusers) with regard to demographic, psychological, and behavioral characteristics, and (3) conduct logistic regression analyses identifying correlates of NO use. Residents (N = 723) of Missouri Division of Youth Services were assessed with standardized psychosocial measures. Participants averaged 15.5 (SD = 1.2) years of age, were ethnically diverse and predominantly male. Lifetime prevalence of NO use was 15.8%. NO+VS users evidenced greater impairments compared to NO+VS nonusers. VS-only users evidenced impairments that were similar in kind but at lower prevalences compared to those displayed by NO+VS users, whereas NO-only youth had profiles that were similar to those of NO/VS nonusers. Psychiatric disorders, polydrug use, and temperamental fearlessness were correlates of NO use. NO+VS users were at high risk for behavioral and emotional problems. Screening and interventions for NO and VS inhalant use should be implemented in juvenile justice facilities.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78160/1/nihms217666.pd

Effect of the menstrual cycle on pain experience associated with periodontal therapy: Randomized, pilot study

PubMed ID: 16212579Objectives: The aim of this pilot cross-over study was to compare preliminarily the pain perception of female patients undergoing periodontal debridement during menstrual or pre-menstrual phases (peri-menstrual period) with that observed during mid-menstrual phase (post-menstrual period). Materials and Methods: Twenty women with moderate-to-advanced chronic periodontitis and regular menstrual cycles were asked to complete Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) during the first debridement visit. Patients were randomly assigned to receive their first debridement visit during either their peri-menstrual or post-menstrual period. Debridement was performed in bilateral quadrants of patients during the periods. Pain levels for each quadrant were asssessed with a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), after each debridment visit. Results: There was no significant correlation of order of treatment in the intensity of perceived pain during the periods (p < 0.05). The median VAS scores were 22.0 and 15.2 mm in the peri-menstrual and the post-menstrual period, respectively. Increase in pain perception among females during their peri-menstrual period was significantly greater than their post-menstrual period (p < 0.05). Conclusion: No clinical conclusions can be drawn at this stage as this pilot study did not have a sufficiently broad population to generalize these observations to all female periodontal patients. Providing clinicians with information about patients' menstrual cycle during debridement can alter the pain experience. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2005