The presence of anhedonia in individuals with subacute and chronic stroke: an exploratory cohort study

Background Anhedonia refers to the diminished capacity to experience pleasure. It has been described both as a symptom of depression and an enduring behavioral trait that contributes its development. Specifically, in stroke patients, anhedonia has been closely linked to depression, resulting in reduced sensitivity to everyday pleasures and intrinsic motivation to engage in rehabilitation programs and maintain a healthy active lifestyle. This condition may hinder patients' recovery, diminishing their autonomy, functioning, and quality of life.Objective We aimed to explore the prevalence and level of anhedonia and those variables that might be associated in patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke at subacute and chronic phases of the disease.Methods We conducted an exploratory cohort study with a sample of 125 patients with subacute and chronic stroke presenting upper-limb motor deficits. We measured participants' level of anhedonia with four items from the Beck Depression Inventory-II that describe the symptoms of this condition: loss of pleasure, loss of interest, loss of energy, and loss of interest in sex. We also collected demographic and clinical information and evaluated motor and cognitive functions as well as levels of depression, apathy, and various mood states. The results were compared to a sample of 71 healthy participants of similar age, sex, and level of education.Results Stroke patients demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence (18.5-19.7%) and level of anhedonia compared to the healthy controls (4.3%), regardless of stroke phase, level of motor impairment, and other clinical variables. Furthermore, post-stroke anhedonia was associated with lower levels of motivation and higher levels of negative mood states such as fatigue and anger in the long term. Importantly, anhedonia level was superior in stroke patients than in healthy controls while controlling for confounding effects of related emotional conditions.Conclusion This study provides novel evidence on the prevalence, level and factors related to anhedonia post-stroke. We emphasize the importance of assessing and treating anhedonia in this population, as well as conducting large-scale cohort and longitudinal studies to test its influence on long-term functional and emotional recovery

A Double-Track Pathway to Fast Strategy in Humans and Its Personality Correlates

The fast-slow paradigm of life history (LH) focuses on how individuals grow, mate, and reproduce at different paces. This paradigm can contribute substantially to the field of personality and individual differences provided that it is more strictly based on evolutionary biology than it has been so far. Our study tested the existence of a fast-slow continuum underlying indicators of reproductive effort¿offspring output, age at first reproduction, number, and stability of sexual partners¿in 1,043 outpatients with healthy to severely disordered personalities. Two axes emerged reflecting a double-track pathway to fast strategy, based on restricted and unrestricted sociosexual strategies. When rotated, the fast-slow and sociosexuality axes turned out to be independent. Contrary to expectations, neither somatic effort¿investment in status, material resources, social capital, and maintenance/survival¿was aligned with reproductive effort, nor a clear tradeoff between current and future reproduction was evident. Finally, we examined the association of LH axes with seven high-order personality pathology traits: negative emotionality, impulsivity, antagonism, persistence-compulsivity, subordination, and psychoticism. Persistent and disinhibited subjects appeared as fast-restricted and fast-unrestricted strategists, respectively, whereas asocial subjects were slow strategists. Associations of LH traits with each other and with personality are far more complex than usually assumed in evolutionary psychology

La mejoría de la calidad de vida de las personas con fibromialgia requiere promover creencias de control propio del dolor y un afrontamiento activo

Resumen Introducción Las personas con fibromialgia refieren una notable interferencia de la enfermedad en su calidad de vida. A pesar de que los síntomas de la fibromialgia suelen seguir un curso crónico, la calidad de vida de las pacientes puede mejorar. Por consiguiente, la mejoría de la calidad de vida debería ser un objetivo terapéutico prioritario. El objetivo de este estudio longitudinal fue evaluar los determinantes de la calidad de vida en las pacientes con fibromialgia seis meses después de haber recibido un tratamiento multidisciplinario. Método En 40 pacientes seleccionadas consecutivamente se analizaron las variables previamente descritas como sólidos determinantes de la calidad de vida antes y seis meses después de realizar un tratamiento multidisciplinario. Se realizó un análisis de componentes principales del cambio observado en cada uno de estos determinantes y se analizó su relación con la mejoría de la calidad de vida mediante análisis de regresión multivariante. Resultados El análisis de los componentes principales observó 7 factores independientes que explicaron el 76.4% de la varianza entre sujetos del cambio en las variables clínicas evaluadas. Los análisis de regresión multivariantes mostraron que la mejoría en las distintas facetas de la calidad de vida dependió principalmente de las creencias favorables a la posibilidad de disminuir el dolor mediante recursos propios y de un afrontamiento activo que conllevara un incremento de la capacidad funcional subjetiva. Conclusiones Dada la cronicidad de los síntomas de la fibromialgia, la mejoría de la calidad de vida de las pacientes debería basarse en la promoción de las creencias de control del dolor y el incremento de la autoeficacia teniendo, no obstante, en cuenta el efecto a la vez negativo y positivo de la ayuda externa

A double-track pathway to fast strategy in humans and its personality correlates

The fast-slow paradigm of life history (LH) focuses on how individuals grow, mate, and reproduce at different paces. This paradigm can contribute substantially to the field of personality and individual differences provided that it is more strictly based on evolutionary biology than it has been so far. Our study tested the existence of a fast-slow continuum underlying indicators of reproductive effort-offspring output, age at first reproduction, number and stability of sexual partners-in 1,043 outpatients with healthy to severely disordered personalities. Two axes emerged reflecting a double-track pathway to fast strategy, based on restricted and unrestricted sociosexual strategies. When rotated, the fast-slow and sociosexuality axes turned out to be independent. Contrary to expectations, neither somatic effort-investment in status, material resources, social capital, and maintenance/survival-was aligned with reproductive effort, nor a clear tradeoff between current and future reproduction was evident. Finally, we examined the association of LH axes with seven high-order personality pathology traits: negative emotionality, impulsivity, antagonism, persistence-compulsivity, subordination, and psychoticism. Persistent and disinhibited subjects appeared as fast-restricted and fast-unrestricted strategists, respectively, whereas asocial subjects were slow strategists. Associations of LH traits with each other and with personality are far more complex than usually assumed in evolutionary psychology

Type 2 diabetes and cognitive impairment in an older population with overweight or obesity and metabolic syndrome: baseline cross-sectional analysis of the PREDIMED-plus study

This study cross-sectionally examines in the elderly population: (a) the association of type 2 diabetes with executive function (EF); (b) the effect of BMI on both type 2 diabetes and EF; (c) the association between glycaemia control and EF in type 2 diabetes. 6823 older individuals with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome participating in the PREDIMED-PLUS study, were assessed with a battery of cognitive tests and a medical interview. ANOVA showed a significantly worse performance on EF in type 2 diabetes vs. non-diabetic individuals. Two complementary models were displayed: (1) in the whole sample, the presence of type 2 diabetes, depressive symptoms and BMI had a direct negative effect on EF, while apnoea had an indirect negative effect; (2) in the diabetes subsample, higher illness duration was associated with worse performance in EF. Participants with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c<53 mmol/mol displayed better cognitive performance when compared to those with HbA1c≥53 mmol/mol. Our results provide a controlled comprehensive model that integrates relevant neuropsychological and physical variables in type 2 diabetes. The model suggests that, to improve treatment adherence and quality of life once diabetes has been diagnosed, cognitive decline prevention strategies need to be implemented while monitoring depressive symptoms, BMI and glycaemia control.This project is funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Spanish Government Official Agency for funding biomedical research - with competitive grants for the periods 2014–2016, 2015–2017, 2017–2019 and 2018–2020, through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund [grants: PI13/00673, PI13/00492, PI13/00272, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI13/00233, PI13/02184, PI13/00728 PI13/01090 PI13/01056, PI14/01722, PI14/00636, PI14/00618, PI14/00696, PI14/01206, PI14/01919, PI14/00853, PI14/01374, PI16/00473, PI16/00662, PI16/01873, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI16/00533, PI16/00381, PI16/00366, PI16/01522, PI16/01120, PI17/00764, PI17/01183, PI17/00855, PI17/01347, PI17/00525, PI17/01827, PI17/00532, PI17/00215, PI17/01441, PI17/00508, PI17/01732, PI17/00926] and the European Research Council [Advanced Research Grant 2014–2019; agreement #340918]. Additional grants: Acciones Especiales from ISCIIII, Consejería-Salud, Junta -Andalucía [PI0458/2013, PS0358/2016], Recercaixa-grant 2013 [2013ACUP00194], a SEMERGEN grant, International Nut & Dried Fruit Council – FESNAD No. 201302. Fundación Patrimonio Comunal Olivarero is providing the necessary amounts of olive oil. Nuts were initially and only partially provided by Pistachios Growers and Almond Board of California, for the pilot study. This research was also partially funded by EU-H2020 Grant (Eat2beNICE/H2020-SFS-2016–2; Ref 728018), PI14/00290 y PI17/1167(Co-funded by European Regional Development Fund, ERDF, a way to build Europe), PERIS (Generalitat de Catalunya, SLT006/17/00077), Grant PROMETEO/2017/017 (Generalitat Valenciana) and Grant FEA/SEA 2017 for Primary Care Research. We thank CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support. ML-M is supported by a predoctoral Grant of the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte (FPU15/02911). None of these funding sources plays any role in the design, collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data or in the decision to submit manuscripts for publication

Data_Sheet_1_The presence of anhedonia in individuals with subacute and chronic stroke: an exploratory cohort study.pdf

BackgroundAnhedonia refers to the diminished capacity to experience pleasure. It has been described both as a symptom of depression and an enduring behavioral trait that contributes its development. Specifically, in stroke patients, anhedonia has been closely linked to depression, resulting in reduced sensitivity to everyday pleasures and intrinsic motivation to engage in rehabilitation programs and maintain a healthy active lifestyle. This condition may hinder patients’ recovery, diminishing their autonomy, functioning, and quality of life.ObjectiveWe aimed to explore the prevalence and level of anhedonia and those variables that might be associated in patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke at subacute and chronic phases of the disease.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory cohort study with a sample of 125 patients with subacute and chronic stroke presenting upper-limb motor deficits. We measured participants’ level of anhedonia with four items from the Beck Depression Inventory-II that describe the symptoms of this condition: loss of pleasure, loss of interest, loss of energy, and loss of interest in sex. We also collected demographic and clinical information and evaluated motor and cognitive functions as well as levels of depression, apathy, and various mood states. The results were compared to a sample of 71 healthy participants of similar age, sex, and level of education.ResultsStroke patients demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence (18.5–19.7%) and level of anhedonia compared to the healthy controls (4.3%), regardless of stroke phase, level of motor impairment, and other clinical variables. Furthermore, post-stroke anhedonia was associated with lower levels of motivation and higher levels of negative mood states such as fatigue and anger in the long term. Importantly, anhedonia level was superior in stroke patients than in healthy controls while controlling for confounding effects of related emotional conditions.ConclusionThis study provides novel evidence on the prevalence, level and factors related to anhedonia post-stroke. We emphasize the importance of assessing and treating anhedonia in this population, as well as conducting large-scale cohort and longitudinal studies to test its influence on long-term functional and emotional recovery.</p

CALIMAS: Overview and current status of the Spanish Contribution to the SMOS CAL/VAL Activities

10th Specialist Meeting on Microwave Radiometry and Remote Sensing of the Environment, 11-14 March 2008, Florence, ItalyPeer reviewe

CALIMAS: CALibration - validation of CALIMAS (CAL Interferometric Microwave And Salinity) Products: Overview and current status

7th SMOS Science Workshop, 29-31 October 2007, Frascati, ItalyPeer reviewe

Effects of a psychosocial intervention at one-year follow-up in a PREDIMED-plus sample with obesity and metabolic syndrome

This study examines if overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms, and if these variables could be modified after 1 year of a multimodal intervention (diet, physical activity, psychosocial support). 342 adults (55-75 years) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus Cognition study were randomized to the intervention or to the control group (lifestyle recommendations). Cognitive and psychopathological assessments were performed at baseline and after 1-year follow-up. At baseline, higher impulsivity was linked to higher food addiction and depressive symptoms, but not to body mass index (BMI). Food addiction not only predicted higher BMI and depressive symptoms, but also achieved a mediational role between impulsivity and BMI/depressive symptoms. After 1 year, patients in both groups reported significant decreases in BMI, food addiction and impulsivity. BMI reduction and impulsivity improvements were higher in the intervention group. Higher BMI decrease was achieved in individuals with lower impulsivity. Higher scores in food addiction were also related to greater post-treatment impulsivity. To conclude, overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms in mid/old age individuals with MetS. Our results also highlight the modifiable nature of the studied variables and the interest of promoting multimodal interventions within this population.This project was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Spanish Government Official Agency for funding biomedical research—with competitive grants leaded by Jordi Salas-Salvadó and Josep Vidal for the periods 2014–2016, 2015–2017, 2017–2019 and 2018–2020, through the Fondo de Investigación para la Salud (FIS), which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund [grants: PI13/00233, PI13/00728, PI13/01123, PI13/00462, PI16/00533, PI16/00366, PI16/01094, PI16/00501, PI19/00017, PI19/00781, PI19/01032, PI19/00576]; the Especial Action Project entitled: Implementación y evaluación de una intervención intensiva sobre la actividad física Cohorte PREDIMED-Plus grant to Jordi Salas-Salvadó; the European Research Council [Advanced Research Grant 2014–2019; agreement #340918] granted to Miguel Ángel Martínez-González; the Recercaixa (number 2013ACUP00194) grant to Jordi Salas-Salvadó. This research was also partially funded by EU-H2020 Grants (Eat2beNICE/H2020-SFS-2016-2; Ref 728018; and PRIME/H2020-SC1-BHC-2018-2020; Ref: 847879) and Instituto Salud Carlos III (Fondo Investigación Sanitario, FIS: PI17/01167), Grant PROMETEO/2017/017 (Generalitat Valenciana) and Grant FEA/SEA 2017 for Primary Care Research. This work is also partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme