Psychological factors and consequences of psychosocial stress during the pandemic

The aim: Study of psychological factors and consequences of psychosocial stress which is formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: In the research, we used methods: developed a common, assessment of psychosocial stress L. Reeder scale, assessment of distress R.Kessler, assessment of the presence of manifestations of anxiety-depressive response GAD-7, depression self-assessment scale PHQ-9, method of assessing neuropsychological adaptation I. Gurvich, assessment of psychosocial support D. Ziemet, the scale of assessment of family anxiety E. Eidemiller, W. Justickis, strategies for stress-coping behavior E. Heim, methods of assessing the quality of life A.A. Pushkarev, N.G. Arinchina (2000). The current factors of the impact of coronavirus on the mental state of the population have been investigated. The study involved 823 citizens of Ukraine, who filled out the developed Google form. Results:Threats of coronavirus disease, violation of the usual life stereotype, restriction of leisure activity, harmful interest in news about the pandemic, usage of tobacco plays an important role in the mechanisms of distress formation. These conditions raise the risk of increased stress, anxiety and depression. Conclusions: The investigations carried out suggested that the quarantine restrictions could be predisposing factors for mental health impairments. Under these conditions, risks of increased stress pressure, anxiety, and depression are rising. Measures on psycho-prevention should be performed on the base of the regularities identified

Online education in Russia: status and development trends

The online education market is showing growth and strengthening of its position as a business area not only in Russia, but also all over the world, increasing the industry growth rate up to 20% per year. The main and significant jump occurred because of the active transition to online due to the covid-19 quarantine restrictions. The purpose of this work is to study the online education system in Russia and determine the prospects for the development of this industry. The tasks of the research include comparing online education with the offline sphere, analyzing popular categories in online education and forecasting the dynamics of market development, taking into account the influence of the revenue of online education companies. The main methods used in the work: data analysis and comparison. Based on the results of the study, the main conclusions were obtained: every year there is an increase in investments in the field of online education, large companies buy promising projects. Based on the correlation-regression model of the dependence of the period under study on the volume of the online education market in Russia, a forecast for the coming years has been made. The most popular areas of study: foreign languages, IT and marketing. The year 2020 allowed the industry to increase its performance more than it was predicted, and by 2021, the revenue is expected to increase to 73 billion rubles

Individual Differences in Behavioural Despair Predict Brain GSK-3beta Expression in Mice: The Power of a Modified Swim Test

While deficient brain plasticity is a well-established pathophysiologic feature of depression, little is known about disorder-associated enhanced cognitive processing. Here, we studied a novel mouse paradigm that potentially models augmented learning of adverse memories during development of a depressive-like state. We used a modification of the classic two-day protocol of a mouse Porsolt test with an additional session occurring on Day 5 following the initial exposure. Unexpectedly, floating behaviour and brain glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3beta) mRNA levels, a factor of synaptic plasticity as well as a marker of distress and depression, were increased during the additional swimming session that was prevented by imipramine. Observed increases of GSK-3beta mRNA in prefrontal cortex during delayed testing session correlated with individual parameters of behavioural despair that was not found in the classic Porsolt test. Repeated swim exposure was accompanied by a lower pGSK-3beta/GSK-3beta ratio. A replacement of the second or the final swim sessions with exposure to the context of testing resulted in increased GSK-3beta mRNA level similar to the effects of swimming, while exclusion of the second testing prevented these changes. Together, our findings implicate the activation of brain GSK-3beta expression in enhanced contextual conditioning of adverse memories, which is associated with an individual susceptibility to a depressive syndrome

Thiamine and benfotiamine improve cognition and ameliorate GSK-3β-associated stressinduced behaviours in mice

Thiamine deficiency in the brain has been implicated in the development of dementia and symptoms of depression. Indirect evidence suggests that thiamine may contribute to these pathologies by controlling the activities of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β. While decreased GSK- 3β activity appears to impair memory, increased GSK-3β activity is associated with the distressed/depressed state. However, direct evidence for the effects of thiamine on GSK-3β function were not have not been reported. Here, we administered thiamine or, the more bioavailable precursor, benfotiamine at 200 mg/kg/day for 2 weeks to C57BL/6J mice, to determine whether treatment might affect behaviours that are known to be sensitive to GSK-3β activity and whether such administration impacts on GSK-3β expression within the brain. The mice were tested in models of contextual conditioning and extinction, a 5-day rat exposure stress test, and a modified swim test with repeated testing. Imipramine (7.5 mg/kg/day) was administered as a positive control for thiamine or benfotiamine. As for imipramine, both compounds inhibited the upregulation of GSK-3β induced by predator stress or repeated swimming, and reduced floating scores and the predator stress-induced behavioural changes in anxiety and exploration. Coincident, thiamine and benfotiamine improved learning and extinction of contextual fear, and the acquisition of the step-down avoidance task. Together, our data indicate that thiamine and benfotiamine have antidepressant/anti-stress effects in naïve animals that are associated with reduced GSK-3β expression. Importantly, the treatment also had pro-cognitive actions despite the impact on GSK-3β activity

Elucidating the functions of brain GSK3α: possible synergy with GSK3β upregulation and reversal by antidepressant treatment in a mouse model of depressive-like behaviour

positively correlated with floating behavior on the third test. A twoweek- long pretreatment regime with imipramine (7.5 mg/kg/day) or thiamine (200 mg/kg/day), which is known to have antidepressant properties, reduced the GSK3β over-expression and decreased floating behavior on Day 5. GSK3α mRNA levels were measured in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex on Days 1, 2 and 5. GSK3α expression was decreased in the prefrontal cortex on Day 2 and increased on Day 5. In this model, GSK3α mRNA changes were prevented by imipramine or thiamine treatment. There was a significant correlation between the expression of the two isoforms in the prefrontal cortex on Day 2 in untreated group. These results provide the first evidence for the potential involvement of GSK3α in depressive-like behaviours and as a target of anti-depressant therapy. Furthermore, the correlations suggest some cross-talk may exist between the two GSK3 isoforms

Autism-like behaviours and memory deficits result from a Western Diet in mice

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, induced by a Western diet (WD), evokes central and peripheral inflammation that is accompanied by altered emotionality. These changes can be associated with abnormalities in social behaviour, hippocampus-dependent cognitive functions, and metabolism. Female C57BL/6J mice were fed with a regular chow or with a WD containing 0.2% of cholesterol and 21% of saturated fat for three weeks. WD-treated mice exhibited increased social avoidance, crawl-over and digging behaviours, decreased body-body contacts, and hyperlocomotion. The WD-fed group also displayed deficits in hippocampal-dependent performance such as contextual memory in a fear conditioning and pellet displacement paradigms. A reduction in glucose tolerance and elevated levels of serum cholesterol and leptin were also associated with the WD. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PPARGC1a) mRNA, a marker of mitochondrial activity, was decreased in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and dorsal raphe, suggesting suppressed brain mitochondrial functions, but not in the liver. This is the first report to show that a WD can profoundly suppress social interactions and induce dominant-like behaviours in naïve adult mice. The spectrum of behaviours that were found to be induced are reminiscent of symptoms associated with autism, and, if paralleled in humans, suggest that a WD might exacerbate autism spectrum disorder