Does Human Experimental Endotoxemia Impact Negative Cognitions Related to the Self?

A role of inflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of depression is increasingly recognized. Experimental endotoxemia offers an established model to induce transient systemic inflammation in healthy humans, and has been proposed as an experimental paradigm of depression. Indeed, different symptoms of depression can be observed during experimental endotoxemia, including negative mood or dysthymia as key symptoms of depression. Hopelessness and low self-esteem constitute common cognitive symptoms in depression, but have not been specifically assessed during endotoxemia. Thus, we pooled data from healthy volunteers who received low-dose endotoxin (i.e., 0.4 or 0.8 ng/kg lipopolysaccharide, LPS) or placebo in three randomized, controlled studies to investigate the effects of LPS on cognitive schemata related to depression. Validated questionnaires were used to assess self-esteem, hopelessness and the vulnerability factor intolerance of uncertainty after intravenous injection of LPS or placebo. Plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 were repeatedly assessed, along with self-reported mood. Because not all questionnaires were available from primary studies, data were analyzed in two separate data sets: In data set 1, self-esteem and intolerance of uncertainty were assessed in N = 87 healthy volunteers, who randomly received either 0.4 or 0.8 ng/kg LPS or placebo. In data set 2, hopelessness was measured in N = 59 volunteers who randomly received either LPS (0.8 ng/kg) or placebo. In both data sets, LPS-application led to significant increases in TNF-α and IL-6, reflecting systemic inflammation. Positive mood was significantly decreased in response to LPS, in line with inflammation-induced mood impairment. General self-esteem, intolerance of uncertainty and hopelessness did not differ between LPS- and placebo groups, suggesting that these negative cognitive schemata are not responsive to acute LPS-induced systemic inflammation. Interestingly, LPS-treated volunteers reported significantly lower body-related self-esteem, which was associated with increased TNF-α concentration. Thus, certain aspects of self-esteem related to physical attractiveness and sportiness were reduced. It is conceivable that this effect is primarily related to physical sickness symptoms and reduced physical ability during experimental endotoxemia. With respect to cognitive symptoms of depression, it is conceivable that LPS affects cognitive processes, but not negative cognitive schemata, which are rather based on learning and repeated experiences

Parasoziale Interaktion, affektive Theory of Mind und emotionale Empathie bei Schizotypie

Die Theory of Mind (ToM) und Empathie werden als Kernkompetenzen sozialer Kognition und sozialer Interaktion gesehen. Während die kognitive Empathie, welche auch als affektive ToM bezeichnet wird, bei Personen mit einer Erkrankung aus dem schizophrenen Spektrum als beeinträchtigt gilt, scheint ihre Fähigkeit zur emotionalen Empathie intakt. Trotzdem berichten Schizophrenie-PatientInnen von Problemen in sozialen Interaktionen. In einer Querschnittstudie wurden beide Konstrukte zusammen mit der Parasozialen Interaktion (PSI), welche die Interaktion einer Medienfigur mit einem Zuschauer beschreibt, in Zusammenhang mit Schizotypie betrachtet. Sechsundvierzig Personen mit hohen (SPQ-Hoch) und 49 Personen mit niedrigen Schizotypiewerten (SPQ-Niedrig) im Alter von 18 bis 36 Jahren wurden untersucht. Bei der Erfassung der affektiven ToM mit dem „Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition” (MASC) zeigte die Gruppe SPQ-Hoch signifikant schlechtere Leistungen. Die PSI-Prozesse, welche nach der Darbietung eines positiven, eines neutralen und eines negativen Kurzfilmes erfasst wurden, waren signifikant höher in der Gruppe SPQ-Hoch. Unter der neutralen Filmbedingung wurde eine signifikante Korrelation von MASC-Leistungen und PSI-Prozessen gefunden. Auf der Skala „Personal Distress“ des Saarbrücker Persönlichkeitsfragebogen (SPF) wiesen Personen der Gruppe SPQ-Hoch signifikant höhere Werte auf. Gleiche Werte in den Gruppen zeigten sich für die „Empathic Concern“-Skala des SPF und für den Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET), welcher die verhaltensbasierte emotionale Empathie erhob. Einheitliche Korrelationen der emotionalen Empathie mit der PSI fanden sich nicht. Personen mit hohen Schizotypiewerten hatten höhere PSI-Werte bei einer beeinträchtigten affektiven ToM und einer intakten emotionalen Empathie. Eindeutige Verbindungen der Konstrukte zur PSI konnten hierbei nicht gezeigt werden.Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy are supposed to be crucial elements of social cognition and social functioning. While impairments of cognitive empathy, known as affective ToM, are reported within the schizophrenia spectrum, emotional empathy seems to be unaffected. Nevertheless people with schizophrenia report issues with social interactions. In the present study both constructs were investigated with Parasocial Interaction (PSI), which is the interaction between a fictive figure and a spectator, in connection with schizotypy. Forty six participants with high rated (SPQ-high) and 49 participants with low rated schizotypy traits (SPQ-low) between 18 and 36 years were tested in a cross-sectional study. Affective ToM, which was measured by the “Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition” (MASC), was lower in the SPQ-high group. The PSI was measured after displaying one positive, one neutral and one negative short-film. The SPQ-high group showed higher PSI under all conditions. Impaired affective ToM was positive related to PSI under the neutral film condition. While the SPQ-high group scored higher on the “personal distress”-scale of the Saarbrücker Persönlichkeitsfragebogen (SPF), differences in the SPF’s “empathic concern” and “Mutlifaceted Empathy Test” (MET), which assessed performance-based empathy, were not shown. Consistent correlations between PSI and emotional empathy were not found. PSI was higher for people with high scores of schizotypy, while affective ToM was shown to be impaired and emotional empathy was intact. A distinct relationship between affective ToM and PSI and emotional empathy and PSI was not observed

Cognitive Correlates of Different Mentalizing Abilities in Individuals with High and Low Trait Schizotypy: Findings from an Extreme-Group Design

Mentalizing or Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits in schizophrenia have been studied to great extent, but studies involving samples of trait schizotypy yield ambiguous results. Executive functions like cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and agency are all prerequisites of mentalizing, and it is assumed that the impairment of these functions contributes to ToM deficits in schizophrenia. Whether these impairments influence the ToM performance of people with high trait schizotypy remains unclear. Although impaired self-agency has repeatedly been identified in people with schizotypy, its role in mentalizing is yet to be investigated. The main aim of this study was to explore whether deficits in cognitive and affective ToM can be found in high trait schizotypy, and to identify in what way these deficits are related to the positive and negative dimensions of schizotypy. The secondary aim was to examine whether these deficits correlate with executive functions. Based on the dimensional view of the schizophrenia spectrum, an extreme-group design was applied to non-clinical volunteers demonstrating high (N = 39) and low (N = 47) trait schizotypy. Affective and cognitive ToM were investigated using the Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition, a sensitive and video-based measurement. Cognitive inhibition was assessed using the Stroop Test, and cognitive flexibility was analyzed using the Trail-Making Test. Agency was measured using a computerized self-agency paradigm. Participants in the high-schizotypy group performed significantly worse in the affective ToM task (d = 0.79), and their overall ToM performance was significantly impaired (d = 0.60). No between-group differences were found with regards to cognitive ToM, executive functions, and self-agency. Cognitive flexibility correlated negatively with positive schizotypy, and contributed to a worse overall and affective ToM. Impaired cognitive inhibition contributed to undermentalizing-type errors. It was found that non-clinical participants with high trait (positive) schizotypy – especially those with slight executive-function deficits – may have difficulties in understanding the emotional state of others and consequently in functioning in social situations

The first generation of Virgo cluster dwarf elliptical galaxies?

Original article can be found at: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/apjl Copyright American Astronomical Society DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/706/1/L124 [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]In the light of the question whether most early-type dwarf (dE) galaxies in clusters formed through infall and transformation of late-type progenitors, we search for an imprint of such an infall history in the oldest, most centrally concentrated dE subclass of the Virgo cluster: the nucleated dEs that show no signatures of disks or central residual star formation. We select dEs in a (projected) region around the central elliptical galaxies, and subdivide them by their line-of-sight velocity into fast-moving and slow-moving ones. These subsamples turn out to have significantly different shapes: while the fast dEs are relatively flat objects, the slow dEs are nearly round. Likewise, when subdividing the central dEs by their projected axial ratio into flat and round ones, their distributions of line-of-sight velocities differ significantly: the flat dEs have a broad, possibly two-peaked distribution, whereas the round dEs show a narrow single peak. We conclude that the round dEs probably are on circularized orbits, while the flat dEs are still on more eccentric or radial orbits typical for an infalling population. In this picture, the round dEs would have resided in the cluster already for a long time, or would even be a cluster-born species, explaining their nearly circular orbits. They would thus be the first generation of Virgo cluster dEs. Their shape could be caused by dynamical heating through repeated tidal interactions. Further investigations through stellar population measurements and studies of simulated galaxy clusters would be desirable to obtain definite conclusions on their origin.Peer reviewe

Cognitive Correlates of Different Mentalizing Abilities in Individuals with High and Low Trait Schizotypy: Findings from an Extreme-Group Design

Mentalizing or Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits in schizophrenia have been studied to great extent, but studies involving samples of trait schizotypy yield ambiguous results. Executive functions like cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and agency are all prerequisites of mentalizing, and it is assumed that the impairment of these functions contributes to ToM deficits in schizophrenia. Whether these impairments influence the ToM performance of people with high trait schizotypy remains unclear. Although impaired self-agency has repeatedly been identified in people with schizotypy, its role in mentalizing is yet to be investigated. The main aim of this study was to explore whether deficits in cognitive and affective ToM can be found in high trait schizotypy, and to identify in what way these deficits are related to the positive and negative dimensions of schizotypy. The secondary aim was to examine whether these deficits correlate with executive functions. Based on the dimensional view of the schizophrenia spectrum, an extreme-group design was applied to non-clinical volunteers demonstrating high (N = 39) and low (N = 47) trait schizotypy. Affective and cognitive ToM were investigated using the Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition, a sensitive and video-based measurement. Cognitive inhibition was assessed using the Stroop Test, and cognitive flexibility was analyzed using the Trail-Making Test. Agency was measured using a computerized self-agency paradigm. Participants in the high-schizotypy group performed significantly worse in the affective ToM task (d = 0.79), and their overall ToM performance was significantly impaired (d = 0.60). No between-group differences were found with regards to cognitive ToM, executive functions, and self-agency. Cognitive flexibility correlated negatively with positive schizotypy, and contributed to a worse overall and affective ToM. Impaired cognitive inhibition contributed to undermentalizing-type errors. It was found that non-clinical participants with high trait (positive) schizotypy – especially those with slight executive-function deficits – may have difficulties in understanding the emotional state of others and consequently in functioning in social situations.© 2017 Kocsis-Bogár, Kotulla, Maier, Voracek and Hennig-Fas