A proposal of a new methodology for best location of environmentally sustainable roads infrastructures. Validation along the Fabriano-Muccia road

El trabajo contempla la creación de un modelo para definir la mejor localización en el territorio de nuevos proyectos de infraestructuras viarias y su convalidación en una carretera que forma parte de un proyecto de gran envergadura denominado Cuadrilátero Marcas-Umbría, en vías de realización. El objetivo del trabajo consiste en la puesta a punto de una herramienta ágil y versátil, capaz de sopesar, interpretándolos de forma correlacionada, los distintos aspectos de carácter medioambiental, socioeconómico, técnico y operativo, ligados a la construcción de una obra viaria. Se ha prestado especial atención a las dinámicas de uso y consumo de los hábitats naturales y a las problemáticas vinculadas a los fenómenos de fragmentación ecológica provocados por la red viaria y los asentamientos. La metodología que se ha puesto a punto prevé la recogida y la implementación, dentro de un sistema de información territorial dedicado, de un amplio abanico de datos capaces de definir las características peculiares del ámbito que es objeto del estudio, posteriormente interpretados y reconducidos a síntesis mediante la aplicación de una serie de indicadores específicos. Los indicadores definidos se incorporan posteriormente mediante la aplicación de técnicas de análisis multicriterio para definir un índice de evaluación sintético capaz de estimar de forma correlacionada la sensibilidad del territorio ante la introducción de nuevas infraestructuras viarias. Para convalidar la metodología, los índices propuestos se han aplicado a un área de estudio donde se está construyendo una infraestructura viaria de importancia considerable para las conexiones transversales de Italia central

Impulsivities and Parkinson's disease: delay aversion is not worsened by Deep Brain Stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), but can exert detrimental effects on impulsivity. These effects are especially related to the inability to slow down when high-conflict choices have to be made. However, the influence that DBS has on delay aversion is still under-investigated. Here, we tested a group of 21 PD patients on and off stimulation (off medication) by using the Cambridge Gamble Task (CGT), a computerized task that allows the investigation of risk-related behaviours and delay aversion, and psychological questionnaires such as the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the Sensitivity to Punishment and to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), and the Quick Delay Questionnaire (QDQ). We found that delay aversion scores on the CGT were no higher when patients were on stimulation as compared to when they were off stimulation. In contrast, PD patients reported feeling more impulsive in the off stimulation state, as revealed by significantly higher scores on the BIS. Higher scores on the sensitivity to punishment subscale of the SPSRQ highlighted that possible punishments influence patients' behaviours more than possible rewards. Significant correlations between delay aversion scores on the CGT and QDQ delay aversion subscale suggest that these two instruments can be used in synergy to reach a convergent validity. In conclusion, our results show that not all impulsivities are detrimentally affected by DBS of the STN and that the joint use of experimental paradigms and psychological questionnaires can provide useful insights in the study of impulsivity

Impulsivities and Parkinson's Disease: Delay Aversion Is Not Worsened by Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) improves motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), but can exert detrimental effects on impulsivity. These effects are especially related to the inability to slow down when high-conflict choices have to be made. However, the influence that DBS has on delay aversion is still under-investigated. Here, we tested a group of 21 PD patients on and off stimulation (off medication) by using the Cambridge Gamble Task (CGT), a computerized task that allows the investigation of risk-related behaviours and delay aversion, and psychological questionnaires such as the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the Sensitivity to Punishment and to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), and the Quick Delay Questionnaire (QDQ). We found that delay aversion scores on the CGT were no higher when patients were on stimulation as compared to when they were off stimulation. In contrast, PD patients reported feeling more impulsive in the off stimulation state, as revealed by significantly higher scores on the BIS. Higher scores on the sensitivity to punishment subscale of the SPSRQ highlighted that possible punishments influence patients' behaviours more than possible rewards. Significant correlations between delay aversion scores on the CGT and QDQ delay aversion subscale suggest that these two instruments can be used in synergy to reach a convergent validity. In conclusion, our results show that not all impulsivities are detrimentally affected by DBS of the STN and that the joint use of experimental paradigms and psychological questionnaires can provide useful insights in the study of impulsivity.status: publishe

Awareness of space mediates crossed-hands analgesia

Crossing the hands over the midline reduces the perceived intensity of nociceptive stimuli applied onto the hands. It is unclear how much of this effect relies on the representation of the space surrounding our body. Here we used the crossed hands paradigm in patients with unilateral spatial neglect, a neuropsychological condition characterized by the inability to detect, attend and respond to contralesional (most often left) stimuli, as consequence of a brain damage affecting spatial attention and representation. Importantly, neglect patients have a spared ability to process stimuli in the non-affected space, as such providing the model to investigate the effect of space representation in nociceptive processing. Thirty patients with brain damage (16 with spared representation of space, who acted as controls, and 14 with spatial deficits) rated mechanical punctate pinprick stimuli applied onto the crossed or uncrossed hands. We hypothesized that if the so-called ‘crossed-hands analgesia’ is based on representation on space patients with unilateral spatial neglect would not show any reduction of the perceived intensity of the stimuli when applied onto the crossing hands. In line with this hypothesis, we observed the ‘crossed-hands analgesia’ effect in patients with brain damage but spared representation of space, but not in neglect patients, that instead perceived as more intense stimuli applied onto the left contralesional hand when the hand was positioned in the right healthy space. These results indicate that space representation plays a fundamental role in the processing of nociceptive stimuli

Neurobiological features and response to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with breast cancer

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common invasive types of cancer among women, with important consequences on both physical and psychological functioning. Patients with BC have a great risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but few studies have evaluated the efficacy of psychological interventions to treat it. Furthermore, no neuroimaging studies have evaluated the neurobiological effects of psychotherapeutic treatment for BC-related PTSD. Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) as compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU) in BC patients with PTSD, identifying by electroencephalography (EEG) the neurophysiological changes underlying treatments effect and their correlation with clinical symptoms. Method: Thirty patients with BC and PTSD diagnosis were included, receiving either EMDR (n = 15) or TAU (n = 15). Patients were assessed before and after treatments with clinical questionnaires and EEG. The proportion of patients who no longer meet criteria for PTSD after the intervention and changes in clinical scores, both between and within groups, were evaluated. Two-sample permutation t-tests among EEG channels were performed to investigate differences in power spectral density between groups. Pearson correlation analysis was carried out between power bands and clinical scores. Results: At post-treatment, all patients treated with EMDR no longer met criteria for PTSD, while all patients treated with TAU maintained the diagnosis. A significant decrease in depressive symptoms was found only in the EMDR group, while anxiety remained stable in all patients. EEG results corroborated these findings, showing significant differences in delta and theta bands in left angular and right fusiform gyri only in the EMDR group. Conclusions: It is essential to detect PTSD symptoms in patients with BC, in order to offer proper interventions. The efficacy of EMDR therapy in reducing cancer-related PTSD is supported by both clinical and neurobiological findings

Results on the psychological questionnaires.

<p><i>Upper panel</i>: Patients reported lower scores of impulsivity when on stimulation. AI, attentional impulsivity; MI, motor impulsivity; NPI, non-planning impulsivity. <i>Middle panel:</i> patients obtained higher scores of sensitivity to punishment than to reward independently of the condition of stimulation. SP, sensitivity to punishment; SR, sensitivity to reward. <i>Lower panel:</i> No differences emerged on the QDQ; DA, delay aversion; DD, delay discounting. Please note that unlike the previous two questionnaires, higher scores on the QDQ reflect a lower tendency to impulsivity.</p

Summary of results on the Cambridge Gamble Task (CGT).

<p>Stimulation did not affect the performance in any of the variables of interest. The purple bars and dashed line summarize the results in the off stimulation condition; the green bars and solid line those in the on stimulation condition.</p

Correlation of delay aversion scores on the Cambridge Gamble Task (CGT) and delay aversion scores on the Quick Delay Questionnaire (QDQ) in the on stimulation condition.

<p>A significant negative correlation was found (r = −0.626 p = 0.029) suggesting that higher scores of delay aversion on the CGT were correlated to more negative feelings when waiting for rewards.</p