EFFECTS OF A SHORT-TERM MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION ON DEPRESSION AND IMMUNE FUNCTION

Pro-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathophysiology and maintenance of depression. This study investigated the effects of a short mindfulness intervention on pro-inflammatory correlates of depression (IL-6 and TNF-α) and selfreported psychological health. Sixty-four college females were assigned to a four-week mindfulness training group or a contact-control group. Cytokines and psychological health were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up (mindfulness group only). IL-6 and TNF-α significantly decreased from baseline to post-treatment in the mindfulness group only; these changes were sustained at 3-month follow-up. No between-group differences in psychological health emerged. Although reductions in proinflammatory cytokines in the mindfulness condition were not attributable to psychological changes, they may serve to protect against the development of future depressive episodes

APPLYING COMMERCIAL PROCEDURES AND TECHNOLOGY TO NAVY AUDIT READINESS

The Department of the Navy (DON) does not have sufficient record keeping, processes, or controls in place for the management of physical assets, and this has a negative impact on our readiness. There are multiple technologies available, which have demonstrated inventory accuracy improvement. We address current practices, current regulations, and possible alternatives that could be implemented to improve compliance with applicable directives and inventory accuracy. We conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine which of these methods are feasible and provide recommendations on implementing the technologies.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

The Rewarding Nature of Provocation-Focused Rumination in Women with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Preliminary fMRI Investigation

Background: Understanding why individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) ruminate on prior provocations, despite its negative outcomes, is crucial to improving interventions. Provocation-focused rumination may be rewarding in the short term by amplifying anger and producing feelings of justification, validation, and increased energy, while reducing self-directed negative affect. If provocation-focused rumination is utilized regularly as a rewarding emotion regulation strategy, it could result in increased activation in reward-related neural regions. The present pilot study examined neural correlates of provocation-focused rumination, relative to other forms of thought, in BPD. Method: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was utilized to examine this theory in a pilot study of women diagnosed with BPD (n = 13) and healthy controls (n = 16). All participants received highly critical feedback on a previously written essay in the scanner, followed by prompts to engage in provocation-focused, self-focused, and neutral thought. Results: Whole-brain analyses showed that in response to the provocation, participants with BPD (compared to controls) demonstrated increased activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). BPD participants also showed greater activation in the dorsomedial PFC during provocation-focused rumination (relative to neutral-focus). Subsequent ROI analyses revealed that provocation-focused rumination (compared to neutral-focus) increased activation in the nucleus accumbens for the BPD group only. Conclusions: These findings, while preliminary due to the small sample size and limitations of the protocol, provide initial data consistent with the proposed neurobiological mechanism promoting provocation-focused rumination in BPD. Directions for further research are discussed

Physiological response to reward and extinction predicts alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use two years later

Physiological responses to reward and extinction are believed to represent the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) constructs of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and underlie externalizing behaviors, including substance use. However, little research has examined these relations directly

Physiological response to reward and extinction predicts alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use two years later

Physiological responses to reward and extinction are believed to represent the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) constructs of Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and underlie externalizing behaviors, including substance use. However, little research has examined these relations directly

The rewarding nature of provocation-focused rumination in women with borderline personality disorder: a preliminary fMRI investigation

Abstract Background Understanding why individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) ruminate on prior provocations, despite its negative outcomes, is crucial to improving interventions. Provocation-focused rumination may be rewarding in the short term by amplifying anger and producing feelings of justification, validation, and increased energy, while reducing self-directed negative affect. If provocation-focused rumination is utilized regularly as a rewarding emotion regulation strategy, it could result in increased activation in reward-related neural regions. The present pilot study examined neural correlates of provocation-focused rumination, relative to other forms of thought, in BPD. Method Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was utilized to examine this theory in a pilot study of women diagnosed with BPD (n = 13) and healthy controls (n = 16). All participants received highly critical feedback on a previously written essay in the scanner, followed by prompts to engage in provocation-focused, self-focused, and neutral thought. Results Whole-brain analyses showed that in response to the provocation, participants with BPD (compared to controls) demonstrated increased activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). BPD participants also showed greater activation in the dorsomedial PFC during provocation-focused rumination (relative to neutral-focus). Subsequent ROI analyses revealed that provocation-focused rumination (compared to neutral-focus) increased activation in the nucleus accumbens for the BPD group only. Conclusions These findings, while preliminary due to the small sample size and limitations of the protocol, provide initial data consistent with the proposed neurobiological mechanism promoting provocation-focused rumination in BPD. Directions for further research are discussed

Characterization and mapping of retr04, retr05 and retr06 broad-spectrum resistances to Turnip mosaic virus in Brassica juncea, and the development of robust methods for utilizing recalcitrant genotyping data

Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) induces disease in susceptible hosts, notably impacting cultivation of important crop species of the Brassica genus. Few effective plant viral disease management strategies exist with the majority of current approaches aiming to mitigate the virus indirectly through control of aphid vector species. Multiple sources of genetic resistance to TuMV have been identified previously, although the majority are strain-specific and have not been exploited commercially. Here, two Brassica juncea lines (TWBJ14 and TWBJ20) with resistance against important TuMV isolates (UK 1, vVIR24, CDN 1, and GBR 6) representing the most prevalent pathotypes of TuMV (1, 3, 4, and 4, respectively) and known to overcome other sources of resistance, have been identified and characterized. Genetic inheritance of both resistances was determined to be based on a recessive two-gene model. Using both single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and genotyping by sequencing (GBS) methods, quantitative trait loci (QTL) analyses were performed using first backcross (BC1) genetic mapping populations segregating for TuMV resistance. Pairs of statistically significant TuMV resistance-associated QTLs with additive interactive effects were identified on chromosomes A03 and A06 for both TWBJ14 and TWBJ20 material. Complementation testing between these B. juncea lines indicated that one resistance-linked locus was shared. Following established resistance gene nomenclature for recessive TuMV resistance genes, these new resistance-associated loci have been termed retr04 (chromosome A06, TWBJ14, and TWBJ20), retr05 (A03, TWBJ14), and retr06 (A03, TWBJ20). Genotyping by sequencing data investigated in parallel to robust SNP array data was highly suboptimal, with informative data not established for key BC1 parental samples. This necessitated careful consideration and the development of new methods for processing compromised data. Using reductive screening of potential markers according to allelic variation and the recombination observed across BC1 samples genotyped, compromised GBS data was rendered functional with near-equivalent QTL outputs to the SNP array data. The reductive screening strategy employed here offers an alternative to methods relying upon imputation or artificial correction of genotypic data and may prove effective for similar biparental QTL mapping studies

The effects of intranasal oxytocin on reward circuitry responses in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background Intranasal oxytocin (OT) has been shown to improve social communication functioning of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and, thus, has received considerable interest as a potential ASD therapeutic agent. Although preclinical research indicates that OT modulates the functional output of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system that processes rewards, no clinical brain imaging study to date has examined the effects of OT on this system using a reward processing paradigm. To address this, we used an incentive delay task to examine the effects of a single dose of intranasal OT, versus placebo (PLC), on neural responses to social and nonsocial rewards in children with ASD. Methods In this placebo-controlled double-blind study, 28 children and adolescents with ASD (age: M = 13.43 years, SD = 2.36) completed two fMRI scans, one after intranasal OT administration and one after PLC administration. During both scanning sessions, participants completed social and nonsocial incentive delay tasks. Task-based neural activation and connectivity were examined to assess the impact of OT relative to PLC on mesocorticolimbic brain responses to social and nonsocial reward anticipation and outcomes. Results Central analyses compared the OT and PLC conditions. During nonsocial reward anticipation, there was greater activation in the right nucleus accumbens (NAcc), left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), bilateral orbital frontal cortex (OFC), left superior frontal cortex, and right frontal pole (FP) during the OT condition relative to PLC. Alternatively, during social reward anticipation and outcomes, there were no significant increases in brain activation during the OT condition relative to PLC. A Treatment Group × Reward Condition interaction revealed relatively greater activation in the right NAcc, right caudate nucleus, left ACC, and right OFC during nonsocial relative to social reward anticipation during the OT condition relative to PLC. Additionally, these analyses revealed greater activation during nonsocial reward outcomes during the OT condition relative to PLC in the right OFC and left FP. Finally, functional connectivity analyses generally revealed changes in frontostriatal connections during the OT condition relative to PLC in response to nonsocial, but not social, rewards. Conclusions The effects of intranasal OT administration on mesocorticolimbic brain systems that process rewards in ASD were observable primarily during the processing of nonsocial incentive salience stimuli. These findings have implications for understanding the effects of OT on neural systems that process rewards, as well as for experimental trials of novel ASD treatments developed to ameliorate social communication impairments in ASD

Early Life Abuse Moderates the Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Symptoms of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Preliminary Evidence From a Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background: Although intranasal oxytocin (OXT) has been proposed to be a promising treatment for some psychiatric disorders, little research has addressed individual difference factors that may predict response to OXT. One such factor is early life abuse (ELA), which has widespread influences on social-emotional processing and behavior. This single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial examined the role of ELA in shaping the effects of intranasal OXT (vs. placebo) on daily behavioral symptoms in women with three or more prospectively-diagnosed cycling symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).Methods: Participants were ten women with PMDD (n = 8) or subthreshold PMDD (n = 2), who had experienced ELA prior to age 13 (n = 5) or no ELA (n = 5). They completed two study visits during the late luteal (premenstrual) phase: once following administration of intranasal OXT and once following intranasal placebo (counterbalanced). Participants then self-administered OXT or placebo at home three times per day for 5 days or until menstrual onset, and prospectively rated daily emotional symptoms of PMDD. Power was adequate to detect medium main and interactive effects.Results: Among women with ELA, intranasal OXT (vs. placebo) increased the premenstrual emotional symptoms of PMDD, whereas among women without ELA, OXT decreased symptoms.Conclusion: This study adds to a growing literature highlighting the importance of considering historical social contexts and traits (such as ELA) as moderators of therapeutic response to OXT

A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of \u3cem\u3eN\u3c/em\u3e-Acetylcysteine for Cannabis Use Disorder in Adults

Background—Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is a prevalent and impairing condition, and established psychosocial treatments convey limited efficacy. In light of recent findings supporting the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for CUD in adolescents, the objective of this trial was to evaluate its efficacy in adults. Methods—In a 12-week double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, treatment-seeking adults ages 18–50 with CUD (N=302), enrolled across six National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network-affiliated clinical sites, were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a 12-week course of NAC 1200 mg (n=153) or placebo (n=149) twice daily. All participants received contingency management (CM) and medical management. The primary efficacy measure was the odds of negative urine cannabinoid tests during treatment, compared between NAC and placebo participants. Results—There was not statistically significant evidence that the NAC and placebo groups differed in cannabis abstinence (odds ratio = 1.00, 95% confidence interval 0.63 – 1.59; p=0.984). Overall, 22.3% of urine cannabinoid tests in the NAC group were negative, compared with 22.4% in the placebo group. Many participants were medication non-adherent; exploratory analysis within medication-adherent subgroups revealed no significant differential abstinence outcomes by treatment group. Conclusions—In contrast with prior findings in adolescents, there is no evidence that NAC 1200 mg twice daily plus CM is differentially efficacious for CUD in adults when compared to placebo plus CM. This discrepant finding between adolescents and adults with CUD may have been influenced by differences in development, cannabis use profiles, responses to embedded behavioral treatment, medication adherence, and other factors