Impaired regulation of emotion: Neural correlates of reappraisal and distraction in bipolar disorder and unaffected relatives

Deficient emotion regulation has been proposed as a crucial pathological mechanism in bipolar disorder (BD). We therefore investigated emotion regulation impairments in BD, the related neural underpinnings and their etiological relevance for the disorder. Twenty-two euthymic patients with bipolar-I disorder and 17 unaffected first-degree relatives of BD-I patients, as well as two groups of healthy gender-, age- and education-matched controls (N=22/17, respectively) were included. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while applying two different emotion regulation techniques, reappraisal and distraction, when presented with emotional images. BD patients and relatives showed impaired downregulation of amygdala activity during reappraisal, but not during distraction, when compared with controls. This deficit was correlated with the habitual use of reappraisal. The negative connectivity of amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) observed during reappraisal in controls was reversed in BD patients and relatives. There were no significant differences between BD patients and relatives. As being observed in BD patients and unaffected relatives, deficits in emotion regulation through reappraisal may represent heritable neurobiological abnormalities underlying BD. The neural mechanisms include impaired control of amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli and dysfunctional connectivity of the amygdala to regulatory control regions in the OFC. These are, thus, important aspects of the neurobiological basis of increased vulnerability for BD

Does Reviewing Lead to Better Learning and Decision Making? Answers from a Randomized Stock Market Experiment

status: publishe

Bipolar disorder: A neural network perspective on a disorder of emotion and motivation

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe, chronic disease with a heritability of 60–80%. BD is frequently misdiagnosed due to phenomenological overlap with other psychopathologies, an important issue that calls for the identification of biological and psychological vulnerability and disease markers. Altered structural and functional connectivity, mainly between limbic and prefrontal brain areas, have been proposed to underlie emotional and motivational dysregulation in BD and might represent relevant vulnerability and disease markers. In the present laboratory review we discuss functional and structural neuroimaging findings on emotional and motivational dysregulation from our research group in BD patients and healthy individuals at risk to develop BD. As a main result of our studies, we observed altered orbitofrontal and limbic activity and reduced connectivity between dorsal prefrontal and limbic brain regions, as well as reduced integrity of fiber tracts connecting prefrontal and subcortical brain structures in BD patients and high-risk individuals. Our results provide novel insights into pathophysiological mechanisms of bipolar disorder. The current laboratory review provides a specific view of our group on altered brain connectivity and underlying psychological processes in bipolar disorder based on our own work, integrating relevant findings from others. Thereby we attempt to advance neuropsychobiological models of BD

Quality Control of Statistical Learning Environments and Prediction of Learning Outcomes through Reproducible Computing

This article introduces a new approach to statistics education that allows us to accurately measure and control key aspects of the computations and communication processes that are involved in non-rote learning within the pedagogical paradigm of Constructivism. The solution that is presented relies on a newly developed technology (hosted at www.freestatistics.org) and computing framework (hosted at www.wessa.net) that supports reproducibility and reusability of statistical research results that are presented in a so-called Compendium. Reproducible computing leads to responsible learning behaviour, and a stream of high-quality communications that emerges when students are engaged in peer review activities. More importantly, the proposed solution provides a series of objective measurements of actual learning processes that are otherwise unobservable. A comparison between actual and reported data, demonstrates that reported learning process measurements are highly misleading in unexpected ways. However, reproducible computing and objective measurements of actual learning behaviour, reveal important guidelines that allow us to improve the effectiveness of learning and the e-learning system

Aktivitas antioksidan buah doyo

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui aktivitas antioksidan buah doyo (Curculigo latifolia sp.) dan kandungan senyawa metabolit sekundernya. Sampel dalam penelitian ini adalah buah, daging buah dan kulit buah doyo. Kurang lebih 2,5 g sampel diblender dalam 100 ml aquades selama 1 menit dan disaring. Hasil saringan dimasukkan ke dalam labu takar 200 ml dan diencerkan hingga tanda batas. Uji aktivitas antioksidan menggunakan metode DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl Hidrazil) dan uji senyawa metabolit sekunder menggunakan uji warna. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan aktivitas antioksidan buah, daging buah dan kulit buah doyo secara berturut-turut adalah 85,91±0,99%; 87,89±1,97%; dan 85,32±2,13%. Ekstrak aquades buah doyo mengandung alkaloid dan terpenoid. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa buah doyo berfungsi sebagai antioksida