Peripheral mechanoreceptor activation modulates mesolimbic GABA and dopamine neurons and ameliorates withdrawal symptoms in ethanol dependent rats

Peripheral MStim provided protection against chronic EtOH withdrawal symptoms and dependence-induced insensitivity of ventral tegmental area (VTA) GABA neurons to ethanol reintroduction. Behavioral indices of withdrawal were substantively ameliorated with concurrent MStim treatment. These findings suggest the need to explore the specific role of mechanoreceptor-based therapies in the treatment of substance abuse

Meta-analysis and systematic review of teacher-delivered mental health interventions for internalizing disorders in adolescents

A large proportion of emotional problems begin in adolescence and negatively impact quality of life into adulthood. There have been multiple teacher-delivered, classroom-based programs created to reduce symptoms of internalizing problems amongst young people. This meta-analysis and systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of teacher-delivered interventions for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in adolescents, and a range of factors that may impact outcomes. Database searches were conducted from PsycInfo, Medline (PubMed), Scopus, the Cochrane Library and the British Educational Index (from database inception to January 2020). Quality assessment of studies was conducted using the EPHPP Quality Assessment Tool. Fifty-two intervention studies were identified that quantitatively assessed, via controlled design, intervention effects on internalizing disorder symptoms. Two meta-analyses found teacher-delivered interventions were significantly better than control conditions at improving depression (g = -0.12), anxiety (g = -0.13) and PTSD symptoms (g = -0.66) in students. Improvements were only maintained at follow-up for anxiety symptoms and no effect sizes reached a ‘small’ threshold. However, the effect sizes were ‘moderate’ within the context of universal prevention programs for young people. No interventions measured OCD outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest that teachers may not be the optimal deliverers of mental health interventions. Improved outcomes were associated with interventions that lasted up to 16 weeks, had program sessions of 45-90 minute duration, and included two or more days of training for teachers. Future studies should aim to improve reporting quality on number of sessions, teacher training and fidelity of intervention. Increased reporting of outcomes from adolescents with high versus low baseline mental health scores would enable a better understanding of for whom interventions are most effective

Disentangling the Hettangian carbon isotope record: Implications for the aftermath of the end-Triassic mass extinction

This study provides an organic carbon stable isotope (delta(13)C(org)) record calibrated with detailed ammonite biostratigraphy, following the end-Triassic biological crisis. Precise correlation between this crucial fossil group and the delta(13)C(org) record is key to understanding feedbacks between biological and environmental events following mass extinction. The latest Triassic and Hettangian delta(13)C(org) record shows several negative and positive excursions. The end-Triassic negative shift coinciding with the mass extinction interval is followed by a positive excursion in the earliest Hettangian Psiloceras spelae beds, which marks the onset of recovery in the marine ecosystem. This positive trend is interrupted by a second negative delta(13)C(org) excursion in the P. pacificum beds related to a minor ammonite extinction event. This pattern of the delta(13)C(org) curve culminates in the uppermost Hettangian Angulata Zone major positive excursion. This indicates that both the ecosystem and the carbon cycle remained in a state of perturbation for at least 2 Ma, although the recovery of some pelagic taxa already began at the base of Jurassic. The early and late Hettangian positive delta(13)C(org) excursions have been confused in several recent papers. Here, we show that during the Hettangian there are indeed two distinct positive delta(13)C(org) excursions. Phases of anoxia and further pulses of Central Atlantic Magmatic Province volcanism during the Hettangian might have inhibited the full recovery for that interval of time. The main Liasicus-Angulata organic positive CIE (carbon isotope excursion) during the Late Hettangian might be related to gradual decreasing of pCO(2) due to protracted high organic burial, and coincides with a second phase of recovery, as indicated by a pulse of ammonoid diversification