Cannabis, a Significant Risk Factor for Violent Behavior in the Early Phase Psychosis. Two Patterns of Interaction of Factors Increase the Risk of Violent Behavior: Cannabis Use Disorder and Impulsivity; Cannabis Use Disorder, Lack of Insight and Treatment Adherence.

<b>Background:</b> Previous literature suggests that prevalence of cannabis use in the early phase of psychosis is high, and that early psychosis patients are at high-risk for violent behavior. However, the link between cannabis use and violent behavior in early psychosis patients is unclear. We carried out a study on a sample of early psychosis patients, in order to explore the impact of cannabis use on the risk of violent behavior (VB), while taking into account (1) potential confounding factors and, (2) interactions with other dynamic risk factors of VB. <b>Method:</b> In a sample of 265 early psychosis patients, treated at the Treatment and Early Intervention in Psychosis Program (TIPP) in Lausanne, we used logistic regression models to explore the link between various dynamic risk factors of VB [positive symptoms, substance use disorder (drugs including cannabis, alcohol and others drugs), insight, impulsivity, affective instability, and treatment adherence], and VB occurring during treatment. In order to understand hierarchical effects attributable to the combinations of risk factors on VB we conducted a Classification and Regression Tree (CART). <b>Results:</b> Our results show that cannabis use disorder is a risk factor for VB. The associations among risk factors suggest the presence of two patient profiles with an increased rate of VB: the first is composed of patients with cannabis use disorder and impulsivity, and the second of patients combining cannabis use disorder, absence of insight and non-adherence to treatment. The results also show the moderating role of insight and adherence to treatment on the rate of VB in patients with cannabis use disorder. <b>Conclusion:</b> This study suggests that cannabis use disorder is a significant risk factor for VB amongst early psychosis patients, particularly when combined with either impulsivity, lack of insight and non-adherence to treatment. These results suggest that preventive strategies could be developed on the basis of such patient profiles

The brain in flow: a systematic review on the neural basis of the flow state

Background: Flow state is a subjective experience that people report when task performance is experienced as automatic, intrinsically rewarding, optimal and effortless. While this intriguing phenomenon is the subject of a plethora of behavioural studies, only recently researchers have started to look at its neural correlates. Here, we aim to systematically and critically review the existing literature on the neural correlates of the flow state. Methods: Three electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO) were searched to acquire information on eligible articles in July, 2021, and updated in March, 2022. Studies that measured or manipulated flow state (through questionnaires or employing experimental paradigms) and recorded associated brain activity with electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) or functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) or manipulated brain activity with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were selected. We used the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 (RoB 2) tool to assess the methodological quality of eligible records. Results: In total, 25 studies were included, which involved 471 participants. In general, the studies that experimentally addressed flow state and its neural dynamics seem to converge on the key role of structures linked to attention, executive function and reward systems, giving to the anterior brain areas (e.g., the DLPC, MPFC, IFG) a crucial role in the experience of flow. However, the dynamics of these brain regions during flow state are inconsistent across studies. Discussion: In light of the results, we conclude that the current available evidence is sparse and inconclusive, which limits any theoretical debate. We also outline major limitations of this literature (the small number of studies, the high heterogeneity across them and their important methodological constraints) and highlight several aspects regarding experimental design and flow measurements that may provide useful avenues for future studies on this topic.Spanish Government 20CO1/012863Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain (MICINN) Spanish Government PID2019-105635GBI00Junta de Andalucia DOC_0022

3D reconstruction of magnetization from dichroic soft X-ray transmission tomography

The development of magnetic nanostructures for applications in spintronics requires methods capable of visualizing their magnetization. Soft X‐ray magnetic imaging combined with circular magnetic dichroism allows nanostructures up to 100–300 nm in thickness to be probed with resolutions of 20–40 nm. Here a new iterative tomographic reconstruction method to extract the three‐dimensional magnetization configuration from tomographic projections is presented. The vector field is reconstructed by using a modified algebraic reconstruction approach based on solving a set of linear equations in an iterative manner. The application of this method is illustrated with two examples (magnetic nano‐disc and micro‐square heterostructure) along with comparison of error in reconstructions, and convergence of the algorithm

Cycloidal Domains in the Magnetization Reversal Process of Ni80Fe20/Nd16Co84/Gd12Co88 Trilayers

The magnetization reversal of each individual layer in magnetic trilayers ( permalloy / Nd Co / Gd Co ) is investigated in detail with x-ray microscopy and micromagnetic calculations. Two sequential inversion mechanisms are identified. First, magnetic vortex-antivortex pairs move along the field direction while inverting the magnetization of magnetic stripes until they are pinned by defects. The vortex-antivortex displacements are reversible within a field interval which allows their controlled motion. Second, as the reversed magnetic field increases, cycloidal domains appear in the permalloy layer as a consequence of the dissociation of vortex-antivortex pairs due to pinning. The field range where magnetic vortices and antivortices are effectively guided by the stripe pattern is of the order of tens of mT for the Ni Fe layer, as estimated from the stability of cycloid domains in the sample

Victimization and Perception of Abuse in Adolescent and Young Homosexual and Heterosexual Couples in Spain

Currently, violence in adolescent and young couples has a significant social impact on young people’s physical and psychological health. However, the study of violence in homosexual couples must also be addressed. This research analyzes the levels of violent victimization and the perception of abuse in both homosexual and heterosexual couples. Participants’ ages ranged between 14 and 29 years (M = 20.14, SD = 3.464). We used The Dating Violence Questionnaire-Revised (CUIVNO-R), which was applied in two consecutive studies. The results indicate high levels of victimization, especially in the sample of homosexual participants. The scores generally show a low perception of couple violence but high victimization rates. The results of this study reveal the importance of the issue of violence in couples from minority groups and suggest that couple violence should not be understood as unidirectional, i.e., exclusively from men to women. These findings show the need for education in healthy relationships and consideration of different types of couples in these relationships.This work was supported by the European Regional Development Funds (European Union and Principality of Asturias) through the Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (AYUD/2021/51411) and the State Research Agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation (MCI-21-PID2020-114736GB-100)

Evolution of impulsivity levels in relation to early cannabis use in violent patients in the early phase of psychosis

Background Prevention of violent behaviors (VB) in the early phase of psychosis (EPP) is a real challenge. Impulsivity was shown to be strongly related to VB, and different evolutions of impulsivity were noticed along treatments. One possible variable involved in the relationship between VB and the evolution of impulsivity is cannabis use (CU). The high prevalence of CU in EPP and its relationship with VB led us to investigate: 1/the impact of CU and 2/the impact of early CU on the evolution of impulsivity levels during a 3-year program, in violent and non-violent EPP patients. Methods 178 non-violent and 62 violent patients (VPs) were followed-up over a 3 year period. Age of onset of CU was assessed at program entry and impulsivity was assessed seven times during the program. The evolution of impulsivity level during the program, as a function of the violent and non-violent groups of patients and CU precocity were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models. Results Over the treatment period, impulsivity level did not evolve as a function of the interaction between group and CU (coef. = 0.02, p = 0.425). However, when including precocity of CU, impulsivity was shown to increase significantly only in VPs who start consuming before 15 years of age (coef. = 0.06, p = 0.008). Conclusion The precocity of CU in VPs seems to be a key variable of the negative evolution of impulsivity during follow-up and should be closely monitored in EPP patients entering care since they have a higher risk of showing VB

Association Between Specific Childhood Adversities and Symptom Dimensions in People With Psychosis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Despite the accepted link between childhood abuse and positive psychotic symptoms, findings between other ad versities, such as neglect, and the remaining dimensions in people with psychosis have been inconsistent, with evidence not yet reviewed quantitatively. The aim of this study was to systematically examine quantitatively the association between broadly defined childhood adversity (CA), abuse (sexual/physical/emotional), and neglect (physical/emo tional) subtypes, with positive, negative, depressive, manic, and disorganized dimensions in those with psychosis. A search was conducted across EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and Cochrane Libraries using search terms related to psychosis population, CA, and psychopatholog ical dimensions. After reviewing for relevance, data were extracted, synthesized, and meta-analyzed. Forty-seven papers were identified, including 7379 cases across 40 studies examining positive, 37 negative, 20 depressive, 9 disorganized, and 13 manic dimensions. After adjustment for publication bias, general adversity was positively as sociated with all dimensions (ranging from r = 0.08 to r = 0.24). Most forms of abuse were associated with de pressive (ranging from r = 0.16 to r = 0.32), positive (ran ging from r = 0.14 to r = 0.16), manic (r = 0.13), and negative dimensions (ranging from r = 0.05 to r = 0.09), while neglect was only associated with negative (r = 0.13) and depressive dimensions (ranging from r = 0.16 to r = 0.20). When heterogeneity was found, it tended to be explained by one specific study. The depressive dimension was influenced by percentage of women (ranging from r = 0.83 to r = 1.36) and poor-quality scores (ranging from r = −0.21 and r = −0.059). Quality was judged as fair overall. Broadly defined adversity and forms of abuse increase transdimensional severity. Being exposed to ne glect during childhood seems to be exclusively related to negative and depressive dimensions suggesting specific effects

Double percolation effects and fractal behavior in magnetic/superconducting hybrids

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy ferromagnetic/superconducting (FM/SC) bilayers with a labyrinth domain structure are used to study nucleation of superconductivity on a fractal network, tunable through magnetic history. As clusters of reversed domains appear in the FM layer, the SC film shows a percolative behavior that depends on two independent processes: the arrangement of initial reversed domains and the fractal geometry of expanding clusters. For a full labyrinth structure, the behavior of the upper critical field is typical of confined superconductivity on a fractal network