EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENT OF BEHAVIORAL APPROACH MOTIVATION IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) presents a significant public health challenge. Given the symptoms heterogeneity and widespread changes in brain structure and Function in MDD, there may be several subtypes of depression not sufficiently distinguished by current diagnostic criteria but important to recognize to improve clinical outcomes. One of the two core symptoms of MDD is `markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day' and is often referred to as anhedonia (DSM-IV, V). Anhedonia may have a variety of underlying causes such as not finding previously enjoyed activities appealing, lacking motivation to engage or reluctance to put forth necessary effort, and these processes may be quite unique and not differentiated by current assessment methods (Treadway & Zald, 2011). It has been long recognized that depression is associated with insufficient environmental reinforcement (Peter M. Lewinsohn & Graf, 1973) and treatments were developed to address this deficiency (Peter M. Lewinsohn, Sullivan, & Grosscup, 1980). Clinical studies of effectiveness of the Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD), (Hopko, Lejuez, LePage, Hopko, & McNeil, 2003), suggest that an increase in the engagement in reinforcing activities may be helpful in treatment of depression. However, a crucial aspect of activity related behavior, the initial approach and engagement which necessarily precede potential experience of enjoyment, has not been sufficiently characterized. In the current work, we present the development of an experimental behavioral approach motivation paradigm (BAMP) to study approach motivation to engage in liked activities, and relate experimental results to the symptoms of depression and anhedonia to better characterize approach behavior in MDD. We sought to establish a valid behavioral measure of approach motivation in major depression that will be suitable for behavioral and neuroimaging studies of anhedonia. In the BAMP study, subjects rated activity words for the appetitive value, and later `approached' and `avoided' the stimuli in an implicit joystick task. The findings indicated reduced range of activities rated as liked by depressed patients versus healthy controls, but no difference on an approach measure of liked activities. The depressed group showed a stronger approach rather than avoidance of disliked activities. Thus, `lack of interest or pleasure' may be partially related to excessive approach of mood-maintaining negative experiences, and inadequate avoidance of disliked situations. Further study of altered approach and avoidance behavior could shed additional light on processes underlying anhedonia in Major Depressive Disorder

Altered interaction with environmental reinforcers in major depressive disorder: Relationship to anhedonia

Anhedonia—defined as loss of interest or pleasure—is one of two core symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD). Anhedonia may involve decreased enjoyment of potentially rewarding activities and decreased motivation to engage in such activities. Increased engagement with reinforcers—activities with the potential to be positive experiences—is a frequent target of cognitive-behavioral therapies. Nevertheless, how environmental reinforcers are perceived, and how decisions to approach or avoid them are made by individuals with MDD, is largely unknown. We developed an experimental Behavioral Approach Motivation Paradigm to study how activities are evaluated and approached in MDD. Twenty-one MDD participants and 23 healthy controls performed an experimental task that rated activity words for their hedonic value, then engaged in an approach-avoidance joystick task with each individual’s unique set of ‘liked’ and ‘disliked’ activity words. A negative correlation was observed between anhedonia and the number of ‘liked’ activities across participants. No significant difference between approach and avoidance behavior was found in direct comparisons between healthy controls and MDD participants; however, weaker avoidance and greater approach toward ‘disliked’ activities was found in MDD participants. This suggests negative bias in selecting environmental opportunities, potentially further compromising access to hedonic experiences in MDD

Molecular foundations of chilling-tolerance of modern maize

Gene Ontology categories of GO class “Molecular Function” significantly over-represented among transcripts down-regulated by cold treatment in S50676 inbred line. (PDF 233 kb

The Functional DRD3 Ser9Gly Polymorphism (rs6280) Is Pleiotropic, Affecting Reward as Well as Movement

Abnormalities of motivation and behavior in the context of reward are a fundamental component of addiction and mood disorders. Here we test the effect of a functional missense mutation in the dopamine 3 receptor (DRD3) gene (ser9gly, rs6280) on reward-associated dopamine (DA) release in the striatum. Twenty-six healthy controls (HCs) and 10 unmedicated subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) completed two positron emission tomography (PET) scans with [11C]raclopride using the bolus plus constant infusion method. On one occasion subjects completed a sensorimotor task (control condition) and on another occasion subjects completed a gambling task (reward condition). A linear regression analysis controlling for age, sex, diagnosis, and self-reported anhedonia indicated that during receipt of unpredictable monetary reward the glycine allele was associated with a greater reduction in D2/3 receptor binding (i.e., increased reward-related DA release) in the middle (anterior) caudate (p<0.01) and the ventral striatum (p<0.05). The possible functional effect of the ser9gly polymorphism on DA release is consistent with previous work demonstrating that the glycine allele yields D3 autoreceptors that have a higher affinity for DA and display more robust intracellular signaling. Preclinical evidence indicates that chronic stress and aversive stimulation induce activation of the DA system, raising the possibility that the glycine allele, by virtue of its facilitatory effect on striatal DA release, increases susceptibility to hyperdopaminergic responses that have previously been associated with stress, addiction, and psychosis

SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre in Krakow, Poland

The SOLARIS synchrotron located in Krakow, Poland, is a third-generation light source operating at medium electron energy. The first synchrotron light was observed in 2015, and the consequent development of infrastructure lead to the first users’ experiments at soft X-ray energies in 2018. Presently, SOLARIS expands its operation towards hard X-rays with continuous developments of the beamlines and concurrent infrastructure. In the following, we will summarize the SOLARIS synchrotron design, and describe the beamlines and research infrastructure together with the main performance parameters, upgrade, and development plans

Sztuka jako nauka na specjalnych zasadach. Dziedzina, instrument poznania, kryteria ewaluacji

Is art a science within the Polish higher education system? Although official documents refer to the “artistic level of scientific activity”, a key national institution promoting scientific research does not finance artistic activity. The question arises about the presence of art and the criteria for its evaluation, not only within the framework of artistic disciplines, but also within the humanities and social sciences. We are talking here about Art Based Research practices that go beyond art and scientific research conventions. Including art in the area of science is the choice of the way in which the world is to be described and experienced, and affects the selection of topics and research questions. By arousing emotions, it questions the world’s dominant role, undermining the positivist dichotomy of fact–fiction, rational–emotional. At the same time, it opens up to the social environment, striving to generate socially and politically engaged knowledge. New forms of presentation require not only new competencies from researchers, but also the establishment of new criteria for evaluating scientific research, perhaps also redefining basic concepts such as science, knowledge or research. Determining and implementing these criteria depends on the decision of the state education system as well as on the evaluation authority that also shapes the science sector.Czy w obrębie polskiego systemu szkolnictwa wyższego sztuka jest nauką? Choć w oficjalnych dokumentach mowa o „poziomie artystycznym prowadzonej działalności naukowej”, kluczowa instytucja narodowa promująca badania naukowe nie finansuje działalności artystycznej. Rodzi się zatem pytanie o obecność sztuki i kryteria jej ewaluacji nie tylko w ramach dyscyplin artystycznych, lecz również nauk humanistycznych i społecznych. Mowa tu o praktykach opartych na sztuce (Art Based Research), przekraczających konwencje zarówno sztuki, jak i badań naukowych. Włączenie sztuki w obszar nauki jest bowiem równoznaczne z wyborem sposobu, poprzez który świat ma być opisywany i doświadczany, wpływa na dobór tematów i pytań badawczych. Wzbudzając emocje, kwestionuje dominującą rolę słowa, podważa pozytywistyczną dychotomię fakt–fikcja, racjonalne–emocjonalne. Jednocześnie otwiera się na otoczenie społeczne, dążąc ku generowaniu wiedzy społecznie i politycznie zaangażowanej. Nowe formy przedstawienia wymagają nie tylko wypracowania przez badaczy nowych kompetencji, lecz również ustalenia nowych kryteriów oceny badań naukowych, a być może również redefinicji podstawowych pojęć, takich jak nauka, wiedza czy badanie. Ustalenie i wdrożenie tych kryteriów jest zależne od decyzji państwowego systemu szkolnictwa, od władzy ewaluacyjnej kształtującej również sektor nauki