Women with early maltreatment experience show increased resting-state functional connectivity in the theory of mind (ToM) network

Background: Experience of childhood maltreatment significantly increases the risk for the development of psychopathology and is associated with impairments in socio-cognitive skills including theory-of-mind (ToM). In turn, neural alterations in ToM processing might then influence future interpersonal interaction and social-emotional understanding. Objective: To assess resting-state activity in the theory-of-mind network in traumatized and non-traumatized persons. Methods: Thirty-five women with a history of childhood maltreatment and 31 unaffected women completed a resting-state scan and a ToM localizer task. The peak coordinates from the localizer were used as the seed regions for the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses (temporo-parietal junction, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, middle temporal gyrus and precuneus). Results: Child abuse was associated with increased RSFC between various ToM regions including the precuneus and the brainstem suggesting altered hierarchical processing in ToM regions. Number of types of abuse was driving the effect for the temporo-parietal junction and the brainstem, while the severity of abuse was linked to increased RSFC between the middle temporal gyrus and the frontal cortex. Post-hoc analyses of brainstem regions indicated the involvement of the serotonergic system (dorsal raphe). Conclusions: The data indicate a lasting impact of childhood maltreatment on the neural networks involved in social information processing that are integral to understanding others' emotional states. Indeed, such altered neural networks may account for some of the interpersonal difficulties victims of childhood maltreatment experience

Early interpersonal trauma reduces temporoparietal junction activity during spontaneous mentalising

Experience of interpersonal trauma and violence alters self-other distinction and mentalising abilities (also known as theory of mind, or ToM), yet little is known about their neural correlates. This fMRI study assessed temporoparietal junction (TPJ) activation, an area strongly implicated in interpersonal processing, during spontaneous mentalising in 35 adult women with histories of childhood physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse (childhood abuse; CA) and 31 women without such experiences (unaffected comparisons; UC). Participants watched movies during which an agent formed true or false beliefs about the location of a ball, while participants always knew the true location of the ball. As hypothesised, right TPJ activation was greater for UCs compared to CAs for false vs true belief conditions. In addition, CAs showed increased functional connectivity relative to UCs between the rTPJ and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Finally, the agent’s belief about the presence of the ball influenced participants’ responses (ToM index), but without group differences. These findings highlight that experiencing early interpersonal trauma can alter brain areas involved in the neural processing of ToM and perspective-taking during adulthood

Women with early maltreatment experience show increased resting-state functional connectivity in the theory of mind (ToM) network.

Background: Experience of childhood maltreatment significantly increases the risk for the development of psychopathology and is associated with impairments in socio-cognitive skills including theory-of-mind (ToM). In turn, neural alterations in ToM processing might then influence future interpersonal interaction and social-emotional understanding. Objective: To assess resting-state activity in the theory-of-mind network in traumatized and non-traumatized persons. Methods: Thirty-five women with a history of childhood maltreatment and 31 unaffected women completed a resting-state scan and a ToM localizer task. The peak coordinates from the localizer were used as the seed regions for the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses (temporo-parietal junction, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, middle temporal gyrus and precuneus). Results: Child abuse was associated with increased RSFC between various ToM regions including the precuneus and the brainstem suggesting altered hierarchical processing in ToM regions. Number of types of abuse was driving the effect for the temporo-parietal junction and the brainstem, while the severity of abuse was linked to increased RSFC between the middle temporal gyrus and the frontal cortex. Post-hoc analyses of brainstem regions indicated the involvement of the serotonergic system (dorsal raphe). Conclusions: The data indicate a lasting impact of childhood maltreatment on the neural networks involved in social information processing that are integral to understanding others' emotional states. Indeed, such altered neural networks may account for some of the interpersonal difficulties victims of childhood maltreatment experience

Stellate cells, hepatocytes, and endothelial cells imprint the Kupffer cell identity on monocytes colonizing the liver macrophage niche

Macrophages are strongly adapted to their tissue of residence. Yet, little is known about the cell-cell interactions that imprint the tissue-specific identities of macrophages in their respective niches. Using conditional depletion of liver Kupffer cells, we traced the developmental stages of monocytes differentiating into Kupffer cells and mapped the cellular interactions imprinting the Kupffer cell identity. Kupffer cell loss induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- and interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor-dependent activation of stellate cells and endothelial cells, resulting in the transient production of chemokines and adhesion molecules orchestrating monocyte engraftment. Engrafted circulating monocytes transmigrated into the perisinusoidal space and acquired the liver-associated transcription factors inhibitor of DNA 3 (ID3) and liver X receptor-alpha (LXR-alpha). Coordinated interactions with hepatocytes induced ID3 expression, whereas endothelial cells and stellate cells induced LXR-alpha via a synergistic NOTCH-BMP pathway. This study shows that the Kupffer cell niche is composed of stellate cells, hepatocytes, and endothelial cells that together imprint the liver-specific macrophage identity

Psychologische ondersteuning na COVID-19-klachten en opname : een behandelleidraad voor hulpverleners

Een aanzienlijk aantal mensen belandde in het ziekenhuis na een besmetting met het COVID-19-virus. Sommigen ontwikkelen na opname of een ernstig ziektebeloop psychische klachten, waaronder angst, depressie en uitputting. Deze leidraad werd ontwikkeld om wetenschappelijk onderbouwde handvatten te bieden aan psychosociale hulpverleners bij het behandelen en begeleiden van personen met ernstige of aanhoudende psychische gevolgen van een COVID-19- besmetting en gerelateerde opname. Omdat klachten zeer uiteenlopend kunnen zijn, gaande van angst tot depressie of PTSS, hanteert deze behandelleidraad een transdiagnostische aanpak. Op die manier worden het individu en specifieke werkzame processen vooropgesteld. De leidraad bevat meerdere behandelmodules, gebaseerd op goed gevalideerde principes en behandelingen, die kunnen worden ingezet op basis van de noden van de cliënt. Dat laat toe een behandeling op maat uit te werken

Hepatic PPARα function and lipid metabolic pathways are dysregulated in polymicrobial sepsis

Abstract Despite intensive research and constant medical progress, sepsis remains one of the most urgent unmet medical needs of today. Most studies have been focused on the inflammatory component of the disease; however, recent advances support the notion that sepsis is accompanied by extensive metabolic perturbations. During times of limited caloric intake and high energy needs, the liver acts as the central metabolic hub in which PPARα is crucial to coordinate the breakdown of fatty acids. The role of hepatic PPARα in liver dysfunction during sepsis has hardly been explored. We demonstrate that sepsis leads to a starvation response that is hindered by the rapid decline of hepatic PPARα levels, causing excess free fatty acids, leading to lipotoxicity, and glycerol. In addition, treatment of mice with the PPARα agonist pemafibrate protects against bacterial sepsis by improving hepatic PPARα function, reducing lipotoxicity and tissue damage. Since lipolysis is also increased in sepsis patients and pemafibrate protects after the onset of sepsis, these findings may point toward new therapeutic leads in sepsis

Hepatic PPAR alpha function and lipid metabolic pathways are dysregulated in polymicrobial sepsis

Despite intensive research and constant medical progress, sepsis remains one of the most urgent unmet medical needs of today. Most studies have been focused on the inflammatory component of the disease; however, recent advances support the notion that sepsis is accompanied by extensive metabolic perturbations. During times of limited caloric intake and high energy needs, the liver acts as the central metabolic hub in which PPARα is crucial to coordinate the breakdown of fatty acids. The role of hepatic PPARα in liver dysfunction during sepsis has hardly been explored. We demonstrate that sepsis leads to a starvation response that is hindered by the rapid decline of hepatic PPARα levels, causing excess free fatty acids, leading to lipotoxicity, and glycerol. In addition, treatment of mice with the PPARα agonist pemafibrate protects against bacterial sepsis by improving hepatic PPARα function, reducing lipotoxicity and tissue damage. Since lipolysis is also increased in sepsis patients and pemafibrate protects after the onset of sepsis, these findings may point toward new therapeutic leads in sepsis.status: publishe

Espace et rapports de domination

Dégagé de la plupart de ses contrepouvoirs depuis la fin des années 1980, le projet politique néolibéral et les inégalités qu’il renforce paraissent aujourd’hui sans remède. Est-il si difficile de ne pas céder à la résignation ou, pire, à l’indifférence ? Les outils pour identifier ces inégalités, les expliquer et les dénoncer ne manquent pas. La pensée critique connaît, en France comme ailleurs, un formidable renouveau. Dans toutes les disciplines des sciences sociales, l’apport de nos aînés est revisité et enrichi de nouvelles propositions pour se confronter aux injustices contemporaines, qui semblent rendues acceptables par des manipulations intellectuelles et des ficelles de plus en plus grossières. L’espace est, comme le temps et l’argent, un redoutable allié des dominants. Accaparé, exproprié, spolié, marchandisé, financiarisé, surveillé, refusé, l’espace se révèle être, à toutes les échelles et dans toutes ses configurations, une excellente clef de lecture de la situation des dominés. Confinement, relégation, enfermement en sont les modalités extrêmes, mais bien d’autres, plus subtiles et moins visibles, contribuent à pérenniser des rapports de force à ce point asymétriques qu’il n’est de meilleur terme pour les qualifier que celui de domination. Mais l’espace est aussi l’allié des dominés engagés dans des processus de résistance, de contestation ou de lutte contre l’ordre du capitalisme néolibéral. Dotés de ressources propres, les dominés construisent aussi des stratégies, individuelles ou collectives, qui prennent appui dans l’espace et peuvent faire de ce dernier une ressource pour se faire entendre ou se rendre visible. Dans un contexte académique mondial dominé par les travaux anglophones, en particulier ceux de la géographie radicale, cet ouvrage entend présenter la manière dont les chercheurs et chercheuses francophones travaillant sur les questions spatiales analysent les rapports sociaux de domination, qu’ils soient de classe, de race, de sexe, autant de rapports sociaux qui ont un fondement matériel. Plusieurs entrées thématiques sont explorées, qui renvoient à des champs de recherche bien identifiés : la question urbaine, les études sur le genre, le sexe, la sexualité et l’intersectionnalité, la question des migrations et celle des populations marginalisées et, enfin, l’environnement. Cet ouvrage témoigne donc de la grande vivacité des travaux francophones, tout en réaffirmant l’utilité de penser l’espace dans la critique sociale