Empathie und Emotionsregulation bei sozialen Berufen

Empathie und Emotionsregulation helfen uns dabei, in unserer sozialen Umwelt wirksam zu handeln und konnten als bedeutende Komponenten in sozialen Berufen beobachtet werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Psychologiestudenten, Klinische Psychologen, Berater und Angehörige nicht-sozialer Berufe hinsichtlich ihrer Empathie- und Emotionsregulationsfähigkeit miteinander verglichen. An der Studie nahmen insgesamt 400 Personen mit einem durchschnittlichen Alter von 37.9 Jahren teil. Die Erhebung der Empathie erfolgte anhand des Saarbrücker Persönlichkeitsfragebogens sowie des Reading the Mind in the Eyes Tests, die Emotionsregulation wurde mittels Emotionsregulations-Inventar erfasst. Klinische Psychologen und Berater wiesen im Vergleich zu Angehörigen nicht-sozialer Berufe eine höhere Fähigkeit zur Perspektivenübernahme und empathischen Anteilnahme sowie geringeren empathischen Distress auf, bei der Regulation negativer Emotionen zeigten Klinische Psychologen einen besser kontrollierten Ausdruck, Berater eine höhere kognitive Umbewertung. Psychologiestudenten wiesen im Vergleich zu Angehörigen nicht-sozialer Berufe eine höhere Fähigkeit zur Perspektivenübernahme sowie eine höher ausgeprägte Fantasie-Empathie auf und erzielten bessere Werte bei der Emotionserkennung sowie beim kontrollierten Ausdruck negativer Emotionen. Zusätzlich konnte ein geringer Einfluss des Alters auf die Empathie gefunden werden, die Emotionsregulation zeigte sich bei jüngeren Personen teilweise besser ausgeprägt als bei älteren.Empathy and emotion regulation are abilities that are necessary to interact effectively in our social environment. They are connected to one another and can be considered as meaningful components of social professions. Empathy and emotion regulation abilities were studied in members of social professions (clinical psychologists, counselors), non-social professionals as well as psychology students who intended to become clinical psychologists by using the Saarbrücker Personality Questionnaire, the Reading the Mind in The Eyes test as well as the Emotion Regulation Inventory. Results indicated that there were higher perspective taking abilities, more empathic concern and less empathic distress in social than in non-social professions. Clinical psychologists showed better controlled-expression values whereas counselors achieved better reappraisal values than members of non-social professions. Moreover, professional experience in the social sector may help to feel less affected by others’ sorrows. It also appeared that psychology students who intended to work in a social setting were having higher perspective taking capacities, more fantasy-empathy as well as less difficulty recognizing others’ emotions and expressing negative emotions in a controlled way than non-social professionals. Furthermore, a minor influence of age could be found on empathy, emotion regulation was partially better pronounced in younger than in older participants

Molecular Immunology / PI3K activity in dendritic cells exerts paradoxical effects during autoimmune inflammation

The peripheral activation of autoreactive T cells and subsequent central nervous system (CNS) immune cell infiltration are key events relevant for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a commonly employed multiple sclerosis (MS) model, influenced by TH1 and TH17 mediated immunity. The phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT kinase pathway modulates outcome during EAE, with direct actions of PI3K on adaptive immunity implicated in deleterious and effects on antigen presenting cells involved in beneficial responses during EAE. Here, by genetically deleting the regulatory subunit of Class Ia PI3K, p85, in selective myeloid cells, we aimed to resolve the impact of PI3K in EAE. While genetically deleting PI3K in LysM expressing cells exerted unremarkable effects, attenuating PI3K function in CD11c dendritic cells (DCs), promoted secretion of pathogenic EAE promoting cytokines, particularly skewing TH1 and TH17 immunity, while notably, improving health in EAE. Neutralizing IFN- activity using blocking antibodies revealed a prolonged TH1 response was critical for the decreased disease of these animals. Thus, PI3K-AKT signaling in DCs acts in a paradoxical manner. While attenuating EAE associated TH1 and TH17 responses, it impairs health during autoimmune inflammation.(VLID)494477

Tumor-derived GDF-15 blocks LFA-1 dependent T cell recruitment and suppresses responses to anti-PD-1 treatment

Abstract Immune checkpoint blockade therapy is beneficial and even curative for some cancer patients. However, the majority don’t respond to immune therapy. Across different tumor types, pre-existing T cell infiltrates predict response to checkpoint-based immunotherapy. Based on in vitro pharmacological studies, mouse models and analyses of human melanoma patients, we show that the cytokine GDF-15 impairs LFA-1/β2-integrin-mediated adhesion of T cells to activated endothelial cells, which is a pre-requisite of T cell extravasation. In melanoma patients, GDF-15 serum levels strongly correlate with failure of PD-1-based immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Neutralization of GDF-15 improves both T cell trafficking and therapy efficiency in murine tumor models. Thus GDF-15, beside its known role in cancer-related anorexia and cachexia, emerges as a regulator of T cell extravasation into the tumor microenvironment, which provides an even stronger rationale for therapeutic anti-GDF-15 antibody development