1,720,992 research outputs found
Depression, Serotonin and Tryptophan
No full textDepression is a major cause of worldwide disability. Although its etiology is unclear, for over sixty years the study of its pathophysiology has focused mainly on serotonin (5-HT) and serotonergic neurotransmission. Generally, the study of the pathophysiological processes underpinning depression have led to the appreciation of its complexity, although such study continues to support the role of 5-HT in this disorder. The aim of this review is to briefly summarize the available findings on 5-HT and depression, with a special focus on alterations in tryptophan (TRP) metabolism that can shift from 5-HT synthesis towards other, potentially neurotoxic, compounds, such as the tryptophan catabolite, quinolinic acid. The evidence that the TRP shunt may be promoted by stress hormones and proinflammatory cytokines strongly supports the notion that depression should now be considered a systemic disorder that can be triggered by different factors that ultimately target the 5-HT system in vulnerable individuals. In addition, such intriguing findings suggest biochemical targets for novel treatment options in depression
Compulsive Hoarding Symptoms and the Role of Mindfulness Skills During Social Distancing for the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Survey
Full text linkPeople reporting compulsive hoarding symptoms (CHS) have lower mindfulness skills than those without such symptoms. Mindfulness skills can have the role of a protective buffer against stressful periods. The quarantine imposed to contain the COVID-19 spread had a negative impact on daily habits and healthy behaviors (including social interactions). An increased attachment to objects might be one of the under-recognized psychological consequences of these difficult times, yet no study focused on CHS. Through an online survey in men who were on quarantine during the pandemic, this exploratory survey examined the prevalence of men reporting CHS during this period and explored the role of mindfulness skills on CHS controlling for anxious-depressive/stress symptoms. Forty-three men from the general population completed the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21). Twenty-eight percent reported CHS. No differences on the scores of the questionnaires emerged between men with and without CHS, except on CAMS-R Attention scores. In a logistic regression analysis lower CAMS-R Attention scores predicted CHS (β = −0.34, p = 0.03). This is the first, yet preliminary investigation on CHS during quarantine. The prevalence of CHS appears higher than the rates (4%) reported in the last years before the COVID-19 outbreak. Perhaps people showed more intense hoarding tendencies during quarantine/social distancing, and this pattern should be monitored. Larger samples, longitudinal designs and clinician-rated instruments are needed to support or not our findings
Problematic Internet use in drug addicts under treatment in public rehab centers
Full text linkProblematic Internet use (PIU) or Internet addiction has been recognized to be a behavioral addiction characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges, or behaviors regarding computer use and Internet access that leads to impairment or distress resembling substance abuse
The glutamate and the immune systems: new targets for the pharmacological treatment of OCD
No full textIn the last decades the pharmacological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been significantly promoted by the effectiveness of selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the subsequent development of the 5-HT hypothesis of OCD. However, since a large majority of patients (between 40% and 60 %) do not respond to SSRIs or strategies based on the modulation of the 5-HT system, it is now essential to search for other possible therapeutic targets
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Nalmefene: A Novel Drug for an Old Disorder
No full textAlcoholism is an increasing problem all over the world, and nowadays especially amongst teenagers. Although several drug treatments have been proposed for this condition, only a few have demonstrated a significant efficacy. Nalmefene, a novel compound that combines opioids mu-receptors antagonism and kappa-receptors partial agonism, was recently approved by the European Medicine Agency for the treatment of alcoholism. This drug can be very helpful in reducing the alcohol intake, and, as such, it can be considered one of the first and fundamental steps towards alcohol abstinence. The aim of this review is to discuss and comment on the available literature on nalmefene, as well as on novel treatment strategies of this condition (and perhaps of other addictions) opened by this latest pharmacological approach
Obsessive-compulsive disorder with comorbid bipolar disorders: clinical features and treatment implications
No full textObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms within the context of a bipolar disorder (BD) have been described since the 19th century. Interestingly, the existence of a relevant overlap between the aforementioned psychiatric syndromes has been confirmed by a number of recent epidemiological and family studies
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