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Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Feb 2016
Topics: Electrophysiological Phenomena; Emotions; Human Development; Humans; Psychophysiology
PubMed: 26607502
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2015.10.013 -
Sleep Medicine Clinics Sep 2017Sleep is essential for children's learning, memory processes, school performance, and general well-being. The prevalence of sleepiness in children is approximately 4%.... (Review)
Review
Sleep is essential for children's learning, memory processes, school performance, and general well-being. The prevalence of sleepiness in children is approximately 4%. Reductions of sleep duration have daytime consequences, including sleepiness, behavior problems, cognitive deficits, poor school performance, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. Chronic pain, movement disorders, and sleep-disordered breathing also may lead to daytime somnolence, inattention, hyperactivity, oppositional behaviors, and mood dysregulation. Parent-report questionnaires are useful tools to assess subjective sleepiness in children. Sleepiness in children may be secondary to a sleep problem, such as narcolepsy, central hypersomnia, Kleine-Levin disease, or circadian rhythm disorder.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence; Humans; Sleep Apnea Syndromes; Sleep Deprivation
PubMed: 28778238
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2017.03.013 -
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery Dec 2017Tramadol is an opioid drug that, unlike classic opioids, also modulates the monoaminergic system by inhibiting noradrenergic and serotoninergic reuptake. For this... (Review)
Review
Tramadol is an opioid drug that, unlike classic opioids, also modulates the monoaminergic system by inhibiting noradrenergic and serotoninergic reuptake. For this reason, tramadol is considered an atypical opioid. These special pharmacological characteristics have made tramadol one of the most commonly prescribed analgesic drugs to treat moderate to severe pain. Areas covered: The aim of this review is to provide a historical description of the biochemistry, pharmacokinetics and particularly, the mechanisms of action of tramadol. In addition, a summary is offered of the analgesic effects of tramadol in a variety of animal models of acute and chronic pain. Finally, clinical studies that demonstrate the efficacy and safety of tramadol in the treatment of pain are also assessed. Expert opinion: The discovery that tramadol combines opioid and monoaminergic effects represented a milestone in the evolution of pain treatment. Given its 'mild effect' on opioid receptors, tramadol induces fewer side effects than classic opioids. Tramadol produces satisfactory analgesia against various types of pain and it is currently approved for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. Thus, the combination of monoamine and opioid mechanisms opens new avenues for the design of innovative analgesics.
Topics: Acute Pain; Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Chronic Pain; Drug Design; Humans; Severity of Illness Index; Tramadol
PubMed: 28920461
DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2017.1377697 -
Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 2022
PubMed: 36081852
DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.1010058 -
Psychological Medicine Oct 2022Hallucinations occur in the absence of sensory stimulation and result in vivid perceptual experiences of nonexistent events that manifest across a range of sensory... (Review)
Review
Hallucinations occur in the absence of sensory stimulation and result in vivid perceptual experiences of nonexistent events that manifest across a range of sensory modalities. Approaches from the field of experimental and cognitive psychology have leveraged the idea that associative learning experiences can evoke conditioning-induced hallucinations in both animals and humans. In this review, we describe classical and contemporary findings and highlight the variables eliciting these experiences. We also provide an overview of the neurobiological mechanisms, along with the associative and computational factors that may explain hallucinations that are generated by representation-mediated conditioning phenomena. Through the integration of animal and human research, significant advances into the psychobiology of hallucinations are possible, which may ultimately translate to more effective clinical applications.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Hallucinations; Conditioning, Classical
PubMed: 36138518
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291722002100 -
Drug and Alcohol Dependence Apr 2017Craving has been considered one of the core features of addiction. It can be defined as the urge or conscious desire to use a drug elicited by the drug itself,... (Review)
Review
Craving has been considered one of the core features of addiction. It can be defined as the urge or conscious desire to use a drug elicited by the drug itself, drug-associated cues or stressors. Craving plays a major role in relapse, even after prolonged periods of abstinence, as well as in the maintenance of drug seeking in non-abstinent addicts. The circuitry of craving includes medial parts of the prefrontal cortex, ventral striatal zones, ventral tegmental area, ventral pallidum, and limbic regions. Interestingly, the cerebellum shows reciprocal loops with many of these areas. The cerebellum has been linked traditionally to motor functions but increasing evidence indicates that this part of the brain is also involved in functions related to cognition, prediction, learning, and memory. Moreover, the functional neuroimaging studies that have addressed the study of craving in humans repeatedly demonstrate cerebellar activation when craving is elicited by the presentation of drug-related cues. However, the role of cerebellar activity in these craving episodes remains unknown. Therefore, the main goal of this review is to provide a brief update on craving studies and the traditional neural basis of this phenomenon, and then discuss and propose a hypothesis for the function of the cerebellum in craving episodes.
Topics: Arousal; Behavior, Addictive; Brain; Brain Mapping; Cerebellum; Craving; Cues; Functional Neuroimaging; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Memory; Motivation; Nerve Net; Prefrontal Cortex; Reward; Unconscious, Psychology
PubMed: 28259088
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.12.028 -
World Journal of Psychiatry Jul 2021Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder in pregnancy, and yet it is less studied than postpartum depression despite the consequences it may have on both the... (Review)
Review
Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder in pregnancy, and yet it is less studied than postpartum depression despite the consequences it may have on both the pregnant woman and her offspring. Therefore, it would be important to know which risk factors may favour the appearance of antenatal depression in order to carry out appropriate prevention interventions. The aim of the present review was to identify the main risk factors of antenatal depression. We searched in databases PubMed and PsycINFO for articles published about the factors associated with antenatal depression from January 2010 through December 2020. The literature review identified three main groups of antenatal depression risk factors: sociodemographic, obstetric, and psychological. First, among the sociodemographic variables, the low level of studies and the economic income clearly stood out from the rest. Then, not having planned the pregnancy was the main obstetric variable, and finally, the main psychological risk factors were having a history of psychological disorders and/or depression as well as presenting anxiety, stress, and/or low social support during pregnancy. This review shows that the antenatal depression is affected by multiple factors. Most can be identified at the beginning of the pregnancy, and some are risk factors potentially modifiable through appropriate interventions, such as psychological factors. For this reason, it is important to carry out a good screening for depression during pregnancy and consequently, be able to prevent its appearance or treat it if necessary.
PubMed: 34327125
DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i7.325 -
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Oct 2021Neurobiology of female homicide perpetrators is not well understood. Data from private interviews and examinations of females were re-analyzed comparing those who...
Neurobiology of female homicide perpetrators is not well understood. Data from private interviews and examinations of females were re-analyzed comparing those who committed homicide ( = 9); other violent crimes, no known homicide ( = 51); nonviolent crimes, no known violent convictions ( = 49); and noncriminals ( = 12). Homicide perpetrators suffered the most childhood sexual abuse (CSA); most recent abuse; had the most neurological histories, mainly traumatic brain injuries (TBIs); most health care access for abuse-related injuries; lowest AM and PM salivary cortisol; and greatest proportion who committed crime under the influence of alcohol. Only CSA, years since last abuse, TBI, neurological histories, and health care access for abuse-related injuries were significant. Those who committed homicide under the influence of alcohol suffered the most recent abuse and had the lowest AM cortisol and flattest diurnal cortisol slope (DCS) compared with others; though the precludes determining significance. Amount of time since last abuse, AM cortisol and DCS progressively decreased as crime severity increased; other variables progressively increased as crime severity increased. These preliminary findings suggest that low AM cortisol, flat DCS, greater CSA frequency and severity, recent abuse, TBIs, and health care access for abuse-related injuries could be risk factors for females committing homicide. Further study is needed due to the small of homicide perpetrators. Abuse victims may be at greater risk for alcohol use and cortisol dysregulation associated with perpetrating violence, especially homicide. Frontal lobe damage from TBIs may decrease ability to control behaviors associated with emotions from the limbic system. Health care providers released these women when their abuse-related injuries were not life-threatening; yet, they were life-threatening for victims of their subsequent homicides. Females accessing health care for abuse-related injuries present a critical opportunity for violent crime prevention interventions.
Topics: Child; Child Abuse; Female; Homicide; Humans; Risk Factors; Violence
PubMed: 31328682
DOI: 10.1177/0886260519860078 -
Biology of Sex Differences Sep 2023In addition to social and cultural factors, sex differences in the central nervous system have a critical influence on behavior, although the neurobiology underlying...
BACKGROUND
In addition to social and cultural factors, sex differences in the central nervous system have a critical influence on behavior, although the neurobiology underlying these differences remains unclear. Interestingly, the Locus Coeruleus (LC), a noradrenergic nucleus that exhibits sexual dimorphism, integrates signals that are related to diverse activities, including emotions, cognition and pain. Therefore, we set-out to evaluate sex differences in behaviors related to LC nucleus, and subsequently, to assess the sex differences in LC morphology and function.
METHODS
Female and male C57BL/6J mice were studied to explore the role of the LC in anxiety, depressive-like behavior, well-being, pain, and learning and memory. We also explored the number of noradrenergic LC cells, their somatodendritic volume, as well as the electrophysiological properties of LC neurons in each sex.
RESULTS
While both male and female mice displayed similar depressive-like behavior, female mice exhibited more anxiety-related behaviors. Interestingly, females outperformed males in memory tasks that involved distinguishing objects with small differences and they also showed greater thermal pain sensitivity. Immunohistological analysis revealed that females had fewer noradrenergic cells yet they showed a larger dendritic volume than males. Patch clamp electrophysiology studies demonstrated that LC neurons in female mice had a lower capacitance and that they were more excitable than male LC neurons, albeit with similar action potential properties.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, this study provides new insights into the sex differences related to LC nucleus and associated behaviors, which may explain the heightened emotional arousal response observed in females.
Topics: Female; Male; Mice; Animals; Locus Coeruleus; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurons; Norepinephrine; Emotions
PubMed: 37770907
DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00550-7 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2022
PubMed: 35936350
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.928054