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Molecular Brain May 2024Itch is a protective/defensive function with divalent motivational drives. Itch itself elicits an unpleasant experience, which triggers the urge to scratch, relieving...
Itch is a protective/defensive function with divalent motivational drives. Itch itself elicits an unpleasant experience, which triggers the urge to scratch, relieving the itchiness. Still, it can also result in dissatisfaction when the scratch is too intense and painful or unsatisfactory due to insufficient scratch effect. Therefore, it is likely that the balance between the unpleasantness/pleasure and satisfaction/unsatisfaction associated with itch sensation and scratching behavior is determined by complex brain mechanisms. The physiological/pathological mechanisms underlying this balance remain largely elusive. To address this issue, we targeted the "reward center" of the brain, the nucleus accumbens (NAc), in which itch-responsive neurons have been found in rodents. We examined how neurons in the NAc are activated or suppressed during histamine-induced scratching behaviors in mice. The mice received an intradermal injection of histamine or saline at the neck, and the scratching number was analyzed by recording the movement of the bilateral hind limbs for about 45 min after injection. To experimentally manipulate the scratch efficacy in these histamine models, we compared histamine's behavioral and neuronal effects between mice with intact and clipped nails on the hind paws. As expected, the clipping of the hind limb nail increased the number of scratches after the histamine injection. In the brains of mice exhibiting scratching behaviors, we analyzed the expression of the c-fos gene (Fos) as a readout of an immediate activation of neurons during itch/scratch and dopamine receptors (Drd1 and Drd2) using multiplex single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNAscope) in the NAc and surrounding structures. We performed a model-free analysis of gene expression in geometrically divided NAc subregions without assuming the conventional core-shell divisions. The results indicated that even within the NAc, multiple subregions responded differentially to various itch/scratch conditions. We also found different clusters with neurons showing similar or opposite changes in Fos expression and the correlation between scratch number and Fos expression in different itch/scratch conditions. These regional differences and clusters would provide a basis for the complex role of the NAc and surrounding structures in encoding the outcomes of scratching behavior and itchy sensations.
Topics: Animals; Pruritus; Nucleus Accumbens; Histamine; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Behavior, Animal; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; Neurons; Mice
PubMed: 38783364
DOI: 10.1186/s13041-024-01101-w -
Annales de Chirurgie Plastique Et... May 2024The acts of plastic surgery consist in providing care to patients and pursue a therapeutic purpose. They benefit from VAT exemption in accordance with European...
The acts of plastic surgery consist in providing care to patients and pursue a therapeutic purpose. They benefit from VAT exemption in accordance with European legislation. They appear in the Common Classification of Medical Acts as therapeutic acts, whether or not they are covered by health insurance. To assist the plastic surgeon during the consultation in his role as a medico-surgical expert, we propose a global assessment scale for physical disgraces. This scale specifies the importance of disharmony, its etiology, and considers the patient in his entirety, both biologically and psychosocially. All repercussions are analyzed: physiopathological impact, pain, functional impact on daily life activities, pleasure and sexual activities, psychological, social, and professional impact. Each item is independently rated. Depending on the overall score obtained, the therapeutic nature of the act can be confirmed. The proposed scale is a simple tool that easily and seriously supports the therapeutic nature of our acts. It ensures argued expertise, a reliable and indisputable synthesis. We are, above all, doctors, caregivers, contributing to health as defined by the WHO: "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being." We alone are able to judge the therapeutic nature of a service, in agreement with our patients.
PubMed: 38782627
DOI: 10.1016/j.anplas.2024.04.002 -
Cureus Apr 2024This research investigates the effects of an electronic detox treatment on the utilization of social media and smartphones, addiction levels, and the general health of... (Review)
Review
This research investigates the effects of an electronic detox treatment on the utilization of social media and smartphones, addiction levels, and the general health of individuals. Remarkably, individuals discovered that the digital detox was less challenging than anticipated, with a significant number expressing sensations of pleasure and alleviation. Although a few individuals encountered instances of alienation and solitude, the majority managed to adapt to the limited availability of the internet. Notably, individuals saw heightened tedium and replaced their use of social networking sites with additional tasks using screens. After the procedure, measures demonstrated favorable or neutral enhancements in addictions and health-related results. The quantitative findings indicate an increased understanding of online conduct and the use of self-regulating strategies. Concrete recommendations put forward by respondents include reducing stringent deadlines, implementing personalized limitations, and devising tactics to regulate alerts and their use. These observations may be used to shape subsequent digital detox programs in order to improve their efficacy and increase participation from participants.
PubMed: 38779255
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.58719 -
Nicotine & Tobacco Research : Official... May 2024Subjective experience of e-cigarettes may be an important factor in helping people who use combustible cigarettes switch completely to e-cigarettes to reduce harms from...
INTRODUCTION
Subjective experience of e-cigarettes may be an important factor in helping people who use combustible cigarettes switch completely to e-cigarettes to reduce harms from smoking. This paper describes a novel two-stage analysis using pleasure and satisfaction responses from Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA) of both cigarette and e-cigarette use to predict future cigarette and e-cigarette tobacco use.
METHODS
This observational study included adult users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes who provided 7-days of EMA, capturing cigarette and e-cigarette use, followed by biweekly reports of cigarette and e-cigarette use over one year. Participants were 279 adults who provided both cigarette and e-cigarette responses during the EMA. We employed a two-stage analytic approach in which EMA data were used to predict subsequent levels of cigarette and e-cigarette use. In the first stage, EMA responses of cigarette and e-cigarette events were modeled via a mixed-effects location scale (MELS) model to yield summaries of participants' means and variability on event-related ratings of pleasure and satisfaction. These EMA summaries served as predictors in the second stage analysis of the biweekly post-EMA longitudinal cigarette and e-cigarette use data.
RESULTS
EMA pleasure and satisfaction ratings were similar for both products and predicted both longitudinal cigarette and e-cigarette use, even after controlling for baseline cigarette and e-cigarette dependence. Relatively higher levels of satisfaction with e-cigarettes were associated with greater decreases in cigarette use over time.
CONCLUSIONS
Pleasure and satisfaction are important predictors of subsequent cigarette and e-cigarette use.
IMPLICATIONS
Experienced subjective pleasure and satisfaction from e-cigarettes relative to cigarettes may be an important factor in helping individuals who smoke to switch completely to e-cigarettes as a harm reduction approach. In order to help sustain complete product switching and reduce dual use or relapse to smoking, e-cigarettes may need to deliver more satisfaction to the user compared to that experienced from cigarettes.
PubMed: 38775349
DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntae121 -
The British Journal of Clinical... May 2024Past research has been inconclusive regarding the specificity of associations between discrete pleasurable emotions and internalizing symptoms. Contentment may be...
OBJECTIVES
Past research has been inconclusive regarding the specificity of associations between discrete pleasurable emotions and internalizing symptoms. Contentment may be especially relevant to depression, whereas tranquillity may be especially relevant to worry. The goal of the current research was to clarify the mixed findings regarding the relation between pleasure deficits and internalizing psychopathology.
METHODS
Participants from three samples (Total N = 757) completed alternative measures of depression and pleasurable emotions. Participants in Study 1 also completed a measure of anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, and close peers to a subset of participants (N = 64) reported their perceptions of participants' depression severity. Participants in Studies 2 and 3 also completed a measure of worry.
RESULTS
Across the three samples, contentment was significantly negatively associated with self-reported depression. This association could not be accounted for by tranquillity, cheerfulness, anticipatory pleasure, or consummatory pleasure. Contentment was also strongly negatively associated with peer-reported depression. Contentment was more strongly associated with depression than was cheerfulness. However, the strength of the association between contentment and depression relative to the strength of the association between tranquillity and depression depended on how contentment and depression were measured. Conversely, tranquillity was more strongly associated with worry than were contentment or cheerfulness.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides further evidence of the potential importance of the role of contentment in depression and tranquillity in worry. It may be useful to attend to contentment when assessing and treating depression and to attend to tranquillity when assessing and treating elevated worry.
PubMed: 38775059
DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12474 -
American Indian and Alaska Native... 2024The primary purpose of this study was to 1) explore the relationship among the following variables: thoughts and feelings associated with historical loss, levels of...
The primary purpose of this study was to 1) explore the relationship among the following variables: thoughts and feelings associated with historical loss, levels of acculturation, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people, as well as to 2) explore predictive relationships among historical loss thoughts and feelings, alcohol expectancies, and alcohol use for AI/AN people within this sample. A convenience (community, non-clinical) sample of 188 AI/AN people completed an online survey, including questions related to alcohol use, alcohol expectancies, thoughts and feelings of historical loss, and acculturation experiences. Results indicated that gender and feelings of historical loss were the significant individual predictors of alcohol use and alcohol expectancies in a sample of AI/AN people. In addition, specific types of alcohol expectancies, when considered together, explained 24% of the variance in alcohol use experiences. Gender differences were noted in that AI/AN men were more likely than AI/AN women to engage in hazardous drinking and expected more feelings of social and physical pleasure as well as power and aggression as a result of drinking alcohol. Areas for further research were highlighted, with an emphasis on further research exploring the correlates and predictors of alcohol use and alcohol expectancies for community, non-clinical samples of AI/AN people, to further understand alcohol use motivation among AI/AN people.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Alaska Natives; Adult; Indians, North American; Alcohol Drinking; Acculturation; Middle Aged; Young Adult; Adolescent; Aged
PubMed: 38771796
DOI: 10.5820/aian.3101.2024.93 -
Archives of Sexual Behavior Jun 2024Bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, and Sadism/Masochism (BDSM) have gained increased attention and discussion in recent years. This prevalence is accompanied by a... (Review)
Review
Bondage/discipline, Dominance/submission, and Sadism/Masochism (BDSM) have gained increased attention and discussion in recent years. This prevalence is accompanied by a shift in perceptions of BDSM, including the declassification of sadomasochism as a paraphilic disorder. Evolutionary psychology offers a unique perspective of why some individuals are interested in BDSM and why some prefer certain elements of BDSM over others (e.g., dominance versus submission). In this paper, we examine BDSM from an evolutionary standpoint, examining biopsychosocial factors that underlie the BDSM interests and practice. We articulate this perspective via an exploration of: proximate processes, such as the role of childhood experiences, sexual conditioning, and physiological factors; as well as ultimate explanations for power play and pain play dimensions of BDSM, highlighting the potential adaptive advantages of each. While BDSM may not be adaptive in itself, we examine the literature of sex differences in BDSM role preferences and argue that these preferences may stem from the extreme forms of behaviors which enhance reproductive success. In the realm of pain play, we explore the intersection of pain and pleasure from both physiological and psychological perspectives, highlighting the crucial role of psychological and play partner factors in modulating the experience of pain. Finally, we encourage future research in social sciences to utilize evolutionary frameworks to further explore the subject and help alleviate the mystification surrounding BDSM. This multifaceted exploration of BDSM provides valuable insights for clinicians, kink-identified individuals, and scholars seeking to understand the evolutionary perspectives of human sexual behavior and preferences.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Masochism; Paraphilic Disorders; Sadism; Sexual Behavior
PubMed: 38769280
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02881-x -
Medicine and Science in Sports and... May 2024To compare the development of fatigability during a moderate intensity cycling exercise between women with fibromyalgia (FM) and control women (CON) after acute...
PURPOSE
To compare the development of fatigability during a moderate intensity cycling exercise between women with fibromyalgia (FM) and control women (CON) after acute ingestion of caffeine and placebo.
METHODS
Ten FM and 10 CON women performed a 30-minute moderate intensity cycling exercise one hour after the ingestion of a capsule containing either caffeine or a placebo. Fatigability and its central and peripheral determinants were determined via changes from pre- to post-15 and post-30 minutes of exercise in maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC), voluntary activation (VA), and quadriceps potentiated twitch torque (Q tw-pot ), respectively. Heart rate, muscle oxygen saturation, perceptive responses, mood state, localized and widespread pain, and sleepiness were also monitored during and after exercise.
RESULTS
There was a time vs. group interaction for MVIC and VA (p < 0.001) but not for Q tw-pot (p = 0.363), indicating a greater rate of fatigability development, mainly caused by central mechanisms, in the FM than in the CON group. There was also a main effect of condition for VA (p = 0.011), indicating that caffeine attenuates central mechanisms of fatigability in both groups. Caffeine ingestion also increased muscle oxygenation, perceived vigor, and energy, and decreased leg muscle pain, sleepiness, and perceived fatigue in both groups. However, caffeine improved perceived pleasure/displeasure and exercise adherence likelihood only in the FM group.
CONCLUSIONS
Compared to CON, women with FM present a greater rate of fatigability during exercise, mainly of central origin. Caffeine seems to be a promising bioactive to counteract the central mechanisms of fatigability and improve the exercise experience among FM women.
PubMed: 38768034
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003466 -
Journal of Sex Research May 2024Substantial research documents the psychosocial benefits of sexual activity, including heightened positive affect and lowered negative affect following sexual...
Substantial research documents the psychosocial benefits of sexual activity, including heightened positive affect and lowered negative affect following sexual encounters. However, it is important to examine whether affective benefits of consensual sexual activity are present among individuals who have also experienced non-consensual sexual activity (i.e. sexual assault), given that sexual assault may have harmful consequences for sexual functioning and pleasure during consensual encounters. This study tested consensual sexual activity and satisfaction as predictors of next-day positive and negative affect among 82 women sexual assault survivors. Participants completed ecological momentary assessment measures for three weeks, including measures of past-day dyadic (i.e. partnered) sexual activity and satisfaction in the morning and current affect in the afternoon. As hypothesized, dyadic sexual activity and greater than usual sexual satisfaction predicted increased next-day positive affect after controlling for past-day positive affect. In contrast, and partially supporting hypotheses, sexual satisfaction, but not activity alone, predicted lowered next-day negative affect after controlling for past-day negative affect. At the between person level, greater sexual satisfaction (but not overall frequency of dyadic sexual activity) was associated with greater positive and lower negative affect on average after controlling for several covariates. Findings indicate that satisfying dyadic sexual encounters lead to relatively long-lasting positive affect changes in women who have experienced sexual assault.
PubMed: 38767956
DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2024.2354430 -
Nature Reviews. Gastroenterology &... Jun 2024The ability to experience pleasurable sexual activity is important for human health. Receptive anal intercourse (RAI) is a common, though frequently stigmatized,... (Review)
Review
The ability to experience pleasurable sexual activity is important for human health. Receptive anal intercourse (RAI) is a common, though frequently stigmatized, pleasurable sexual activity. Little is known about how diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus and their treatments affect RAI. Engaging in RAI with gastrointestinal disease can be difficult due to the unpredictability of symptoms and treatment-related toxic effects. Patients might experience sphincter hypertonicity, gastrointestinal symptom-specific anxiety, altered pelvic blood flow from structural disorders, decreased sensation from cancer-directed therapies or body image issues from stoma creation. These can result in problematic RAI - encompassing anodyspareunia (painful RAI), arousal dysfunction, orgasm dysfunction and decreased sexual desire. Therapeutic strategies for problematic RAI in patients living with gastrointestinal diseases and/or treatment-related dysfunction include pelvic floor muscle strengthening and stretching, psychological interventions, and restorative devices. Providing health-care professionals with a framework to discuss pleasurable RAI and diagnose problematic RAI can help improve patient outcomes. Normalizing RAI, affirming pleasure from RAI and acknowledging that the gastrointestinal system is involved in sexual pleasure, sexual function and sexual health will help transform the scientific paradigm of sexual health to one that is more just and equitable.
Topics: Humans; Rectal Diseases; Colonic Diseases; Sexual Behavior; Anus Diseases; Pleasure; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological
PubMed: 38763974
DOI: 10.1038/s41575-024-00932-1