Numerous studies demonstrate that the rhesus monkey is an excellent species with which to investigate mechanisms underlying human emotion and psychopathology. To examine the role of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in mediating the behavioral and physiological responses associated with fear and anxiety, we used rhesus monkeys to assess the effects of excitotoxic lesions of the CeA. Behavioral and physiological responses of nine monkeys with bilateral CeA destruction (ranging from 46 to 98%) were compared with five animals with asymmetric lesions (42-86.5% destruction on the most affected side) and with 16 unoperated controls. Results suggest that similar to rodent species, the primate CeA plays a role in mediating fear- and anxiety-related behavioral and endocrine responses. Compared with controls and the asymmetric-lesion group, bilaterally lesioned monkeys displayed significantly less fear-related behavior when exposed to a snake and less freezing behavior when confronted by a human intruder. In addition, bilaterally lesioned monkeys had decreased levels of CSF corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), and both lesioned groups had decreased plasma ACTH concentrations. In contrast to these findings, patterns of asymmetric frontal brain electrical activity, as assessed by regional scalp EEG, did not significantly differ between control and lesioned monkeys. These findings suggest that in primates, the CeA is involved in mediating fear- and anxiety-related behavioral and pituitary-adrenal responses as well as in modulating brain CRF activity.
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BACKGROUND: Excessive behavioral inhibition during childhood marks anxious temperament and is a risk factor for the development of anxiety and affective disorders. Studies in nonhuman primates can provide important information related to the expression of this risk factor, since threat-induced freezing in rhesus monkeys is a trait-like characteristic analogous to human behavioral inhibition. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and amygdala are part of a circuit involved in the processing of emotions and associated physiological responses. Earlier work demonstrated involvement of the primate central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in mediating anxious temperament. This study assessed the role of the primate OFC in mediating anxious temperament and its involvement in fear responses.
METHODS: Twelve adolescent rhesus monkeys were studied (six lesion and six control monkeys). Lesions were targeted at regions of the OFC that are most interconnected with the amygdala. Behavior and physiological parameters were assessed before and after the lesions.
RESULTS: The OFC lesions significantly decreased threat-induced freezing and marginally decreased fearful responses to a snake. The lesions also resulted in a leftward shift in frontal brain electrical activity consistent with a reduction in anxiety. The lesions did not significantly decrease hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate a role for the OFC in mediating anxious temperament and fear-related responses in adolescent primates. Because of the similarities between rhesus monkey threat-induced freezing and childhood behavioral inhibition, these findings are relevant to understanding mechanisms underlying anxious temperament in humans.
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<p>The article focuses on rote learning in Nepalese public schools. Rote learning is the most used methodology in Nepalese schools. It can generally be characterized as exhibiting rote memorization of material selected for learning, class recitation in unison of the selected material, and extensive utilization of strict review techniques. Many social scientists have put forward different models of learning instead of the current practice in Nepal. The author argues that the heavy utilization of rote learning in Nepal may produce superficial knowledge. The article attempts to cite studies yielding information transferable to the Nepalese situation, and restrict the scope of concern to studies of educational psychology, pragmatic philosophy, and analytic philosophy. (Rajeev Ranjan Singh 2007-01-12)</p>
Far-reaching changes to the structure and function of the Earth's natural systemsrepresent a growing threat to human health. And yet, global health has mainly improved
as these changes have gathered pace. What is the explanation? As a Commission, we
are deeply concerned that the explanation is straightforward and sobering: we have
been mortgaging the health of future generations to realise economic and development
gains in the present. By unsustainably exploiting nature's resources, human civilisation
has flourished but now risks substantial health effects from the degradation of nature's
life support systems in the future.
Far-reaching changes to the structure and function of the Earth's natural systemsrepresent a growing threat to human health. And yet, global health has mainly improved
as these changes have gathered pace. What is the explanation? As a Commission, we
are deeply concerned that the explanation is straightforward and sobering: we have
been mortgaging the health of future generations to realise economic and development
gains in the present. By unsustainably exploiting nature's resources, human civilisation
has flourished but now risks substantial health effects from the degradation of nature's
life support systems in the future.
The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) plays a critical role in regulating serotonergic neurotransmission and is implicated in the pathophysiology of anxiety and affective disorders. Positron emission tomography scans using [(11)C]DASB [(11)C]-3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethylphenylsulfanyl)-benzonitrile] to measure 5-HTT availability (an index of receptor density and binding) were performed in 34 rhesus monkeys in which the relationship between regional brain glucose metabolism and anxious temperament was previously established. 5-HTT availability in the amygdalohippocampal area and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis correlated positively with individual differences in a behavioral and neuroendocrine composite of anxious temperament. 5-HTT availability also correlated positively with stress-induced metabolic activity within these regions. Collectively, these findings suggest that serotonergic modulation of neuronal excitability in the neural circuitry associated with anxiety mediates the developmental risk for affect-related psychopathology.
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The Sherpa are a Tibetan-speaking people who moved into the valleys of eastern Nepal in the middle of the sixteenth century. They survived as traders transporting goods by Yak across the Himalayas, linking the markets of China to Nepal and India. This collection of 19 documents about the Sherpa covers a period from the 1950s to 1990s. The Sherpa environment, religion, and social change have received the most attention by these authors.
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The Compendium of Principles of All Tath›gatas (Sarva-tath›gata-tattva-sa˙graha) is arguably the single most important development of Indian Buddhist tantra. In this text we find the coalescence of a variety of tantric elements organized around two new and seminal narratives-⁄›kyamuni's enlightenment recast in tantric terms and Vajrap›˚i's subjugation of MaheŸvara-that for the first time self-consciously announce tantra as a new and distinct form of Buddhism. In declaring tantra's independence, these narratives present a clearly defined soteriological goal, a new paradigm for this liberative path in which ritual is central, and innovations such as deity yoga (self-generation as an enlightened figure), consecration rites, and practices involving violence and sex. These reflect both developments within Buddhism and external pressures, including violence and the exercise of power predominant in early medieval Indian socio-political forms as well as a decline in patronage of Buddhist institutions. The Compendium of Principles marks the emergence of mature Indian Buddhist tantra at the end of the seventh century, and it immediately spawned a body of literary progeny that has played a central and enduring role in the development of tantric Buddhism in India, Tibet, China, and Japan. Consolidated over time into traditions known in some Indian circles as Yoga Tantra, they spread as widely as ⁄rı Lanka, Southeast Asia, Khotan, Mongolia, and Sumatra. The Compendium of Principles and its constellation of texts form the first Buddhist tantric corpus, as many texts amplify practices and doctrines of the Compendium of Principles. The continued growth and development of these traditions resulted in Abstract b subsequent phases of tantra later classified as Mah›yoga. While these tantras, which include the Secret Assembly (Guhyasam›ja), Yoga of the Equality of All Buddhas (Sarvabuddhasamayoga), and Secret Nucleus (Guhyagarbha), exhibit strong nonmonastic influence, the roots of their characteristic practices focusing on violence and sex reach back to the Compendium of Principles. In Tibet, the Compendium of Principles and texts classified as Yoga Tantra played a central role in the transmission and development of Buddhism from the eighth through eleventh centuries, and continued to exert influence even after the introduction of new tantric developments.
The paper examines the potential of a social-emotional learning (SEL) programme, Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS)in Northern Ireland (NI), to prepare at-risk students to succeed in education and later life. At-risk students are defined as students living in communities traditionally divided and fractured by social, religious, cultural intolerance, and sectarianism. The risk is not developing the social-emotional competencies necessary for good emotional health and positive relationships that are often necessary for personal and academic achievement. Themes of freedom, education and development are explored in reference to findings from a matched randomised control evaluation of PATHS implemented in six primary schools in Northern Ireland between 2008 and 2011. Results of data obtained through individual student assessments of social-emotional skills and findings from interviews with school principals, teachers and students are reported, and the potential of SEL as a vehicle for at-risk students to succeed are discussed. Findings from the evaluation clearly demonstrate how SEL provides a potential vehicle for breaking down the constraints and barriers to personal development and success for at-risk students. Recommendations are made for the further development and implementation of SEL programmes in Europe to advance the opportunities for at-risk students in divided communities to succeed.
As featured in Bill Moyers’s PBS special “Spirit and Nature“, leaders from major traditions around the world speak out in this volume about what spiritual resources we may turn to in our age of unprecedented danger to the planet.
This global perspective column focuses on a humanbecoming hermeneutic study of first semester graduate nursing students' reflections on an art museum exhibit titled; Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine. The research question that guided the study was "what is the emerging meaning of living balance as depicted in the exhibit? The students' essays were interpreted in light of the humanbecoming perspective. The essays were summarized and yielded four themes; surprising and amazing, interconnectedness of all things, unexpected elements and commonalities, and attention to daily living. Parse's three core knowings of living quality (fortifying wisdom, discerning witness and penetrating silence) were considered with the emergent meanings from the students' essays on living balance as depicted in The Art of Tibetan Medicine exhibit. This study showed the use of art in the teaching about global health in graduate nursing education.
<p>This is a paper on cognitive science and Buddhism. I will comment on the consequences of living in a world increasingly framed by science, and ways in which the situation may change as both cognitivescience and the contemporary practice of Buddhism mature and—perhaps— influence each other.</p>
BACKGROUND: Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system activation is adaptive in response to stress, and HPA dysregulation occurs in stress-related psychopathology. It is important to understand the mechanisms that modulate HPA output, yet few studies have addressed the neural circuitry associated with HPA regulation in primates and humans. Using high-resolution F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in rhesus monkeys, we assessed the relation between individual differences in brain activity and HPA function across multiple contexts that varied in stressfulness.
METHODS: Using a logical AND conjunctions analysis, we assessed cortisol and brain metabolic activity with FDG-PET in 35 adolescent rhesus monkeys exposed to two threat and two home-cage conditions. To test the robustness of our findings, we used similar methods in an archival data set. In this data set, brain metabolic activity and cortisol were assessed in 17 adolescent male rhesus monkeys that were exposed to three stress-related contexts.
RESULTS: Results from the two studies revealed that subgenual prefrontal cortex (PFC) metabolism (Brodmann's area 25/24) consistently predicted individual differences in plasma cortisol concentrations regardless of the context in which brain activity and cortisol were assessed.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that activation in subgenual PFC may be related to HPA output across a variety of contexts (including familiar settings and novel or threatening situations). Individuals prone to elevated subgenual PFC activity across multiple contexts may be individuals who consistently show heightened cortisol and may be at risk for stress-related HPA dysregulation.
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Early theorists (Freud and Darwin) speculated that extremely shy children, or those with anxious temperament, were likely to have anxiety problems as adults. More recent studies demonstrate that these children have heightened responses to potentially threatening situations reacting with intense defensive responses that are characterized by behavioral inhibition (BI) (inhibited motor behavior and decreased vocalizations) and physiological arousal. Confirming the earlier impressions, data now demonstrate that children with this disposition are at increased risk to develop anxiety, depression, and comorbid substance abuse. Additional key features of anxious temperament are that it appears at a young age, it is a stable characteristic of individuals, and even in non-threatening environments it is associated with increased psychic anxiety and somatic tension. To understand the neural underpinnings of anxious temperament, we performed imaging studies with 18-fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) high-resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in young rhesus monkeys. Rhesus monkeys were used because they provide a well validated model of anxious temperament for studies that cannot be performed in human children. Imaging the same animal in stressful and secure contexts, we examined the relation between regional metabolic brain activity and a trait-like measure of anxious temperament that encompasses measures of BI and pituitary-adrenal reactivity. Regardless of context, results demonstrated a trait-like pattern of brain activity (amygdala, bed nucleus of stria terminalis, hippocampus, and periaqueductal gray) that is predictive of individual phenotypic differences. Importantly, individuals with extreme anxious temperament also displayed increased activity of this circuit when assessed in the security of their home environment. These findings suggest that increased activity of this circuit early in life mediates the childhood temperamental risk to develop anxiety and depression. In addition, the findings provide an explanation for why individuals with anxious temperament have difficulty relaxing in environments that others perceive as non-stressful.
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BackgroundThe primary objective of this randomised controlled trial (RCT) is to establish the effectiveness of a novel online quality of life (QoL) intervention tailored for people with late stage (≥ 10 episodes) bipolar disorder (BD) compared with psychoeducation. Relative to early stage individuals, this late stage group may not benefit as much from existing psychosocial treatments. The intervention is a guided self-help, mindfulness based intervention (MBI) developed in consultation with consumers, designed specifically for web-based delivery, with email coaching support.
Methods/design
This international RCT will involve a comparison of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two 5-week adjunctive online self-management interventions: Mindfulness for Bipolar 2.0 and an active control (Psychoeducation for Bipolar). A total of 300 participants will be recruited primarily via social media channels. Main inclusion criteria are: a diagnosis of BD (confirmed via a phone-administered structured diagnostic interview), no current mood episode, history of 10 or more mood episodes, no current psychotic features or active suicidality, under the care of a medical practitioner. Block randomisation will be used for allocation to the interventions, and participants will retain access to the program for 6 months. Evaluations will be conducted at pre- and post- treatment, and at 3- and 6- months follow-up. The primary outcome measure will be the Brief Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder Scale (Brief QoL.BD), collected immediately post-intervention at 5 weeks (T1). Secondary measures include BD-related symptoms (mania, depression, anxiety, stress), time to first relapse, functioning, sleep quality, social rhythm stability and resource use. Measurements will be collected online and via telephone assessments at baseline (T0), 5 weeks (T1), three months (T2) and six months (T3). Candidate moderators (diagnosis, anxiety or substance comorbidities, demographics and current treatments) will be investigated as will putative therapeutic mechanisms including mindfulness, emotion regulation and self-compassion. A cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted. Acceptability and any unwanted events (including adverse treatment reactions) will be documented and explored.
Discussion
This definitive trial will test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a novel QoL focused, mindfulness based, online guided self-help intervention for late stage BD, and investigate its putative mechanisms of therapeutic action.
Animals often aid others without gaining any immediate benefits. Although these acts seem to reduce the donor's fitness, they are only apparently altruistic. Donors typically help because they or their kin receive future benefits or avoid costly punishment. Reciprocal altruism ? alternating the roles of donor and recipient ? has been a well-studied form of cooperation among non-kin because of its intuitive appeal in explaining human cooperation. Despite immense theoretical interest, little empirical evidence substantiates the biological importance of reciprocal altruism in non-human animals. We propose that this is because psychological mechanisms constrain its application in cooperative contexts. In particular, we contend that cognitive limitations such as temporal discounting, numerical discrimination and memory make reciprocity difficult for animals.
"Developing Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Children provides a practical guide full of proven strategies for promoting social and emotional learning (SEL) skills in children aged 4-16. A practical guide designed to support parents and education professionals in developing social and emotional skills in children, a form of learning that can be neglected in formal education Demonstrates how to foster social and emotional learning (SEL) at home and in the classroom, and shows how parents and professionals can work together for success Includes a wealth of exercises for promoting social and emotional wellbeing, along with tips, tools, and coverage of new developments such as computer-assisted instruction Written by authors with a wealth of practical and writing experience"--
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