Borderline Knowing: (Re)Valuing Borderline Personality Disorder as (Counter) Knowledge

Author(s): Sarah Redikopp / Language(s): English / Issue: 01/2018

This article explores Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) as an epistemic standpoint defiant of dominant Western knowledge frameworks, which are (supposedly) rational, objective and linear. I engage with feminist, critical psychiatry and Mad critiques of BPD as a medicalization of trauma and ameliorate these critiques by engaging BPD as both a psychiatric diagnosis and as a (non-pathological) response to traumatic experiences. I conceptualize the ‘borderline standpoint’ as a subversive epistemology and examine the capacity of queer-crip temporalities to meaningfully engage with the borderline standpoint, arguing that a framework of queer time is useful insofar as trauma (and borderline knowing) are necessarily nonlinear. Ultimately, I employ concepts of queer-crip time, including the works of Alison Kafer and Elizabeth Freeman, to open new avenues of engagement with the ‘ugly’ affect of borderline and to embark on a maddening epistemological project.

Both active and sham low-frequency rTMS single sessions over the right DLPFC decrease cue-induced cravings among pathological gamblers seeking treatment: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover trial

Author(s): Anne Sauvaget,Samuel Bulteau,Alice Guilleux,Juliette Leboucher,Anne Pichot,Pierre Valrivière,Jean-Marie Vanelle,Véronique Sébille-Rivain,Marie Grall-Bronnec / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

Craving is a core symptom of addictive disorders, such as pathological gambling for example. Over the last decade, several studies have assessed the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the addiction field, which triggers the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to decrease craving. The STIMJEU study investigated whether a single session of low-frequency (LF, i.e., 1 Hz) rTMS applied to the right DLPFC reduced cueinduced gambling craving in a sample of treatment-seeking pathological gamblers. Methods: Thirty patients received both active and sham rTMS in random order and were blinded to the condition in a within-subject crossover design. Outcome measures included self-reported gambling craving (Visual Analog Scale and Gambling Craving Scale) and physiological measures (heart rate and blood pressure). Results: The rTMS sessions were associated with a significant decrease in the gambling urge, regardless of whether the session was active or sham. When controlling cue-induced craving levels, no effects were observed on craving for active rTMS. Overall, rTMS was well-tolerated, and the credibility of the sham procedure was assessed and appeared to be appropriate. Conclusions: We failed to demonstrate the specific efficacy of one session of LF rTMS to decrease cue-induced craving in pathological gamblers. A strong placebo-effect and rTMS parameters may partly explain these results. Yet, we are convinced that rTMS remains a promising therapeutic method. Further studies are required to examine its potential effect.

Brain-Computer Interface: The Mindwave Mobile Interactive Device for Brainwave Monitoring

Author(s): Iordache Beatrice / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

The idea of using brain activity as a path to communicate with external devices quickly evolved in the last decades. Brain-reading technologies are starting to be used in different life areas, since we have companies that launched such innovative tools on the market. In this matter, the most common method for measuring and observing the brain activity is the electroencephalogram (EEG), used mainly in the medical field with important research related to disability problems. In the enthusiastic attempt to discover the complexity of the brain, researchers sought for a way to reproduce all its intricated functionsas accurately as the possibilities of the latest tehnology can. A Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) represents a direct communication path between the active brain and an external device, a graphic result of it’s monitoring process in real time. This article presents a type of device of this kind, the MindWave Mobile by NeuroSky, through which we can observe and analyse the electrical activity of the brain. The different levels of frequency of the brainwave signal are related to cognitive function like attention, and meditation. Based on NeuroSky’s own developed eSense algorithms, MindWave Mobile can detect even the very subtle levels of attention and meditation, each of them being calculated and updated every second, as seen on the monitor of the device that’s paired with. This paper also presents a related experiment using the EEG device regarding the effect of music on different people, in terms of the concentration and relaxation levels.

Brave Upside Down World – Does Looking Between the Legs Elongate or Shorten the Perceived Distance

Author(s): Oliver Toškovic / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2010

The aim of this research was to give further evidence for the influence of vestibular and proprioceptive information on distance perception, and to verify how perceived distance changes if we use matching versus verbal judgment task. That is, the aim was to investigate how perceived distance changes when we bend over and look between the legs. The experiment was performed on a daylight open field (full-cue situation), with 20 participants, high school students from the Petnica Science Center. Participants had the task to match distances of two stimuli, one of which was in front of them at eye level, whereas the other was behind them, and they could observe it by bending their body forward and looking between the legs .Stimuli were 7cm*5cm large, and rectangular in shape. Results have shown that perceived distance changes in such a way that distances observed between the legs are perceived as longer than distances observed from an upright position. This difference in perceived distances exists only for larger physical distances (3m and 5m), but not for smaller physical distances (1m). Results coincide with our previous findings which indicate that vestibular and proprioceptive information change elongates perceived distance. On the other hand, the results contradict some findings gained in experiments in which the verbal judgment task was used. These contrary results probably appear because the verbal judgment task leaves more space for higher cognitive processes to be involved.

Buletin de Psihiatrie Integrativa

Frequency: 4 issues / Country: Romania

The first number of the Bulletin appeared in 1919 and was printed in Iaşi. Society’s monthly meetings were rich in clinical data and facts, as well as experimental. They constituted a sufficient material for a regular publication of the Bulletin of the Society.

Prof. Parhon, gradually gathered around him the youth willing to learn. The society became quickly a lively organism. At its meetings attended many doctors, young and old people attracted by the scientific level of the communications and discussions and also of the mutilaterallity of the scientific concerns of Professor C.I. Parhon. The fame of the society spread in the rest of the country too. This was an objective condition for organizing the congresses of Neurology, Psychiatry, Psychology and Endocrinology Society in our country. Each congress was held in another city, where there were hospitals with this profile.

The journal was sent in many countries: U.S.S.R., France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and in other countries in Europe, in all 250 numbers of the journal were sent off. The journal was not subsidized by the state but once with the sum of 10.000 lei, after the attempt of the governors of the time to dissolve the „Socola” Hospital, for the progressive orientation of the comprised medical school. This attempt arose a great protest movement between the intellectuals and the doctors across the country, forcing the government of the time to reconsider this decision.

Burge on Mental Causation

Author(s): Marko Delic / Language(s): English / Issue: 57/2019

The article discusses Tyler Burge’s views concerning the debate about the causal efficacy of mental properties, as found in his article “Mind-Body Causation and Explanatory Practice.” Burge argues that a proper understanding of kind-individuation and causal explanation in science gives strong prima facie reasons for believing that mental and physical properties are not mutually exclusive. He does so by analysing the strength of two metaphysical theses which standardly underlie the debate— token physicalism and the “Completeness of physics.” I present his analysis and argue that without an account of mental causation, his analysis does not support the conclusion that mental and physical properties are not mutually exclusive. Also, I question the methodological adequacy of Burge’s analysis for scientific practice.

CAN WE BUILD THEORIES OF UNDERSTANDING ON THE BASIS OF MIRROR NEURONS?

Author(s): Anita Pacholik-Zuromska / Language(s): English / Issue: 28/2015

The discovery of mirror neurons and the characterization of their response properties is certainly an important achievement in neurophysiology and cognitive neuroscience. The reference to the role of mirror neurons in ‘reading’ the intentions of other creatures and in the learning process fulfils an explanatory function in understanding many cognitive phenomena beginning from imitating, towards understanding, and finishing with complex social interactions. The focus of this paper is to review selected approaches to the role of mirror neurons in mental activity as understanding, and to conclude with some possible implications for researches on mirror neurons for philosophical theories of understanding.

Case study: identification of areas of success in an aba based intervention implemented by a mother of a child with ASD

Author(s): Sulaj Migen / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2015

Over the past 15 years there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of autism. In 2014 the American Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network reported estimated prevalence rates for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to be 1 in 68. This group of children and their families have important service needs. The considerable amount of time and cost involved in providing appropriate interventions, suggest the parent training and involvement as a particularly appealing intervention option. The involvement of parents in implementing intervention strategies designed to help their autistic children has long been accepted as helpful. Different kinds of training methods available to parents have provided positive intervention outcomes. The present article is a case study on a mother of a child with autism implemented intervention. This case study shows which are the areas of success and of negative outcomes for the mother implemented intervention and then compares the same areas with the results achieved by the therapist. The goal is to modestly come with new suggestions to be included in parent training methods.

Changes in brain activity in response to problem solving during the abstinence from online game play

Author(s): Sun Mi Kim,Doug Hyun Han,Young Sik Lee,Jieun E. Kim,Perry F. Renshaw / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2012

Several studies have suggested that addictive disorders including substance abuse and pathologic gambling might be associated with dysfunction on working memory and prefrontal activity. We hypothesized that excessive online game playing is associated with deficits in prefrontal cortex function and that recovery from excessive online game playing might improve prefrontal cortical activation in response to working memory stimulation. Methods: Thirteen adolescents with excessive online game playing (AEOP) and ten healthy adolescents (HC) agreed to participate in this study. The severity of online game play and playing time were evaluated for a baseline measurement and again following four weeks of treatment. Brain activation in response to working memory tasks (simple and complex calculations) at baseline and subsequent measurements was assessed using BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results: Compared to the HC subjects, the AEOP participants exhibited significantly greater activity in the right middle occipital gyrus, left cerebellum posterior lobe, left premotor cortex and left middle temporal gyrus in response to working memory tasks during baseline measurements. After four weeks of treatment, the AEOP subjects showed increased activity within the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left occipital fusiform gyrus. After four weeks of treatment, changes in the severity of online game playing were negatively correlated with changes in the mean b value of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in response to complex stimulation. Conclusions: We suggest that the effects of online game addiction on working memory may be similar to those observed in patients with substance dependence.

Cogniție Muzicală

Frequency: 1 issues / Country: Romania

Music Cognition is an international journal that publishes theoretical and experimental papers on studies in the area of music. It covers a wide variety of subjects concerning all the different aspects of cognition. Contributions from the fields of psychology, pedagogy, musicology, neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, ethology are welcome in this journal, which serves as a forum of discussion in the field of arts and science. Cognition enjoys a wide readership from many disciplines. Authors should explicitly consider the general theoretical issues raised by their work and its relevance to other topics and methods. Papers will be selected on the basis of their scientific quality and degree of innovation. Contributors may contribute with:

• Full theoretical and experimental papers on the study of the music cognition

• Brief articles reporting original empirical findings

• Developments that warrant rapid communication to the scientific community

• Proposals for special issues on a new and important area in the field

• Discussions 

• Book reviews 

The aim of the journal is to provide a discussion forum on psycho-pedagogical implications in the field of music, with interdisciplinary links. The main purpose of the journal is to disseminate fundamental and experimental research related and investigated by cognition specific instruments.

Commentary on: Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research. On functional and compulsive aspects of reinforcement pathologies

Author(s): Damien Brevers,Xavier Noel / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

This paper is a commentary to a debate article entitled: “Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research”, by Billieux et al. (2015). Methods and aim: This brief response focused on the necessity to better characterize psychological and related neurocognitive determinants of persistent deleterious actions associated or not with substance utilization. Results: A majority of addicted people could be driven by psychological functional reasons to keep using drugs, gambling or buying despite the growing number of related negative consequences. In addition, a non-negligible proportion of them would need assistance to restore profound disturbances in basic learning processes involved in compulsive actions. Conclusions: The distinction between psychological functionality and compulsive aspects of addictive behaviors should represent a big step towards more efficient treatments.

Commentary on: Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research. On the slippery slopes: The case of gambling addiction

Author(s): Luke Clark / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

Billieux et al. (2015) propose that the recent proliferation of behavioral addictions has been driven by deficiencies in the underlying research strategy. This commentary considers how pathological gambling (now termed gambling disorder) traversed these challenges to become the first recognized behavioral addiction in the DSM-5. Ironically, many similar issues continue to exist in research on gambling disorder, including question-marks over the validity of tolerance, heterogeneity in gambling motives, and the under-specification of neuroimaging biomarkers. Nevertheless, I contend that the case for gambling disorder as a behavioral addiction has been bolstered by the existence of clear and consistent functional impairment (primarily in the form of debt), coupled with the development of a public health approach that has given emphasis to product features (i.e. the structural characteristics of gambling forms) as much as individual dispositions (the ‘addictive personality’).

Commentary on: Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research.Can the emerging domain of behavioral addictions bring a new reflection for the field of addictions, by stressing the issue of the context...

Author(s): Philippe De Timary,Pierre Philippot / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2015

This paper is a commentary to the article entitled: “Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research”, by Billieux, Schimmenti, Khazaal, Maurage and Heeren (2015). Methods and Aims: In this manuscript, we commented on two aspects developed by the authors. Billieux et al. (2015) propose that the recent development of propositions of behavioral addiction is driven by an unwise application of an addiction model to excessive behaviors and rests on a confirmatory research strategy that does not question the psychological processes underlying the development of the conduct. They also show that applying a process driven strategy leads to a more appropriate description of the reality of the behavior and conduct, in particular by describing a variety of motivations for the excessive behavior, which is central to understanding the nature of the conduct. We believe that this new approach, which is fruitful to the emerging domain of behavioral addictions, could also apply to the domain of addictions in general. The latter is characterized by the application of a generic biological model, largely influenced by animal models, focusing on neurophysiological determinants of addiction. This approach may have decreased the attention paid to dimensions of addictions that are more specifically human. We will firstly briefly argue on the limitation of this neurophysiological addiction model for the field of excessive behavioral conducts. Secondly, we will argue for an approach centered on the differentiation of motivations and on the adaptive dimension of the behavior when it first developed and on the evocation of a transition where the conduct became independent of its original function. Conclusions: The emerging domain of behavioral addictions, where no animal model has been developed so far, may bring a new reflection that may apply to the domain of addictions in general, with a specific attention to human questions.

Comparison of brain connectivity between Internet gambling disorder and Internet gaming disorder: A preliminary study

Author(s): Sujin Bae,Doug Hyun Han,Jaebum Jung,Ki Chun Nam,Perry F. Renshaw / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2017

Given the similarities in clinical symptoms, Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is thought to be diagnostically similar to Internet-based gambling disorder (ibGD). However, cognitive enhancement and educational use of Internet gaming suggest that the two disorders derive from different neurobiological mechanisms. The goal of this study was to compare subjects with ibGD to those with IGD. Methods: Fifteen patients with IGD, 14 patients with ibGD, and 15 healthy control subjects were included in this study. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data for all participants were acquired using a 3.0 Tesla MRI scanner (Philips, Eindhoven, The Netherlands). Seed-based analyses, the three brain networks of default mode, cognitive control, and reward circuitry, were performed. Results: Both IGD and ibGD groups demonstrated decreased functional connectivity (FC) within the default-mode network (DMN) (family-wise error p < .001) compared with healthy control subjects. However, the IGD group demonstrated increased FC within the cognitive network compared with both the ibGD (p < .01) and healthy control groups (p < .01). In contrast, the ibGD group demonstrated increased FC within the reward circuitry compared with both IGD (p < .01) and healthy control subjects (p < .01). Discussion and conclusions: The IGD and ibGD groups shared the characteristic of decreased FC in the DMN. However, the IGD group demonstrated increased FC within the cognitive network compared with both ibGD and healthy comparison groups.

Compulsive Sexual Behavior: A Review of the Literature

Author(s): Katherine L. Derbyshire,Jon E. Grant / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2015

Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is a common disorder featuring repetitive, intrusive and distressing sexual thoughts, urges and behaviors that negatively affect many aspects of an individual’s life. This article reviews the clinical characteristics of CSB, cognitive aspects of the behaviors, and treatment options. Methods: We reviewed the literature regarding the clinical aspects of CSB and treatment approaches. Results: The literature review of the clinical aspects of CSB demonstrates that there is likely a substantial heterogeneity within the disorder. In addition, the treatment literature lacks sufficient evidence-based approaches to develop a clear treatment algorithm. Conclusions: Although discussed in the psychological literature for years, CSB continues to defy easy categorization within mental health. Further research needs to be completed to understand where CSB falls within the psychiatric nosology.

Computational model of C. Elegans core olfactory circuit

Author(s): Marek Dobeš / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2015

To understand human brains, it is necessary to understand simpler neural processes first. In the article we provide a core computational model of C. Elegans olfactory circuit. Based on biological experiments presented in the literature, we develop a circuit mimicking some of the features of the biological olfactory circuit of C. Elegans.

CONSUMER FEEDBACK – HOW RELEVANT IS IT FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT?

Author(s): Peter Madzík,Karol Carnogurský,Anna Diaciková / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2/2015

The aim of this study is to present an example of how electronic consumer feedback maybe used to identify customer requirements and to improve quality. Developments in the theory of quality resulted in several approaches to identifying and analyzing customer requirements. Reviewing these approaches, we identified underdeveloped potential of electronic consumer feedback. To show that electronic consumer feedback is a valuable source of information suitable for identifying and analyzing customer requirements, we analyzed customer evaluations of an electronic commerce company in the Slovak republic. For this purpose we developed a relatively universal method which is not limited to the field of commerce. Our results show that even though the concept of feedback carries with it certain negative aspects, consumer feedback is a suitable tool for identifying requirements which may be further analyzed by prioritization and examination of their relations.

CONSUMER HEALTH APPLICATIONS, MACHINE LEARNING, AND SYSTEMS NEUROSCIENCE: THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ALGORITHMS IN CLINICAL MEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE DELIVERY

Author(s): ADRIAN GILL-COX / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2018

I draw on a substantial body of theoretical and empirical research on the employment of artificial intelligence algorithms in clinical medicine and healthcare delivery, and using data from CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA, OECD, StatLink, and STI Micro-data Lab, I performed analyses and made estimates regarding the artificial intelligence healthcare startups by segment and founding period and top ten medical technologies combined with artificial intelligence. The empirical analysis given in this article shows that machine learning enables mobile applications to network with patients in remarkably captivating manners to reinforce therapeutic compliance.

Cross-cultural validation of the “International Affective Picture System” (IAPS) on a sample from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s): Saša Drace,Emir Efendic,Mirna Kusturica,Lamija Landžo / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2013

In this study the normative ratings of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS, Center for the Study of Emotion and Attention [CSEA], 1995) were compared with the ratings from a Bosnian sample. Seventy-two psychology undergraduates from the University of Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) rated valence, dominance and arousal for a stratified sample of 60 pictures that was selected from the IAPS. Reliability coefficients indicate that the self-report ratings are internally consistent. The affective ratings from our sample correlated strongly with the North American ratings at: .95, .81 and .91, respectively for valence, arousal and dominance. Consistent with expectations, mean valence and dominance ratings did not differ significantly between the Bosnian and North American sample. Furthermore, plotting of the Bosnian valence and arousal ratings results in a similar boomerang shaped distribution as the North American affective ratings. Taken together, findings obtained from the Bosnian sample confirm the cross-cultural validity of the IAPS.

Czy mówimy tym samym językiem? Analiza języka urojeń

Author(s): Adrianna Smurzynska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 9/2016

The aim of this article is a problem of delusional language. The author cites some statements made by patients, both with monothematic and polithematic delusions. She also indicates main difficulties in understanding and interpreting such statements and hypotheses explaining differences between delusional and non-delusional language. She also proposes further ways of exploring delusional language.