Aspects Of Dissociation Research Articles

Dissociable control of motivation and reinforcement by distinct ventral striatal dopamine receptors.

Dopamine (DA) release in striatal circuits, including the nucleus accumbens medial shell (mNAcSh), tracks separable features of reward like motivation and reinforcement. However, the cellular and circuit mechanisms by which DA receptors transform DA release into distinct constructs of reward remain unclear. Here we show that DA D3 receptor (D3R) signaling in the mNAcSh drives motivated behavior in mice by regulating local microcircuits. Furthermore, D3Rs coexpress with DA D1 receptors, which regulate reinforcement, but not motivation. Paralleling dissociable roles in reward function, we report nonoverlapping physiological actions of D3R and DA D1 receptor signaling in mNAcSh neurons. Our results establish a fundamental framework wherein DA signaling within the same nucleus accumbens cell type is physiologically compartmentalized via actions on distinct DA receptors. This structural and functional organization provides neurons in a limbic circuit with the unique ability to orchestrate dissociable aspects of reward-related behaviors relevant to the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Adverse childhood experiences and dissociation among Italian public psychology service users

Different studies have provided evidence that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with mental health problems as a function of racial and ethnic diversity. The aim of the present study was thus to study the association between ACEs and dissociation in a sample of Southern Italian public psychology service (PPS) users. A sample of 183 adults who requested psychotherapeutic treatment within an Italian PPS was recruited. ACEs were assessed via the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q). Dissociative symptoms were assessed via the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II) and the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ-20). Dissociative syndromes were assessed via two scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III): the Somatoform Syndrome (H) and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Syndrome (R) scales. The most common types of ACEs in our sample were emotional neglect and emotional abuse. The number of ACEs showed a significant association with all the different measures of dissociation administered. Logistic regression analysis for the DES-II resulted in a solution made up of sexual abuse and parental separation or divorce. The regression analysis for the SDQ-20 resulted in a solution made up of emotional abuse, physical neglect, and parental separation or divorce. Sexual abuse positively predicted PTSD scale scores, while no solution was found for somatoform disorder. ACEs and dissociation were strongly associated in this study, but the nature of this association depended on the aspect of dissociation under investigation, particularly when we considered the distinction between dissociative symptoms versus syndromes. Cultural characteristics and clinical implications for public services are discussed.

Neural correlates of chocolate brand preference: A functional MRI study.

Preferences can be developed for, or against, specific brands and services. Using two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, this study investigated two dissociable aspects of reward processing, craving and liking, in chocolate lovers. The goal was to further delineate the neural basis supporting branding effects using familiar chocolate (FC) and unfamiliar chocolate (UC) brand images. In the first experiment, subjects rated their subjective craving and liking on a scale of 1-5 (weak-strong) for each FC and UC image. In the second experiment, they performed a choice task between FC and UC images. Both the craving and liking ratings were significantly greater for FC and were differentially correlated with choice behavior. Craving ratings predicted greater preference for UC, and liking ratings predicted greater preference for FC. A contrast of neural activity for UC versus FC choice trials revealed significantly greater activation for UC choices in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus and right caudate head. Response times for the FC images were faster than UC images; fMRI activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex was significantly correlated with response times during FC trials, but not UC trials. These correlations were significantly different from each other at the group level. The choices for branded chocolate products are driven by higher subjective reward ratings and lower neural processing demands.

Perinatal and neonatal factors and mental disorders in children and adolescents: looking for the contributions of the early environment to common and dissociable aspects of psychopathology.

High rates of co-occurrence of mental disorders have been hypothesized to represent a result of common susceptibility to overall psychopathology. The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that commonalities among psychiatric disorders might be partially driven by sharable perinatal and neonatal environmental factors for mental disorders. Participants were 6-14years of age children and their parents. Primary caregivers provided data on perinatal and neonatal information assessed retrospectively (n = 2231). Psychiatric disorders diagnoses were assessed using the Development and Well Being Behavior Assessment (DAWBA). We used bifactor models to disentangle common from dissociable aspects of psychopathology. These models allow modeling psychiatric disorders as the result of a common domain of psychopathology (p-factor) and three dissociable domains (fear, distress, and externalizing symptoms). Associations were tested using linear and tobit regression models. The p-factor was associated with male sex, low socioeconomic status, gestational smoking, gestational drinking, low levels of maternal education and presence of mental disorder in the mother. Associations with specific factors also emerged suggesting some risk factors might also have some role for fear, distress and externalizing factors. Our study supports the hypothesis that overall susceptibility to psychopathology might be partially driven by sharable perinatal and neonatal factors.

Unveil the potential in hydrogen activation and spillover towards NiMoS by Ni3S2 - A theoretical study

Using density functional theory calculation (DFT) as well as ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation, the capabilities of hydrogen dissociation and hydrogen spillover over Ni3S2 (111) surface are examined. The steady state, energy change, transition state of hydrogen dissociation and the spillover pathway, stability of S-H bond during hydrogen spillover are all calculated. The results show that several S-top site and S-Ni-bridge site are available for dissociation, among them, “S1-top”, “S3-top” and “S1-Ni1” sites could be recognized as distinct sites, and one hydrogen molecule could be efficiently dissociated by one S3-top site and the adjacent S1-Ni1 site. The crystal orbital Hamilton population analysis and AIMD simulation for S-H bonds both confirm the tendency towards breaking, then the spillover coordinate calculation gives a self-consistent pathway among three district sites. In short, the Ni3S2 surface shows excellent performance in the aspect of hydrogen dissociation and hydrogen spillover, which displays tremendous potential for hydrogen spillover in NiMoS catalytic system. We hope these findings could shed light on the theory of “remote control” model.

The shared and dissociable aspects of burnout, depression, anxiety, and irritability in health professionals during COVID-19 pandemic: A latent and network analysis

Burnout syndrome (BS) has been classified as an independent ‘work-related phenomenon’, however, there is still an important discussion on whether BS is a unique clinical construct due to the overlapping symptoms with other domains of negative affect such as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and irritability. Thus, we investigated the common and dissociable aspects between BS and domains of negative affect such as depression, anxiety, and irritability through a cross-sectional study with 3428 essential service professionals from a national project during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were assessed with Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scales to assess the severity of depression, anxiety, and irritability. The discriminability between the constructs was investigated using correlation tests, Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Bifactor (ESEM), and network analyzes. The mean correlation among the four subscales of BAT-12 was stronger with each other than with depression, anxiety, and irritability. Both ESEM and network analysis, despite showing shared characteristics, clearly delineated that Burnout domains were dissociable from other domains of negative affect. Our findings corroborate the ICD-11 strategy to include BS as a separate entity that cannot be fully explained by variance accounted for by other domains.

Self-hate, dissociation, and suicidal behavior in bulimia nervosa

BackgroundIndividuals with eating disorders (EDs) often struggle with markedly low self- esteem and are at risk for suicidal behavior. Dissociation and perceived burdensomeness are often cited as facilitators of suicidal outcomes. Specifically, perceived burdensomeness is comprised of self-hate and liability on others, although it remains unclear which variables most heavily influence suicidal behavior in EDs. MethodsIn a sample of 204 women with bulimia nervosa, the present study examined the potential impact of self-hate and dissociation on suicidal behavior. We hypothesized that suicidal behavior would be equally, and potentially more strongly, related to self-hate than dissociation. Regression analyses investigated the unique effects of these variables on suicidal behavior. ResultsConsistent with our hypothesis, a significant relationship emerged between self-hate and suicidal behavior (B = 0.262, SE = 0.081, p < .001, CIs = 0.035–0.110, R-squared =0.07) but not between dissociation and suicidal behavior (B = 0.010, SE = 0.007, p = .165, CIs = −0.389–2.26, R-squared =0.010). Additionally, when controlling for one another, both self-hate (B = 0.889, SE = 0.246, p < .001, CIs = 0.403–1.37) and capability for suicide (B = 0.233, SE = 0.080, p = .004, CIs = 0.076–0.391) were uniquely and independently associated with suicidal behavior. LimitationsFuture work should include longitudinal analyses to understand temporal relationships among study variables. ConclusionsIn sum, when considering suicidal outcomes, these findings support a view that highlights personal loathing rooted in self-hate rather than de-personalizing aspects of dissociation. Accordingly, self-hate may emerge as a particularly valuable target for treatment and suicide prevention in EDs.

Four reasons why we should screen for dissociation in competitive sports

Four reasons why we should screen for dissociation in competitive sports

Shared dissociative identity disorder and defector alter personality: controlled human syndrome and the objectification trap phenomenon as a gaslighting form based on dissociative narcissism from the perspective of dissoanalysis theory and dissoanalytic psychohistory

In today's age of global dissociation, it has become necessary to deal with the social and clinical aspects of dissociation, which is a "psychosocial denial experience" in terms of ideational, emotional, relational, behavioral and sensory aspects. In dysfunctional nations experiencing psychosocial denial, democracy unfortunately functions as the majority's freedom to make wrong decisions. The freedom of the majority to make wrong decisions creates “dissociative and misanthropic masses” and causes “universal violence circulation” and despotism to prevail. Dissoanalysis and “Ozturk’s Pervasive and Reversible Dissociative Fusion Theory” define the universal circulation of violence as a reversible “dissociative violence oscillation” associated with trauma, which spreads from individual to society and from society to individual. The submissive mode associated with the experience of connecting to their oppressors and dictators is contagious; it spreads from traumatized and dysfunctional individuals to dissociated and dysfunctional societies, creating fused interpersonal relationships and both conformist and sadomasochistic masses. The dissoanalytic school defines the phenomenon of dissociation, which is most closely related to chronic, complex and cumulative traumatic experiences, which can transform from the individual to the social dimension and from the social dimension to the individual dimension in the face of oppression, and even be experienced simultaneously in the individual and social dimensions, both in relational and psychosociopolitical contexts. Dissoanalytic psychohistory, which continues its development rapidly in parallel with the principles of dissoanalysis and modern psychotraumatology, has far outstripped the stable and dogmatic schools of psychiatry, psychology, and history with its integrative solution-oriented approaches and effective psychosocial prevention strategies towards the phenomenon of trauma-related dissociation and individual and mass obedience cycles against oppression. In this original article, Ozturk defined the phenomenon of “objectification trap”, “controlled human syndrome” and “shared dissociative identity disorder” as the triple pillar of fused bilateral relations dominated by reversible dominative and submissive modes from the perspective of dissoanalysis theory and dissoanalytic psychohistory.

Nucleus Accumbens Core Dopamine D2 Receptor-Expressing Neurons Control Reversal Learning but Not Set-Shifting in Behavioral Flexibility in Male Mice.

The ability to use environmental cues to flexibly guide responses is crucial for adaptive behavior and is thought to be controlled within a series of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops. Previous evidence has indicated that different prefrontal cortical regions control dissociable aspects of behavioral flexibility, with the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) necessary for the ability to shift attention to a novel strategy (set-shifting) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) necessary for shifting attention between learned stimulus-outcome associations (reversal learning). The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a major downstream target of both the mPFC and the OFC; however, its role in controlling reversal learning and set-shifting abilities is still unclear. Here we investigated the contribution of the two major NAc neuronal populations, medium spiny neurons expressing either dopamine D1 or D2 receptors (D1-/D2-MSNs), in guiding reversal learning and set-shifting in an attentional set-shifting task (ASST). Persistent inhibition of neurotransmitter release from NAc D2-MSNs, but not D1-MSNs, resulted in an impaired ability for reversal learning, but not set-shifting in male mice. These findings suggest that NAc D2-MSNs play a critical role in suppressing responding toward specific learned cues that are now associated with unfavorable outcomes (i.e., in reversal stages), but not in the suppression of more general learned strategies (i.e., in set-shifting). This study provides further evidence for the anatomical separation of reversal learning and set-shifting abilities within cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loops.

Socioeconomic disadvantage and ethnicity are associated with large differences in children\u2019s working memory ability: analysis of a prospective birth cohort study following 13,500 children

Working memory is a limited capacity system that stores and processes information over short time periods and is essential for learning new information. Some studies have investigated the associations between socioeconomic position and working memory, however none have examined this across potentially dissociable aspects of working memory. Further, there are very few studies about children’s working memory differences across and within different ethnic groups. Therefore, there is a need to understand the potential associations between socioeconomic position, ethnicity, and different aspects of children’s working memory. We investigated children’s working memory (n = 15,154) by socioeconomic group, using a latent class measure of family socioeconomic position, and then by ethnic group. To account for potential problems in applying socioeconomic measures across different ethnic groups, we then examined associations using an ethnic-specific socioeconomic measure within the ethnic majority group (White British) and the largest ethnic minority group (Pakistani). We found a strong association between socioeconomic group at birth and working memory at age 7–10 years, where the difference between the least and most deprived socioeconomic groups was equivalent to at least a 1-year age difference. We also found substantial differences in working memory between nine ethnic groups that varied by working memory task, where the difference between groups was equivalent to an age difference of between 6 and 24 months. Finally, we found evidence for a socioeconomic gradient in working memory for White British children, but this was considerably reduced in Pakistani children. These findings show the importance of separating out different ethnic groups when investigating associations between socioeconomic position and cognitive function, and that researchers need to be mindful when applying socioeconomic measures across ethnic groups. Where possible, ethnic-specific measures of socioeconomic position should be developed and applied for studies like these. Future research considering the possible mechanisms behind associations between ethnicity and working memory, and mechanisms by which socioeconomic position differentially influences working memory performance for different ethnic groups would shed further light on this important topic.

Sustained Attention and Spatial Attention Distinctly Influence Long-term Memory Encoding.

Our attention is critically important for what we remember. Prior measures of the relationship between attention and memory, however, have largely treated "attention" as a monolith. Here, across three experiments, we provide evidence for two dissociable aspects of attention that influence encoding into long-term memory. Using spatial cues together with a sensitive continuous report procedure, we find that long-term memory response error is affected by both trial-by-trial fluctuations of sustained attention and prioritization via covert spatial attention. Furthermore, using multivariate analyses of EEG, we track both sustained attention and spatial attention before stimulus onset. Intriguingly, even during moments of low sustained attention, there is no decline in the representation of the spatially attended location, showing that these two aspects of attention have robust but independent effects on long-term memory encoding. Finally, sustained and spatial attention predicted distinct variance in long-term memory performance across individuals. That is, the relationship between attention and long-term memory suggests a composite model, wherein distinct attentional subcomponents influence encoding into long-term memory. These results point toward a taxonomy of the distinct attentional processes that constrain our memories.

Specialized coding patterns among dorsomedial prefrontal neuronal ensembles predict conditioned reward seeking.

Non-overlapping cell populations within dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), defined by gene expression or projection target, control dissociable aspects of reward seeking through unique activity patterns. However, even within these defined cell populations, considerable cell-to-cell variability is found, suggesting that greater resolution is needed to understand information processing in dmPFC. Here, we use two-photon calcium imaging in awake, behaving mice to monitor the activity of dmPFC excitatory neurons throughout Pavlovian reward conditioning. We characterize five unique neuronal ensembles that each encodes specialized information related to a sucrose reward, reward-predictive cues, and behavioral responses to those cues. The ensembles differentially emerge across daily training sessions - and stabilize after learning - in a manner that improves the predictive validity of dmPFC activity dynamics for deciphering variables related to behavioral conditioning. Our results characterize the complex dmPFC neuronal ensemble dynamics that stably predict reward availability and initiation of conditioned reward seeking following cue-reward learning.

Fragmentation mechanisms of protonated cyclodextrins in tandem mass spectrometry

Tandem mass spectrometry has found widespread application as a powerful tool for the characterization of linear and branched oligosaccharides. Though the technique has been applied to the analysis of cyclic oligosaccharides as well, the underlying fragmentation mechanisms have hardly been investigated. This study focuses on the mechanistic aspects of the gas-phase dissociation of protonated β-cyclodextrins. Elucidation of the dissociation mechanisms is supported by tandem mass spectrometric experiments and by experiments on di- and trimethylated cyclodextrin derivatives. The fragmentation pathway comprises the linearization of the macrocyclic structure as the initial step of the decomposition, followed by the elimination of glucose subunits and the subsequent release of water and formaldehyde moieties from the glucose monomer and dimer fragment ions. Linearization of the macrocycle occurs due to proton-driven scission of the glycosidic bond adjacent to carbon atom C1 in conjunction with the formation of a new hydroxy group. The resulting ring-opened structure further decomposes in charge-independent processes forming either zwitterionic fragments, a 1,4-anhydroglucose moiety, or a new macrocyclic structure, that is lost as a neutral, and an oxonium ion. Since the hydroxy group formed at the ring-opening site can be regarded as the non-reducing end of the linearized structure, the fragment ion nomenclature commonly used for linear and branched oligosaccharides, which relies on the designation of a reducing and a non-reducing end, can also be applied to the description of fragment ions derived from cyclic structures.

A critical perspective on Markov state model treatments of protein-protein association using coarse-grained simulations.

Atomic-level information is essential to explain the specific interactions governing protein–protein recognition in terms of structure and dynamics. Of particular interest is a characterization of the time-dependent kinetic aspects of protein–protein association and dissociation. A powerful framework to characterize the dynamics of complex molecular systems is provided by Markov State Models (MSMs). The central idea is to construct a reduced stochastic model of the full system by defining a set of conformational featured microstates and determining the matrix of transition probabilities between them. While a MSM framework can sometimes be very effective, different combinations of input featurization and simulation methods can significantly affect the robustness and the quality of the information generated from MSMs in the context of protein association. Here, a systematic examination of a variety of MSMs methodologies is undertaken to clarify these issues. To circumvent the uncertainties caused by sampling issues, we use a simplified coarse-grained model of the barnase–barstar protein complex. A sensitivity analysis is proposed to identify the microstates of an MSM that contribute most to the error in conjunction with the transition-based reweighting analysis method for a more efficient and accurate MSM construction.

Experimental study on in situ dissociation kinetics of CO2 hydrate in pure water and water/sediments systems

AbstractRecently, hydrate technology as a newly emerging field has been attracting more and more attention. To support its potential applications, the dissociation behaviors and kinetics of CO2 hydrate in pure water and water/sediments systems at specified temperatures were studied experimentally by depressurization method. This work reveals two novel aspects of CO2 hydrate dissociation. Firstly, it is remarkable that the dissociation rate of CO2 hydrate in water/sediments is faster than that of CO2 hydrate in pure water, which has not been conscious previously. Secondly, a pseudo first‐order kinetic equation including the kinetic constant and activation energy was formulated to describe the dissociation process. Temperature plays an important role and the dissociation rate constant () and activation energy () were obtained through the dissociation experiments at different temperatures. For CO2 hydrate in pure water, the dissociation rate constant increased from 0.02 to 0.13 mol/(dm2⋅MPa⋅min) at the temperature from 273.86 to 276.11 K, and the activation energy was 469.06 kJ mol−1. For CO2 hydrate in water/sediments, the dissociation rate constant was from 0.03 to 0.15 mol/(dm2⋅MPa⋅min) at the temperature ranging from 273.45 to 276.11 K, and the activation energy was 346.30 kJ mol−1. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

The Triple Entendre

ABSTRACT This clinical paper explores aspects of unconscious communication and dissociation during the authors first year in psychoanalytic training, as an early career clinician. The author explores dissociation subjectively experienced as a form of communicating both consciously and unconsciously. The analyst/analysand relationship is expressed as the conduit for optimal exposure to dissociated self-states in what has been coined the parallel process. A glance into the authors supervision, personal analysis and treatment with a two times a week patient is brought center stage.

Effects of a high-fat diet on impulsive choice in rats

IntroductionObesity and binge eating disorder are associated with high levels of impulsivity, but the causal role of eating and palatable food in these associations is unclear. Studies in rodents show that a high-fat diet can increase one aspect of impulsivity (impulsive action); it is less clear, however, whether a dissociable aspect of impulsivity (impulsive choice) is similarly affected. Hence, the aim of this study was to ascertain whether chronic exposure to a high-fat diet would alter impulsive choice. MethodsMale rats were maintained on either a high-fat or control chow diet for two weeks ad libitum. They then underwent equi-caloric food restriction for the duration of the experiment, with each group maintained on their respective diet. To measure impulsive choice, rats were trained on a delay discounting task (DDT) in which they made discrete choices between a lever that delivered a small food reward immediately and a lever that delivered a large food reward accompanied by systematically increasing delays. Upon reaching stable performance on the DDT, rats were given acute systemic injections of amphetamine prior to testing in the DDT to determine whether increased monoamine transmission affected impulsive choice differently in the two diet groups. Lastly, subjects were tested on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement to assess motivation for a sucrose reward. ResultsThere was no significant effect of the high-fat diet on impulsive choice. Further, amphetamine decreased choice of the large, delayed reward (increased impulsive choice) to the same extent in both groups. Exposure to the high-fat diet did, however, increase motivation to obtain a sucrose reward. ConclusionsThese experiments reveal that, under conditions that do not promote weight gain, a chronic high-fat diet does not affect impulsive choice in a delay discounting task. The data are surprising in light of findings showing that this same diet alters impulsive action, and highlight the necessity of further research to elucidate relationships between palatable food consumption and impulsivity.

Study of silicon carbide dissociation into Fe and Fe C matrixes produced by die pressing and sintering

During the sintering process of self-lubricating steels, the dissociation of Silicon Carbide (SiC) in the iron matrix forms turbostratic graphite nodules which provide the lubricating properties of these materials. Previous works have explored the turbostratic nature of the graphite nodules and the influence of the SiC content in the microstructure and tribological properties of these materials, however, the thermodynamics and kinetics of SiC dissociation have not been fully explored yet. This study uses the versatility of die pressing to study the influence of particle sizes, sintering temperature and carbon content in the dissociation of SiC. The resulting materials were analysed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The evolution of the size and morphology of pores and graphite nodules was investigated through image analysis software and simulations with the DICTRA® software were used to a better assessment of the kinetical aspects of SiC dissociation. Also, the thermodynamic influence of the particle size in the equilibria of the Fe–SiC system is discussed. Results indicate that SiC particle size rather than Fe/SiC size ratio governs the dissociation process, sintering temperature causes coalescence and rounding of pores as well as of graphite nodules. In addition, excessive activity of carbon in the system causes the precipitation of graphite flakes, which are not desired for technological applications.

Observation of Magic Number Clusters from Thermal Dissociation Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Lithium Formate Ionic Clusters.

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are well positioned to elucidate the aspects of electrospray ionization (ESI) and high-energy collision dissociation (HCD), as well as give insight into processes that involve neutral species that cannot be observed experimentally in ESI, HCD, and collision-induced dissociation (CID). Here, we utilize temperature dissociation molecular dynamics (TDMD) to model the HCD/CID of lithium formate clusters carrying a single positive charge. These simulations successfully reproduce the experimental ESI HCD spectra of lithium formate solutions and also support the existence of magic number clusters (MNCs) that have been observed. The simulations also provide strong evidence that the main fragmentation channel of such clusters involves neutral (LiHCOO)2 dimers.