Behavioral Control Measure Research Articles

QOL-16. IMPACT OF LESION LOCATION ON MOTOR AND COGNITIVE OUTCOMES IN PEDIATRIC CEREBELLAR TUMORS

Abstract BACKGROUND Children with cerebellar damage are at increased risk for various adverse outcomes, including higher rates of autism and long term neurocognitive challenges. Traditionally considered a motor structure, extensive evidence links the cerebellum to a range of behaviors and atypical cerebellar structure and function have been reported in multiple neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. A key feature of cerebellar neuroanatomy are the functional subregions that support sensorimotor and non-motor functions, leading to the hypothesis that motor, cognitive and behavioral outcomes should be predicted by the cerebellar lesion location.We aimed to determine how lesion location relates to outcomes in pediatric cerebellar patients. We predicted that lesions of the anterior lobe would disrupt motor performance, posterolateral lesions would impact cognitive functions, and behavioral dysregulation would be associated with posterior midline damage. METHODS We conducted lesion-symptom mapping in 30 children with a history of cerebellar tumor resection (sex: 19 male, 11 female; age at diagnosis, mean 6.8 years [SD 4.2]). Clinical MRI scans and neuropsychological data were used to evaluate the impact of lesion location on motor (pegboard), cognitive (verbal comprehension, verbal fluency, working memory, processing speed) and behavioral control measures (BRIEF). We mapped individual lesions using T1-weighted MRIs and normalized the lesion maps into standard template space for group analyses. RESULTS Behavioral scores ranged from impaired to above average. Lesion overlap maps were used to assess the lesion patterns associated with performance. As predicted, anterior and medial lesions disrupted motor performance and processing speed; posterolateral lesions were associated with impaired cognitive scores. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary analyses indicate that long-term outcomes are associated with disruption of specific cerebellar subregions. This could aid in prognosis and management of pediatric cerebellar tumor patients. Future work will address age of surgery, longitudinal changes in performance, and the developmental impact of early cerebellar disruption on supratentorial structures.

Attentional Control Scale- Turkish Version: Psychometric Qualities, Factor Structure and its Comparison with Behavioral Measures of Executive Attention

Attentional control refers to the capacity to voluntarily control attentional resources in a flexible manner. Attentional control was reported to play a fundamental role in self-regulation, emotion regulation, delay of gratification, and psychological distress. The Attentional Control Scale (ACS) was developed to measure perceived attentional control based on shifting and focusing dimensions. The present studies aimed to adapt the Turkish version of ACS and asses its psychometric characteristics. Study 1 aimed to explore the psychometric qualities of the Turkish version with a group of Turkish individuals (N = 428, 306 women) between the ages of 18 and 68 and supported the two-factor model of ACS consisting of 17 items in total. The results supported that shifting, focusing, and total ACS showed adequate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity evidence based on its significant correlations with measures of anxiety, depression, and repetitive negative thinking, signifying its proper psychometric characteristics. In Study 2 (N = 97, 65 women), the association of ACS with behavioral attentional control measures was examined, and non-significant associations between self-report and behavioral measures of attentional control were denoted. These findings signified that rather than indicating the individual’s actual attentional control capacity, ACS assessed how the individual perceives their own attention control capacities. Taken together, the results suggest that the Turkish form of ACS is a valid and reliable scale that can be used to assess perceived attentional control capacity based on shifting and focusing domains, particularly in the research setting.

Perceptions of Medical Staff on COVID-19 Vaccination: A Qualitative Analysis

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused almost unimaginable damage to the lives, health, and economies of many countries. Alongside health and behavioral control measures, vaccination has been considered the most successful method to control the COVID-19 epidemic. Although vaccination is an effective way to reduce and eliminate diseases, its effectiveness depends on the willingness of the population to receive the vaccine. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of medical staff on COVID-19 vaccination through qualitative content analysis. Objectives: This study aims to explore the perceptions of medical staff on COVID-19 vaccination through qualitative content analysis. Methods: A qualitative study employing a content analysis approach was conducted at Khoy city hospitals in Iran. The researchers explored the perceptions of 16 medical staff members who were among the first group to receive the vaccine in 2021 - 2022. Health staff of various ages, genders, and professions including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory staff, and radiologists were included in the research. Sampling was purposeful, and data collection utilized face-to-face semi-structured individual interviews. Data analysis followed the method of “conventional qualitative content analysis.” Results: Data analysis revealed three main categories and seven sub-categories as follows: “Conflicting feelings” (confidence or doubt, hope or worry, complications and benefits), “continuing to fight against COVID-19” (responding to social/professional responsibility, encouraging people to accept the vaccine), and “getting rid of COVID-19” (return to normal life, reduction of mortality). Conclusions: The medical staff expressed a desire to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to continue fighting the disease and eliminate it, but they also had conflicting feelings about receiving it. The perceptions of healthcare workers about healthcare issues serve as a reliable source of knowledge for the public and play a crucial role in deciding whether to accept or reject critical health interventions. Therefore, health policymakers dealing with epidemic diseases should prioritize creating scientific and psychological support for acceptance among healthcare workers, who serve as a reference for the public.

Neuropsychological correlates of ADHD: indicators of different attentional profiles among youth with sluggish cognitive tempo

ObjectiveThis study examined the distinctiveness of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—Inattentive (ADHD-I) and ADHD in context of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (ADHD + SCT) utilizing the Attention Network Test (ANT) and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) as external validators. Due to the SCT characteristics of being sluggish, spacey, and slow to arouse, we hypothesized that SCT behavioral descriptors would be uniquely related to alerting/arousal mechanisms that the ANT is uniquely designed to capture, and that ADHD symptoms would be more highly associated with cognitive control on the CPT.MethodWe examined associations between baseline ANT and CPT scores for N = 137 well-characterized, culturally and racially diverse youth with ADHD (n = 107) either medication naïve or washed out prior to testing and typically developing controls (n = 30) ages 6–17 years.ResultsPresence and severity of SCT were associated with ANT Alerting (r2 = −.291, p = .005), but not with ANT Orienting, ANT Executive Control, or any CPT measures. There was a distinct association between the presence and severity of ADHD inattention symptoms with CPT T-scores for Commission Errors (r2 = .282, p = .002), Omission Errors (r2 = .254, p = .005), Variability (r2 = .328, p < .001), and Hit Rate SE (r2 = .272, p = .002), but not with other CPT or any ANT domain measures. All associations remained significant after Bonferroni correction.ConclusionsThe small but enduring double dissociation, with ADHD-I symptom severity related to measures of cognitive and behavioral control measures on the CPT, and SCT symptom severity related to attentional processes underlying tonic arousal in preparation for cue detection on the ANT—provides the first objective evidence suggestive of partial neurocognitive independence of SCT from ADHD. Moreover, it points to possibly distinguishable neurobiological neurocognitive underpinnings of the two conditions.

Prevalence of negative behaviour in the dental setting and association with sociodemographic, oral health-related and psychosocial factors amongst Brazilian preschool children.

To investigate the prevalence of negative behaviour in preschool children attending dental clinics and its association with sociodemographic, oral health-related and parental psychosocial factors. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 145 parents/guardians and their children aged 4-6years attending paediatric dentistry training programmes in a capital city of Midwest Brazil. Data were obtained from children's dental records, interviews, and questionnaires for parents/guardians. The outcome was negative child behaviour, based on the dentists' use or indication of behavioural control measures during the dental appointments, as registered in the children's dental records. Covariates were sociodemographic, clinical and parent/guardian psychosocial factors religiosity (DUREL index) and Sense of Coherence (SOC-13 scale). Bivariate analyses and Poisson regression with robust variance were performed. The prevalence of negative behaviour was 24.1% (95% CI = 17.9-31.7). In the bivariate analyses, the variables initially selected for the regression models (p < 0.25) were the parent/guardians' number of children and religiosity, and the children's dental pain and caries status in deciduous teeth. After adjustment, the prevalence of negative behaviour was 2.12 higher in children with teeth extracted due to caries. The prevalence of negative behaviour was high and associated with the presence of missing teeth due to caries, regardless of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and other oral health factors.

Psychological Capital and Quality of life of Refugees in Uganda During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Serial Mediation Model.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has in the past two years caused and continues to cause enormous effects on lifestyle, mental health, and quality of life. With no known treatment and vaccination, behavioral control measures became central in controlling the pandemic. However, the intensity of the pandemic and the stringent control measures were immensely stressful. The control measures became an added psychological burden to people living in precarious situations such as refugees in low-income countries. Purpose: Given the benefits of psychological capital, the present study aimed at investigating the role of psychological capital in enhancing the quality of life among refugees in Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that the effects of psychological capital on quality of life are serially mediated through coping strategies, adherence to COVID-19 control measures, and mental health. Methods: Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire in July and August 2020 after the first lockdown. Participants were 353 South Sudanese and Somali refugees living in Kampala city suburbs and Bidibidi refugee settlement. Findings: Psychological capital was positively associated with approach coping, mental health, and quality of life. However, psychological capital was negatively associated with adherence to COVID-19 control measures. Significant indirect effects of psychological capital on quality of life through approach coping, mental health, and adherence were found. However, serial mediation effects were only substantial via approach coping and mental health. Conclusion: Psychological capital is an important resource in coping with the challenges posed by COVID-19 and maintaining a good level of psychological functioning and quality of life. Preserving and boosting psychological capital is essential in responding to COVID-19 and other related disasters and crises, which are common in vulnerable populations such as refugee communities in low-income countries.

UV-C Light Completely Blocks Aerosol Transmission of Highly Contagious SARS-CoV-2 Variants WA1 and Delta in Hamsters.

Behavioral and medical control measures have not been effective in containing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in large part due to the unwillingness of populations to adhere to “best practices”. Ultraviolet light with wavelengths of between 200 and 280 nm (UV-C) and, in particular, germicidal ultraviolet light, which refers to wavelengths around 254 nm, have the potential to unobtrusively reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in enclosed spaces. We investigated the effectiveness of a strategy using UV-C light to prevent airborne transmission of the virus in a hamster model. Treatment of environmental air with 254 nm UV-C light prevented transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between individuals in a model using highly susceptible Syrian golden hamsters. The prevention of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a natural system by treating elements of the surrounding environment is one more weapon in the arsenal to combat COVID. The results presented indicate that coupling mitigation strategies utilizing UV-C light, along with current methods to reduce transmission risk, have the potential to allow a return to normal indoor activities.

Personality-Related Factors and Depressive Symptomatology Predict Behavioral Control in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorders

In the face of increasing social, economic, and health consequences of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and limited effects of available treatment options, the search for novel prevention and management methods continues to remain a timely and valid endeavor. This, however, requires a better grasp of the theoretical framework underlying addiction mechanisms. With the goal to extend the existing body of evidence on AUDs, we set out to investigate the effect of personality-related factors and depressive symptomatology on (i) impulsivity, (ii) cognitive response inhibition, and (iii) the links between the two measures of behavioral control (different facets of impulsivity and response inhibition) in a treatment-seeking AUD sample. To this end, 53 male (n = 45) and female (n = 8) inpatients at an alcohol rehabilitation center completed three self-report questionnaires: the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP-50), the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and performed one behavioral task—an alcohol go/no go task. Regression analyses revealed conscientiousness, intellect, and depression level to be important potential predictors of self-report impulsivity and processing speed in recovering drinkers. No significant links were observed between the two measures of behavioral control, thus complementing evidence that while they both encompass behavioral under-regulation, they may indeed represent distinct psychological constructs.

An Open-Source, Fully Customizable 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task Toolbox for Automated Behavioral Training of Rodents

The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is a behavioral test often used to study visuospatial attention and impulsiveness in rodents. The task requires animals to allocate attention to a horizontal array of five small apertures equipped with light sources and, within a limited time window, nose-poke one illuminated target aperture to get a food reward at the food magazine located in the opposite wall of the chamber. The task considers behavioral control measures such as response accuracy and reaction times and allows to infer selective attention and impulsivity. Task difficulty can be controlled by modifying the stimulus duration and task design in general. Commercially available apparatus usually consists of an experimental chamber and particular software to specify task parameters, but due to fixed hard- and software, they pose many limitations on changes in the general experimental design and specific task requirements and the related data output. This article explains a fully customizable alternative based on an easy-to-use single-board microcontroller and standard electrotechnical components, an open-access Arduino script, and a Matlab-toolbox for hardware control and behavioral task specifications, respectively. The toolbox includes an optional staircase procedure, enabling automated behavioral training. The complete hardware setup, which can be installed in customized chambers, and the freely adaptable software encourage non-standardized task and chamber design. The design of the system and the open-source code for hardware control and experimental setup are described.

An Open-Source, Fully Customizable 5-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task Toolbox for Automated Behavioral Training of Rodents.

The 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) is a behavioral test often used to study visuospatial attention and impulsiveness in rodents. The task requires animals to allocate attention to a horizontal array of five small apertures equipped with light sources and, within a limited time window, nose-poke one illuminated target aperture to get a food reward at the food magazine located in the opposite wall of the chamber. The task considers behavioral control measures such as response accuracy and reaction times and allows to infer selective attention and impulsivity. Task difficulty can be controlled by modifying the stimulus duration and task design in general. Commercially available apparatus usually consists of an experimental chamber and particular software to specify task parameters, but due to fixed hard- and software, they pose many limitations on changes in the general experimental design and specific task requirements and the related data output. This article explains a fully customizable alternative based on an easy-to-use single-board microcontroller and standard electrotechnical components, an open-access Arduino script, and a Matlab-toolbox for hardware control and behavioral task specifications, respectively. The toolbox includes an optional staircase procedure, enabling automated behavioral training. The complete hardware setup, which can be installed in customized chambers, and the freely adaptable software encourage non-standardized task and chamber design. The design of the system and the open-source code for hardware control and experimental setup are described.

How regulatory changes are driven by a need for control in reputational scandals: a case study in the German insurance industry

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms that evolve during reputational scandals and lead to changes in industry regulation. It explores the processes by which a demand for external industry regulation evolves, also addressing the consequences of firms’ competitive behaviors which lead to substantial misbehavior and the destruction of reputational capital. The authors are interested in whether and how regulatory activities – in the case analyzed here, changes in insurance regulation regarding sales commissions for insurance brokers – are used as a costly, external behavioral control mechanism (third-loop learning) to terminate a reputational scandal that cannot be stopped by internal controls at a firm level (first-loop and second-loop learning) anymore.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explores a real-life case in the German insurance industry that peaked in 2012 and has been well documented by broad media coverage, complemented by interviews with leading industry representatives. Using causal process tracing as a methodology, the authors study the factors in the case that led to an industry scandal. The authors further analyze why the insurance firms involved were not able to limit the scandal’s impact by internally controlling their behaviors, but had to call for external regulation, thus imposing costly restrictions on sales and contract processes. To identify the mechanisms underlying this result, theories from the fields of economics (game theory) and sociology (vicious cycle of bureaucracies), as well as organizational learning theory, are used.FindingsThe authors find that individual rationality does not suffice to prevent insurance firms from scandalous business practices, e.g. via implementing appropriate internal behavioral control measures within their organizations. If, as a result, misbehavior leads to reputational scandals, and the destruction of reputational capital spills over to the whole industry, a vicious cycle is set in motion which can be terminated by regulation as an externally enforced control mechanism.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to the analysis of a single case study, combining published materials, e.g. broad media coverage, with interviews from representatives of the insurance industry. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanisms that have been identified can be used in other case studies as well.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that if firms want to avoid increasing regulation, they must implement strong reputational risk management (RRM) to counteract short-term profit pressure and to avoid restrictive regulation imposed on the industry as a whole. Furthermore, it sheds light on the relevance of spillover effects for RRM, as not only employee behavior within an organization might lead to the destruction of reputational capital but also that from other firms, e.g. from elsewhere within an industry.Originality/valueThe paper contributes by emphasizing a direct causal link between corporate scandals, loss of reputation and regulatory change within the insurance industry. Furthermore, the paper contributes by combining economic theories with organizational theories to understand real-life phenomena.

Factors affecting healthcare workers’ compliance with social and behavioural infection control measures during emerging infectious disease outbreaks: rapid evidence review

ObjectiveThe 2019–2020 outbreak of novel coronavirus has raised concerns about nosocomial transmission. This review’s aim was to explore the existing literature on emerging infectious disease outbreaks to identify factors associated...

Disease History and Life History Predict Behavioral Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

It is puzzling why countries do not all implement stringent behavioral control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 even though preventive behaviors have been proven to be the only effective means to stop the pandemic. We provide a novel evolutionary life history explanation whereby pathogenic and parasitic prevalence represents intrinsic rather than extrinsic mortality risk that drives slower life history strategies and the related disease control motivation in all animals but especially humans. Our theory was tested and supported based on publicly available data involving over 150 countries. Countries having a higher historical prevalence of infectious diseases are found to adopt slower life history strategies that are related to prompter COVID-19 containment actions by the government and greater compliance by the population. Findings could afford governments novel insight into the design of more effective COVID-19 strategies that are based on enhancing a sense of control, vigilance, and compliance in the general population.

The Efficacy of an Explicit Intervention Approach to Improve Past Tense Marking for Early School-Age Children With Developmental Language Disorder.

Purpose The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a theoretically motivated explicit intervention approach to improve regular past tense marking for early school-age children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Method Twenty-one children with DLD (ages 5;9-6;9 [years;months]) were included in a crossover randomized controlled trial (intervention, n = 10; waiting control, n = 11). Intervention included once-weekly sessions over 10 weeks using the SHAPE CODING system, in combination with a systematic cueing hierarchy to teach past tense marking. Once the first group completed intervention, the waiting control group crossed over to the intervention condition. The primary outcome was criterion-referenced measures of past tense marking with standardized measures of expressive and receptive grammar as the secondary outcome. Ancillary analyses on extension and behavioral control measures of morphosyntax were also conducted. Results There was a significant Time × Group interaction (p < .001) with a significant difference in pre-post intervention improvement in favor of the intervention group (p < .001, d = 3.03). Further analysis once both groups had received the intervention revealed no improvement for either group on past tense production during the 5-week pre-intervention period, significant improvement pre-post intervention (p < .001, d = 1.22), with gains maintained for 5 weeks postintervention. No significant differences were found on pre- to postintervention standardized measures of grammar, or on extension or control measures. Conclusions The efficacy of the theoretically motivated explicit grammar intervention was demonstrated. Results contribute to the evidence base supporting this intervention to improve past tense production in early school-age children with DLD, suggesting it is a viable option for clinicians to select when treating morphosyntactic difficulties for this population. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13345202.

Exploring Attitudes, Subjective Norms and Perceived Behavioural Control in a Genetic-Based and a Population-Based Weight Management Intervention: A One-Year Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Several studies demonstrate that the provision of personalized lifestyle advice, based on genetics, can help motivate individuals to engage in greater nutrition and physical activity changes compared to the provision of population-based advice. The theoretical mechanism behind this phenomenon is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of providing genetically tailored and population-based lifestyle advice on key constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Materials and Methods: A pragmatic, cluster randomized controlled trial (n = 140) took place at the East Elgin Family Health Team, in Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. Participants were primarily Caucasian females enrolled in a weight management program (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2). Weight management program groups were randomized (1:1) to receive a population-based lifestyle intervention for weight management (Group Lifestyle Balance™ (GLB)) or a lifestyle genomics (LGx)-based lifestyle intervention for weight management (GLB+LGx). Attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control were measured at baseline, immediately after receiving a report of population-based or genetic-based recommendations and after 3-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Linear mixed models were conducted, controlling for measures of actual behavioural control. All analyses were intention-to-treat by originally assigned groups. Results: Significant changes (p < 0.05) in attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control tended to be short-term in the GLB group and long-term for the GLB+LGx group. Short-term and long-term between-group differences in measures of subjective norms were discovered, favouring the GLB+LGx group. Conclusions: The TPB can help provide a theoretical explanation for studies demonstrating enhanced behaviour change with genetic-based lifestyle interventions. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03015012.

Motivational and Control Mechanisms Underlying Adolescent versus Adult Alcohol Use

Increased motivation towards alcohol use and suboptimal behavioral control are suggested to predispose adolescents to alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Paradoxically however, most adolescent AUDs resolve over time without any formal intervention, suggesting adolescent resilience to AUDs. Importantly, studies directly comparing adolescent and adult alcohol use are largely missing. We therefore aimed to unravel the moderating role of age in the relation between alcohol use and motivational and control-related cognitive processes in 45 adolescent drinkers compared to 45 adults. We found that enhancement drinking motives and impulsivity related positively to alcohol use. Although enhancement drinking motives and impulsivity were higher in adolescents, the strength of the relation between these measures and alcohol use did not differ between age groups. None of the alcohol use-related motivational measures (i.e., craving, attentional bias, and approach bias) and behavioral control measures (i.e., interference control, risky decision making, and working-memory) were associated with alcohol use or differed between age groups. These findings support the role of impulsivity and affective sensitivity in adolescent drinking but question the moderating role of age therein. The current study contributes towards understanding the role of age in the relation between alcohol use and cognition.

Responding to COVID-19 requires strong epidemiological evidence of environmental and societal determining factors

Responding to COVID-19 requires strong epidemiological evidence of environmental and societal determining factors

Emotion expressivity in the Dutch: Validation of the Dutch translation of the Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire.

When examining emotions and emotion regulation, we discriminate between emotion experience and emotion expressivity. Research shows that the two are modestly related. The Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ) was designed to assess positive and negative expressivity, as well as the intensity of the expressive behavior. The current article reports on 2 studies that examined the reliability and validity of the Dutch translation of the BEQ. In Study 1, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis of the BEQ items in two samples that differed in age (young adults and adults), correlated the facet and total scores with measures of behavioral control, affective response tendencies, and emotion regulation strategies, and examined sex differences. Results confirmed the three-factor structure and further showed that factors were correlated, and two items loaded on all factors. Internal consistency was good, and test-retest reliability was excellent. As expected, emotion expression was larger in women. Convergent and divergent validity were confirmed. Behavioral control measures were inversely related to emotion expression. Although neuroticism and depression were associated with negative expressivity, extraversion, openness, and agreeableness were associated with positive expressivity. Emotion regulation strategies generally showed association patterns in the expected directions. In Study 2, we report on the predictive value of the BEQ facet scores for the emotional response to acute social evaluative stress. Results showed that only expression intensity was significantly associated with a larger emotional stress response. In conclusion, the Dutch version of Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument to be used in the Dutch setting. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Loss in grey matter in a small network of brain areas underpins poor reactive inhibition in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder patients

Reactive inhibition correlates with the severity of symptoms in paediatric patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) though not in those with Tourette syndrome (TS). Here we assessed whether structural alterations in both grey (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes correlate with a measure of reactive inhibition, i.e. the stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), and with clinical scale scores. Nine OCD and 11 TS uncomplicated drug-naïve paediatric patients and 12 age-matched controls underwent 3T magnetic resonance imaging scanning. Between-group differences in GM and WM volumes across the whole brain were assessed. Outside the scanner, patients performed a reaching version of the stop-signal task. Both behavioural inhibitory control and neuroimaging measures were normal in TS patients. By contrast, OCD patients exhibited a significant loss in GM volume in five areas. The GM volume of the left inferior frontal gyrus was inversely correlated with the length of the SSRT, the left mid-cingulate gyrus and the right middle frontal gyrus were inversely correlated with the severity of OCD symptoms, and the left insula and the right medial orbitofrontal gyrus were inversely correlated with both. These results indicate that cortical areas showing GM loss in OCD patients are also involved in the network subserving reactive inhibition.

An Insight into the Simplified RP Transmission Network, Concise Baseline and SIR Models for Simulating the Transmissibility of the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak

The World Health Organization has reported about a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) (a virus of Wuhan, China pneumonia). The present investigation explores the transmissibility of the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) using some suitable mathematical models such as (a) a simplified Bats-Hosts-Reservoir (Wuhan Seafood Market)-People (BHRP) transmission network model useful in mapping the spread of the novel COVID-19 from its source (may be bats) to humans, (b) a concise baseline model based on individual behavioral response and control measures taken to control the transmission of the novel COVID-19 and (c) an exponential and the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) models to predict the transmission of the pandemic on day-to-day basis. The basic Reproduction number (R0) (for the next generation matrix) was derived to estimate the transmission of the novel COVID-19 using the simplified BHRP transmission network model. The logic estimates that around 2.30 persons could be affected by the reservoir and around 3.58 persons could be affected by the community (individual person to community population). On the other hand, the concise model based on real-time time-dependent data, such as day-to-day number of tests, appreciates the initiatives (control measures) of the Chinese government to break the transmission chain of the pandemic in the capital city of Hubei province. Furthermore, the basic Reproduction number (R0) for India is reviewed to be in the range between 1.4 and 3.9 using the classical SIR model and thus, the transmission rate is the same as that of California and Washington. The review also outlines the epidemiological SIR model (based on real-time time-dependent data) which estimates about the equilibrium stage of the pandemic by the last week of May, 2020. The predictions of the age-structured epidemiological SIR model could be more accurate if data such as day-to-day number of tests are correctly fed during evaluation of the results. The present investigation emphasizes over the need of effective implementation of mitigatory strategies such as social distancing to prevent the transmission of the SARS-CoV2 outbreak in India.