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What Can Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Tell Us About Brain Oscillations?
AbstractPurpose of the ReviewTranscranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) allows to interfere with oscillatory brain activity. Here, we provide an overview of novel approaches for removing the tACS artefact to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for on-line tACS effects. Furthermore, we review recent findings on tACS after-effects and clinical applications.Recent FindingstACS-induced entrainment of alpha oscillations was demonstrated in on-line electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings. On-line effects have also been revealed by innovative tACS protocols utilizing amplitude modulation...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - May 9, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Attention Processes Underlying Risk and Resilience in Behaviorally Inhibited Children
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe briefly review the literature on behavioral inhibition (BI) in childhood and its associated social and emotional outcomes. We review the interplay of automatic and controlled attention processes in BI children and outline the relations between childhood BI and two components of effortful control (EC): response inhibition and attention switching.Recent FindingsContemporary research in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience indicates that components of EC differentially impact developmental risk for BI children. Response inhibition may inflate the risk of anxiety issues by promoting the inefficient...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - May 5, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Multi-level Analysis of the Functioning of the Neurobiological Threat System in Adolescents: Implications for Suicide and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAdvancement in knowledge of the neurobiological underpinnings of suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) will require multi-level approaches to understand the typical and atypical developmental processes in systems that are relevant to these aberrant behaviors. Here we focus on the threat system as a prototype, with the goal of integrating research investigating both the central and peripheral arms of this system, as well as the interplay between the brain and the body, during adolescence.Recent FindingsAn examination of research on the central and peripheral measures of the threat system in typ...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - May 4, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Prosocial Behavior and Depression: a Case for Developmental Gender Differences
AbstractPurpose of ReviewProsocial behavior and depression are related constructs that both increase during adolescence and display gender-specific effects. The current review surveys literature examining the association between depressive symptoms and prosociality, measured with behavioral economic paradigms, across development and proposes a theoretical model explaining a mechanism through which adolescent girls have higher risk for depression than boys.Recent FindingsRelative to healthy controls, prosocial behavior is reduced in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) but may be increased in adolescents with MDD. Th...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - May 2, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Using New Approaches in Neurobiology to Rethink Stress-Induced Amnesia
AbstractPurpose of ReviewPsychological stress can impact memory systems in several different ways. In individuals with healthy defense and coping systems, stress results in the formation of negatively valenced memories whose ability to induce emotional and somatic distress subsides with time. Vulnerable individuals, however, go on to develop stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suffer from significant memory abnormalities. Whether expressed as intrusive trauma memories, partial amnesia, or dissociative amnesia, such abnormalities are thought to be the core source of patients ’ sympto...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 20, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The Psychosocial Aspects of the Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome: Empirical Evidence from the Literature
ConclusionsApart from managing and treating the individual with GTS in a comprehensive way, the education of the general public, teachers, doctors and employers is of vital importance to improve the psychosocial aspects of the person with GTS. (Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports)
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 8, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Network-Guided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depression
AbstractPurpose of ReviewFirst, we will identify candidate predictive biomarkers of antidepressant response of TMS based on the neuroimaging literature. Next, we will review the effects of TMS on networks involved in depression. Finally, we will discuss ways in which our current understanding of network engagement by TMS may be used to optimize its antidepressant effect.Recent FindingsThe past few years has seen significant interest in the antidepressant mechanisms of TMS. Studies using functional neuroimaging and neurochemical imaging have demonstrated engagement of networks known to be important in depression. Current ev...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 6, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Computational Psychiatry in Borderline Personality Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe review the literature on the use and potential use of computational psychiatry methods in borderline personality disorder.Recent FindingsComputational approaches have been used in psychiatry to increase our understanding of the molecular, circuit, and behavioral basis of mental illness. This is of particular interest in BPD, where the collection of ecologically valid data, especially in interpersonal settings, is becoming more common and more often subject to quantification. Methods that test learning and memory in social contexts, collect data from real-world settings, and relate behavior to mo...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 3, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

What Works in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder
AbstractPurpose of the ReviewThis review summarizes advances in treatments for adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the last 5  years.Recent FindingsEvidence-based advances in the treatment of BPD include a delineation of generalist models of care in contrast to specialist treatments, identification of essential effective elements of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and the adaptation of DBT treatment to manage PTSD and BPD. Studies on pharmacological interventions remain limited and have not provided evidence that any specific medications can provide stand-alone treatment.SummaryThe research on treat...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 2, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Monoamine Oxidase A in Antisocial Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewVariation in the monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene and MAO-A enzyme levels have been linked to antisocial behavior and aggression in clinical and non-clinical populations. Here, we provide an overview of the genetic, epigenetic, and neuroimaging research that has examined MAO-A structure and function in antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD).Recent FindingsThe low-activity MAO-A variable nucleotide tandem repeat genetic polymorphism has shown a robust association with large samples of violent and seriously violent offenders, many of whom had ASPD. A recent p...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - February 2, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Neurocognitive Function as a Treatment Target for Tobacco Use Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewNovel approaches are needed to improve the treatment of tobacco use disorder (TUD). Two distinct literatures have examined the impact of cognitive function in the maintenance of TUD. One approach has focused on automatic cognitive processes, and the second approach has addressed the role of executive cognitive processes. This review focuses on interventions that target automatic and cognitive processes for TUD.Recent FindingsThere appears to be evidence that attention re-training (AR) reduces automatic cognitions, but the effect on smoking requires further research. Several medications including va...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - January 29, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Using Genetics to Improve Addiction Treatment Outcomes
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review will discuss recent studies that have employed pharmacogenetic findings to advance development of therapeutics and improve treatment outcomes for substance use disorder.Recent FindingsPharmacogenetic studies have inspired new treatment targets for smoking cessation, with mixed results. Promising initial evidence that mu-opioid receptor genotype (OPRM1 A118G) was associated with response to naltrexone treatment for alcohol dependence has not been supported in prospective trials. The nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) may be useful for predicting response to smoking cessation treatment. Cand...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - January 29, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

The Current Understanding of Premonitory Urge Phenomena in Chronic Tic Disorders
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe goal of this review is to collect the progress made in the area of premonitory urge research in the areas of demographics, psychometrics, neurologic, psychopharmacology, and behavioral psychotherapy.Recent FindingsIndividuals with no previous treatment for tics have differing levels of control over their ability to suppress tics. It is unclear if tic suppression reliably causes predictable and uniform changes in urge severity. The literature is unclear regarding the role of comorbid psychological conditions with respect to urge severity. Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 7, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Modeling Brain Development Using Human Cells for the Study and Treatment of Zika Virus Infections
AbstractPurpose of ReviewCellular reprogramming now permits the generation of a renewable source of disease-relevant human cells for modeling biological systems and for high-throughput drug screening. Advances in modeling human brain development to study Zika infections and its association with microcephaly are discussed in this commentary.Recent FindingsHuman-induced pluripotent stem cells can be differentiated to cell types similar to those in the developing brain using both 2D and 3D cell culture systems. Zika virus targets proliferating neural progenitor cells in these systems and the resultant cell death provides evid...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - November 2, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research

Using Placebo Response to Pain as a Predictor of Placebo Response in Mood Disorders
AbstractRecent FindingsMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of disability worldwide and available pharmacological treatments are only partially effective. The development of new drugs is hindered by the high proportion of MDD patients who respond to placebo. Data from neuroimaging studies suggests convergence in the activation of brain circuits during placebo response to analgesia and placebo response in depression.Purpose of ReviewIn the current work, we reviewed the published literature about placebo response in depression and in pain, focusing on the similarities within the neurobiological pathways that ...
Source: Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports - October 23, 2016 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research