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Professor Matthew Rushworth, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience has been honoured by the Royal Society by being elected a Fellow for his outstanding contributions to science
“People in my life just play different roles”: A retrospective qualitative study of friendships among young adults who self-harmed during adolescence
Self-harm is a global public health concern presenting increasing rates in recent years, especially among young people. This population seldom access formal help, and typically rely on informal sources of support, mainly friends. The role, importance and meaning of friendships in the context of self-harm remains poorly understood, highlighting the need to explore young people’s lived experiences. In the present study we conducted semi-structured retrospective qualitative interviews, prompted by the Card-sort Task for Self-Harm About Friends (CaTS-AF), to explore the experiences of 11 young adults (M=19.09; SD=0.70; M=2, F=9) who self-harmed during adolescence. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). Three themes were developed which consider 1) the role of friendships in self-harm progression; 2) the role of self-harm in friendship evolution; and 3) the meaning of friendships in the context of adolescents’ self-harm. The first two themes highlight the interdependent nature of friendships and self-harm, where these two experiences influence one another. Furthermore, not only are friendships shaped by self-harm, but they acquire specific meanings, dynamics and expectations within the context of the behaviour. Overall, friends are a key part of adolescents’ self-harm, as sources of both risk and protection. It is essential to further integrate friendships, a developmentally significant aspect of adolescents’ social experiences, into self-harm research and clinical practice.
The Threat of Paper Mills to Biomedical and Social Science Journals: The Case of the Tanu.pro Paper Mill in Mind, Brain, and Education
Fraudulent published papers were once thought to be rare, but in recent years, there has been growing awareness of coordinated activities by for-profit organizations that charge authors a fee to sell articles and submit them to reputable journals. These are known as paper mills. We reflect here on how Mind, Brain and Education suffered from such an attack in 2022 and 2023, discussing what we have learnt from this experience about how paper mills might operate in biomedical and social sciences, how to identify red flags that an article might be fraudulent, and what steps might be taken to prevent such attacks in future.
Brief Report: False Memory Formation in Autism: The Role of Relational Processing at Study.
PURPOSE: Several studies have investigated false memory production in autistic adults, yet it remains unclear whether susceptibility to false memories differs from non-autistic adults and what mechanisms might contribute to any differences. This study examines the mechanisms behind false memory formation in autistic adults using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. METHODS: Participants studied DRM word lists designed to activate a critical word (the 'critical lure). To examine false memory formation and associative processing, participants completed three tasks: a standard recognition test to measure false memory rates, a word stem completion task to assess implicit priming of the critical lure, and a free association task to evaluate explicit associative processing. RESULTS: Autistic individuals showed comparable rates of false memories as non-autistic adults (i.e., falsely reporting having studied the critical lure), were as likely to mention the critical lure on the free association task but showed no tendency to complete word stems with the critical lure when implicitly primed to do so. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that autistic adults may rely less on spontaneous spreading of semantic activation during encoding but are capable of engaging in explicit associative processing when directed. The results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying false memory formation in autism.
Effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy with virtual reality exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial in Hong Kong
Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common but undertreated mental health condition. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) and virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) are effective treatment approaches for SAD. However, few studies have integrated both, particularly in Chinese communities. This study examines the effectiveness of a 14-week iCBT program that includes VRET, called “Ease Anxiety in Social Event Online” (Ease Online), among Hong Kong adults with SAD. Method: 329 Hong Kong Chinese adults with SAD were randomized into web-based iCBT with VRET (n=117), app-based iCBT with VRET (n=111), or waitlist control (WLC) (n=101) groups. The mean age was 30.49 years old (SD=9.34), with 36% male and 64% female. Assessments were administered at pre-test, post-test, and 3- and 6-month follow-ups. The primary outcome measure was the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). Data were analysed by using linear regression and mixed effects models. Results: Both treatment groups were superior to WLC group on both the primary and secondary measure outcomes. The effects were comparable between the two formats. Improvements were maintained at 3-month and 6-month follow-ups. The rate of reliable improvement based on the SPIN was 34% and 40% in the web-based and app-based iCBT groups, respectively, compared to 11% in the WLC group, and 15% and 23% who meet the criteria for remission of social anxiety, compared to 3% in the WLC group. Conclusions: Both web- and app-based ICBT with VRET are effective for Hong Kong Chinese adults with SAD. The programme is an effective treatment approach for Hong Kong Chinese with SAD.
Spectral dataset of natural objects’ reflectance from the Southern cone of South America
Abstract The reflection in natural objects mediates an important fraction of the light reaching animal photoreceptors. Knowledge of the spectral properties of natural objects is increasingly valuable for different research fields. Measured datasets of natural objects’ reflectance can offer insights into fundamental and applied research questions, contributing to investigations from coloration and color vision to color analysis and representation. Thus, datasets of natural objects’ reflectance across different locations are crucial to assessing the universality and variability of physical visual inputs in diverse environments. However, the Southern Hemisphere is notably underrepresented in publicly available datasets of natural objects. To address this gap, we present a spectral dataset of natural objects’ reflectance from the Southern cone of South America, specifically Northwestern Argentina. Our dataset encompasses 532 samples representing diverse natural objects such as barks, flowers, fruits, leaves, plant fruits, stones, and animal specimens, including birds, beetles, and butterflies. By openly sharing this dataset, as a publicly available online resource, we aim to facilitate research across various disciplines, from evolutionary biology to industrial applications.
Perceptions and experiences of mental health support for ambulance trust employees
Background: Mental ill health among ambulance staff is widespread. Evidence suggests that, with the right support, employees experiencing mental ill health can continue to work, symptom severity can be reduced and suicide prevented. Aims: To investigate ambulance staff perceptions and experiences of organisational mental health support. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey investigated work-related stressful life events and their potential psychological impact. The survey also examined staff perceptions and experiences of organisational support and acceptability of a proposed wellbeing intervention offering mandatory time to talk at work. Findings: A total of 540 ambulance staff responded. The majority reported having experienced work-related stressful life events (n=444; 82%). Associated psychological symptoms appeared to persist for years. Perceptions about organisational support related to support uptake. Stigma, fear and embarrassment were reported as barriers to disclosure and help-seeking. Mandatory time to talk at work would be acceptable (n=400; 74%). Conclusion: The association between work-related stressful events and psychological symptoms underscores the need for interventions supported at an organisation level.
The romanticisation of mental health problems in adolescents and its implications: a narrative review.
Romanticisation is the perception and portrayal of a phenomenon as more attractive, interesting, cool, profound or desirable than it really is. There are concerns that mental health problems are increasingly romanticised, particularly among adolescents, but there is limited research on this topic. This narrative review investigated: (1) what romanticisation is in the context of adolescent mental health problems, (2) why adolescents might romanticise mental health problems, (3) the implications of romanticising mental health problems in adolescence, and (4) what interventions might reduce this phenomenon. Sixty-one publications were reviewed, including qualitative and quantitative analyses, cross-sectional and longitudinal self-report studies and conceptual reviews. Most investigated romanticisation of mental health problems online, with most researchers situated in a Western context. Identity formation, popular media influences and peer influences arose as potential explanatory factors. Negative outcomes to romanticisation were indicated, including the reinforcement of mental health problems and reduced help-seeking; few interventions to reduce the phenomenon have been proposed to date.
Development and validation of a measure of concrete and abstract thinking
Abstract-analytical thinking, which characterizes rumination and worry, has been shown to be a risk and maintenance factor for psychological disorders, yet there are no accessible, reliable measures that can be easily administered to assess this cognitive process. Student paramedics are at elevated risk of developing mental health difficulties associated with rumination and worry due to the nature of their work. The current study describes the development and validation of the Concrete and Abstract Thinking measure (CAT) in a sample of student paramedics. The scenario-based CAT measure was systematically developed. An initial pool of scenarios was generated based on previous research and the Worry Domains Questionnaire. A total of 14 paramedics, inclusive of student paramedics, evaluated the content of the scenarios. Final items were determined based on best-fit using confirmatory factor analysis. Two-hundred student paramedics completed the CAT measure and associated measures and 96.6% completed it again for test-retest reliability. Abstract items of the CAT measure showed good internal consistency (α=.87), test-retest reliability (ICC = .88) and good factorial, construct and criterion validity. The CAT measure was significantly associated with measures of perseverative thinking (r = .52), rumination (r = .42), worry (r = .50), depression (r = .32), anxiety (r = .41), posttraumatic stress disorder (r = .23), self-efficacy (r = -.32) and resilience (r = -.30). Overall, the CAT measure showed robust psychometric properties, evidencing good validity and reliability. The CAT measure offers a user-friendly, valid, reliable and population-specific measure of concrete and abstract thinking whilst also providing a model of how abstract thinking could be assessed in a range of populations at risk of developing mental health disorders.
Cognitive and neuropsychiatric profiles distinguish atypical parkinsonian syndromes.
Atypical parkinsonian syndromes are distinguished from Parkinson's disease by additional neurological signs and characteristic underlying neuropathology. However, they can be diagnostically challenging, rapidly progressive, and are often diagnosed late in disease course. Their different demographic features and prognoses are well studied, but the accompanying cognitive and psychiatric features may also facilitate diagnosis. Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome (CBS) may cause cognitive and behavioural manifestations that overlap with frontotemporal dementia, including non-fluent aphasia, apathy and impulsivity. Clinical diagnostic criteria have limited sensitivity, with pathologically confirmed PSP often having presented an initial clinical syndrome other than PSP-Richardson's syndrome. Here we integrate cross-sectional multi-centre baseline data from the PROSPECT and Oxford Discovery cohorts. This allowed us to compare cognitive and psychiatric features across a total of 1138 people with PSP, CBS, multiple-system atrophy (MSA), and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Data from the different cohorts were harmonised and compared using multiple linear regression. There were five key results. 1. Different syndromes showed distinctive cognitive profiles, using readily applicable 'bedside' screening tools. Frontal executive dysfunction was most evident in PSP, visuospatial deficits in CBS, with milder deficits in memory and executive function in MSA, as compared with PD. 2. The most prevalent neuropsychiatric features were depression and anxiety in CBS, apathy in PSP, with sleep disturbances common in PD. As expected, apathy correlated positively with impulsivity across all disorders. Neuropsychiatric features were generally better at discriminating between atypical parkinsonian syndromes than were the cognitive domains. 3. Both cognitive function and motor severity declined with disease duration, and motor function predicted cognition in PSP, CBS and PD but not in MSA, suggesting that in MSA cognitive and motor dysfunction are decoupled. 4. Plasma neurofilament light chain (NFL) levels, measured in a subset of patients, correlated with cognitive deficits in PSP, but not motor deficits. 5. Cognitive deficits contributed to the impairment in activities of daily living after controlling for motor severity, with every two points on the MoCA worsening the Schwab and England score by one point. In anticipation of future neuroprotective therapies, we present a classifier to improve diagnostic accuracy for atypical parkinsonian syndromes in vivo. Longitudinal cohort studies with resources for neuropathological gold-standard diagnosis remain important to validate better diagnostic tools for people with PSP, CBD, MSA and atypical parkinsonism.