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At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Emotional memories: the relationship between age of memory and the corresponding psychophysiological responses.

The recollection of emotional memories has been used as a method of emotion induction for much of the research concerning the psychophysiological sequelae of emotions. The instructions used in most of these investigations have simply required the participants to recollect or imagine an emotional memory, with no constraint being placed on the age of the memory. Research has indicated that the specific instructions for inducing emotions can have a profound effect on the resulting patterns of psychophysiological arousal. The present investigation concerned whether the age of the emotional memory has an influence on the resulting psychophysiological arousal. Heart rate and skin conductance was recorded from 10 female graduate students while they recollected emotional memories concerning mirth and anger. The results indicated a significant positive correlation between skin conductance and age of both the angry (0.6395) and the mirthful (0.8460) memories. The results are discussed and explained within the framework of the somatic marker hypothesis and the spreading activation model of memories.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in responses to diisononyl phthalate.

Diisononyl phthalate (DINP) is a compound widely used as a plasticizer in the production of polyvinyl chloride products. Chronic exposure to DINP leads to liver cancer in rats and mice. Many phthalates are considered to be relatively weak peroxisome proliferators (PP), a group of rodent hepatocarcinogens that cause a variety of adaptive responses in liver through the PP-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha). The objectives of this study were to determine whether DINP-induced effects in the liver associated with carcinogenesis are mediated by PPARalpha and to identify novel gene targets of DINP. Male and female SV129 wild-type, SV129 PPARalpha-null, and B6C3F1 mice were administered DINP by gavage or in the feed. Transcript profile technology and reverse transcriptase (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to identify gene targets. Dose-dependent increases in relative liver weights were dependent on PPARalpha in 10- or 12-week-old male and female mice and 30-week-old male mice. Female 30-week-old mice exhibited PPARalpha-independent increases in relative liver weights. Increases in hepatocyte proliferation, palmitoyl-CoA oxidase (PCO) activity, and levels of enzymes involved in beta- and omega-oxidation of fatty acids were shown to be dependent on PPARalpha. Five novel genes were shown to be altered in the livers of female wild-type mice after a 3-week exposure, but not in PPARalpha-null, mice. These genes included those involved in DNA repair and recombination (ATP-dependent helicase and Endonuclease III homolog), drug metabolism (Cyp2a4) and protein trafficking (FKBP-1, FKBP-13). An additional gene (Cyp2d9) was shown to be down-regulated in wild-type mice but up-regulated in PPARalpha-null mice indicating more complex regulation by PPARalpha and additional factors. These data support the hypothesis that PPARalpha plays a dominant role in mediating the effects associated with hepatocarcinogenesis after DINP exposure.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The origin of humor.

Humor is spread throughout every culture on earth and occupies a large portion of our literature and social interaction. It is so deeply rooted in our culture that it may be a defining characteristic of our species. Yet there has been comparatively little effort to understand its origin. According to the Accepted Theory of Humor all jokes begin with a buildup of tension while an initial paradigm is formed. When the punch line occurs the subject must realign his thinking to accommodate the differences between the initial paradigm and the sudden burst of new information. The Mind Reading Hypothesis extends the accepted theory of humor to include a relationship between the observer and the subject of the humor. The actual source of amusement is the observation of the resolution in the mind of the subject of the collision between old perception and new reality.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Hypothalamic hamartomas and laughing seizures].

The authors report 7 new cases of children with laughing seizures associated with hamartoma of the hypothalamus. Precocious puberty is present in 4 cases and seizures of another type (clonic or tonic) in 5 cases. The diagnosis is confirmed by histology (2 cases) or by CT scan (5 cases). The interictal EEG abnormalities are detailed as well as those found during the laughing seizures which were registered (3 cases). The literature was reviewed and 18 cases were found with posterior hypothalamic lesions and laughing seizures: they have been studied and compared with ours. The role of hamartoma is discussed in the production of these seizures, either isolated laughing seizures or else laughing seizures accompanied with other symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Running and laughing fits as the sequelae of the neonatal hyperviscosity syndrome.

A 5-year-old Japanese male with intractable running and laughing fits was reported to have had status epilepticus from 18 hours after birth. This intractable convulsions were thought to be due to hyperviscosity syndrome induced by neonatal idiopathic polycythemia. A phlebotomy ended the convulsions in the neonatal period, but the EEG continued to display right temporal spikes afterwards. He suffered from running and laughing fits 3 to 5 times daily from the age of 2 years up to 4 years 8 months. EEG revealed generalized dysrhythmia and poly-spikes and waves, mainly in the right side. Computerized tomography showed dilatation of all the ventricles plus multiple low density areas in the right temporal lobe. This case of running and laughing fits was presumed to be one of the temporal lobe epilepsy induced by the hyperviscosity syndrome brought on by neonatal polycythemia.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The breast self-examination practices of high risk women: implications for patient education.

The breast self-examination (BSE) behavior of 142 women referred to a large cancer center with malignant or benign breast disease was investigated. The women were interviewed about their BSE practices and variables that may have influenced their BSE behavior. Those reporting prior BSE practice were asked to demonstrate their breast examination to a trained nurse, who rated their performance against a set of standard criteria. Although it might be assumed that these women have had more opportunity to become educated about BSE, results showed the ratings of the women's performances were uniformly poor. Less than half reported having formal instruction by a medical professional. This is of particular consequence considering that those women taught by a doctor or nurse performed significantly more BSE steps than did those taught in other ways. Women who were encouraged to do BSE by friends or relatives also performed significantly more steps. Based on the study findings, specific recommendations are made, which can be applied to the improvement of BSE educational programs.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2001

Auditory perception of laughing and crying activates human amygdala regardless of attentional state.

Adequate behavioral responses to socially relevant stimuli are often impaired after lesions of the amygdala. Such lesions concern especially the recognition of facial and sometimes of vocal expression of emotions. Using low-noise functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated in which way the amygdala, auditory cortex and insula are involved in the processing of affective nonverbal vocalizations (Laughing and Crying) in healthy humans. The same samples of male and female Laughing and Crying were presented in different experimental conditions: Simply listening to the stimuli, self-induction of the corresponding emotions while listening, and detection of artificial pitch shifts in the same stimuli. All conditions activated the amygdala similarly and bilaterally, whereby the amount of activation was larger in the right amygdala. The auditory cortex was more strongly activated by Laughing than by Crying with a slight right-hemisphere advantage for Laughing, both likely due to acoustic stimulus features. The insula was bilaterally activated in all conditions. The mean signal intensity change with stimulation was much larger in the amygdala than in auditory cortex and insula. The amygdala results seem to be in accordance with the right-hemisphere hypothesis of emotion processing which may not be applicable as strongly to the level of auditory cortex or insula.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2003

Audition of laughing and crying leads to right amygdala activation in a low-noise fMRI setting.

Adequate behavioral responses to socially relevant stimuli are often impaired after lesions of the amygdala. These impaired behavioral responses in particular concern the recognition of facial, and sometimes vocal, expressions of fear. Using low-noise functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in combination with controlled sound delivery, we investigated how the amygdala, insula and auditory cortex are involved in the processing of affective non-verbal vocalizations (laughing, crying) in healthy humans. The same samples of male and female laughing and crying were presented in two different experimental conditions: self-induction of the corresponding emotions while listening, and detection of artificial pitch shifts in the same stimuli. Both conditions led to bilateral activation of the amygdala, insula and auditory cortex with a right-hemisphere advantage in the amygdala, and larger activation during laughing than crying in the auditory cortex with a slight right-hemisphere advantage for laughing, both likely due to acoustic stimulus features. The results show that amygdala activation by emotionally meaningful sounds like laughing and crying is independent of the emotional involvement, suggesting the pattern recognition aspect of these sounds is crucial for this activation. This aspect was revealed by a low-noise fMRI protocol which presumably minimized confounding effects of stressful high-noise fMRI.

Acoustic Stimulation↗