O-GlcNAcylation in Ventral Tegmental Area Dopaminergic Neurons Regulates Motor Learning and the Response to Natural Reward / 神经科学通报·英文版

Protein O-GlcNAcylation is a post-translational modification that links environmental stimuli with changes in intracellular signal pathways, and its disturbance has been found in neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders. However, its role in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, especially in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), needs to be elucidated. Here, we found that injection of Thiamet G, an O-GlcNAcase (OGA) inhibitor, in the VTA and nucleus accumbens (NAc) of mice, facilitated neuronal O-GlcNAcylation and decreased the operant response to sucrose as well as the latency to fall in rotarod test. Mice with DAergic neuron-specific knockout of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) displayed severe metabolic abnormalities and died within 4-8 weeks after birth. Furthermore, mice specifically overexpressing OGT in DAergic neurons in the VTA had learning defects in the operant response to sucrose, and impaired motor learning in the rotarod test. Instead, overexpression of OGT in GABAergic neurons in the VTA had no effect on these behaviors. These results suggest that protein O-GlcNAcylation of DAergic neurons in the VTA plays an important role in regulating the response to natural reward and motor learning in mice.

Viés da Escalada, Daemons de Otimização, e a Influência da Narrativa Social Aceleracionista / Hill-Climbing Bias, Optimization Daemons, and the Influence of Accelerated Social Narratives

O fenômeno de aceleração social, intimamente ligado a nossa modernização tecnológica e os sistemas políticos e sociais que adotamos, vem sendo alvo de questionamentos por parte da teoria crítica por diversos filósofos e sociólogos, principalmente em relação a se tal "aceleração" seja algo que, possa ser justificável pelo bem comum da sociedade. De fato, as rápidas mudanças que ocorreram no último século causaram uma tremenda mudança em nossos estilos-de-vida, e na maneira como experienciamos o mundo. Que a nossa sociedade mudou e continua a mudar é um fato evidente quando olhamos criticamente para o passado e presente, e comparamos diferentes épocas da história humana. Neste ensaio tentaremos explorar algumas possíveis hipóteses que fundamentem o comportamento aceleracionista em certos fatores e mecanismo biológicos que caracterizam os sistemas de motivação e saciação humanos. Também tentaremos mostrar como certos fenômenos sociais podem auxiliar em fortalecer este tipo de comportamento, e suas possíveis origens evolutivas. Este estudo tem como objetivo principal fundamentar a Tese Aceleracionista em evidências neurofisiológicas, cognitivo-comportamentais, evolutivas e sociais.

The phenomenon of social acceleration is closely linked to our technological modernization and the political and social systems we have adopted, and it has been questioned by several philosophers and sociologists, especially in relation to whether such acceleration is something that can be justified for the common good of society. In fact, the rapid changes that have occurred in the last century have caused a tremendous change in our lifestyles, and in the way we experience the world. That society have changed and continues to change is an evident fact when we look critically to the past and our present and compare different times in human history. In this essay we will try to explore some possible hypotheses that underpin accelerated behavior, in certain biological factors and mechanisms that characterize human motivation and satiation systems. We will also try to show how certain social phenomena can help to strengthen this type of behavior, and its possible evolutionary origins. The main objective of this study is to base the Accelerationist Thesis on neurophysiological, cognitive-behavioral, evolutionary and also social evidence.

Rede de correlações entre qualidade de vida, resiliência e desequilíbrio esforço-recompensa em policiais militares / Network of correlations between quality of life, resilience and effort-reward imbalance in military police officers

Resumo Objetivo: Analisar a rede de correlações entre as dimensões do Modelo Desequilíbrio Esforço-Recompensa (DER), resiliência e qualidade de vida em policiais militares. Método: Estudo transversal realizado com 258 policiais do Batalhão de Operações Especiais (BOE) da Polícia Militar de uma cidade do Rio Grande do Sul. As escalas do Modelo DER, de resiliência e World Health Quality of Life (WHOQOL-bref) avaliaram o estresse psicossocial, resiliência e qualidade de vida. Foram realizadas estatísticas descritiva e analítica, com análise de rede. Resultados: As dimensões do Modelo DER e a resiliência se correlacionaram com todos os domínios do WHOQOL (p<0,001). O modelo de rede indicou associação negativa entre o esforço, o excesso de comprometimento e os domínios físico e meio ambiente. O domínio meio ambiente foi associado positivamente à recompensa, e a resiliência associou-se positivamente com os domínios geral, físico e psicológico. Conclusão: Concluiu-se que o estresse psicossocial interfere na qualidade de vida dos policiais militares e a resiliência pode atuar como um fator de proteção.

Abstract Objective: To analyze the network of correlations between the realms of the Effor t-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model, resilience, and quality of life among military police officers. Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 258 police officers from the Special Opera tions Battalion of the Military Police in a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The scales of the ERI model, resilience, and World Health Quality of Life (WHOQOL-bref) assessed psychosocial stress, resilience, and quality of life. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed em ploying the network analysis. Results: The realms of the ERI model and resilience correlated with all the WHOQOL's realms (p<0.001). The network model showed a negative association between effort, overcommitment, and physical and environmental realms. The environmental realm was positively associated with reward, while resilience was positively associated with the general, physical, and psychological realms. Conclusion: We concluded that psychosocial stress interferes in the quality of life of military police officers, and resi lience may work as a protective factor.

Patrones de ahorro y freno inhibitorio: un estudio desde la neuroeconomía conductual / Saving patterns and inhibitory control: a study within behavioral neuroeconomics / Padrões de economia e de frenagem inibitória: um estudo de neuroeconomia comportamental

La neuroeconomía es una de las neurociencias con base cognitiva ­ comportamental que ha experimentado un crecimiento teórico, metodológico y experimental bastante amplio en los últimos 20 años. Su capacidad de combinar elementos de salud cerebral como por ejemplo el adecuado freno inhibitorio que repercute necesariamente en una capacidad amplia de posponer la recompensa con comportamientos de base económica concretos como el ahorro puede implicar un nuevo eje de desarrollo de la salud mental en los estudiantes de psicología de la Universidad Mayor de San Andrés en la ciudad de La Paz, Bolivia. De hecho, existe amplia evidencia documentada de que la capacidad de posponer la recompensa inmediata por un bien mayor constituye un gran predictor del rendimiento académico al mismo tiempo que deriva en habilidades positivas a lo largo de la vida. Este estudio constituye el primero en su naturaleza y área en la carrera de Psicología de la UMSA y constituye un aporte directo a la planificación de la salud mental de los estudiantes de la carrera.

Neuroeconomics is one of the cognitive and behavioral based neurosciences that has undergone a substantial growth in experimental, theoretical and methodological terms within the last 20 years. Its capacity to combine brain health factors such as an adequate inhibitory control (that necessarily will influence gratification delay) with economic-related behaviors such as saving, may generate a new axis of development of the mental health in psychology students of the Higher University of San Andres in La Paz, Bolivia. As a matter of fact, there is robust evidence that gratification delay executed in order to get a greater good constitutes in and on itself an accurate predictor of academic performance as well as positive life skills. This study is the first to be conducted on this area in the psychology undergraduate program and could be a potential contribution to the enhancement of the psycho-emotional health of the students who participated in it.

A Neuroeconomia é uma das neurociências de base cognitivo-comportamental que experimentou um amplo crescimento teórico, metodológico e experimental nos últimos 20 anos. Sua capacidade de combinar elementos de saúde cerebral, como o freio inibitório apropriado que necessariamente afeta uma ampla capacidade de adiar a recompensa com comportamentos de base econômica específicos, como poupança, pode implicar em um novo eixo de desenvolvimento da saúde mental em alunos de psicologia da Universidad Mayor de San Andrés na cidade de La Paz, Bolívia. Na verdade, há ampla evidência documentada de que a capacidade de adiar a recompensa imediata por um bem maior é um forte indicador de desempenho acadêmico, ao mesmo tempo que leva a habilidades positivas ao longo da vida. Este estudo é o primeiro em sua natureza e área na carreira de Psicologia da UMSA e constitui uma contribuição direta para o planejamento da saúde mental dos alunos da carreira.

The Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on addictive behaviors: an integrative review / O impacto da pandemia COVID-19 em comportamentos aditivos: uma revisão integrativa / El impacto de la pandemia COVID-19 en las conductas adictivas: una revisión integrativa

Addictive behaviors and their impacts have been widely explored. Going through a pandemic moment requires further research since crisis situations involve higher propensity to dependency. The aim of this integrative review was to identify studies that have been conducted so as to explore behaviors related to brain's reward system in a pandemic period, which include substance addiction, internet addiction, gaming and other overusing behaviors. In order to accomplish our objective an integrative search was conducted in CAPES periodicals. Some inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select the studies and in total (N=12) were explored independently. The results showed that there is an increasingly concern about health care systems, especially for those addicted to substances who need daily support, since addictions habits may have also increased. Behavioral addictions also increased and were exploited in some studies, especially those related to technologies, such as gaming and smartphone usage.

Comportamentos aditivos e seus impactos têm sido amplamente explorados. Passar por um momento de pandemia requer ainda mais pesquisas, pois situações de crise envolvem maior propensão a dependências. O objetivo desta revisão foi identificar estudos conduzidos que exploraram comportamentos relacionados ao sistema de recompensa cerebral em momentos de pandemia, incluindo, adição a substâncias, adição a tecnologias, jogos e outros comportamentos excessivos. Buscando alcançar nossos objetivos, uma pesquisa integrativa foi conduzida nos periódicos da CAPES. Alguns critérios de inclusão e exclusão foram utilizados para selecionar os estudos, e, no total, (N=12) foram explorados independentemente. Os resultados mostraram que existe grande preocupação com relação aos sistemas de saúde, principalmente, para as pessoas que são adictas a substâncias e necessitam de suporte diário, devido ao aumento nos hábitos de adição. Comportamentos aditivos também intensificaram e foram explorados em alguns estudos, especialmente aqueles relacionados às tecnologias, como os jogos e o uso do smartphone.

Las conductas adictivas y su impacto han sido ampliamente explorados. Pasar por una pandemia requiere más investigación, pues las situaciones de crisis implican una mayor propensión a la dependencia. El objetivo de esta revisión fue identificar los estudios realizados que exploran comportamientos relacionados con el sistema de recompensa del cerebro durante una pandemia: adicción a sustancias, adicción a Internet, juegos de azar, entre otras. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda integrativa en las publicaciones de revistas CAPES utilizando algunos criterios de inclusión y exclusión, y se estudiaron en total (N=12) de forma independiente. Los resultados mostraron que existe una preocupación cada vez mayor por los sistemas de atención de la salud, especialmente para adictos a sustancias que necesitan apoyo diario, debido al posible aumento de los hábitos adictivos. Las adicciones comportamentales relacionadas con tecnologías también aumentaron, especialmente las relacionadas con los juegos y el uso de teléfonos inteligentes.

Inventário de Adiamento de Gratificação (DGI-35): propriedades psicométricas da versão brasileira / The 35-Item Delaying Gratification Inventory (DGI-35): psychometric properties of the Brazilian version / Inventario de Aplazamiento de Bonificación (DGI-35): propiedades psicométricas de la versión brasileña

O Inventário de Adiamento de Gratificação (DGI-35) foi desenvolvido para avaliar os diferentes níveis de adiamento de gratificação presentes na população geral. O objetivo deste estudo foi apresentar as propriedades psicométricas do DGI-35 para a população brasileira e evidências de validade convergente com a Escala de Impulsividade de Barratt (BIS-11). Participaram 405 brasileiros (61,2% mulheres), com idades entre 18 e 46 anos (M = 22,32, DP = 4,78). Foram conduzidas análises fatoriais exploratórias e confirmatórias com vistas a avaliar a estrutura interna do instrumento. Dos cinco fatores originais, quatro tiveram estrutura interna semelhante à versão original, exceto o fator "Físico" que não se ajustou ao modelo, levando a criação de uma alternativa de 28 itens à escala original (DGI-28), que apresentou adequados índices de ajuste. Conforme esperado, o escore global da DGI-28, bem como os seus fatores estiveram negativamente relacionados ao escore global da BIS-11. (AU)

The Delaying Gratification Inventory (DGI-35) was developed to evaluate different levels of gratification delaying in the general population. The purpose of this study was to present the psychometrics properties of the DGI-35 in the Brazilian population and evidence of convergent validity with the Barrat Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). A total of 405 participants were selected (61.2% women) aged between 18 and 46 years (M = 22.32, SD = 4.78). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to evaluate the internal structure of the instrument. Four out of five original factors showed identical consistency, except for the "Physical" factor that did not fit the model, leading to the creation of an alternative of 28 items to the original scale (DGI-28), which presented good fit indices. As expected, the global score of the DGI-28, as well as its factors were negatively correlated to the global score of the BIS-11. (AU)

El Inventario de Aplazamiento de Bonificación (DGI-35) fue desarrollado para evaluar los diferentes niveles de prórrogas de bonificación presentes en la población general. El objetivo de este estudio fue presentar las propiedades psicométricas del DGI-35 para la población brasileña y evidencias de validez convergentes con la Escala de Impulsividad de Barratt (BIS-11). Participaron 405 brasileños (61,2% mujeres) con edades entre 18 y 46 años (M = 22,32, DE = 4,78). Fueron realizados análisis factorial confirmatoria y exploratorio que evaluaron la estructura interna del instrumento. De los cinco factores originales, cuatro tuvieron estructura interna semejante a la versión original, excepto el factor "Físico" que no se ajustó al modelo, creándose una alternativa de 28 ítems (DGI-28) a la escala original, la cual presentó índices de ajuste adecuados. Como se esperaba, la puntuación global de la DGI-28, así como sus factores estuvieron negativamente relacionados con la puntuación global de la BIS-11. (AU)

Academic productivism: when job demand exceeds working time / Produtivismo acadêmico: quando a demanda supera o tempo de trabalho

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the perception of pressure to publish academic work with job satisfaction and stress. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 64 graduate advisors from a public university in the city of São Paulo. Data collection conducted via an online questionnaire that included: sociodemographic, work and health data; Occupational Stress Indicator Job Satisfaction Scale and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) model. To assess the perception of pressure to publish academic work the advisors answered a numerical scale, assigning a score from 0 to 10 to how pressured they felt to publish their work (being 0 no pressure and 10 high pressure). Later, the generalized linear model was used to test the factors associated to high perception of pressure to publish academic work, adjusted for working time, academic management role and productivity grant. RESULTS: Advisors who had already worked in a higher education institution, who performed part of the work at home and who reported work stress were more likely to show perception of extreme pressure to publish academic work. This perception was associated with greater effort and over-commitment, as well as a greater imbalance between the effort employed and the reward received at work. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the professors' work organization and mental health are interrelated: the higher the perception of pressure to publish academic work, the greater the stress. However, this result does not seem to be reflected in the job satisfaction (or dissatisfaction). The apparently deliberate extension of working hours hides the precariousness and increased work to which professors have been subjected in recent years by public policies that commercialize education in Brazil.

RESUMO OBJETIVOS: Avaliar a associação entre a percepção da pressão por publicações com a satisfação e o estresse no trabalho. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 64 orientadores de pós-graduação de uma universidade pública da cidade de São Paulo. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um questionário on-line que incluiu: dados sociodemográficos, laborais e de saúde; Escala de Satisfação no Trabalho do Occupational Stress Indicator e modelo Desequilíbrio Esforço-Recompensa (DER). Para avaliar a percepção da pressão por publicação foi criada uma escala numérica na qual o orientador deveria atribuir uma nota de 0 a 10 para o quanto se sentia pressionado a publicar seus trabalhos (sendo 0 nenhuma pressão e 10 muita pressão). Posteriormente, foi utilizado o modelo linear generalizado para testar os fatores associados à alta percepção de pressão para publicação, ajustado pelo tempo de trabalho, função de gestão acadêmica e bolsa produtividade. RESULTADOS: Maiores proporções da percepção de elevada pressão para publicação foram encontradas entre orientadores que já haviam trabalhado em instituição de ensino superior, que realizavam parte do trabalho em casa e que apresentavam estresse laboral. Associou-se essa percepção a um maior esforço e comprometimento excessivo no trabalho, bem como a um maior desequilíbrio entre o esforço empregado e a recompensa recebida no trabalho. CONCLUSÕES: Os achados desta pesquisa sugerem que a organização do trabalho e a saúde mental dos trabalhadores estejam inter-relacionados: quanto maior a percepção de pressão por publicação maior o estresse. No entanto, esse resultado parece não se refletir na satisfação (ou insatisfação) do trabalho. O prolongamento aparentemente deliberado das horas de trabalho oculta a precarização e intensificação do trabalho a que os professores têm sido submetidos nos últimos anos pelas políticas públicas que mercantilizam a educação no Brasil.

Intra-nucleus accumbens shell injection of baclofen blocks the reconsolidation of conditioned place preference in morphine-addicted mice / 生理学报

Preclinical studies suggest that the GABA receptor is a potential target for treatment of substance use disorders. Baclofen (BLF), a prototypical GABA receptor agonist, is the only specific GABA receptor agonist available for application in clinical addiction treatment. The nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) is a key node in the circuit that controls reward-directed behavior. However, the relationship between GABA receptors in the AcbSh and memory reconsolidation was unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of intra-AcbSh injection of BLF on the reconsolidation of morphine reward memory. Male C57BL/6J mice were used to establish morphine conditioned place preference (CPP) model and carry out morphine reward memory retrieval and activation experiment. The effects of intra-AcbSh injection of BLF on morphine-induced CPP, reinstatement of CPP and locomotor activity were observed after environmental cues activating morphine reward memory. The results showed that intra-AcbSh injection of BLF (0.06 nmol/0.2 μL/side or 0.12 nmol/0.2 μL/side), rather than vehicle or BLF (0.01 nmol/0.2 μL/side), following morphine reward memory retrieval abolished morphine-induced CPP by disrupting its reconsolidation in mice. Moreover, this effect persisted for more than 14 days, which was not reversed by a morphine priming injection. Furthermore, intra-AcbSh injection of BLF without morphine reward memory retrieval had no effect on morphine-associated reward memory. Interestingly, administration of BLF into the AcbSh had no effect on the locomotor activity of mice during testing phase. Based on these results, we concluded that intra-AcbSh injection of BLF following morphine reward memory could erase morphine-induced CPP by disrupting its reconsolidation. Activating GABA receptor in AcbSh during drug memory reconsolidation may be a potential approach to prevent drug relapse.

Stimulus and reward information encoded by population neurons in the primate prefrontal cortex and striatum / 生理学报

It has been reported that single-unit activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum represented visual stimulus and reward information. But how to encode these pieces of information is quite complex from the view of single-neuron activity. Different neurons represented stimulus or reward information in different task epochs with increasing or decreasing their activities relative to their baseline firing rates. The present paper was aimed to study whether population neurons in the two brain areas could stably encode task-relevant parameters in a whole trial period. We recorded single-unit activities in the lateral PFC (LPFC) and striatum while the monkey was performing a stimulus- reward prediction task, and analyzed the neuronal activities by the method of a multi-variable regression model and the linear support vector machine. The results showed that, although proportions of task-related neurons in the two areas varied largely in the whole trial period, LPFC population neurons encoded reward and stimulus information stably and reliably. Population neurons in the striatum encoded only reward information, not stimulus information. A group of neurons in the two areas represented combined information of stimulus and reward. Further analysis showed that LPFC neurons encoded reward information for a group of relevant stimuli, while striatal neurons encoded reward information for a specific stimulus. These results suggest that both LPFC and striatal population neurons are able to stably represent task-relevant information, but from different aspects of the task. The different strategies to encode information in the LPFC and striatum suggest their different contributions in reward-based decision making.

Factors affecting emotional eating and eating palatable food in adults

Ezrin-radixin-moesin proteins are regulated by Akt-GSK3β signaling in the rat nucleus accumbens core

The ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins are a family of membrane-associated proteins known to play roles in cell-shape determination as well as in signaling pathways. We have previously shown that amphetamine decreases phosphorylation levels of these proteins in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), an important neuronal substrate mediating rewarding effects of drugs of abuse. In the present study, we further examined what molecular pathways may be involved in this process. By direct microinjection of LY294002, a PI3 kinase inhibitor, or of S9 peptide, a proposed GSK3β activator, into the NAcc core, we found that phosphorylation levels of ERM as well as of GSK3β in this site are simultaneously decreased. These results indicate that ERM proteins are under the regulation of Akt-GSK3β signaling pathway in the NAcc core. The present findings have a significant implication to a novel signal pathway possibly leading to structural plasticity in relation with drug addiction.

Job satisfaction level of dental staff at oral health centers for people with special needs / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the job satisfaction level of the dental staff working at oral health centers for people with disabilities. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted with 73 dentists and dental hygienists working at seven regional oral health centers for people with special needs and dental hospitals for people with disabilities in Seoul. The questionnaire consisted of seven questions across two subscales: general satisfaction (4 questions) and satisfaction with wage and welfare (3 questions). The internal consistency of the questionnaire items was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (0.80). The responses were analyzed using a t-test with SPSS (version 23.0). RESULTS: Of the 73 dental staff members, 50% were dentists, 64% were women, and participants' average age was 30 years. In total, 58% of the participants had up to five years of experience working with people with disabilities, 42% of them worked full-time, and each participant treated an average of 200 patients with disabilities per month. The participants reported that their salary was relatively low. Dental hygienists had higher satisfaction level than dentists in the institution's welfare work. The more full-time workers answered, the more suitable they are for their work. CONCLUSIONS: The job satisfaction level of most professionals working in oral health centers for people with disabilities was not very high but they felt rewarded by their welfare work. It was inferred that it is necessary to examine and improve institutional support aspects such as human resource support. Increasing the number of centers in the central region is also needed.

Relationship in Quality of Diet, Food Habit and Feeding Practice in Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Their Caregiver

This study aimed to assess the dietary quality and food habits in children with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and to evaluate the relationship between diet quality of children with PDDs and their caregivers' feeding practice and nutritional perceptions. Twenty-one pairs of caregivers and their children with PDD were surveyed. The caregivers completed surveys regarding their children's weight status, food habits, and dietary quality and their food habits, nutritional perceptions, knowledge, and feeding practices. Dietary quality was assessed as mean adequacy ratio, dietary diversity score (DDS), dietary variety score (DVS), and Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ). The children were in the normal ranges of body mass index (BMI) and Röhrer index. Having three times a meal, regular meal time, salty taste of the caregiver were related to those of the children with PDD (β = 0.533, 0.447, and 0.886, respectively; p < 0.05). Child control, food as reward, involvement, pressure, and restriction for the health of the caregiver were positively related to DDS, DVS, and INQ of the children with PDD (p < 0.05). High feeding stress and nutritional knowledge of the caregiver were related to the high BMI of the children with PDD (β = 0.445 and 0.602, respectively; p < 0.05), whereas emotion regulation, encourage balance and variety, and involvement of caregiver were negatively related to BMI (β = −0.426, −0.430, and −0.388, respectively; p < 0.05). In conclusion, food habits of children with PDD were closely related to those of caregiver. To improve nutritional status, more insightful understand will be required by considering their developmental differences in this population.

Cognitive Function, Emotional and Behavioral Problems, and Temperament of Premature Children

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare preterm, neurodevelopmentally disordered and healthy full-term children. METHODS: We enrolled 47 children who were born preterm, 40 neurodevelopmentally disordered children, and 80 healthy children as control participants, in order to assess the cognitive functioning and the risk of behavioral problems at the age of 5. Children were assessed using the Korean Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-4th edition (K-WPPSI-IV), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). RESULTS: The mean K-WPPSI-IV score of the preterm group was 87.19±17.36, which was significantly higher than that of the neurodevelopmental disorder group (69.98±28.63; p < 0.001) but lower than that of the control group (107.74±14.21; p < 0.001). The cumulative CBCL scores of the preterm children were not significantly different from those of the control group. Additionally, the TCI scores for reward dependence of the preterm children were higher than those of the control group. CONCLUSION: The cognitive performance of preterm infants was lower than that of healthy full-term infants at the age of 5, and there was an association between slower growth and decreased cognitive ability.

A Survey on the Current Working Conditions and Job Satisfaction on Aquatic Therapy Performed by Physical Therapists

PURPOSE: This study assessed the current working conditions and job satisfaction on aquatic therapy performed by physical therapists in South Korea. METHODS: A total of 139 (managers: 53, staff: 86) physical therapists participated in this survey (90 questionnaires) and the data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 Windows. RESULTS: The retention conditions of aquatic therapy facilitation was high in the rehabilitation centers (or disabled living facilities) and rehabilitation hospitals. On the other hand, there were regional variations. The physical therapists in this field were likely to have limitations or restrictions of professional aquatic therapy education. The subjects showed a tendency for a career interruption during their fifth working year. The overall job satisfaction on aquatic therapy of physical therapists was high (managers: 94.3%, staff: 95.3%, p=0.276), but the work intensity was higher than the other parts of physical therapy and the relative reward was comparatively low (managers: 60.3%, staff: 66.3%, p=0.865). CONCLUSION: Based on this study, the current working conditions regarding aquatic therapy by physical therapists were assessed. These results will help enhance aquatic therapy and/or in aquatic therapy facilitation.

The Causal Relationships among Staff Nurses' Job Stress Factors, Patient Safety Culture Perception and Patient Safety Nursing Activities in a University Hospital / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to explore the causal relationships among staff nurses' job stress factors, patient safety culture perception, and patient safety nursing activities through path analysis. METHODS: The participants, 275 staff nurses with over a year of exp rience working at a university hospital in Seoul, completed structured questionnaires. The data were collected from January 5 to February 28, 2018. The data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test and Pearson correlation coefficients using the SPSS/WIN 24.0 program, and path analysis & bootstrapping using AMOS 24.0 program. RESULTS: The path analyses of the hypothesized causal model showed a considerable explanatory power for each of the endogenous variables. About 45 percent of organizational culture was explained by work overload, lack of knowledge/skill, inadequate reward, work environment, and communication. The finding in this study confirmed the mediating effect of patient safety culture perception on the relationships between job stress factors and patient safety nursing activities. CONCLUSION: The proper arrangement of nursing staff, proper treatment and rewards, positive work environment, organizational culture, and smooth communication are needed to promote patient safety nursing activities.

Changes in the Medical Cost and Practice Pattern according to the Implementation of per Diem Payment in Hospice Palliative Care / 보건행정학회지

BACKGROUND: As of July 2015, per diem payment was changed from fee for service Therefore, this study aims to analyse changes in medical charges and medical services before and after enforcement of the palliative care, targeting palliative care wards in a general hospital, and provide basic data needed for development of per diem payment. METHODS: The subjects of the study were a total of 610 cases consisting of 351 patients of service fee who left hospital (died) from July 2014 to June 2016 and 259 ones of per diem payment at Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju Metropolitan City. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows. First, after the palliative care system was applied, benefit medical service charges and insurance increased significantly (p<0.001). As benefit medical service charges increased, benefit private insurance payment increased significantly (p<0.001). Second, after the per diem payment was applied, total private insurance payment to medical institutes decreased significantly (p=0.050) and non-benefit also decreased significantly (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: It is suggested that additional rewards in the obligatory palliative care items should be continuously remedied and monitored to provide good quality hospice palliative care.

Pregnancy and Childbirth Experiences of Women with Epilepsy: A Phenomenological Approach

PURPOSE: This study sought to understand and describe the pregnancy and childbirth experiences of women with epilepsy (WWE). METHODS: Datawere collected from 2016e2017 through in-depth individual interviews with 12 WWE who experienced childbirth within 36 months. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed following Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis to uncover the meaning of the experiences of the participants. RESULTS: The pregnancy and childbirth experiences of WWE were clustered into four theme clusters and 8 themes from20 meaning units: 1) Feeling anxious due to unplanned pregnancy and unexpected changes; 2) Standing at crossroads that never guarantee satisfaction; 3) Carrying a burden of fearful expectation and daily routines; 4) Enjoying rewards of pregnancy and childbirth as a woman with epilepsy. CONCLUSION: WWE had strong anxiety about the possible abnormality of their babies during pregnancy. They had mixed feelings about delivery and had to make a tough decision about breastfeeding because of antiepileptic drugs use. After childbirth, they had increased fear about the possible inheritance of the illness and had a hard time managing the burden of childcare and seizure control. However, pregnancy allows these women to gain disease awareness and further appreciate the importance of their health. The study results indicate the need for multidisciplinary intervention for WWE, before, during, and after pregnancy to increase communication with health professionals. Especially, preconception counselling and education led by nurses are required.

The influence of reward motivation on emotion regulation / 生理学报

The influence of reward on behavior is one of the hottest research subjects in psychological research. Reward-induced motivation promotes the performance of the participants. In the field of emotional processing, the reward can influence the individual's processing of emotional information, but previous studies have not directly discussed the effect of reward on emotional regulation. The present study focused on whether emotional regulation ability would be improved under the reward condition. Experiment 1 and 2 investigated the effect of reward on negative emotional down-regulation and positive emotional up-regulation respectively. In experiment 1, monetary reward stimulation was introduced on the basis of the classic emotion regulation paradigm, and the subjects were asked to regulate their negative emotion under the condition of reward or non-reward, and evaluate their current affective state subsequently. Similar to experiment 1, experiment 2 required subjects to up-regulate positive emotions under the condition of reward or non-reward. The results of experiment 1 showed that under the reward condition, the negative emotional regulation effect was significantly higher than that under the non-reward condition (P < 0.05). Experiment 2 also showed that compared to non-reward condition, the positive emotion regulation effect was significantly increased under the reward condition (P < 0.05). These results suggested that compared to non-reward condition, participants can regulate their emotion better under the condition of the reward. It is worth noting that the results of Experiment 1 and 2 may be caused by the incentive motivation induced by monetary stimulus, or the positive emotion caused by positive value of money information. Therefore, we carried out experiment 3 and 4 to explore whether the positive emotions induced by money itself can influence the emotional regulation of individuals. In experiment 3, the money pictures were used to induce the positive emotions of subjects, and the subjects were asked to regulate their negative emotion after the presence of money pictures or non-monetary picture, and evaluate their current affective state subsequently. Similarly, experiment 4 required subjects to regulate their positive emotion after the presence of money pictures. The results of experiment 3 and 4 showed that there was no significant difference in the subjects' scores of emotional pleasantness after the presence of money pictures or non-monetary picture (P < 0.05). The results of experiment 3 and 4 excluded the possibility that the positive emotions induced by simple money stimulus pictures could improve individual's emotional regulation ability. To sum up, the improvement of individual's emotional regulation ability was indeed driven by reward motivation in this study, that is, the motivation induced by reward can effectively promote individual's emotional regulation ability.