For whom do boundaries become restrictions? The role of political orientation.

While the global pandemic highlighted the importance of adhering to boundaries (e.g., social distancing rules), compliance with these boundary-imposing measures has been politically divided. This research proposes one reason that may underlie the observed ideological asymmetries toward COVID-19 prevention measures and boundaries in general: Conservatives and liberals may fundamentally differ in how they construe boundaries. Supporting this prediction, Studies 1a-1d and two follow-up studies (n = 3,231; Studies 1a-1c and follow-up studies: Amazon Mechanical Turk and Prolific users, Study 1d: U.S. students) demonstrate that identifying with political conservatism (vs. liberalism) increases the likelihood to construe boundaries as restrictions. We further show that, due to conservatives' greater preference for order, structure-related words carry a more positive connotation among conservatives versus liberals (Study 2: n = 744; MTurk users). Capitalizing on this finding, we demonstrate that linguistic framing that highlights the structure-providing function of a boundary (e.g., a social distancing sign can "structure" customer flow in a restaurant) can reduce the salience of its usual restrictive aspect and hence effectively improve conservatives' attitudes toward the boundaries (Study 3: n = 740; MTurk users). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Sluggish cognitive tempo is associated with autistic traits and anxiety disorder symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Objective: To investigate the association of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) with autistic traits (ATs) and anxiety disorder symptoms among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: A total of 195 children with a DSM-5 diagnosis of ADHD were included. The Barkley Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale (BSCTS) was used to measure SCT symptoms. Other study measures included the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED), Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), and Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R). Results: The frequency of SCT was 30.3% (n=59) in the whole group. Those with SCT had higher total AQ and SCARED scores. Significant associations and correlations were also found between SCT and certain subscores of AQ and SCARED. According to the linear regression model, the total score and social skills, attention switching, and imagination scores of AQ, as well as generalized anxiety and panic/somatic scores of SCARED and the total and inattention scores of parent T-DSM-IV, were predictive of SCT total score (p < 0.05). Conclusions: SCT is associated with ATs and anxiety disorders. Children with ADHD and SCT symptoms should be screened for such conditions.

Sluggish cognitive tempo is associated with autistic traits and anxiety disorder symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) with autistic traits (ATs) and anxiety disorder symptoms among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A total of 195 children with a DSM-5 diagnosis of ADHD were included. The Barkley Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale (BSCTS) was used to measure SCT symptoms. Other study measures included the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED), Turgay DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), and Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R). RESULTS: The frequency of SCT was 30.3% (n=59) in the whole group. Those with SCT had higher total AQ and SCARED scores. Significant associations and correlations were also found between SCT and certain subscores of AQ and SCARED. According to the linear regression model, the total score and social skills, attention switching, and imagination scores of AQ, as well as generalized anxiety and panic/somatic scores of SCARED and the total and inattention scores of parent T-DSM-IV, were predictive of SCT total score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SCT is associated with ATs and anxiety disorders. Children with ADHD and SCT symptoms should be screened for such conditions.

Gender Norms and HIV Testing/Treatment Uptake: Evidence from a Large Population-Based Sample in South Africa.

How does the endorsement of different dimensions of gender norms by men and/or women influence their use of HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment? This question was examined using data from a 2014 population-based survey of 1053 women and 1004 men, ages 18-49, in rural South Africa. We used a global measure for views toward gender norms (the GEM Scale), plus four subsets of scale items (all reliabilities ≥ 0.7). In multivariate analyses using the global measure, endorsement of inequitable gender norms was associated with more testing (AOR 2.47, p < 0.01) and less treatment use (AOR 0.15, p < 0.01) among women but not men. When examining specific subsets of inequitable norms (e.g., endorsing men as the primary decision-maker), decreased odds of treatment use was found for men as well (AOR 0.18, p < 0.01). Careful attention to the role specific gender norms play in HIV service uptake can yield useful programmatic recommendations.

Activity versus outcome maximization in time management.

Feeling time-pressed has become ubiquitous. Time management strategies have emerged to help individuals fit in more of their desired and necessary activities. We provide a review of these strategies. In doing so, we distinguish between two, often competing, motives people have in managing their time: activity maximization and outcome maximization. The emerging literature points to an important dilemma: a given strategy that maximizes the number of activities might be detrimental to outcome maximization. We discuss such factors that might hinder performance in work tasks and enjoyment in leisure tasks. Finally, we provide theoretically grounded recommendations that can help balance these two important goals in time management.

Multiple retinal anomalies in schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION: In addition to being a critical component of the visual system, the retina provides the opportunity for an accessible and noninvasive probe of brain pathology in neuropsychiatric disorders. Several studies have reported various retinal abnormalities in schizophrenia, some primary and others iatrogenic. There is now increasing evidence supporting the existence of retinal anomalies in schizophrenia across structural, neurochemical and physiological parameters. Here, we review the types of retinal pathology in schizophrenia and discuss how these findings may provide novel insights for future research into the neurodevelopmental neurobiology of this syndrome, and possibly as useful biomarkers. METHODS: Using the keywords schizophrenia, retina, pathology, electroretinogram (ERG), and/or optical coherence tomography (OCT) on PubMed, all studies using the English language within 30years were reviewed. Methods were examined, and common themes were identified, tabulated, and discussed. RESULTS: We classified the reports of retinal pathology into primary and secondary. The major secondary retinal pathology is related to the iatrogenic effects of a once widely prescribed first generation antipsychotic (thioridazine), which was found to be associated with retinal pigment deposits, decreased visual acuity, and suppression of dark adapted ERG responses. The primary retinal findings were obtained via different measures primarily using ERG, OCT, and microvascular imaging. The most consistent findings were 1) decreased ERG wave amplitudes, 2) reduced macular volume, 3) thinning of retinal nerve fiber layer, and 4) widened venule caliber. CONCLUSION: The abnormal pathobiological findings of the retina in schizophrenia may represent an important avenue for elucidating some of the neurodevelopmental aberrations in schizophrenia. The well replicated retinal anomalies could serve as biomarkers for schizophrenia and perhaps an endophenotype that may help identify at-risk individuals and to facilitate early intervention.

Glutamate induces H2O2 synthesis in nonsynaptic brain mitochondria.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species regulate many important biological processes. We studied H2O2 formation by nonsynaptic brain mitochondria in response to the addition of low concentrations of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter. We demonstrated that glutamate at concentrations from 10 to 50 µM stimulated the H2O2 generation in mitochondria up to 4-fold, in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of glutamate was observed only in the presence of Ca(2+) (20 µM) in the incubation medium, and the rate of calcium uptake by the brain mitochondria was increased by up to 50% by glutamate. Glutamate-dependent effects were sensitive to the NMDA receptor inhibitors MK-801 (10 µM) and D-AP5 (20 µM) and the inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine (5mM). We have shown that the H2O2 formation caused by glutamate is associated with complex II and is dependent on the mitochondrial potential. We have found that nonsynaptic brain mitochondria are a target of direct glutamate signaling, which can specifically activate H2O2 formation through mitochondrial respiratory chain complex II. The H2O2 formation induced by glutamate can be blocked by glycine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that prevents the deleterious effects of glutamate in brain mitochondria.

Mechanism underlying the protective effect of glycine in energetic disturbances in brain tissues under hypoxic conditions.

Glycine stabilizes energetics of brain mitochondria under conditions of brain hypoxia in vivo modeled by ligation of the common carotid artery in rats. Hypoxia reduced respiratory control in brain cortex mitochondria from 7.7 ± 0.5 to 4.5 ± 0.3. Preliminary oral administration of glycine almost completely prevented this decrease. In both in vitro models of hypoxia, similar phosphorylation disturbances were detected in both cortical slices and isolated brain mitochondria; they were effectively prevented by glycine. Hypoxia activates H(2)O(2) generation in mitochondrial suspension. The process is significantly reduced in the presence of 5 mM glycine. It is concluded that both in the model of hypoxia in vivo and during in vitro modeling of hypoxia in cortical slices and mitochondria, glycine acts as a protector inhibiting generation of reactive oxygen species in mitochondria and preventing energetics disturbances in brain mitochondria.

Consuming now or later? The interactive effect of timing and attribute alignability.

Decisions are often temporally separated from their outcomes. Using theories of structural alignment and temporal construal, we examined how temporal distance and the associated shift in decision processes moderate susceptibility to context effects. Specifically, in two experiments (one hypothetical, one with real outcomes), we demonstrated that people attend more to nonalignable differences when the outcome of the decision is in the distant future than when it is in the near future. This shift in decision processes was found in preference and choice data, as well as coded written protocols. We further show that this temporal shift cannot be explained by differential involvement with the decision or by the feasibility and desirability of the attributes. Our findings establish temporal distance as an important moderator of structural alignment effects and also extend the implications of temporal construal theory beyond the nature of the attributes to the structural relationships among attributes.