The use of virtual reality as a perspective-taking manipulation to improve self-awareness in Alzheimer's disease.

Lack of awareness of symptoms or having a condition referred to as anosognosia is a common feature of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Previous literature on AD reported difficulties in evaluating self-abilities, often showing underestimation of limitations. There is increasing evidence that the perspective through which information is presented may moderate the performance appraisal and that anosognosia in AD might be a consequence of a deficit in assuming a third-person perspective. In this context, some studies showed that subjects may better recognize self-and other-difficulties when exposed to a third-person perspective. Considering the variety of approaches aiming to investigate the lack of awareness, there is still a scarcity of methods that provide great ecological validity and consider more than one facet of awareness, thus failing to offer more accurate evaluations of daily experiences. The present paper primarily addresses the theme of the multidimensional character of awareness of abilities in AD and the effect of perspective-taking on its trajectories. The focus turns to virtual reality as a promising tool for a greater evaluation of perspective-taking and self-awareness. Particularly, these systems offer the possibility to involve users in cognitive and sensorimotor tasks that simulate daily life conditions within immersive and realistic environments, and a great sense of embodiment. We propose that virtual reality might allow a great level of complexity, veracity, and safety that is needed for individuals with AD to behave according to their actual abilities and enable to explore the liaison between the subject's viewpoint, performance, and self-evaluation. In addition, we suggest promising clinical implications of virtual reality-based methods for individualized assessments, investigating specific impacts on subjects' life and possible improvements in their awareness.

Domain specificity of error monitoring: An ERP study in young and older adults.

Metacognition refers to the ability to monitor and control one's cognitive processes, which plays an important role in decision-making throughout the lifespan. It is still debated whether metacognitive abilities decline with age. Neuroimaging evidence suggests that metacognition is served by domain-specific mechanisms. These domains may differentially decline with increasing age. The current investigates whether the error-related negativity (ERN) and the error positivity (Pe) which reflect error detection and error awareness, respectively, differ across perceptual and memory domains in young and older adults. In total, 38 young adults and 37 older adults completed a classic Flanker Task (perceptual) and an adapted memory-based version. No difference in ERN amplitude was found between young and older adults and across domains. Perceptual ERN peaked earlier than Memory ERN. Memory ΔERN was larger than Perceptual ΔERN. Pe was smaller in older adults and ΔPe was larger for perceptual than memory flanker. Memory Pe peaked earlier in young as compared to older adults. Multivariate analyses of whole scalp data supported cross-domain differences. During the task, ERN decreased in young but not in older adults. Memory Pe decreased in young adults but increased in older adults while no significant change in perceptual Pe was found. The study's findings suggest that neural correlates of error monitoring differ across cognitive domains. Moreover, it was shown that error awareness declines in old age but its within-task dynamics vary across cognitive domains. Possible mechanisms underlying metacognition impairments in aging are discussed.

Experiences of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) in Brazil: a qualitative study of people with dementia and their caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of investment in psychosocial treatments for people with dementia in Brazil. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a group-based intervention that has shown to have benefits on activities of daily living and mood for people with dementia in Brazil. This study aims to explore the experiences and perceived changes following CST groups. METHODS: Individual interviews were conducted with the participants of the group (n = 12) and their caregivers (n = 11). Framework analysis was used to inspect the data. RESULTS: Two main themes have emerged: 'Personal benefits of being part of the group', containing two subthemes: 'Benefits for caregivers' and 'Benefits for person with dementia' and 'Day-to-day changes', containing seven subthemes; 'Memory', Sociability', 'Language', 'Mood', 'Orientation', 'Everyday activities' and 'Behavioural and psychological symptoms'. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that CST groups led to perceived personal benefits for the people with dementia and caregivers and that there are perceived changes for the participants of the groups.

The cognitive neuroscience of self-awareness: Current framework, clinical implications, and future research directions.

Self-awareness, the ability to take oneself as the object of awareness, has been an enigma for our species, with different answers to this question being provided by religion, philosophy, and, more recently, science. The current review aims to discuss the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying self-awareness. The multidimensional nature of self-awareness will be explored, suggesting how it can be thought of as an emergent property observed in different cognitive complexity levels, within a predictive coding approach. A presentation of alterations of self-awareness in neuropsychiatric conditions will ground a discussion on alternative frameworks to understand this phenomenon, in health and psychopathology, with future research directions being indicated to fill current gaps in the literature. This article is categorized under: Philosophy > Consciousness Psychology > Brain Function and Dysfunction Neuroscience > Cognition.

Moderate similarity leads to empathic concern, but high similarity can also induce personal distress towards others' pain.

Empathic concern and personal distress are common vicarious emotional responses that arise when witnessing someone else's pain. However, the influence of perceived similarity on these responses remains unclear. In this study, we examined how perceived similarity with an injured target impacts vicarious emotional responses. A total of 87 participants watched a video of an athlete in pain preceded by a clip describing the athlete's trajectory, which indicated either high, moderate, or low similarity to the participants. Emotional self-reports, facial expressions, gaze behavior, and pupil diameter were measured as indicators of the participants' emotional responses. Participants in the moderate- and high-similarity groups exhibited greater empathic concern, as evidenced by their display of more sadness compared with those in the low-similarity group. Furthermore, those in the moderate-similarity group exhibited less avoidance by displaying reduced disgust, indicating lower personal distress compared with those in the low-similarity condition. Nevertheless, the high-similarity group displayed just as much disgust as the low-similarity group. These findings suggest that perceived similarity enhances empathic concern to others' suffering, but that high similarity can also lead to personal distress. Future studies on empathy should explore distinct vicarious states using multimodal measurements to further advance our understanding of these processes.

A quantitative textual analysis of the subjective effects of ayahuasca in naïve users with and without depression.

Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative textual analysis tools. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze the subjective experience of naive individuals with depression and healthy controls after consuming ayahuasca. For this purpose, responses from a subsample of participants from a previous clinical trial to open-ended questions regarding their experience with ayahuasca underwent textual analysis. Data from nine patients with treatment-resistant depression and 20 healthy individuals were included, and quantitative textual analysis was performed using IRaMuTeQ 0.7 alpha 2 and R 3.1.2. The analysis identified five clusters: alterations in the state of consciousness, cognitive changes, somatic alterations, auditory experiences, and visual perceptual content. Additionally, findings suggest specific features of the experience of people with depression with ayahuasca, such as increased aversive bodily reactions. The results are consistent with previous findings indicating central axes of the psychedelic experience, and may inform therapeutic approaches using ayahuasca.

Therapeutic Protocols Using Ketamine and Esketamine for Depressive Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders globally, causing severe emotional suffering, reducing life expectancy and increasing the risk of suicide. Recently, the use of dissociative psychedelic substances such as ketamine and esketamine for depressive disorders has expanded treatment options. We sought to analyze, through a systematic review, the existing protocols for the treatment of depression with ketamine and esketamine. The search adopted PRISMA criteria and was performed using PubMed and Web of Science databases. Procedures in each study were compared, focusing on the sample recruited, therapeutic approaches, including the clinical team and professionals engaged in treatment, medical procedures, description of the setting (including music) and factors such as specific medication (ketamine or esketamine), route of administration and dosage employed. Results indicated the predominance of a medical approach, with a limited number of studies on ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) and other modalities of psychedelic assisted therapy. Additionally, there is limited information on psychosocial elements such as preparation, psychological support during session and integration of experience. Altogether these findings suggest that treatment of depression with ketamine or esketamine diverges in relation to the practices employed with psychedelic substances. This is discussed considering future research directions in the field.

Nondeclarative associative learning in Alzheimer's disease: An overview of eyeblink, fear, and other emotion-based conditioning.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive cognitive decline, particularly in declarative memory, and the presence of ß-amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and cortical atrophy (especially in the temporal lobe). Unlike the relationship between the temporal cortex and declarative memory, nondeclarative memories (e.g., motor, fear, and other emotion-based memories) involve distinct neural structures. The present review investigates nondeclarative associative learning ability in Alzheimer's disease. We discuss eyeblink conditioning, fear conditioning, and other emotion-based learning and present the functions and brain areas that are involved in each type of learning. Evidence suggests that nondeclarative learning is also affected by Alzheimer's disease, although some forms of learning may be relatively preserved. Details about each nondeclarative associative learning process and the implications of these findings are presented.

The self and self-knowledge after frontal lobe neurosurgical lesions.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that damage to the frontal lobes can be associated with changes in cognitive and behavioral functioning and reduced awareness that such changes have occurred. In the current study, the Cognitive Awareness Model was used as a theoretical framework to explore knowledge of the self in people with acquired frontal lesions. METHODS: Fifteen individuals with focal frontal lobe lesions (FFL) and their nominated informants were compared with fifteen healthy matched control-informant dyads on questionnaire measures designed to assess awareness of difficulties. Questionnaires were adapted to ensure all enabled pre- and post-injury perspectives to be gained from both patient and informant, and to allow novel exploration of awareness of deficits from a third person perspective. RESULTS: Individuals with frontal lobe lesions showed adequate awareness of their post-surgery changes, which was substantiated by their informant report. Compared to the control group, the patient group was found to acknowledge more difficulties in current functioning. Perspective-taking ability was limited with both patients and controls being comparatively unreliable in assessing how they were perceived by others. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that FLL patients are engaging in more atypical behaviors compared to healthy controls, but suggest that they are aware of and acknowledge these difficulties. The importance of obtaining multiple viewpoints when examining an individual's level of awareness and the clinical implications of this are discussed.

Effects of DBT-based interventions on alexithymia: a systematic review.

While dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) appears effective for some psychiatric conditions commonly associated with alexithymia, it is unclear whether DBT improves difficulties experienced by alexithymic individuals. This review investigated the current evidence on the effectiveness of DBT-based interventions in improving alexithymia. A qualitative synthesis of studies that investigated the efficacy of DBT on self-reported alexithymia was performed, identifying eligible studies using EBSCO/Essentials, Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsychINFO databases. Eight studies were identified. Overall, the results were inconclusive due to the heterogeneity of the studies but suggest that DBT-based interventions may be associated with self-reported decreases in alexithymia and increases in the ability to identify emotional states. The literature is limited by significant methodological problems, such as the low number of controlled trials, small samples, and high variability between DBT programs, which increases the risk of bias across study outcomes. More research is needed to reach conclusions regarding the effectiveness of DBT in improving alexithymia. Future studies should conduct randomized controlled trial designs (primarily with active treatment control conditions), greater standardization of DBT-based interventions, and a more in-depth examination of the level of participant involvement in long-term DBT-based interventions may help to understand whether DBT improves alexithymia difficulties.

Metacognitive Improvements Following Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for People with Dementia: Evidence from a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: Impaired self-awareness is a common feature of dementia, with considerable clinical impact. Some therapeutic strategies such as cognitive stimulation and psychotherapy have been suggested to mitigate loss of awareness. Nevertheless, evidence of intervention improving awareness of deficits is scarce. The present study aims to explore the impact of a Brazilian adapted version of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST-Brasil), an evidence-based psychosocial intervention for people with dementia (PwD), on the level of awareness, reporting here a secondary outcome of a pilot randomized controlled trial. METHODS: 47 people with mild to moderate dementia attending an out-patient unit were randomly allocated to CST (n = 23) or treatment as usual (TAU) (n = 24) across 7 weeks, in a pilot randomized controlled trial. Awareness was measured before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Results indicated that people in both groups increased in overall awareness of the disease, but only those receiving CST exhibited improvements of awareness of cognitive ability. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CST may also improve metacognitive abilities in PwD, which could potentially be applied to other settings with beneficial effects. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Considering the negative impacts of anosognosia, CST-led improvements in awareness have the potential to benefit PwD and their caregivers.

Modelling the impact of functionality, cognition, and mood state on awareness in people with Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the nature of the relationship between cognitive function, mood state, and functionality in predicting awareness in a non-clinically depressed sample of participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Brazil. METHODS: People with AD (PwAD) aged 60 years or older were recruited from an outpatient unit at the Center of AD of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Measures of awareness of condition (Assessment Scale of the Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia), cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination), mood state (Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia), and functionality (Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire) were applied to 264 people with mild to moderate AD and their caregivers. Hypotheses were tested statistically using SEM approach. Three competing models were compared. RESULTS: The first model, in which the influence of mood state and cognitive function on awareness was mediated by functionality, showed a very good fit to the data and a medium effect size. The competing models, in which the mediating variables were mood state and cognitive function, respectively, only showed poor model fit. CONCLUSION: Our model supports the notion that the relationship between different factors and awareness in AD is mediated by functionality and not by depressive mood state or cognitive level. The proposed direct and indirect effects on awareness are discussed, as well as the missing direct influence of mood state on awareness. The understanding of awareness in dementia is crucial and our model gives one possible explanation of its underlying structure in AD.

The Association of Classic Serotonergic Psychedelic Use and Intention of Future Use with Nature Relatedness.

This study sought to investigate the effects of different substances on nature relatedness (NR) in the general population. An online cross-sectional survey done in Brazil investigated use of ayahuasca/DMT, psilocybe mushrooms, LSD, MDMA/ecstasy, cocaine, cannabis, and alcohol. NR was assessed using the short-form version of the nature related scale (NR-6). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess group differences between substance naïve-individuals, past users, and current users of each substance. Regression models were used including all the substances and subsequently, sociodemographic variables. ANOVAs with substances which showed significantly higher NR-6 scores in the regression model were used in order to assess the effect of intention of future use on NR. ANOVAs indicated higher NR in users of classic serotonergic psychedelics (ayahuasca/DMT, psilocybe mushrooms, LSD), cannabis, and MDMA/ecstasy. Regression models showed that current use of ayahuasca/DMT and psilocybe mushrooms, and past use of LSD had a positive association with NR. When sociodemographic variables were added, only ayahuasca/DMT past and current use were positively associated with NR. Intention of future use was only significantly associated with NR in individuals who reported intention of future use of psilocybe mushrooms.

Cross-cultural differences in beliefs about emotions: A comparison between Brazilian and British participants / Diferenças transculturais em crenças sobre emoções: uma comparação entre participantes brasileiros e britânicos

ABSTRACT Objective: Perfectionist beliefs about emotions impact the experience and expression of emotions, being linked to increased levels of depression and anxiety. Given the influence of culture in the representation and expression of emotion, it is possible that beliefs vary across countries, but few empirical studies have been conducted on the theme. This study aims to compare Brazilian and British samples regarding their beliefs about emotional experience and expression. Methods: The current study compared a total of 960 Brazilian and British participants, with the samples having a similar profile in terms of age, gender and ethnicity. Participants answered online the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Beliefs about Emotions Scale (BES). This study aims to compare Brazilian and British samples with regard to beliefs about emotional experience and expression. Results: Significant differences between samples were found for beliefs about emotions. As hypothesized, Brazilians scored lower on unhelpful beliefs about emotions, except for beliefs about experiencing negative feelings and emotional control. Differences in total BES scores remained even after the inclusion of depression and anxiety as covariates. Conclusions: Results suggest higher endorsement of perfectionist beliefs in a European versus a Latin American context, but highlight that this pattern depends on the specific beliefs being studied. These differences should be considered when working with people from different cultural backgrounds and developing cultural adaptations for clinical interventions and psychopathology models.

RESUMO Objetivo: Crenças perfeccionistas sobre emoções afetam a experiência e expressão de emoções, estando relacionadas a níveis aumentados de depressão e ansiedade. Dada a influência da cultura na representação e expressão de emoções, é possível que as crenças variem entre os países, mas poucos estudos empíricos foram realizados sobre o tema. Este estudo tem o objetivo de comparar amostras brasileiras e britânicas em relação às suas crenças sobre a experiência emocional e expressão. Métodos: O presente estudo comparou um total de 960 participantes brasileiros e britânicos, com as amostras tendo um perfil semelhante em termos de idade, gênero e etnia. Os participantes responderam on-line à Escala de Ansiedade Generalizada (GAD-7), ao Questionário de Saúde do Paciente (PHQ-9) e à Escala de Crenças sobre Emoções (BES). Resultados: Foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre as amostras em relação às crenças sobre emoções. Como hipotetizado, os brasileiros obtiveram pontuações mais baixas em crenças prejudiciais sobre emoções, exceto nas crenças sobre experienciar sentimentos negativos e controle emocional. As diferenças nos escores totais da BES permaneceram mesmo após a inclusão de depressão e ansiedade como covariáveis. Conclusões: Os resultados sugerem maior endosso de crenças perfeccionistas em um contexto europeu, em comparação com um contexto latino-americano, mas destacam que esse padrão depende das crenças específicas estudadas. Essas diferenças devem ser consideradas ao trabalhar com pessoas de diferentes origens culturais e no desenvolvimento de adaptações culturais para intervenções clínicas e modelos de psicopatologia.

Adaptation and latent structure of the Brazilian version of the Ego Dissolution Inventory (EDI-BR): An exploratory study.

INTRODUCTION: Existing scales that seek to measure alterations in self-experience were based on studies conducted in developed countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI), translate and adapt it to the Brazilian context. METHODS: Translation of the measure was made by two translators fluent in both English and Portuguese, with back-translation into English to ensure there was no loss of meaning. The scale was included in an online survey exploring substance use. A total of 528 participants answered the full scale. We calculated the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure to evaluate sampling adequacy, then ran Exploratory Analysis Factor (EFAs) to investigate the factor structure of the EDI. RESULTS: The scale showed acceptable psychometric properties, with excellent internal consistency and sampling adequacy for a factor analysis. Kaiser-Gutman's criteria and Hull's method pointed to a three-factor solution, while Parallel Analysis suggested a two-factor solution. All items showed salient loadings, with two items exhibiting cross-loading. Positive but weak correlations were found between EDI factors 1 and 2 and nature-relatedness. CONCLUSIONS: The validated scale showed solid psychometric properties, with potential differences in factor structure in relation to the English version. Considering validation as ongoing process, it is recommended to conduct studies comparing the scores of ego dissolution across distinct substances and different regions of the country.

Self- and Other-Evaluation in Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Impaired awareness of ability is common in dementia and has important clinical implications. Evidence from different clinical groups has shown that awareness can vary according to whether evaluation refers to self or other performance. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate awareness for self- and other-performance in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, exploring if results vary according to cognitive domain of the tasks. It was hypothesized that, particularly for memory tasks, AD patients would be inaccurate in relation to self-but not other-performance. METHODS: Twenty-two mild to moderate AD patients and twenty-two healthy older adults participated. Two tasks, with reaction time and working memory tasks, were carried out, and each had a success and a failure condition. Participants were asked to estimate their own performance, as well as the performance of another person they observed. Awareness of performance was measured comparing participant estimations of performance with actual performance. RESULTS: For both the reaction time and working memory tasks, results indicate that participants from both groups overestimated the performance in the failure condition and underestimated the performance in the success condition. They tended to overestimate more the performance of the other person compared to themselves. Additionally, for the working memory task, AD patients tended to overestimate more performances compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the AD and control groups present the same pattern, with attribution of better performance to another person. For the AD group, the pattern of response was different for memory tasks, which may suggest domain-specific limited awareness.

Predictors of functional impairment and awareness in people with dementia, mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults from a middle-income country.

Objective: To investigate the demographic, clinical and cognitive correlates of functional capacity and its awareness in people with dementia (PwD; n = 104), mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI; n = 45) and controls (healthy older adults; n = 94) in a sample from a middle-income country. Methods: Dementia and MCI were diagnosed, respectively, with DSM-IV and Petersen criteria. Performance in activities of daily living (ADL) at three different levels [basic (The Katz Index of Independence), instrumental (Lawton instrumental ADL scale) and advanced (Reuben's advanced ADL scale)], measured through self- and informant-report, as well as awareness (discrepancy between self- and informant-report), were compared between groups. Stepwise regression models explored predictors of ADL and their awareness. Results: PwD showed impairment in all ADL levels, particularly when measured through informant-report. No differences were seen between controls and PwMCI regardless of measurement type. PwD differed in awareness of instrumental and basic, but not of advanced ADL, compared to controls. Age, gender, education and fluency were the most consistent predictors for ADL. Diagnosis was a significant predictor only for instrumental ADL. Awareness of basic ADL was predicted by memory, and awareness of instrumental ADL was predicted by general cognitive status, educational level, and diagnosis. Conclusion: Results reinforce the presence of lack of awareness of ADL in PwD. Use of informant-reports and cognitive testing for fluency are suggested for the clinical assessment of ADL performance. Finally, assessment of instrumental ADL may be crucial for diagnostic purposes.

Delivering Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) Virtually: Developing and Field-Testing a New Framework.

PURPOSE: This feasibility and pilot study aimed to develop and field-test a 14-session virtual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (vCST) programme for people living with dementia, developed as a result of services moving online during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The vCST protocol was developed using the existing group CST manual, through stakeholder consultation with people living with dementia, caregivers, CST group facilitators and dementia service managers. This protocol was then field-tested with 10 groups of people living with dementia in the Brazil, China (Hong Kong), India, Ireland and the UK, and feedback on the protocol was gathered from 14 facilitators. RESULTS: Field testing in five countries indicated acceptability to group facilitators and participants. Feedback from these groups was used to refine the developed protocol. The final vCST protocol is proposed, including session materials for delivery of CST over videoconferencing and a framework for offering CST virtually in global settings. CONCLUSION: vCST is a feasible online intervention for many people living with dementia. We recommend that it is offered to those unable to access traditional in-person CST for health reasons, lack of transport or COVID-19 restrictions. Further research is needed to explore if participant outcomes are comparable to in-person CST groups.

Behavioral restriction, lorazepam, and escitalopram uniquely influence the expression of naturalistic stereotypy in deer mice: perspectives on anxiety- and compulsive-like behavior.

Introduction: Stereotypical expression in laboratory-housed rodents can be explained by different motivational, coping, and motor dysfunction theories. Here, we aimed to explore the neurocognitive underpinnings of high stereotypical (HS) expression in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii), previously proposed as a model system of compulsive-like behavioral persistence. Specifically, we aimed to establish whether HS behavior is related to an underlying escape-related trigger. Methods: One-hundred and sixteen deer mice were classified as either non-stereotypical (NS) or HS. Mice of each cohort were further subdivided and exposed to either sub-acute (3-day) or chronic (25-day) behavioral restriction (R), and high-dose escitalopram (ESC), lorazepam (LOR), alone and in combination with R (ESC+R and LOR+R, respectively). Mice were reassessed for stereotypical behavior at both time points. Results: Our results indicate that HS behavior is likely not temporally and functionally related to an anxiogenic trigger, i.e., R, but rather that HS is associated with parallel changes in anxiogenic feedback processing. We also show that chronic R alone significantly decreased the time spent in expressing HS behavior in animals of the HS, but not NS phenotype. Discussion: This points to the possibility that HS-expressing mice represent a subgroup of P. maniculatus bairdii in which unique interactions between neurobiology and processes of gradual behavioral organization, may contribute to the expression of the typical behaviors observed in this cohort. Collectively, our findings highlight the value of the deer mouse model system to investigate the potential neurocognitive mechanisms that may underlie the development of persistent phenotypes that can likely not be explained entirely by current theories.

Suicidal Ideation in Bipolar Disorder: The Relation with Clinical and Sociodemographic Variables.

INTRODUCTION: Bipolar disorder (BD) has the highest risk of suicide among all mental disorders. Thus, identifying factors related to suicidal ideation is essential for a better assessment of the risk of suicide in BD. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between suicidal ideation and clinical and sociodemographic characteristics in BD patients. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study that included eighty individuals with BD. Information regarding sociodemographic data and history of attempted suicide were collected, and the Hamilton Depression Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale, Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale/positive symptom subscale, Clinical Global Impressions Scale for use in bipolar illness, Insight Scale for Affective Disorders, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale were administered. The presence and severity of suicidal ideation were assessed using the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation. RESULTS: All regression models significantly predicted suicidal ideation. In the model that had the lowest AIC score and the highest cross-validity, the severity of depressive and of manic symptoms (standardized ß = 0.49, p < 0.001; standardized ß = 0.42, p = 0.007), the insight level (standardized ß = - 0.38, p = 0.012) and previous suicide attempt (standardized ß = 0.20, p = 0.036) acted as predictors of suicidal ideation, while degree of impulsivity (ß standardized = 0.13, p = 0.229) and educational level (standardized ß = - 0.16, p = 0.108) did not give a significant contribution. CONCLUSION: According to our results, more severe depression and mania symptoms, higher level of insight and a history of suicide attempt indicate the occurrence of suicidal ideation in BD.