Social acquisition context matters: Increased neural responses for native but not nonnative taboo words.

This study examined whether the context of acquisition of a word influences its visual recognition and subsequent processing. We utilized taboo words, whose meanings are typically acquired socially, to ensure that differences in processing were based on learned social taboo, rather than proficiency. American English-speaking participants made word/non-word decisions on American taboo (native dialect), British taboo (non-native dialect), positive, neutral, and pseudo- words while EEG was recorded. Taboo words were verified as taboo by both American and British English speakers in an independent norming survey. American taboo words showed a more positive amplitude of the Late Positive Complex (LPC), a neural correlate of emotionality and social processing, compared with British taboo words and all other word categories. Moreover, in an item-wise analysis, LPC amplitudes of American taboo words were positively correlated with their taboo ratings. British taboo words did not show this effect. This indicates that American participants, who had very limited social contact with British English, did not have the same perception of social threat from British taboo words as they had from American taboo words. These results point to the importance of social context of acquisition in establishing social-affective meaning in language.

Vortioxetine: A review of the pharmacology and clinical profile of the novel antidepressant.

The aim of this paper was to review the up-to-date evidence base on pharmacology and clinical properties of vortioxetine. Vortioxetine is a novel antidepressant, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Because vortioxetine exhibits both an antidepressant and anxiolytic effect, it may be effective in treating both depressive and anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Based on its pharmacodynamics profile and preclinical studies, it is believe that the drug's clinical action is mediated mainly by selective blockade of serotonin reuptake (by inhibiting the serotonin transporter [SERT]) and direct modulation of 5-HT receptors activity (such as 5-HT3, 5-HT7, 5-HT1D and 5-HT1B). In patients with MDD the recommended doses range is 5-20mg/day. Vortioxetine was shown to be more effective than placebo both in MDD and GAD. In terms of side effects, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dry mouth were most commonly observed in individuals receiving vortioxetine. In direct comparison to duloxetine, vortioxetine is found to have a smaller efficacy but had a lower risk of developing the common antidepressant-induced adverse effects.