This portion of our website provides resources for those who wish to more extensively examine:
Published source material directly related to the foundational aspects of the field variously referred to as Psychoneuroimmunology, the Bio-PsychoSocial Model, and Mind-Body Medicine.
Many of these works also support the specific underpinnings of the theoretics and the operational aspects of Neuro Emotional Technique (NET).
Published article abstracts which furnish results of recent cutting edge research results which are related to the ONE Research Foundation’s own wide ranging research which is available on Our Complete Compendium of Published Research page on this website.
Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no Inferences.
Citation
Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35(2), 151–175. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.35.2.151
Abstract
Affect is considered by most contemporary theories to be postcognitive, that is, to occur only after considerable cognitive operations have been accomplished. Yet a number of experimental results on preferences, attitudes, impression formation, and decision making, as well as some clinical phenomena, suggest that affective judgments may be fairly independent of, and precede in time, the sorts of perceptual and cognitive operations commonly assumed to be the basis of these affective judgments. Affective reactions to stimuli are often the very first reactions of the organism, and for lower organisms they are the dominant reactions. Affective reactions can occur without extensive perceptual and cognitive encoding, are made with greater confidence than cognitive judgments, and can be made sooner. Experimental evidence is presented demonstrating that reliable affective discriminations (like–dislike ratings) can be made in the total absence of recognition memory (old–new judgments). Various differences between judgments based on affect and those based on perceptual and cognitive processes are examined. It is concluded that affect and cognition are under the control of separate and partially independent systems that can influence each other in a variety of ways, and that both constitute independent sources of effects in information processing. (139 ref)
Neuropeptides and their receptors: a psychosomatic network
J Immunology. 1985 Aug;135(2 Suppl):820s-826s.
C B Pert, M R Ruff, R J Weber, M Herkenham PMID: 2989371
Abstract
A major conceptual shift in neuroscience has been wrought by the realization that brain function is modulated by numerous chemicals in addition to classical neurotransmitters. Many of these informational substances are neuropeptides, originally studied in other contexts as hormones, "gut peptides," or growth factors. Their number presently exceeds 50 and most, if not all, alter behavior and mood states, although only endogenous analogs of psychoactive drugs like morphine, Valium, and phencyclidine have been well appreciated in this context. We now realize that their signal specificity resides in receptors (distinct classes of recognition molecules), rather than the close juxtaposition occurring at classical synapses. Rather precise brain distribution patterns for many neuropeptide receptors have been determined. A number of brain loci, many within emotion- mediating brain areas, are enriched with many types of neuropeptide receptors suggesting a convergence of information at these "nodes." Additionally, neuropeptide receptors occur on mobile cells of the immune system; monocytes can chemotax to numerous neuropeptides via processes shown by structure- activity analysis to be mediated by distinct receptors indistinguishable from those found in brain. Neuropeptides and their receptors thus join the brain, glands, and immune system in a network of communication between brain and body, probably representing the biochemical substrate of emotion.
Full article available:
Social Pavlovian conditioning: Short- and long-term effects and the role of anxiety and depressive symptoms
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017 Feb; 12(2): 329–339. Published online 2016 Oct 30. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsw128
PMCID: PMC5390734 PMID: 27614767
Nicole Wiggert, 1,2 Frank H. Wilhelm,1 Sabrina Boger,3 Claudio Georgii,1,2 Wolfgang Klimesch,2 and Jens Blechert1,2
Abstract
Today’s stressors largely arise from social interactions rather than from physical threat. However, the dominant laboratory model of emotional learning relies on physical stimuli (e.g. electric shock) whereas adequate models of social conditioning are missing, possibly due to more subtle and multilayered biobehavioral responses to such stimuli. To fill this gap, we acquired a broad set of measures during conditioning to negative social unconditioned stimuli, also taking into account long- term maintenance of conditioning and inter-individual differences. Fifty-nine healthy participants underwent a classical conditioning task with videos of actors expressing disapproving (US-neg) or neutral (US-neu) statements. Static images of the corresponding actors with a neutral facial expression served as CS+ and CS−, predicting US-neg and US-neu, respectively. Autonomic and facial-muscular measures confirmed differential unconditioned responding whereas experiential CS ratings, event- related potentials, and evoked theta oscillations confirmed differential conditioned responding. Conditioning was maintained at 1 month and 1 year follow-ups on experiential ratings, especially in individuals with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms, documenting the efficiency of social conditioning and its clinical relevance. This novel, ecologically improved conditioning paradigm uncovered a remarkably efficient multi-layered social learning mechanism that may represent a risk factor for anxiety and depression.
For entire Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5390734/
Neuroplasticity in addictive disorders
Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2009 Sep; 11(3): 350–353. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2009.11.3/cpobrien
PMCID: PMC3181920 PMID: 19877501
Language: English | Spanish | French
Charles P. O'Brien, MD, PhD*
Abstract
Compulsive drug-taking behavior develops in vulnerable individuals who ingest substances that activate the reward system. This intense activation produces learned associations to cues that predict drug availability. With repetition the reward system becomes reflexively activated by cues alone, leading to a drive toward drug-taking. The central nervous system changes underlying this conditioned behavior are just beginning to be understood. New treatments aimed at this neuroplasticity are being tested in animal models. The clinical significance of these brain changes is that addiction, once established, becomes a chronic illness with relapses and remissions, it therefore requires chronic treatment with medications and behavioral therapies based on an understanding of the fundamental nature of these changes in the brain.
Full Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181920/
Chiropr Osteopat. 2007; 15: 4.
Published online 2007 Mar 6. doi: 10.1186/1746-1340-15-4
On the reliability and validity of manual muscle testing: a literature review
Scott C Cuthbert 1 and George J Goodheart, Jr2
Abstract
Introduction
A body of basic science and clinical research has been generated on the manual muscle test (MMT) since its first peer-reviewed publication in 1915. The aim of this report is to provide an historical overview, literature review, description, synthesis and critique of the reliability and validity of MMT in the evaluation of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Methods
Online resources were searched including Pubmed and CINAHL (each from inception to June 2006). The search terms manual muscle testing or manual muscle test were used. Relevant peer-reviewed studies, commentaries, and reviews were selected. The two reviewers assessed data quality independently, with selection standards based on predefined methodologic criteria. Studies of MMT were categorized by research content type: inter- and intra-examiner reliability studies, and construct, content, concurrent and predictive validity studies. Each study was reviewed in terms of its quality and contribution to knowledge regarding MMT, and its findings presented.
Results
More than 100 studies related to MMT and the applied kinesiology chiropractic technique (AK) that employs MMT in its methodology were reviewed, including studies on the clinical efficacy of MMT in the diagnosis of patients with symptomatology. With regard to analysis there is evidence for good reliability and validity in the use of MMT for patients with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction. The observational cohort studies demonstrated good external and internal validity, and the 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were reviewed show that MMT findings were not dependent upon examiner bias.
Conclusion
The MMT employed by chiropractors, physical therapists, and neurologists was shown to be a clinically useful tool, but its ultimate scientific validation and application requires testing that employs sophisticated research models in the areas of neurophysiology, biomechanics, RCTs, and statistical analysis.
Full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1847521/#__sec1title
Early-life stress and HPA axis trigger recurrent adulthood depression
Epilepsy Behav. 2014 Sep;38:148-59
Epub 2013 Nov 20.
Abstract
It is now broadly accepted that psychological stress may change the internal homeostatic state of an individual. During acute stress, adaptive physiological responses occur, which include hyperactivity of the HPA axis. Whenever there is an acute interruption of this balance, illness may result. The social and physical environments have an enormous impact on our physiology and behavior, and they influence the process of adaptation or 'allostasis'. It is correct to state that at the same time that our experiences change our brain and thoughts, namely, changing our mind, we are changing our neurobiology. Increased adrenocortical secretion of hormones, primarily cortisol in major depression, is one of the most consistent findings in neuropsychiatry. A significant percentage of patients with major depression have been shown to exhibit increased concentrations of cortisol, an exaggerated cortisol response to adrenocorticotropic hormone, and an enlargement of both the pituitary and adrenal glands. The maintenance of the internal homeostatic state of an individual is proposed to be based on the ability of circulating glucocorticoids to exert negative feedback on the secretion of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) hormones through binding to mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors limiting the vulnerability to diseases related to psychological stress in genetically predisposed individuals. The HPA axis response to stress can be thought of as a mirror of the organism's response to stress: acute responses are generally adaptive, but excessive or prolonged responses can lead to deleterious effects. Evidence indicates that early-life stress can induce persistent changes in the ability of the HPA axis to respond to stress in adulthood. These abnormalities appear to be related to changes in the ability of hormones to bind to GR and MR receptors. First episodes may begin with an environmental stressor, but if the cycles continue or occur unchecked, the brain becomes kindled or sensitized, and future episodes of depression, hypomania, or mania will occur independently of an outside stimulus, with greater frequency and intensity. Generally, HPA axis changes appear in chronic depressive and more severe episodes. Moreover, HPA axis changes appear to be state-dependent, tending to improve upon resolution of the depressive syndrome. Interestingly, persistent HPA dysfunction has been associated with higher rates of relapse and chronicity.
Keywords: Cortisol; Early-life stress; Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) and mineralocorticoid; Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis; Kindling; Receptor (MR) Depression.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24269030/
Emotion, cognition, and mental state representation in amygdala and prefrontal cortex
C Daniel Salzman 1 , Stefano Fusi
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2010; 33: 173–202.
doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135256
Abstract
Neuroscientists have often described cognition and emotion as separable processes implemented by different regions of the brain, such as the amygdala for emotion and the prefrontal cortex for cognition. In this framework, functional interactions between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex mediate emotional influences on cognitive processes such as decision-making, as well as the cognitive regulation of emotion. However, neurons in these structures often have entangled representations, whereby single neurons encode multiple cognitive and emotional variables. Here we review studies using anatomical, lesion, and neurophysiological approaches to investigate the representation and utilization of cognitive and emotional parameters. We propose that these mental state parameters are inextricably linked and represented in dynamic neural networks composed of interconnected prefrontal and limbic brain structures. Future theoretical and experimental work is required to understand how these mental state representations form and how shifts between
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20331363/
The Molecular Basis of Toxins’ Interactions with Intracellular Signaling via Discrete Portals
Adi Lahiani,1 Ephraim Yavin,2 and Philip Lazarovici1
Toxins (Basel). 2017 Mar; 9(3): 107.
Published online 2017 Mar 16.
Abstract
An understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which microbial, plant or animal-secreted toxins exert their action provides the most important element for assessment of human health risks and opens new insights into therapies addressing a plethora of pathologies, ranging from neurological disorders to cancer, using toxinomimetic agents. Recently, molecular and cellular biology dissecting tools have provided a wealth of information on the action of these diverse toxins, yet, an integrated framework to explain their selective toxicity is still lacking. In this review, specific examples of different toxins are emphasized to illustrate the fundamental mechanisms of toxicity at different biochemical, molecular and cellular- levels with particular consideration for the nervous system. The target of primary action has been highlighted and operationally classified into 13 sub-categories. Selected examples of toxins were assigned to each target category, denominated as portal, and the modulation of the different portal’s signaling was featured. The first portal encompasses the plasma membrane lipid domains, which give rise to pores when challenged for example with pardaxin, a fish toxin, or is subject to degradation when enzymes of lipid metabolism such as phospholipases A2 (PLA2) or phospholipase C (PLC) act upon it. Several major portals consist of ion channels, pumps, transporters and ligand gated ionotropic receptors which many toxins act on, disturbing the intracellular ion homeostasis. Another group of portals consists of G-protein-coupled and tyrosine kinase receptors that, upon interaction with discrete toxins, alter second messengers towards pathological levels. Lastly, subcellular organelles such as mitochondria, nucleus, protein- and RNA-synthesis machineries, cytoskeletal networks and exocytic vesicles are also portals targeted and deregulated by other diverse group of toxins. A fundamental concept can be drawn from these seemingly different toxins with respect to the site of action and the secondary messengers and signaling cascades they trigger in the host. While the interaction with the initial portal is largely determined by the chemical nature of the toxin, once inside the cell, several ubiquitous second messengers and protein kinases/ phosphatases pathways are impaired, to attain toxicity. Therefore, toxins represent one of the most promising natural molecules for developing novel therapeutics that selectively target the major cellular portals involved in human physiology and diseases.
Keywords: ion channels, lethal dose, neurotoxicity, phospholipids, plasma membrane, protein kinases, receptors, second messengers, signal transduction portals, toxins.
Full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5371862/
Correlation between Vitalism and Genetics According to the Paradigm of Complexity
Homeopathy. 2020 Feb;109(1):30-36. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1692162. Epub 2019 Jul 18.
Abstract
Background: In homeopathic philosophy, vital force is a non-material substrate that is responsible for maintaining the body's sensations and functions and where homeopathic medicines act. In genetics, the body's vital functions are controlled by biochemical information, which is contained in the cell genome and consists of a protein encoding portion (exome) and another that regulates this encoding scheme (epigenome). Both the philosophical vital force and the genome present properties of complex and dynamic self-organisation systems.
Aims: This study aimed to explore and develop a philosophical-scientific correlation between vitalism and genetics according to the complexity paradigm.
Results: Vital principle and genome present inseparable composition among distinct existing components that influence one another and form a network of connections that create complex and dynamic self-organisation behaviour. Described in both models, 'vortex' indicates the existence of a force coming from within the system that is externalised as an emergent, information-transmitting phenomenon. Supporting this correlation, some experimental studies show that homeopathic medicines act on the genome by modulating gene expression.
Conclusions: In line with the similarity of existing characteristics and properties, the genome may be considered as hypothetical biological substrate of organic vital force.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31319421/
Stress exposure, food intake and emotional state
Yvonne M Ulrich-Lai 1 , Stephanie Fulton 2 , Mark Wilson 3 , Gorica Petrovich 4 , Linda Rinaman 5
Stress. 2015;18(4):381-99. doi: 10.3109/10253890.2015.1062981. Epub 2015 Aug 13.
Abstract
This manuscript summarizes the proceedings of the symposium entitled, "Stress, Palatable Food and Reward", that was chaired by Drs. Linda Rinaman and Yvonne Ulrich-Lai at the 2014 Neurobiology of Stress Workshop held in Cincinnati, OH. This symposium comprised research presentations by four neuroscientists whose work focuses on the biological bases for complex interactions among stress, food intake and emotion. First, Dr Ulrich-Lai describes her rodent research exploring mechanisms by which the rewarding properties of sweet palatable foods confer stress relief. Second, Dr Stephanie Fulton discusses her work in which excessive, long-term intake of dietary lipids, as well as their subsequent withdrawal, promotes stress-related outcomes in mice. Third, Dr Mark Wilson describes his group's research examining the effects of social hierarchy-related stress on food intake and diet choice in group-housed female rhesus macaques, and compared the data from monkeys to results obtained in analogous work using rodents. Finally, Dr Gorica Petrovich discusses her research program that is aimed at defining cortical-amygdalar-hypothalamic circuitry responsible for curbing food intake during emotional threat (i.e. fear anticipation) in rats. Their collective results reveal the complexity of physiological and behavioral interactions that link stress, food intake and emotional state, and suggest new avenues of research to probe the impact of genetic, metabolic, social, experiential and environmental factors on these interactions.
Keywords: Anorexia; HPA axis; anxiety; comfort food; depression; obesity.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26303312/
The biopsychosocial model and chiropractic: a commentary with recommendations for the chiropractic profession
Jordan A. Gliedt, Michael J. Schneider, Marion W. Evans, Jeff King & James E. Eubanks Jr
Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 25, Article number: 16 (2017)
Abstract
There is an increasing awareness, interest and acceptance of the biopsychosocial (BPS) model by all health care professionals involved with patient care. The areas of spine care and pain medicine are no exception, and in fact, these areas of health care are a major centerpiece of the movement from the traditional biomedical model to a BPS model of patient assessment and delivery of care. The chiropractic approach to health care has a history that is grounded in key aspects of the BPS model. The profession has inherently implemented certain features of the BPS model throughout its history, perhaps without a full understanding or realization. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the BPS model, its relationship with spine care and pain management, and to discuss the BPS model, particularly psychosocial aspects, in the context of its historical relationship with chiropractic. We will also provide recommendations for the chiropractic profession as it relates to successful adoption of a full integration of the BPS model.
Full article: https://chiromt.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12998-017-0147-x
The stomach in health and disease
R H Hunt,1 M Camilleri,2 S E Crowe,3 E M El-Omar,4 J G Fox,5 E J Kuipers,6 P Malfertheiner,7 K E L McColl,8 D M Pritchard,9 M Rugge,10 A Sonnenberg,11 K Sugano,12 and J Tack13
Gut. 2015 Oct; 64(10): 1650–1668.
Published online 2015 Sep 4. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2014-307595
Abstract
The stomach is traditionally regarded as a hollow muscular sac that initiates the second phase of digestion. Yet this simple view ignores the fact that it is the most sophisticated endocrine organ with unique physiology, biochemistry, immunology and microbiology. All ingested materials, including our nutrition, have to negotiate this organ first, and as such, the stomach is arguably the most important segment within the GI tract. The unique biological function of gastric acid secretion not only initiates the digestive process but also acts as a first line of defence against food-borne microbes. Normal gastric physiology and morphology may be disrupted by Helicobacter pylori infection, the most common chronic bacterial infection in the world and the aetiological agent for most peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. In this state-of-the-art review, the most relevant new aspects of the stomach in health and disease are addressed. Topics include gastric physiology and the role of gastric dysmotility in dyspepsia and gastroparesis; the stomach in appetite control and obesity; there is an update on the immunology of the stomach and the emerging field of the gastric microbiome. H. pylori-induced gastritis and its associated diseases including peptic ulcers and gastric cancer are addressed together with advances in diagnosis. The conclusions provide a future approach to gastric diseases underpinned by the concept that a healthy stomach is the gateway to a healthy and balanced host. This philosophy should reinforce any public health efforts designed to eradicate major gastric diseases, including stomach cancer.
Full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4835810/
Clinical Significance of Hiatal Hernia
Jong Jin Hyun and Young-Tae Bak
Gut Liver. 2011 Sep; 5(3): 267–277.
Published online 2011 Aug 18. doi: 10.5009/gnl.2011.5.3.267
Abstract
The relationship between hiatal hernias and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been greatly debated over the past decades, with the importance of hiatal hernias first being overemphasized and then later being nearly neglected. It is now understood that both the anatomical (hiatal hernia) and the physiological (lower esophageal sphincter) features of the gastroesophageal junction play important, but independent, roles in the pathogenesis of GERD, constituting the widely accepted "two-sphincter hypothesis." The gastroesophageal junction is an anatomically complex area with an inherent antireflux barrier function. However, the gastroesophageal junction becomes incompetent and esophageal acid clearance is compromised in patients with hiatal hernia, which facilitates the development of GERD. Of the different types of hiatal hernias (types I, II, III, and IV), type I (sliding) hiatal hernias are closely associated with GERD. Because GERD may lead to reflux esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma, a better understanding of this association is warranted. Hiatal hernias can be diagnosed radiographically, endoscopically or manometrically, with each modality having its own limitations, especially in the diagnosis of hiatal hernias less than 2 cm in length. In the future, high resolution manometry should be a promising method for accurately assessing the association between hiatal hernias and GERD. The treatment of a hiatal hernia is similar to the management of GERD and should be reserved for those with symptoms attributable to this condition. Surgery should be considered for those patients with refractory symptoms and for those who develop complications, such as recurrent bleeding, ulcerations or strictures.
Keywords: Hiatal hernia, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Lower esophageal sphincter
Full Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166665/
Hypoadrenalism following trauma: is sepsis always necessary?
Ian M Paquette 1 , Kenneth W Burchard
Int J Clin Exp Med. 2008;1(4):327-31. Epub 2008 Oct 8.
Abstract
Purpose of the study: Trauma patients can exhibit the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) without evidence of infection. SIRS from infection has been associated with hypoadrenalism. We hypothesized that hypoadrenalism can accompany SIRS from trauma without infection. To investigate this further, we performed a retrospective study of trauma patients admitted to the ICU at our rural academic level 1 trauma center from October 2003- June 2005, with measurement of blood cortisol in the first 7 days after injury (N=33). We determined the incidence of hypoadrenalism based on serum cortisol levels and performed a univariate analysis to delineate factors associated with hypoadrenalism. Significant Findings: Twelve of 33 (36.6 %) were diagnosed with hypoadrenalism on mean ICU day 2.8. SIRS was documented in 92% of hypoadrenal patients vs. 52% of patients without hypoadrenalism (p=0.021). No patient had evidence of invasive infection. Younger age and higher ISS were also associated with hypoadrenalism. There were no gender differences identified, although most patients in the study were male. There was a trend toward higher etomidate use in the hypoadrenal group, although this was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Trauma patients who demonstrate SIRS early in their ICU course may exhibit hypoadrenalism without infection. Younger age and higher ISS also appear to be associated with this alteration. Further study is needed to determine the true incidence of this condition, and to better delineate which trauma patients are most susceptible.
Keywords: Hypoadrenalism; etomidate; sepsis; sirs; trauma.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19079677/
Neuroendocrine Responses to Hypoglycemia
Nolawit Tesfaye, MD and Elizabeth R. Seaquist, MD
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Nov; 1212: 12–28.
Published online 2010 Oct 29. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05820.x
Abstract
The counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia is a complex and well-coordinated process. As blood glucose concentration declines, peripheral and central glucose sensors relay this information to central integrative centers to coordinate neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses and avert the progression of hypoglycemia. Diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, can perturb these counterregulatory responses. Moreover, defective counterregulation in the setting of diabetes can progress to hypoglycemia unawareness. While the mechanisms that underlie the development of hypoglycemia unawareness are not completely known, possible causes include altered sensing of hypoglycemia by the brain and/or impaired coordination of responses to hypoglycemia. Further study is needed to better understand the intricacies of the counterregulatory response and the mechanisms contributing to the development of hypoglycemia unawareness.
Keywords: Counterregulation, hypoglycemia, diabetes, hypoglycemia unawareness
Full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2991551/
Ileocecal valve dysfunction in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: a pilot study
Larry S Miller 1 , Anil K Vegesna, Aiswerya Madanam Sampath, Shital Prabhu, Sesha Krishna Kotapati, Kian Makipour
World J Gastroenterol. 2012 Dec 14;18(46):6801-8. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i46.6801.
Abstract
Aim: To explore whether patients with a defective ileocecal valve (ICV)/cecal distension reflex have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Methods: Using a colonoscope, under conscious sedation, the ICV was intubated and the colonoscope was placed within the terminal ileum (TI). A manometry catheter with 4 pressure channels, spaced 1 cm apart, was passed through the biopsy channel of the colonoscope into the TI. The colonoscope was slowly withdrawn from the TI while the manometry catheter was advanced. The catheter was placed across the ICV so that at least one pressure port was within the TI, ICV and the cecum respectively. Pressures were continuously measured during air insufflation into the cecum, under direct endoscopic visualization, in 19 volunteers. Air was insufflated to a maximum of 40 mmHg to prevent barotrauma. All subjects underwent lactulose breath testing one month after the colonoscopy. The results of the breath tests were compared with the results of the pressures within the ICV during air insufflation.
Results: Nineteen subjects underwent colonoscopy with measurements of the ICV pressures after intubation of the ICV with a colonoscope. Initial baseline readings showed no statistical difference in the pressures of the TI and ICV, between subjects with positive lactulose breath tests and normal lactulose breath tests. The average peak ICV pressure during air insufflation into the cecum in subjects with normal lactulose breath tests was significantly higher than cecal pressures during air insufflation (49.33 ± 7.99 mmHg vs 16.40 ± 2.14 mmHg, P = 0.0011). The average percentage difference of the area under the pressure curve of the ICV from the cecum during air insufflations in subjects with normal lactulose breath tests was significantly higher (280.72% ± 43.29% vs 100% ± 0%, P = 0.0006). The average peak ICV pressure during air insufflation into the cecum in subjects with positive lactulose breath tests was not significantly different than cecal pressures during air insufflation 21.23 ± 3.52 mmHg vs 16.10 ± 3.39 mmHg. The average percentage difference of the area under the pressure curve of the ICV from the cecum during air insufflation was not significantly different 101.08% ± 7.96% vs 100% ± 0%. The total symptom score for subjects with normal lactulose breath tests and subjects with positive lactulose breath tests was not statistically different (13.30 ± 4.09 vs 24.14 ± 6.58). The ICV peak pressures during air insufflations were significantly higher in subjects with normal lactulose breath tests than in subjects with positive lactulose breath tests (P = 0.005). The average percent difference of the area under the pressure curve in the ICV from cecum was significantly higher in subjects with normal lactulose breath tests than in subjects with positive lactulose breath tests (P = 0.0012). Individuals with positive lactulose breath tests demonstrated symptom scores which were significantly higher for the following symptoms: not able to finish normal sized meal, feeling excessively full after meals, loss of appetite and bloating.
Conclusion: Compared to normal, subjects with a positive lactulose breath test have a defective ICV cecal distension reflex. These subjects also more commonly have higher symptom scores.
Keywords: Cecum; Ileocecal sphincter; Ileocecal valve; Lactulose breath test; Reflex; Small bowel bacterial overgrowth.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23239918/
Muscle weakness, fatigue, and torque variability: effects of age and mobility status
Jane A Kent-Braun 1 , Damien M Callahan, Jessica L Fay, Stephen A Foulis, John P Buonaccorsi
Muscle Nerve. 2014 Feb;49(2):209-17. doi: 10.1002/mus.23903. Epub 2013 Jun 6.
Abstract
Introduction: Whereas deficits in muscle function, particularly power production, develop in old age and are risk factors for mobility impairment, a complete understanding of muscle fatigue during dynamic contractions is lacking. We tested hypotheses related to torque-producing capacity, fatigue resistance, and variability of torque production during repeated maximal contractions in healthy older, mobility-impaired older, and young women.
Methods: Knee extensor fatigue (decline in torque) was measured during 4 min of dynamic contractions. Torque variability was characterized using a novel 4-component logistic regression model.
Results: Young women produced more torque at baseline and during the protocol than older women (P < 0.001). Although fatigue did not differ between groups (P = 0.53), torque variability differed by group (P = 0.022) and was greater in older impaired compared with young women (P = 0.010).
Conclusions: These results suggest that increased torque variability may combine with baseline muscle weakness to limit function, particularly in older adults with mobility impairments.
Keywords: aging; contraction; physical function; power; sarcopenia.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23674266/
Neuropeptides and their receptors: a psychosomatic network
C B Pert, M R Ruff, R J Weber, M Herkenham
J Immunol. 1985 Aug;135(2 Suppl):820s-826s
Abstract
A major conceptual shift in neuroscience has been wrought by the realization that brain function is modulated by numerous chemicals in addition to classical neurotransmitters. Many of these informational substances are neuropeptides, originally studied in other contexts as hormones, "gut peptides," or growth factors. Their number presently exceeds 50 and most, if not all, alter behavior and mood states, although only endogenous analogs of psychoactive drugs like morphine, Valium, and phencyclidine have been well appreciated in this context. We now realize that their signal specificity resides in receptors (distinct classes of recognition molecules), rather than the close juxtaposition occurring at classical synapses. Rather precise brain distribution patterns for many neuropeptide receptors have been determined. A number of brain loci, many within emotion-mediating brain areas, are enriched with many types of neuropeptide receptors suggesting a convergence of information at these "nodes." Additionally, neuropeptide receptors occur on mobile cells of the immune system; monocytes can chemotax to numerous neuropeptides via processes shown by structure-activity analysis to be mediated by distinct receptors indistinguishable from those found in brain. Neuropeptides and their receptors thus join the brain, glands, and immune system in a network of communication between brain and body, probably representing the biochemical substrate of emotion.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2989371/
Social Pavlovian conditioning: Short- and long-term effects and the role of anxiety and depressive symptoms
Nicole Wiggert 1 2 , Frank H Wilhelm 1 , Sabrina Boger 3 , Claudio Georgii 1 2 , Wolfgang Klimesch 2 , Jens Blechert 1 2
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017 Feb 1;12(2):329-339. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsw128.
Abstract
Today's stressors largely arise from social interactions rather than from physical threat. However, the dominant laboratory model of emotional learning relies on physical stimuli (e.g. electric shock) whereas adequate models of social conditioning are missing, possibly due to more subtle and multilayered biobehavioral responses to such stimuli. To fill this gap, we acquired a broad set of measures during conditioning to negative social unconditioned stimuli, also taking into account long-term maintenance of conditioning and inter-individual differences. Fifty-nine healthy participants underwent a classical conditioning task with videos of actors expressing disapproving (US-neg) or neutral (US-neu) statements. Static images of the corresponding actors with a neutral facial expression served as CS+ and CS-, predicting US-neg and US-neu, respectively. Autonomic and facial-muscular measures confirmed differential unconditioned responding whereas experiential CS ratings, event-related potentials, and evoked theta oscillations confirmed differential conditioned responding. Conditioning was maintained at 1 month and 1 year follow-ups on experiential ratings, especially in individuals with elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms, documenting the efficiency of social conditioning and its clinical relevance. This novel, ecologically improved conditioning paradigm uncovered a remarkably efficient multi-layered social learning mechanism that may represent a risk factor for anxiety and depression.
Keywords: anxiety disorders; classical conditioning; emotion; major depression; neuroscience.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27614767/
Primo vascular system: past, present, and future
Byung-Cheon Lee 1 , Walter J Akers, Xianghong Jing, M Isabel Miguel Perez, Yeonhee Ryu
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:240168. doi: 10.1155/2013/240168. Epub 2013 Sep 22.
What is Primo Vascular System (PVS)? Let us take a journey through oriental medicine in a time machine. Over the past 2000 years, acupuncture and moxibustion in Chinese medicine have been developed based on the concept of the meridian system; however, the anatomical reality of the meridian system has been controversial in various aspects. Even today, the meridian system is still being investigated with well-known anatomical structures. Among them, connective tissues called the fascia system are representative ones for which the putative function of the meridian system has been established and is understood .
Full article: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/240168/
Neuroplasticity in addictive disorders
Charles P. O'Brien, MD, PhD*
Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2009 Sep; 11(3): 350–353.
doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2009.11.3/cpobrien
Abstract
Compulsive drug-taking behavior develops in vulnerable individuals who ingest substances that activate the reward system. This intense activation produces learned associations to cues that predict drug availability. With repetition the reward system becomes reflexively activated by cues alone, leading to a drive toward drug-taking. The central nervous system changes underlying this conditioned behavior are just beginning to be understood. New treatments aimed at this neuroplasticity are being tested in animal models. The clinical significance of these brain changes is that addiction, once established, becomes a chronic illness with relapses and remissions, it therefore requires chronic treatment with medications and behavioral therapies based on an understanding of the fundamental nature of these changes in the brain.
Keywords: addiction, dependence, memory, learning, relapse, tolerance, sensitization, conditioning, reinforcement
Full article": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181920/
The computational nature of memory modification
Samuel J Gershman 1 , Marie-H Monfils 2 , Kenneth A Norman 3 , Yael Niv 3
Elife. 2017 Mar 15;6:e23763. doi: 10.7554/eLife.23763.
Abstract
Retrieving a memory can modify its influence on subsequent behavior. We develop a computational theory of memory modification, according to which modification of a memory trace occurs through classical associative learning, but which memory trace is eligible for modification depends on a structure learning mechanism that discovers the units of association by segmenting the stream of experience into statistically distinct clusters (latent causes). New memories are formed when the structure learning mechanism infers that a new latent cause underlies current sensory observations. By the same token, old memories are modified when old and new sensory observations are inferred to have been generated by the same latent cause. We derive this framework from probabilistic principles, and present a computational implementation. Simulations demonstrate that our model can reproduce the major experimental findings from studies of memory modification in the Pavlovian conditioning literature.
Keywords: Bayesian inference; Pavlovian conditioning; extinction; memory; neuroscience; none; reconsolidation.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28294944/
Homeopathic Potencies May Possess an Electric Field(-like) Component: Evidence from the Use of Encapsulated Solvatochromic Dyes
Homeopathy 2020 Feb;109(1):14-22. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1693985. Epub 2019 Aug 27.
Abstract
Background: Homeopathic potencies have been shown to interact with a range of solvatochromic dyes to produce spectroscopic changes in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Furthermore, the nature of the changes observed under different experimental conditions is beginning to limit the number of possible hypotheses that can be put forward regarding the fundamental identity of potencies.
Aims and methods: The present study uses β-cyclodextrins to encapsulate solvatochromic dyes of widely varying structures. The purpose of this approach is to de-couple the primary dye-potency interaction from any subsequent aggregation effects.
Results: Despite large differences in molecular structure between dyes, results show that potencies affect all dyes according to the same fundamental principles. Specifically, positively and negatively solvatochromic dyes collectively respond in opposite and complementary ways to potencies in accordance with the differential stabilisation of their excited and ground electronic states. Under the conditions of encapsulation, positively solvatochromic dyes display a bathochromic shift of, on average, 0.4 nm with a 2% absorbance change, and negatively solvatochromic dyes display a hypsochromic shift of, on average, 0.2 nm with a 1% absorbance change. This behaviour is only ever seen in two situations-where solvent becomes more polar or where an electric field is applied to solutions of dyes.
Conclusions: The conditions used in this and previous studies to investigate the interaction of potencies with solvatochromic dyes preclude increased polarity of solvent as being responsible for the observed effects and that an explanation in which potencies carry an electric field (or electric field-like) component is by far the more likely. From the magnitude of the spectral changes induced in the dye Brooker's merocyanine by Arsenicum 10M, an estimate of the strength of the postulated electric field of 1.16 × 107 V/m can be made, which is comparable with the potential difference across cell membranes.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31454831
Homeopathy and integrative medicine: keeping an open mind
J Med Person. 2015; 13(1): 1–6.
Abstract
Some physicians have incorporated some forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or related medicinal products in their clinical practices, suggesting that an unconventional treatment approach might be seen as an integration rather than as an alternative to standard medical practice. Among the various CAMs, homeopathy enjoys growing popularity with the lay population, but it is not acknowledged by academia or included in medical guidelines. The major problem is to establish the effectiveness of this clinical approach using the strict criteria of evidence-based medicine. This issue of the Journal of Medicine and the Person collects contributions from some of the most prestigious centers and research groups working in the field of homeopathy and integrative medicine. These contributions are not specialized information but are of general interest, focusing on this discipline as one of the emerging fields of personalized medical treatment.
Keywords: Complementary medicine, Integrative medicine, Homeopathy, History of medicine, Physician—patient relationship, Evidence in medicine
Full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4363517/
The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults
Xiao Ma,1,2 Zi-Qi Yue,3 Zhu-Qing Gong,4,5 Hong Zhang,3 Nai-Yue Duan,3 Yu-Tong Shi,3 Gao-Xia Wei,5,6,* and You-Fa Li2
Front Psychol. 2017; 8: 874.
Published online 2017 Jun 6. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874
Abstract
A growing number of empirical studies have revealed that diaphragmatic breathing may trigger body relaxation responses and benefit both physical and mental health. However, the specific benefits of diaphragmatic breathing on mental health remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of diaphragmatic breathing on cognition, affect, and cortisol responses to stress. Forty participants were randomly assigned to either a breathing intervention group (BIG) or a control group (CG). The BIG received intensive training for 20 sessions, implemented over 8 weeks, employing a real-time feedback device, and an average respiratory rate of 4 breaths/min, while the CG did not receive this treatment. All participants completed pre- and post-tests of sustained attention and affect. Additionally, pre-test and post-test salivary cortisol concentrations were determined in both groups. The findings suggested that the BIG showed a significant decrease in negative affect after intervention, compared to baseline. In the diaphragmatic breathing condition, there was a significant interaction effect of group by time on sustained attention, whereby the BIG showed significantly increased sustained attention after training, compared to baseline. There was a significant interaction effect of group and time in the diaphragmatic breathing condition on cortisol levels, whereby the BIG had a significantly lower cortisol level after training, while the CG showed no significant change in cortisol levels. In conclusion, diaphragmatic breathing could improve sustained attention, affect, and cortisol levels. This study provided evidence demonstrating the effect of diaphragmatic breathing, a mind-body practice, on mental function, from a health psychology approach, which has important implications for health promotion in healthy individuals.
Keywords: breathing technique, mental health, real-time feedback, relaxation, sustained attention
Full article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5455070/
Psychological processing in chronic pain: a neural systems approach
Laura E Simons 1 , Igor Elman 2 , David Borsook 3
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2014 Feb;39:61-78. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.12.006. Epub 2013 Dec 27.
Abstract
Our understanding of chronic pain involves complex brain circuits that include sensory, emotional, cognitive and interoceptive processing. The feed-forward interactions between physical (e.g., trauma) and emotional pain and the consequences of altered psychological status on the expression of pain have made the evaluation and treatment of chronic pain a challenge in the clinic. By understanding the neural circuits involved in psychological processes, a mechanistic approach to the implementation of psychology-based treatments may be better understood. In this review we evaluate some of the principle processes that may be altered as a consequence of chronic pain in the context of localized and integrated neural networks. These changes are ongoing, vary in their magnitude, and their hierarchical manifestations, and may be temporally and sequentially altered by treatments, and all contribute to an overall pain phenotype. Furthermore, we link altered psychological processes to specific evidence-based treatments to put forth a model of pain neuroscience psychology.
Keywords: Allostatic load; Amygdala; Anhedonia; Anterior cingulate cortex; Anxiety; Attention; Behavior; Brain; Catastrophizing; Chronic pain; Cognition; Depression; Fear; Hippocampus; Imaging; Insula; Interoception; Motivation; Neurocircuit; Nociception; Parietal cortex; Perception; Prefrontal cortex; Psychology; Reward.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24374383/
Transforming pain medicine: adapting to science and society
Eur J Pain. 2013 Sep;17(8):1109-25. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2013.00297.x. Epub 2013 Mar 7.
Abstract
The field of chronic pain medicine is currently facing enormous challenges. The incidence of chronic pain is increasing worldwide, particularly in the developed world. As a result, chronic pain is imposing a growing burden on Western societies in terms of cost of medical care and lost productivity. This burden is exacerbated by the fact that despite research efforts and a huge expenditure on treatment for chronic pain, clinicians have no highly effective treatments or definitive diagnostic measures for patients. The lack of an objective measure for pain impedes basic research into the biological and psychological mechanisms of chronic pain and clinical research into treatment efficacy. The development of objective measurements of pain and ability to predict treatment responses in the individual patient is critical to improving pain management. Finally, pain medicine must embrace the development of a new evidence-based therapeutic model that recognizes the highly individual nature of responsiveness to pain treatments, integrates bio-psycho-behavioural approaches, and requires proof of clinical effectiveness for the various treatments we offer our patients. In the long-term these approaches will contribute to providing better diagnoses and more effective treatments to lessen the current challenges in pain medicine.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23468059/
Acupuncture for visceral pain: neural substrates and potential mechanisms
Shuping Chen 1 , Shubin Wang 2 , Peijing Rong 1 , Junying Wang 1 , Lina Qiao 1 , Xiumei Feng 1 , Junling Liu 1 , Jianliang Zhang 1
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:609594. doi: 10.1155/2014/609594. Epub 2014 Dec 29.
Abstract
Visceral pain is the most common form of pain caused by varied diseases and a major reason for patients to seek medical consultation. Despite much advances, the pathophysiological mechanism is still poorly understood comparing with its somatic counterpart and, as a result, the therapeutic efficacy is usually unsatisfactory. Acupuncture has long been used for the management of numerous disorders in particular pain and visceral pain, characterized by the high therapeutic benefits and low adverse effects. Previous findings suggest that acupuncture depresses pain via activation of a number of neurotransmitters or modulators including opioid peptides, serotonin, norepinephrine, and adenosine centrally and peripherally. It endows us, by advancing the understanding of the role of ion channels and gut microbiota in pain process, with novel perspectives to probe the mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia. In this review, after describing the visceral innervation and the relevant afferent pathways, in particular the ion channels in visceral nociception, we propose three principal mechanisms responsible for acupuncture induced benefits on visceral pain. Finally, potential topics are highlighted regarding the future studies in this field.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25614752/
Endogenous opiate system and systematic desensitization
K J Egan, J E Carr, D D Hunt, R Adamson
J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988 Apr;56(2):287-91. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.56.2.287.
Abstract
In a double-blind study, phobic patients received intravenous infusions of either naloxone or saline prior to systematic desensitization. Saline-infused subjects significantly demonstrated the predicted symptoms decrease in response to systematic desensitization, whereas naloxone-infused subjects showed no change. Subject reports and psychophysiological measures of arousal indicated no discriminable awareness of the naloxone versus saline condition. The findings appear to be consistent with the hypothesis that activation of the endogenous opiate system (EOS) plays a role in the effectiveness of systematic desensitization. Implications for a common mechanism underlying behavioral and pharmacological treatments are discussed.
Full article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2897387/
Unconventional Medicine in the United States — Prevalence, Costs, and Patterns of Use
David M. Eisenberg, Ronald C. Kessler, Cindy Foster, Frances E. Norlock, David R. Calkins, and Thomas L. Delbanco
January 28, 1993
N Engl J Med 1993; 328:246-252
DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199301283280406
Abstract
Background
Many people use unconventional therapies for health problems, but the extent of this use and the costs are not known. We conducted a national survey to determine the prevalence, costs, and patterns of use of unconventional therapies, such as acupuncture and chiropractic.
Methods
We limited the therapies studied to 16 commonly used interventions neither taught widely in U.S. medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals. We completed telephone interviews with 1539 adults (response rate, 67 percent) in a national sample of adults 18 years of age or older in 1990. We asked respondents to report any serious or bothersome medical conditions and details of their use of conventional medical services; we then inquired about their use of unconventional therapy.
Results
One in three respondents (34 percent) reported using at least one unconventional therapy in the past year, and a third of these saw providers for unconventional therapy. The latter group had made an average of 19 visits to such providers during the preceding year, with an average charge per visit of $27.60. The frequency of use of unconventional therapy varied somewhat among sociodemographic groups, with the highest use reported by nonblack persons from 25 to 49 years of age who had relatively more education and higher incomes. The majority used unconventional therapy for chronic, as opposed to life-threatening, medical conditions. Among those who used unconventional therapy for serious medical conditions, the vast majority (83 percent) also sought treatment for the same condition from a medical doctor; however, 72 percent of the respondents who used unconventional therapy did not inform their medical doctor that they had done so. Extrapolation to the U.S. population suggests that in 1990 Americans made an estimated 425 million visits to providers of unconventional therapy. This number exceeds the number of visits to all U.S. primary care physicians (388 million). Expenditures associated with use of unconventional therapy in 1990 amounted to approximately $13.7 billion, three quarters of which ($10.3 billion) was paid out of pocket. This figure is comparable to the $12.8 billion spent out of pocket annually for all hospitalizations in the United States.
Conclusions
The frequency of use of unconventional therapy in the United States is far higher than previously reported. Medical doctors should ask about their patients' use of unconventional therapy whenever they obtain a medical history.
Full article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199301283280406
