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Yes / The interplay between long-term potentiation and long-term depression (LTD) is thought to be involved in learning and memory formation. One form of LTD expressed in the hippocampus is initiated by the activation of the group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Importantly, mGluRs have been shown to be critical for acquisition of new memories and for reversal learning, processes that are thought to be crucial for cognitive flexibility. Here we provide evidence that MAPK-activated protein kinases 2 and 3 (​MK2/3) regulate neuronal spine morphology, synaptic transmission and plasticity. Furthermore, mGluR-LTD is impaired in the hippocampus of ​MK2/3 double knockout (DKO) mice, an observation that is mirrored by deficits in endocytosis of ​GluA1 subunits. Consistent with compromised mGluR-LTD, ​MK2/3 DKO mice have distinctive deficits in hippocampal-dependent spatial reversal learning. These novel findings demonstrate that the ​MK2/3 cascade plays a strategic role in controlling synaptic plasticity and cognition. / BBSRC

Previous findings on the relationship between self-esteem and psychological outcomes are inconsistent. Therefore it appears that self-esteem, while related to crucial variables, does not provide a clear, direct, and comprehensive prediction of psychological symptoms. Thus, it was hypothesized that the relationship between self-esteem and symptomatology would be moderated by broader measures of how one interacts with emotional and cognitive stimuli.The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of self-esteem, psychological flexibility, and cognitive flexibility on psychological symptomatology. A sample of 82 undergraduate students at the University of North Texas completed self-report questionnaires measuring low self-esteem, psychological flexibility, measured inversely as inflexibility, cognitive flexibility, and psychological symptoms. Results of the study suggest that self-esteem (?= -0.59, p < 0.001) and flexibility (both psychological (?= 0.36, p = 0.001) and cognitive (?= 0.21, p < 0.05) are significant predictors of psychological symptoms. In other words, self-esteem is positively correlated with psychological symptoms, while psychological and cognitive flexibility are negatively correlated with psychological symptoms. Neither form of flexibility moderated the relationship between self-esteem and psychological symptoms in this sample. The findings of the current study are discussed as well as suggestions for further research related to self-esteem, psychological and cognitive flexibility, and their impact on psychological outcomes.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Feldman Barrett / The aim of the present study was to examine whether individual differences in Time Insensitivity are related to subjective experiences of emotion and cognitive performance. Sixty-five undergraduates (52% female) completed self-report measures of cognitive flexibility and provided subjective self-reports of emotions following two time pressured cognitive tasks. As predicted, Time Insensitivity was related to self-reported cognitive flexibility, better cognitive performance during a time pressured task, as well as less negative subjective experience in response to these tasks. The results of the present study suggest that Time Insensitivity may have some beneficial outcomes. Limitations and implications for future directions are discussed. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Psychology. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

The mutability of prejudicial attitudes can be elucidated by taking into account the declines in cognition that tend to emerge as we age. This study aimed to assess whether there is a relationship between prejudice towards different ethnic groups and cognitive flexibility throughout adulthood. Ninety-five older adults and 118 younger adults were asked to complete an electronic survey encompassing measures of cognitive flexibility, social desirability, personality, optimism, empathy, ethnic attachment and prejudice. It was hypothesized that older adults would report lower levels of cognitive flexibility and higher levels of ethnic attachment in comparison to younger adults, which would in turn make the inverse relationship between cognitive flexibility and prejudice stronger in older participants. The results did not support the hypotheses predicting that there would be cohort differences in cognitive flexibility and ethnic attachment. As expected, there was a negative correlation between prejudice and cognitive flexibility, but it was only significant in younger adults before controlling for the influence of social desirability. Additionally, regression models predicting prejudice based on cognitive flexibility and ethnic attachment were significant before and after controlling for social desirability, but only in younger adults. Exploratory analyses indicate that the strength of the correlations between all study variables were generally lower in older adults. The findings presented here raise an argument for evaluating how the interplay between prejudice and cognitive flexibility may change in the later stages of life.

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Nicotine addiction continues to be a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Despite the plethora of available treatments for smoking cessation, smoking relapse after attempts to quit remains high. It is possible that impairments in cognitive flexibility and underlying neurochemical circuits in nicotine addicts may foster maladaptive behaviors that affect individuals’ ability to refrain from taking drugs. Here we characterized the effects of spontaneous nicotine withdrawal on cognitive flexibility in mice using an operant strategy set-shifting task. Because frontostriatal circuits are critical for cognitive flexibility and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates glutamate plasticity, we also explored the effects of nicotine withdrawal on these neurochemical substrates. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were trained in an operant task that required the animals to switch from using a spatial response-driven strategy to a visual cue-based strategy to achieve rewards. Mice were exp / Psychology

Social anxiety is related to various comorbidities, with the most common being elevated alcohol use (Bolton et al., 2006). The symptom profile of this unique subset of cases with social anxiety and comorbid alcohol use is more complex and experiences higher resistance to treatment (Buckner et al., 2008). Both social anxiety and alcohol use emerge during the adolescent developmental period, and yet there remains a gap in the understanding of potential developmental risk factors associated with the onset and maintenance of these co-occurring symptoms. The current study investigated trait impulsivity, cognitive flexibility, and risk-seeking during adolescence and associations with alcohol use and social anxiety in young adulthood. Participants included 167 adolescents (Mage = 14.07 years, SD = 0.54; 52.7% male) followed to young adulthood (Mage = 22.30, SD = 0.69). Growth mixture models indicated that high levels of risk-seeking during adolescence predicted social anxiety in young adulthood. Contrary to hypotheses, high (compared to moderate) risk-seeking participants had lower alcohol use. Longitudinal patterns of high attentional impulsivity during adolescence into young adulthood predicated later social anxiety, whereas non-planning and motor impulsivity did not. Linear regression analyses indicated that lower cognitive flexibility during early adolescence was associated with social anxiety and alcohol use in young adulthood. Finally, moderation models suggested that global trait impulsivity was not a significant moderator of the relation between alcohol use during adolescence and social anxiety in young adulthood. This is the first work to evaluate these developmental risk-factors in relation to comorbid social anxiety and alcohol use, and has important implications for bolstering therapeutic interventions, especially for those with elevated impulsivity. / Doctor of Philosophy / Some socially anxious young adults have more difficulties with alcohol use compared to their peers. The combination of social anxiety and elevated alcohol use can lead to challenges in various aspects of life, such as school, work, and social functioning. Previous literature in the field suggests that both social anxiety and alcohol use emerge during early adolescence (ages 13-14); however, risk-factors during this important developmental period are still being explored. This dissertation evaluated the following possible risk-factors during adolescence that may be associated with the later development of social anxiety and alcohol use: trait impulsivity, cognitive flexibility, and risk-seeking. These risk-factors were explored using a dataset collected in Virginia that followed 167 adolescents over an eight-year period. Results indicated that youth with higher risk-seeking and attentional impulsivity during adolescence (ages 13-21) had significant social anxiety symptoms once they reached young adulthood (ages 22-23). Additionally, lower cognitive flexibility during ages 13-14 was associated with higher social anxiety and alcohol use in young adulthood. This is the first work to evaluate these risk-factors in relation to social anxiety and alcohol use, and has important implications for interventions, especially for those who have increased impulsivity and risk-seeking behaviors.

Executive Functions (EF) and Emotion Regulation (ER) are essential for children´s ability to regulate and control thoughts, behavior and emotions but the developmental relations between them are unclear. The present study was performed within the project PsPATHS with the purpose to investigate the relation between EF and ER. Performance on cognitive tasks tapping inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility were combined with teacher report of ER in 55 four to five year old preschool children. Contrary to the hypothesis, no significant relations could be established between EF and ER in this sample. For the EF components, the result showed a significant association between inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, however, no further associations could be evidenced. The study demonstrates an advantage in using multiple measures and suggests that attention along with motivational and affective aspects of EF should be considered in future research of children´s ability to regulate emotions.