Sleep has become less important in western society during modern times, where many have the habit of prioritizing productive activities instead of sufficient sleep. However, recent studies have indicated the importance of sleep for emotional processing. A crucial finding in literature regarding sleep and emotions has been the enhancement of negative emotions after sleep deprivation. The aim of this systematic literature review was to investigate the neural basis of the effects of sleep deprivation on emotional reactivity. In order to conduct this review, three databases were used to obtain relevant articles. Out of the total 1041 articles, 11 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The selected articles exclusively contained results regarding reactivity to visual emotional stimuli. Results showed that total and partial sleep deprivation result in enhanced amygdala activity in response to negative stimuli. Enhanced amygdala activity was also found in response to positive and neutral stimuli after sleep deprivation. The insula was another brain region that displayed enhanced activity toward all types of valenced stimuli after sleep deprivation. Moreover, weaker connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal areas (specifically the medial prefrontal cortex) was found after total and partial sleep loss. Together, these results suggest that sleep deprivation induces hyperreactivity toward emotional stimuli and disrupts top-down regulation of emotional reactivity.

The error-related negativity (ERN) is a widely-used electrophysiological measure of error processing in the brain. Whether the ERN supports conscious awareness of erring has yet to be determined. Some researchers report no interaction between ERN amplitude and error awareness, while others report a strict dependence of ERN amplitude on error awareness. Methodologically, it is unclear whether differences in reporting error awareness and/or different task demands across studies can account for the extant discrepancies. For example, it is unclear whether differences in stimulus perceptibility can account for conflicting results alone. Theoretically, discoveries from within error-awareness research as well as the larger current paradigm for studying the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) have burgeoning implications for the phenomenology of erring. In order to address both methodological and theoretical problems with the literature on the electrophysiology of error awareness, this experiment used a novel visual search task. Results suggest that the ERN’s amplitude covaries with error awareness, and may be sensitive to the timing of subjective error sensations. However, due to a small sample size (n = 10) and in light of theoretical advancements of NCC research, the results obtained here are tentative. Suggestions for future research of the ERN and error awareness are discussed.

Screening for therapeutic compounds and treatments for diseases of the Brain does not only encompass the successful generation of iPS-derived homogenous neural stem cell populations but also the capacity of the differentiation protocol to derive on-demand region-specific cells. Νoggin, a human recombinant protein, has been extensively used in neural induction protocols but its high production costs and batch-to-batch variation have switched the focus to utilizing small molecules that can substitute noggin. Resultantly, the aim of this study was to optimize neuroepithelial stem cell generation in a cost-efficient fashion as well as to evaluate the impact that patterning factors (i.e. small molecules or proteins that enhance the emergence of type-specific neuronal populations) have on the regionality of the neural stem cell population. Findings in this study suggest that DMH1 is indeed a small molecule that can replace noggin in neural induction protocols as previously documented in literature; DMHI appears also to have a ventralizing effect on the generated neural population. / <p>QC 20201013</p>

Throughout my education I have found that the psychological interventions in use are largely tailored to the masses, and some may be ill suited for those from certain subpopulations such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Asperger's syndrome (AS). I investigated whether there are statistically significant neurological differences between those with high functioning ASD or Asperger's and those without, with the goal of using those differences to propose what aspects might be used to create new psychological interventions more suited to neurodivergent individuals. After a thorough literature search, I found that the areas seeming to be the common denominators marking out those with ASD or Asperger's were the amygdala and orbito frontal cortex and hippocampus. My hypothesis that such neurological differences could be used to infer new psychological interventions for treating depression did not find support. The hope is that this review will nevertheless serve to inspire other researchers to create new interventions.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle with social communication. This situation further leads to adulthood depression along with other health issues if it is not diagnosed and intervened at an early age. As an early intervention play-based interventions have proven to be beneficial in promoting social communication skills in preschool-aged children. Engaging parents in the implementation of early interventions for children with ASD is currently popular. Consequently, the aim of this systematic review is to identify the play-based interventions implementedby parents to enhance social communication in children with ASD, as well as the outcomes and strategies that parents might use during the mediation process. For the final analysis, six studies were considered, and six interventions were identified. The findings demonstrate that Project Improving Parents As Communication Teachers (ImPACT), Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement &amp; Regulation (JASPER), Focused Play Intervention (FPI), Floor Time Play (FTP), and the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) can all effectively improve the social communication of preschool children with ASD. JASPER, FPI, and FTP are known to be play-based interventions, whereas Project ImPACT and PEERS use play as the main context. Various types of strategies that parents can utilize were identified. Further study will be required to investigate more play-based interventions and supportive strategies for 2–6-year-old preschool children with ASD to promote social communication that is implemented by parents.

Loss of appetite is together with fever and malaise hallmarks of infection. Loosing appetite during an acute infection such as influenza does not result in any longlasting effects, but loosing appetite during chronic diseases such as cancer or AIDS constitutes a risk factor for mortality. Food intake regulation during inflammation is orchestrated by the brain in response to peripheral inflammatory signals. It is known that expression of the prostaglandin synthesizing enzyme cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is crucial for the mechanisms underlying inflammation-induced anorexia, and that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is involved in anorexia induced by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β). In this thesis I examined the prostaglandin-pathways proposed to be involved in anorexia. We show that acute anorexia is dependent on COX-2 expression, while cancer-induced anorexia is mediated by cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1), at least in the initial stages, suggesting that the signaling pathways for chronic- and acute anorexia are distinct. We were able to demonstrate that the pathway underlying acute anorexia is distinct from that of fever, and that taste aversion is prostaglandin independent. We could also show that both acute and chronic anorexia-cachexia is dependent on expression of myeloid differentiation primary response gene (MyD88) in hematopoietic/myeloid cells. In summary, the findings presented in this thesis suggest that anorexia is a result of many different signaling pathways, as opposed to what is the case for several other inflammatory symptoms such as fever and malaise, where the pathways have been shown to be very exclusive. This provides new insight into the diversity of the pathways underlying inflammatory symptoms, which is fundamental for the ability to present potential, symptom-specific drug targets.

Personality is something that sets every human being apart, yet it is something that has been quite hard to pinpoint. Recently, neuroscientists have begun pinning down the neural correlates of personality traits – with focus on the Big Five, sparking a whole new subfield within personality research, known as personality neuroscience. By using neuroscientific methods and techniques to find the underpinnings of the Big Five have led to a deeper and broader understanding of how genetics and the environment integrate into making individuals who they are. This research has also been helpful in the prediction of various outcomes e.g. academic performance and achievement and neuropsychological disorders. In this thesis, the supposed neural correlates of the Big Five are examined through thorough and critical investigations, where evidence from some of the existing relevant studies is reviewed and compared, as well as the different problems and complexities that the field of personality neuroscience is dealing with. The findings in this thesis shows that extraversion has neurobiological basis in the frontal areas of the brain, neuroticism with reduced volume in the frontal areas, agreeableness with frontoparietal areas that are related to theory of mind as well as temporal regions, conscientiousness with frontal parts that are associated with planning and goal-orientation, and openness/intellect with frontoparietal areas as well as subcortical regions, which have been linked with intelligence and creativity. However, some of the correlations were inconsistent and scattered and further research needs to be done. The analysis of academic achievement and performance, as well as neuropsychological disorders and the Big Five with neuroimaging as a method, have shown to be limited, thus much more research is needed.

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic prescription drug and has been used for general anesthesia. The research surrounding this chemical compound has revealed conflicting evidence of its potential use in health care and addiction treatment. On one side, ketamine is a widespread drug of abuse associated with neurocognitive deficits and neurotoxicity, on the other side ketamine has recently been found to have a variety of potential uses, including but not limited to; antidepressant effects, reconsolidation of drug-related memories and disrupting maladaptive rumination. Ketamine’s ability to induce psychedelic and mystic experiences, reconsolidation of memories, antidepressant effects, and its ability to reduce cue-induced drug craving makes it a potentially useful tool in drug abuse therapy. Most of the negative side-effects of ketamine seem to be apparent at high doses and in frequent use but low doses and non-frequent use has a low risk of harm, therefore, careful consideration and extensive research are required before ketamine can be widely used in the public and in health care for treatment strategies. This thesis aims to explore the role of ketamine and its neurobiological effects in the treatment of addiction and depression.

This essay reviews scientific literature regarding the possible effect of exercise on sleep physiology in non-clinical individuals. Exercise and sleep as research phenomena in the literature is examined, documented experimental evidence and theories on the possible mechanisms of a sleep-exercise relationship is reviewed, and suggestions for future research is made. Exercise and sleep are wide-ranging phenomena with a multitude of variables and aspects, making them difficult to research. Although exercise having historically and popularly being favorably associated with sleep, the objective scientific evidence for such a relationship is conflicting.This possibly due to studies using differing methods of various quality and focusing on different aspects of the object of research. There are several theories regarding how an exercise-sleep connection could function, none has yet to be substantiated by existing evidence.

Background: Although suicide seasonality has been well-documented, surprisingly little is known about its underlying mechanisms. Methods: In this thesis, data from three Swedish registers (Cause of Death Register, National Patient Register, Prescribed Drugs Register) and data from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute were used. In Study I, the amplitude of suicide seasonality was estimated in completed suicides in 1992-2003 in individuals with different antidepressant medications or without antidepressants. In Study II, monthly suicide and sunshine data from 1992-2003 were used to examine the association between suicide and sunshine in groups with and without antidepressants. In Study III, the relationship between season of initiation of antidepressant treatment and the risk of suicidal behavior was explored in patients with a new treatment episode with antidepressant medication. In Study IV, the complex association between sunshine, temperature and suicidal behavior was investigated in patients with a new treatment episode with an antidepressant in two exposure windows (1-4 and 5-8 weeks) before the event. Findings: Study I: Higher suicide seasonality was found in individuals treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) compared with those given a different antidepressant treatment or those without any antidepressant treatment. Study II: In individuals treated with SSRIs, there was a positive association between sunshine and suicide, with the association stronger in men treated with SSRIs compared with men treated with other antidepressants. An effect modification by age was observed. Study III: The elderly (65+) had a higher risk of suicide when initiating antidepressant treatment in summer and a higher risk of suicide attempt when starting antidepressant therapy in spring and summer. Younger patients (0-24) demonstrated a higher risk of suicide attempt when treatment was initiated in autumn. Study IV: In the elderly (65+), a harmful association was observed between the risk of suicide attempt and the average daily temperature during the four weeks before the suicide attempt, as well as with average daily sunshine during both exposure windows (1-4 and 5-8 weeks) before the suicide attempt. Significance: Our results provide epidemiological support for the role of the serotonergic system in seasonality of suicide in which both medication and climate may be involved.