Influência do ciclo estral no efeito do diazepam na ansiedade e memória de ratas

Memory and anxiety are related phenomena. Several evidences suggest that anxiety is fundamental for learnining and may facilitate or impair the memory formation process depending of the context. The majority of animal studies of anxiety and fear use only males as experimental subjects, while studies with females are rare in the literature. However, the prevalence in phobic and anxiety disorders is greater in women than in men. Moreover, it is known that gender maybe influence benzodiazepine effects, the classic drugs used for anxiety disorders treatment. In this respect, to further investigate if fear/anxiety aspects related to learning in female subjects would contribute to the study of phobic and anxiety disorders and their relationship with learning/memory processes, the present work investigates (a) the effects of benzodiazepine diazepam on female rats performance in a aversive memory task that assess concomitantly anxiety/emotionality, as the interaction between both; (b) the influence of estrous cycle phases of female rats on diazepam effects at aversive memory and anxiety/emotionality, and the interaction between both and (c) the role of hormonal fluctuations during estrous cycle phases in absence of diazepam effects in proestrus, because female rats in this phase received or not mifepristone, the antagonist of progesterone receptor, previously to the diazepam treatment. For this purpose, the plus maze discriminative avoidance task, previously validated for studies of anxiety concomitantly to learning/memory, was used. The apparatus employed is an adaptation of a conventional plus maze, with two opens arms and two closed arms, one of which presenting aversive stimulation (noise and light). The parameters used were: time in non-aversive arm compared to time in aversive and percentage of time in aversive arm on several temporal divisions, in order to evaluate memory; percentage of time in open arms, risk assessment, head dipping and end exploring to evaluate anxiety ; and distance traveled for locomotion. In experiment I, we found anxiolytic effect of diazepam only for 4 mg/kg dose, however the amnestic effect appear at a dose of 2 mg/kg. In second experiment, rats were divided in groups according estrous cycle phase (metaestrus/diestrus, proestrus e estrus). In this experiment, when we considered estrous cycle phase or diazepam treatment, the results did not demonstrate any differences in anxiety/emotionality parameters. The amnestic effects of diazepam occur in female rats in metestrus/diestrus and estrus and is absent in proestrous rats. Proestrous female rats that received mifepristone exhibited the amnestic effect of diazepam and also anxiolytic effects, that it was not previously observed in this dose. The results have demonstrated dissociation of anxiolytic and amnestic diazepam effects, not previously observed in males; the absence of amnestic effect of diazepam in proestrous phase; and the possible role of progesterone in aversive memory over diazepam effect, because the mifepristone, associated with diazepam, caused amnestic effect in proestrus

“Oi, meu nome é Ana” - um estudo fenomenológico-existencial da experiência de mulheres com anorexia nervosa

This research deals with anorexia nervosa through the look of those who lived this experience. Eating Disorders have been presented as psychopathology increasingly recurrent in contemporary, being almost doubled incidence in the last 20 years, reaching mainly teenagers and bringing consequences and implications of various kinds. The literature points to the relevance of the current ideal of beauty, in which thinness is overvalued. In this case, the study’s objective was to understand, from an existential-phenomenological perspective, anorexia experience. Thus, when assessing the experience, seeking to understand the possible directions that the non-eating is for the person who lives such an experience. The study, of Heidegger's existential-phenomenological inspiration, used semi-structured interviews as a means of access to the experience. Female two people were interviewed, at the age of 17 and 30, began with a starter question ("How was, or how is, your anorexia experience?"), which allowed the interviewee to talk about their experience. For the selection of the study participant was publicized among health professionals, as well as in social networks and blogs, in which the research objectives and approaches have been made explicit. The field diary was also used as a methodological resource, seeking a greater approximation of the experiences of the interviewees and the researcher. The interviews were interpreted in the by Heidegger's hermeneutics. The meanings unveiled in the narratives revealed issues beyond the physical and pathological issue, being involved family, wishes, friends, experiences, life projects. The corporal, as thought by Martin Heidegger, became very present in the statements of the interviewees, as it is part of existence. Among the Heidegger´s ideas, emphasizes care, inhospitality, live, boredom, openness to possibilities and factuality, that might be discussed from interviewees' discourse, engendering reflections about their senses, in their lives.

“Oi, meu nome é Ana” - um estudo fenomenológico-existencial da experiência de mulheres com anorexia nervosa

This research deals with anorexia nervosa through the look of those who lived this experience. Eating Disorders have been presented as psychopathology increasingly recurrent in contemporary, being almost doubled incidence in the last 20 years, reaching mainly teenagers and bringing consequences and implications of various kinds. The literature points to the relevance of the current ideal of beauty, in which thinness is overvalued. In this case, the study’s objective was to understand, from an existential-phenomenological perspective, anorexia experience. Thus, when assessing the experience, seeking to understand the possible directions that the non-eating is for the person who lives such an experience. The study, of Heidegger's existential-phenomenological inspiration, used semi-structured interviews as a means of access to the experience. Female two people were interviewed, at the age of 17 and 30, began with a starter question ("How was, or how is, your anorexia experience?"), which allowed the interviewee to talk about their experience. For the selection of the study participant was publicized among health professionals, as well as in social networks and blogs, in which the research objectives and approaches have been made explicit. The field diary was also used as a methodological resource, seeking a greater approximation of the experiences of the interviewees and the researcher. The interviews were interpreted in the by Heidegger's hermeneutics. The meanings unveiled in the narratives revealed issues beyond the physical and pathological issue, being involved family, wishes, friends, experiences, life projects. The corporal, as thought by Martin Heidegger, became very present in the statements of the interviewees, as it is part of existence. Among the Heidegger´s ideas, emphasizes care, inhospitality, live, boredom, openness to possibilities and factuality, that might be discussed from interviewees' discourse, engendering reflections about their senses, in their lives.

Características psicológicas do paciente obeso grave e suas implicações pós-operatórias na cirurgia bariátrica

Obesity is a chronic disease that has multi-factorial aetiology, characterized by high degree of body fat; the degree of obesity will vary according to the Body Mass Index (BMI=m2 /kg). The severe degree of obesity is characterized by BMI>40 and it is regularly associated to endocrine-metabolic or mechanic clinical alterations, and to psychological disorders. Binge Eating (BE) results were overly high for this population. The Bariatric Surgery has been the treatment chosen by those diagnosed with severe obesity as this intervention provides prompt outcomes for loss of weight and clinical improvement conditions. However, recent research has acquiesced that after two years between 20% and 30% of people subject to this intervention gained weight. The main objective of this research is to assess the psychological and behavioral characteristics of those diagnosed with severe obesity that have been subject to Gastric Bypass Surgery in the past 24 months. Specific aspects were investigated: (1) characteristics of different personalities and diagnose of clinic and personality disorders; (2) BE and its relation with loss of weight; (2) the difference between the groups regarding post-surgery care, e.g. physical activity, psychological and dietician input. Method: 40 adults (women and men) aged 23 and 60 year-old who went through a bariatric surgery in the past 24 months, in the city of Natal-RN (Brazil); they were assembled in two groups n=20, Gain group displaying loss of < 50% of their initial surplus of weight, and the Loss group displaying loss of >50%. The research protocol is made of a socio-demographic questionnaire and 3 psychometric instruments: Rorschach – Comprehensive System; Millon Personality Inventory (MCMI-III); and the Binge Eating Scale (Escala de Compulsão Alimentar Periódica (ECAP). Through Rorschach significant differences between these groups were verified according to the kind of personality (EB) - more EB Extratensivo in Gain group and Intratensivo in Loss group – and the lack of control to express affect, increasing the answer for Color Pure at Group I. Concerning the people standardization, the sample as a whole tends to show psychic pain, denigrated selfperception, high levels of self-criticism, distorted perceptions, vulnerability to develop mood disorders and high scores regarding Suicide. MCMI-III results showed more clinic and personality disorders in Group I: Depressive Disorder and Schizotypal, Anxiety, Dysthymia, Major Depressive Disorder; Thought Disorder, Bipolar- Manic and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In relation to ECAP, the results indicated significant differences, showing increased BE results in Gain group. There were found significant differences between BE severity and the presence of clinic and personality disorders. Concerning the post-surgery care, the observed differences are statistically significant regarding physical activities with median-increased differences in Loss group. There is a difference between the initial weight and the time post-surgery, indicating that the higher the initial weight and the time after the surgery the higher the re-gain of weight post-surgery. Finally, the results show that the participants with more than 3 years of surgery will have Clinic and Major Depressive Disorders; Somatoform Disorder; Dysthymia. These results confirm prior studies related to BE post-surgery and re-gain of weight as well as the proneness of clinic disorders in severe obesity people. That means the results reinforce that the surgery process is a facet of the severe obesity treatment. The post-surgery process needs to be the main focus of attention and have a long-term input to sustain the care of the surgery results and the quality of life of the patients.