Ein Update zur "Neuropsychotherapie" und Illustration aus der laufenden Forschung zum Einsatz emotionsfokussierter Vorgehensweisen

Während es fast trivial erscheint, dass erfolgreiche Psychotherapien – also Veränderungen im Erleben und Verhalten – prinzipiell mit funktionellen und strukturellen Veränderungen des Gehirns zusammenhängen, erweist es sich als deutlich anspruchsvoller, spezifischeren Fragestellungen nachzugehen und aus ihnen Implikationen für die Psychotherapie zu abzuleiten: Welche neuronalen Mechanismen sind an psychotherapeutisch relevanten Veränderungen im Erleben und Verhalten beteiligt? Wodurch werden diese neuronalen Wirkmechanismen beeinflusst? Und wie werden diese Erkenntnisse für die Psychotherapie praktisch nutzbar gemacht? Anhand aktueller Forschungsbefunde und konzeptueller Überlegungen in Anlehnung an Grawes “Neuropsychotherapie” wird in diesem Beitrag zu solchen und verwandten Fragen Stellung genommen. Eine laufende Studie an der Schnittstelle zwischen Psychotherapieprozessforschung und Neurowissenschaften illustriert, wie neuronale Wirkmechanismen erforscht und in bestehende psychologisch-psychotherapeutische Theorien eingebunden werden können. Untersucht werden hierbei die Effekte einer emotionsfokussierten Mikrointervention auf das subjektive emotionale Erleben und neurophysiologische Parameter. Solche neuronalen korrelate emotionaler Veränderungsprozesse werden vor dem theoretischen Hintergrund emotionsfokussierter und allgemeiner Psychotherapie interpretiert.

Model for ranking freshwater fish farms according to their risk of infection and illustration for viral haemorrhagic septicaemia

We developed a model to calculate a quantitative risk score for individual aquaculture sites. The score indicates the risk of the site being infected with a specific fish pathogen (viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV); infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus, Koi herpes virus), and is intended to be used for risk ranking sites to support surveillance for demonstration of zone or member state freedom from these pathogens. The inputs to the model include a range of quantitative and qualitative estimates of risk factors organised into five risk themes (1) Live fish and egg movements; (2) Exposure via water; (3) On-site processing; (4) Short-distance mechanical transmission; (5) Distance-independent mechanical transmission. The calculated risk score for an individual aquaculture site is a value between zero and one and is intended to indicate the risk of a site relative to the risk of other sites (thereby allowing ranking). The model was applied to evaluate 76 rainbow trout farms in 3 countries (42 from England, 32 from Italy and 2 from Switzerland) with the aim to establish their risk of being infected with VHSV. Risk scores for farms in England and Italy showed great variation, clearly enabling ranking. Scores ranged from 0.002 to 0.254 (mean score 0.080) in England and 0.011 to 0.778 (mean of 0.130) for Italy, reflecting the diversity of infection status of farms in these countries. Requirements for broader application of the model are discussed. Cost efficient farm data collection is important to realise the benefits from a risk-based approach.

Tuberculosis in early medieval Switzerland - osteological and molecular evidence

Lesions consistent with skeletal tuberculosis were found in 13 individuals from an early medieval skeletal sample from Courroux (Switzerland). One case of Pott’s disease as well as lytic lesions in vertebrae and joints, rib lesions, and endocranial new bone formation were identified. Three individuals with lesions and one without were tested for the presence of MTBC aDNA, and in two cases, evidence for MTBC aDNA was detected. Our results suggest the presence of tuberculosis in the analyzed material which is in accordance with other osteological and biomolecular research that reported high prevalence of tuberculosis in medieval skeletons.

The Medieval Quiet Period

For several centuries in early Medieval times the climate system was relatively unperturbed by natural forcing factors, resulting in a unique period of climate stability. We argue that this represents a reference state for the Common Era, well before anthropogenic forcing became the dominant driver of the climate system.