Hemispheric asymmetry and theory of mind: Is there an association?

Introduction. In autism and schizophrenia attenuated/atypical functional hemispheric asymmetry and theory of mind impairments have been reported, suggesting common underlying neuroscientific correlates. We here investigated whether impaired theory of mind performance is associated with attenuated/atypical hemispheric asymmetry. An association may explain the co-occurrence of both dysfunctions in psychiatric populations. Methods. Healthy participants (n 129) performed a left hemisphere (lateralised lexical decision task) and right hemisphere (lateralised face decision task) dominant task as well as a visual cartoon task to assess theory of mind performance. Results. Linear regression analyses revealed inconsistent associations between theory of mind performance and functional hemisphere asymmetry: enhanced theory of mind performance was only associated with (1) faster right hemisphere language processing, and (2) reduced right hemisphere dominance for face processing (men only). Conclusions. The majority of non-significant findings suggest that theory of mind and functional hemispheric asymmetry are unrelated. Instead of ''overinterpreting'' the two significant results, discrepancies in the previous literature relating to the problem of the theory of mind concept, the variety of tasks, and the lack of normative data are discussed. We also suggest how future studies could explore a possible link between hemispheric asymmetry and theory of mind.

Paleopharmacology and pollen: theory, method, and application

Parasitism was a universal human condition. Because of this, people developed herbal medicines to treat parasites as part of their pharmacopoeias. We propose that it is possible to recover evidence of medicinal plants from archaeological sites and link their use to specific health conditions. This is a multidisciplinary approach that must involve at least paleoethnobotanists, archaeoparasitologists, paleopathologists, and pharmacologists.

A Grounded Theory Model of the Counselling Referral Process in Primary Care Methadone Treatment in Ireland.

In terms of the treatment of illicit drug abuse, methadone maintenance is a well researched and widely applied systematic response. The approach to primary care methadone treatment in Ireland is based on the methadone protocol. Primary care plays a central role in the delivery of methadone treatment. Beginning with a view that a system evolves within the constraints and influencing factors of its context, the aim of this thesis is to model the process that has developed by which patients on primary care methadone treatment are referred to counselling. It investigates the role primary care practitioners perceive they have in relation to managing the psychosocial aspects of the methadone patient's treatment regime. It analyzes individual medical practitioner counselling referral mechanisms to determine what common processes operate across different practitioners. It identifies the factors that influence the use of counselling on primary care methadone programmes and structures these in a cause/effect model. This research used interviews and documentary analysis to acquire grounded data. The sample consisted primarily of medical practitioners involved in the delivery of methadone programmes. Others closely involved in the implementation of drug treatment in the primary care context made up the balance of interviewees. The study used a grounded theory methodology to induce the process that was latent in the grounded data. Concepts emerging were grouped under the headings of referral factors, decision making factors and factors related to the unique positioning of primary care at the interface between medicine and society. The core finding was that, in primary care in Ireland, there is no psychological model to complement the pharmacological intervention of methadone substitution. The findings from this study offer insight into the factors at work and their impacts, in the context of the use of counselling in primary care methadone treatment. The study suggests a possible direction for further evolution of opiate abuse treatment in Ireland which would transform it from a harm reduction to a holistic patient centric paradigm.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Instrumental leadership: Measurement and extension of transformational-transactional leadership theory.

Leaders must scan the internal and external environment, chart strategic and task objectives, and provide performance feedback. These instrumental leadership (IL) functions go beyond the motivational and quid-pro quo leader behaviors that comprise the full-range-transformational, transactional, and laissez faire-leadership model. In four studies we examined the construct validity of IL. We found evidence for a four-factor IL model that was highly prototypical of good leadership. IL predicted top-level leader emergence controlling for the full-range factors, initiating structure, and consideration. It also explained unique variance in outcomes beyond the full-range factors; the effects of transformational leadership were vastly overstated when IL was omitted from the model. We discuss the importance of a "fuller full-range" leadership theory for theory and practice. We also showcase our methodological contributions regarding corrections for common method variance (i.e., endogeneity) bias using two-stage least squares (2SLS) regression and Monte Carlo split-sample designs.

Unpacking the cognitive map: the parallel map theory of hippocampal function

In the parallel map theory, the hippocampus encodes space with 2 mapping systems. The bearing map is constructed primarily in the dentate gyrus from directional cues such as stimulus gradients. The sketch map is constructed within the hippocampus proper from positional cues. The integrated map emerges when data from the bearing and sketch maps are combined. Because the component maps work in parallel, the impairment of one can reveal residual learning by the other. Such parallel function may explain paradoxes of spatial learning, such as learning after partial hippocampal lesions, taxonomic and sex differences in spatial learning, and the function of hippocampal neurogenesis. By integrating evidence from physiology to phylogeny, the parallel map theory offers a unified explanation for hippocampal function.