What the cognitive neurosciences mean to me

Cognitive Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary area of research that combines measurement of brain activity (mostly by means of neuroimaging) with a simultaneous performance of cognitive tasks by human subjects. These investigations have been successful in the task of connecting the sciences of the brain (Neurosciences) and the sciences of the mind (Cognitive Sciences). Advances on this kind of research provide a map of localization of cognitive functions in the human brain. Do these results help us to understand how mind relates to the brain? In my view, the results obtained by the Cognitive Neurosciences lead to new investigations in the domain of Molecular Neurobiology, aimed at discovering biophysical mechanisms that generate the activity measured by neuroimaging instruments. In this context, I argue that the understanding of how ionic/molecular processes support cognition and consciousness cannot be made by means of the standard reductionist explanations. Knowledge of ionic/molecular meclianisms can contribute to our understanding of the human mind as long as we assume an alternative form of explanation, based on psycho-physical similarities, together with an ontological view of mentality and spirituality as embedded in physical nature (and not outside nature, as frequently assumed in western culture).

The effects of skin-to-skin contact during acute pain in preterm newborns

Background and purpose: Several promising non-pharmacological interventions have been developed to reduce acute pain in preterm infants including skin-to-skin contact between a mother and her infant. However, variability in physiological outcomes of existing studies on skin-to-skin makes it difficult to determine treatment effects of this naturalistic approach for the preterm infant. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of mother and infant skin-to-skin contact during heel prick in premature infants. Method: Fifty nine stable preterm infants (born at least 30 weeks gestational age) who were undergoing routine heel lance were randomly assigned to either 15 min of skin-to-skin contact before, during and following heel prick (n = 31, treatment group), or to regular care (n = 28, control group). Throughout the heel lance procedure, all infants were assessed for change in facial action (NFCS), behavioral state, crying, and heart rate. Results: Statistically significant differences were noted between the treatment and control groups during the puncture, heel squeeze and the post phases of heel prick. Infants who received skin-to-skin contact were more likely to show lower NFCS scores throughout the procedure. Both groups of infants cried and showed increased heart rate during puncture and heel squeeze although changes in these measures were less for the treated infants. Conclusions: Skin-to-skin contact promoted reduction in behavioral measures and less physiological increase during procedure. It is recommended that skin-to-skin contact be used as a non-pharmacologic intervention to relieve acute pain in stable premature infants born 30 weeks gestational age or older. (C) 2007 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conformity, upstream reciprocity and social diversity: secondary mechanisms for the evolution of cooperation

Cooperation is ubiquitous in nature: genes cooperate in genomes, cells in muti- cellular organims, and individuals in societies. In humans, division of labor and trade are key elements of most known societies, where social life is regulated by- moral systems specifying rights and duties often enforced by third party punish¬ment. Over the last decades, several primary mechanisms, such as kin selection, direct and indirect reciprocity, have been advanced to explain the evolution of cooperation from a naturalistic approach. In this thesis, I focus on the study of three secondary mechanisms which, although insufficient to allow for the evo¬lution of cooperation, have been hypothesized to further promote it when they are linked to proper primary mechanisms: conformity (the tendency to imitate common behaviors), upstream reciprocity (the tendency to help somebody once help has been received from somebody else) and social diversity (heterogeneous social contexts). I make use of mathematical and computational models in the formal framework of evolutionary game theory in order to investigate the theoret¬ical conditions under which conformity, upstream reciprocity and social diversity are able to raise the levels of cooperation attained in evolving populations. - La coopération est ubiquitaire dans la nature: les gènes coopèrent dans les génomes, les cellules dans les organismes muticellulaires, et les organismes dans les sociétés. Chez les humains, la division du travail et le commerce sont des éléments centraux de la plupart des sociétés connues, où la vie sociale est régie par des systèmes moraux établissant des droits et des devoirs, souvent renforcés par la punition. Au cours des dernières décennies, plusieurs mécanismes pri¬maires, tels que la sélection de parentèle et les réciprocités directe et indirecte, ont été avancés pour expliquer l'évolution de la coopération d'un point de vue nat¬uraliste. Dans cette thèse, nous nous concentrons sur l'étude de trois mécanismes secondaires qui, bien qu'insuffisants pour permettre l'évolution de la coopération, sont capables de la promouvoir davantage s'ils sont liés aux mécanismes primaires appropriés: la conformité (tendance à imiter des comportements en commun), la 'réciprocité en amont' (tendance à aider quelqu'un après avoir reçu l'aide de quelqu'un d'autre) et la diversité sociale (contextes sociaux hétérogènes). Nous faisons usage de modèles mathématiques et informatiques dans le cadre formel de la théorie des jeux évolutionnaires afin d'examiner les conditions théoriques dans lesquelles la conformité, la 'réciprocité en amont' et la diversité sociale sont capables d'élever le niveau de coopération des populations en évolution.

Évaluation d’un programme novateur de réadaptation par les arts de la scène pour des jeunes présentant un trouble psychiatrique stabilisé : le programme Espace de Transition

L’objectif de cette thèse était d’évaluer Espace de Transition (ET), un programme novateur d’intervention par les arts de la scène visant à favoriser la réadaptation psychosociale d’adolescents et de jeunes adultes présentant des troubles mentaux stabilisés et à diminuer la stigmatisation des individus aux prises avec des problèmes de santé mentale. Ce programme a été conçu par une équipe de cliniciens du département de psychiatrie du Centre hospitalier universitaire Ste-Justine, en collaboration avec des artistes professionnels, et est livré depuis le printemps 2009. L’évaluation du programme ET a été conduite de manière indépendante, selon des approches collaborative et naturaliste et en usant de méthodes mixtes. Les données de recherche ont été recueillies avant pendant et après le programme auprès de l’ensemble des participants à deux sessions distinctes (N = 24), de même qu’auprès des deux artistes instructeurs, de la psychoéducatrice responsable du soutien clinique, ainsi que des psychiatres et autres intervenants ayant référé des participants (N=11). Des entrevues semi-structurées individuelles et de groupe, des observations directes et des questionnaires ont servi à recueillir les données nécessaires à l’évaluation. Des analyses quantitatives de variance, ainsi que des analyses qualitatives thématiques ont été réalisées et leurs résultats ont été interprétés de manière intégrée. Le premier chapitre empirique de la thèse relate l’évaluation de la mise en œuvre du programme ET. Cette étude a permis de constater que le programme avait rejoint des participants correspondant de près à la population visée et que ceux-ci présentaient globalement des niveaux élevés d’assiduité, d’engagement et d’appréciation du programme. L’évaluation de la mise en œuvre a en outre permis de conclure que la plupart des composantes du programme identifiées a priori comme ses paramètres essentiels ont été livrées tel que prévu par les concepteurs et que la plupart d’entre elles ont été largement appréciées et jugées pertinentes par les participants et les autres répondants consultés. Le second chapitre empirique consiste en un article portant sur l’évaluation des effets du programme ET relativement à l’atteinte de trois de ses objectifs intermédiaires, soient l’amélioration 1) du fonctionnement global, 2) du confort relationnel et des compétences sociales, ainsi que 3) de la perception de soi des participants présentant des troubles mentaux. Les résultats de cette étude ont révélé des changements significatifs et positifs dans le fonctionnement global des participants suite au programme, tel qu’évalué par les cliniciens référents et partiellement corroboré par les participants eux-mêmes. Des améliorations en ce qui concerne le confort relationnel, les compétences sociales et la perception de soi ont également été objectivées chez une proportion substantielle de participants, bien que celles-ci ne se soient pas traduites en des différences significatives décelées par les analyses quantitatives de groupe. Le troisième et dernier chapitre empirique de la thèse relate une étude exploratoire des mécanismes sous-tendant les effets du programme ET ayant conduit à l’élaboration inductive d’une théorie d’action de ce programme. Cette investigation qualitative a révélé quatre catégories de mécanismes, soient des processus de 1) gain d’expérience et de gratification sociales, 2) de désensibilisation par exposition graduelle, 3) de succès et de valorisation, et 4) de normalisation. Cette étude a également permis de suggérer les caractéristiques et composantes du programme qui favorisent la mise en place ou l’impact de ces mécanismes, tels l’environnement et l’animation non cliniques du programme, la composition hétérogène des groupes de participants, le recours aux arts de la scène, ainsi que la poursuite d’une réalisation collective et son partage avec un public extérieur au programme. Globalement, les études présentées dans la thèse appuient la pertinence et le caractère prometteur du programme ET, tout en suggérant des pistes d’amélioration potentielle pour ses versions ultérieures. Par extension, la thèse soutient l’efficacité potentielle d’interventions réadaptatives mettant en œuvre des composantes apparentées à celles du programme ET pour soutenir le rétablissement des jeunes aux prises avec des troubles mentaux.

Aquatic macrophytes as feeding site for small fishes in the Rosana Reservoir, Paranapanema River, southeastern Brazil

In the present investigation we studied the feeding habits of the fishes associated with aquatic macrophytes in the Rosana Reservoir, southeastern Brazil. Twenty fish species were collected during four field trips, regularly distributed across the dry and wet seasons. Focal snorkeling observations of the fishes were made over a total of six hours. Nine species were present in abundances of more than 1% and, therefore, had their feeding habits analyzed. Hemigrammus marginatus, Roeboides paranensis, Hyphessobrycon eques, Astyanax altiparanae, Serrasalmus spilopleura, and Bryconamericus stramineus were predominantly invertivores, with predominance of aquatic insects (Diptera, Ephemeroptera, and Trichoptera immatures) among their food items. The predominantly algivores were Apareiodon affinis, Serrapinnus notomelas, and Satanoperca pappaterra, with high frequency of filamentous blue-green algae, diatoms, clorophyts, and periderm. The different microhabitat exploitation plus diet composition suggests partitioning of resources and absence of food competition among the most representative fish species in the studied community, indicating the importance of the naturalistic approach to fish ecology studies.

Contradicciones del significado de la actividad físico-deportiva en las identidades corporales de las chicas adolescentes

Dentro de la estructura de género que impone la construcción social del cuerpo femenino, el sentimiento de inadecuación del propio cuerpo parece caracterizar la configuración de las identidades corporales femeninas en la adolescencia, motivando que la relación que establecen muchas chicas jóvenes con la actividad físico-deportiva sea compleja y a menudo problemática. Siguiendo un enfoque feminista post-estructuralista, este trabajo se centra en tres conflictos: 1) La actividad física para perder peso, instrumentalizada dentro de los discursos para alcanzar el ideal de belleza o luchar contra la obesidad; 2) El límite socialmente construido para las chicas deportistas entre lo que se considera un tono muscular atractivo y un cuerpo excesivamente musculoso; 3) Los procesos de sexualización y ansiedad física social debido a la exposición del cuerpo a una mirada masculina no deseada en diferentes contextos de práctica físico-deportiva.

The Rhythm of our Lives. Aesthetic Perspectives East & West

The leading approach to everyday aesthetics for the past few decades has departed from analytic philosophical grounds, generating some tensions or dichotomies regarding its foundational cornerstones: the ordinary vs. extraordinary character of everyday aesthetic experience, contextual familiarity vs. strangeness, object vs. processual orientation, etc. Although John Dewey has been widely acclaimed as a sort of foundational figure for this burgueoning sub-discipline of aesthetics, maybe not enough emphasis has been laid on his very different pragmatist approach. In this regard, his reliance on Hegelian cum Darwinian premises might allow for a connection with other branches of continental as well as Asian philosophies, from which also some research on everyday aesthetics has been made. It is from this wider ontological framework that the notion of rhythm could be vindicated as a pivotal aspect of the aesthetic dimension of our everyday lives. Dewey deals extensively with it in Art as Experience, conceiving it as a sort of pattern of accomplished experiences, accounting also for his naturalistic approach and art and life continuity thesis. On the other hand, neo-pragmatist exponent Richard Shusterman, among others, has posited links of connection between Pragmatist aesthetics and East-Asian philosophies. Particularly, Dewey’s resonances with Asian philosophies have been studied, with a preeminence on the notions of harmony and rhythm. This paper will depart from the analysis of the notion of rhythm in Dewey’s philosophy, trying to hint at some possible developments of its implications. Particularly, it will expand on some East Asian paralelisms to his philosophy, trying to link them with the notion of rhythm as an epitomizing ground for the conjunction of the extraordinary (art) and the ordinary (life).

An outline of a neo-structuralist approach

Presenta un contrapunto de los enfoques neoliberal y neoestructuralista, tanto en su dimension teorica como en su aplicacion al diseno de politicas publicas.

Feminist Post-structuralist discourse analysis: a new theoretical and methodological approach?

This chapter serves three very important functions within this collection. First, it aims to make the existence of FPDA better known to both gender and language researchers and to the wider community of discourse analysts, by outlining FPDA’s own theoretical and methodological approaches. This involves locating and positioning FPDA in relation, yet in contradistinction to, the fields of discourse analysis to which it is most often compared: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and, to a lesser extent, Conversation Analysis (CA). Secondly, the chapter serves a vital symbolic function. It aims to contest the authority of the more established theoretical and methodological approaches represented in this collection, which currently dominate the field of discourse analysis. FPDA considers that an established field like gender and language study will only thrive and develop if it is receptive to new ways of thinking, divergent methods of study, and approaches that question and contest received wisdoms or established methods. Thirdly, the chapter aims to introduce some new, experimental and ground-breaking FPDA work, including that by Harold Castañeda-Peña and Laurel Kamada (same volume). I indicate the different ways in which a number of young scholars are imaginatively developing the possibilities of an FPDA approach to their specific gender and language projects.

Population pharmacokinetic approach to evaluate the effect of CYP2D6, CYP3A, ABCB1, POR and NR1I2 genotypes on donepezil clearance.

AIMS: A large interindividual variability in plasma concentrations has been reported in patients treated with donepezil, the most frequently prescribed antidementia drug. We aimed to evaluate clinical and genetic factors influencing donepezil disposition in a patient population recruited from a naturalistic setting. METHODS: A population pharmacokinetic study was performed including data from 129 older patients treated with donepezil. The patients were genotyped for common polymorphisms in the metabolic enzymes CYP2D6 and CYP3A, in the electron transferring protein POR and the nuclear factor NR1I2 involved in CYP activity and expression, and in the drug transporter ABCB1. RESULTS: The average donepezil clearance was 7.3 l h(-1) with a 30% interindividual variability. Gender markedly influenced donepezil clearance (P < 0.01). Functional alleles of CYP2D6 were identified as unique significant genetic covariate for donepezil clearance (P < 0.01), with poor metabolizers and ultrarapid metabolizers demonstrating, respectively, a 32% slower and a 67% faster donepezil elimination compared with extensive metabolizers. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetic parameters of donepezil were well described by the developed population model. Functional alleles of CYP2D6 significantly contributed to the variability in donepezil disposition in the patient population and should be further investigated in the context of individual dose optimization to improve clinical outcome and tolerability of the treatment.

Vocally disruptive behavior (VDB) in the institutionalized elderly: A naturalistic multiple case report.

Employing a naturalistic multiple case study approach, we investigated the current clinical practice in the treatment and care of VDB among a convenience sample of 85 patients cared for in specialized old age psychiatric clinics and nursing homes in French and German-speaking Switzerland. We wished to clinically characterize VDB patients, to identify common approaches used to treat VDB in everyday practice, and to explore how the efficiency of the interventions employed was judged by the responsible carers. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire. Most patients with VDB in this study had dementia, of whom 75% had at least one current or premorbid psychiatric disorder and 25% had premorbid personality disorder. A majority of patients received multiple psychosocial care interventions that were often judged to be effective, but the potential of psychosocial interventions is underused. Many patients did not receive psychotropic medication specifically targeted at VDB, but about 70% of all prescriptions were judged to have positive effects. Premorbid psychiatric and personality disorders or traits are likely candidates to be entered into the etiopathogenic equation of VDB and set a new frame for approaches used to treat these underlying disorders.

The structuralist tradition in economics: methodological and macroeconomics aspects

This paper examines the structuralist tradition in economics, emphasizing the role that structures play in the economic growth of developing countries. Since the subject at hand is evidently too large to cover in a single article, an emphasis has been brought to bear upon the macroeconomic elements of such a tradition, while also exploring its methodological aspects. It begins by analysing some general aspects of structuralism in economics (its evolution and origins) associated with ECLAC thought, in this instance focusing on the dynamics of the center-periphery relationship. Thereafter, the macroeconomic structuralism derived from the works of Taylor (1983, 1991) is presented, followed by a presentation of neo-structuralism. Centred on the concept of systemic competitiveness, this approach defines a strategy to achieve the high road of globalization, understood here as an inevitable process in spite of its engagement being dependent on the policies adopted. The conclusions show the genuine contributions of this tradition to economic theory.