bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti-60-kDa Heat Shock Protein Antibodies in Fetal Serum: A Biomarker for Unexplained Small for Gestational Age Fetuses
Authors: Belhia F. , Gremlich S. , Muller-Brochut A.C. , Damnon F. , Hohlfeld P. , Witkin S.S. , Gerber S.
Published: October 2010

Introduction: Small for gestational age (SGA) is an important problem affecting 10% of pregnancies and is associated with significant perinatal morbidity. In about 80% of cases, a probable etiology or a major risk factor can be identified. But almost 20% of SGA cases are considered unexplained. The 60-kDa heat shock protein (HSP60) is a highly immunogenic protein whose synthesis is greatly upregulated under nonphysiological conditions. Bacterial and human HSP60 share a high degree of sequence homology, and immunity to conserved epitopes may result in development of autoimmunity following a bacterial infection. We hypothesized that unexplained SGA could be the consequence of immune sensitization to human HSP60. Methods: Unexplained SGA fetuses were identified by ultrasound biometry with normal Doppler velocimetry and with no detectable maternal or fetal abnormalities. Fetal sera were obtained by cordocentesis performed for a karyotype analysis in cases of unexplained SGA (study group) or for screening of Rhesus incompatibility (control group). Fetal sera were tested for HSP60 antigen and for IgG and IgM anti-HSP60 by ELISA as well as for other immune and hematological parameters. Results: Maternal parameters were similar between the 12 study cases and the 23 control cases. The mean gestational age at cordocentesis was 29 weeks. IgM anti-HSP60 was detected in 12 cases (100%) and in no controls (p < 0.00017), while IgG anti-HSP60 was detected in 7 cases (58%) and only 1 control (p < 0.001). Three of the 4 cases with the highest IgM antibody levels died. There were no differences in fetal serum levels of HSP60 antigen or other immune and hematological markers between the two groups. Conclusion: Fetuses with unexplained SGA are positive for IgM and IgG antibody to human HSP60 and the specific IgM antibody level is predictive of fetal mortality. Detection of these antibodies indicates that a placental perturbation and a fetal autoimmune reaction to HSP60 are associated with this developmental delay.
Platelet Density Distribution in Essential Thrombocythemia
Authors: Milovanovic Micha , Lotfi Kourosh , Lindahl Tomas , Hallert Claes , Järemo Petter
Published: October 2010

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is characterized by high platelet counts and a slightly increased bleeding risk. Why severe hemorrhage does not occur more frequently is not known. Variations of platelet density (kg/l) depend mainly on cell organelle content in that high-density platelets contain more α and dense granules. This study compares ET patients (n = 2) and healthy volunteers (n = 2) with respect to platelet density subpopulations. A linear Percoll™ gradient containing prostaglandin E1 was employed to separate platelets according to density. The platelet population was subsequently divided by density into 16 or 17 subpopulations. Determination of platelet counts was carried out. In each density fraction, platelet in vivo activity, i.e. platelet-bound fibrinogen, was measured using a flow cytometer. To further characterize platelet subpopulations, we determined intracellular concentrations of CD40 ligand (CD40L) and P-selectin in all fractions. Patients and controls demonstrated similar density distributions, i.e. 1 density peak. High-density platelets had more surface-bound fibrinogen in conjunction with signs of platelet release reactions, i.e. with few exceptions they contained less CD40L and P-selectin. Peak density platelets showed less surface-bound fibrinogen. These platelets contained less CD40L and P-selectin than nearby denser populations. The light platelets had more surface-bound fibrinogen than peak platelets together with elevated concentrations of CD40L. In ET, the malignant platelet production could exist together with platelets originating from normal megakaryocytes. It is also possible that clonal megakaryocytes produce platelets covering the entire density span. The ‘normal’ density distribution offers a tenable explanation as to why serious bleedings do not occur more frequently.
Axial Length of Myopia: A Review of Current Research
Authors: Meng Weihua , Butterworth Jacqueline , Malecaze François , Calvas Patrick
Published: October 2010

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a worldwide common type of refractive error. It is a non-life-threatening disorder with huge social and economic consequences due to its increasing prevalence. Axial length (AL) is the primary determinant of non-syndromic myopia. It is a parameter representing the combination of anterior chamber depth, lens thickness and vitreous chamber depth of the eye. AL can also be treated as an endophenotype of myopia and may provide extra advantages in the investigation of its genetic basis. The study of AL will not only identify the determinants of eye elongation, but also provide aetiological evidence for myopia. The purpose of this review is to outline the current state of AL research. Epidemiological evidence, genetic determinants, the relationship with other eye components and relative animal models of AL are summarised.
Levels of C-Reactive Protein and Protein C in Periodontitis Patients with and without Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Malali Ezgi , Basar Isik , Emekli-Alturfan Ebru , Elemek Eser , Oktay Sehkar , Ayan Faruk , Emekli Nesrin , Noyan Ulku
Published: October 2010

Since periodontitis is a chronic and inflammatory disease, a number of hypotheses have proposed that it has an etiological or modulating role in cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to ascertain the changes in the plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and protein C (PC), a natural anticoagulant also having an anti-inflammatory effect, in patients who have mild-to-severe periodontitis with or without CVD. The test group consisted of 26 patients with CVD and chronic periodontitis and the control group consisted of 26 patients with chronic periodontitis and no systemic disease. In both groups Community Periodontal Index of Treatment Needs scores were recorded and blood samples were collected. CRP levels were significantly high and PC activity was significantly low in the test group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). There was a negative correlation between tooth loss and PC and between CRP and PC. How PC is affected by the inflammatory events and its association with CRP is an active area of investigation.
Contraception-Related Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism in a 17-Year-Old Girl Heterozygous for Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin G20210A Mutation, MTHFR C677T and Homozygous for PAI-1 Mutation: Report of a Family with Multiple Genetic Risk Factors and Review of the Literature
Authors: Lenicek Krleza Jasna , Jakovljevic Gordana , Bronic Ana , Coen Herak Désirée , Bonevski Aleksandra , Stepan-Giljevic Jasminka , Roic Goran
Published: October 2010

We present the case of a 17-year-old girl who suddenly woke up with localized pain in the left groin and the inability to twist her leg. After comprehensive physician and laboratory examinations, deep venous thrombosis with consequent pulmonary embolism was ascertained. She had not experienced any recent trauma, but she had started to take oral contraceptives 6 months prior to the onset of the symptoms. Her parents and sisters had been asymptomatic throughout their lives, but the family history revealed a few thromboembolic accidents. Using DNA analysis, heterozygosity for factor V Leiden, prothrombin gene mutation G20210A and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T, as well as the homozygous 4G/4G genotype in the plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 were identified in our patient. Subsequently, DNA analysis was performed in all living family members, and multiple factors associated with thrombophilia were discovered. Our case confirms the multifactorial cause of thromboembolic events and emphasizes the importance of oral contraceptive use in the onset of venous thrombosis, especially in teenage females. In addition, this case indicates that teenage females with a family history of thrombosis who are making choices about contraception could most likely benefit from advanced thrombophilia testing.
The rs1466113 Polymorphism in the Somatostatin Receptor 2 Gene Is Associated with Obesity and Food Intake in a Mediterranean Population
Authors: Sotos-Prieto Mercedes , Guillén Marisa , Guillem-Sáiz Patricia , Portolés Olga , Corella Dolores
Published: October 2010

Background: A genome-wide association study identified rs1466113 (G>C) in the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) gene as one of the polymorphisms most significantly associated with body mass index (BMI). As replication is required, we examined the association between this polymorphism and anthropometric variables and food intake in a Mediterranean population. Methods: We studied 945 high cardiovascular-risk subjects (340 men and 605 women) aged 67 ± 6 years, participating in the PREDIMED-Valencia Study. Demographic, clinical, biochemical, dietary, genetic and anthropometric data were obtained. Results: We found recessive effects for the association between this polymorphism and anthropometric variables. Homozygous subjects for the C allele had significantly lower BMI than G-allele carriers (29.9 ± 4.5 in CC vs. 31.0 ± 4.9 in GG + GC; p = 0.035). Likewise, odds ratio for obesity was lower in CC subjects in comparison with G-allele carriers, even after adjustment for potential confounders (odds ratio: 0.60, 95% confidence interval: 0.38–0.94; p = 0.028). We also found significant differences in food (meats, dairy products and legumes) and nutrient (protein) intakes between CC- and G-allele carriers. Conclusion: The rs1466113 polymorphism in the SSTR2 gene is associated with anthropometric variables in the Mediterranean population replicating previous results in the Framingham study. We also observed differences in food intake between genotypes.
Bilirubin and UGT1A1*28 Are Not Associated with Lower Risk for Ischemic Stroke in a Prospective Nested Case-Referent Setting
Authors: Ekblom Kim , Marklund Stefan L. , Johansson Lars , Osterman Pia , Hallmans Göran , Weinehall Lars , Wiklund Per-Gunnar , Hultdin Johan
Published: October 2010

Background: Bilirubin, an antioxidant, has been associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. A major cause of elevated plasma bilirubin is the common UGT1A1*28 promoter polymorphism in the gene of the bilirubin-conjugating enzyme UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1, which reduces transcription by 70%. Earlier studies reporting a protective effect of bilirubin on stroke have not included analysis of UGT1A1*28. The purpose of this study is to investigate if bilirubin and UGT1A1*28 are protective against ischemic stroke in a prospective case-referent setting. Methods: Cases with first-ever ischemic stroke (n = 231; median lag time 4.9 years) and 462 matched referents from the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study Cohort were included. Plasma bilirubin was measured and UGT1A1*28 was analyzed by fragment analysis. Results: Plasma bilirubin was lower in cases than in referents, but the difference reached significance only for women. The UGT1A1*28 polymorphism (allele frequency 30%) showed a strong gene-dose relationship with bilirubin levels both among cases and referents, but was not associated with risk for stroke. Among multiple other variables analyzed, the strongest correlation with bilirubin was found for plasma iron. Conclusions: There was no evidence for a protective effect of the UGT1A1*28 polymorphism against stroke and consequently neither for bilirubin. The findings suggest that other factors influencing the risk for stroke might also affect bilirubin levels.
Transient Ischaemic Attack Mimics Revealing Focal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage
Authors: Brunot Sandrine , Osseby Guy Victor , Rouaud Olivier , Kazemi Apolline , Ricolfi Frédéric , Couvreur Grégory , Catteau Aurélie , Hervieu Marie , Moreau Thibault , Giroud Maurice , Béjot Yannick
Published: October 2010

We describe here 7 elderly patients with a transient neurological deficit due to a focal subarachnoid haemorrhage, identified from the Dijon Stroke Registry over 4 years. These 7 patients presented a clinical pattern marked by focal paraesthesia, with several stereotyped focal episodes (5 of the 7 cases), lasting less than 30 min (6 of the 7 cases), and associated with a cognitive decline (4 of the 7 cases). Headache was present in only 1 case. Neuroimaging revealed focal haemorrhage present in a cortical sulcus contralateral to the symptoms. No vascular lesions nor epileptic mechanisms nor ischemic lesions were observed. This syndrome could be explained by a spreading depression, and the focal subarachnoid haemorrhage could reflect possible cerebral amyloid angiopathy, suggested by the cognitive decline present in more than 50% of our series. Our observations suggest that focal subarachnoid haemorrhage may be diagnosed by MRI in the absence of acute headache and it may be revealed by transient focal and repetitive sensory perturbations. In medical practice, it is important to evoke this diagnosis in the elderly to avoid inappropriate treatment.
The Possible Risk for Strokes Complicating Cardiac Surgery in Patients with Intraoperative Hypothermia
Authors: Korn-Lubetzki Isabelle , Steiner Israel , Oren Avraham , Tauber Rachel , Steiner-Birmanns Bettina , Bitran Daniel
Published: October 2010

Background: The effect of hypothermia as a possible neuroprotective tool on the outcome of cardiac surgery is still controversial. Methods: We retrospectively assessed all patients who underwent cardiac surgery within a 14-year period and compared patients with and without postoperative stroke. Results: Stroke occurred more frequently in patients who underwent valve repair/replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) than in patients who had CABG alone (p = 0.0002). All strokes (1.4%) were ischemic and mostly of large-vessel etiology. All patients with stroke had intraoperative minimal temperature <34°C. More patients in this group than in the group without stroke had an intraoperative minimal temperature <30°C (p = 0.01). Stepwise multivariate analysis of all pre- and intraoperative parameters identified significant risk factors for stroke: hypertension, diabetes mellitus and previous stroke as preoperative risk factors, but only lower minimal temperature as a significant intraoperative risk factor (p = 0.03; odds ratio 1.080/1°C, 95% confidence interval 1.004–1.152). The mean intraoperative temperature was 28 ± 4°C in patients who developed stroke and 30 ± 3°C in patients without stroke. Conclusions: Intraoperative hypothermia around 28°C might be harmful and associated with increased risk for postsurgical stroke.
New Insight into the Mechanism of Lonomia obliqua Envenoming: Toxin Involvement and Molecular Approach
Authors: Alvarez Flores M.P. , Zannin M. , Chudzinski-Tavassi A.M.
Published: October 2010

Despite the nearly worldwide distribution of Lepidoptera, there are few species with clear documentation of adverse reactions in humans. Most syndromes caused by Lepidoptera are consequences of direct contact with the hairs or setae of caterpillars. In most instances, the adverse effects caused by moth and caterpillars are self-limited and the treatment is based on the removal of hairs, application of topical antipruritics and, in some cases, the use of oral antihistamines. However, in the case of envenoming by South American Lonomiaobliqua caterpillars, the antilonomic serum produced at Instituto Butantan in Brazil is the only effective treatment to re-establish the physiological coagulation parameters in poisoned patients and to abolish the complications seen in severe cases (e.g. consumptive coagulopathy, intracerebral hemorrhage, and acute renal failure). Many studies have been carried out to understand the pathophysiological mechanism of envenoming by L. obliqua. Several toxic principles were found in bristle extract and the hemolymph, probably related to the envenoming. An interesting fact is that some toxins from the venom usually have more than one function. With the advent of molecular biology techniques it has become possible to analyze these processes at a molecular level, thus giving rise to hypotheses on the molecular basis of envenomation. This review contributes to enhance our understanding of the dramatic alterations that hemorrhagic syndrome causes in patients, current treatment, and the diversity of the molecules involved in this pathology.
Intratympanic Methylprednisolone Improves Hearing Function in Refractory Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Control Study
Authors: Li Peng , Zeng Xiang-L. , Ye Jin , Yang Qin-T. , Zhang Ge-H. , Li Yuan
Published: October 2010

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe our experience with intratympanic (IT) steroid treatment of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) after the failure of intravenous (IV) steroid treatment and to examine the efficacy of this treatment. Methods: We recruited 65 patients with SSNHL who did not respond to IV treatment with prednisolone. These patients were randomized into 3 groups: treatment with IT steroid, treatment with steroid in ear drops, and blank control. The 24 patients in the IT group received an IT injection of methylprednisolone and the 21 patients in the ear drop group received methylprednisolone that was directly dropped onto the tympanic membrane through the ear canal. The 20 patients in the blank control group did not receive any treatment after the completion of the IV prednisolone injection. Audiograms were performed at the beginning of the study and 2 months after the end of the study. Results: In the IT treatment group, audiogram results showed that the average of the pure tone speech frequencies (500–4000 Hz) was 64.8 (range 40–101 dB) at baseline, 60.7 (range 35–92 dB) at the end of systemic treatment, and 52.9 (range 35–73 dB) at the end of IT treatment. The improvement in the IT group was significantly better than that in the other two groups, with 37% of the IT patients having significant improvement in their hearing (baseline to after systemic treatment). During IT treatment, only 1 patient developed a persistent tympanic membrane perforation, and no serious complications such as chronic otitis media, disequilibrium, and dysgeusia developed. Conclusions: IT steroid therapy can improve hearing function in patients with SSNHL after the failure of systemic steroid treatment.
Learning Increases the Survival of Newborn Neurons Provided That Learning Is Difficult to Achieve and Successful
Authors: Curlik Daniel M. , Shors Tracey J.
Published: October 2010

Learning increases neurogenesis by increasing the survival of new cells generated in the adult hippocampal formation [Shors, T. J. Saving new brain cells. Scientific American, 300, 46–52, 2009]. However, only some types of learning are effective. Recent studies demonstrate that animals that learn the conditioned response (CR) but require more trials to do so retain more new neurons than animals that quickly acquire the CR or that fail to acquire the CR. In these studies, task parameters were altered to modify the number of trials required to learn a CR. Here, we asked whether pharmacological manipulations that prevent or facilitate learning would decrease or increase, respectively, the number of cells that remain in the hippocampus after training. To answer this question, we first prevented learning with the competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist (RS)-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl) propyl-1-phosphonic acid. As a consequence, training did not increase cell survival. Second, we facilitated learning with the cognitive enhancer d-cycloserine, which increases NMDA receptor activity via its actions at the glycine binding site. Administration of d-cycloserine each day before training increased the number of learned responses and the number of cells that survived. All animals that learned the CR retained more of the new cells, but those that learned very quickly retained fewer than those that required more training trials to learn. Together, these results demonstrate that NMDA receptor activation modifies learning and as a consequence alters the number of surviving cells in the adult hippocampus.
Differential Callosal Contributions to Bimanual Control in Young and Older Adults
Authors: Fling Brett W. , Walsh Christine M. , Bangert Ashley S. , Reuter-Lorenz Patricia A. , Welsh Robert C. , Seidler Rachael D.
Published: October 2010

Our recent work has shown that older adults are disproportionately impaired at bimanual tasks when the two hands are moving out of phase with each other [Bangert, A. S., Reuter-Lorenz, P. A., Walsh, C. M., Schachter, A. B., & Seidler, R. D. Bimanual coordination and aging: Neurobehavioral implications. Neuropsychologia, 48, 1165–1170, 2010]. Interhemispheric interactions play a key role during such bimanual movements to prevent interference from the opposite hemisphere. Declines in corpus callosum (CC) size and microstructure with advancing age have been well documented, but their contributions to age deficits in bimanual function have not been identified. In the current study, we used structural magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging to investigate age-related changes in the relationships between callosal macrostructure, microstructure, and motor performance on tapping tasks requiring differing degrees of interhemispheric interaction. We found that older adults demonstrated disproportionately poorer performance on out-of-phase bimanual control, replicating our previous results. In addition, older adults had smaller anterior CC size and poorer white matter integrity in the callosal midbody than their younger counterparts. Surprisingly, larger CC size and better integrity of callosal microstructure in regions connecting sensorimotor cortices were associated with poorer motor performance on tasks requiring high levels of interhemispheric interaction in young adults. Conversely, in older adults, better performance on these tasks was associated with larger size and better CC microstructure integrity within the same callosal regions. These findings implicate age-related declines in callosal size and integrity as a key contributor to bimanual control deficits. Further, the differential age-related involvement of transcallosal pathways reported here raises new questions about the role of the CC in bimanual control.
Organizing Workers in the Space between Unions: Union-Centric Labor Revitalization and the Role of Community-Based Organizations
Authors: Sullivan Richard
Published: October 2010

Labor scholars tend to treat unions as the movement’s constitutive organizational form. This practice excludes the movement-building efforts of community-based labor groups operating outside of the collective bargaining framework. This article examines the ‘union-centric’ character of sociological work on the contemporary US labor movement and explores the impact it has on analyses of its revitalization. Drawing on a case-study of the Garment Worker Center in Los Angeles, I show that community-based labor organizations mobilizing workers in the space between unions can play an important role in labor’s renewal. I argue that broadening the way we conceptualize the labor movement, reconsidering who its members are, and including a wider range of organizational forms will strengthen analyses of labor’s revitalization.
When Is Four Far More Than Three?
Authors: Huang Yi Ting , Spelke Elizabeth , Snedeker Jesse
Published: October 2010

What is the relationship between children’s first number words and number concepts? We used training tasks to explore children’s interpretation of number words as they acquired the words’ meanings. Children who had mastered the meanings of only the first two or three number words were systematically provided with varied input on the next word-to-quantity mapping, and their extension of the newly trained word was assessed across a variety of test items. Children who had already mastered number words to three generalized training on four to new objects and nouns, such that their representation of the newly learned number was approximate. In contrast, children who had mastered only one and two learned to apply three reliably within a single count-noun context (e.g., three dogs), but did not generalize training to new objects labeled with different nouns (e.g., three cows). Both findings suggest that children fail to map newly learned words in their counting routine to the fully abstract concepts of natural numbers.
The Way You Make Me Feel
Authors: Eisenkraft Noah , Elfenbein Hillary Anger
Published: October 2010

How much do individuals consistently influence the way other people feel? Data from 48 work groups suggest there are consistent individual differences both in the emotions that people tend to experience ( trait affect) and in the emotions that people tend to elicit in others ( trait affective presence). A social relations model analysis revealed that after controlling for emotional contagion, the variance in emotions that people feel is explained by both trait affect (31% of positive affect and 19% of negative affect) and trait affective presence (10% of positive affect and 23% of negative affect). These analyses suggest that affective presence exerts as much influence over interaction partners’ negative feelings as does these interaction partners’ own trait affect. Positive affective presence correlated with greater network centrality, and negative affective presence correlated with lower agreeableness and greater extraversion.
The Cost of Forming More Accurate Impressions
Authors: Biesanz Jeremy C. , Human Lauren J.
Published: October 2010

Does the motivation to form accurate impressions actually improve accuracy? The present work extended Kenny’s (1991, 1994) weighted-average model (WAM)—a theoretical model of the factors that influence agreement among personality judgments—to examine two components of interpersonal perception: distinctive and normative accuracy. WAM predicts that an accuracy motivation should enhance distinctive accuracy but decrease normative accuracy. In other words, the impressions of a perceiver with an accuracy motivation will correspond more with the target person’s unique characteristics and less with the characteristics of the average person. Perceivers randomly assigned to receive the social goal of forming accurate impressions, which was communicated through a single-sentence instruction, achieved higher levels of distinctive self-other agreement but lower levels of normative agreement compared with perceivers not given an explicit impression-formation goal. The results suggest that people motivated to form accurate impressions do indeed become more accurate, but at the cost of seeing others less normatively and, in particular, less positively.
Motivating Goal-Directed Behavior Through Introspective Self-Talk
Authors: Senay Ibrahim , Albarracín Dolores , Noguchi Kenji
Published: October 2010

Although essential for psychology, introspective self-talk has rarely been studied with respect to its effects on behavior. Nevertheless, the interrogative compared with the declarative form of introspective talk may elicit more intrinsically motivated reasons for action, resulting in goal-directed behavior. In Experiment 1, participants were more likely to solve anagrams if they prepared for the task by asking themselves whether they would work on anagrams as opposed to declaring that they would. In the next three experiments, merely writing Will I as opposed to I will as part of an ostensibly unrelated handwriting task produced better anagram-solving performance and stronger intentions to exercise, which suggests that priming the interrogative structure of self-talk is enough to motivate goal-directed behavior. This effect was found to be mediated by the intrinsic motivation for action and moderated by the salience of the word order of the primes.
Measuring the Suicidal Mind
Authors: Nock Matthew K. , Park Jennifer M. , Finn Christine T. , Deliberto Tara L. , Dour Halina J. , Banaji Mahzarin R.
Published: October 2010

Suicide is difficult to predict and prevent because people who consider killing themselves often are unwilling or unable to report their intentions. Advances in the measurement of implicit cognition provide an opportunity to test whether automatic associations of self with death can provide a behavioral marker for suicide risk. We measured implicit associations about death/suicide in 157 people seeking treatment at a psychiatric emergency department. Results confirmed that people who have attempted suicide hold a significantly stronger implicit association between death/suicide and self than do psychiatrically distressed individuals who have not attempted suicide. Moreover, the implicit association of death/suicide with self was associated with an approximately 6-fold increase in the odds of making a suicide attempt in the next 6 months, exceeding the predictive validity of known risk factors (e.g., depression, suicide-attempt history) and both patients’ and clinicians’ predictions. These results provide the first evidence of a behavioral marker for suicidal behavior and suggest that measures of implicit cognition may be useful for detecting and predicting sensitive clinical behaviors that are unlikely to be reported.
Facial-Feature Resemblance Elicits the Transference Effect
Authors: Kraus Michael W. , Chen Serena
Published: October 2010

In transference, a perceiver’s representation of a significant other is activated and used to interpret and respond to a new target person who bears some resemblance to the particular significant other. Integrating research on face perception and transference, we hypothesized that transference can occur on the basis of the resemblance of a target’s facial features to those of a perceiver’s significant other. Experimental results supported this hypothesis. Manipulating an upcoming interaction partner’s facial features to resemble those of participants’ significant other led participants to make representation-consistent inferences about and evaluations of the partner. Moreover, participants undergoing transference experienced shifts in their self-concept, so that they described themselves more like the person they are when with the relevant significant other. The results represent the first evidence of transference processes occurring through facial-feature resemblance. Implications for research on impression formation, social cognition, and emotions are discussed.
How Humans Cognitively Manage an Abundance of Mate Options
Authors: Lenton Alison P. , Francesconi Marco
Published: October 2010

To contribute to researchers’ understanding of how humans choose mates, we examined how the number of mate options influenced the dating decisions made by 1,868 women and 1,870 men across 84 speed-dating events. Multilevel modeling of these decisions revealed that when faced with abundant choice, choosers paid less attention to characteristics requiring more time to elicit and evaluate (e.g., occupational status and educational attainment) and more attention to characteristics that are quickly and easily assessed (e.g., height and weight). Human mate choice sits squarely within the domain of general cognition, as this study shows it to be constrained by bounds on cognitive resources.
Are Some Features Easier to Bind Than Others?
Authors: Goldfarb Liat , Treisman Anne
Published: October 2010

A common perceptual error consists of binding the features of objects in the wrong combinations. Another common finding is that incongruent thoughts or feelings tend to be rejected by the cognitive system. We combined these two notions and found that the incongruence-suppression rule constrains the binding process. We used a task in which participants were asked to bind either congruent or incongruent features together. Whether those features were digits and physical sizes (Experiment 1) or color words and colored fonts (Experiment 2), we observed a new effect that we refer to as the binding congruency effect: When participants were asked to bind incongruent features together, the error rate increased, and participants replaced the incongruent features with congruent features. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the effect depends on the migration of the relevant feature within the same level.
Being Moved
Authors: Krieglmeyer Regina , Deutsch Roland , De Houwer Jan , De Raedt Rudi
Published: October 2010

Theories from diverse areas of psychology assume that affective stimuli facilitate approach and avoidance behavior because they elicit motivational orientations that prepare the organism for appropriate responses. Recent evidence casts serious doubt on this assumption. Instead of motivational orientations, evaluative-coding mechanisms may be responsible for the effect of stimulus valence on approach-avoidance responses. Three studies tested contrasting predictions derived from these two accounts. Results supported motivational theories, as stimulus valence facilitated compatible approach-avoidance responses even though participants had no intention to approach or to avoid the stimuli, and the valence of the response labels was dissociated from the approach and avoidance movements (Study 1). Stimulus valence also facilitated compatible approach-avoidance responses when participants were not required to process the valence of the stimuli (Studies 2a and 2b). These findings are at odds with the evaluative-coding account and support the notion of a unique, automatic link between the perception of valence and approach-avoidance behavior.
Truth Is at Hand
Authors: Broaders Sara C. , Goldin-Meadow Susan
Published: October 2010

The accuracy of information obtained in forensic interviews is critically important to credibility in the legal system. Research has shown that the way interviewers frame questions influences the accuracy of witnesses’ reports. A separate body of research has shown that speakers gesture spontaneously when they talk and that these gestures can convey information not found anywhere in the speakers’ words. In our study, which joins these two literatures, we interviewed children about an event that they had witnessed. Our results demonstrate that (a) interviewers’ gestures serve as a source of information (and, at times, misinformation) that can lead witnesses to report incorrect details, and (b) the gestures witnesses spontaneously produce during interviews convey substantive information that is often not conveyed anywhere in their speech, and thus would not appear in written transcripts of the proceedings. These findings underscore the need to attend to, and document, gestures produced in investigative interviews, particularly interviews conducted with children.
Spatiotemporal Rivalry
Authors: Arnold Derek H. , Erskine Holly E. , Roseboom Warrick , Wallis Thomas S.A.
Published: October 2010

In human vision, mechanisms specialized for encoding static form can signal the presence of blurred forms trailing behind moving objects. People are typically unaware of these motion-blur signals because other mechanisms signal sharply defined moving forms. When active, these mechanisms can suppress awareness of motion blur. Thus, although discrepant form signals can be produced, human vision usually settles on a single coherent perceptual outcome. Here we report a dramatic exception. We found that, in some circumstances, static motion-blur form signals and moving-form signals can engage in a dynamic competition for perceptual dominance. We refer to the phenomenon as spatiotemporal rivalry (STR). Our data confirm that moving- and static-form mechanisms can generate independent signals, each of which can intermittently dominate perception. STR could therefore be exploited to investigate how these mechanisms contribute to determining the content of visual awareness.
Early Occipital Sensitivity to Syntactic Category Is Based on Form Typicality
Authors: Dikker Suzanne , Rabagliati Hugh , Farmer Thomas A. , Pylkkänen Liina
Published: October 2010

Syntactic factors can rapidly affect behavioral and neural responses during language processing; however, the mechanisms that allow this rapid extraction of syntactically relevant information remain poorly understood. We addressed this issue using magnetoencephalography and found that an unexpected word category (e.g., “The recently princess . . . ”) elicits enhanced activity in visual cortex as early as 120 ms after exposure, and that this activity occurs as a function of the compatibility of a word’s form with the form properties associated with a predicted word category. Because no sensitivity to linguistic factors has been previously reported for words in isolation at this stage of visual analysis, we propose that predictions about upcoming syntactic categories are translated into form-based estimates, which are made available to sensory cortices. This finding may be a key component to elucidating the mechanisms that allow the extreme rapidity and efficiency of language comprehension.
How to Seem Telepathic
Authors: Eyal Tal , Epley Nicholas
Published: October 2010

People can have difficulty intuiting what others think about them at least partly because people evaluate themselves in more fine-grained detail than observers do. This mismatch in the level of detail at which people construe themselves versus others diminishes accuracy in social judgment. Being a more accurate mind reader requires thinking of oneself at a higher level of construal that matches the observer’s construal (Experiments 1 and 2), and this strategy is more effective in this context than perspective taking (Experiments 3a and 3b). Accurately intuiting how others evaluate themselves requires the opposite strategy—thinking about others in a lower level of construal that matches the way people evaluate themselves (Experiment 4). Accurately reading other minds to know how one is evaluated by others—or how others evaluate themselves—requires focusing one’s evaluative lens at the right level of detail.
Of Snakes and Succor
Authors: Beckes Lane , Simpson Jeffry A. , Erickson Alyssa
Published: October 2010

Integrating ideas from Mikulincer and Shaver’s (2003) process model of attachment and Nelson and Panksepp’s (1998) neurobiological theory of an integrated social emotion system, we predicted novel attachment-related learning effects. In two experiments, we tested for a unique form of conditioning based on the social regulation of emotion. Consistent with this theoretical integration, the results indicated that people develop more positive and less negative associations with faces of people who display genuine smiles if those faces have been implicitly paired with a distressing stimulus (e.g., a striking snake). These findings could have broad implications and should be of interest to researchers who study attachment, social and affective neuroscience, emotion, learning and memory, attitudes, and interpersonal relationships.
Power Increases Hypocrisy
Authors: Lammers Joris , Stapel Diederik A. , Galinsky Adam D.
Published: October 2010

In five studies, we explored whether power increases moral hypocrisy (i.e., imposing strict moral standards on other people but practicing less strict moral behavior oneself). In Experiment 1, compared with the powerless, the powerful condemned other people’s cheating more, but also cheated more themselves. In Experiments 2 through 4, the powerful were more strict in judging other people’s moral transgressions than in judging their own transgressions. A final study found that the effect of power on moral hypocrisy depends on the legitimacy of the power: When power was illegitimate, the moral-hypocrisy effect was reversed, with the illegitimately powerful becoming stricter in judging their own behavior than in judging other people’s behavior. This pattern, which might be dubbed hypercrisy, was also found among low-power participants in Experiments 3 and 4. We discuss how patterns of hypocrisy and hypercrisy among the powerful and powerless can help perpetuate social inequality.
Priming Competence Diminishes the Link Between Cognitive Test Anxiety and Test Performance
Authors: Lang Jonas W.B. , Lang Jessica
Published: October 2010

Researchers disagree whether the correlation between cognitive test anxiety and test performance is causal or explainable by skill deficits, which lead to both cognitive test anxiety and lower test performance. Most causal theories of test anxiety assume that individual differences in cognitive test anxiety originate from differences in self-perceived competence. Accordingly, in the present research, we sought to temporarily heighten perceptions of competence using a priming intervention. Two studies with secondary- and vocational-school students ( Ns = 219 and 232, respectively) contrasted this intervention with a no-priming control condition. Priming competence diminished the association between cognitive test anxiety and test performance by heightening the performance of cognitively test-anxious students and by lowering the performance of students with low levels of cognitive test anxiety. The findings suggest that cognitively test-anxious persons have greater abilities than they commonly show. Competency priming may offer a way to improve the situation of people with cognitive test anxiety.
General Magnitude Representation in Human Infants
Authors: Lourenco Stella F. , Longo Matthew R.
Published: October 2010

Behavioral demonstrations of reciprocal interactions among the dimensions of space, number, and time, along with evidence of shared neural mechanisms in posterior parietal cortex, are consistent with a common representational code for general magnitude information. Although much recent speculation has concerned the developmental origins of a system of general magnitude representation, direct evidence in preverbal infants is lacking. Here we show that 9-month-olds transfer associative learning across magnitude dimensions. For example, if shown that larger objects were black and had stripes and that smaller objects were white and had dots, infants expected the same color-pattern mapping to hold for numerosity (i.e., greater numerosity: black with stripes; smaller numerosity: white with dots) and duration (i.e., longer-lasting objects: black with stripes; shorter-lasting objects: white with dots). Cross-dimensional transfer occurred bidirectionally for all combinations of size, numerosity, and duration. These results provide support for the existence of an early-developing and prelinguistic general magnitude system, whereby representations of magnitude information are (at least partially) abstracted from the specific dimensions.
Testing Predictions From Personality Neuroscience
Authors: DeYoung Colin G. , Hirsh Jacob B. , Shane Matthew S. , Papademetris Xenophon , Rajeevan Nallakkandi , Gray Jeremy R.
Published: October 2010

We used a new theory of the biological basis of the Big Five personality traits to generate hypotheses about the association of each trait with the volume of different brain regions. Controlling for age, sex, and whole-brain volume, results from structural magnetic resonance imaging of 116 healthy adults supported our hypotheses for four of the five traits: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Extraversion covaried with volume of medial orbitofrontal cortex, a brain region involved in processing reward information. Neuroticism covaried with volume of brain regions associated with threat, punishment, and negative affect. Agreeableness covaried with volume in regions that process information about the intentions and mental states of other individuals. Conscientiousness covaried with volume in lateral prefrontal cortex, a region involved in planning and the voluntary control of behavior. These findings support our biologically based, explanatory model of the Big Five and demonstrate the potential of personality neuroscience (i.e., the systematic study of individual differences in personality using neuroscience methods) as a discipline.
Pain Relativity in Motor Control
Authors: Kurniawan I.T. , Seymour B. , Vlaev I. , Trommershäuser J. , Dolan R.J. , Chater N.
Published: October 2010

Motivational theories of pain highlight its role in people’s choices of actions that avoid bodily damage. By contrast, little is known regarding how pain influences action implementation. To explore this less-understood area, we conducted a study in which participants had to rapidly point to a target area to win money while avoiding an overlapping penalty area that would cause pain in their contralateral hand. We found that pain intensity and target-penalty proximity repelled participants’ movement away from pain and that motor execution was influenced not by absolute pain magnitudes but by relative pain differences. Our results indicate that the magnitude and probability of pain have a precise role in guiding motor control and that representations of pain that guide action are, at least in part, relative rather than absolute. Additionally, our study shows that the implicit monetary valuation of pain, like many explicit valuations (e.g., patients’ use of rating scales in medical contexts), is unstable, a finding that has implications for pain treatment in clinical contexts.
Harsh Family Climate in Early Life Presages the Emergence of a Proinflammatory Phenotype in Adolescence
Authors: Miller Gregory E. , Chen Edith
Published: October 2010

A growing body of evidence indicates that children reared in harsh families are prone to chronic diseases and premature death later in life. To shed light on the mechanisms potentially underlying this phenomenon, we evaluated the hypothesis that harsh families engender a proinflammatory phenotype in children that is marked by exaggerated cytokine responses to bacterial stimuli and resistance to the anti-inflammatory properties of cortisol. We repeatedly measured psychological stress and inflammatory activity in 135 female adolescents on four occasions over 1.5 years. To the extent that they were reared in harsh families, participants displayed an increasingly proinflammatory phenotype during the follow-up analyses. This phenotype was marked by increasingly pronounced cytokine responses to in vitro bacterial challenge and a progressive desensitization of the glucocorticoid receptor, which hampered cortisol’s ability to properly regulate inflammatory responses. If sustained, these tendencies may place children from harsh families on a developmental trajectory toward the chronic diseases of aging.
The Representation of Tools in Left Parietal Cortex Is Independent of Visual Experience
Authors: Mahon Bradford Z. , Schwarzbach Jens , Caramazza Alfonso
Published: October 2010

Tool use depends on processes represented in distinct regions of left parietal cortex. We studied the role of visual experience in shaping neural specificity for tools in parietal cortex by using functional magnetic resonance imaging with sighted, late-blind, and congenitally blind participants. Using a region-of-interest approach in which tool-specific areas of parietal cortex were identified in sighted participants viewing pictures, we found that specificity in blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses for tools in the left inferior parietal lobule and the left anterior intraparietal sulcus is independent of visual experience. These findings indicate that motor- and somatosensory-based processes are sufficient to drive specificity for representations of tools in regions of parietal cortex. More generally, some aspects of the organization of the dorsal object-processing stream develop independently of the visual information that forms the major sensory input to that pathway in sighted individuals.