Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
Dokumenttyp
- Dissertation (64)
- Wissenschaftlicher Artikel (30)
Sprache
- Englisch (94) (entfernen)
Schlagworte
- Stress (22)
- Hydrocortison (13)
- Cortisol (9)
- cortisol (9)
- stress (7)
- Lernen (6)
- Physiologische Psychologie (6)
- Aufmerksamkeit (5)
- Depression (4)
- Elektroencephalographie (4)
- Funktionelle NMR-Tomographie (4)
- Kognition (4)
- Lebensmittel (4)
- Neuroendokrines System (4)
- Stressreaktion (4)
- fMRI (4)
- Affekt (3)
- Aggression (3)
- Gedächtnis (3)
- Langzeitgedächtnis (3)
- Memory (3)
- Psychotherapie (3)
- Schmerz (3)
- Selbstbild (3)
- episodic memory (3)
- long-term memory (3)
- Ambivalenz (2)
- Arbeitsgedächtnis (2)
- Augenfolgebewegung (2)
- Brustkrebs (2)
- Distractor-Response Binding (2)
- Dopamin (2)
- Einstellung (2)
- Elektroencephalogramm (2)
- Emotion (2)
- Emotionsregulation (2)
- Episodisches Gedächtnis (2)
- Ereigniskorreliertes Potenzial (2)
- Essstörung (2)
- Evaluation (2)
- Evaluative Konditionierung (2)
- Fibromyalgie (2)
- Gefühl (2)
- Gehirn (2)
- Genanalyse (2)
- Genexpression (2)
- Glucocorticosteroide (2)
- Glucocorticosteroidrezeptor (2)
- HPA axis (2)
- Humangenetik (2)
- Hypothalamus-Hypophysen-Nebennierenrinden-Achse (2)
- Insulin (2)
- Interaktion (2)
- Interozeption (2)
- Kognitive Psychologie (2)
- Learning (2)
- Partnerwahl (2)
- Persönlichkeitsstörung (2)
- Prognose (2)
- Psychobiologie (2)
- Psychological stress (2)
- Rückmeldung (2)
- Schizophrenie (2)
- Schreckreaktion (2)
- Selbstkontrolle (2)
- Stressor (2)
- Therapieerfolg (2)
- Vegetatives Nervensystem (2)
- Vergessen (2)
- academic self-concept (2)
- affective startle modulation (2)
- alternative Transkriptionsvarianten (2)
- alternative transcription variant (2)
- ambivalence (2)
- attitudes (2)
- behavioral genetics (2)
- directed forgetting (2)
- dopamine (2)
- evaluative conditioning (2)
- fibromyalgia (2)
- glucocorticoid receptor (2)
- intervention (2)
- mating preferences (2)
- pain (2)
- psychology (2)
- selective attention (2)
- (ADHD (1)
- 2D DIGE (1)
- 5' UTR (1)
- ACC (1)
- ANS (1)
- Abhängigkeit (1)
- Acetylcholin (1)
- Action control (1)
- Adaptives System (1)
- Affect (1)
- Affektive Schreckreiz-Modulation (1)
- Affektive Startle Modulation (1)
- Affektstörung (1)
- Alter (1)
- Ambivalence (1)
- Angststörung (1)
- Annäherungs-Vermeidungs-Motivation (1)
- Anthropometrie (1)
- Approach-avoidance motivation (1)
- Arbeit (1)
- Assoziatives Lernen (1)
- Aufmerksamkeits-Defizit-Syndrom (1)
- Ausdauer (1)
- Auswahl (1)
- Autismus (1)
- Baroreflex (1)
- Bauchfett (1)
- Beeinflussung (1)
- Begabtenförderung (1)
- Behalten (1)
- Behavioural methods (1)
- Beurteilungsfehler (1)
- Binge-eating Disorder (1)
- Bipolar Disorder (1)
- Bipolare Störung (1)
- Birth weight (1)
- Blinkreflex (1)
- Blinzelreflex (1)
- Borderline Personality Disorder (1)
- Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung (1)
- Brain (1)
- Bulimie (1)
- Burnout (1)
- Burnout-Syndrom (1)
- C15orf53 (1)
- CASL (1)
- CBG (1)
- CBT (1)
- COMT Val158Met (1)
- Care (1)
- Catecholmethyltransferase <Catechol-0-Methyltransferase> (1)
- Central Nervous System (1)
- Change (1)
- Chromosom 15 (1)
- Chromosom 22 (1)
- Cingulum (1)
- Cingulum Cerebri (1)
- Cognition (1)
- Cold Pressor Test (1)
- Coming-out (1)
- Conceptual Endophenotypes (1)
- Conduct disorder (1)
- Construal Level Theorie (1)
- Construal Level Theory (1)
- Consumer need for uniqueness (1)
- Continuity (1)
- Control theory (1)
- Corticosteroid-bindendes Globulin (1)
- Corticosteroidrezeptor (1)
- Cortisol-Aufwach-Reaktion (1)
- Cytokine (1)
- Das circadiane System (1)
- Diagnostische Urteilskompetenz (1)
- Differentielle Genexpression (1)
- Dissonance (1)
- Distraktor-Reaktionsbindung (1)
- Distraktor-Verarbeitung (1)
- Distraktorverarbeitung (1)
- EEG (1)
- ERP (1)
- Ecological Momentary Assessment (1)
- Einstellungsforschung (1)
- Elektroenzephalogramm (1)
- Elektrokardiogramm (1)
- Emotions (1)
- Empfindung (1)
- Encodierung (1)
- Entscheidung (1)
- Entwicklung (1)
- Enzym (1)
- Enzyme (1)
- Epigenetik (1)
- Ereigniskorreliertes Potential (1)
- Ergebnis (1)
- Erwartung (1)
- Erzählung (1)
- Essgewohnheit (1)
- Essverhalten (1)
- Event file (1)
- Event-File (1)
- Exekuitive Funktion (1)
- Exekutive Funktionen (1)
- Experiment (1)
- Extraversion (1)
- F0 (1)
- FKBP51 (1)
- Fahrassistenzsystem (1)
- Faktorenanalyse (1)
- Fear (1)
- Feedback (1)
- Feinkartierung (1)
- Fettsucht (1)
- Fetus (1)
- Fissurisation (1)
- Flexibilität (1)
- Fluoreszenzmikroskopie (1)
- Food pictures (1)
- Frequenzbandkopplungen (1)
- Funktionalität (1)
- Funktionelle Kernspintomographie (1)
- Furcht (1)
- Fähigkeitsselbstkonzepte (1)
- GR (1)
- Gamification (1)
- Gedächtnisrepräsentation (1)
- Gedächtnistest (1)
- Gegenstimulation (1)
- Genauigkeit (1)
- Generationsbeziehung (1)
- Genetik (1)
- Geneva Emotional Competence Test (1)
- Gesichtsfeld (1)
- Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR) (1)
- Glucocorticoidrezeptor (1)
- Glucocorticoids (1)
- Glukokortikoidrezeptor (1)
- Grundfrequenz (1)
- Grundschullehrer (1)
- Gyrifikation (1)
- HPA (1)
- HPA-Achse (1)
- Habituation (1)
- Handlungsregulation (1)
- Haushalt (1)
- Heart rate (1)
- Hemisphärendominanz (1)
- Herztransplantation (1)
- Hippocampus (1)
- Hippocampus Aktivierung (1)
- Hippocampus Atrophie (1)
- Hippocampus Volumen (1)
- Hirnforschung (1)
- Hirnfunktion (1)
- Human (1)
- Human behaviour (1)
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (1)
- Immunsystem (1)
- Implizites Lernen (1)
- Implizites Sequenzlernen (1)
- Impulsivität (1)
- Individualisierte Medizin (1)
- Individualisierung (1)
- Information (1)
- Information Retrieval (1)
- Informationsverarbeitung (1)
- Infusion (1)
- Inhibition (1)
- Inhibitorische Kontrolle (1)
- Intelligence Structure Battery (1)
- Intelligence profiles (1)
- Intelligenz (1)
- Intelligenztest (1)
- Intention (1)
- Interoception (1)
- Interpersonale Kommunikation (1)
- Intranasal insulin (1)
- Intrusionen (1)
- Isolation <Soziologie> (1)
- Jugend (1)
- Kaltwasserstresstest (1)
- Kaltwasssertest (1)
- Kardiovaskuläre Krankheit (1)
- Kernspintomographie (1)
- Kind (1)
- Klassiche Lidschlagkonditionierung (1)
- Klassische Konditionierung (1)
- Knowledge (1)
- Koerperwahrnehmung (1)
- Kognitive Entwicklung (1)
- Kognitive Verhaltenstherapie (1)
- Konditionierung (1)
- Kontrollierte Therapiestudie (1)
- Konzeptuelle Endophänotypen (1)
- Kopplungs- und Mutationsanalysen (1)
- Kortex (1)
- Kunststoff (1)
- Körpertherapie (1)
- LG children (1)
- Leben (1)
- Lebensqualität (1)
- Lerntechnik (1)
- Literatur (1)
- Long-term memory (1)
- Lymphozyt (1)
- MALDI-TOF MS (1)
- MLC1 (1)
- MR (1)
- Makrophage (1)
- Mann (1)
- Mass Customization (1)
- Mathematik (1)
- Meat Consumption (1)
- Meat Paradox (1)
- Mensch (1)
- Menstruationszyklus (1)
- Meta-Analyse (1)
- Meta-Analysis (1)
- Metabolism (1)
- Methylierung und SNPs (1)
- Methylphenidat (1)
- Milde Depression (1)
- Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum (1)
- Mineralokortikoidrezeptor (1)
- Moderator (1)
- Moderators and mediators (1)
- Modulation (1)
- Monozyt (1)
- Mortality Salience (1)
- Mortalitätssalienz (1)
- Motor mimicry (1)
- MouseTracker (1)
- Mutation (1)
- Männlichkeit (1)
- NMR-Spektroskopie (1)
- Netzwerkanalyse (1)
- Neuropattern (1)
- Nuklearrezeptoren (1)
- Orbicularis-oculi-Reflex (1)
- P-Glykoprotein (1)
- PERIOD Gene (1)
- PERIOD gene (1)
- PERIOD genes (1)
- PTSD (1)
- Patient (1)
- Patients (1)
- Perfektionismus (1)
- Perfusion (1)
- Personalisierte Psychotherapie (1)
- Personalisierung (1)
- Personalized Medicine (1)
- Personalized mental health (1)
- Phasen-Amplituden-Kopplung (1)
- Physical activity (1)
- Plazenta (1)
- Polymorphismus (1)
- Positive affect (1)
- Positiver Affekt (1)
- Posttraumatisches Stresssyndrom (1)
- Precision mental health (1)
- Pressorezeptor (1)
- Problemlösen (1)
- Prognosis (1)
- Programm (1)
- Promotorregion (1)
- Prosa (1)
- Prosocial behavior (1)
- Proteomanalyse (1)
- Provokation (1)
- Präferenz (1)
- Präpulsinhibierung (1)
- Psychiatric genetics (1)
- Psychische Störung (1)
- Psychisches Trauma (1)
- Psychologiestudierende (1)
- Psychologiestudium (1)
- Psychologische Diagnostik (1)
- Psychologische Distanz (1)
- Psychometrie (1)
- Psychometrischer Intelligenztest (1)
- Psychophysiology (1)
- Psychotherapeutische Versorgung (1)
- Pulsatilität (1)
- Pädagogische Diagnostik (1)
- RCT (1)
- Reaktion (1)
- Reiz-Reaktions Bindung (1)
- Reizverarbeitung (1)
- Reliabilität (1)
- Routine outcome monitoring (1)
- SNP (1)
- Sakkade (1)
- Schizophrenia (1)
- Schreckreflex (1)
- Schule (1)
- Schullaufbahnempfehlung (1)
- Schulleistung (1)
- Schulzeugnis (1)
- Schwangersch (1)
- Schwangerschaft (1)
- Schweißabsonderung (1)
- Sekundärkrankheit (1)
- Selbsteinschätzung (1)
- Selbstkonzept (1)
- Selbstregulation (1)
- Selbstwert (1)
- Selbstwertgefühl (1)
- Selbstwirksamkeit (1)
- Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung (1)
- Selective attention (1)
- Selektion (1)
- Selektivität (1)
- Self-Regulation (1)
- Smoking) (1)
- Social anxiety disorder (1)
- Somatic experiencing (1)
- Sozialangst (1)
- Sozialer Stress (1)
- Sozialpsychologie (1)
- Sozialverhalten (1)
- Spatial learning (1)
- Speichel (1)
- Sprachverarbeitung (1)
- Stability (1)
- Startle modulation (1)
- Startle reflex (1)
- Statistik (1)
- Stereotyp (1)
- Steroidhormonrezeptor (1)
- Stillen (1)
- Stimme (1)
- Stimulus-Response binding (1)
- Stimulus-response learning (1)
- Struktur (1)
- Subarachnoidalblutung (1)
- Sympathikus (1)
- Test-retest (1)
- Testen (1)
- Testergebnis (1)
- Testosteron (1)
- Thalamus (1)
- Therapieabbruch (1)
- Thermal stresses (1)
- Transkript (1)
- Transkription <Genetik> (1)
- Umweltbewusstsein (1)
- Universal Eating Monitor (1)
- Unsicherheit (1)
- Unterkörper Unterdruck (1)
- Unterrichtsfach (1)
- Vagus (1)
- Validierung (1)
- Vater (1)
- Vegetarianism (1)
- Verbesserung (1)
- Verbraucherverhalten (1)
- Verhaltensgenetik (1)
- Verhaltensmuster (1)
- Verhaltensstörung (1)
- Verlangen (1)
- Vermeidung (1)
- Verpackung (1)
- Verschwendung (1)
- Videospiel (1)
- Visceral perception (1)
- Visuelle Aufmerksamkeit (1)
- Viszerale Wahrnehmung (1)
- Vorsorge (1)
- Wandel (1)
- Wartezeit (1)
- Willenskraft (1)
- Wirkung (1)
- Wissen (1)
- Work Stress (1)
- Working memory (1)
- Zeit (1)
- Zentralnervensystem (1)
- Zuckergehalt (1)
- Zytokin (1)
- acetylcholine (1)
- action control (1)
- adaptive hypermedia (1)
- adolescents (1)
- affect (1)
- age stereotypes (1)
- akademisches Selbstkonzept (1)
- analysistransplantation (1)
- anterior cingulate (1)
- arterial spin labeling (1)
- associative learning (1)
- attitude formation (1)
- automatische Handlungsplanung (1)
- automatische Reizverarbeitung (1)
- baroreceptor (1)
- best before (1)
- biases in judgement (1)
- blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) contrast (1)
- body composition (1)
- bottom-up-therapy (1)
- brain (1)
- bulimia (1)
- central adiposity (1)
- cerebral blood flow (1)
- chronic stress (1)
- chronischer Stress (1)
- circadian clock genes (1)
- circadian clock system (1)
- cognition (1)
- cognitive control (1)
- cold pressor (1)
- coming out (or disclosure) (1)
- cortex (1)
- corticosteroid receptor (1)
- cortisol response to awakening (1)
- counter-stimulation (1)
- cross-frequency coupling (1)
- crystallized abilities (1)
- customer loyalty (1)
- cytokine (1)
- cytokines (1)
- dACC (1)
- date labeling (1)
- decision making (1)
- depression (1)
- development (1)
- die circadiane Uhr-Gene (1)
- distractor processing (1)
- distress (1)
- domestic food waste (1)
- driver assistance system (1)
- dual task interference (1)
- early response (1)
- eating behavior (1)
- eating behaviour (1)
- ecological momentary assessment (1)
- educational assessment (1)
- effectiveness (1)
- efficacy (1)
- electrocardiogram (1)
- electroencephalogram (1)
- emotion regulation (1)
- emotional intelligence (1)
- empirical evaluation (1)
- encoding (1)
- epigenetic programming (1)
- evaluation (1)
- evaluation framework (1)
- event file (1)
- executive functions (1)
- exekutive Funktionen (1)
- eyeblink conditioning (1)
- fMRT (1)
- factor analysis (1)
- familial risk (1)
- fathers (1)
- fine mapping (1)
- fissurization (1)
- fluid abilities (1)
- food preference (1)
- functional MRI (1)
- functional specialisation of hemispheres (1)
- funktionelle NMR-Tomographie (1)
- games, experimental (1)
- gene expression (1)
- genetics (1)
- glucocorticoids (1)
- glycaemic index (1)
- growth mixture modeling (1)
- heart failure (1)
- hippocampal atrophy (1)
- hippocampal volume assessment (1)
- homosexuality (1)
- hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (1)
- hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal-axis (1)
- hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (1)
- immune system (1)
- immunity (1)
- implicit learning (1)
- impulsivity (1)
- information processing (1)
- inhibitory control (1)
- interference (1)
- intergenerational programs (1)
- interoception (1)
- intrusions (1)
- judgement accuracy (1)
- kognitive Kontrolle (1)
- language processing (1)
- learning (1)
- linkage and mutational analysis (1)
- lower body negative pressure (1)
- lymphocytes (1)
- macrophages (1)
- maternal care (1)
- mean vector length (1)
- membrane glucocorticoid receptor (1)
- membraner Glucocorticoidrezeptor (1)
- memory (1)
- memory representation (1)
- menstrual cycle (1)
- methylation and SNPs (1)
- methylphenidate (1)
- midcingulate cortex (1)
- mineralocorticoid receptor (1)
- mismatch negativity (1)
- modulation (1)
- modulation index (1)
- monocytes (1)
- motion energy analysis (1)
- natural killer cells (1)
- natürliche Killerzellen (1)
- neuroendocrine system (1)
- neuroimaging (1)
- nicht-genomische Effekte (1)
- non-genomic effects (1)
- nonverbal synchrony (1)
- norepinephrine (1)
- nuclear receptor (1)
- nucleus accumbens (1)
- obesity (1)
- older adults (1)
- p-glycoprotein (1)
- patient-focused psychotherapy research (1)
- patienten-orientierte Psychotherapieforschung (1)
- perception (1)
- periodic catatonia (1)
- periodische Katatonie (1)
- personalized psychotherapy (1)
- phase-amplitude coupling (1)
- placenta (1)
- plastic (1)
- post-transcriptional regulation (1)
- post-transkriptionelle Regulierung (1)
- post-traumatic stress disorder (1)
- postnatal stress factors (1)
- postnatale Stressfaktoren (1)
- posttraumatic stress disorder (1)
- prenatal adversity (1)
- prenatal programming (1)
- prenatal stress (1)
- prenatal stress factors (1)
- prenatal tobacco exposure (1)
- prepulse inhibition (1)
- promoter region (1)
- proof of concept study (1)
- proteomics (1)
- provocation (1)
- pränatale Programmierung (1)
- pränatale Risikofaktoren (1)
- pränatale Stressfaktoren (1)
- pränatale Tabakexposition (1)
- pränataler Stress (1)
- psychological distance (1)
- psychology and behaviorsocial isolation (1)
- psychology students (1)
- psychometric validation (1)
- pulsatility (1)
- quantitative sensory testing (1)
- retrieval practice (1)
- risk factors (1)
- routine care (1)
- saccade (1)
- salivary alpha-amylase (1)
- school (1)
- school performance (1)
- school subject (1)
- selection (1)
- selective forgetting (1)
- selektive Aufmerksamkeit (1)
- self-concept (1)
- self-efficacy (1)
- self-esteem (1)
- self-perception (1)
- simulation study (1)
- social contactssurvival (1)
- social self-concept (1)
- somatische Komorbiditäten (1)
- soziale Selbstkonzepte (1)
- stress hyporesponsive period (1)
- stress reaction (1)
- structure (1)
- subarachnoid haemorrhage (1)
- substance abuse (1)
- teacher judgement (1)
- teachers (1)
- testing (1)
- text memory (1)
- trauma therapy (1)
- uncertainty (1)
- uniqueness seeking (1)
- user modeling (1)
- vagus (1)
- video games (1)
- visceral awareness (1)
- visual change detection (1)
- visuelle Wahrnehmung (1)
- visueller Mismatch (1)
- viszerale Empfindung (1)
- voice (1)
- zerebraler Blutfluss (1)
- Ätiologie (1)
- Überleben (1)
- Übung (1)
Institut
- Psychologie (94) (entfernen)
Dysfunctional eating behavior is a major risk factor for developing all sorts of eating disorders. Food craving is a concept that may help to understand better why and how these and other eating disorders become chronic conditions through non homeastatically-driven mechanisms. As obesity affects people worldwide, cultural differences must be acknowledged to apply proper therapeutic strategies. In this work, we adapted the Food Craving Inventory (FCI) to the German population. We performed a factor analysis of an adaptation of the original FCI in a sample of 326 men and women. We could replicate the factor structure of the FCI on a German population.rnThe factor extraction procedure produced a factor solution that reproduces the fourfactors described in the original inventory, the FCI. Our instrument presents high internal consistency, as well as a significant correlation with measures of convergent and discriminant validity. The FCI-Deutsch (FCI-DE) is a valid instrument to assess craving for particular foods in Germany, and it could, therefore, prove useful in the clinical and research practice in the field of obesity and eating behaviors.
Background: Psychotherapy is successful for the majority of patients , but not for every patient. Hence, further knowledge is needed on how treatments should be adapted for those who do not profit or deteriorate. In the last years prediction tools as well as feedback interventions were part of a trend to more personalized approaches in psychotherapy. Research on psychometric prediction and feedback into ongoing treatment has the potential to enhance treatment outcomes, especially for patients with an increased risk of treatment failure or drop-out.rnMethods/design: The research project investigates in a randomized controlled trial the effectiveness as well as moderating and mediating factors of psychometric feedback to therapists. In the intended study a total of 423 patients, who applied for a cognitive-behavioral therapy at the psychotherapy clinic of the University Trier and suffer from a depressive and/or an anxietyrndisorder (SCID interviews), will be included. The patients will be randomly assigned either to one therapist as well as to one of two intervention groups (CG, IG2). An additional intervention group (IG1) will be generated from an existing archival data set via propensity score matching. Patients of the control group (CG; n = 85) will be monitored concerning psychological impairment but therapists will not be provided with any feedback about the patients assessments. In both intervention groups (IG1: n = 169; IG2: n = 169) the therapists are provided with feedback about the patients self-evaluation in a computerized feedback portal. Therapists of the IG2 will additionally be provided with clinical support tools, which will be developed in thisrnproject, on the basis of existing systems. Therapists will also be provided with a personalized treatment recommendation based on similar patients (Nearest Neighbors) at the beginning of treatment. Besides the general effectiveness of feedback and the clinical support tools for negatively developing patients, further mediating and moderating variables on this feedback effectrnshould be examined: treatment length, frequency of feedback use, therapist effects, therapist- experience, attitude towards feedback as well as congruence of therapist-andpatient- evaluation concerning the progress. Additional procedures will be implemented to assess treatment adherence as well as the reliability of diagnosis and to include it into the analyses.rnDiscussion: The current trial tests a comprehensive feedback system which combines precision mental health predictions with routine outcome monitoring and feedback tools in routine outpatient psychotherapy. It also adds to previous feedback research a stricter design by investigating another repeated measurement CG as well as a stricter control of treatment integrity. It also includes a structured clinical interview (SCID) and controls for comorbidity (within depression and anxiety). This study also investigates moderators (attitudes towards, use of the feedback system, diagnoses) and mediators (therapists" awareness of negative change and treatment length) in one study.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that acts on the central nervous system in order to support adaptation and time-adjusted coping processes. Whereas previous research has focused on slow emerging, genomic effects of cortisol likely mediated by protein synthesis, there is only limited knowledge about rapid, non-genomic cortisol effects on in vivo neuronal cell activity in humans. Three independent placebo-controlled studies in healthy men were conducted to test effects of 4 mg cortisol on central nervous system activity, occurring within 15 minutes after intravenous administration. Two of the studies (N = 26; N = 9) used continuous arterial spin labeling as a magnetic resonance imaging sequence, and found rapid bilateral thalamic perfusion decrements. The third study (N = 14) revealed rapid cortisol-induced changes in global signal strength and map complexity of the electroencephalogram. The observed changes in neuronal functioning suggest that cortisol may act on the thalamic relay of non-relevant background as well as on task specific sensory information in order to facilitate the adaptation to stress challenges. In conclusion, these results are the first to coherently suggest that a physiologically plausible amount of cortisol profoundly affects functioning and perfusion of the human CNS in vivo by a rapid, non-genomic mechanism.
The forward testing effect is an indirect benefit of retrieval practice. It refers to the finding that retrieval practice of previously studied information enhances learning and retention of subsequently studied other information in episodic memory tasks. Here, two experiments were conducted that investigated whether retrieval practice influences participants’ performance in other tasks, i.e., arithmetic tasks. Participants studied three lists of words in anticipation of a final recall test. In the testing condition, participants were immediately tested on lists 1 and 2 after study of each list, whereas in the restudy condition, they restudied lists 1 and 2 after initial study. Before and after study of list 3, participants did an arithmetic task. Finally, participants were tested on list 3, list 2, and list 1. Different arithmetic tasks were used in the two experiments. Participants did a modular arithmetic task in Experiment 1a and a single-digit multiplication task in Experiment 1b. The results of both experiments showed a forward testing effect with interim testing of lists 1 and 2 enhancing list 3 recall in the list 3 recall test, but no effects of recall testing of lists 1 and 2 for participants’ performance in the arithmetic tasks. The findings are discussed with respect to cognitive load theory and current theories of the forward testing effect.
Every day we are exposed to a large set of appetitive food cues, mostly of high caloric, high carbohydrate content. Environmental factors like food cue exposition can impact eating behavior, by triggering anticipatory endocrinal responses and reinforcing the reward value of food. Additionally, it has been shown that eating behavior is largely influence by neuroendocrine factors. Energy homeostasis is of great importance for survival in all animal species. It is challenged under the state of food deprivation which is considered to be a metabolic stressor. Interestingly, the systems regulating stress and food intake share neural circuits. Adrenal glucocorticoids, as cortisol, and the pancreatic hormone insulin have been shown to be crucial to maintain catabolic and anabolic balance. Cortisol and insulin can cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with receptors distributed throughout the brain, influencing appetite and eating behavior. At the same time, these hormones have an important impact on the stress response. The aim of the current work is to broaden the knowledge on reward related food cue processing. With that purpose, we studied how food cue processing is influenced by food deprivation in women (in different phases of the menstrual cycle) and men. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of the stress/metabolic hormones, insulin and cortisol, at neural sites important for energy metabolism and in the processing of visual food cues. The Chapter I of this thesis details the underlying mechanisms of the startle response and its application in the investigation of food cue processing. Moreover, it describes the effects of food deprivation and of the stress-metabolic hormones insulin and cortisol in reward related processing of food cues. It explains the rationale for the studies presented in Chapter II-IV and describes their main findings. A general discussion of the results and recommendations for future research is given. In the study described in Chapter II, startle methodology was used to study the impact of food deprivation in the processing of reward related food cues. Women in different phases of the menstrual cycle and men were studied, in order to address potential effects of sex and menstrual cycle. All participants were studied either satiated or food deprived. Food deprivation provoked enhanced acoustic startle (ASR) response during foreground presentation of visual food cues. Sex and menstrual cycle did not influence this effect. The startle pattern towards food cues during fasting can be explained by a frustrative nonreward effect (FNR), driven by the impossibility to consume the exposed food. In Chapter III, a study is described, which was carried out to explore the central effects of insulin and cortisol, using continuous arterial spin labeling to map cerebral blood flow patterns. Following standardized periods of fasting, male participants received either intranasal insulin, oral cortisol, both, or placebo. Intranasal insulin increased resting regional cerebral blood flow in the putamen and insular cortex, structures that are involved in the regulation of eating behavior. Neither cortisol nor interaction effects were found. These results demonstrate that insulin exerts an action in metabolic centers during resting state, which is not affected by glucocorticoids. The study described in Chapter IV uses a similar pharmacological manipulation as the one presented in Chapter III, while assessing processing of reward related food cues through the startle paradigm validated in Chapter II. A sample of men was studied during short-term food deprivation. Considering the importance of both cortisol and insulin in glucose metabolism, food pictures were divided by glycemic index. Cortisol administration enhanced ASR during foreground presentation of "high glycemic" food pictures. This result suggests that cortisol provokes an increase in reward value of high glycemic food cues, which is congruent with previous research on stress and food consumption. This thesis gives support to the FNR hypothesis towards food cues during states of deprivation. Furthermore, it highlights the potential effects of stress related hormones in metabolism-connected neuronal structures, and in the reward related mechanisms of food cue processing. In a society marked by increased food exposure and availability, alongside with increased stress, it is important to better understand the impact of food exposition and its interaction with relevant hormones. This thesis contributes to the knowledge in this field. More research in this direction is needed.
Background: We evaluated depression and social isolation assessed at time of waitlisting as predictors of survival in heart transplant (HTx) recipients. Methods and Results: Between 2005 and 2006, 318 adult HTx candidates were enrolled in the Waiting for a New Heart Study, and 164 received transplantation. Patients were followed until February 2013. Psychosocial characteristics were assessed by questionnaires. Eurotransplant provided medical data at waitlisting, transplantation dates, and donor characteristics; hospitals reported medical data at HTx and date of death after HTx. During a median followâ€up of 70 months (<1"93 months postâ€HTx), 56 (38%) of 148 transplanted patients with complete data died. Depression scores were unrelated to social isolation, and neither correlated with disease severity. Higher depression scores increased the risk of dying (hazard ratio=1.07, 95% confidence interval, 1.01, 1.15, P=0.032), which was moderated by social isolation scores (significant interaction term; hazard ratio = 0.985, 95% confidence interval, 0.973, 0.998; P=0.022). These findings were maintained in multivariate models controlling for covariates (P values 0.020"0.039). Actuarial 1â€year/5â€year survival was best for patients with low depression who were not socially isolated at waitlisting (86% after 1 year, 79% after 5 years). Survival of those who were either depressed, or socially isolated or both, was lower, especially 5 years posttransplant (56%, 60%, and 62%, respectively). Conclusions: Low depression in conjunction with social integration at time of waitlisting is related to enhanced chances for survival after HTx. Both factors should be considered for inclusion in standardized assessments and interventions for HTx candidates. We evaluated depression and social isolation assessed at time of waitlisting as predictors of survival in heart transplant (HTx) recipients.\r\n\r\nMethods and Results: Between 2005 and 2006, 318 adult HTx candidates were enrolled in the Waiting for a New Heart Study, and 164 received transplantation. Patients were followed until February 2013. Psychosocial characteristics were assessed by questionnaires. Eurotransplant provided medical data at waitlisting, transplantation dates, and donor characteristics; hospitals reported medical data at HTx and date of death after HTx. During a median followâ€up of 70 months (<1"93 months postâ€HTx), 56 (38%) of 148 transplanted patients with complete data died. Depression scores were unrelated to social isolation, and neither correlated with disease severity. Higher depression scores increased the risk of dying (hazard ratio=1.07, 95% confidence interval, 1.01, 1.15, P=0.032), which was moderated by social isolation scores (significant interaction term; hazard ratio = 0.985, 95% confidence interval, 0.973, 0.998; P=0.022). These findings were maintained in multivariate models controlling for covariates (P values 0.020"0.039). Actuarial 1â€year/5â€year survival was best for patients with low depression who were not socially isolated at waitlisting (86% after 1 year, 79% after 5 years). Survival of those who were either depressed, or socially isolated or both, was lower, especially 5 years posttransplant (56%, 60%, and 62%, respectively).
Fostering positive and realistic self-concepts of individuals is a major goal in education worldwide (Trautwein & Möller, 2016). Individuals spend most of their childhood and adolescence in school. Thus, schools are important contexts for individuals to develop positive self-perceptions such as self-concepts. In order to enhance positive self-concepts in educational settings and in general, it is indispensable to have a comprehensive knowledge about the development and structure of self-concepts and their determinants. To date, extensive empirical and theoretical work on antecedents and change processes of self-concept has been conducted. However, several research gaps still exist, and several of these are the focus of the present dissertation. Specifically, these research gaps encompass (a) the development of multiple self-concepts from multiple perspectives regarding stability and change, (b) the direction of longitudinal interplay between self-concept facets over the entire time period from childhood to late adolescence, and (c) the evidence that a recently developed structural model of academic self-concept (nested Marsh/Shavelson model [Brunner et al., 2010]) fits the data in elementary school students, (d) the investigation of structural changes in academic self-concept profile formation within this model, (e) the investigation of dimensional comparison processes as determinants of academic self-concept profile formation in elementary school students within the internal/external frame of reference model (I/E model; Marsh, 1986), (f) the test of moderating variables for dimensional comparison processes in elementary school, (g) the test of the key assumptions of the I/E model that effects of dimensional comparisons depend to a large degree on the existence of achievement differences between subjects, and (h) the generalizability of the findings regarding the I/E model over different statistical analytic methods. Thus, the aim of the present dissertation is to contribute to close these gaps with three studies. Thereby, data from German students enrolled in elementary school to secondary school education were gathered in three projects comprising the developmental time span from childhood to adolescence (ages 6 to 20). Three vital self-concept areas in childhood and adolescence were in-vestigated: general self-concept (i.e., self-esteem), academic self-concepts (general, math, reading, writing, native language), and social self-concepts (of acceptance and assertion). In all studies, data were analyzed within a latent variable framework. Findings are discussed with respect to the research aims of acquiring more comprehensive knowledge on the structure and development of significant self-concept in childhood and adolescence and their determinants. In addition, theoretical and practical implications derived from the findings of the present studies are outlined. Strengths and limitations of the present dissertation are discussed. Finally, an outlook for future research on self-concepts is given.
Background: The body-oriented therapeutic approach Somatic Experiencing® (SE) treats posttraumatic symptoms by changing the interoceptive and proprioceptive sensations associated with the traumatic experience. Filling a gap in the landscape of trauma treatments, SE has attracted growing interest in research and therapeutic practice, recently.
Objective: To date, there is no literature review of the effectiveness and key factors of SE. This review aims to summarize initial findings on the effectiveness of SE and to outline methodspecific key factors of SE.
Method: To gain a first overview of the literature, we conducted a scoping review including studies until 13 August 2020. We identified 83 articles of which 16 fit inclusion criteria and were systematically analysed.
Results: Findings provide preliminary evidence for positive effects of SE on PTSD-related symptoms. Moreover, initial evidence suggests that SE has a positive impact on affective and somatic symptoms and measures of well-being in both traumatized and non-traumatized
samples. Practitioners and clients identified resource-orientation and use of touch as methodspecific key factors of SE. Yet, an overall studies quality assessment as well as a Cochrane analysis of risk of bias indicate that the overall study quality is mixed.
Conclusions: The results concerning effectiveness and method-specific key factors of SE are promising; yet, require more support from unbiased RCT-research. Future research should focus on filling this gap.
Aggression is one of the most researched topics in psychology. This is understandable, since aggression behavior does a lot of harm to individuals and groups. A lot is known already about the biology of aggression, but one system that seems to be of vital importance in animals has largely been overlooked: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Menno Kruk and Jószef Haller and their research teams developed rodent models of adaptive, normal, and abnormal aggressive behavior. They found the acute HPA axis (re)activity, but also chronic basal levels to be causally relevant in the elicitation and escalation of aggressive behavior. As a mediating variable, changes in the processing of relevant social information is proposed, although this could not be tested in animals. In humans, not a lot of research has been done, but there is evidence for both the association between acute and basal cortisol levels in (abnormal) aggression. However, not many of these studies have been experimental of nature. rnrnOur aim was to add to the understanding of both basal chronic levels of HPA axis activity, as well as acute levels in the formation of aggressive behavior. Therefore, we did two experiments, both with healthy student samples. In both studies we induced aggression with a well validated paradigm from social psychology: the Taylor Aggression Paradigm. Half of the subjects, however, only went through a non-provoking control condition. We measured trait basal levels of HPA axis activity on three days prior. We took several cortisol samples before, during, and after the task. After the induction of aggression, we measured the behavioral and electrophysiological brain response to relevant social stimuli, i.e., emotional facial expressions embedded in an emotional Stroop task. In the second study, we pharmacologically manipulated cortisol levels 60min before the beginning of the experiment. To do that, half of the subjects were administered 20mg of hydrocortisone, which elevates circulating cortisol levels (cortisol group), the other half was administered a placebo (placebo group). Results showed that acute HPA axis activity is indeed relevant for aggressive behavior. We found in Study 1 a difference in cortisol levels after the aggression induction in the provoked group compared to the non-provoked group (i.e., a heightened reactivity of the HPA axis). However, this could not be replicated in Study 2. Furthermore, the pharmacological elevation of cortisol levels led to an increase in aggressive behavior in women compared to the placebo group. There were no effects in men, so that while men were significantly more aggressive than women in the placebo group, they were equally aggressive in the cortisol group. Furthermore, there was an interaction of cortisol treatment with block of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, in that the cortisol group was significantly more aggressive in the third block of the task. Concerning basal HPA axis activity, we found an effect on aggressive behavior in both studies, albeit more consistently in women and in the provoked and non-provoked groups. However, the effect was not apparent in the cortisol group. After the aggressive encounter, information processing patterns were changed in the provoked compared to the non-provoked group for all facial expressions, especially anger. These results indicate that the HPA axis plays an important role in the formation of aggressive behavior in humans, as well. Importantly, different changes within the system, be it basal or acute, are associated with the same outcome in this task. More studies are needed, however, to better understand the role that each plays in different kinds of aggressive behavior, and the role information processing plays as a possible mediating variable. This extensive knowledge is necessary for better behavioral interventions.
The brain is the central coordinator of the human stress reaction. At the same time, peripheral endocrine and neural stress signals act on the brain modulating brain function. Here, three experimental studies are presented demonstrating this dual role of the brain in stress. Study I shows that centrally acting insulin, an important regulator of energy homeostasis, attenuates the stress related cortisol secretion. Studies II and III show that specific components of the stress reaction modulate learning and memory retrieval, two important aspects of higher-order brain function.
Stress is a common phenomenon for animals living in the wild, but also for humans in modern societies. Originally, the body's stress response is an adaptive reaction to a possibly life-threatening situation, and it has been shown to impact on energy distribution and metabolism, thereby increasing the chance of survival. However, stress has also been shown to impact on mating behaviour and reproductive strategies in animals and humans. This work deals with the effect of stress on reproductive behavior. Up to now, research has only focused on the effects of stress on reproduction in general. The effects of stress on reproduction may be looked at from two points of view. First, stress affects reproductive functioning by endocrine (e.g. glucocorticoid) actions on the reproductive system. However, stress can also influence reproductive behavior, i.e. mate choice and mating preferences. Animals and humans do not mate randomly, but exhibit preferences towards mating partners. One factor by which animals and humans choose their mating partners is similarity vs. dissimilarity: Similar mates usually carry more of one's own genes and the cooperation between similar mates is, at least theoretically, less hampered by expressing diverse behaviors. By mating with dissimilar mates on the other hand one may acquire new qualities for oneself, but also for one's offspring, useful to cope with environmental challenge. In humans we usually find a preference for similar mates. Due to the high costs of breeding, variables like cooperation and life-long partnerships may play a greater role than the acquaintance of new qualities.The present work focuses on stress effects on mating preferences of humans and will give a first answer to the question whether stress may affect our preference for similar mates. Stress and mating preferences are at the centre of this work. Thus, in the first Chapter I will give an introduction on stress and mating preferences and link these topics to each other. Furthermore, I will give a short summary of the studies described in Chapter II - Chapter IV and close the chapter with a general discussion of the findings and directions for further research on stress and mating preferences. Human mating behavior is complex, and many aspects of it may not relate to biology but social conventions and education. This work will not focus on those aspects but rather on cognitive and affective processing of erotic and sexually-relevant stimuli, since we assume that these aspects of mating behaviour are likely related to psychobiological stress mechanisms. Therefore, a paradigm is needed that measures such aspects of mating preferences in humans. The studies presented in Chapter II and Chapter III were performed in order to develop such a paradigm. In these studies we show that affective startle modulation may be used to indicate differences in sexual approach motivation to potential mating partners with different similarity levels to the participant. In Chapter IV, I will describe a study that aimed to investigate the effects of stress on human mating preferences. We showed that stress reverses human mating preferences: While unstressed individuals show a preference for similar mates, stressed individuals seem to prefer dissimilar mates. Overall, the studies presented in this work showed that affective startle modulation can be employed to measure mating preferences in humans and that these mating preferences are influenced by stress.
Memory consists of multiple anatomically and functionally distinct systems. Animal studies suggest that stress modulates multiple memory systems in a manner that favors nucleus caudatus-based stimulus-response learning at the expense of hippocampus-based spatial learning. The present work aimed (i) to translate these findings to humans, (ii) to determine the involvement of the stress hormone cortisol in this effect, and (iii) to assess whether the use of stimulus-response and spatial strategies is a long lasting person characteristic. To address these issues we developed a new paradigm that differentiates the use of spatial and stimulus-response learning in humans. Our findings indicate that (i) psychosocial stress (Trier Social Stress Test) modulates the use of spatial and stimulus-response learning in humans, (ii) cortisol plays a key role in this modulatory effect of stress, and (iii) the use of spatial and stimulus-response learning is affected by situational rather than long lasting person factors.
COVID-19 was a harsh reminder that diseases are an aspect of human existence and mortality. It was also a live experiment in the formation and alteration of disease-related attitudes. Not only are these attitudes relevant to an individual’s self-protective behavior, but they also seem to be associated with social and political attitudes more broadly. One of these attitudes is Social Darwinism, which holds that a pandemic benefits society by enabling nature “to weed out the weak”. In two countries (N = 300, N = 533), we introduce and provide evidence for the reliability, validity, and usefulness of the Disease-Related Social Darwinism (DRSD) Short Scale measuring this concept. Results indicate that DRSD is meaningful related to other central political attitudes like Social Dominance Orientation, Authoritarianism and neoliberalism. Importantly, the scale significantly predicted people’s protective behavior during the Pandemic over and above general social Darwinism. Moreover, it significantly predicted conservative attitudes, even after controlling for Social Dominance Orientation.
The temporal stability of psychological test scores is one prerequisite for their practical usability. This is especially true for intelligence test scores. In educational contexts, high stakes decisions with long-term consequences, such as placement in special education programs, are often based on intelligence test results. There are four different types of temporal stability: mean-level change, individual-level change, differential continuity, and ipsative continuity. We present statistical methods for investigating each type of stability. Where necessary, the methods were adapted for the specific challenges posed by intelligence research (e.g., controlling for general intelligence in lower order test scores). We provide step-by-step guidance for the application of the statistical methods and apply them to a real data set of 114 gifted students tested twice with a test-retest interval of 6 months.
• Four different types of stability need to be investigated for a full picture of temporal stability in psychological research
• Selection and adaption of the methods for the use in intelligence research
• Complete protocol of the implementation
The benefits of prosocial power motivation in leadership: Action orientation fosters a win-win
(2023)
Power motivation is considered a key component of successful leadership. Based on its dualistic nature, the need for power (nPower) can be expressed in a dominant or a prosocial manner. Whereas dominant motivation is associated with antisocial behaviors, prosocial motivation is characterized by more benevolent actions (e.g., helping, guiding). Prosocial enactment of the power motive has been linked to a wide range of beneficial outcomes, yet less has been investigated what determines a prosocial enactment of the power motive. According to Personality Systems Interactions (PSI) theory, action orientation (i.e., the ability to self-regulate affect) promotes prosocial enactment of the implicit power motive and initial findings within student samples verify this assumption. In the present study, we verified the role of action orientation as an antecedent for prosocial power enactment in a leadership sample (N = 383). Additionally, we found that leaders personally benefited from a prosocial enactment strategy. Results show that action orientation through prosocial power motivation leads to reduced power-related anxiety and, in turn, to greater leader well-being. The integration of motivation and self-regulation research reveals why leaders enact their power motive in a certain way and helps to understand how to establish a win-win situation for both followers and leaders.
The last decades of stress research have yielded substantial advancements highlighting the importance of the phenomenon for basic psychological functions as well as physical health and well-being. Progress in stress research heavily relies on the availability of suitable and well validated laboratory stressors. Appropriate laboratory stressors need to be able to reliably provoke a response in the relevant parameters and be applicable in different research settings or experimental designs. This thesis focuses on the Cold Pressor Test (CPT) as a stress induction technique. Three published experiments are presented that show how the advantages of the CPT can be used to test stress effects on memory processes and how some of its disadvantages can be met by a simple modification that retains its feasibility and validity. The first experiment applies the CPT in a substantial sample to investigate the consolidation effects of post-learning sympathetic arousal. Stressed participants with high increases in heart rate during the CPT showed enhanced memory performance one day after learning compared to both the warm water control group and low heart rate responders. This finding suggests that beta-adrenergic activation elicited shortly after learning enhances memory consolidation and that the CPT induced heart rate response is a predictor for this effect. Moreover, the CPT proved to be an appropriate stressor to test hypothesis about endogenous adrenergic effects on memory processes. The second experiment addresses known practical limitations of the standard dominant hand CPT protocol. A bilateral feet CPT modification is presented, the elicited neuroendocrine stress response assessed and validated against the standard CPT in a within-subjects design. The bilateral feet CPT elicited a substantial neuroendocrine stress response. Moreover, with the exception of blood pressure responses, all stress parameters were enhanced compared to the standard CPT. This shows that the bilateral feet CPT is a valid alternative to the standard CPT. The third experiment further validates the bilateral feet CPT and its corresponding control procedure by employing it in a typical application scenario. Specifically, the bilateral feet CPT was used to modulate retrieval of event files in a distractor-response binding paradigm that required lateralized bimanual responses. Again, the bilateral feet CPT induced significant increases in heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol, no such increases could be observed in the warm water control condition. Moreover, stressed participants showed diminished retrieval compared to controls. These results provide further evidence for the feasibility and validity of the bilateral feet CPT and its warm water control procedure. Together the experiments presented here highlight the usefulness of the CPT as a tool in psychophysiological stress research. It is especially well suited to test hypothesis concerning stress effects on memory processes and its applicability can be further increased by the bilateral feet modification.
The catechol-O-methyltransferase gene (COMT) plays a crucial role in the metabolism of catecholamines in the frontal cortex. A single nucleotide polymorphism (Val158Met SNP, rs4680) leads to either methionine (Met) or valine (Val) at codon 158, resulting in a three- to fourfold reduction in COMT activity. The aim of the present study was to assess the COMT Val158Met SNP as a risk factor for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD symptom severity and co-morbid conduct disorder (CD) in 166 children with ADHD. The main finding of the present study is that the Met allele of the COMT Val158Met SNP was associated with ADHD and increased ADHD symptom severity. No association with co-morbid CD was observed. In addition, ADHD symptom severity and early adverse familial environment were positive predictors of lifetime CD. These findings support previous results implicating COMT in ADHD symptom severity and early adverse familial environment as risk factors for co-morbid CD, emphasizing the need for early intervention to prevent aggressive and maladaptive behavior progressing into CD, reducing the overall severity of the disease burden in children with ADHD.
The Firepower of Work Craving: When Self-Control Is Burning under the Rubble of Self-Regulation
(2017)
Work craving theory addresses how work-addicted individuals direct great emotion-regulatory efforts to weave their addictive web of working. They crave work for two main emotional incentives: to overcompensate low self-worth and to escape (i.e., reduce) negative affect, which is strategically achieved through neurotic perfectionism and compulsive working. Work-addicted individuals" strong persistence and self-discipline with respect to work-related activities suggest strong skills in volitional action control. However, their inability to disconnect from work implies low volitional skills. How can work-addicted individuals have poor and strong volitional skills at the same time? To answer this paradox, we elaborated on the relevance of two different volitional modes in work craving: self-regulation (self-maintenance) and self-control (goal maintenance). Four hypotheses were derived from Wojdylo- work craving theory and Kuhl- self-regulation theory: (H1) Work craving is associated with a combination of low self-regulation and high self-control. (H2) Work craving is associated with symptoms of psychological distress. (H3) Low self-regulation is associated with psychological distress symptoms. (H4) Work craving mediates the relationships between self-regulation deficits and psychological distress symptoms at high levels of self-control. Additionally, we aimed at supporting the discriminant validity of work craving with respect to work engagement by showing their different volitional underpinnings. Results of the two studies confirmed our hypotheses: whereas work craving was predicted by high self-control and low self-regulation and associated with higher psychological distress, work engagement was predicted by high self-regulation and high self-control and associated with lower symptoms of psychological distress. Furthermore, work styles mediated the relationship between volitional skills and symptoms of psychological distress. Based on these new insights, several suggestions for prevention and therapeutic interventions for work-addicted individuals are proposed.
The forward effect of testing refers to the finding that retrieval practice of previously studied information increases retention of subsequently studied other information. It has recently been hypothesized that the forward effect (partly) reflects the result of a reset-of-encoding (ROE) process. The proposal is that encoding efficacy decreases with an increase in study material, but testing of previously studied information resets the encoding process and makes the encoding of the subsequently studied information as effective as the encoding of the previously studied information. The goal of the present study was to verify the ROE hypothesis on an item level basis. An experiment is reported that examined the effects of testing in comparison to restudy on items’ serial position curves. Participants studied three lists of items in each condition. In the testing condition, participants were tested immediately on non-target lists 1 and 2, whereas in the restudy condition, they restudied lists 1 and 2. In both conditions, participants were tested immediately on target list 3. Influences of condition and items’ serial learning position on list 3 recall were analyzed. The results showed the forward effect of testing and furthermore that this effect varies with items’ serial list position. Early target list items at list primacy positions showed a larger enhancement effect than middle and late target list items at non-primacy positions. The results are consistent with the ROE hypothesis on an item level basis. The generalizability of the ROE hypothesis across different experimental tasks, like the list-method directed-forgetting task, is discussed.
Stress represents a significant problem for Western societies inducing costs as high as 3-4 % of the European gross national products, a burden that is continually increasing (WHO Briefing, EUR/04/5047810/B6). The classical stress response system is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which acts to restore homeostasis after disturbances. Two major components within the HPA axis system are the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR). Cortisol, released from the adrenal glands at the end of the HPA axis, binds to MRs and with a 10 fold lower affinity to GRs. Both, impairment of the HPA axis and an imbalance in the MR/GR ratio enhances the risk for infection, inflammation and stress related psychiatric disorders. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterised by a variety of symptoms, however, one of the most consistent findings is the hyperactivity of the HPA axis. This may be the result of lower numbers or reduced activity of GRs and MRs. The GR gene consists of multiple alternative first exons resulting in different GR mRNA transcripts whereas for the MR only two first exons are known to date. Both, the human GR promoter 1F and the homologue rat Gr promoter 1.7 seem to be susceptible to methylation during stressful early life events resulting in lower 1F/1.7 transcript levels. It was proposed that this is due to methylation of a NGFI-A binding site in both, the rat promoter 1.7 and the human promoter 1F. The research presented in this thesis was undertaken to determine the differential expression and methylation patterns of GR and MR variants in multiple areas of the limbic brain system in the healthy and depressed human brain. Furthermore, the transcriptional control of the GR transcript 1F was investigated as expression changes of this transcript were associated with MDD, childhood abuse and early life stress. The role of NGFI-A and several other transcription factors on 1F regulation was studied in vitro and the effect of Ngfi-a overexpression on the rat Gr promoter 1.7 in vivo. The susceptibility to epigenetic programming of several GR promoters was investigated in MDD. In addition, changes in methylation levels have been determined in response to a single acute stressor in rodents. Our results showed that GR and MR first exon transcripts are differentially expressed in the human brain, but this is not due to epigenetic programming. We showed that NGFI-A has no effect on endogenous 1F/1.7 expression in vitro and in vivo. We provide evidence that the transcription factor E2F1 is a major element in the transcriptional complex necessary to drive the expression of GR 1F transcripts. In rats, highly individual methylation patterns in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) suggest that this is not related to the stressor but can rather be interpreted as pre-existing differences. In contrast, the hippocampus showed a much more uniform epigenetic status, but still is susceptible to epigenetic modification even after a single acute stress suggesting a differential "state‟ versus "trait‟ regulation of the GR gene in different brain regions. The results of this thesis have given further insight in the complex transcriptional regulation of GR and MR first exons in health and disease. Epigenetic programming of GR promoters seems to be involved in early life stress and acute stress in adult rats; however, the susceptibility to methylation in response to stress seems to vary between brain regions.