| 1. |
- Tran, Thao Thanh, et al.
(author)
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Inhibition of the master regulator of Listeria monocytogenes virulence enables bacterial clearance from spacious replication vacuoles in infected macrophages
- 2022
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library Science. - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 18:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A hallmark of Listeria (L.) monocytogenes pathogenesis is bacterial escape from maturing entry vacuoles, which is required for rapid bacterial replication in the host cell cytoplasm and cell-to-cell spread. The bacterial transcriptional activator PrfA controls expression of key virulence factors that enable exploitation of this intracellular niche. The transcriptional activity of PrfA within infected host cells is controlled by allosteric coactivation. Inhibitory occupation of the coactivator site has been shown to impair PrfA functions, but consequences of PrfA inhibition for L. monocytogenes infection and pathogenesis are unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of PrfA with a small molecule inhibitor occupying the coactivator site at 2.0 Å resolution. Using molecular imaging and infection studies in macrophages, we demonstrate that PrfA inhibition prevents the vacuolar escape of L. monocytogenes and enables extensive bacterial replication inside spacious vacuoles. In contrast to previously described spacious Listeria-containing vacuoles, which have been implicated in supporting chronic infection, PrfA inhibition facilitated progressive clearance of intracellular L. monocytogenes from spacious vacuoles through lysosomal degradation. Thus, inhibitory occupation of the PrfA coactivator site facilitates formation of a transient intravacuolar L. monocytogenes replication niche that licenses macrophages to effectively eliminate intracellular bacteria. Our findings encourage further exploration of PrfA as a potential target for antimicrobials and highlight that intra-vacuolar residence of L. monocytogenes in macrophages is not inevitably tied to bacterial persistence.
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| 2. |
- Bäcklund, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Comparing psychopathological symptoms, life satisfaction, and personality traits between the WHO and APA frameworks of gaming disorder symptoms: A psychometric investigation
- 2024
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : John Wiley and Sons Inc. - 0036-5564 .- 1467-9450.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: The inclusion of Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) in the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association and Gaming Disorder in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) by the World Health Organization requires consistent psychological measures for reliable estimates. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Gaming Disorder Test (GDT), the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10), and the Five-Item Gaming Disorder Test (GDT-5) and to compare the WHO and the APA frameworks of gaming disorder symptoms in terms of psychopathological symptoms, life satisfaction, and personality traits.Methods: A sample of 723 Swedish gamers was recruited (29.8% women, 68.3% men, 1.9% other, Mage = 29.50 years, SD = 8.91).Results: The results indicated notable differences regarding the estimated possible risk groups between the two frameworks. However, the association between gaming disorder symptoms and personality traits, life satisfaction, and psychopathological symptoms appeared consistent across the two frameworks. The results showed excellent psychometric properties in support of the one-factor model of the GDT, IGDT-10, and GDT-5, including good reliability estimates (McDonald's omega) and evidence of construct validity. Additionally, the results demonstrated full gender and age measurement invariance of the GDT, IGDT-10, and GDT-5, indicating that gaming disorder symptoms are measured equally across the subgroups.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the IGDT-10, GDT-5, and GDT are appropriate measures for assessing gaming disorder symptoms and facilitating future research in Sweden.
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| 3. |
- Bäcklund, Christian, et al.
(author)
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Gaming motivations and gaming disorder symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2022
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In: Journal of Behavioral Addictions. - : Akademiai Kiado. - 2062-5871 .- 2063-5303. ; 11:3, s. 667-688
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and aims: The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the available literature on the relationship between gaming motivations and gaming disorder symptoms. Specifically, to (1) explore what gaming motivation questionnaires and classifications are used in studies on gaming disorder symptoms and (2) investigate the relationship between motivational factors and symptoms of gaming disorder. Method: An electronic database search was conducted via EBSCO (MEDLINE and PsycINFO) and the Web of Science Core Collection. All studies using validated measurements on gaming disorder symptoms and gaming motivations and available correlation coefficients of the relationship between gaming disorder and gaming motivations were included. The meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model. Results: In total, 49 studies (k = 58 independent sub-samples), including 51,440 participants, out of which 46 studies (k = 55 sub-samples, n = 49,192 participants) provided data for the meta-analysis. The synthesis identified fourteen different gaming motivation instruments, seven unique motivation models, and 26 motivational factors. The meta-analysis showed statistically significant associations between gaming disorder symptoms and 23 out of 26 motivational factors, with the majority of the pooled mean effect sizes ranging from small to moderate. Moreover, large heterogeneity was observed, and the calculated prediction intervals indicated substantial variation in effects across populations and settings. Motivations related to emotional escape were robustly associated with gaming disorder symptoms. Discussion and conclusions: The present meta-analysis reinforces the importance of motivational factors in understanding problematic gaming behavior. The analysis showed significant heterogeneity in most outcomes, warranting further investigation.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson Sörman, Daniel, 1974-, et al.
(author)
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Occupational cognitive complexity and episodic memory in old age
- 2021
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In: Intelligence. - : Elsevier. - 0160-2896 .- 1873-7935. ; 89
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate occupational cognitive complexity of main lifetime occupation in relation to level and 15-year change in episodic memory recall in a sample of older adults (≥ 65 years, n = 780). We used latent growth curve modelling with occupational cognitive complexity (O*NET indicators) as independent variable. Subgroup analyses in a sample of middle-aged (mean: 49.9 years) men (n = 260) were additionally performed to investigate if a general cognitive ability (g) factor at age 18 was predictive of future occupational cognitive complexity and cognitive performance in midlife. For the older sample, a higher level of occupational cognitive complexity was related to a higher level of episodic recall (β = 0.15, p < .001), but the association with rate of change (β = 0.03, p = .64) was not statistically significant. In the middle-aged sample, g at age 18 was both directly (β = 0.19, p = .01) and indirectly (via years of education after age 18, ab = 0.19) predictive of midlife levels of occupational cognitive complexity. Cognitive ability at age 18 was also a direct predictor of midlife episodic recall (β = 0.60, p ≤ 0.001). Critically, entry of the early adult g factor attenuated the association between occupational complexity and cognitive level (from β = 0.21, p = .01 to β = 0.12, p = .14). Overall, our results support a pattern of preserved differentiation from early to late adulthood for individuals with different histories of occupational complexity.
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| 5. |
- Nyberg, Lars, 1966-, et al.
(author)
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Biological and environmental predictors of heterogeneity in neurocognitive ageing : Evidence from Betula and other longitudinal studies
- 2020
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In: Ageing Research Reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1568-1637 .- 1872-9649. ; 64
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Individual differences in cognitive performance increase with advancing age, reflecting marked cognitive changes in some individuals along with little or no change in others. Genetic and lifestyle factors are assumed to influence cognitive performance in aging by affecting the magnitude and extent of age-related brain changes (i.e., brain maintenance or atrophy), as well as the ability to recruit compensatory processes. The purpose of this review is to present findings from the Betula study and other longitudinal studies, with a focus on clarifying the role of key biological and environmental factors assumed to underlie individual differences in brain and cognitive aging. We discuss the vital importance of sampling, analytic methods, consideration of non-ignorable dropout, and related issues for valid conclusions on factors that influence healthy neurocognitive aging.
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| 6. |
- Näsling, John, et al.
(author)
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Effect of Psychotherapy on Intolerance of Uncertainty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- 2024
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In: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. - : John Wiley and Sons Ltd. - 1063-3995 .- 1099-0879. ; 31:4
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to react negatively on affective, cognitive and behavioural levels to uncertain situations and to harbour negative beliefs about the implications of uncertainty. IU has been linked to psychopathology and shown to impact treatment outcomes. This study systematically reviewed the literature and performed a meta-analysis of the effects of psychotherapy on IU. A total of 22 studies (1491 participants) were identified in online searches and included in the meta-analyses. Analyses were performed on studies with passive and active control conditions. The pooled effect on IU from studies with passive control was large (g = −0.94 [95% CI −1.25 to −0.62]) but with significant heterogeneity. Pooled effects on IU from studies with active controls were not significant. Moderator analysis showed that among studies with a passive control condition, studies that recruited participants from clinical care facilities produced smaller effect sizes. Among studies with an active control condition, study quality significantly moderated the results, with higher quality leading to a larger effect size. These results indicate that changes in IU may be difficult to reliably achieve in psychotherapy and leave many questions about the effect of psychotherapy on IU unanswered, such as what active components produced the observed changes in studies with passive control.
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| 7. |
- Rosa, Eduardo, et al.
(author)
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Exploring Residual Capacity : The Effectiveness of a Vibrotactile Warning During Increasing Levels of Mental Workload in Simulated Flight Tasks
- 2020
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In: Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors. - : Hogrefe & Huber Publishers. - 2192-0923 .- 2192-0931. ; 10:1, s. 13-23
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alarm systems may take advantage of the tactile modality for allocation of attentional resources during the performance of demanding tasks in complex environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a tactile warning during increasing levels of mental workload in a primary task. Three simulated flight task conditions varying in mental workload were presented while an “on-thigh” vibrotactile warning was randomly assessed. Generally, there was a decrement in overall warning response performance when task workload increased, but this tendency faded and plateaued as the level of task workload progressed. The observed pattern indicates that vibrotactile warning signals may offer a plausible mode for conveying information during increasing levels of primary task workload.
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| 8. |
- Sehlström, Malcolm, et al.
(author)
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The relation of neuroticism to physiological and behavioral stress responses induced by auditory startle
- 2022
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In: Brain and Behavior. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2162-3279 .- 2162-3279. ; 12:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: The negative cognitive effects of the startle response are not yet fully understood. Ecological observations in the aviation field indicate risk for severe outcomes in complex or pressured situations, while sparse previous research suggests milder negative effects on simple cognitive tasks. Neuroticism is proposed as a factor related to the level of negative effects following startle.Methods: This study examined the effects of startle on performance in a choice reaction time task and analyzed relations between performance, neuroticism, and physiological stress.Results: Our results indicate that reaction time directly following startle was not affected, but reaction time in subsequent trials was significantly slower. Neuroticism and physiological stress were both unrelated to this performance effect.Discussion: We argue that higher complexity/demand tasks are necessary to complement the research on base cognitive functioning in relation to startle. If neuroticism is related to startle effects, this is more likely to be found in these higher demand situations.
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| 9. |
- Vega-Mendoza, Mariana, et al.
(author)
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Testing the Foreign Language Effect on Cognitive Reflection in Older Adults
- 2021
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In: Brain Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3425. ; 11:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- An increasing number of people around the world communicate in more than one language, resulting in them having to make decisions in a foreign language on a daily basis. Interestingly, a burgeoning body of literature suggests that people’s decision-making is affected by whether they are reasoning in their native language (NL) or their foreign language (FL). According to the foreign language effect (FLe), people are less susceptible to bias in many decision-making tasks and more likely to display utilitarian cost-benefit analysis in moral decision-making when reasoning in a FL. While these differences have often been attributed to a reduced emotionality in the FL, an emerging body of literature has started to test the extent to which these could be attributable to increased deliberation in the FL. The present study tests whether increased deliberation leads to a FLe on cognitive reflection in a population of older adults (Mage = 65.1), from the successful aging project in Umeå, Sweden. We explored whether performance on a 6-item version of the cognitive reflection test (CRT) adapted to Swedish would differ between participants for whom Swedish was their NL and those for whom Swedish was their FL. The CRT is a task designed to elicit an incorrect, intuitive answer. In order to override the intuitive answer, one requires engaging in deliberative, analytical thinking to determine the correct answer. Therefore, we hypothesized that if thinking in a FL increases deliberation, then those performing the task in their FL would exhibit higher accuracy rates than those performing in their NL. Our results showed that age and level of education predicted performance on the task but performance on the CRT did not differ between the NL and the FL groups. In addition, in the FL group, proficiency in the FL was not related to performance in the CRT. Our results, therefore, do not provide evidence that thinking in a FL increases deliberation in a group of older adults performing a logical reasoning task that is not typically associated with an emotional connotation.
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