Pavlovian fear conditioning is widely used as a pre-clinical model to investigate methods for prevention and treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders. In this model, fear memory consolidation is thought to require synaptic remodeling, which is induced by signaling cascades involving matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). Here we investigated the effect of the tetracycline antibiotic minocycline, an inhibitor of MMP-9, on fear memory retention.

Background

The number of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide is increasing, and these populations often experience significant mental health challenges due to their difficult life experiences. This study aims to explore the perspectives of refugees and asylum seekers regarding their behavior when seeking mental healthcare. We conducted a meta-synthesis of thirteen articles published between January 2000 and January 2023.

Consistent exposure to refugee narratives of trauma and torture can profoundly impact trauma therapists. This secondary analysis reanalyzed data from a narrative inquiry investigating the lived experiences of refugee trauma therapists. We aimed to explore emergent concerns through an existential lens to enrich understanding and provide additional insights into the lived experiences of these individuals.

Background:
Ketamine has been used in anesthesia, pain management, and major depressive disorder. It has recently been studied in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
 

Objective:
To determine the impact of ketamine on PTSD symptomatology and depression scores.
 

In this consensual qualitative research study, we investigated the role of refugees’ Christian faith in meaning-making coping. High percentages of religiosity in refugee populations support the need to understand the role of religion in their coping processes. Interviews with 20 Christian refugees from 10 African and Asian countries revealed that participants drew heavily from their faith resources to cope with their experiences.

Current evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are efficacious in only part of PTSD patients. Therefore, novel neurobiologically informed approaches are urgently needed. Clinical and translational neuroscience point to altered learning and memory processes as key in (models of) PTSD psychopathology. We extended this notion by clarifying at a meta-level (i) the role of information valence, i.e. neutral versus emotional/fearful, and (ii) comparability, as far as applicable, between clinical and preclinical phenotypes.

Achtergrond: Functionele MRI biedt inzicht in het functioneren van hersennetwerken van patiënten met psychiatrische stoornissen. Met machinelearninganalyse kunnen modellen worden gemaakt voor diagnostiek en het voorspellen van behandeluitkomst.

Doel: Een overzicht bieden van recente inzichten in diagnostische en voorspellende neuro-imagingbiomarkers.

Methode: Narratieve review van recente literatuur.

Achtergrond: Psychedelica kregen de afgelopen decennia hernieuwde wetenschappelijke aandacht omdat ze behalve acute subjectieve effecten, ook langdurige veranderingen in gedrag en cognitie teweeg kunnen brengen, met mogelijke therapeutische toepassingen bij verschillende psychiatrische indicaties.

Doel: Een overzicht geven van de huidige kennis over de neurobiologische werking van klassieke serotonerge psychedelica, zoals lsd en psilocybine, hun invloed op neurale netwerken en de gevolgen voor mogelijke klinische toepassingen.

De Nooit Meer Auschwitz lezing 2024 vindt plaats op woensdag 24 januari in Het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen te Amsterdam. De lezing wordt (in het Engels) uitgesproken door historicus Nikita Petrov namens mensenrechtenorganisatie Memorial.
Aansluitend ontvangt Nikita Petrov de Annetje Fels Kupferschmidt Onderscheiding.
De zaal is open om 14:30 uur, de lezing begint om 15:00 uur en duurt tot 16:30 uur. Tot 18:00 uur is er gelegenheid om na te praten.