Functional connectivity in a monetary and social incentive delay task in medicated patients with schizophrenia.

Introduction: Numerous studies indicate impaired reward-related learning in individuals with schizophrenia, with various factors such as illness duration, medication, disease severity, and level of analysis (behavioral or neurophysiological data) potentially confounding the results. Patients with schizophrenia who are treated with second-generation antipsychotics have been found to have a less affected reward system. However, this finding does not explain the neural dysfunctions observed in previous studies.

Different Patterns of Mental Health Problems in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM): A Sequential Mixed Method Study.

Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) represent one of the most vulnerable refugee groups due to their young age, developmental status, and insufficient coping strategies. Clinical observations indicate that the frequency of mental health problems varies between different URM subgroups. In the present research project, clinical interviews as a source of qualitative data were combined with quantitative psychometric information in a mixed-method approach in order to study the patterns of mental health problems in 561 URM from four different language groups (Arabic, Farsi, Somali, and Tigrinya) immediately after arrival in the host country (Germany).

Assessing the special need for protection of vulnerable refugees: testing the applicability of a screening method (RHS-15) to detect traumatic disorders in a refugee sample in Germany.

Although EU member states are obligated to take special account of the situation of particularly vulnerable refugees, appropriate and specific measures to detect affected asylum seekers are not yet available. This study tries to pave the way for the implementation of an adequate instrument which at the same time assesses these needs of suffering people whilst responding to the need for mental health assessments specifically designed for refugees. This was done by testing the implementation of a screening method (Refugee Health Screener RHS-15) for trauma related mental health problems in refugees.

Perceived Intensity of Emotional Point-Light Displays is Reduced in Subjects with ASD.

One major characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is problems with social interaction and communication. The present study explored ASD-related alterations in perceiving emotions expressed via body movements. 16 participants with ASD and 16 healthy controls observed video scenes of human interactions conveyed by point-light displays.

The bimodal P300 oddball component is decreased in patients with an adjustment disorder: An event-related potentials study.

Objective: We found previously that use of a bimodal oddball design with synchronized pairs of audio-visual stimuli increased the sensitivity of the P300 wave to detect subclinical anxiety-depression in otherwise healthy subjects. Here, we wished to determine whether these P300 modulations would also be encountered when a clinical population comprised of patients with an adjustment disorder (AJD) was compared to healthy controls.

Method: Two groups, each comprised of twenty-five participants (AJD patients, and controls; N=50) had to detect deviant stimuli among frequent stimuli in an oddball task by clicking on a button.