Treating anxiety and depression of cancer survivors: Behavioral activation versus acceptance and commitment therapy.

Background: Behavioral activation (BA) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are considered particularly useful treatments when dealing with emotional problems of cancer survivors. The efficacy of these two treatments, applied on a group basis, were evaluated and compared.

Method: An analysis was carried out of pre-post treatment changes in the emotional state and patterns of activation/avoidance of 52 cancer patients, with anxiety and/or depression, randomly assigned to three groups (BA/ACT/waiting list control).

Predictive validity of event-related potentials (ERPs) in relation to the directed forgetting effects.

Objective: A directed forgetting paradigm (word method) was used to assess the relationships between the event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded during the study phase and the subsequent forgetting effects.

Methods: In the study phase 100 words were presented each followed by either an instruction to remember (R) or to forget (F). Then these 100 words, together with another 100 new words, were presented and subjects had to perform an old/new decision task.

ERP components related to stimulus selection processes.

Event-related potential (ERP) components associated with target stimulus selection in a double discrimination visual task were studied. The experimental paradigm consisted in the presentation of low intensity stimuli that varied according to two physical features: geometrical form (squares and circles) and location (a spot in different positions inside the stimulus). Subjects performed 3 tasks on these stimuli: control task in which they looked passively at the stimuli, and 2 discrimination tasks, in which they had to respond to a certain stimulus (a specific conjunction of form and spot location).