Combined effects of peer presence, social cues, and rewards on cognitive control in adolescents.

Developmental scientists have examined the independent effects of peer presence, social cues, and rewards on adolescent decision-making and cognitive control. Yet, these contextual factors often co-occur in real world social situations. The current study examined the combined effects of all three factors on cognitive control, and its underlying neural circuitry, using a task to better capture adolescents' real world social interactions.

What the replication reformation wrought.

Replication failures were among the triggers of a reform movement which, in a very short time, has been enormously useful in raising standards and improving methods. As a result, the massive multilab multi-experiment replication projects have served their purpose and will die out. We describe other types of replications - both friendly and adversarial - that should continue to be beneficial.

Assessing informed consent in an opioid relapse prevention study with adults under current or recent criminal justice supervision.

Concerns persist that individuals with substance use disorders who are under community criminal justice supervision experience circumstances that might compromise their provision of valid, informed consent for research participation. These concerns include the possibilities that desire to obtain access to treatment might lead individuals to ignore important information about research participation, including information about risks, or that cognitive impairment associated with substance use might interfere with attending to important information. We report results from a consent quiz (CQ) administered in a multisite randomized clinical trial of long-acting naltrexone to prevent relapse to opioid use disorder among adults under community criminal justice supervision-a treatment option difficult to access by this population of individuals.

At risk of being risky: The relationship between "brain age" under emotional states and risk preference.

Developmental differences regarding decision making are often reported in the absence of emotional stimuli and without context, failing to explain why some individuals are more likely to have a greater inclination toward risk. The current study (N=212; 10-25y) examined the influence of emotional context on underlying functional brain connectivity over development and its impact on risk preference. Using functional imaging data in a neutral brain-state we first identify the "brain age" of a given individual then validate it with an independent measure of cortical thickness.

Do patient characteristics moderate the effect of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) for opioid use disorder?

Background: Extended release naltrexone (XR-NTX) injected intramuscularly monthly has been shown to reduce relapse in persons with opioid use disorder. Baseline factors, including patients' demographics, comorbidities and lifestyle, may help identify patients who will benefit most or least from XR-NTX treatment.

Methods: Potential moderators of XR-NTX's effect were examined in the largest North American randomized open-label effectiveness trial of XR-NTX.

Age, risk assessment, and sanctioning: Overestimating the old, underestimating the young.

While many extoll the potential contribution of risk assessment to reducing the human and fiscal costs of mass incarceration without increasing crime, others adamantly oppose the incorporation of risk assessment in sanctioning. The principal concern is that any benefits in terms of reduced rates of incarceration achieved through the use of risk assessment will be offset by costs to social justice-which are claimed to be inherent in any risk assessment process that relies on variables for which offenders bear no responsibility, such as race, gender, and age. Previous research has addressed the variables of race and gender.

Medical Information Exchange: Pattern of Global Mobile Messenger Usage among Otolaryngologists.

Objective: Information technology has revolutionized health care. However, the development of dedicated mobile health software has been lagging, leading to the use of general mobile applications to fill in the void. The use of such applications has several legal, ethical, and regulatory implications.

Parsing the Behavioral and Brain Mechanisms of Third-Party Punishment.

Unlabelled: The evolved capacity for third-party punishment is considered crucial to the emergence and maintenance of elaborate human social organization and is central to the modern provision of fairness and justice within society. Although it is well established that the mental state of the offender and the severity of the harm he caused are the two primary predictors of punishment decisions, the precise cognitive and brain mechanisms by which these distinct components are evaluated and integrated into a punishment decision are poorly understood. Using fMRI, here we implement a novel experimental design to functionally dissociate the mechanisms underlying evaluation, integration, and decision that were conflated in previous studies of third-party punishment.

Ethical issues in nanomedicine: Tempest in a teapot?

Nanomedicine offers remarkable options for new therapeutic avenues. As methods in nanomedicine advance, ethical questions conjunctly arise. Nanomedicine is an exceptional niche in several aspects as it reflects risks and uncertainties not encountered in other areas of medical research or practice.

Circumcision Is Unethical and Unlawful.

The foreskin is a complex structure that protects and moisturizes the head of the penis, and, being the most densely innervated and sensitive portion of the penis, is essential to providing the complete sexual response. Circumcision-the removal of this structure-is non-therapeutic, painful, irreversible surgery that also risks serious physical injury, psychological sequelae, and death. Men rarely volunteer for it, and increasingly circumcised men are expressing their resentment about it.

When Is an Adolescent an Adult? Assessing Cognitive Control in Emotional and Nonemotional Contexts.

An individual is typically considered an adult at age 18, although the age of adulthood varies for different legal and social policies. A key question is how cognitive capacities relevant to these policies change with development. The current study used an emotional go/no-go paradigm and functional neuroimaging to assess cognitive control under sustained states of negative and positive arousal in a community sample of one hundred ten 13- to 25-year-olds from New York City and Los Angeles.

Genomic Databases and Biobanks in Israel.

Large-scale biobanks represents an important scientific and medical as well as a commercial opportunity. However, realizing these and other prospects requires social, legal, and regulatory conducive climate, as well as a capable scientific community and adequate infrastructure. Israel has been grappling with the appropriate approach to establishing such a repository, and debates over the governance, structure, finance, and mode of operation shed a bright light on the underlying social norms, civic engagement and scientific clout in steering a governmental response to pressing medical needs.

Risk Assessment in Criminal Sentencing.

The past several years have seen a surge of interest in using risk assessment in criminal sentencing, both to reduce recidivism by incapacitating or treating high-risk offenders and to reduce prison populations by diverting low-risk offenders from prison. We begin by sketching jurisprudential theories of sentencing, distinguishing those that rely on risk assessment from those that preclude it. We then characterize and illustrate the varying roles that risk assessment may play in the sentencing process.

Resource Document on Access to Firearms by People with Mental Disorders.

The American Psychiatric Association, ("APA"), with more than 36,000 members at present, is the Nation's leading organization of physicians who specialize in psychiatry. APA provides for education and advocacy and develops policy through Position Statements. It promotes enhanced knowledge of particular topics relevant to psychiatric practice and patient care through Resource Documents.

Gun Violence and Victimization of Strangers by Persons With a Mental Illness: Data From the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study.

Objective: Highly publicized incidents in which people with apparent mental illnesses use guns to victimize strangers have important implications for public views of people with mental illnesses and the formation of mental health and gun policy. The study aimed to provide more data about this topic.

Methods: MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study data were analyzed to determine the prevalence of violence by 951 patients after discharge from a psychiatric hospital, including gun violence, violence toward strangers, and gun violence toward strangers.

Extended-release naltrexone to prevent relapse among opioid dependent, criminal justice system involved adults: rationale and design of a randomized controlled effectiveness trial.

Background: Extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX, Vivitrol; Alkermes Inc.) is an injectable monthly sustained-release mu opioid receptor antagonist. XR-NTX is a potentially effective intervention for opioid use disorders and as relapse prevention among criminal justice system (CJS) populations.

Embedding advance directives in routine care for persons with serious mental illness: implementation challenges.

For people with serious mental illness, research demonstrates the potential positive effects of having an advance directive with specific instructions for mental health care. The Commonwealth of Virginia has undertaken efforts to incorporate the completion of psychiatric advance directives into routine mental health services for individuals with serious mental illness. The inherent complexities of advance directives-a single legal tool for use by a heterogeneous array of consumers, providers, and organizations-have led to more barriers than had been anticipated.

Advance directives for mental health care: innovation in law, policy, and practice.

Virginia appears to be the first state to commit itself to statewide implementation of psychiatric advance directives, and its experience may be highly instructive for other states. The project began with consensus building among stakeholders (2007-2009), followed by revisions to Virginia's Health Care Decisions Act (2009-2010) and designation of five of the state's 40 Community Services Boards as demonstration sites for facilitation efforts. Early implementation efforts quickly showed that psychiatric advance directives are not self-executing innovations.