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MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a synthetic ring-substituted amphetamine, combined with psychotherapy has demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. This controlled prospective study aimed to assess the bio-behavioral underpinnings of MDMA in a translational model of PTSD. Rats exposed to predator-scent stress (PSS) were subjected to a trauma-cue at day 7 shortly after single-dose MDMA injection (5 mg/kg). The elevated plus maze and acoustic startle response tests were assessed on day 14 and served for classification into behavioral response groups. Freezing response to a further trauma-reminder was assessed on Day 15. The morphological characteristics of the dentate gyrus (DG) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) were subsequently examined. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and 5-hydroxytryptamine involvement were evaluated using: (1) corticosterone measurements at 2 h and 4 h after MDMA treatment, (2) Lewis strain rats with blunted HPA-response and (3) pharmacological receptor-blockade. MDMA treatment was effective in attenuating stress behavioral responses only when paired with memory reactivation by a trauma-cue. The effects of the treatment on behavior were associated with a commensurate normalization of the dendritic cytoarchitecture of DG and BLA neurons. Pretreatment with RU486, Ketanserin, or Pindolol prevented the above improvement in anxiety-like behavioral responses. MDMA treatment paired with memory reactivation reduced the prevalence rate of PTSD-phenotype 14 days later and normalized the cytoarchitecture changes induced by PSS (in dendritic complexities) compared to saline control. MDMA treatment paired with a trauma-cue may modify or update the original traumatic memory trace through reconsolidation processes. These anxiolytic-like effects seem to involve the HPA axis and 5-HT systems., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The menstrual cycle is characterized partially by fluctuations of the ovarian hormones estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4), which are implicated in the regulation of cognition. Research on attention in the different stages of the menstrual cycle is eclectic with discrepancies in attention definitions, and the three attentional networks (alerting, orienting and executive) and their interaction were not explored during the menstrual cycle. In the current study, we used the ANT-I (attentional network test - interactions) to examine naturally cycling women (NC) and women using oral contraceptives (OC). We tested their performance at two time points that fit, in natural cycles, the follicular phase and the luteal phase. We found no differences in performance between the two time points (day 4 / day 18) for the OC group: the response pattern replicated known ANT-I findings. However, the NC group showed differences between the two time points. In the follicular phase, responses replicated known ANT-I results, but in the luteal phase, alertness did not interact with executive and orienting networks, resulting in a larger congruency effect (executive network) when attention was not oriented to the target in alerting and no alerting conditions. Results-driven exploratory regression analysis of E2 and P4 suggested that change in P4 from the follicular phase/day 4 to the luteal phase/day 18 was a mediator for the alerting effect found between groups. In conclusion, the alerting state, found with or without alertness manipulation, suggests that there is a progesterone-mediated activation of the alerting system during the luteal phase., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Mindfulness-based therapies are rooted in the Buddhist tradition, and promote cultivation of qualities such as open awareness, acceptance and compassion. While various studies have demonstrated the efficacy of integrating mindfulness in therapeutic practice for people suffering from clinical conditions such as depression and anxiety as well as the non-clinical population, this was rarely replicated in Israel. In the Mindfulness Clinic, located in the Mental Health Center, Beer Sheva, mindfulness workshops are now available for diverse populations dealing with various challenges such as daily stress, chronic pain, and depression., Aims: This article aims to describe the effects of mindfulnessbased workshops in a mixed sample, via the examination of various outcome variables such as quality of life, depression and anxiety symptoms, mindfulness, self-compassion and self-criticism., Methods: Self-report questionnaires provided before and after the workshop., Results: Results: Preliminary results demonstrated that among 18 participants in mindfulness workshops during the period November 2013 till March 2014, a significant improvement was observed for most of the variables. In addition, effect sizes were measured, demonstrating medium to large effects, with the largest effect size for self-compassion., Discussion: These preliminary results demonstrate the time limited efficacy of Mindfulness Workshops in a mixed sample. In addition, it is conceivable that mindfulness-based workshop may provide an effective preventive and/or therapeutic approach for people living in the south of Israel, who were facing an ongoing rackets' threat in recent years. In the future, this hypothesis should be examined empirically.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest and popularity in mindfulness-based therapies. Theories and practices that, until lately, have been considered esoteric and practiced in private by only a few therapists, are now progressively becoming part of mainstream establishment therapies and are gaining greater interest and recognition. The therapies can be carried out either in an individual or in a group setting and most include formal mindful sitting practice, developing awareness, mindful movement, psycho-education and often include a cognitive component. Furthermore, these therapies are becoming increasingly validated by widespread research pointing to promising results in the treatment of various cLinicaL disorders including anxiety, depression and relapse prevention, personality disorders, attention disorders and psychotic disorders, in both an in-patient and out-patient setting. The aim of this overview is to describe the deveLopment that has taken place in the fast decades within the field of mindfulness-based therapies and to present the most up-to-date research in this area: to show which therapeutic interventions have been proven to be effective; the background of the ideas; and the relevance of these approaches to the mental health system in Israel.

Objectives: Viral vector uptake into the pancreas is rare. The few viral vectors reported to transduce in vivo pancreatic islets after systemic injection required additional physical measures, such as direct pancreatic injection or hepatic vessel clamping. Because pancreatic islet uptake of the human polyomavirus family member BK virus was previously reported in hamsters after systemic administration, we hypothesized that SV40, a polyomavirus member remarkably similar to BK virus, may also infect the pancreas., Methods: We injected intravenously a low dose of SV40, unaided by any other physical or chemical means, and evaluated viral uptake by pancreatic islets and pancreatic exocrine tissue via polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, electron microscopy, immunofluorescent microscopy, and protein A-gold immunocytochemistry., Results: Pancreatic uptake of SV40 was comparable to other major organs (ie, liver and spleen). SV40 viral particles were detected in both pancreatic islets and acini. In pancreatic islets, all islet cell types were infected by SV40, albeit the infection rate of glucagon-producing alpha cells surpassed beta- and delta-islet cells. Low-dose SV40 administration was not sufficient to induce heterologous gene expression in the pancreas., Conclusions: Our study shows that pancreatic islet and acinar cell uptake of SV40 is feasible with a single, low-dose intravenous injection. However, this dose did not result in gene delivery into the murine pancreas.