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The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique set of circumstances in which to investigate collective memory and future simulations of events reported during the onset of a potentially historic event. Between early April and late June 2020, we asked over 4,000 individuals from 15 countries across four continents to report on remarkable (a) national and (b) global events that (i) had happened since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, and (ii) they expected to happen in the future. Whereas themes of infections, lockdown, and politics dominated global and national past events in most countries, themes of economy, a second wave, and lockdown dominated future events. The themes and phenomenological characteristics of the events differed based on contextual group factors. First, across all conditions, the event themes differed to a small yet significant degree depending on the severity of the pandemic and stringency of governmental response at the national level. Second, participants reported national events as less negative and more vivid than global events, and group differences in emotional valence were largest for future events. This research demonstrates that even during the early stages of the pandemic, themes relating to its onset and course were shared across many countries, thus providing preliminary evidence for the emergence of collective memories of this event as it was occurring. Current findings provide a profile of past and future collective events from the early stages of the ongoing pandemic, and factors accounting for the consistencies and differences in event representations across 15 countries are discussed., Krystian Barzykowski was supported by the French Government Scholarship (`Campus France'), the National Science Centre, Poland (UMO-2019/35/B/HS6/00528) and the Bekker programme from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (no.: PPN/BEK/2019/1/00092/DEC/1). The Washington University in St. Louis collaboration (Dessenberger, Roediger, Tekin, and Uner) was supported by a grant from the James S. McDonnell Foundation to HLR. A. Taylor gratefully acknowledges support from The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Instructed retrieval of positive autobiographical memories typically improves mood for healthy individuals, but not always for depressed individuals. No mood improvement may occur when depressed individuals retrieve positive memories that are self-incongruent, or when they ruminate upon positive memory retrieval. Mindfulness is associated with lower self-incongruency and rumination. The present study examined whether recurrent depression predicted emotional experience upon involuntary and voluntary retrieval of positive memories, and whether recurrent depression and trait mindfulness were associated with emotional experience upon positive memory retrieval through state rumination and self-incongruency. Recurrently and never-depressed individuals completed measures of depression, trait mindfulness, and a diary for reporting on everyday positive memories. Recurrently depressed individuals reported diminished happiness upon retrieving involuntary and voluntary positive memories compared to never-depressed individuals; and greater sadness upon involuntary positive memory retrieval, independent of current depression. Recurrent depression was associated with diminished happiness upon involuntary memory retrieval and greater sadness upon involuntary and voluntary positive memory retrieval, through state brooding, self-incongruency, or both. Higher trait mindfulness was associated with lower sadness upon involuntary and voluntary positive memory retrieval through state brooding and reflection. These findings highlight potential mechanisms in the relationship between depression vulnerability and emotional processing of positive autobiographical memories. Publisher PDF

Episodic and coherent forms of thinking may shape our psychological well-being when experiencing a major life-transition. We prospectively examined how features of episodic and coherent thinking prior to the major life-transition of childbirth affected later maternal postnatal cognitive functioning and mental health. One hundred six women who were 27 or more weeks pregnant with their first child completed measures of cognitive and mood symptoms in pregnancy and again 3-months postnatally. During pregnancy women generated descriptions of how they imagined the birth of their child and a motherhood event. These were coded for specificity and coherence. Analyses revealed relationships between specificity when thinking about childbirth and postnatal mental health outcomes (depression, traumatic stress and anxiety) that were mediated by rumination. Coherence when imagining motherhood was indirectly related to postnatal mental health symptoms via cognitive avoidance and then rumination. Being able to imagine specific features of future events and coherently imagine identity-relevant domains could support effective adaptation across life transitions.

Artiklen udforsker en ny interventionsmetode, real-time functional magnetic resonance neurofeedback (rt-fMRI-NF) samt dens effekt på emotioner og dysfunktion i emotionsregulering. En metode, som har været genstand for intensiv forskning de seneste ti år. I rt-fMRI-NF benyttes iltet blod som et sporstof til at skabe billeder af hjernens aktivitet. Den afbildede aktivitet bliver så kommunikeret (gennem billede eller lyd) til individet i scanneren. Målet med interventionen er, at individet i scanneren lærer at modulere og kontrollere sin hjerneaktivitet gennem forskellige mentale strategier rettet mod et forudbestemt mål. Disse strategier kan for eksempel være genkaldelse af positive minder eller visualisering af beroligende omgivelser. I artiklen belyser vi rt-fMRI-NF-metoden ved at foretage et systematisk review (n=67). Målet er at udforske, hvad rt-fMRINF er, samt undersøge, om der er en effekt af behandlingen. Resultaterne er lovende. Der er således evidens for, at det er muligt at selvregulere aktiviteten i flere hjerneområder, og der findes signifikante kliniske resultater i form af eksempelvis reduktion af depression eller angstsymptomer. Endelig forsøger artiklen at pege på, hvad der skal til, for at rt-fMRI-NF kan udvikle sit lovende potentiale og herigennem bidrage til at forbedre fremtidig behandling af emotionel dysfunktion.

We asked over 4000 individuals from 15 countries to report the three most remarkable events that happened since the outbreak of the pandemic and three events that they expected to occur in the future (https://osf.io/m46nq/). Individuals indicated the events at a global and national level. First, we examined the valence of reported events and demonstrated a positivity bias for future events. Then, we investigated the role of age in the observed differences as COVID-19 constituted a more intense threat for the elderly. We found that while elderly reported more negative past events for the pandemic, no such age differences were evident for future events. Results will be discussed from a functional perspective in relation with the severity of the pandemic in each country.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique set of circumstances to investigate collective memory and future simulations of events reported during the onset of a potentially historic event. Between early April and late June, 2020, we asked over 4000 individuals from 15 countries across four continents to report on remarkable (a) national and (b) global events that (i) have happened since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, and (ii) they expect to happen in the future. Whereas themes of infections, lockdown, and politics dominated global and national past events in most countries, themes of economy, a second wave, and lockdown dominated future events. The themes and phenomenological characteristics of the events differed based on contextual group factors. First, across all conditions, the event themes differed to a small yet significant degree depending on the severity of the pandemic and stringency of governmental response at the national level. Second, participants reported national events as less negative and more vivid than global events, and group differences in emotional valence were largest for future events. This research demonstrates that even during the early stages of the pandemic, themes relating its onset and course were shared across many countries, thus, providing preliminary evidence for the emergence of collective memories of this event as it is occurring. Current findings provide a profile of past and future collective events from the early stages of the ongoing pandemic and factors accounting for the consistencies and differences in event representations across 15 countries are discussed.

By manipulating our basic mode of prospectively thinking about the future, the present study examines the effect of retrospective future thinking on future events imagined as if they had already taken place. Here, 142 young adults were randomly assigned to report five autobiographical future events either prospectively from the perspective of their current self or retrospectively, imagining events from the perspective of their 100-year-old self. Participants indicated the expected age of occurrence and assessed phenomenological characteristics for each event. Results suggest that a shift in future thinking perspective affects the content and temporal distribution of future events. Characteristics of prospective future events diminished with increasing distance, whereas retrospective future events included overall more spatial details and remained high on belief in occurrence, vividness, and rehearsal across life. Retrospective future thinking influences the psychological distance of autobiographical future events, allowing us to hold even distant future events psychologically close.

BACKGROUND: The loss of a spouse is a major life event. Previous research found that centrality of the loss to one's identity using Centrality of Event Scale (CES) is related to complicated bereavement reactions, such as depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), and prolonged grief symptoms (PGS). This study aims to examine loss-centrality in elderly bereaved people up to 4 years post loss, to determine the relation of loss-centrality to complicated bereavement reactions, such as PGS, depression, and PTS, and to identify early predictors of loss-centrality.METHOD: Self-reported data were collected from 208 elderly bereaved people (mean age 72 years, 63.9% women), who completed measures of psychological distress (PTS, depression, PGS) as well as intra- and interpersonal factors (coping-style, crisis support, satisfaction with life, and NEO-PI-R) at 2, 6, and 48 months post spousal loss. CES was measured 48 months post spousal loss.RESULTS: In line with previous findings (Boelen, 2012a), loss-centrality 4 years following the loss was significantly related to depression, PTS, and PGS. Additionally, early PGS and gender predicted later loss-centrality.LIMITATIONS: Self-repport data was used rather than clinical interviews. CES was only measured 48 months post loss. PGS was first measured 6 months post.CONCLUSIONS: The results support the link between loss-centrality and post loss psychopathology in a population particularly vulnerable to complicated bereavement reactions. The close link between prolonged grief and CES may be relevant in developing treatments for PGS, especially considering the potential relationship between high CES, high PGS, and possibly lack of acceptance of the loss.

Previous research has documented robust individual differences in the functions served by autobiographical memories, and shown that different autobiographical memory functions are related to both positive and negative indicators of psychological well-being, and that their frequency varies with age. In this study, we examined the unique relationship between autobiographical memory functions and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and whether such relationships varied with age across adulthood. A representative sample of 1040 adult Danes (20–70 years old) reported the frequency with which they recall autobiographical memories for different purposes as well as their level of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Higher reflective and ruminative functions, as well as lower social function, predicted higher levels of PTSS. There were no moderating effects of age. The results suggest that although the frequency of various autobiographical functions varies throughout the adult years, their association with PTSS is similar across adulthood.

Background and objective The purpose of the present study was to explore the association between reductions in symptoms of psychopathology and perceived centrality of negative autobiographical memories in participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD) or panic disorder (PD). Methods Thirty-nine individuals with SAD or PD recalled and rated four negative autobiographical memories before and after ten sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over a three-month period. Twenty-eight healthy controls did the same before and after a three-month period. Results As hypothesized, results showed a decrease in perceived centrality following CBT. This decrease in perceived centrality was larger, although at the trend level, for individuals who experienced reliable change on disorder-specific symptoms. Limitations The correlational nature of the study prevents establishing the causal relationship between changes in perceived centrality and psychopathology, and future studies should explore such mechanisms. Conclusions The present study adds to the emerging body of literature, investigating changes in centrality of event following psychotherapy.

Retrieving personal memories may provoke different emotions and a need for emotion regulation. Emotional responses have been studied scarcely in relation to autobiographical memory retrieval. We examined the emotional response to everyday involuntary (spontaneously arising) and voluntary (strategically retrieved) memories, and how this response may be different during dysphoria. Participants (20 dysphoric and 23 non-depressed) completed a structured diary where the intensity of basic emotions and regulation strategies employed upon retrieval of memories were rated. Brooding, memory suppression, and emotional suppression were higher for all individuals’ involuntary memories than voluntary memories. Negative emotions and regulation strategies were greater for dysphoric individuals for both involuntary and voluntary memories after controlling for the valence of the remembered events. The results provide new insights into the understudied topic of emotional responses to everyday memories and suggest a novel interpretation of the intrusive nature of memories in psychological disorders, such as depression.

This study compares involuntary and voluntary autobiographical memories in depressed and never depressed individuals. Twenty depressed and twenty never depressed individuals completed a memory diary; recording their reactions to 10 involuntary and 10 voluntary memories over 14-30 days. Psychiatric status (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, SCID-1), psychopathology, rumination and avoidance were assessed. For both groups, involuntary memories more frequently lead to strong reactions than voluntarily memories. For both modes of retrieval, depressed individuals reported more frequent negative reactions than never depressed individuals and rated memories as more central to identity with higher levels of rumination and avoidance. Depressed individuals retrieved both positive and negative memories during involuntary retrieval. These findings support the view that involuntary memory retrieval represents a basic mode of retrieval during healthy and disordered cognition, and that during depression, both involuntary and voluntary memories are central to identity and associated with rumination and avoidance.

BackgroundThe development of widely accessible, effective psychological interventions for depression is a priority. This randomized trial provides the first controlled data on an innovative cognitive bias modification (CBM) training guided self-help intervention for depression.MethodOne hundred and twenty-one consecutively recruited participants meeting criteria for current major depression were randomly allocated to treatment as usual (TAU) or to TAU plus concreteness training (CNT) guided self-help or to TAU plus relaxation training (RT) guided self-help. CNT involved repeated practice at mental exercises designed to switch patients from an unhelpful abstract thinking habit to a helpful concrete thinking habit, thereby targeting depressogenic cognitive processes (rumination, overgeneralization).ResultsThe addition of CNT to TAU significantly improved depressive symptoms at post-treatment [mean difference on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) 4.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29–7.26], 3- and 6-month follow-ups, and for rumination and overgeneralization post-treatment. There was no difference in the reduction of symptoms between CNT and RT (mean difference on the HAMD 1.98, 95% CI −1.14 to 5.11), although CNT significantly reduced rumination and overgeneralization relative to RT post-treatment, suggesting a specific benefit on these cognitive processes.ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence that CNT guided self-help may be a useful addition to TAU in treating major depression in primary care, although the effect was not significantly different from an existing active treatment (RT) matched for structural and common factors. Because of its relative brevity and distinct format, it may have value as an additional innovative approach to increase the accessibility of treatment choices for depression.

Supplements containing chromium in its trivalent oxidation state [Cr(III)] are used by diabetic patients to improve their glucose and insulin levels and omega-3 fatty acids are also beneficial for people with insulin resistance or diabetes. It seemed very useful to combine chromium(III) and omega-3 functional entities into single molecules. Here we synthesized and characterized a chromium cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) complex, one of the two main components of the heterogeneous chromium(III) fish oil omega-3 concentrate products. Ethyl cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoate was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide, and the generated salt was reacted in situ with chromium(III) chloride hexahydrate and converted into an oxo-centred trinuclear chromium(III) complex. A study of the DHA–chromium(III) complex by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry/(LC/MS/MS) is reported in this work. The data suggest a triaqua-μ3-oxohexakis-μ-docosahexaenoatotrichromium(1+), [Cr3O(C22H31O2)6(H2O)3]+, core structure.

Individuals are found to have better recall for self-referent information than other types of information. However, attribution research has shown that self-reference is highly correlated with emotional valence. The present study attempted to identify and separate the processing of self-reference and emotional valence using ERPs. Participants performed a two-choice task, judging the self-referential content of positive and negative words. Reaction times revealed an interaction between self-reference and emotional valence. Faster responses occurred after self-positive and non-self negative words as compared to self-negative and non-self-positive words. A similar interaction was identified in ERP waveforms in the time range of the N400 component at fronto-central electrode sites, with larger N400 amplitudes for words outwith the self-positivity bias. Thus, the size of the N400 may indicate the extent to which information is discrepant with the individual's self-concept.

Our proprietary preparation obtained by extraction of Chlorella pyrenoidosa cells, ONC-107 (Respondin™), was recently found to selectively boost antibody response to the influenza vaccine in a human clinical trial. Respondin™ is a potent stimulator of mouse B cell proliferation and an activator of macrophages. Bioactivity-guided resolution concluded that Respondin™ is composed of a mixture of immunostimulatory principles of different chemical nature. A combination of size exclusion, anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography revealed that the bulk of the immunostimulatory activity resides in polysaccharide/protein complexes with molecular masses larger than 100 kDa that are composed primarily of galactose, rhamnose and arabinose.

Background and objectives Empirical interest in mental imagery in social anxiety disorder (SAD) has grown over the past years but still little is known about the specificity to SAD. The present study therefore examines negative autobiographical memories in participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD), compared to patients with panic disorder (PD), and healthy controls (HCs). Methods A total of 107 participants retrieved four memories cued by verbal phrases associated with either social anxiety (SA) or panic anxiety (PA), with two memories for each cue category. Results PA-cued memories were experienced with stronger imagery and as more traumatic. They were also rated as more central to identity than SA-cued memories, but not among participants with SAD, who perceived SA-cued memories as equally central to their identity. When between-group effects were detected, participants with anxiety disorders differed from HCs, but not from each other. Limitations Central limitations include reliance on self-report measures, comorbidity in the anxiety disorder groups, and lack of a neutrally cued memory comparison. Conclusions The findings align with models of SAD suggesting that past negative social events play a central role in this disorder. Future research is suggested to further explore the function of negative memories, not only in SAD, but also in other anxiety disorders.

Introduction: 1. Introduction Lynn A. Watson and Dorthe Berntsen Part I. Trauma and Autobiographical Memory: 2. The complex fabric of trauma and autobiographical memory Richard A. Bryant 3. A basic systems account of trauma memories in PTSD: is more needed? David C. Rubin 4. Construing trauma as a double-edged sword: how narrative components of autobiographical memory relate to devastation and growth from trauma Adriel Boals, Darnell Schuettler and Shana Southard-Dobbs 5. Child maltreatment and autobiographical memory development: emotion regulation and trauma-related psychopathology Deborah Alley, Yoojin Chae, Ingrid Cordon, Anne Kalomiris and Gail S. Goodman Part II. Intrusive and Involuntary Memories: 6. Intrusive re-experiencing in post-traumatic stress disorder: memory processes and their implications for therapy Anke Ehlers 7. Mental imagery in psychopathology: from the lab to the clinic Ian A. Clark, Ella L. James, Lalitha Iyadurai and Emily A. Holmes 8. Intrusive, involuntary memories in depression Michelle L. Moulds and Julie Krans 9. From everyday life to trauma: research on everyday involuntary memories advances our understanding of intrusive memories of trauma Dorthe Berntsen Part III. Overgeneral Autobiographical Memories and their Mechanisms: 10. Overgeneral memories and their mechanisms: the relationship with rumination Edward Watkins 11. Overgeneral memory in borderline personality disorder Kris Van den Broeck, Laurence Claes, Guido Pieters, Dirk Hermans and Filip Raes 12. Difficulties remembering the past and envisioning the future in people with complicated grief and trauma histories Richard J. McNally and Donald J. Robinaugh Part IV. Autobiographical Memory, Identity and Psychological Well-being: 13. A model of psychopathological distortions of autobiographical memory narratives: An emotion narrative view Tilmann Habermas 14. Self-images and autobiographical memory in memory impairment Clare J. Rathbone and Chris J. A. Moulin 15. Experimentally examining the role of self-identity in post traumatic stress disorder Adam D. Brown, Nicole A. Kouri, Amy Joscelyne, Charles R. Marmar and Richard A. Bryant 16. The role of self during autobiographical remembering and psychopathology: evidence from philosophical, behavioral, neural and cultural investigations Lynn A. Watson and Barbara Dritschel Part V. Discussion: 17. Autobiographical memory in clinical disorders: a final discussion Dorthe Berntsen.

The cDNA for bovine spleen trypsin inhibitor (SI), a homologue of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), including the natural mammalian presequence was expressed in tobacco using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Stable expression required the N-terminal targeting signal presequence although subcellular localization was not proven. SI was found to exist as two forms, one coinciding with authentic BPTI on western blots and the second marginally larger due to retention of the C-terminal peptide. Both were retained on a trypsin-agarose affinity gel and had inhibitory activity. Newly emergent leaves contained predominantly the large form whereas senescent leaves had little except the fully processed form present. Intermediate-aged leaves showed a gradual change indicating that a slow processing of the inhibitor peptide was occurring. The stability of SI was shown by the presence of protein at high levels in completely senescent leaves. Modifications to the cDNA (3' and 5' changes and minor codon changes) resulted in a 20-fold variation in expression. Expression of modified SI in transgenic tobacco leaves at 0.5% total soluble protein reduced both survival and growth of Helicoverpa armigera larvae feeding on leaves from the late first instar. In larvae surviving for 8 days, midgut trypsin activity was reduced in SI-tobacco fed larvae, while chymotrypsin activity was increased. Activities of leucine aminopeptidase and elastase-like chymotrypsin remained unaltered. The use of SI as an insect resistance factor is discussed.

Background and objectives This study tests the hypothesis derived from the CaR-FA-X model ( C apture a nd R umination, F unctional A voidance and E x ecutive Function model, Williams et al., 2007 ), that depressed individuals will be less specific during voluntary than involuntary autobiographical memory retrieval and looks at the relative contributions of rumination, avoidance and executive function to memory specificity. Methods Twenty depressed and twenty never depressed individuals completed a memory diary, recording 10 involuntary and 10 voluntary autobiographical memories. Psychiatric status (assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, SCID-1), psychopathology, rumination, avoidance and executive function were assessed prior to completion of the memory diary. Results Both groups were more specific during involuntary than voluntary memory retrieval. No overall group differences were identified. However, when non-remitted depressed participants were compared to partially remitted and never depressed participants the expected interaction was identified; non-remitted depressed individuals were less specific during voluntary, but not during involuntary recall. Consistent with theory, negative correlations between memory specificity, rumination and avoidance were also present. Limitations The study presents an important yet preliminary finding which warrants further replication with a larger sample size. Conclusions The findings provide support for a number of models of autobiographical memory retrieval in particular the CaR-FA-X model of memory specificity.