| 1 | Int. J. Radiat. Biol. 2001 May 77: 567-80 |
|---|---|
| PMID | 11382335 |
| Title | Neuron loss during early adulthood following prenatal low-dose X-irradiation in the mouse brain. |
| Abstract | Apart from subsequent cell death, little is known about long-term effects of a prenatal low-dose X-irradiation (PLDI) on nuclear (n) and mitochondrial (mt) DNA, and whether these effects are connected with reduced neuron numbers in the adult brain. Pregnant mice were X-irradiated with 0, 10 or 50cGy at day 13 (E13) of pregnancy. One day after (E14), or postnatally at day 25 (P25) or P180, the brains of the offspring were analysed concerning the extent of nDNA repair, mt biogenesis, and the relative content of nDNA single strand breaks (SSB). Stereology was applied for evaluating neuronal loss. One day after irradiation no unrepaired SSB were detected. Significant results were mainly obtained for hippocampal pyramidal cells at P180, particularly cell loss following 50 cGy PLDI, increased SSB content and mt biogenesis (0 vs. 10cGy) but decreased mt biogenesis for 10 vs. 50 cGy. A hypothesis closely related to that regarding molecular events during aging is presented for explaining this second wave of cell death in adult mice following PLDI as a result of accumulated mtDNA damage caused by PLDI. A possible relation to the neurodegenerative hypothesis of schizophrenia is discussed. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia |
| 2 | Br J Clin Psychol 2006 Jun 45: 231-46 |
| PMID | 16719981 |
| Title | Attributional style, defensive functioning and persecutory delusions: symptom-specific or general coping strategy? |
| Abstract | Previous research has suggested that individuals with persecutory delusions use an exaggerated self-serving bias to protect themselves from real or delusional threats to their underlying self-concept. However, the research to date has been inconsistent thereby limiting the conclusion that can be inferred. A possible explanation for these discrepant findings may be due to the use of measures with questionable validity and reliability such as the Attributional Style Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory. The present study aims to re-examine this theory using an improved methodology to determine whether defensive functioning is a defining feature of persecutory delusions. Thirty-five participants suffering from recent onset psychosis were assessed in a cross-sectional design. Three tests of attributional style were used, two overt measures (Attributional Style Questionnaire, ASQ; and the Internal Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire, IPSAQ) and one covert measure (Pragmatic Inference Test). Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) and a semi-structured interview (Self-Evaluation and Social Support interview - schizophrenia version). A self-serving bias (SSB) was found in the total sample using the ASQ but not specifically in participants with persecutory delusions. In addition, the SSB was unrelated to levels of paranoia on any measure of attributional style. An underlying depressive attributional style was found in both subjects with and without persecutory delusions, but was not associated with levels of paranoia. Lower positive and higher negative self-esteem was associated with increased paranoia and was associated with a SSB. The results indicate that the attributional biases observed in individuals with persecutory delusions are not symptom-specific as previously suggested. The presence of an attributional, SSB was associated with lower psychotic experiences. The theoretical implications of the results will be discussed. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia |
| 3 | Psychiatry Res 2008 Apr 158: 316-23 |
| PMID | 18258307 |
| Title | Attributional style, symptomatology and awareness of illness in schizophrenia. |
| Abstract | The objective was to evaluate the relationship among symptomatology, awareness of illness, and attributional style in patients with schizophrenia. Fifty-six patients who were receiving outpatient psychiatric care gave their consent to fill out questionnaires designed to assess symptomatology, awareness of illness, and self-serving bias (SSB), which is a tendency to excessively attribute positive events to internal causes. Questionnaires were successfully completed by 44 patients (31 males and 13 females between the ages of 18 and 62). The following measures were used: Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Scale to assess Unawareness of Mental Disorders (SUMD), and Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ). The results showed that emotional discomfort, which is directly related to the depressive syndrome, and the cognitive syndrome were significantly associated with a reversed SSB (tendency to excessively attribute positive events to external causes and negative events to internal causes). Emotional discomfort accounted for 23.5% of the variance in reversed SSB and the cognitive syndrome for 9.7% of the variance in reversed SSB. No relationship was found to exist between unawareness of illness and SSB. These findings reveal that in patients with schizophrenia, reversed SSB is closely related to the presence of depressive symptoms. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia |