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If a doctoral dissertation represents an original investigation that makes a contribution to one’s field, then dissertation research could, and arguably should, be disseminated into the scientific literature. However, the extent and nature of dissertation publication remains largely unknown within psychology. The present study investigated the peer-reviewed publication outcomes of psychology dissertation research in the United States. Additionally, we examined publication lag, scientific impact, and variations across subfields. To investigate these questions, we first drew a stratified random cohort sample of 910 psychology Ph.D. dissertations from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Next, we conducted comprehensive literature searches for peer-reviewed journal articles derived from these dissertations published 0–7 years thereafter. Published dissertation articles were coded for their bibliographic details, citation rates, and journal impact metrics. Results showed that only one-quarter (25.6% [95% CI: 23.0, 28.4]) of dissertations were ultimately published in peer-reviewed journals, with significant variations across subfields (range: 10.1 to 59.4%). Rates of dissertation publication were lower in professional/applied subfields (e.g., clinical, counseling) compared to research/academic subfields (e.g., experimental, cognitive). When dissertations were published, however, they often appeared in influential journals (e.g., Thomson Reuters Impact Factor M = 2.84 [2.45, 3.23], 5-year Impact Factor M = 3.49 [3.07, 3.90]) and were cited numerous times (Web of Science citations per year M = 3.65 [2.88, 4.42]). Publication typically occurred within 2–3 years after the dissertation year. Overall, these results indicate that the large majority of Ph.D. dissertation research in psychology does not get disseminated into the peer-reviewed literature. The non-publication of dissertation research appears to be a systemic problem affecting both research and training in psychology. Efforts to improve the quality and “publishability” of doctoral dissertation research could benefit psychological science on multiple fronts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study conducted on the role of mind body connection in the Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT). Topics discussed include role of social embodiment theory and perceptual symbol systems theory in explaining mind body connection, information on role of experiential knowledge on establishment of DMT, and distillation of DMT theory into discrete theoretical statements regarding the mind body connection.

Links between genetic variants and negatively valenced behaviors have stimulated intense commentary about the implications for responsibility and punishment. Previous research has suggested that behavioral genetic evidence of a predisposition to negative behaviors has modest to no impact on mitigation of punishment, at least for serious crimes. Data are presented on the effect of such evidence in a representative sample of the general population (n=640) asked to consider three vignettes describing lesser offenses, dealt with in less formal adjudicatory settings and in everyday life. Genetic explanations of behavior had no effect on the severity of the punishment selected in any case, in contrast to the egregiousness of the behavior and respondents' beliefs in free-will. Public views of genetic influences on behavior may be less deterministic and more nuanced than is often thought, or genetic explanations may simply not have the salience for decision makers that is frequently attributed to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cigarette smoking remains the most preventable cause of death and excess health care costs in the United States, and is a leading cause of death among alcoholics. Long-term tobacco abstinence rates are low, and pharmacotherapeutic options are limited. Repositioning medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may efficiently provide clinicians with new treatment options. We developed a drug-repositioning paradigm using larval zebrafish locomotion and established predictive clinical validity using FDA-approved smoking cessation therapeutics. We evaluated 39 physician-vetted medications for nicotine-induced locomotor activation blockade. We further evaluated candidate medications for altered ethanol response, as well as in combination with varenicline for nicotine-response attenuation. Six medications specifically inhibited the nicotine response. Among this set, apomorphine and topiramate blocked both nicotine and ethanol responses. Both positively interact with varenicline in the Bliss Independence test, indicating potential synergistic interactions suggesting these are candidates for translation into Phase II clinical trials for smoking cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regular cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have become increasingly prevalent in the United States over the past two decades. Theory and empirical data suggest that the incentive salience of cannabis cues is important to the development and chronicity of CUD. Cannabis cue incentive salience is often assessed with a cannabis cue reactivity paradigm wherein cannabis-related and neutral images are presented. However, prior cannabis cue reactivity studies have been limited by the use of heterogeneous stimuli that were not properly characterized across motivational/affective characteristics, physical image attributes, or non-cannabis-related salient image features (e.g., human presence, face visibility). In order to increase standardization and flexibility of future cannabis cue reactivity tasks, the aim of the present study was to develop and validate a cannabis cue and matched neutral image database comprised of motivational/affective ratings as well as physical image attributes. 234 regular cannabis users varying in primary use method (i.e., bowl, blunt/joint, bong, vaporizer) made motivational (i.e., urge to smoke cannabis) and affective (i.e., arousal, valence) ratings of cannabis-related and neutral images matched on salient, non-cannabis-related features. Physical features (hue, saturation, value) of each image were also analyzed. Motivational/affective ratings of cannabis-related and neutral images differed as expected, and cannabis use frequency and cannabis craving correlations with cannabis image ratings generally supported stimulus validity. Motivational/affective ratings did not significantly differ across cannabis use method-specific images. This database may be a useful tool for future behavioral and neuroscience research on cannabis cue reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States alone, the prevalence of AD is expected to more than double from six million people in 2019 to nearly 14 million people in 2050. Meanwhile, the track record for developing treatments for AD has been marked by decades of failure. But recent progress in genetics, neuroscience and gene editing suggest that effective treatments could be on the horizon. The arrival of such treatments would have profound implications for the way we diagnose, triage, study, and allocate resources to Alzheimer's patients. Because the disease is not rare and because it strikes late in life, the development of therapies that are expensive and efficacious but less than cures, will pose particular challenges to healthcare infrastructure. We have a window of time during which we can begin to anticipate just, equitable and salutary ways to accommodate a disease-modifying therapy Alzheimer's disease. Here we consider the implications for caregivers, clinicians, researchers, and the US healthcare system of the availability of an expensive, presymptomatic treatment for a common late-onset neurodegenerative disease for which diagnosis can be difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]