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The mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) is distinct from the nuclear genome and is known to play a significant role in several disease phenotypes, such as longevity and fertility. Here we characterize the complete mitochondrial genomes (∼16 590 bp), and the extent of within and between strain variation for 27 adult zebrafish, representing five commonly used laboratory strains (AB, TL, HL, WIK, and SJD) and one line acquired from a local pet shop. These data were subsequently analyzed to determine the phylogenetic relationships between strains and ascertain if positive selection might be operating on any mtDNA genes. Relationships between strains are not entirely consistent with those observed previously using nuclear DNA. Further there is a substantial body of variation within current zebrafish lines, with 172 variants described across lines. Of these, 27 changes are non-synonymous and there is nominal evidence for positive selection in the mtDNA sequences at some of these sites. We further identify novel frameshift mutations in eight genes, which are all predicted to have functional consequences. Our study provides the first information on mtDNA diversity in zebrafish, identifies multiple non-synonymous substitutions and other mutations expected to have functional effects, and represents an important first step in establishing zebrafish as a model for investigating the phenotypic effects of mtDNA mutations.

Extensive research supports the role of striatal dopamine in pursuing and responding to reward, and that eye-blink rate is a valid indicator of striatal dopamine. This study tested whether phasic changes in blink rate could provide an index of reward pursuit. This hypothesis was tested in people with bipolar I disorder (BD; a population with aberrations in reward responsivity) and in those without BD. A total of 31 adults with BD and 28 control participants completed a laboratory task involving effort toward monetary reward. Blink rate was recorded using eye tracking at baseline, reward anticipation, and postreward. Those in the BD group completed self-report measures relating to reward and ambition. Results showed that across all participants, blink rates increased from reward anticipation to postreward. In the BD group, reward-relevant measures were strongly correlated with variation in blink rate. These findings provide validation for phasic changes in blink rate as an index of reward response.

Previous research has documented heightened confidence and ambition among persons who are prone to mania. The current study was designed to extend this work by using a more specific measure of overconfidence than has been used in prior research, and to evaluate the degree of correlation of overconfidence with ambition. University students (N = 224) completed measures of mania risk (the Hypomanic Personality Scale), overconfidence (Overclaiming Scale), ambition (The Willingly Approached Set of Statistically Unlikely Pursuits), and affective state. Ambition was relatively independent of confidence. Findings support a model of ambition as a stable correlate of mania risk, whereas confidence may increase with happiness. Potential implications for functioning, treatment, and prevention are considered.

In systems with male alternative reproductive tac- tics,discretebehavioralpatternsoftenleadtounequallevelsof sperm competition across tactics. In many of these systems, the disadvantaged tactic shows adaptations to sperm traits that increase the competitive ability of its sperm. However, many studieshavefoundthatnotall spermtraitsdifferacrosstactics, and in some systems no sperm trait adaptations are found. Why some systems and some sperm traits display tactic- specific differences and others do not is not always clear. Here, we investigate three sperm traits—ejaculate size, sperm concentration, and sperm velocity—in the American horse- shoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, a system where males have condition-dependent reproductive tactics and females influ- ence the amount of sperm competition males face during spawning. Contrary to our predictions that the disadvantaged tactic would show sperm trait adaptations, we found that horseshoe crabs of the tactic that faces the least amount of sperm competition had more concentrated sperm than the males of the other tactics.We propose a number of hypotheses to explain this result and suggest that future studies of alter- native reproductive tactics might benefit from considering the role of females in influencing tactic-specific sperm trait adaptations.

Researchers and clinicians have long noted the overlap among features and high comorbidity of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. The shared features of impulsivity and labile mood in both disorders make them challenging to distinguish. We tested the hypothesis that variables related to goal dysregulation would be uniquely related to risk for mania, while emotion-relevant impulsivity would be related to risk for both disorders. We administered a broad range of measures related to goal regulation traits and impulsivity to 214 undergraduates. Findings confirmed that risk for mania, but not for borderline personality disorder, was related to higher sensitivity to reward and intense pursuit of goals. In contrast, borderline personality disorder symptoms related more strongly than did mania risk with threat sensitivity and with impulsivity in the context of negative affect. Results highlight potential differences and commonalities in mania risk versus borderline personality disorder risk.

The colonial ascidian Botryllus schlosseri should be considered cryptogenic (i.e., not definitively classified as either native or introduced) in the Northwest Atlantic. Although all the evidence is quite circumstantial, over the last 15 years most research groups have accepted the scenario of human-mediated dispersal and classified B. schlosseri as introduced; others have continued to consider it native or cryptogenic. We address the invasion status of this species by adding 174 sequences to the growing worldwide database for the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and analyzing 1077 sequences to compare genetic diversity of one clade of haplotypes in the Northwest Atlantic with two hypothesized source regions (the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean). Our results lead us to reject the prevailing view of the directionality of transport across the Atlantic. We argue that the genetic diversity patterns at COI are far more consistent with the existence of at least one haplotype clade in the Northwest Atlantic (and possibly a second) that substantially pre-dates human colonization from Europe, with this native North American clade subsequently introduced to three sites in Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean waters. However, we agree with past researchers that some sites in the Northwest Atlantic have more recently been invaded by alien haplotypes, so that some populations are currently composed of a mixture of native and invader haplotypes.

OBJECTIVE: Beyond evidence for an association, little is known about the mechanism linking creativity bipolar spectrum conditions. Theory suggests that ambition, which is heightened in bipolar disorder (BD) and associated with creativity in the general population, might be an important variable. The overarching aim of this project was to evaluate whether ambition is related to creativity among those with bipolar spectrum conditions. METHOD: Across two studies, we examined correlations between a validated self-report measure of ambition, the WASSUP, and creativity. In Study One, 22 individuals diagnosed with BD who self-identified as highly creative completed the WASSUP and a measure of lifetime creative accomplishment. In Study Two, 221 undergraduates completed the WASSUP, a measure of mania risk (the Hypomanic Personality Scale, HPS) and a measure designed to assess creativity in business projects and tasks. RESULTS: In Study One, WASSUP scores were significantly elevated compared to normative levels in BD, and WASSUP scores were correlated with lifetime creative accomplishment within the artistic sample. In Study Two, mania risk was related to greater ambition and creativity, and ambition was also directly related to greater creativity. LIMITATIONS: Both studies were limited by the reliance on self-reported ambition. CONCLUSION: Ambition could be one important component of creative success across the bipolar spectrum.

Although elevated impulsivity among individuals at risk for or with a clinical history of mania has been identified in prior work, questions remain regarding ways in which impulsivity may manifest as risky decision-making and behavior. The present investigation examined how hypomania risk, measured using the Hypomanic Personality Scale, was associated with two facets of risk-taking: cognitive appraisals of risks and benefits that will result from risk-taking, and behavioral risk-taking on a validated task and self-report measures. Hypomania risk was associated with appraising future risk-taking as having less costs, but was unrelated to appraising future risk-taking as having more benefits. On behavioral risk measures, it was associated with increased expectations of engagement in risky behavior over the next 6 months, yet also with markers of lower risk-taking on the BART. The present findings have implications for understanding precise cognitive and behavioral factors that underlie the relationship between hypomania risk and risk-taking.

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been related to heightened creativity, yet core questions remain unaddressed about this association. We used qualitative methods to investigate how highly creative individuals with BD understand the role of symptoms and treatment in their creativity, and possible mechanisms underpinning this link. Twenty-two individuals self-identified as highly creative and living with BD took part in focus groups and completed quantitative measures of symptoms, quality of life (QoL), and creativity. Using thematic analysis, five themes emerged: the pros and cons of mania for creativity, benefits of altered thinking, the relationship between creativity and medication, creativity as central to one’s identity, and creativity’s importance in stigma reduction and treatment. Despite reliance on a small sample who self-identified as having BD, findings shed light on previously mixed results regarding the influence of mania and treatment and suggest new directions for the study of mechanisms driving the creative advantage in BD.

The American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, migrates to beaches at Seahorse Key, FL, on the highest-high tides to mate and deposit clutches of fertilized eggs. By nesting at high beach elevations, females may increase hatching success by minimizing exposure of the developing eggs to hypoxia and hydrogen sulfide, although at the potential added cost of increased exposure to harmful high temperatures. To test this, we took a two-fold approach: 1) we determined microclimate conditions experienced by developing horseshoe crab eggs at a nesting site on the Gulf Coast of Florida, and 2) in laboratory-rearing experiments we determined whether developmental success was affected by exposure to temperature, ambient O2 and sulfide conditions modeled on values from potential nesting sites. We found that most horseshoe crabs nested in the high and extreme-high tidal height zones above the high tide line. These high-tidal areas were characterized by normoxia, temperatures exceeding 35 °C, and minimal exposure to hydrogen sulfide. When fertilized eggs and larvae were exposed to similar “control” conditions in the laboratory, eggs and larvae exhibited 80–90% developmental success. The mid-tidal height zone was characterized by temperatures exceeding 35 °C, 21–17% ambient O2, and minimal exposure to hydrogen sulfide. When exposed to similar mid-tidal conditions in the laboratory, development success was equivalent to eggs exposed to control conditions. In contrast, the low tidal height zone was characterized by temperatures never exceeding 35 °C, ambient O2 as low as 5.9%, and significantly greater exposure to hydrogen sulfide. In the laboratory, exposure to conditions similar to low-tidal zone resulted in developmental success that was reduced by up to 25% compared to the eggs and larvae exposed to control conditions. We conclude that horseshoe crabs choose nesting sites that maximize developmental success by avoiding sites containing hypoxia and hydrogen sulfide, although this increases exposure to high temperature.

Background Substantial literature has linked bipolar disorder and risk for bipolar disorder with creative accomplishment, but few multimodal studies of creativity are available, and little is known about mechanisms. Methods We use a multi-method approach to test the association of bipolar risk with several creativity measures, including creative accomplishments, creative personality traits, and a laboratory index of insight. We also examined whether multiple facets of motivation accounted for the links of bipolar risk with creativity. Among 297 undergraduates, mania risk, as measured with the Hypomanic Personality Scale was related to lifetime creativity and creative personality, but not to performance on the insight task. Motivational traits appeared to mediate the links of mania risk with both lifetime creative accomplishments and self-rated creativity. Limitations The study relied on a cross-sectional design and a convenience sample. Conclusions Future studies would benefit from exploring motivation as a positive aspect of manic vulnerability that may foster greater creativity.

Psychology is in the early stages of examining a crisis of replicability stemming from several high-profile failures to replicate studies in experimental psychology. This important conversation has largely been focused on social psychology, with some active participation from cognitive psychology. Nevertheless, several other major domains of psychological science—including clinical science—have remained insulated from this discussion. The goals of this article are to (a) examine why clinical psychology and allied fields, such as counseling and school psychology, have not been central participants in the replicability conversation; (b) review concerns and recommendations that are less (or more) applicable to or appropriate for research in clinical psychology and allied fields; and (c) generate take-home messages for scholars and consumers of the literature in clinical psychology and allied fields, as well as reviewers, editors, and colleagues from other areas of psychological science.

Introduction People with bipolar disorder often show more approach-related behavior and positive appraisals of others during social interactions. This may be due to an increased sensitivity to positive contexts or to tendencies toward positive affectivity. In this study, we investigated the influence of reward versus prosocial positive contexts on social decision-making in people at high (n = 21) and low (n = 111) risk for bipolar disorder. Methods Participants completed a computerized task consisting of two blocks. In the No Context block, participants were presented with a face and asked to make decisions related to approach, appraisal, and trust behavior toward that person. In the Context block, designed to assess the influence of contextual information on decision-making, each face was preceded by a written statement describing a positive or neutral context. Results Compared to the low risk group, the high-risk group made significantly higher approach and appraisal ratings, regardless of the context condition. Effects were sustained controlling for positive affect. We did not find any effect of bipolar risk on trust ratings. Limitations The study was conducted in an analogue sample. Discussion Taken together, these results suggest risk for bipolar disorder is associated with greater positive social approach and appraisal tendencies, and that these effects are not secondary to social context or positive affect. Implications for understanding social decision-making in the bipolar spectrum are discussed.

BackgroundComorbid psychiatric symptoms in bipolar disorder (BD) predict poorer course of illness and treatment outcome. The sheer number of comorbid symptoms has thwarted developing treatments to address these comorbid concerns. The goal of this study was to develop a more parsimonious approach to understanding clusters of comorbid symptoms within BD.MethodData were collected as part of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Structured diagnostic interviews were conducted with 43,093 participants using the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV (AUDADIS-IV). Analyses were conducted on lifetime symptom counts for the most common 14 comorbid disorders among the 1411 persons who met lifetime criteria for bipolar I disorder.ResultsAn exploratory factor analysis with promax rotation as well as confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor solution of Externalizing, Anxiety, and Mood syndromes, with a higher order Internalizing factor comprised of the Mood and Anxiety factors.LimitationsFurther research is needed in a clinical sample.ConclusionsComorbid symptoms in BD tend to cohere into Internalizing and Externalizing disorders, which could simplify research and treatment on comorbidity in BD.

Reward function appears to be modulated by the circadian system, but little is known about the neural basis of this interaction. Previous research suggests that the neural reward response may be different in the afternoon; however, the direction of this effect is contentious. Reward response may follow the diurnal rhythm in self-reported positive affect, peaking in the early afternoon. An alternative is that daily reward response represents a type of prediction error, with neural reward activation relatively high at times of day when rewards are unexpected (i.e., early and late in the day). The present study measured neural reward activation in the context of a validated reward task at 10.00 h, 14.00 h, and 19.00 h in healthy human males. A region of interest BOLD fMRI protocol was used to investigate the diurnal waveform of activation in reward-related brain regions. Multilevel modeling found, as expected, a highly significant quadratic time-of-day effect focusing on the left putamen (p< 0.001). Consistent with the “prediction error” hypothesis, activation was significantly higher at 10.00 h and 19.00 h compared with 14.00 h. It is provisionally concluded that the putamen may be particularly important in endogenous priming of reward motivation at different times of day, with the pattern of activation consistent with circadian-modulated reward expectancies in neural pathways (i.e., greater activation to reward stimuli at unexpected times of day). This study encourages further research into circadian modulation of reward and underscores the methodological importance of accounting for time of day in fMRI protocols.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThis is one of the first studies to use a repeated-measures imaging procedure to explore the diurnal rhythm of reward activation. Although self-reported reward (most often operationalized as positive affect) peaks in the afternoon, the present findings indicate that neural activation is lowest at this time. We conclude that the diurnal neural activation pattern may reflect a prediction error of the brain, where rewards at unexpected times (10.00 h and 19.00 h) elicit higher activation in reward brain regions than at expected (14.00 h) times. These data also have methodological significance, suggesting that there may be a time of day influence, which should be accounted for in neural reward studies.

Background Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a cognitive process that is repetitive, passive, relatively uncontrollable, and focused on negative content, and is elevated in emotional disorders including depression and anxiety disorders. Repetitive positive thinking is associated with bipolar disorder symptoms. The unique contributions of positive versus negative repetitive thinking to emotional symptoms are unknown. The first aim of this study was to use confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the psychometrics of two transdiagnostic measures of RNT, the Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ-10) and Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ), and a measure of repetitive positive thinking, the Responses to Positive Affect (RPA) Questionnaire. The second aim was to determine incremental predictive utility of these measures. Method All measures were administered to a sample of 2088 undergraduate students from the Netherlands (n = 992), Australia (n = 698), and America (n = 398). Results Unidimensional, bifactor, and three-factor models were supported for the RTQ-10, PTQ, and RPA, respectively. A common factor measured by all PTQ items explained most variance in PTQ scores suggesting that this measure is essentially unidimensional. The RNT factor of the RTQ-10 demonstrated the strongest predictive utility, although the PTQ was also uniquely although weakly associated with anxiety, depression, and mania symptoms. The RPA dampening factor uniquely predicted anxiety and depression symptoms, suggesting that this scale is a separable process to RNT as measured by the RTQ-10 and PTQ. Limitations Findings were cross-sectional and need to be replicated in clinical samples. Conclusions Transdiagnostic measures of RNT are essentially unidimensional, whereas RPA is multidimensional. RNT and RPA have unique predictive utility.

In a range of taxa, the relatedness between mates influences both pre- and post-mating processes of sexual selection. However, relatively little is known about the genetic loci facilitating such a bias, with the exception of the major histocompatibility complex. Here, we performed tightly controlled replicated in vitro fertilization trials to explore the impact of relatedness on two possible mechanisms of cryptic female choice (CFC) in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We tested (i) whether relatedness of mates, assessed using 682 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on 29 SNP-linkage groups (LGs), biases a male's sperm velocity in ovarian fluid (a parameter previously shown to predict male fertilization success), and (ii) whether relatedness of mates governs fertilization success via other mechanisms, probably via sperm–egg interactions. We found that relatedness on three LGs explained the variation in sperm velocity, and relatedness on two LGs explained fertilization success, which might indicate the presence of genes important in sperm–ovarian fluid and sperm–egg interactions in these genomic regions. Mapping of the SNPs on these LGs to the rainbow trout genome revealed two genes that affect fertility in humans and represent candidate genes for further studies. Our results thereby provide a novel contribution to the understanding of the mechanism of CFC.

Motivational and hedonic impairments are core features of a variety of types of psychopathology. An important aspect of motivational function is reinforcement learning (RL), including implicit (i.e., outside of conscious awareness) and explicit (i.e., including explicit representations about potential reward associations) learning, as well as both positive reinforcement (learning about actions that lead to reward) and punishment (learning to avoid actions that lead to loss). Here we present data from paradigms designed to assess both positive and negative components of both implicit and explicit RL, examine performance on each of these tasks among individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder with psychosis, and examine their relative relationships to specific symptom domains transdiagnostically. None of the diagnostic groups differed significantly from controls on the implicit RL tasks in either bias toward a rewarded response or bias away from a punished response. However, on the explicit RL task, both the individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder performed significantly worse than controls, but the individuals with bipolar did not. Worse performance on the explicit RL task, but not the implicit RL task, was related to worse motivation and pleasure symptoms across all diagnostic categories. Performance on explicit RL, but not implicit RL, was related to working memory, which accounted for some of the diagnostic group differences. However, working memory did not account for the relationship of explicit RL to motivation and pleasure symptoms. These findings suggest transdiagnostic relationships across the spectrum of psychotic disorders between motivation and pleasure impairments and explicit RL. (PsycINFO Database Record

A growing body of research suggests that impulsive responses to emotion more robustly predict suicidality than do other forms of impulsivity. This issue has not yet been examined within bipolar disorder, however. Participants diagnosed with bipolar I disorder (n=133) and control participants (n=110) diagnosed with no mood or psychotic disorder completed self-report measures of emotion-triggered impulsivity (Negative and Positive Urgency Scales) and interviews concerning lifetime suicidality. Analyses examined the effects of emotion-triggered impulsivity alone and in combination with gender, age of onset, depression severity, comorbid anxiety, comorbid substance use, and medication. A history of suicide ideation and attempts, as well as self-harm, were significantly more common in the bipolar disorder group compared with the control group. Impulsive responses to positive emotions related to suicide ideation, attempts, and self-harm within the bipolar group. Findings extend research on the importance of emotion-triggered impulsivity to a broad range of key outcomes within bipolar disorder. The discussion focuses on limitations and potential clinical implications.

Prominent cognitive deficits have been documented in bipolar disorder, and multiple studies suggest that these deficits can be observed among non-affected first-degree relatives of those with bipolar disorder. Although there is variability in the degree of cognitive deficits, these deficits are robustly relevant for functional outcomes. A separate literature documents clear difficulties in emotionality, emotion regulation, and emotion-relevant impulsivity within bipolar disorder, and demonstrates that these emotion-relevant variables are also central to outcome. Although cognitive and emotion domains are typically studied independently, basic research and emergent findings in bipolar disorder suggest that there are important ties between cognitive deficits and the emotion disturbances observed in bipolar disorder. Understanding these relationships has relevance for fostering more integrative research, for clarifying relevant aspects related to functionality and vulnerability within bipolar disorder, and for the development of novel treatment interventions. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe psychiatric illness that has been ranked as one of the 20 leading medical causes of disability (WHO, 2011). BD has been shown to be the psychiatric disorder with the highest rates of completed suicide across two major cohort studies (Ilgen et al., 2010; Nordentoft, Mortensen, & Pedersen, 2011). In a cross-national representative sample, one in four persons diagnosed with bipolar I disorder reported a suicide attempt (Merikangas et al., 2011). Rates of relapse remain high despite available treatments (Gitlin, Swendsen, Heller, & Hammen, 1995), and in the year after hospitalization for manic episode, two-thirds of patients do not return to work (Strakowski et al., 1998). Poverty, homelessness, and incarceration are all too common (Copeland et al., 2009). Despite the often poor outcomes, there is also evidence for outstanding accomplishments and creativity among those with milder forms of the disorder and their family members (Coryell et al., 1989; Jamison, 1993; Murray & Johnson, 2010). Some individuals appear to achieve more than the general population, suggesting the importance of understanding the variables that predict differential outcome within bipolar disorder. Within this paper, we focus on two key predictors of outcomes within bipolar disorder: cognition and emotionality. We review evidence that problems in cognition and emotionality are prominent among those diagnosed with the disorder, are not artifacts of symptom state, and relate substantively to poorer outcomes. Although traditionally studied separately, new work points toward the idea that cognition and emotionality are intricately linked within bipolar disorder. Drawing from research within bipolar disorder as well as outside of bipolar disorder, we build a model of how cognition and emotionality might be tied within bipolar disorder. We then provide suggestions for future research. Before considering findings, it is worth noting that there are several forms of the disorder, defined by varying degrees and duration of manic symptoms (APA, 2013; WHO, 1993). Manic episodes are defined by abnormally elevated or irritable mood, accompanied by increased activity and at least three symptoms (four if mood is only irritable) such as decreased need for sleep, increased self-confidence, racing thoughts or flight of ideas, rapid speech, distractibility, goal-directed activity, and engagement in pleasurable activities without regard to potential negative consequences. To meet criteria for mania, these symptoms must persist for at least one week or require hospitalization, and must lead to difficulties with functioning. If functional impairment is not more than mild and duration is between 4 and 6 days, the episode is considered a hypomanic episode. Bipolar I disorder (BD I) is diagnosed on the basis of at least one lifetime manic episode within the DSM-5 and by at least two episodes within the ICD, whereas bipolar II disorder is diagnosed on the basis of at least one hypomanic episode (and no manic episodes) as well as major depressive episodes. Cyclothymic disorder is defined by chronic but milder fluctuations between manic and depressive symptoms. Most research focuses on BD I. In addition to diagnosed samples, research has focused on those at high risk for bipolar disorder, including first-degree relatives of those with BD. This work draws on the evidence for extremely high heritability of BD I, with estimates from community-based twin studies of 0.85 (Kieseppa, Partonen, Haukka, Kaprio, & Lonnqvist, 2014). Other research has considered high risk for BD by virtue of lifetime subsyndromal symptoms, as measured by scales such as the Hypomanic Personality Scale (Eckblad & Chapman, 1986) or the General Behavior Inventory (Depue, Krauss, Spoont, & Arbisi, 1989). The study of high-risk individuals provides a way to decipher whether deficits are present before the onset of the disorder, of importance given models suggesting that episodes of the disorder may change brain function (Chang, Steiner, & Ketter, 2000; Strakowski, 2012) as well as individuals' perceptions of their emotion regulation. Beyond defining BD, it is worth defining some of the many different neuropsychological tasks that have been widely studied in BD. Perhaps no area has received more attention than executive function. Executive function is related to three core functions: 1) inhibition, the ability to suppress irrelevant information in working memory in order to accomplish an established goal; 2) working memory, the ability to hold and manipulate information in mind; and 3) cognitive flexibility, the ability to shift strategies in response to feedback (Diamond, 2013; Miyake et al., 2000). Attention (defined as the process of selecting information reception from internal or external cues) is implicated in all three of these aspects of executive function. Much of the literature we will discuss focuses on response inhibition, or the ability to suppress a prepotent response, which is considered a subtype of inhibition. Some tests measure multiple facets of executive function; for example the Trails B test likely requires working memory and cognitive flexibility (Sanchez-Cubillo et al., 2009). Aside from executive function, multiple other facets of cognition have been widely studied in bipolar disorder. Verbal and non-verbal memory are related to the ability to register, store and retrieve verbal or visual information (Lezak, 1995). Verbal fluency is measured as the number of verbal responses a person can generate to a given target, such as a specific semantic category (e.g., animals, furniture) or phonetic category (e.g., words that begin with letter F) (Diamond, 2013). Although cognitive tasks have been designed to evaluate these specific functions, it is important to note that most measures are highly inter-correlated and may assess multiple overlapping functions to some extent (for example, the Trails B test is often described as an "executive function" task, although this task likely involves both working memory and cognitive flexibility. Not surprisingly, then, some authors label the function of certain tests differently, and this is particularly evident in meta-analyses of cognition. As we describe findings in this paper, we will use the terms proposed by the authors but will also identify key tests used to define a cognitive construct. With this background in mind, we turn to a discussion of cognitive deficits, then of emotion-related traits. Our hope is that those concise summaries provide evidence for the importance of both domains, but also specificity regarding the facets of emotion and cognition that are most impaired in BD. This specificity then guides our consideration of models that integrate cognition and emotion.

Evidence indicates the existence of a superordinate factor of general psychopathology, which has been termed p. Among the issues raised by this discovery is whether this factor has substantive meaning or not. This article suggests a functional interpretation of the p factor, based in part on a family of dual process models, in which an associative system and a deliberative system compete for influence over action. The associative system is frequently said to be impulsively responsive to emotions. We hypothesize that this impulsive responsivity to emotion underlies the p factor. One benefit of this view is to use the same underlying process variable to account for both internalizing and externalizing vulnerabilities as well as aspects of thought disorder. Evidence is reviewed linking impulsive reactivity to emotion to the p factor and (separately) to internalizing, externalizing, and thought-disorder symptoms. Alternative interpretations are considered.

Research has implicated motivation and goal regulation in susceptibility to mood disorders. We studied for the first time key facets of motivation and goal regulation concurrently in relation to affective symptoms. The cross-national sample comprised 510 university students from the United States (n = 279) and United Kingdom (n = 231). Participants completed self-report measures of motivation, conditional goal setting, urgency, depression, anxiety, and mania risk. Structural Equation Modeling results found that behavioral activation system scores correlated negatively with depression and positively with mania risk, but were unrelated to anxiety. High conditional goal setting correlated uniquely with higher depression but not to anxiety or mania risk. Urgency correlated with higher anxiety, depression, and mania risk. Behavioral inhibition system scores correlated negatively with mania risk but unexpectedly did not correlate with anxiety in the multivariate model. The behavioral activation, behavioral inhibition, conditional goal setting, and urgency results showed shared and distinct patterns of relationships with depression, anxiety and mania risk. Our findings indicate unique and common risk vulnerabilities in depressive, anxious, and manic syndromes and extend an integrative knowledge of these syndromes in relation to goal regulation.

Affective disturbance is a central feature of bipolar disorder. Many investigators have hypothesized that euthymic people with bipolar disorder might display elevated emotional reactivity, but laboratory studies of emotional reactivity have had mixed results. Drawing on theories of bipolar disorder that emphasize dysregulation of goal pursuit, we hypothesized that people with bipolar disorder might be emotionally hyperreactive to frustration of goal pursuit. Forty-seven euthymic participants with bipolar disorder and 43 control participants played a computer game for a monetary reward. To induce frustration, we programmed the game to respond inconsistently to user input during two periods. The frustration induction was successful as measured by self-report, physiological responding, and facial behavior, but contrary to the hypothesis of emotional hyperreactivity in bipolar disorder, the bipolar and control groups were equally reactive to frustration. Future studies will benefit from more specific hypotheses about how emotion might be altered in bipolar disorder.

Objectives The dominance behavioural system (DBS) is multi-faceted, and various aspects of this system have links with a range of psychopathologies. Different scales have been used across psychopathologies though, and no single measure captures the core dimensions of the DBS. Our goal was to assess the importance of multiple DBS dimensions across psychopathologies. Methods Undergraduates (N = 612) completed a broad set of dominance items (many from pre-existing measures) and measures of lifetime depression, anxiety, and manic symptoms. Results Factor analysis suggested six distinct DBS factors: Authentic Pride, Hubristic Pride, Cooperation, Power/Influence, Discomfort with Leadership, and Ruthless Ambition. Depressive and anxious symptoms related to notably similar DBS profiles, characterized by lower authentic pride, lower perceived power, and greater willingness to endorse hubris. In contrast, hypomanic tendencies related to heightened pride, and an emphasis on the pursuit of power despite interpersonal costs. Conclusions With a multi-faceted approach, the DBS appears to be relevant for understanding multiple forms of psychopathology. Although limited by the reliance on self-report questionnaires, this is the first transdiagnostic study to consider these multiple facets of the DBS. Practitioner points The dominance system involves multiple separable dimensions. Manic tendencies appear tied to experiencing a heightened sense of pride and being willing to use more aggressive behavioural strategies to pursue dominance. Anxious and depressive tendencies appear particularly tied to low levels of subjective power, and more willingness to describe oneself as having hubris. Pride, the subjective sense of achieving power, and behavioural approaches to achieving power appear to be important dimensions of the dominance system for understanding psychopathology.

Researchers have noted strong parallels in the symptoms of mania—including grandiosity, hostility, goal-driven behavior, and overly sexualized behavior—and dominance. Drawing on these parallels, it has been hypothesized that bipolar disorder might be related to dysregulations of the dominance system, which includes dominance motivation, power, and dominance behavior. The goal of the current study was to consider whether manic tendencies related to the dominance system as measured in an ecologically valid experimental paradigm. Participants took part in small group interactions in which they negotiated merit pay for candidates seeking promotion. They completed ratings of their own and peers' dominance behaviors during the interaction. All participants also completed the Hypomanic Personality Scale to assess risk for mania, as well as scales to assess for current (hypo)mania and history of depression. Whereas history of depression was related to lower dominance motivation, mania risk was related to dominance behavior during the task, and peers rated this dominance behavior unfavorably. Findings provide a framework for understanding some of the social problems observed in bipolar disorder, with both depression history and mania risk contributing to dysregulations in the dominance system.

Environmental sex reversal (ESR), whereby environmental effects (e.g. exogenous chemicals) override genetic sex determination, is a commonly used technique in aquaculture and physiology research. We performed a systematic review and metaanalyses of the literature that compares the sperm characteristics of masculinized genotypic females to wild-type males. We detected no mean differences between the ejaculate volume, sperm motility, duration or linearity of each type of male. We found some large mean differences in sperm concentration (d = 2.541, CI = ! 0.004 to 5.086), reproductive success (d = ! 1.400, CI = ! 2.943 to 0.142), semen osmolality (d = 1.850, CI = 0.622 to 3.077) and sperm velocity (d = ! 0.933, CI=! 1.426 to ! 0.441); in the case of the latter two traits, the mean effect was statistically significant. However, any significance did not stand up to a more conservative analysis. Additionally, heterogeneity was high and we found that where large differences between the sperm of sex-reversed and wild-type males are reported, these effects are attributable to sperm sampling methodology. Overall, we found little evidence for large systematic differences between the sperm produced by masculinized and wild-type male fish. Thus, masculinized genotypic females may enjoy reproductive success comparable to genotypic males. This conclusion leads to two potential implications: (i) sex-reversed fish may influence the dynamics of wild populations and (ii) aquaculture practices may use ESR to produce males with sperm quality similar to that of genotypic males. Most studies appear to have been performed in aquaculture species (i.e. Salmonidae); thus future experiments in non-model organisms may provide important insights in to the uniformity of the effects described.

Studies on depression risk emphasize the importance of both cognitive and genetic vulnerability factors. The present study has provided the first examination of whether working memory capacity, the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism, and their interaction predict changes in symptoms of depression during the transition to university. Early in the semester, students completed a self-report measure of depressive symptoms and a modified version of the reading span task to assess working memory capacity in the presence of both neutral and negative distractors. Whole blood was genotyped for the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. Students returned at the end of the semester to complete additional self-report questionnaires. Neither working memory capacity nor the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism predicted change in depressive symptoms either independently or in interaction with self-reported semester difficulty. The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism, however, moderated the association between working memory capacity and symptom change. Among met carriers, lower working memory capacity in the presence of negative-but not neutral-distractors was associated with increased symptoms of depression over the semester. For the val/val group, working memory capacity did not predict symptom change. These findings contribute directly to biological and cognitive models of depression and highlight the importance of examining Gene × Cognition interactions when investigating risk for depression.

Background Research suggests that people with bipolar disorder may be highly motivated to attain dominance and may over-estimate their social power ( Johnson and Carver, 2012 ). This manic temperament may provide an adaptive advantage in the pursuit of dominance and leadership ( Akiskal and Akiskal, 1992 ). It was hypothesized that people at high risk for bipolar disorder, as defined by the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS), would fail to assume a submissive role when it was appropriate to do so. Method Participants (81 undergraduates) completed an image description task with a confederate. Participants were randomly assigned to interact with a confederate who assumed one of three nonverbal postures: dominant (expanded), neutral, or submissive (constricted). Nonverbal dominance behavior was defined as the rate at which participants expanded their body span during the task. Results Consistent with hypotheses, an ANOVA indicated an interaction of Mania risk x Dominance condition on body expansion. Whereas participants with low mania risk (HPS scores) adapted complementary behavior in response to the confederate, participants with high mania risk demonstrated a consistently dominant (expanded) nonverbal posture. Limitations A major limitation of this study is the use of an analog measure of mania risk in place of clinical diagnoses. Conclusions In this experiment, participants at high risk for mania maintained a dominant posture even when submissiveness would have been more appropriate. It is argued that persistent dominance behavior may play an important role in the interpersonal interactions of individuals at risk for bipolar disorder.

Several polymorphisms relevant to dopamine and serotonin have been identified as potential contributors to individual differences in impulsivity versus self-control. Because impulsivity is a multifaceted construct, a need remains to examine more closely how various genes relate to different aspects of impulsivity. We examined four dopamine-related polymorphisms and the serotonin transporter as predictors of three aspects of impulsivity, two bearing on impulsive reactions to emotions and one on difficulty in completing intended actions. Early adversity was also examined as a potentiator of genetic effects. Undergraduates completed measures of impulsivity and early adversity and were genotyped. COMT, BDNF, DRD4, and 5HTTLPR (the latter two in interaction with early adversity) made independent contributions to prediction of Pervasive Influence of Feelings. BDNF made a contribution to Lack of Follow-Through. ANKK1 and 5HTTLPR (both in interaction with early adversity) made independent contributions to Feelings Trigger Action. Thus, five polymorphisms contributed to predicting impulsivity, but different polymorphisms related to different aspects.

Affective instability (AI) is as a central component of a number of psychiatric disorders, but it has received relatively little empirical attention as an individual construct. The goal of the current study was to study AI in the context of a broad empirical network of relevant constructs and compare its pattern of relations with those generated by trait neuroticism, both of which were assessed using both self- and informant reports. In a sample of 343 college students, the present study examined the correlations generated by an AI factor (derived from a factor analysis of relevant scales) in comparison to neuroticism in relation to personality and etiological and outcome variables. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a one-factor structure of AI related to the experience of intense and changeable negative affect and subsequent physical and behavioral consequences. The correlations generated by self- and informant reports of AI with these external criteria were almost perfectly correlated with the correlations demonstrated by self- and informant reports of neuroticism. Self- and informant reports of AI generated a pattern of results consistent with its role in a number of psychological disorders that are associated with substantial impairment. The current data suggest that AI might be best conceived of as largely overlapping with neuroticism rather than as a distinct construct.

Rejection sensitivity has been found to predict the course of unipolar depression as well as key outcomes, but has not yet been considered within bipolar disorder. The present study investigated the effects of rejection sensitivity on outcome in bipolar disorder. Fifty-three participants diagnosed with bipolar I disorder in remission using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV were compared to 44 controls with no history of mood disorder. A subset of 38 bipolar participants completed follow-up interviews using standard symptom severity measures at 6 months. People with bipolar I disorder reported higher rejection sensitivity scores than did controls. Within the bipolar sample, rejection sensitivity at baseline predicted increases in depression, but not mania, over the following 6 months; heightened rejection sensitivity was also correlated with poorer quality of life, social support, and psychological well-being. Findings highlight the importance of interpersonal-cognitive factors for treating depression and improving outcome within bipolar I disorder.

Objective Bipolar disorder has been associated with elevated impulsivity – a complex construct subsuming multiple facets. We aimed to compare specific facets of impulsivity in bipolar disorder, including those related to key psychological correlates of the illness: reward sensitivity and strong emotion. Method Ninety-one individuals diagnosed with bipolar I disorder (inter-episode period) and 80 controls completed several well-validated impulsivity measures, including those relevant to reward (Fun-seeking subscale of the Behavioral Activation System scale) and emotion (Positive Urgency and Negative Urgency scales). Results Bipolar participants reported higher impulsivity scores than did controls on all of the impulsivity measures, except the Fun-seeking subscale of the Behavioral Activation System scale. Positive Urgency – a measure assessing the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing strong positive emotion – yielded the largest group differences: F(1,170) = 78.69, P

In this article, we consider similarities and differences in emotion research on older adults and individuals with bipolar disorder (BD). Recent research and theory within both areas has focused on the importance of positive emotion, but the case of older adults is generally considered a case of “adaptive” positivity whereas BD is usually considered maladaptive positivity. We explore the paradox of the same phenomenon being labeled as adaptive in one group and yet maladaptive in another, with attention to commonalities and distinctions between these two groups. We identify only limited areas of overlap, and suggest a refinement of models of positive emotionality in the two populations.

Females of many species mate with multiple males even when it is costly. Multiple mating may allow females to exploit postcopulatory mechanisms to ensure that their eggs are fertilized by high quality (good genes) and/or genetically compatible males. We conducted a series of noncompetitive in vitro fertilization experiments to evaluate the benefits of polyandry in naturally occurring pairs of horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus. In this externally fertilizing species, attached pairs migrate to shore to spawn; unpaired males are attracted to spawning pairs by visual and chemical cues and become satellites of some (polyandrous) females while ignoring others (monandrous). When present, satellites may fertilize a high proportion of the female’s eggs, but their presence is costly to female nesting success. We measured developmental success for monandrous and polyandrous females crossed with attached and satellite males. We found that satellite males increased the success of polyandrous but not monandrous females. We then examined the effect of good genes and genetic compatibility on developmental success and offspring size using a North Carolina II breeding design. Results indicate that both incompatibilities between males and females and paternal good genes effects may provide a selective advantage that offsets the costs of multiple mating in this species.

Psychology is in the early stages of examining a crisis of replicability stemming from several high-profile failures to replicate studies in experimental psychology. This important conversation has largely been focused on social psychology, with some active participation from cognitive psychology. Nevertheless, several other major domains of psychological science – including clinical science – have remained insulated from this discussion. The goals of this article are to (a) examine why clinical psychology and allied fields, such as counseling and school psychology, have not been central participants in the replicability conversation, (b) review concerns and recommendations that are less (or more) applicable to or appropriate for research in clinical psychology and allied fields, and (c) generate take-home messages for scholars and consumers of the literature in clinical psychology and allied fields, as well as reviewers, editors, and colleagues from other areas of psychological science.

Research has yielded mixed findings regarding whether bipolar disorder is related to attentional bias for emotionally-relevant stimuli, yet little research has utilized advances in eye-tracking technology to study attention in this population. The current study used a free-viewing eye-tracking paradigm to test whether people with remitted bipolar disorder show preferential attention to positive faces, and to test if comorbid anxiety or emotion regulation strategies are related to attention bias. Twenty-nine adults with bipolar I disorder and 28 control participants viewed images of emotionally valenced faces while their gaze was tracked, and participants completed self-report measures of emotion regulation. Contrary to hypotheses, people with bipolar disorder did not differ from control participants in attention to positive stimuli, and both anxiety comorbidity and emotion regulation were unrelated to attentional indices. Unlike some findings in unipolar depression, these results suggest that attention to valenced faces may not be characteristic of remitted bipolar disorder.

In 2002, in Atkins v Virginia, the US Supreme Court ruled that executing individuals with intellectual disability violated the Constitution’s Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause. The Court, however, left it to the states to implement the new categorical exclusion. Post-Atkins, some states have adopted definitions of intellectual disability and procedures that make it virtually impossible for defendants to prevail. Setting aside the disparate treatment of those who clearly fall within the clinical definition of intellectual disability, questions remain about the fairness and morality of executing someone who falls just on the ‘wrong’ side of the diagnostic line, but in every relevant respect is equally disabled. Atkins represents a steps down the road toward humanitarian recognition that many persons with mental disabilities are not sufficiently morally culpable for the death penalty.

Objectives A growing empirical literature indicates that emotion-related impulsivity (compared to impulsivity that is unrelated to emotion) is particularly relevant for understanding a broad range of psychopathologies. Recent work, however, has differentiated two forms of emotion-related impulsivity: A factor termed Pervasive Influence of Feelings captures tendencies for emotions (mostly negative emotions) to quickly shape thoughts, and a factor termed Feelings Trigger Action captures tendencies for positive and negative emotions to quickly and reflexively shape behaviour and speech. This study used path modelling to consider links from emotion-related and non-emotion-related impulsivity to a broad range of psychopathologies. Design and methods Undergraduates completed self-report measures of impulsivity, depression, anxiety, aggression, and substance use symptoms. Results A path model (N = 261) indicated specificity of these forms of impulsivity. Pervasive Influence of Feelings was related to anxiety and depression, whereas Feelings Trigger Action and non-emotion-related impulsivity were related to aggression and substance use. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that emotion-relevant impulsivity could be a potentially important treatment target for a set of psychopathologies. Practitioner points Recent work has differentiated two forms of emotion-related impulsivity. This study tests a multivariate path model linking emotion-related and non-emotion-related impulsivity with multiple forms of psychopathology. Impulsive thoughts in response to negative emotions were related to anxiety and depression. Impulsive actions in response to emotions were related to aggression and substance use, as did non-emotion-related impulsivity. The study was limited by the reliance on self-report measures of impulsivity and psychopathology. There is a need for longitudinal work on how these forms of impulsivity predict the onset and course of psychopathology.

Positive urgency, the tendency to respond impulsively to positive affective states, has been linked to many psychopathologies, but little is known about mechanisms underpinning this form of impulsivity. We examined whether the Positive Urgency Measure (PUM) related to higher scores on performance-based measures of impulsivity and cognitive control that were administered after a positive mood induction. Undergraduates (n = 112) completed the self-report PUM, several positive mood inductions, and behavioral measures of impulsivity and cognitive control. PUM scores were significantly related to poor performance on the antisaccade task, a measure of prepotent response inhibition, but not to other performance measures. Together with existing literature, findings implicate deficits in response inhibition as one mechanism involved in emotion-related impulsivity. (PsycINFO Database Record

In this chapter we review research on the diagnosis, course, etiology, and pharmacological and psychosocial treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). BD is a highly recurrent and severe illness, with high rates of suicidality and functional impairment. The disorder is heritable and appears to share susceptibility genes with schizophrenia. It is characterized by dysregulation in the dopamine and serotonin systems and by pathology in the brain systems involved in regulating emotion. Psychosocial stressors, notably life events and familial expressed emotion, significantly influence the course of the illness in the context of these vulnerabilities. Findings of randomized clinical trials indicate that psychosocial interventions enhance long-term outcomes when added to pharmacotherapy. Much remains to be clarified about the interactive contributions of genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial factors to the course of the disorder, and the moderators and mediators of treatment effects.

ObjectivesDue to the serious and recurrent nature of bipolar disorder, continuous long-term medication treatment is typically recommended. Little is known about whether these treatment recommendations are effectively implemented for Hispanics. This study examined differences in mood stabilizer use and mental health service utilization between adult English-speaking Hispanic and non-Hispanic white respondents with bipolar disorder.MethodsThe sample included 163 participants with lifetime bipolar I and II disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Demographics, symptom presentation, and acculturation were examined as covariates.ResultsNone of the 26 Hispanic respondents were taking mood-stabilizing medication, compared to 21% of non-Hispanic whites, and Hispanics were less likely to receive medications for emotional problems, see a professional for manic episodes, or attend psychotherapy. Even after accounting for differences in symptom profiles and sociodemographics, ethnicity continued to be a significant predictor of mood stabilizer use and psychotherapy attendance. There was a non-significant trend toward lower acculturation among Hispanics being associated with even poorer service utilization.ConclusionsNo Hispanics were receiving minimally adequate treatment for their bipolar disorder. Future research should focus on identifying the barriers that lead to these stark ethnic disparities in treatment.

Introduction: Bipolar disorder is a severe and chronic mental health problem that persists into older adulthood. The number of people living with this condition is set to rise as the UK experiences a rapid ageing of its population. To date, there has\ud been very little research or service development with respect to psychological therapies for this group of people.\ud \ud Methods and analysis: A parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial comparing a 14-session, 6-month Recovery-focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Older Adults with bipolar disorder (RfCBT-OA) plus treatment as usual (TAU) versus TAU\ud alone. Participants will be recruited in the North-West of England via primary and secondary mental health services and through self-referral. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of RfCBT-OA; therefore, a formal power calculation is not appropriate. It has been estimated that randomising 25 participants per group will be sufficient to be able to reliably determine the primary feasibility outcomes (eg, recruitment and retention rates), in line with recommendations for sample sizes for feasibility/pilot trials. Participants in both arms will complete assessments at baseline and then every 3 months, over the 12-month follow-up period. We will gain an estimate of the likely effect size of RfCBTOA on a range of clinical outcomes and estimate parameters needed to determine the appropriate sample size for a definitive, larger trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of RfCBT-OA. Data analysis is discussed further in the Analysis section in the main paper.\ud \ud Ethics and dissemination: This protocol was approved by the UK National Health Service (NHS) Ethics Committee process (REC ref: 15/NW/0330). The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peerreviewed journals, national and international conference presentations and local, participating NHS trusts.\ud \ud Trial registration number: ISRCTN13875321; Preresults.

Background Despite the rapid growth in the sophistication of research on bipolar disorder (BD), the field faces challenges in improving quality of life (QoL) and symptom outcomes, adapting treatments for marginalized communities, and disseminating research insights into real-world practice. Community-based participatory research (CBPR)—research that is conducted as a partnership between researchers and community members—has helped address similar gaps in other health conditions. This paper aims to improve awareness of the potential benefits of CBPR in BD research. Methods This paper is a product of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Taskforce on Community Engagement which includes academic researchers, healthcare providers, people with lived experience of BD, and stakeholders from BD community agencies. Illustrative examples of CBPR in action are provided from two established centres that specialize in community engagement in BD research: the Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial issues in BD (CREST.BD) in Canada, and the Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research in the United Kingdom. Results and discussion We describe the philosophy of CBPR and then introduce four core research areas the BD community has prioritized for research: new treatment approaches, more comprehensive outcome assessments, tackling stigma, and enhanced understanding of positive outcomes. We then describe ways in which CBPR is ideal for advancing each of these research areas and provide specific examples of ways that CBPR has already been successfully applied in these areas. We end by noting potential challenges and mitigation strategies in the application of CBPR in BD research. Conclusions We believe that CBPR approaches have significant potential value for the BD research community. The observations and concerns of people with BD, their family members, and supports clearly represent a rich source of information. CBPR approaches provide a collaborative, equitable, empowering orientation to research that builds on the diversity of strengths amongst community stakeholders. Despite the potential merits of this approach, CBPR is as yet not widely used in the BD research field, representing a missed opportunity.

Sperm competition is an important component of postcopulatory sexual selection. Despite the fact that sperm traits may be important in determining fitness and thus may be under directional selection, they are often highly variable in mating systems with intense sperm competition. One possible explanation for this variation is that sperm traits vary with age. Age affects the expression of many life-history traits and sexual selection signals, but its influence on sperm traits is not well understood. In this study, we examined the correlation between individual age and sperm traits in a natural population of the American horseshoe crab. We compared five sperm traits (ejaculate size, concentration, total sperm ejaculated, velocity and viability) between males of three age categories. Young males ejaculated more total sperm and had significantly more concentrated sperm than old males. Males of different ages did not differ in sperm velocity or viability. Our results suggest that age influences traits associated with sperm quantity more than it does traits associated with sperm quality. Our results also suggest that individual age may be an important, but often overlooked, factor in studies examining sperm traits in natural populations.

Background Impulsivity is elevated among people diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and recent evidence suggests that impulsivity can predict onset among those at risk for the disorder. Impulsivity, though, is a broad construct. Objective The goal of this study was to examine whether some aspects of impulsivity are more correlated with risk for mania than others. We hypothesized that risk for mania would be related specifically to difficulties controlling impulsive responses to emotions. Design and Methods Undergraduates (N = 257) completed a large battery of measures of emotion-relevant and non-emotional forms of impulsivity, along with a well-validated measure of risk for mania, the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS). Results Analyses examined correlations of impulsivity scales with the HPS, and partial correlations controlling for lifetime tendencies towards depressive symptoms and current symptoms of alcohol abuse, both of which relate to impulsivity and often co-occur with mania. After controlling for these measures, risk for mania remained correlated with measures of impulsive responses to positive emotions, but not with difficulties in following through or with impulsivity in the context of general distress emotions. Conclusions Although impulsivity is a major concern among those at risk for mania and those diagnosed with mania, difficulties may be especially evident during positive affective states, and other forms of impulsivity may be less related to mania risk. Discussion focuses on limitations and future directions. Practitioner Points Impulsivity is correlated with risk for mania. Mania risk appears tied to tendencies towards impulsive action, particularly during positive affective states. Mania risk was not significantly correlated with other non-emotional forms of impulsivity. A better understanding of what aspects of impulsivity are problematic in bipolar disorder could guide more refined interventions.