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Research shows that the Unresolved-disorganized attachment representation (U), resulting from experiences of loss or abuse, is associated with a range of psychiatric conditions. However, clinical implications of U are yet unclear. Objective: To investigate how U is related to symptoms and recovery of eating disorder (ED) patients. Method: First, 38 ED patients starting psychotherapeutic treatment were compared to 20 controls without ED on the prevalence of U, assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview. Second, in the patient group relations between U and ED symptoms, depression, anxiety and subjective experience of symptoms were investigated. Third, we compared, 1 year afterwards, recovery of patients with and without U. Results: The prevalence of U was higher in ED patients than in controls. Symptom severity was not related to U. ED patients with U at the start of treatment improved significantly more regarding anxiety, depression and subjective experience of symptoms than did patients without U. Discussion: The differential recovery of ED patients with or without U confirms the trauma-related heterogeneity of patients found in other diagnostic groups and calls for further investigation into the treatment needs of patients with different attachment representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurocognitive symptoms are common in individuals with somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRD), but little is known about the specific impairments in neurocognitive domains in patients with conversion disorder (CD)/functional neurological disorder (FND). This study examines neurocognitive functioning in patients with CD/FND compared to patients with other SSRD. The sample consisted of 318 patients. Twenty‐nine patients were diagnosed with CD/FND, mean age 42.4, standard deviation (SD) = 13.8 years, 79.3% women, and 289 patients had other SSRD (mean age 42.1, SD = 13.3, 60.2% women). Patients completed a neuropsychological test battery that addressed a broad range of neurocognitive domains, including information processing speed, attention and executive functioning. Patients with CD/FND had clinically significant neurocognitive deficits in all neurocognitive domains based on normative data comparison. Patients with CD/FND also performed significantly worse than patients with other SSRD on information processing speed (Digit Symbol Substitution Test (V =.115, p =.035), Stroop Color–Word Test (SCWT) card 1 (V =.190, p =.006), and SCWT card 2 (V =.244, p <.001). No CD/FND vs. other SSRD differences were observed in other neurocognitive domains. These findings indicate the patients with CD/FND perform worse on information processing speed tests compared to patients with other SSRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neuropeptide oxytocin plays an important role in mother-infant bonding. However, recent studies indicate that the effects of oxytocin on prosociality are dependent on perceived social context. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined differential effects of intranasally administered oxytocin on neural responding to 500 and 700 Hz crying that was indicated as emanating from a sick infant and 500 and 700 Hz crying emanating from a bored infant. We found that oxytocin significantly increased insula and inferior frontal gyrus responding to sick infant crying, but decreased activation in these brain regions during exposure to crying of an infant that was labeled as bored. In addition, oxytocin decreased amygdala responding to 500 Hz crying, but increased amygdala responding to 700 Hz crying. These findings indicate that labeling the same infant crying as 'sick' or as 'bored' drastically changes neural activity in response to intranasal oxytocin administration. Oxytocin increases empathic reactions to sick infants' crying, but lowers the perceived urgency of crying of an infant perceived as bored, thus flexibly adapting adult responses to infant crying labeled in various ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]