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This study investigated relations between a measure of early-stage visual function and self-reported visual anomalies in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P). Eleven individuals at CHR identified via the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS) were recruited from a CHR-P research program in NYC. The sample was ~36% female, ranging from 16 to 33 years old (M = 23.90, SD = 6.14). Participants completed a contrast sensitivity task on an iPad with five spatial frequencies (0.41–13 cycles/degree) and completed the self-report Audio-Visual Abnormalities Questionnaire. Higher contrast sensitivity (better performance) to low spatial frequencies was associated with higher perceptual (r = 0.616, p = 0.044) and visual disturbances (r = 0.667, p = 0.025); lower contrast sensitivity to a middle spatial frequency was also associated with higher perceptual (r = −0.604, p = 0.049) and visual disturbances (r = −0.606, p = 0.048). This relation between the questionnaire and contrast sensitivity to low spatial frequency may be indicative of a reduction in lateral inhibition and "flooding" of environmental stimuli. The association with middle spatial frequencies, which play a critical role in face processing, may result in a range of perceptual abnormalities. These findings demonstrate that self-reported perceptual anomalies occur in these individuals and are linked to performance on a measure of early visual processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to elucidate factors related to suicidality in a high-stress population—music industry touring professionals. It also examined whether trait mindfulness plays a moderating role in relations among these factors and suicidality. Touring professionals (N = 1,154) responded to an online questionnaire that included the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale–Revised (CES-D), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Suicide Behavior Questionnaire–Revised (SBQ-R), and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were conducted on data from completed instruments (n = 550) with PSS as the antecedent, CES-D as the mediator, MAAS as the moderator, and SBQ-R as the outcome. The indirect effect of stress through depressive symptoms on suicidality was significant. The moderation of this indirect effect by mindfulness also reached significance, with greater mindfulness scores associated with an attenuation of the impact of stress on suicidality through depressive symptoms. Mindfulness was a moderator of stress on depressive symptoms and suicidality. Mindfulness-based interventions for populations under high stress, such as touring professionals, may be an important topic for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of Chan (Zen) meditation on musical performance anxiety and musical performance quality. Nineteen participants were recruited from music conservatories and randomly assigned to either an eight-week meditation group or a wait-list control group. After the intervention, all participants performed in a public concert. Outcome measures were performance anxiety and musical performance quality. Meditation practiced over a short term did not significantly improve musical performance quality. The control group demonstrated a significant decrease in performance quality with increases in performance anxiety. The meditation group demonstrated the opposite effect--a positive linear relation between performance quality and performance anxiety. This finding indicates that enhanced concentration and mindfulness (silent illumination), cultivated by Chan practice, might enable one to channel performance anxiety to improve musical performance. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

In this first investigation of Taiwanese sexual behaviors in the United States, 144 Taiwanese students completed an online anonymous survey. Demographics, health belief model (HBM) constructs, and acculturation were examined as predictors of sexual behaviors over the last year. Analyses indicated that participants who reported a higher number of sexual partners and more frequent sexual intercourse tended to be more educated and more likely to be nonheterosexual. The HBM constructs, as a set, reliably predicted participants' sexual behaviors. Self-efficacy was the strongest predictor within the HBM. Furthermore, acculturation moderated the predictive power of the HBM with respect to intercourse frequency. The main limitation of the study is that the measure of HBM, which was not designed to target Asian immigrants, was psychometrically poor. The results suggest self-efficacy is a target for behavioral change, acculturation may need to be incorporated into the HBM, and more culturally sensitive measures need to be developed.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) provide a means to examine neural mechanisms in autism with high temporal resolution. Conventional VEP analysis relies on subjective inspection of a few points (peaks and troughs) in the time‐domain waveform. The current study applied power spectral analysis and magnitude‐squared coherence (MSC) statistics (frequency‐domain measures) to VEPs recorded during 1‐minute runs and with a recently developed short‐duration technique that allow for objective examination of the responses (Zemon & Gordon, European Journal of Neuroscience, 2018, 48, 1765–1788) from nonautistic and autistic children. Results indicate that, for both groups, early time‐domain measures (P60, N75, P100) are highly correlated with middle‐ and high‐frequency (14–28 and 30–48 Hz, respectively) mechanisms, and late measures are highly correlated with a low‐frequency (6–12 Hz) mechanism. One frequency‐domain measure (power in the middle‐frequency band) is capable of predicting the key amplitude measure (N75‐P100) with high accuracy. MSC and power measures were combined to yield separate measures of signal and noise strength to evaluate alternate hypotheses in autism. Linear mixed‐effects modeling demonstrated selective differences in early time‐domain and middle‐to‐high frequency‐domain measures in autistic children as compared to nonautistic children given both recording techniques, implicating weaker excitatory input to the cortex. Receiver‐operating‐characteristic curve analysis showed predictive diagnostic accuracy for middle‐ and high‐frequency bands based on MSC. These findings support the value of frequency analysis measures (power spectral analysis and MSC) in the objective examination of neural differences in autism. Lay Summary: Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) are used to assess neural mechanisms. Typically, VEPs are analyzed by subjective examination of time‐series waveforms; but here objective techniques were applied to quantify VEP frequency components to investigate neural differences between autistic and nonautistic children. The objective measures demonstrate group differences in brain function that point to weaker excitatory input to the cortex in autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]