Proximity and interpersonal contact are prominent components of social connection. Giving affective touch to others is fundamental for human bonding. This brief report presents preliminary results from a pilot study. It explores if exposure to bonding scenes impacts the activity of specific muscles related to physical interaction. Fingers flexion is a very important component when performing most actions of affectionate contact. We explored the visuo-motor affective interplay by priming participants with bonding scenes and assessing the electromyographic activity of the fingers flexor muscle, in the absence of any overt movements. Photographs of dyads in social interaction and of the same dyads not interacting were employed. We examined the effects upon the electromyographical activity: (i) during the passive exposure to pictures, and (ii) during picture offset and when expecting the signal to perform a fingers flexion task. Interacting dyads compared to matched non-interacting dyads increased electromyographic activity of the fingers flexor muscle in both contexts. Specific capture of visual bonding cues at the level of visual cortex had been described in the literature. Here we showed that the neural processing of visual bonding cues reaches the fingers flexor muscle. Besides, previous visualization of bonding cues enhanced background electromyographic activity during motor preparation to perform the fingers flexion task, which might reflect a sustained leakage of central motor activity downstream leading to increase in firing of the respective motor neurons. These data suggest, at the effector level, an implicit visuo-motor connection in which social interaction cues evoke intrinsic dispositions toward affectionate social behavior.

Threatening cues and surrounding contexts trigger specific defensive response patterns. Posturography, a technique for measuring postural strategies, has been used to evaluate motor defensive reactions in humans. When exposed to gun pointed pictures, humans were shown to exhibit an immobility reaction. Short and long-term exposure to violent video games was shown to be a causal risk factor for increased violent and aggressive behavior. Assaultive violence with a gun is a major trigger for motor defensive reactions, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most characteristic psychiatric sequelae. Recent studies point to links between PTSD symptoms and emotional shortfalls in non-clinical trauma-exposed samples. The present study investigated defensive reactions to gun threat and PTSD symptoms in heavy players of violent video games compared to non-players. Male university students were screened according to use of violent video games and divided in three groups: non-players, moderate players, and heavy players. Stimuli were pictures depicting a man pointing a gun directed at the participant. In matched control pictures, non-lethal objects replaced the gun. Posturography was recorded and PTSD symptoms were assessed. When exposed to the threat pictures, non-players exhibited the expected reduction in amplitude of body sway (immobility), heavy players presented atypical augmented amplitude of body sway, and moderate players showed intermediate reactivity. Heavy players presented a significant distinct reaction compared to non-players. They also scored significantly higher in PTSD symptoms than non-players. Disadvantageous defensive reactions and higher vulnerability to PTSD symptoms, revealed in the present study, add to other shortcomings for heavy players.

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to (i) assess the appetitive drives evoked by the visual cues of ultra-processed food and drink products and (ii) investigate whether text warnings reduce appetitive drives and consumers’ reported intentions to eat or drink ultra-processed products. Design In Study I, a well-established psychometric tool was applied to estimate the appetitive drives associated with ultra-processed products using sixty-four image representations. Sixteen product types with four exemplars of a given product were included. Pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) served as controls. The two exemplars of each product type rated as more appetitive were selected for investigation in the second study. Study II assessed the impact of textual warnings on the appetitive drive towards these thirty-two exemplars. Each participant was exposed to two picture exemplars of the same product type preceded by a text warning or a control text. After viewing each displayed picture, the participants reported their emotional reactions and their intention to consume the product. Setting Controlled classroom experiments Subjects Undergraduate students (Study I: n 215, 135 women; Study II: n 98, 52 women). Results In Study I, the pictures of ultra-processed products prompted an appetitive motivation associated with the products’ nutritional content. In Study II, text warnings were effective in reducing the intention to consume and the appetitive drive evoked by ultra-processed products. Conclusions This research provides initial evidence favouring the use of text warnings as a public policy tool to curb the powerful influence of highly appetitive ultra-processed food cues.

Protection against marketing of unhealthy food is an important strategy to curb obesity and chronic non-communicable diseases. Given that the food industry applies neuromarketing techniques as a form of implicit promotion, the use of such knowledge to ground defense strategies becomes urgent and increases their chances of success. We propose, based on several studies, an interdisciplinary research effort to guide public actions to promote healthy eating.

Violence exacts a burden on public health. Gun violence is a major trigger for motor defensive reactions in humans and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is its main psychiatric sequela. However, studies of the human defensive cascade, especially the motor reactions, are at an early stage. This review focuses on studies that employ stabilometry, a methodology that assesses whole body motor reactions, to address defensive behaviors to violence-related threats. Special attention is given to three reactions: "attentive immobility", "immobility under attack" and "tonic immobility", with emphasis on the latter - a peritraumatic reaction which has been strongly associated with the severity of PTSD. These reactions are characterized by reduced body sway and bradycardia, except tonic immobility that presents robust tachycardia. The advances made by investigations into the immobility reactions of the human defensive cascade contribute to helping to bridge the gap between human and non-human species. Furthermore, progresses in basic research to objectively monitor motor defensive reactions under threat can help to develop a dimensional, trans-diagnostic approach to PTSD.

A proteção contra o marketing de alimentos não saudáveis constitui importante estratégia de controle da obesidade e de doenças crônico-degenerativas. A indústria de alimentos aplica técnicas de neuromarketing como forma de persuasão implícita e promoção dos seus produtos, assim torna-se urgente a aplicação deste conhecimento no âmbito das estratégias de defesa, aumentando suas chances de sucesso. Propõe-se, com base em diversos estudos já realizados, agregar o conhecimento científico interdisciplinar na fundamentação teórica das ações públicas voltadas para a promoção da alimentação saudável. DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2016.21777

Objective The use of pictorial warning labels on cigarette packages is one of the provisions included in the first ever global health treaty by the World Health Organization against the tobacco epidemic. There is substantial evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of graphic health warning labels on intention to quit, thoughts about health risks and engaging in cessation behaviors. However, studies that address the implicit emotional drives evoked by such warnings are still underexplored. Here, we provide experimental data for the use of pictorial health warnings as a reliable strategy for tobacco control. Methods Experiment 1 pre-tested nineteen prototypes of pictorial warnings to screen for their emotional impact. Participants (n = 338) were young adults balanced in gender, smoking status and education. Experiment 2 (n = 63) tested pictorial warnings (ten) that were stamped on packs. We employed an innovative set-up to investigate the impact of the warnings on the ordinary attitude of packs’ manipulation, and quantified judgments of warnings’ emotional strength and efficacy against smoking. Findings Experiment 1 revealed that women judged the warning prototypes as more aversive than men, and smokers judged them more aversive than non-smokers. Participants with lower education judged the prototypes more aversive than participants with higher education. Experiment 2 showed that stamped warnings antagonized the appeal of the brands by imposing a cost to manipulate the cigarette packs, especially for smokers. Additionally, participants’ judgments revealed that the more aversive a warning, the more it is perceived as effective against smoking. Conclusions Health warning labels are one of the key components of the integrated approach to control the global tobacco epidemic. The evidence presented in this study adds to the understanding of how implicit responses to pictorial warnings may contribute to behavioral change.

The body's adaptive reaction to a stressful event, an allostatic response, involves vigorous physiological engagement with and efficient recovery from stress. Our aim was to investigate the influence of individual predispositions on cardiac responses to and recovery from a standardized psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Task) in peacekeepers. We hypothesized that those individuals with higher trait resilience and those with higher resting vagal control would be more likely to present an allostatic response: a vigorous cardiac response to stress (i.e., reduction in interbeat intervals and heart rate variability (HRV)) coupled with a significant cardiac recovery in the aftermath. Fifty male military personnel with a mean age of 25.4 years (SD ± 5.99) were evaluated after returning from a peacekeeping mission. Electrocardiogram recordings were made throughout the experimental session, which consisted five conditions: basal, speech preparation, speech delivery, arithmetic task, and recovery. Mean interbeat intervals and HRV were calculated for each condition. An Ego-Resilience Scale and resting vagal control assessed individual predispositions. Stress tasks reduced interbeat intervals (tachycardia) and HRV in comparison with basal, with return to basal in the aftermath (p < 0.001, for all comparisons). Resilience and resting vagal control correlated positively with cardiac parameters for both stress reactivity and recovery (r ≥ 0.29; p < 0.05). In conclusion, peacekeepers showing higher trait resilience and those with higher resting vagal control presented a more adaptive allostatic reaction characterized by vigorous cardiac response to stress (i.e., tachycardia and vagal withdrawal) and efficient cardiac recovery after stress cessation.

Brain event-related potentials are a useful tool for investigating visual processing and action planning. This technique requires extremely accurate synchronization of stimulus delivery with recordings. The precision of the onset time of visual stimulus delivery is a major challenge when attempting to use real, three-dimensional objects as stimuli. Here, we present an innovative device, the “box for interaction with objects” (BIO), that is designed to synchronize the presentation of objects with electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. To reach the required resolution of stimulus-onset timing, the BIO system features an interface with reflective glass and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). When the LEDs inside the BIO are turned on, the object inside becomes visible, and a synchronizing pulse is sent to the recording systems. The BIO was tested in a motivational study that focused on visual and motor event-related potentials. EEG signals were recorded during the presentation of an emotion-laden object that could be grasped and brought close to the participant’s chest. BIO successfully synchronized the appearance of a three-dimensional object with EEG recordings, which would allow for an analysis of visual and motor event-related potentials in the same experiment. The BIO device, through a high-quality psychophysiological approach, offers a new perspective for the study of the motivational factors that drive actions toward relevant stimuli.

Thirty years after creation of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis, its literature could still benefit from standardization of traumatic events. The authors report the type and frequency of traumatic events found in the mainstream PTSD literature using a bibliometric approach, and propose a categorization based on the terms used for their description. Articles containing [ptsd OR "stress disorder*"] in the title field found in the ISI/Thompson Reuters (Philadelphia, PA) 1991-2006 database were classified according to the event studied. The authors describe each event's absolute and proportional figures, and construct a categorization of the events. The bibliometric analysis of PTSD literature is helpful in planning research, and the proposed categorization may represent an advance toward the standardization of traumatic events.

A exposição a produtos derivados do tabaco é considerada a mais importante causa de morte evitável no mundo. Ações de controle do tabagismo envolvem uma gama de intervenções para ajudar pessoas a parar de fumar e prevenir que jovens não se tornem dependentes. Advertências sanitárias com imagens mostradas em embalagens de cigarro são uma das formas mais efetivas de informar acerca das consequências do tabagismo. Pesquisas em neurobiologia da emoção demonstram que estímulos visuais afetam atitudes e comportamentos; estímulos agradáveis promovem predisposições para aproximação e os aversivos, afastamento. Os apelos positivos que o marketing da indústria tabagista induz em suas embalagens devem ser neutralizados por advertências que mostrem os riscos de fumar, desconstruindo o apelo prazeroso e induzindo predisposições de afastamento em relação ao produto.

A exposição a produtos derivados do tabaco é considerada a mais importante causa de morte evitável no mundo. Ações de controle do tabagismo envolvem uma gama de intervenções para ajudar pessoas a parar de fumar e prevenir que jovens não se tornem dependentes. Advertências sanitárias com imagens mostradas em embalagens de cigarro são uma das formas mais efetivas de informar acerca das consequências do tabagismo. Pesquisas em neurobiologia da emoção demonstram que estímulos visuais afetam atitudes e comportamentos; estímulos agradáveis promovem predisposições para aproximação e os aversivos, afastamento. Os apelos positivos que o marketing da indústria tabagista induz em suas embalagens devem ser neutralizados por advertências que mostrem os riscos de fumar, desconstruindo o apelo prazeroso e induzindo predisposições de afastamento em relação ao produto.Exposure to tobacco products is considered the leading cause of avoidable death in the world. Tobacco control initiatives encompass a gamut of ways of helping people to quit smoking and keeping young people from ever becoming addicted. Pictorial health warnings on cigarette packaging constitute one of the most effective means of conveying information about the consequences of smoking. Research on the neurobiology of emotions shows that visual stimuli affect attitudes and behavior: pleasant stimuli prompt a tendency to approach while unpleasant stimuli prompt a tendency to avoid. The positive appeals placed on packaging by the tobacco industry's marketing departments should be neutralized by warnings that indicate the risks of smoking, thereby deconstructing any pleasurable appeal and prompting a tendency to avoid the product.

A fair assessment of merit is needed for better resource allocation in the scientific community. We analyzed the performance of the institutional h-index in the case of Brazilian Psychiatry Post-graduation Programs. Traditional bibliometric indicators and the institutional h-index similarly ranked the programs, except for the Average Impact Factor. The institutional h-index correlated strongly with the majority of the traditional bibliometric indicators, which did not occur with the Average Impact Factor. The institutional h-index balances “quantity” and “quality”, and can be used as part of a panel of bibliometric indicators to aid the peer-review process.

Background: Research on human emotion shows that pictures drive the activity of specialised brain networks affecting attitude and behaviour. Pictorial warnings on cigarette packages are considered one of the most effective ways to convey information on the health consequences of smoking. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of warning labels to elicit avoidance of smoking.Objectives: To investigate the impact of pictorial health warnings conveyed by the Brazilian tobacco control programme through a well-established psychometric tool designed for studies on emotion and behaviour.Methods: Graphic Brazilian cigarette warnings labels were evaluated. They consisted of the two sets of warning pictures displayed in 2002-4 (n = 9) and 2004-8 (n = 10). Pleasant, unpleasant and neutral pictures selected from a standard catalogue were used as controls. Undergraduate students (n = 212, 18% smokers) evaluated the emotional content of each picture in two affective dimensions: hedonic valence and arousal. Participants were not provided with the sources of distinction between control and warning pictures.Results: The judgements of hedonic content of the warning pictures ranged from neutral to very unpleasant. None was classified as highly arousing. Smokers judged warning pictures representing people smoking significantly more pleasant than pictures without smoking scenes, and significantly more so than non-smokers. No significant differences between smokers and non-smokers were found for warning pictures without these smoking scenes.Conclusion: Previous studies have shown that the most threatening and arousing pictures prompt the greatest evidence of defensive activation. Emotional ratings of Brazilian warning pictures described them as unpleasant but moderately arousing. To intensify avoidance of the packages, future graphic warnings should therefore generate more arousal. The ratings for the Brazilian warning pictures indicated that, except for those depicting people smoking, judgements by smokers and non-smokers were similar, suggesting a potential applicability in both prevention and cessation. Smoking cues, however, should be avoided.