Jordi Fauquet

Influence of Mass Media on Body Image and Eating Disordered Attitudes and Behaviors in Females: A Review of Effects and Processes

This article reviews research on the effects of television and magazines on body image and on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in females. Evidence from different types of studies in the fields of eating disorders, media psychology, health psychology, and mass communication indicates that mass media are an extremely important source of information and reinforcement in relation to the nature of the thin beauty ideal, its importance, and how to attain it. Although considerable research remains to be done, evidence is accumulating that repeated exposure to media and to both direct and indirect (via medias effects on peers, parents, coaches, physicians, etc.) pressures from media to be thin constitute risk factors for body dissatisfaction, concerns over weight and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls and young women. To guide further research, as well as the prevention and treatment of disordered eating, we present a figural summary of media effects that integrates moderating and mediating factors such as internalization of the thin beauty ideal, social comparison, and activation of the thinness schema. We argue that risk factor research, prevention, and treatment will benefit from systematic research designed to clarify how the impact of various mass media is shaped by source and receiver/perceiver factors.

Enhanced neural activity in frontal and cerebellar circuits after cognitive training in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The brain is a plastic entity that can undergo dynamic changes throughout the lifespan as a result of training. Attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is commonly treated with psychostimulant medication, and the prevalence of ADHD medication prescription is a topic of heated scientific debate. In addition, cognitive training is frequently provided to patients with ADHD. Although psychostimulant effects have been thoroughly investigated, no previous studies have assessed the neural effects of cognitive training in ADHD. We applied fMRI‐paradigms of response inhibition and selective attention to chart the effects of a 10‐day cognitive training program in 19 unmedicated ADHD children receiving either cognitive or control training. The two resulting longitudinal datasets were analyzed using whole‐brain random‐effects general linear models. Although we observed no increases of activity in the control group, both fMRI‐datasets revealed enhanced activity after cognitive training in neural structures closely related to ADHD pathophysiology. On the inhibition paradigm, our results indicated increases in orbitofrontal, superior frontal, middle temporal, and inferior frontal cortex. The attentional task was characterized by increased activity in the cerebellum, which correlated with improvement on in‐scanner measures of attention. Our findings provide preliminary evidence that cognitive training enhances activity in neural structures typically affected by the disorder. Similar results have been obtained following methylphenidate administration, suggesting that training of cognitive functions may mimic the effects of psychostimulant medication on the brain. These findings postulate a neural account for the potency of cognitive training in ADHD, and hold clinical implications, supporting the inclusion of training programs in standard ADHD‐treatment. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010.

Differential abnormalities of the head and body of the caudate nucleus in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

The aim of the study is to present a new method for the segmentation of the caudate nucleus and use it to compare the caudate heads and bodies of an attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) group with those of a control group. We used a 1.5-T system to acquire magnetic resonance brain scans from 39 children with ADHD, as defined by DSM-IV TR, and 39 age, handedness and IQ matched controls. The new method for caudate head and body segmentation was applied to obtain semi-automatic volumes and asymmetric patterns. Bilateral volumetric measures of the head, body, and head-body of the caudate nuclei were compared within groups and between ADHD and control groups. Although the group factor was not significant, there were first and second order interactions. The analysis of simple effects showed that the right body and right head+body of the ADHD group was significantly smaller than in the control group, although the ADHD right caudate head was bigger. No ADHD within-group caudate differences were found. Controls showed a significantly larger left caudate head and a significantly bigger caudate right body and right head+body. Our new method for segmenting the caudate nucleus detected differential abnormalities of the right caudate head and body in the ADHD group, explaining previous heterogeneous findings in the literature.

Analysis of the factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3) in Spanish secondary-school students through exploratory structural equation modeling.

The aims of the present study were: (1) to assess the factor structure of the SATAQ-3 in Spanish secondary-school students by means of exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) models; and (2) to study its invariance by sex and school grade. ESEM is a technique that has been proposed for the analysis of internal structure that overcomes some of the limitations of EFA and CFA. Participants were 1559 boys and girls in grades seventh to tenth. The results support the four-factor solution of the original version, and reveal that the best fit was obtained with ESEM, excluding Item 20 and with correlated uniqueness between reverse-keyed items. Our version shows invariance by sex and grade. The differences between scores of different groups are in the expected direction, and support the validity of the questionnaire. We recommend a version excluding Item 20 and without reverse-keyed items.

Quantitative MR analysis of caudate abnormalities in pediatric ADHD: Proposal for a diagnostic test

Most morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of pediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with appropriate sample sizes reveal a decreased right caudate nucleus volume. Recently, our group reported that this decrease is mainly due to a diminished right caudate body volume (rCBV). Here, we hypothesize that, employing either the total bilateral caudate volume (tbCV) or the bilateral caudate body volume (bCBV) as scaling variables, the rCBV/tbCV and rCBV/bCBV ratios could be found diminished and used as a basis of an imaging diagnostic test. Volumetric caudate nucleus data were obtained from a case-control morphometric MRI study with 39 ADHD subjects and 39 handedness- and IQ-matched controls, using a novel semi-automated caudate segmentation procedure. Student t-tests comparing each relevant ratio were conducted between the two samples. After splitting the samples into two groups, a receiving operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted on the training group to determine the optimal cut-off. Its performance was then examined on the test group. The rCBV/bCBV ratio was found to be statistically different. For a value equal or inferior to 0.48, the specificity was 95.00%. We propose using the rCBV/bCBV ratio to assist in the diagnosis of ADHD in children.

Unhealthy Weight‐control Behaviours, Dieting and Weight Status: A Cross‐cultural Comparison between North American and Spanish Adolescents

The aim of the current study was to examine and compare dieting and unhealthy weight-control behaviours (UWCB) in population-based samples in two large urban areas in Spain (Barcelona) and in the USA (Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota). Additionally, use of UWCB across weight categories was explored in both samples. Participants included 1501 adolescents from Barcelona (48% girls, 52% boys) and 2793 adolescents from the Twin Cities (53% girls, 47% boys). The main outcome measures were dieting, UWCB (less extreme and extreme) and weight status. Although dieting and UWCB were prevalent in both samples, particularly among girls, the prevalence was higher in the US sample. In both countries, the report of dieting and use of UWCB was highest among overweight and obese youth. Prevention interventions that address the broad spectrum of eating and weight-related problems should be warranted in light of the high prevalence and co-occurrence of overweight and unhealthy weight-related behaviours.

Cerebellar neurometabolite abnormalities in pediatric attention/deficit hyperactivity disorder: a proton MR spectroscopic study.

We designed a case-control proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic study comparing the cerebellar and prefrontal regions of a group of 17 ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) medicated children and a group of 17 control children matched for laterality, gender and age. As we had found decreased gray matter volume in the right prefrontal region and the left cerebellar hemisphere in a previous voxel-based morphometry study conducted on an independent ADHD sample, we tested the hypothesis that these regions should show neurometabolite abnormalities. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was performed with a 1.5 T system; spectral acquisition was performed with a single-voxel technique and a PRESS sequence. Two volumes of interest were selected in the right prefrontal region and the left cerebellar hemisphere. NAA (N-acetylaspartate), Cre (creatine), Cho (choline), MI (myo-inositol) and Glx (glutamate-glutamine) resonance intensities were absolutely quantified. In the left cerebellar hemisphere, ADHD children showed significant decreased MI and NAA absolute concentrations with high effect sizes (p=0.004, ES=1.184; p=0.001, ES=1.083). The diminished absolute concentration of the NAA could be related to a gray matter volume decrease in the same cerebellar region found in the previous voxel-based morphometry MRI study, while the reduced MI absolute concentration could express a decreased glial density. This is the first proton MR spectroscopic study examining the cerebellum and it provides additional support for the role of cerebellum in the ADHD neurobiology.

Neurobiological Substrates of Social Cognition Impairment in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Gathering Insights from Seven Structural and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies

Social cognitive neuroscience is beginning to unravel a neuroanatomy of social cognition, networks of brain regions especially involved in social cognition and social functioning. It is widely acknowledged that social functioning and social cognition are impaired in attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although an impressive amount of neuroscientific research has been conducted in ADHD, little effort has been made to link those deficits in social cognition and functioning to the well‐known brain abnormalities detected in structural and functional neuroimaging studies. We review seven functional and magnetic resonance studies conducted at our laboratory in ADHD samples during the last 5 years in order to scrutinize whether the putative neuroanatomic regions underpinning social cognition are affected in ADHD. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the caudate nucleus, the ventral striatum, and the cerebellum are among those regions that displayed functional or morphometric abnormalities in our ADHD samples. The OFC is clearly involved in social cognition, and several features of OFC dysfunction may be related to the social cognition and function impairment in ADHD. In contrast to the OFC, the role of the caudate nucleus, the ventral striatum, and the cerebellum is elusive. However, on one hand, there is converging evidence from human and animal neuropsychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry that support the role of such areas in social cognition, mainly through its involvement in emotional processing. On the other hand, the morphometric and functional ADHD abnormalities in these regions could account for the impoverished social functioning and the deficient social cognition skills of ADHD children.

A Controlled Assessment of School-Based Preventive Programs for Reducing Eating Disorder Risk Factors in Adolescent Spanish Girls

This study assesses the impact of an eating disorders universal preventive program on a representative sample of Spanish adolescents in the area of Barcelona, Spain. 323 adolescent girls were assigned to three experimental conditions: complete intervention, partial intervention, and non-treatment. The program obtained a significant change in reducing the influences of the aesthetic body ideal and in improving the knowledge of nutrition. Nevertheless, attained post-treatment changes dissipate at the 6 month follow-up. In our opinion, the lack of lasting effects should be attributed to a series of considerations such as format, tests not validated for this age, or insufficient research.

Emotion processing in joint hypermobility: A potential link to the neural bases of anxiety and related somatic symptoms in collagen anomalies

BACKGROUND Joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) has repeatedly been associated with anxiety and anxiety disorders, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and temporomandibular joint disorder. However, the neural underpinnings of these associations still remain unclear. This study explored brain responses to facial visual stimuli with emotional cues using fMRI techniques in general population with different ranges of hypermobility. METHODS Fifty-one non-clinical volunteers (33 women) completed state and trait anxiety questionnaire measures, were assessed with a clinical examination for hypermobility (Beighton system) and performed an emotional face processing paradigm during functional neuroimaging. RESULTS Trait anxiety scores did significantly correlate with both state anxiety and hypermobility scores. BOLD signals of the hippocampus did positively correlate with hypermobility scores for the crying faces versus neutral faces contrast in ROI analyses. No results were found for any of the other studied ROIs. Additionally, hypermobility scores were also associated with other key affective processing areas (i.e. the middle and anterior cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal region, orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum) in the whole brain analysis. CONCLUSIONS Hypermobility scores are associated with trait anxiety and higher brain responses to emotional faces in emotion processing brain areas (including hippocampus) described to be linked to anxiety and somatic symptoms. These findings increase our understanding of emotion processing in people bearing this heritable variant of collagen and the mechanisms through which vulnerability to anxiety and somatic symptoms arises in this population.