Search results for "mentalization"
showing 10 items of 37 documents
Inside a Shell—Organometallic Catalysis Inside Encapsulin Nanoreactors
2021
Abstract Compartmentalization of chemical reactions inside cells are a fundamental requirement for life. Encapsulins are self‐assembling protein‐based nanocompartments from the prokaryotic repertoire that present a highly attractive platform for intracellular compartmentalization of chemical reactions by design. Using single‐molecule Förster resonance energy transfer and 3D‐MINFLUX analysis, we analyze fluorescently labeled encapsulins on a single‐molecule basis. Furthermore, by equipping these capsules with a synthetic ruthenium catalyst via covalent attachment to a non‐native host protein, we are able to perform in vitro catalysis and go on to show that engineered encapsulins can be used …
Characterizing the Theory of Mind Network in Schizophrenia Reveals a Sparser Network Structure
2021
AbstractImpaired social functioning is a hallmark of schizophrenia and altered functional integration between distant brain regions are expected to account for signs and symptoms of the disorder. The functional neuroarchitecture of a network relevant for social functioning, the mentalizing network, is however poorly understood. In this study we examined dysfunctions of the mentalizing network in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls via dynamic causal modelling and an interactive social decision-making game. Network characteristics were analyzed on a single subject basis whereas graph theoretic metrics such as in-degree, out-degree and edge-connectivity per network node w…
Assessing mentalization in psychotherapy: first validation of the Mentalization Imbalances Scale
2018
The aim of this study was to provide data on the preliminary validation of a clinician-report multidimensional assessment measure of mentalization (Mentalization Imbalances Scale, MIS). A random national sample of psychotherapists (N=190) completed the MIS to identify mentalization imbalances, and the Personality Disorder Checklist to assess the personality disorders (PDs) of randomly selected patients currently in their care. Factor analysis confirmed the presence of six factors that represented different imbalances of mentalization: cognitive, affective, automatic, external, imbalance toward others, and imbalance toward self. We found several significant relationships between patients’ me…
Mechanics and self-organization in tissue development
2021
Self-organization is an all-important feature of living systems that provides the means to achieve specialization and functionality at distinct spatio-temporal scales. Herein, we review this concept by addressing the packing organization of cells, the sorting/compartmentalization phenomenon of cell populations, and the propagation of organizing cues at the tissue level through traveling waves. We elaborate on how different theoretical models and tools from Topology, Physics, and Dynamical Systems have improved the understanding of self-organization by shedding light on the role played by mechanics as a driver of morphogenesis. Altogether, by providing a historical perspective, we show how i…
Mutilazioni genitali femminili (MGF): echi nella mente di cicatrici sul corpo. Studio clinico e psicopatologico su un gruppo di donne immigrate in Si…
2007
Scopo. Scopo del presente studio è evidenziare i vissuti e le complicanze psicologiche connessi alle Mutilazioni Genitali Femminili (MGF) in riferimento al vissuto corporeo. Metodi. Sono state reclutate 20 donne che hanno subito una MGF nel proprio Paese di origine, immigrate da più di 5 anni in Italia (età media 33±9). Dieci donne erano state sottoposte a MGF di I tipo (lieve) e dieci a MGF di III tipo (profondo). È stato somministrato il Somatic Inkblot Series (SIS), reattivo semiproiettivo ideato per misurare la percezione del proprio corpo e individuare eventuali zone particolarmente conflittuali o non mentalizzate. Risultati. Le donne con MGF di III tipo hanno ottenuto punteggi signifi…
Personality and mentalization: A latent profile analysis of mentalizing problematics in adult patients
2022
Background The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between patients' mentalizing problematics and their personality; specifically, it aimed to identify clusters of individuals characterized by specific patterns of mentalizing imbalances and to analyze the relationship between these and diagnosis of personality disorder (PD), nonmentalizing modes, emotion dysregulation, and interpersonal reactivity. Methods Four hundred therapeutic dyads were recruited. A part of these (n = 183) only completed clinician-report measures, Mentalization Imbalances Scale, and Modes of Mentalization Scale, while others (n = 217) also completed patients' self-report measures, which were Reflectiv…
Physics of the nuclear pore complex: Theory, modeling and experiment
2021
Abstract The hallmark of eukaryotic cells is the nucleus that contains the genome, enclosed by a physical barrier known as the nuclear envelope (NE). On the one hand, this compartmentalization endows the eukaryotic cells with high regulatory complexity and flexibility. On the other hand, it poses a tremendous logistic and energetic problem of transporting millions of molecules per second across the nuclear envelope, to facilitate their biological function in all compartments of the cell. Therefore, eukaryotes have evolved a molecular “nanomachine” known as the Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC). Embedded in the nuclear envelope, NPCs control and regulate all the bi-directional transport between the…
The Role of the Cerebellum in Social and Non-Social Action Sequences: A Preliminary LF-rTMS Study
2021
An increasing number of studies demonstrated the involvement of the cerebellum in (social) sequence processing. The current preliminary study is the first to investigate the causal involvement of the cerebellum in sequence generation, using low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (LF-rTMS). By targeting the posterior cerebellum, we hypothesized that the induced neuro-excitability modulation would lead to altered performance on a Picture and Story sequencing task, which involve the generation of the correct chronological order of various social and non-social stories depicted in cartoons or sentences. Our results indicate that participants receiving LF-rTMS over the cerebe…
[9] Identification of carrier systems in plasma membranes of mammalian cells involved in transport of l-arginine
1999
Publisher Summary This chapter describes the transport systems and the corresponding carrier proteins involved in the L-arginine transport that have been described till date. The chapter also discusses the methods that have been used to characterize L-arginine transport in nitric oxide (NO) producing cells or tissues. L-arginine transport is mediated by multiple carrier systems, some of which have not yet been identified at a molecular level. It is conceivable that a modification of a carrier or an associated protein could alter its transport activity, resulting in the appearance of a carrier with altered transport characteristics. Considerable progress has been made in identifying cationic…
Importance of Individual Enzymes in the Control of Ultimate Carcinogens
1995
The metabolic activation of most chemical mutagens and carcinogens is a prerequisite for their mutagenic and carcinogenic activity. Reactive metabolites are under the control of activating, inactivating and precursor sequestering enzymes. These enzymes are under the long-term control of induction and repression and under the short-term control of posttranslational modification. As far as carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes are concerned, posttranslational modification has received little attention. This short-term regulation may be especially important since it works fast and may affect the enzymatic activity as well as the degradation of the enzyme. The enzymatic activity is modified by activa…