Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

About: Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit is a facility organization based out in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cognition & Semantic memory. The organization has 801 authors who have published 3055 publications receiving 257962 citations.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: replication and exploration of differential relapse prevention effects.

Abstract: Recovered recurrently depressed patients were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU plus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Replicating previous findings, MBCT reduced relapse from 78% to 36% in 55 patients with 3 or more previous episodes; but in 18 patients with only 2 (recent) episodes corresponding figures were 20% and 50%. MBCT was most effective in preventing relapses not preceded by life events. Relapses were more often associated with significant life events in the 2-episode group. This group also reported less childhood adversity and later first depression onset than the 3-or-more-episode group, suggesting that these groups represented distinct populations. MBCT is an effective and efficient way to prevent relapse/recurrence in recovered depressed patients with 3 or more previous episodes. Cognitive– behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) administered during depressive episodes is effective in reducing subsequent relapse and recurrence. Patients who recover following treatment of acute depression by CBT subsequently show less relapse or need for further treatment than do patients who recover following treatment with antidepressant medication and are then withdrawn from medication (Blackburn, Eunson, & Bishop, 1986; Evans et al., 1992; Shea et al., 1992; Simons, Murphy, Levine, & Wetzel, 1986). As a result of CBT, patients presumably acquire skills, or changes in thinking, that confer some protection against future onsets. A recent approach of combining treatment of the acute episode by antidepressant medication with provision of CBT following recovery, while antidepressant medication is gradually withdrawn, has yielded preliminary successful findings in preventing relapse/ recurrence (Fava, Grandi, Zielezny, Canestrari, & Morphy, 1994; Fava, Grandi, Zielezny, Rafanelli, & Canestrari, 1996; Fava, Rafanelli, Grandi, Canestrari, & Morphy, 1998). The strategy of combining acute pharmacotherapy with psychological prophylaxis has the advantage of capitalizing on the cost-efficiency of antidepressant medication to reduce acute symptoms while reducing the need for patients to remain indefinitely on maintenance medication to prevent future relapse and recurrence. This strategy has also been evaluated using a novel, theory-driven approach to psychological prophylaxis, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002), formerly called attentional control (mindfulness) training. An initial evaluation of MBCT (Teasdale et al., 2000) demonstrated encouraging prophylactic effects. The present study examined the replicability of those findings and explored a number of related issues. MBCT was derived from a model of cognitive vulnerability to depressive relapse (Segal, Williams, Teasdale, & Gemar, 1996; Teasdale, 1988; Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995) that assumes that individuals who have previously experienced episodes of major depression differ from those who have not in the patterns of negative thinking that become activated in mildly depressed mood. Specifically, it is assumed that in recovered depressed patients, compared with never-depressed controls, dysphoria is more likely to activate patterns of self-devaluative depressogenic thinking, similar to those that prevailed in preceding episodes. Considerable

Traumatic brain injury: integrated approaches to improve prevention, clinical care, and research

Abstract: Additional co-authors: Endre Czeiter, Marek Czosnyka, Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Jens P Dreier, Ann-Christine Duhaime, Ari Ercole, Thomas A van Essen, Valery L Feigin, Guoyi Gao, Joseph Giacino, Laura E Gonzalez-Lara, Russell L Gruen, Deepak Gupta, Jed A Hartings, Sean Hill, Ji-yao Jiang, Naomi Ketharanathan, Erwin J O Kompanje, Linda Lanyon, Steven Laureys, Fiona Lecky, Harvey Levin, Hester F Lingsma, Marc Maegele, Marek Majdan, Geoffrey Manley, Jill Marsteller, Luciana Mascia, Charles McFadyen, Stefania Mondello, Virginia Newcombe, Aarno Palotie, Paul M Parizel, Wilco Peul, James Piercy, Suzanne Polinder, Louis Puybasset, Todd E Rasmussen, Rolf Rossaint, Peter Smielewski, Jeannette Soderberg, Simon J Stanworth, Murray B Stein, Nicole von Steinbuchel, William Stewart, Ewout W Steyerberg, Nino Stocchetti, Anneliese Synnot, Braden Te Ao, Olli Tenovuo, Alice Theadom, Dick Tibboel, Walter Videtta, Kevin K W Wang, W Huw Williams, Kristine Yaffe for the InTBIR Participants and Investigators

The problem of functional localization in the human brain

Abstract: Functional imaging gives us increasingly detailed information about the location of brain activity. To use this information, we need a clear conception of the meaning of location data. Here, we review methods for reporting location in functional imaging and discuss the problems that arise from the great variability in brain anatomy between individuals. These problems cause uncertainty in localization, which limits the effective resolution of functional imaging, especially for brain areas involved in higher cognitive function.

Willful Modulation of Brain Activity in Disorders of Consciousness

Abstract: Background The differential diagnosis of disorders of consciousness is challenging. The rate of misdiagnosis is approximately 40%, and new methods are required to complement bedside testing, particularly if the patient’s capacity to show behavioral signs of awareness is diminished. Methods At two major referral centers in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Liege, Belgium, we performed a study involving 54 patients with disorders of consciousness. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess each patient’s ability to generate willful, neuroanatomically specific, blood-oxygenation-level–dependent responses during two established mental-imagery tasks. A technique was then developed to determine whether such tasks could be used to communicate yes-or-no answers to simple questions. Results Of the 54 patients enrolled in the study, 5 were able to willfully modulate their brain activity. In three of these patients, additional bedside testing revealed some sign of awareness, but in the other two patients, no voluntary behavior could be detected by means of clinical assessment. One patient was able to use our technique to answer yes or no to questions during functional MRI; however, it remained impossible to establish any form of communication at the bedside. Conclusions These results show that a small proportion of patients in a vegetative or minimally conscious state have brain activation reflecting some awareness and cognition. Careful clinical examination will result in reclassification of the state of consciousness in some of these patients. This technique may be useful in establishing basic communication with patients who appear to be unresponsive.