Impairment of working memory is one of the most important deleterious effects of marijuana intoxication in humans, but its underlying mechanisms are presently unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the impairment of spatial working memory (SWM) and in vivo long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic strength at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses, induced by an acute exposure of exogenous cannabinoids, is fully abolished in conditional mutant mice lacking type-1 cannabinoid receptors (CB(1)R) in brain astroglial cells but is conserved in mice lacking CB(1)R in glutamatergic or GABAergic neurons. Blockade of neuronal glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) and of synaptic trafficking of glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole propionic acid receptors (AMPAR) also abolishes cannabinoid effects on SWM and LTD induction and expression. We conclude that the impairment of working memory by marijuana and cannabinoids is due to the activation of astroglial CB(1)R and is associated with astroglia-dependent hippocampal LTD in vivo.

Sources of Strength is the first suicide prevention program involving peer leaders to enhance protective factors associated with reducing suicide at the school population level.

Background-The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a method of classroom behavior management used by teachers, was tested in first-and second-grade classrooms in 19 Baltimore City Public * Supplementary data on Cohort 2 and additional information on the Good Behavior Game intervention are available with the online version of this paper at http://dx.doi.org by entering doi: xxxxxxxx.Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Schools beginning in the 1985-1986 school year. The intervention was directed at the classroom as a whole to socialize children to the student role and reduce aggressive, disruptive behaviors, confirmed antecedents of later substance abuse and dependence disorders, smoking, and antisocial personality disorder. This article reports on impact to age 19-21. NIH Public AccessMethods-In five poor to lower-middle class, mainly African American urban areas, three or four schools were matched and within each set randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) GBG, 2) a curriculum-and-instruction program directed at reading achievement, or 3) the standard program. Balanced assignment of children to classrooms was made, and then, within intervention schools, classrooms and teachers were randomly assigned to intervention or control.Results-By young adulthood significant impact was found among males, particularly those in first grade who were more aggressive, disruptive, in reduced drug and alcohol abuse/dependence disorders, regular smoking, and antisocial personality disorder. These results underline the value of a first-grade universal prevention intervention.Replication-A replication was implemented with the next cohort of first-grade children with the same teachers during the following school year, but with diminished mentoring and monitoring of teachers. The results showed significant GBG impact for males on drug abuse/dependence disorders with some variation. For other outcomes the effects were generally smaller but in the same direction.

We measured vestibular perceptual thresholds in 105 healthy humans (54F/51M) ranging from 18 to 80 years of age. Direction-recognition thresholds were measured using standard methods. The motion consisted of single cycles of sinusoidal acceleration at 0.2 Hz for roll tilt and 1.0 Hz for yaw rotation about an earth-vertical axis, inter-aural earth-horizontal translation (y-translation), inferior–superior earth-vertical translation (z-translation), and roll tilt. A large subset of this population (99 of 105) also performed a modified Romberg test of standing balance. Despite the relatively large population (54F/51M), we found no difference between thresholds of male and female subjects. After pooling across sex, we found that thresholds increased above the age of 40 for all five motion directions investigated. The data were best modeled by a two-segment age model that yielded a constant baseline below an age cutoff of about 40 and a threshold increase above the age cutoff. For all subjects who passed all conditions of the balance test, the baseline thresholds were 0.97°/s for yaw rotation, 0.66°/s for 1-Hz roll tilt, 0.35°/s for 0.2-Hz roll tilt, 0.58 cm/s for y-translation, and 1.24 cm/s for z-translation. As a percentage of the baseline, the fitted slopes (indicating the threshold increase each decade above the age cutoff) were 83% for z-translation, 56% for 1-Hz roll tilt, 46% for y-translation, 32% for 0.2-Hz roll tilt, and 15% for yaw rotation. Even taking age and other factors into consideration, we found a significant correlation of balance test failures with increasing roll-tilt thresholds.

Background Sleep deprivation and fatigue are common subjective complaints among astronauts. We conducted the first large-scale evaluation of objectively-estimated sleep of astronauts on both short- and long-duration spaceflight missions. Methods Allnon-Russian crewmembers assigned to space shuttle flights with inflight experiments from July 2001 until July 2011 or ISS Expeditions from 2006 –2011 were eligible to participate. We objectively assessed, via wrist actigraphy and daily logs, sleep-wake timing of 64 astronauts on 80 Space Shuttle missions, encompassing 26 Space Transportation System flights (1,063 inflight days), and 21 astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) (3,248 inflight days) and, for each astronaut, during two Earth-based data-collection intervals prior to and one following spaceflight (4,013 ground-based days). Findings Astronauts attempted and obtained significantly less actigraphically-estimated sleep per night on space shuttle missions (7·35 ± 0·47 and 5·96 ± 0·56 hours, respectively), in the 11-days before spaceflight (7·35 ± 0·51 and 6·04 ± 0·72 hours, respectively) and even three months before spaceflight (7·40 ± 0·59 and 6·29 ± 0·67 hours, respectively) than they did upon their return to Earth (8·01 ± 0·78 and 6·74 ± 0·91 hours, respectively) (p < 0·0001 for each) Astronauts on ISS missions also obtained significantly less sleep three months prior (6.41 ± 0.65), in the 11 days prior (5.86 ± 0.94) and during spaceflight (6.09 ± 0.67 hours), as compared to the first week post-mission (6.95 ± 1.04 hours; p < 0·0001). Seventy-eight percent (61/78) of shuttle mission-crewmembers reported taking a dose of sleep-promoting medications on 52% of nights (500/963) and 2 doses on 17% of nights during flight (87/500); 75% of ISS crewmembers (12/16) reported using sleep-promoting medications. Interpretation Sleep deficiency in astronauts was prevalent not only during space shuttle and ISS missions, but also throughout a 3-month pre-flight training interval. Despite chronic sleep curtailment, sleeping pill use was pervasive during spaceflight. As chronic sleep loss produces performance decrements, these findings highlight the need for development of effective counter measures to promote sleep. Funding The study was supported by NASA cooperative agreement NCC 9–119. Drs. Czeisler and Barger received support from the NSBRI (HFP01601).

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a method of teacher classroom behavior management, was tested in first-and second-grade classrooms in 19 Baltimore City Public Schools beginning in the 1985–1986 school year. The intervention was directed at the classroom as a whole to socialize children to the student role and reduce aggressive, disruptive behaviors, confirmed antecedents of a profile of externalizing problem outcomes. This article reports on the GBG impact on the courses and interrelationships among aggressive, disruptive behavior through middle school, risky sexual behaviors, and drug abuse and dependence disorders through ages 19–21. In five poor to lower-middle class, mainly African American urban areas, classrooms within matched schools were assigned randomly to either the GBG intervention or the control condition. Balanced assignment of children to classrooms was made, and teachers were randomly assigned to intervention or control. Analyses involved multilevel growth mixture modeling. By young adulthood, significant GBG impact was found in terms of reduced high-risk sexual behaviors and drug abuse and dependence disorders among males who in first grade and through middle school were more aggressive, disruptive. A replication with the next cohort of first-grade children with the same teachers occurred during the following school year, but with minimal teacher mentoring and monitoring. Findings were not significant but generally in the predicted direction. A universal classroom-based prevention intervention in first- and second-grade classrooms can reduce drug abuse and dependence disorders and risky sexual behaviors.

The study investigated the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated risk factors among adult survivors 3 months after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China. One thousand five hundred sixty-three earthquake survivors in two communities participated in the study. The prevalence of probable PTSD was 37.8% and 13.0%, respectively, in the two communities that were affected differently by the earthquake. The significant predictive factors for the severity of PTSD symptoms were female gender, subnationality, lower educational level, lower social support, and higher initial exposure level. The results indicate that PTSD is also a common mental health problem among earthquake survivors in China. Given inadequate knowledge and practices concerning the mental health of disaster victims in China, the information provided by this study is useful for directing, strengthening, and evaluating disaster-related mental health needs and interventions after the earthquake.

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