NEW YORK PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY & INSTITUTE:
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Marianne and Nicholas Young Auditorium
247 East 82nd St., between 2nd & 3rd, NY, NY 10028
212-879-6900
www.psychoanalysis.org
www.nypsi.org
Tuesday, January 14, 2014, 8 – 10 p.m.
Psychotherapy and fMRI with Anna Buchheim, Ph.D.
Register click HERE or visit nypsi.org
The talk starts with an overview on neuroimaging studies of depression, which have demonstrated treatment-specific changes involving the limbic system and regulatory regions in the prefrontal cortex. While these studies have examined the effect of short-term, interpersonal or cognitive-behavioural psychotherapy, the effect of long-term, psychodynamic intervention has not been assessed before. Here, we investigated recurrently depressed (DSM-IV) unmedicated outpatients (N=16) and control participants matched for sex, age, and education (N=17) before and after 15 months of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Participants were scanned at two time points, during which presentations of attachment-related scenes with neutral descriptions alternated with descriptions containing personal core sentences previously extracted from an attachment interview. Outcome measure was the interaction of the signal difference between personal and neutral presentations with group and time, and its association with symptom improvement during therapy. Signal associated with processing personalized attachment material varied in patients from baseline to endpoint, but not in healthy controls. Patients showed a higher activation in the left anterior hippocampus/amygdala, subgenual cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortex before treatment and a reduction in these areas after 15 months. This reduction was associated with improvement in depressiveness specifically, and in the medial prefrontal cortex with symptom improvement more generally. The pattern of changes in prefrontal areas found in the present study may be specifically associated with mechanisms of emotional appraisal and control, suggesting reduced recourse to styles characterized by suppression and avoidance after long-term therapy. This interpretation outlines a possible mechanism for the understanding of emotional appraisal and regulation in the psychodynamic psychotherapy of depression. As an outlook a single case analysis will be presented to demonstrate the monitoring of a patient during psychoanalytic treatment using fMRI.
Anna Buchheim, Ph.D. is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria and Guest Professor at the International Psychoanalytic University, Berlin. Since 2008, she has served as Vice-President of GEPS (Society for Personality Disorders). She is a Full Member of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA), the Society of Psychotherapy Research (SPR), as well as the Scientific Committee of the German Psycho-Analytic Association (Conceptual and Clinical Research).
Students, academics and clinical professionals in the analytic community are encouraged to attend.
Educational Objectives: Attendees will be able to
1) Summarize several fMRI study designs in neuroscience and psychotherapy and identify major brain areas in depressed patients
2) Describe attachment methodology with respect to the assessment of attachment related defenses and unconscious material relevant for the psychoanalytic process.
Information regarding CME credit for physicians
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of [2] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Information regarding CE credit for psychologists
The New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. NYPSI maintains responsibility for this program and its content. APA-approved CE credits are granted to participants with documented attendance and completed evaluation forms. After submitting a completed evaluation form, attendees will receive a pdf documenting credit via email.
Persons with disabilities: The building is wheelchair accessible and has an elevator. Please notify the registrar in advance if you require accommodations.
DISCLOSURE: None of the planners or presenters of this CE program has any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
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