https://hdl.handle.net/10481/51774 2026-04-11T17:39:26Z 2026-04-11T17:39:26Z Morales Moreno, Alberto https://hdl.handle.net/10481/112502 2026-03-26T11:00:10Z

Psicoterapia y saber humanístico: Tres historias clínicas Morales Moreno, Alberto El incuestionable desarrollo de la psicología científica y su actual estrecha alianza con la neurociencia cognitiva han propiciado un abordaje del estudio y comprensión del ser humano hasta ahora desconocido. Empero, la extensión de este enfoque y su metodología asociada a la práctica clínica no están exentas de críticas, pues ese mismo ser humano así diseccionado queda en no pocas ocasiones privado de su dimensión existencial, aquella que da sentido a su vida y su estar-en-el-mundo. Lo descrito y vivido por autores provenientes del saber humanístico, la filosofía y el arte para ser más concisos, adquiere ahora una relevancia crucial en el ámbito del encuentro terapéutico. La obra de filósofos y literatos clásicos —entre otros, Eurípides, Friedrich Nietzsche, Virginia Woolf y María Zambrano— y otros renombrados escritores como el coetáneo Jesús Aguado, así como la música del bohemio Gustav Mahler, han servido de guía a la hora de encauzar una terapia que, en todos los casos, ha ido siempre más allá de la inmediatez del síntoma, lo que aquí se ejemplifica en tres historias clínicas de nuestro propio acervo en las que un cuestionamiento existencial está siempre presente e, incluso, la irrupción de una fuga psicótica; The undeniable development of the science of psychology and its current strong ties with cognitive neuroscience have enabled an approach to the study and understanding of the human beings that was previously out of reach. However, the expansion of this approach and its associated methodology into clinical practice has drawn criticism, as the very same human beings thus dissected are often deprived of their existential dimension —the one that gives meaning to their life and their being-in-the-world. What has been described and experienced by authors from the humanistic fields —more specifically, philosophy and the arts— is now of critical importance in the context of the therapeutic encounter. The works of classical literary figures —including Euripides, Friedrich Nietzsche, Virginia Woolf, and María Zambrano— as well as those of renowned contemporary writers such as Jesús Aguado, and even the music of the bohemian Gustav Mahler, have inspired a form of therapy that, in every case, has gone beyond the immediacy of the symptom. This is exemplified here through three clinical cases from our own archive in which existential questioning is always present, and even includes the presence of a psychotic episode.

García Pérez, Raquel Zafra Palma, María Ángeles Mahía Rodríguez, Javier Simón Ferre, María José https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108485 2025-12-01T08:21:10Z

Conditioned Place Aversion induced by electrical stimulation of the Lateral Parabrachial Area is blocked by selective mu-opioid antagonists García Pérez, Raquel; Zafra Palma, María Ángeles; Mahía Rodríguez, Javier; Simón Ferre, María José The Parabrachial Complex of the brainstem, which processes visceral and sensory information, has been associated with several “motivated behaviors”. The external lateral subnucleus (LPBe), located at the most lateral end of this area, seems to be part of different brain circuits involved in processes of both reinforcing and aversive nature. This structure has indeed been associated with the emotional, autonomic and visceral processing of negative events, and is considered as a relay for the nociceptive spino-trigeminal-parabrachial-hypothalamic system. Previous studies using electrophysiological techniques such as intracerebral electrical stimulation, carried out by our team, have shown that activation of this area can induce consistent preferences or aversions towards gustatory and spatial stimuli with which it is associated, with a preference for the latter. Since the identification of μ and κ opioid receptors in this region, some authors have suggested that μ receptors might be involved in positive reinforcement processes, whereas κ receptors might be related to the processing of aversive information Preliminary results from our current research, in which animals received an injection of CTOP (a μ-receptor-specific antagonist), have shown that this drug can block aversion to spatial cues associated with electrical stimulation of the LPBe in the negative subgroup of male and female rats. These results will be discussed in relation to the role of the parabrachial area in the processing of stimuli with positive and negative valence. (Psychobiology Research Group, CTS-430; Supported by funds from Plan Propio UGR-FEDER [C-SEJ-348-UGR23]).

Mahía Rodríguez, Javier Zafra Palma, María Ángeles García Pérez, Raquel Perez-Caballero, Laura Bernal Benítez, Antonio Simón Ferre, María José https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108483 2025-12-01T08:17:20Z

The viscero-vagal-cerebral axis in homeostatic regulation and non-homeostatic reinforcement Mahía Rodríguez, Javier; Zafra Palma, María Ángeles; García Pérez, Raquel; Perez-Caballero, Laura; Bernal Benítez, Antonio; Simón Ferre, María José The vagal-brain axis is considered an important two-way communication highway between the viscera and the brain. The vagus nerve carries information relevant to homeostatic behaviours such as food intake and hydromineral regulation, but its terminals also contain chemical receptors for various hormones and substances of abuse. By using animal models and CNS intervention techniques (chemical and electrolytic lesions, electrical and chemical brain activation, systemic administration of products...), together with behavioural recording, the Psychobiology research group (CTS-430) has been focused on the study of this axis through three lines of research: (A) One line of research focuses on their involvement in the rapid processing of satiety-relevant signals, the reinforcing value of nutrients, and the role of the cephalic phase of ingestion. B) Another line of research examines the role of the tuberomammillary nuclei and the median eminence in regulating water and mineral salt intake and excretion, as well as the compensatory effects of oxytocin, a natriuretic hormone. C) A third line focuses on the functional characterisation of a circuit running through the visceral-vagal-brain system involved in processing the hedonic-affective component of reward, which may be common to substances of abuse. Disruption to these pathways can result in severe behavioural and mood disorders, such as obesity, anorexia, diabetes insipidus, and the compulsive seeking behaviours typical of addictions and depression. Therefore, research in this area has significant implications for human health.

García Pérez, Raquel Zafra Palma, María Ángeles Mahía Rodríguez, Javier Simón Ferre, María José https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108482 2025-12-01T08:10:31Z

Selective mu antagonist CTOP blocked spatial preferences induced by electrical stimulation of the Parabrachial Complex in female rats García Pérez, Raquel; Zafra Palma, María Ángeles; Mahía Rodríguez, Javier; Simón Ferre, María José Controversy persists in current research about the involvement of dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic circuits in the brain reward system and their differential role in the processing of some of its specific components. In this regard, some of our previous studies have identified a small brain structure in the first central levels of the visceral-vagal information relay, the external lateral parabrachial subnucleus (LPBe), whose activation induces preference for associated gustatory and spatial stimuli. In the same line, other researchers recently found that the vagal-brain axis is involved in processing rewarding signals from the gastrointestinal tract. Mu and kappa opioid receptors are present in this parabrachial region, and the aim of the present study is to elucidate the differential involvement of these receptors by using ctop [D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2], a selective mu receptor antagonist, to pre-treat a group of female rats subjected to electrical stimulation of the LPBe. Preliminary results demonstrate that electrical stimulation of the LPBe induces preferences for associated stimuli in a concurrent Conditioned Place Preference [cCPP] procedure, and that these preferences are completely blocked after the administration of the selective mu receptor antagonist ctop. Given the role of the vagal-cerebral axis in modulating reward, these results will be discussed in relation to its involvement in the modulation of the hedonic/affective component and its usefulness for the treatment of affective disorders. (Supported by funds from Plan Propio UGR-FEDER [C-SEJ-348-UGR23]).

Simón Ferre, María José https://hdl.handle.net/10481/108481 2025-12-01T08:05:46Z

Motivational and emotional brain circuits involved in behavior: implications for psychopathology Simón Ferre, María José Considerable progress has been made in the study and dissociation of specific components of the brain reward system that appear to underlie both adaptive behaviours and the development of psychopathological disorders. In this way, compulsive seeking behaviours, affective disorders, pathological learning (negative plasticity), and alterations in cognitive control mechanisms, among others, may be explained by functional and/or neurochemical changes in these circuits, by their interactions with each other or with external agents, and/or by the recruitment of additional systems in certain circumstances. The studies presented in this symposium entitled "Motivational and emotional brain circuits involved in the ", fall within this general framework. Thus, exposure during the foetal stage to external agents (bacteria or viruses) that activate the immune system or to stressful or traumatic situations can produce changes in these subsystems, favouring dysregulation and increasing the propensity to develop addictive behaviours, anxiety, depression, and alterations in social behaviour, among others. Neurobiological changes commonly implicated in addictive behaviours and stress responses include not only the hyperactivity of limbic circuits that regulate such aspects as emotional valence or motivation but also involvement of the hippocampus, among other structures. Researchers are currently studying the participation of the hippocampus in spatial processing, choice, response anticipation and cognitive flexibility. Studies are also underway on the role of neurochemical systems in modulating components of the reward system and on differences in the number and sensitivity of receptors between males and females (to elucidate the differential prevalence of certain disorders between the sexes) and as a function of other variables. Finally, researchers are also exploring the potential of corticosteroids to treat disorders related to the negative consequences of stress in preclinical models. Funding: Supported by funds to MJ. Simon, University of Granada, Plan Propio-FEDER (C-SEJ-348-UGR23).