Associative memory (AM) is the ability to remember and retrieve multiple items bound together. Previous studies aiming to modulate AM by various transcranial electric stimulation (tES) techniques were inconclusive, although overall suggestive that tES could be a tool for AM enhancement. However, evidence from a direct comparison between different tES techniques is lacking. Here, in a sham-controlled cross-over experiment, we comparatively assessed the effects of three types of tES—anodal tDCS, theta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and theta-oscillatory tDCS (otDCS), delivered over the left posterior parietal cortex, during a short-term digit-color AM task with cued-recall. The effects were tested in 40 healthy young participants while both oscillatory tES were delivered at a previously determined individual theta frequency (4–8 Hz). All three active stimulations facilitated the overall AM performance, and no differences could be detected between them on direct comparison. However, unlike tDCS, the effects of which appeared to stem mainly from the facilitation of low-memory demand trials, both theta-modulated tACS and otDCS primarily promoted AM in high memory demand trials. Comparable yet differential effects of tDCS, theta tACS, and otDCS could be attributed to differences in their presumed modes of action.

There are 26 million people recognised as refugees worldwide. Many of them spent a prolonged period of time in transit – time after they leave their country of origin and before they reach the rece... There is a high prevalence of traumatic experiences refugees face during transit and pushback, a high prevalence of mental health problems, and impaired psychological well-being in refugees.Traumat... Antecedentes: Hay 26 millones de personas reconocidas como refugiados alrededor del mundo. Muchos de ellos pasaron un período de tiempo prolongado en tránsito: el tiempo después de que salen de su ... 背景：全世界有 2600 万人被确认为难民。 他们中的许多人在过境中度过了很长一段时间——从他们离开原籍国到到达接收国之前的这段时间。 过境为难民带来了众多保护和心理健康风险。目的：本研究旨在评估难民在过境期间所面临的应激和创伤经历，特别关注驳回经历——没有评估其获得国际保护的权利便拒绝外国国民进入该领土并强行返回原籍国或邻国，以及这些经历对难民心理健康和福祉的影响。方法：目前居住在塞尔维亚...

Exposure to the traumatic experiences of others can lead to secondary traumatization (STS), a condition comprising trauma-related symptoms. There is a lack of evidence on efficient ways to mitigate STS among professionals working with refugees, who are secondarily exposed to traumatic content. This study examines the latent structure of coping mechanisms and explores the predictive power of coping strategies for STS in a sample of professionals working with refugees. A total of 288 participants (age: M = 34.01, SD = 10.03; 57.3% female) working with refugees completed the COPE Inventory and Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale. Factor analysis of the COPE Inventory showed that coping mechanisms are grouped around four interrelated factors—Problem-focused, Socially supported emotion-focused, Avoidant, and Passive coping—which accounted for 46.7% of the variance. The regression model showed that Avoidant coping positively predicts negative alterations in cognition, mood, and reactivity (NACMR) and intrusions, and Passive coping was positively associated with NACMR and avoidance. Problem-focused coping was related to lower NACMR and avoidance, while Socially supported emotion-focused coping was not associated with any of the STS symptoms. In total, coping factors accounted for 10.8%, 6.3%, and 4.3% of the variance of NACMR, intrusions, and avoidance, respectively. The study provides a foundation for programs to mitigate STS among professionals working with refugees.