Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but the magnitude of response varies considerably between individual patients. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been investigated as a biomarker of treatment response in depression and has been implicated in the mechanism of action of ketamine. We evaluated plasma BDNF and associations with symptoms in 22 patients with TRD enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of ketamine compared to an anaesthetic control (midazolam). Ketamine significantly increased plasma BDNF levels in responders compared to non-responders 240 min post-infusion, and Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores were negatively correlated with BDNF (r=–0.701, p=0.008). Plasma BDNF levels at 240 min post-infusion were highly negatively associated with MADRS scores at 240 min (r=–0.897, p=.002), 24 h (r=–0.791, p=0.038), 48 h (r=–0.944, p=0.001) and 72 h (r=–0.977, p=0.010). No associations with BDNF were found for patients receiving midazolam. These data support plasma BDNF as a peripheral biomarker relevant to ketamine antidepressant response.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating roles of cognitive and affective trusts between the transformational leadership (TL) and employee outcomes (task performance (TP), organizational commitment (OC), and employee turnover intention (ET)). Design/methodology/approach This study samples 384 bank employees and records their self-reported responses for closed-ended items in the survey. SmartPLS 3.0 is used for the analysis. Findings The results indicate that affective trust (AT) and cognitive trust (CT) mediate between the transformation leadership and OC positively. Moreover, AT and CT both mediate negatively between TL and TP. Finally, both dimensions of trust as second-order constructs mediate positively between the TL and ET. The results related to the ET and TP are highly intriguing and in conflict with the simple and non-contextual statement of the social exchange theory. Practical implications TL, AT, and CT have greater importance for the managers to increase the positive work-related outcomes of employees. Moreover, the results related to TP and ETs are highly applicable to the managers and business. Originality/value The originality of the study lies in use of the SmartPLS 3.0 for analysis as it offers unique and precise measures of the measurement model like HTMT ratio and does not rely on the co-variance. Moreover, mediating roles of AT and CT have never been tested before in the given settings. Finally, results defy the simple statements of the theory and call for the context-based theorized empirical studies. In doing so, it calls for the post-modernist stage (case-by-case contextual treatment of theory) of HR and management literature.

Message framing plays an important role in advertising strategies and has been studied from various perspectives in different behavioral researches. In this study Event Rated Potentials technique helped to examine the neural mechanism of message framing effect on self-conscious emotions of pride and guilt regarding consumer purchase intention in the context of green marketing. Behavioral results showed that participants ranked higher on positive framing compared to negative framing. ERP results declared that N1 component was elicited by positive framed message with emotion of pride and guilt, reflecting use of attentional resources to acquire potential benefits at first stage of processing emotional information. At the second stage P2 was higher for negative framing containing pride and guilt slogan, showing more attention towards processing emotional information about potential loss. At the third stage LPP component portray that both positive and negative framing is supported by guilt emotion when processing emotional information in decision making. Our results delivered strong evidence that how purchase intention can be mediated by message framing under the pride and guilt emotions in the context of green marketing.

Background Message framing plays an important role in advertising strategies and has been studied from various perspectives in different behavioral studies. New method This study employs the event-related potential technique to examine attentional and emotional brain processing as influenced by message framing in the context of green marketing. Results The behavioral results demonstrated that purchase preference was higher under positive framing compared to negative and neutral framing. As per the event-related potential results, negative framing elicited a larger P1 component, which reveals that in the first stage of processing information, threatening information attracted more attention. In the second and third stage, N170 and P3, respectively, were higher for positive framing, demonstrating that there was more attention toward the processing of non-threatening emotional information. Comparison with existing method: Message Framing has been previously examined with behavioral methods. We for the first time examined it with a neuroscientific method like Event Related Brain Potential technique in a green marketing context. Conclusion Our results compared to behavioral studies provide stronger evidence from underlying neural perspective for how message framing can be affected by attentional and emotional brain responses in the context of green marketing.

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