Porque meu corpo ingrato não te nutriu nem aqueceu quisera-me eu tão fria quanto o mármore gelado da mesa onde ficaste, imóvel, rígida, sem cor. Quisera negar o meu desejo aflito de te dar calor te apertar junto a mim falar-te "meu amor", "minha filhinha". Sufocar por completo quisera a esperança inútil de que nada no mundo houvesse que não um só movimento teu. Apenas o privilégio quisera de, imóvel e fria, ficar contigo.

Despite advances in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), there is currently no prospect of a cure, and evidence shows that multifactorial interventions can benefit patients. A promising therapeutic alternative is the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) simultaneously with cognitive intervention. The combination of these non-pharmacological techniques is apparently a safe and accessible approach. This study protocol aims to compare the efficacy of tDCS and cognitive intervention in a double-blind, randomized and factorial clinical trial. One hundred participants diagnosed with mild-stage AD will be randomized to receive both tDCS and cognitive intervention, tDCS, cognitive intervention, or placebo. The treatment will last 8 weeks, with a 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome will be the improvement of global cognitive functions, evaluated by the AD Assessment Scale, cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog). The secondary outcomes will include measures of functional, affective, and behavioral components, as well as a neurophysiological marker (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF). This study will enable us to assess, both in the short and long term, whether tDCS is more effective than the placebo and to examine the effects of combined therapy (tDCS and cognitive intervention) and isolated treatments (tDCS vs. cognitive intervention) on patients with AD.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02772185—May 5, 2016.

No abstract

Abstract. The transition to motherhood is an important moment in the life course, in which symbolic interactive dynamics are established between self, other, and world to overcome developmental challenges. However, these challenges are intensified with the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a radical and unexpected rupture in daily life. This article aims to analyze the affective-semiotic dynamics of Brazilian women who experienced the transition to motherhood during the COVID-19 pandemic from a qualitative multiple case study. Eight women participated in the study in the city of Salvador. Data were collected from two narrative interviews with each participant conducted through videoconference, with a 2-month interval between interviews. The main finding reveals that the emergence of the pandemic was described by the participants as an unexpected and significant rupture in the transition to motherhood that raised feelings of fear and anxiety. In addition, I–other relations were marked by intense ambivalence between the need for social support and the risk of contagion, and the perspective and experience of childbirth were marked by a feeling of insecurity in the relations with the health personnel and settings. In light of Semiotic Cultural Psychology, three interdependent affective-semiotic fields were highlighted from the narratives: the perception of oneself regulated by the sign of vulnerability, the other regulated by the sign of a potential threat, and healthcare provision regulated by the sign of risk. These findings highlight the importance of quality healthcare that helps women to reduce the disruptive impact of the pandemic on the ontogenetic structure of psychological organization.

No abstract