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Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is the most commonly diagnosed and impairing childhood anxiety disorder. Given that SAD symptoms in early childhood have been linked to later psychopathology, early identification and treatment of it is critical. The aim of the present study was the examination of validity and reliability of separation anxiety assessment scale-parent version (SAAS-P) (Hahn, Hajilian, Eisen, Winder, & Pincus, 2003) in a sample of 4-6 years old children of Tehran. The SAAS-P is a 34-item self-report instrument that was proposed to measure four symptom dimensions of separation anxiety: fear of abandonment, fear of being alone, fear of physical illness and worry about calamitous events. The current study evaluated several aspects of the SAAS-P's psychometric properties. First we translate the SAAS-P and translate it back into english. It revealed appropriate conceptual fitness. Then the mothers of 302 children from sixteen kindergartens in district 1 in Tehran were selected by available sampling and were asked to complete the SAAS-P and preschool anxiety scale (PAS) (Spence, Rapee, McDonald, & Ingram, 2001). Validity evaluation yielded positive results, in addition to face validity that was confirmed by specialists, criterion-references validity was supported by high (0.69) correlation with preschool anxiety scale. Moreover all subscales of SAAS-P displayed moderate to high internal consistency (0.63 to 0.73) and had good reliability. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor model of the scale. The analyses of the psychometric properties suggest that the SAAS-P is a promising measure of separation anxiety that can be used in clinical situations and is able to screen the children with separation anxiety.

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Introduction: Playing a musical instrument requires a high motor coordination, sensory integration, and cooperation among different areas of the brain, which affects the cognitive functions. The aims of this study were to evaluate the neurocognitive executive functioning in musicians and non-musician individuals. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and causal-comparative (ex post facto) study. 120 people were selected through purposeful sampling method and were divided into two groups; musicians (n = 60) and non-musicians (n = 60). All subjects completed the Barkley Deficits in executive functioning scale test (BDEFS) and cognitive flexibility (CFI). Results: Our results revealed that non-musicians had poorer flexibility and executive functioning compared to musicians. In addition, the musicians who practiced for a longer period and began their training at early ages had higher scores in cognitive flexibility and executive functioning. Conclusion: These data suggest that music education and training can play an important role in promoting the levels of neurological functions.

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Introduction: Cognitive and emotional factors play a crucial role in addiction treatment. The aims of this study was to evaluate cognitive emotional regulation and neurocognitive functioning in addicts treated with methadone and buprenorphine. Materials and Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional and causal-comparative study. Statistical population of this research include all men of maintenance substance treatment. The population evaluated in this study consisted of 50 patients treated with methadone and 50 patients treated with buprenorphine in Mashhad Addiction Recovery Center during 2016. The Barkley deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and Garnofsky's Emotion Regulation Scale were evaluated for all individuals. Data analysis was performed using descriptive indicators and independent t-test. Results: The results showed that the mean score in the cognitive emotion regulation scale of the buprenorphine-treated group were higher than the methadone-treated group. In contrast, the methadone-treated group received a significant higher score in BDEFS test compared to the buprenorphine group. Conclusion: Although both methadone and buprenorphine lead to a reduction in neurocognitive functioning and emotion regulation, buprenorphine seems to be a better drug to preserve cognitive function during treatment of addiction. 

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Introduction: The hippocampus is one of the most important brain regions during adulthood, which has estrogen receptors in both genders. Since, both the estrogen and sesame have neurogenic properties, the objective of the present study was to conduct the impact of estrogen and sesame oil on the hippocampal histomorphologic changes in male mice. Materials and Methods: 20 male mice aged between 35-45 weeks were categorized into four groups: control, (received normal saline), experimental group I (sesame oil only, 10 µl/ kg/day), experimental group II (estradiol 1 μl/kg/day), and experimental group III (estradiol 10 μl/kg/day). After a month, brain perfusion was done and the cerebral tissues were fixed for morphological evaluation. Results: There was a significant increase in the thickness of the dentate gyrus (DG), Cornu Ammonis 1 (CA1), and Cornu Ammonis3 (CA3) regions of all experimental groups compared to the control mice. Furthermore, there were a significant increase in the number of the granular cells and the pyramidal cells in the mice treated with sesame oil as well as estradiol at 1 µl/kg/day. The mean number of necrosis-like cells in the CA1 and CA3 regions in the groups treated with sesame oil and estradiol at 1 µl/kg/day was significantly lower the mice treated with 10 µl/kg/day estradiol. Conclusion: Our data indicate that estrogen and sesame oil maintain the thickness of the CA1, CA3 and DG regions and enhance the number of the granular cells and the pyramidal cells in the hippocampal DG and CA1 areas, respectively. These findings suggest the modulatory effects of estrogen and sesame on the hippocampal function.