ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore how a genetically-influenced characteristic (the level of response to alcohol [LR]), ethnicity, and sex relate to environmental and attitudinal characteristics (peer drinking [PEER], drinking to cope [COPE], and alcohol expectancies [EXPECT]) regarding future alcohol-related blackouts (ARBs). Methods: Structural equation models (SEMs) were used to evaluate how baseline variables related to ARB patterns in 462 college students over 55 weeks. Data were extracted from a longitudinal study of heavy drinking and its consequences at a U.S. university. Results: In the SEM analysis, female sex and Asian ethnicity directly predicted future ARBs (beta weights 0.10 and -0.11, respectively), while all other variables had indirect impacts on ARBs through alcohol quantities (beta weights ~ 0.23 for European American ethnicity and low LR, 0.21 for cannabis use and COPE, and 0.44 for PEER). Alcohol quantities then related to ARBs with beta = 0.44. The SEM explained 23% of the variance. Conclusion: These data may be useful in identifying college students who are more likely to experience future ARBs over a 1-year period. They enhance our understanding of whether the relationships of predictors to ARBs are direct or mediated through baseline drinking patterns, information that may be useful in prevention strategies for ARBs.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects , Alcohol Drinking in College/ethnology , Amnesia/chemically induced , Socioeconomic Factors , Students/psychology , Students/statistics & numerical data , Universities , Alcohol Drinking/prevention & control , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Marijuana Smoking/adverse effects , Marijuana Smoking/psychology , Ethnicity , Sex Factors , Risk Factors , Longitudinal Studies , Amnesia/psychologySubject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Body Image/psychology , Cognition , Psychology , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Depression/psychology , Amnesia/psychologyABSTRACT
Los cambios cognitivos, tanto funcionales como estructurales presentes en el envejecimiento, son complejos y variados. En un sentido general, se ha encontrado asociado a esta etapa del ciclo vital un declive de gran parte de las funciones cerebrales; en relación a ello un estudio realizado por Román y Sánchez (1998) demostró que no sólo se produce un deterioro, sino que también se mantienen o se potencializan otros procesos cognitivos. Aunque las alteraciones se presentan en la mayoría de las funciones, es de especial interés exponer aquí, aquellas que se involucran con los procesos mnésicos; teniendo en cuenta que se ven afectados en el adulto mayor.
The cognitive changes, both functional and structural, present in aging are complex and varied. In a general sense, a decline in a large part of brain functions has been found associated with this stage of the life cycle; In relation to this, a study carried out by Román and Sánchez (1998) showed that not only deterioration occurs, but also that other cognitive processes are maintained or enhanced. Although the alterations are present in most of the functions, it is of special interest to expose here, those that are involved with the mnesic processes; taking into account that they are affected in the elderly.
Subject(s)
Humans , Amnesia/psychology , Aging , Executive Function , Memory Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study lexical semantic memory in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls. METHOD: Fifteen mild AD, 15 aMCI, and 15 normal control subjects were included. Diagnosis of AD was based on DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, and that of aMCI, on the criteria of the International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment, using CDR 0.5 for aMCI and CDR 1 for mild AD. All subjects underwent semantic memory tests (Boston Naming-BNT, CAMCOG Similarities item), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), neuropsychological tests (counterproofs), and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia. Data analysis used Mann-Whitney test for intergroup comparisons and Pearson's coefficient for correlations between memory tests and counterproofs (statistical significance level was p<0.05). RESULTS: aMCI patients were similar to controls on BNT and Similarities, but worse on MMSE and RAVLT. Mild AD patients scored significantly worse than aMCI and controls on all tests. CONCLUSION: aMCI impairs episodic memory but tends to spare lexical semantic system, which can be affected in the early phase of AD.
OBJETIVO: Estudar a memória léxico-semântica no comprometimento cognitivo leve amnéstico (aCCL), doença de Alzheimer (DA) leve e controles normais. MÉTODO: Incluímos 15 pacientes com DA leve, 15 com aCCL e 15 controles normais, usando os critérios DSM-IV, NINCDS-ADRDA e CDR 1 para DA, e os do International Working Group on Mild Cognitive Impairment, e CDR 0,5 para aCCL. Todos os sujeitos passaram por testes de memória semântica (Teste de nomeação de Boston - TNB, item de Similaridades do CAMCOG), teste de aprendizado auditivo-verbal de Rey (TAAVR), Mini-Exame do Estado Mental (MEEM), testes neuropsicológicos (contraprovas) e Escala Cornell para Depressão em Demência. A análise dos dados usou o teste de Mann-Whitney para comparações entre os grupos e o coeficiente de Pearson para correlação entre testes e contraprovas (nível de significância p<0,05). RESULTADOS: Os pacientes com aCCL foram semelhantes aos controles no TNB e Similaridades, mas inferiores no MEEM e TAAVR. Pacientes com DA leve tiveram performance inferior à de sujeitos com aCCL e controles em todos os testes. CONCLUSÃO: O aCCL prejudica a memória episódica, mas tende a poupar o sistema léxico-semântico, que pode estar afetado na fase inicial da DA.
Subject(s)
Aged , Humans , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Amnesia/diagnosis , Cognition Disorders/psychology , Memory/physiology , Semantics , Amnesia/psychology , Case-Control Studies , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Neuropsychological Tests , Severity of Illness Index , Statistics, Nonparametric , Verbal Learning/physiology , Word Association TestsABSTRACT
Se presentan 14 casos de Amnesia Global Transitoria (AGT), asistidos a lo largo de 18 años. Hubo 7 que reunían algunas características comunes: 1) Personalidad minuciosa, responsable, laboriosa. 2) Sufrían prolongadas situaciones conflictivas de carácter familiar o personal.3) Tuvieron factores desencadenantes. En 12 el episodio fue único. Tres tenían antecedentes migrañosos. En 2 se encontraron alteraciones cerebrales. La recuperación fue total en todos y uno solo repitió el episodio. Uno sufrió un infarto protuberancial 3 años después, y otro una demencia senil 6 años después de la amnesia. El objetivo de la presentación es destacar el hallazgo de rasgos comunes de personalidad, conflicto prolongado y factores desencadenantes, en la mitad de los casos, postulando que la AGT debe ser concebida como un síndrome que difícilmente dependa de una sola causa y menos de un simple factor desencadenante emocional. Probablemente se sumen condiciones de constitución, de anatomía cerebral y/o vascular, de personalidad, de circunstancias biográficas y algunas veces desórdenes de patología focal cerebral. La inhibición funcional del hipocampo, en base a un mecanismo como el que fuera descrito en la depresión propagada (Spreading depresion de Leao), surge como propuesta razonable