Visual implicit memory in the left hemisphere: evidence from patients with callosotomies and right occipital lobe lesions.

Identification of visually presented objects and words is facilitated by implicit memory for past visual experiences with those items. Several behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggest that this form of memory is dependent on perceptual processes localized in the right occipital lobe. We tested this claim by examining implicit memory in patients with extensive right occipital lobe lesions, using lexical-decision mirror-reading, picture-fragment, and word-fragment-completion tests, and found that these patients exhibited normal levels of priming. We also examined implicit memory in patients with complete callosotomies, using standard and divided-visual-field word-fragment-completion procedures, and found that the isolated left hemisphere exhibited normal priming effects. The results indicate that the right occipital lobe does not play a necessary role in visual implicit memory, and that the isolated left hemisphere can support normal levels of visual priming in a variety of tasks.

Competitiveness: relations with GPA, locus of control, sex, and athletic status.

A sample of college students and college athletes completed measures of competitiveness and locus of control. In addition, self-reports of GPA and sex were provided. Negative correlations among scores on competitiveness, GPA, and scores on internal locus of control were significant. Also, there were sex and athletic status differences in competitiveness.

Relationship of initial and final scores on a qualitative analysis of movement test.

The present study examined the relationship of initial qualitative analysis of movement scores, disembedding scores, and mental rotation scores on terminal qualitative analysis of movement scores. The subjects were 19 female and 17 male undergraduate majors in physical education, 14 from Oklahoma State University and 22 from Southern Utah University, with a mean age of 23.0 +/- 4.5 yr. The test and instructional unit on qualitative analysis of movement were developed by Morrison and Harrison in 1985. The Group Embedded Figures Test was used to discern disembedding scores and the Mental Rotations Test scores on mental rotation. The means and standard deviations for the pretest and posttest measures on the movement analysis test were 72.08 +/- 7.06 and 78.30 +/- 4.21. Analysis indicated instruction improved scores on the qualitative analysis test. Also, initial movement test scores and those on disembedding were significant predictors of scores on the posttest qualitative analysis of movement but not of mental rotation test scores.

A mediational model of social physique anxiety and eating disordered behaviors.

In the present study correlations among scores on social physique anxiety, social behavior inhibition, and eating disordered behaviors and traits were hypothesized on the basis that social physique anxiety would be correlated with personality disturbances associated with eating disorders and mediated by social inhibition and eating disordered behaviors. Subjects were 79 college-aged women (M age = 19.5 yr.), who completed the Garner's Eating Disorders Inventory, the Social Physique Anxiety Scale, and a measure of social behavior inhibition developed for this study. A mediational path analysis showed scores on social physique anxiety significantly moderately related to scores for eating disordered traits, mediated by scores on eating disordered behavior. These correlations account for 14 to 31% of the common variance, and with clinical research, support the assumption that eating-disordered behavior may begin with milder symptomatology such as high scores on social physique anxiety. Longitudinal research is required to assess the proposed causal relationship between identification of early symptoms and later eating disorders; however, present research suggests early intervention with women at risk may be useful.

Social physique anxiety: personality constructs, motivations, exercise attitudes, and behaviors.

Social physique anxiety is a feeling of distress associated with the perceived evaluation of one's physical self. Since its inception, the construct has been associated with a variety of exercise-related constructs including perceived competence, self-consciousness, and the exercise milieu individuals choose. The present purpose was to relate social physique anxiety to participants' attitudes toward exercise, adherence behaviors, participation motivation, personality variables, and emotional attitude toward exercise, 326 university fitness-center participants were surveyed and asked for demographic information, to self-report their exercise habits, and to answer questions measuring the construct, motivation, personality, and attitudes toward exercise. Women had higher scores on the Social Physique Anxiety Scale than men; individuals who scored high were more likely to endorse extrinsic motives for exercise than individuals scoring low on the scale, and high scores were indicative of higher public body awareness. Individuals with high scores on the Social Physique Anxiety Scale exhibited an emotional profile similar to addicted exercisers. Given these results, implications for alleviation of such anxiety were discussed.

Motivation to participate, exercise affect, and outcome behaviors toward physical activity.

Recently researchers have focused attention on understanding the relationship between motivation to participate and affective states associated with adherence to exercise and psychological outcomes of participation. It was hypothesized that intrinsic motivation toward an activity will heighten the associated positive affect, thereby leading to increased participation and higher perceived competence and satisfaction. The presently devised models tested the above hypothesis with 130 college students enrolled in psychology classes. They were asked to complete the Motivation for Physical Activity Measure, the Sport Enjoyment Questionnaire, and general demographic questions assessing adherence to exercise and perceived competence and satisfaction. Partial support for these path models was shown as intrinsic motivation was a predictor of affect and perceived competence and satisfaction, while extrinsic motivation predicted adherence for men only. These results provide a model to enhance the understanding of exercise-related behavior in the general population and the study of the relationship of motivation with affect toward exercise.

Hemodynamic effects of synthetic atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) in dogs with acute left ventricular failure.

The hemodynamic and renal electrolyte/function effects of a synthetic peptide (ANF) corresponding to the sequence of the 26 amino acids contained in atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) were assessed in closed-chest dogs in which acute left ventricular failure was produced by coronary artery embolization with 50 micron plastic microspheres. Coronary embolization produced a sustained reduction in cardiac contractility (LV dP/dtmax) and cardiac output which averaged 42 and 44%, respectively. Following a 45 min equilibration period after heart failure induction, most of the hemodynamic functions stabilized. At this time, ANF infused intravenously at 100 pmol/kg per min X 30 min (n = 9) did not lower mean arterial pressure although it increased cardiac output (P less than 0.05) by 17% at only one time period. With the exception of a fall in coronary resistance and an increase in myocardial blood flow, a higher dose of ANF (200 pmol/kg per min) did not consistently alter hemodynamic function. Fractional excretion of sodium (FE Na%) increased 3.4-fold with ANF at 100 pmol/kg per min and 1.8-fold with the 200 pmol/kg per min dose. Neither dose of ANF produced significant effects on renal blood flow (RBF) or glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Plasma angiotensin II which was 91 +/- 20 fmol/ml at baseline increased to 175 +/- 25 fmol/ml (P less than 0.05) 45 min after heart failure induction. However, neither dose of ANF significantly reduced these high circulating angiotensin II levels. These results demonstrate that an infusion of a synthetic ANF stimulated saluresis without altering RBF or GFR, and improved cardiac output in dogs with acute left ventricular failure.

Comparative hemodynamic effects of MK-422, a converting enzyme inhibitor, and a renin inhibitor in dogs with acute left ventricular failure.

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor MK-422 (enalaprilat) was compared with the potent renin inhibitor SCRIP for its ability to improve left ventricular function in closed-chest dogs. Acute left ventricular failure (ALVF) was induced by repeated embolization (EMB) of the left coronary arterial vasculature with 50-micron plastic microspheres. Baseline stability data were obtained in 30 dogs in which the evolution of ALVF was monitored over time. Guided by a progressive rise in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), a stepwise perturbation of the coronary circulation with microspheres over 30 min caused reductions in left ventricular dP/dt and cardiac output, averaging 47 and 40%, respectively. EMB reduced heart rate (20 beats/min) and mean arterial pressure by approximately 20 mm Hg which, along with other hemodynamic variables remained stable after induction of heart failure. MK-422 (100 micrograms/kg i.v.) given 45 min after ALVF was induced, decreased mean arterial pressure by 20 mm Hg (p less than 0.05) and reduced total peripheral resistance (TPR) from 5,453 to 4,150 dyne X s X cm-5 (p less than 0.05). The decline in LVEDP (from 14 +/- 1 to 11 +/- 1 mm Hg) and TPR suggests that MK-422 dilates resistance and, conceivably, capacitance vessels. In dogs with sham EMB (vehicle injections into coronary circulation), MK-422 reduced arterial pressure but had no important effects on the other hemodynamic indices.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Hemodynamic effects of angiotensin and renin inhibition in dogs with acute left ventricular failure.

The effects of enalaprilat (MK-422), an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, were compared to those of SCRIP, a renin inhibitor, in experimentally induced left ventricular failure. In anesthetized dogs, acute left ventricular failure was induced by repeated embolization, via the left main coronary artery, with 50 microns plastic microspheres. Embolization significantly increased left ventricular enddiastolic pressure from 6 +/- 1 to 14 +/- 1 (p less than 0.05) mm Hg and decreased both left ventricular maximal dP/dt (3,135 +/- 338 to 1,636 +/- 126 mm Hg/second, p less than 0.05) and cardiac output (3.0 +/- 0.3 to 1.6 +/- 0.1 liters per minute, p less than 0.05). Embolization also significantly reduced heart rate and mean arterial pressure. These parameters remained stable after induction of heart failure. Forty-five minutes after embolization, 16 dogs received enalaprilat (100 microns/kg intravenously) and six dogs received SCRIP (100 microns/kg intravenously followed by 10 microns/kg per minute). Both agents caused similar reductions in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (21 percent versus 26 percent) and total peripheral resistance (25 percent versus 32 percent) and rise in peak positive cardiac contractility, as measured by (dP/dt)/P, (12 percent versus 11 percent). The data suggest that inhibition of angiotensin II formation by two agents, each or which acts at a different point in the cascade, results in similar beneficial hemodynamic effects in dogs with acute left ventricular failure. In addition, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition failed to further increase sodium excretion and glomerular filtration rate caused by embolization. In summary, inhibition of angiotensin II production by two different inhibitors of the renin system causes an improvement in left ventricular performance in a model of acute experimental left ventricular failure.