[Can psychopathy be detected psychophysiologically?]. / Ist Psychopathie psychophysiologisch fassbar?

The aim of the present study was to determine whether pupillometry was able to identify and differentiate psychopathic personality traits in criminally responsible mentally disordered offenders (§ 21/2 StGB). Psychopathic disorder has not only behavioral, but also psychophysiological correlates, which may be evaluated by pupillometry. This might make it possible to diagnose psychopathy by means of a non-invasive method and in a further step to adapt therapeutic measures accordingly. Psychopathic behavior and personality traits were identified by means of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and offenders were divided into 4 groups with PCL-R scores of 0-10, 11-20, 21-30 and 31-40, respectively. Pupillometry makes it possible to objectively measure amplitudes of pupillary oscillations, which may serve as an indicator of central nervous activation/deactivation. The study at hand showed that the higher the PCL-R values, the smaller the amplitudes. Thus, it can be concluded that central nervous activation decreases with higher PCL-R values and psychopathy is associated with central nervous deactivation.

[Does the duration of confinement of criminally responsible mentally disordered offenders (§ 21/2 StGB) play a role in the development of a functional psychosyndrome? - A pupillometric investigation]. / Spielt die Haftdauer von Untergebrachten gemäß § 21/2 StGB eine Rolle in Bezug auf die Entstehung eines funktionellen Psychosyndroms? - Eine Untersuchung mittels der Methode der Pupillometrie.

BACKGROUND: Pupillometry is a non-invasive investigation based on the concept that pupillary reagibility depends on a number of specific sensory, mental and emotional variables. By means of the receptor test based on the topical application of the cholinergic antagonist tropicamide cognitive deficits can be evaluated. The present study focuses on the question whether the receptor test is able to differentiate criminally responsible mentally disordered offenders (§ 21/2 StGB) with different durations of confinement concerning the presence of a functional psychosyndrome, as defined by Grünberger. METHODS: Four groups of offenders with different durations of confinement (group A: confinement 0-2 years, n = 26, X = 33; group B: 2-5 years, n = 29, X = 34; group C: 5-10 years, n = 6, X = 36; group D: >10 years, n = 10, X = 43) were investigated by means of a computer-assisted TV pupillometer. After a baseline measurement 0.01% tropicamide was instilled into the eye. The second measurement was conducted 20 min after the first, the 3rd and 4th measurements in intervals of 20 min. RESULTS: The groups with a longer duration of confinement showed a reduced activation and vigilance and increased fatigability as compared with the groups of shorter confinement. In the receptor test the group that had been imprisoned for 0-2 years showed more cognitive deficits than those imprisoned for ≥5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of activation, fatigability and vigilance indicates that the duration of confinement plays a role in the development of a functional psychosyndrome. The results of the receptor test, in which the group with a longer duration of confinement showed less pronounced cognitive deficits and no significant changes of the tropicamide effect over time, suggest that in this group a dose change might be required to make the cognitive deficits evident.

[The pupillary response test as a method to differentiate various types of dementia]. / Der Rezeptortest bei der Pupillometrie als Methode zur Differenzierung des dementiellen Syndroms.

AIM: Pupillometry is a non-invasive measurement technique based on the pupillary response to specific sensoric, mental and emotional variables. After topical application of a cholinergic antagonist (tropicamide) an increased pupillary dilatation response in Alzheimers s disease patients was described ("receptor test"). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of the 0.01% tropicamide receptor test in differentiating types of dementia. METHOD: 425 patients (159 men, 266 women, mean age 75 years) of the Memory Clinic of the SMZ Ost Vienna, Austria were included in the study. 195 patients suffered from a dementia in Alzheimer's disease with late onset (ICD-10: F00.1), 42 from dementia in Alzheimer's disease with early onset (F00.0), 71 from vascular dementia (F01), 34 from Lewy-Body dementia (F03) and 83 from mixed dementia (F00.2). All patients were investigated by means of a computer-assisted pupillometer. The pupillary diameter of the left eye was measured 4 times (baseline=0 minutes, after 20, 40 and 60 minutes). 4 minutes after baseline one drop of 0.01% tropicamide solution was installed onto the left eye of the patients. RESULTS: At baseline the pupillary diameter was largest in Lewy-Body dementia, smallest in vascular dementia. Significant differences were observed between vascular dementia and early-onset dementia in Alzheimer's disease as well as between Lewy-Body dementia and all other dementia syndromes (except dementia in Alzheimer's disease with early onset). The 0.01% tropicamide receptor test made it possible to differentiate early-onset dementia in Alzheimer's disease from vascular and mixed dementia. CONCLUSION: Utilizing pupillometry in combination with the 0.01% tropicamide receptor test allows to discriminate between different dementia types of, as demonstrated in our study.

Reaction to pain stimulus before and during hypnosis measured by pupillary reaction.

The aim of this study was to investigate the analgesic effects of hypnotic pain control on experimental pain by measuring pupil reactions as an objective psycho-physiologic parameter. Twenty-two healthy volunteers (11 female and 11 male) aged between 22 and 35 years participated in the study. Pupil diameter was measured as baseline measurement (i.e., static measurement) in the non-hypnotic and in the hypnotic state. Pupil diameter changes to a standardized pain stimulus were measured in the non-hypnotic and hypnotic state and compared. Additionally, a Fourier analysis of pupil oscillations reflecting central nervous activation during the static measurement (25.6 sec) was calculated. During the hypnotic state the pain related pupil dilation was significantly smaller than during the non-hypnotic state. Pupil oscillations were significantly reduced during hypnosis.

Nicergolina na demência senil do tipo Alzheimer e na demeência multi-infarto: um estudo clínico duplo-cego, controlado com placebo e de mapeamento do EEG/PRE / Nicergoline in senile dementia of Alzheimer type and multi-infarct dementia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical and EEG/ERP mapping study

Num estudo duplo-cego controlado com placebo sobre a eficácia terapêutica e os efeitos centrais da nicergolina, um alcalóide do Ergot com açäo metabólica, antitrombótica e vasoativa, foram incluídos 112 pacientes com demência leve e moderada, diagnosticada de acordo com os critérios do DSM III-R (MMS 13-25), que viviam em lares para aposentados. Cinqüenta e seis deles foram subdiagnosticados como demência senil do tipo Alzheimer (DSTA), 56 como demência multi-infarto (DMI), com base em tomogafia computadorizada e em avaliaçöes de Hachinski (menor ou igual 49 DSTA, maior ou igual 7 DMI). Eles receberam, após um período de tratamento de duas semanas (placebo), randomizados por oitos semanas, 2 x 30 mg de nicergolina (NIC) ou 2 x 1 de placebo (PLAC) via oral...