Screening for mental illness in a Veterans Affairs women's health clinic.

This study examined the prevalence of self-reported mental illness and related impairment in social and occupational functioning among 209 female veterans enrolled in a primary care clinic. Ninety-four (45 percent) of the women screened positive for at least one psychiatric disorder, 46 (22 percent) for two or more coexisting psychiatric disorders, and 40 (19 percent) for only subthreshold disorders. The degree of self-reported impairment in social and occupational functioning was strongly related to the number of psychiatric diagnoses. Women who were under the age of 50 and those who had a service-connected disability were more likely to screen positive for a mental disorder.

Increasing the clinical yield of computerized tomography for psychiatric patients.

Computerized tomography (CT) continues to be extensively utilized to exclude intracranial pathology in psychiatric practice, but little is known about clinical risk factors, which might predict those patients most likely to benefit from the procedure. We reviewed 150 cases of psychiatric patients who received CT scans to exclude intracranial pathology. We assessed the relationships of patient age, psychiatric diagnosis, and findings from neurologic and cognitive examinations to CT results that influenced patient care, and overall normal and abnormal CT results. Fifty-three percent of the CT scans were abnormal, 11% influenced patient care, and only 2% identified potentially reversible lesions. Cognitive exam results and, to a lesser extent, neurologic exam results, were sensitive predictors of CT findings that influenced patient care. All patients with clinically influential CT results had cognitive deficits and all but one had neurologic deficits. Patients older than 60 years of age and those with organic mental syndromes were most likely to have clinically influential CT findings. Our results suggest that utilizing specific clinical risk factors such as findings from clinical examinations, patient age, and psychiatric diagnosis, to guide the ordering of CT scans, can greatly increase the yield of the procedure for psychiatric patients, without excess medical morbidity.

Effects of toxin magnitude on taste aversion and taste-potentiated aversion to visual cues in chicks (Gallus domesticus).

Chicks (n = 208) received CS solutions of red water, red 2.0% vinegar, clear water, or clear 2.0% vinegar, followed by an I.P. injection of 0.4 M lithium chloride at 0.2% or 0.5% body weight, and then received 2 test trials with red water or clear 2.0% vinegar. In testing with red water, measures of latency to start drinking, latency to make 9 more drinks after the first, and amount drunk provided reliable evidence of potentiated aversion to visual cues with a greater magnitude of potentiation shown following the 0.2% injection than the 0.5% injection. In testing with clear vinegar, the "9-drink" latency measure and amount drunk yielded reliable evidence of taste aversion, with greater aversion shown following the 0.5% injection than the 0.2% injection. Findings are discussed in terms of associative and taste primacy views of potentiation effects.

Effects of taste preexposure on aversion training to visual cues in chicks (Gallus domesticus).

Two experiments investigated whether or not prior taste experience influenced the utility of telereceptive cues in controlling ingestive behavior. Specifically, these experiments studied the influence of preexposure to taste cues on the effects of aversion training to visual telereceptive cues. In Experiment 1, chicks (n = 52) received preexposure to either clear 2.0% vinegar, clear water, or red-colored water or no preexposure, followed by a pairing of red-colored water and an injection of lithium chloride (LI). Testing with red water showed that preexposure to vinegar produced a reliably slower latency to start drinking than did preexposure to clear water or no preexposure which, in turn, differed reliably from the effects of preexposure to red water. The vinegar-preexposed group drank reliably less red water than did the red water-preexposed group. Experiment 2 investigated whether or not similarity between preexposure and aversion training contexts influenced the effects of taste preexposure on the results of visual aversion training. Chicks (n = 60) received pretraining exposure to clear 2.0% vinegar, clear water, or no preexposure in a context that was similar or different from that of aversion training, which occurred with red water. Testing with red water showed that preexposure to vinegar in a context similar to that of aversion training yielded reliably slower latency to start drinking than did either preexposure to clear water or no preexposure or preexposure in a context different from that of training. Results of the intake measure were consistent with the latency data, but were not reliable.

Mere exposure to telereceptive cues facilitates intake of a novel flavor in chickens (Gallus domesticus).

This experiment investigated whether mere exposure to visual cues of a distinctively colored solution (water) would facilitate intake of a novel flavor (vinegar) of the same distinctive color. Eighty-four chicks received access to clear water, clear vinegar, red water, or red vinegar under conditions which permitted drinking or they received access to clear water or red water under conditions (mere exposure) which prevented drinking. All chicks were then tested on intake of red vinegar. Chicks which had received mere exposure or ingestional experience with red-colored water drank reliably more red vinegar than did chicks which had received prior ingestional experience with the novel taste, vinegar, but not with the visual cues of red. However, intake of red vinegar was reliably greater following ingestional experience with red water than following visual exposure without ingestion. Results supported the mere exposure hypothesis.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on rat pups' ability to elicit retrieval behavior from dams.

Research on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has historically held that postnatal deficits result directly from prenatal alcohol exposure. Such exposure may alter infant behavior, and this in turn may affect maternal responsiveness and consequently increase the infant's risk for postnatal deficits. This study examined the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on postnatal blood ethanol concentrations, pup development, and the ability of pups to elicit retrieval behaviors from the dam. Dams given access to a 15% ethanol solution throughout gestation and lactation showed blood ethanol concentrations of 0.1%, whereas their pups had concentrations below the sensitivity of the test. Prenatal alcohol exposure was shown to have pharmacological effects on the pup's righting reflex and nutritional effects on its rate of weight gain. Control pups were better able to elicit retrieval behavior from control and alcoholic dams than were fetally alcoholic pups. These results indicate that the condition of the pup can influence maternal responsiveness which, in turn, can influence pup development.

Role of telereceptive and interoceptive (taste) cues in ingestional neophobia in chicks (Gallus domesticus).

Experiment 1 investigated the influence of telereceptive (visual) and interoceptive (taste) cues on neophobia by measuring the intakes of clear water and novel solutions of red-colored water, clear 4.0% vinegar, or red-colored 4.0% vinegar in chicks (Gallus domesticus) on 5 test days. Neophobia was reliably greater the more numerous the novel stimuli in testing (i.e., red-colored vinegar) but was similar in magnitude for novel visual and novel taste cues alone. In Experiment 2 chicks received zero, one, or five preexposures to red-colored water or to clear 4.0% vinegar and were tested for neophobia to red-colored 4.0% vinegar. Intake of red vinegar reliably increased with the number of preexposures. However, preexposure to red-colored water facilitated intake of red vinegar more than preexposure to clear 4.0% vinegar did. These results suggest that the familiarity of telereceptive (visual) stimuli attenuates the demonstration of taste neophobia.

Effects of flavor salience on aversion performance following relatively long-delay backward conditioning procedures.

Male albino rats (n = 144) received a 0.15 M injection of lithium chloride (at 2.0% body wt), followed 10, 30, or 75 min later by a 5.0% casein CS or a 10.0% sucrose CS, casein being the more salient CS. For each CS one-third of the rats received no fluid during the toxin-CS interval. The remaining two-thirds of the rats received 2-min access to distilled water or to a novel flavor 5 min after onset of the toxin-CS interval. For sucrose CS groups, the novel flavor was casein; for casein CS groups, the novel flavor was sucrose. Groups which received no fluid during the toxin-CS interval showed reliably greater aversion effects to the casein CS than to the sucrose CS. Results of Test Trial 1 showed that aversion to casein was relatively unchanged across toxin-CS intervals, while aversion to sucrose decreased reliably from the 10-min to the 30- and 75-min intervals. However, for each toxin-CS interval, aversion to the sucrose CS was reliably enhanced when casein access occurred in the interval, relative to that for distilled water or no fluid access. For the casein CS, access to sucrose or distilled water in the toxin-CS interval altered aversion effects, relative to the no fluid condition, depending on the interval.

Salience and the effects of CS preexposure on aversion conditioning.

Rats (n = 84) received preexposure to distilled water or to one of two differently salient flavors, 5.0% casein or 10.0% sucrose, casein being the more salient. Each preexposure group then received aversion conditioning to a 5.0% casein or a 10.0% sucrose CS. Aversion effects were reliably more enduring to casein than to sucrose. Relative to water-preexposed groups, preexposure to casein attenuated aversion effects to the casein CS reliably less than preexposure to sucrose attenuated aversion effects to the sucrose CS. During preexposure, neophobia was reliably greater to casein than to sucrose, suggesting that the demonstration of salience in taste aversion learning may be based on the inherent aversive properties of novelty.

Effects of deprivation on salivary flow in the apparent absence of food stimuli.

Salivation performance in the absence of food-related stimuli was measured with an absorbent technique in 19 subject under no (0-1 h) and moderate (4-6 h) levels of food deprivation. Overall, salivation was reliably (p less than 0.05) greater the higher the hours of deprivation. Results also revealed a reliable positive correlation between hours of deprivation and subjective ratings of hunger. For subjects whose hunger ratings coincided with hours of deprivation, analysis of the salivation data yielded highly reliable (p less than 0.01) differences due to deprivation/hunger. For subjects who reported the same level of hunger at different hours of deprivation, there were no reliable differences in salivation due to deprivation.

Effects of preexposure flavor concentration on conditioned aversion and neophobia.

In Experiment 1, 128 experimentally naive, water-deprived rats (Rattus norvegicus) received pretraining access to either 0.25 or 1.5% saccharin, distilled water, or 2.0% saline, followed either by a pairing of 0.25 or 1.5% saccharin with an intraperitoneal injection of 0.15 M lithium chloride (LiCl) or by a pairing of distilled water with LiCl. Preexposure to either saccharin concentration reliably reduced conditioned aversion effects to 0.25% saccharin, relative to that for preexposure to distilled water or saline. But only preexposure to 1.5% saccharin reduced aversion effects to that concentration. In Experiment 2, 48 naive, water-deprived rats received preexposure procedures as in Experiment 1. Afterwards, the rats were tested for neophobia to 0.25 or 1.5% saccharin. Neophobia was reliably greater to the 1.5% concentration. However, preexposure to either saccharin concentration obliterated evidence for neophobia to saccharin, relative to that following preexposure to distilled water or saline.

Aversion conditioning and enhanced neophobia: role of test stimuli.

In Experiment 1, 100 rats (Rattus norvegicus) received 10% sucrose or 5% casein hydrolysate followed, after 10 min, by a LiCl or saline injection or, after 12 h, by a LiCl injection. Subsequently, rats received aversion testing to the CS or neophobia testing to the opposite novel flavor. Aversion effects were reliably greater to casein than to sucrose. However, conditioning with sucrose yielded a reliably greater increase in neophobia to casein (relative to controls) than conditioning with casein yielded to sucrose. In Experiment 2, 60 rats received distilled water followed, after 10 min, by LiCl or saline injection or, after 12 h, by LiCl injection. Aversion effects occurred to distilled water. Neophobia testing to casein and sucrose showed that, relative to controls, neophobia increased reliably more to casein. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 were not attributable to differences in baseline intakes between casein and sucrose flavors. Together, these experiments indicated that the demonstration of conditioning-enhanced neophobia may depend more on the characteristics of the neophobia test flavor than on the strength of aversion established because of CS characteristics.

Taste aversion following backward conditioning procedures in preweanling and adult rats.

Laboratory rats, 18 and 90 days old, received an intraperitoneal injection (2% body weight) of .15M lithium chloride or .9% saline 10 or 30 min before 15-min access to 12% sucrose. Additional control groups received LiCl injection followed by tap water access. Testing with a 2-bottle choice procedure revealed reliable aversion effects for both age groups at each toxicosis-flavor interval. Adult rats showed reliably greater persistence of aversion following training with the 10- than with the 30-min interval. Rat pups showed no reliable differences in aversion across training intervals. Reliably greater aversion effects occurred for adults than for pups following training at the 10-min interval. Following training at the 30-min interval a similar reliable age effect occurred on Test Trial 1; but from Trial 2 onward the magnitude of aversion was similar for pups and adult rats.

Effects of number of pre-exposures on sucrose taste aversion in weanling rats.

Weanling rats, 20 days old, received 0, 1, 2, 4, or 8 pre-exposures to 12% sucrose prior to a single pairing of sucrose with an intraperitoneal injection of lithium chloride (LiCl; 3.0 mEq of a .15Msolution) or distilled water (20 mg/kg). Testing for sucrose taste aversion with a 2-bottle-choice procedure on 9 test trials reliably showed that increasing numbers of pre-exposures to sucrose directly attenuated taste aversion effects in the LiCl-injected groups but did not appreciably affect intake performance in the distilled water-injected groups. Comparisons between the injection conditions yielded reliable evidence for sucrose taste aversion at each pre-exposure level. These results show that flavor stimulus pre-exposures reliably attenuate subsequent taste aversion in weanling rats as had previously been reported for adult rats.