MMPI-2 patterns in electrical injury: a controlled investigation.

The psychological consequences of electrical injury (EI) are many. Depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and somatic preoccupation are often concomitant with this type of injury (Kelley, Pliskin, Meyer, & Lee, 1994). The present study utilized the MMPI-2 as a tool for characterizing profiles of psychological distress in EI. We examined MMPI-2 profiles in 79 EI patients and their relationship to both injury parameters (i.e., time since injury, LOC, voltage), and extra-diagnostic factors, such as litigation status. EI patient profiles were also compared to individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), and chronic pain sufferers (CP). Results indicated that in EI, clinical elevations (T > or = 65) were found on the Hs and Hy scales, and approached clinical levels on the D scale. The injury parameter of time since injury was predictive of a distinctive profile, with individuals in the post acute phase experiencing more distress. Compared to other clinical groups, MMPI-2 scores on the Hs and Hy scales were significantly higher within the EI cohort as compared with their CP peers, with higher scores on the Pd scale for CP than EI. No statistically significant differences emerged between the EI and TBI groups. However, TBI patients showed significant elevations on Hy and D compared to CP, and EI patients endorsed more somatic symptoms than CP patients. Implications of these findings and future directions will be discussed.

Evidence of a perceptual-encoding deficit in narcolepsy?

Body temperature, vigilance, memory, information processing and motor function were examined in 10 unmedicated narcoleptics and 10 matched controls at four different times of day. Time of day and body temperature were not related to performance. Narcoleptics displayed selective cognitive deficits in response latency, word recall, and estimation of frequency. Narcoleptics did not differ from controls in motor speed, vigilance, information processing speed or decision-making accuracy. We propose that a perceptual-encoding deficit may underlie the problems in memory and complex reaction time associated with narcolepsy.

Neuropsychologic test performance in amateur boxers.

Cognitive functions of 23 amateur boxers were assessed immediately before and after an amateur boxing event. A range of cognitive measures were employed including tasks of verbal, figural, and incidental memory, motor functions, attention and concentration, and information processing speed. Compared to their prefight performance, boxers demonstrated impairments in verbal and incidental memory, but enhanced executive and motor functions postfight. There were no observed differences between winners and losers on any of the measures. The results are compared to other studies that have shown only minor changes in cognitive functions in amateur boxers compared to controls.

Lateralized brain damage and performance on trail making A and B, Digit Span Forward and Backward, and TPT Memory and Location.

The present retrospective study was undertaken to determine whether Trail Making Test A and B, Digit Span Forward and Backward, and TPT Memory and Location scores are differentially sensitive to right or left hemisphere brain damage. Groups of patients with right, left, and generalized cerebral lesions and matched normal controls were compared. Results showed a relative failure for any individual measure, difference, or ratio score to reliably distinguish between right and left hemisphere lesions. Patients with diffuse lesions performed significantly worse than non-neurologic medical controls and right and left lesion groups on Trails A and TPT Memory and Location. Results are discussed in terms of specific methodological variables including chronicity of lesion, the nature of the task demands, and priming effects.

Comparing patient perspectives of disability and treatment effects with quality of participation in a post-acute brain injury rehabilitation programme.

Ten severely brain-injured patients completed questionnaires designed to measure perceived disability, level of depression, and effects of treatment over the course of a six month, full-time outpatient rehabilitation programme. Treatment staff also rated patients' progress and participation in the programme on a once-a-month basis. High correlations among the patient measures were found, although little relationship appeared between patient and staff ratings. Implications for patient-staff interactions and overall psychosocial outcome after brain injury are discussed.

Factor analysis of verbal and nonverbal clinical memory tests.

This study represents an attempt to evaluate the construct validity of various verbal and nonverbal clinical memory tests. Marker variables for verbal, visual-perceptual-motor and attention-concentration abilities were employed in order to demonstrate the relative independence of these abilities from the memory measures. Subjects were 119 individuals (aged 16-74) from a combined sample of brain damaged and non-neurologic medical controls. Principal components analyses with orthogonal varimax rotations produced four factors in both Immediate and Delayed analyses: nonverbal memory and visual-perceptual-motor skills, verbal learning and memory, general verbal abilities, and attention-concentration. The inclusion of additional nonverbal memory measures helped to create a modality specific nonverbal factor but did not produce a pure nonverbal memory factor. The Wechsler Memory Quotient had modest loadings on three of the four factors.

The effects of short term flotation REST on relaxation: a controlled study.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of restricted environmental stimulation using a flotation tank (Flotation REST) to the effects of a normal sensory environment on relaxation. All of the subjects were first introduced to a simple relaxation program to be used during the experimental sessions. The program consisted of guided point-to-point relaxation, breathing techniques, and visual imagery techniques. Subjects were then pre-tested on measurements of electromyogram (EMG), galvanic skin response (GSR), peripheral skin temperature, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The experimental group experienced ten 45-minute sessions practicing the relaxation program in a Flotation REST environment. The control subjects practiced the same relaxation program in a similar body position for 45 minutes in a normal sensory environment. All subjects answered a five-question Subjective Relaxation Questionnaire on trials five through ten and were then post-tested on EMG, GSR, skin temperature, and blood pressure. The results indicated significant differences between groups from pre-test to post-test on systolic and diastolic blood pressure; the experimental group showed greater reductions. Significant differences also were observed on three of five questions on the Subjective Relaxation Questionnaire; the experimental group reported greater subjective relaxation and trends in a similar direction on the remaining two questions. The results of this study indicate that flotation REST enhances point-to-point relaxation, breathing techniques, and visual imagery techniques and, when combined with these techniques, can be an effective means of teaching normal subjects to lower systolic and diastolic pressure and heighten their subjective perception of relaxation.

Acute effects of alcohol on photic evoked potentials of albino rats: visual cortex and superior colliculus.

Photic evoked potentials were recorded from the primary visual cortex (VC) and superior colliculus (SC) of chronically implanted rats. Animals were given intraperitoneal injections of saline, 1.5 and 2.5 g ethyl alcohol/kg body weight on separate days. Evoked potentials were recorded at 5, 20, 40 and 60 min following injection. The amplitudes of all of the VC components except P2 (latency of 52 msec) were depressed to some extent by both doses of alcohol. In contrast, the amplitude of component P2 was increased by both alcohol doses. In the SC, the peak amplitudes of two individual components of the early positive complex were diminished by both doses of alcohol, as was a later negative component. A series of late oscillatory potentials recorded from the SC were minimally depressed by the 1.5 g/kg dose of alcohol, but showed a more prolonged depressant effect at the higher dose. Both doses of alcohol produced reliable increases in peak latency for the primary components in the VC and SC.

Acute effects of alcohol on evoked potentials in visual cortex and superior colliculus of the rat.

This study examined the effects of alcohol on visually evoked potentials recorded from the primary visual cortex (VC) and superior colliculus (SC) of chronically implanted rats. Animals were given intraperitoneal injections of saline, and of 0.15, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g ethanol/kg body weight on separate days. Evoked potentials were recorded at 5, 20, 40, and 60 min following injection. There were differential effects of both alcohol and habituation on the early versus late VC components. The amplitudes of the late components decreased over time and were also depressed by both the 1.0 and 1.5g/kg doses of alcohol. Amplitudes of the early components increased over time and were unaffected by the 1.0g/kg alcohol dose. The 1.5g/kg dose depressed the early negative component but augmented the early positive component. In contrast to the amplitudes, the latencies of both early components were increased at both the l.0 and 1.5g/kg doses. However, the latency of the late positive component was increased at only the 1.5 g/kg dose, while the latency of the late negative component was unaffected by any alcohol dose. In the SC, the peak amplitude of the early positive complex was unaffected by either habituation or alcohol. However, both the amplitude and latency of a later negative component (latency of 52 msec) were affected by alcohol. The 1.0 and 1.5g/kg doses decreased peak amplitude, while the latency was increased at the highest dose. These effects of alcohol on the SC component were in directions opposite to those resulting from habituation.