Search results for "behavioral disciplines and activities"
showing 10 items of 1145 documents
Modulation of pain perception by transcranial magnetic stimulation of left prefrontal cortex.
2010
Evidence by functional imaging studies suggests the role of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in the inhibitory control of nociceptive transmission system. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is able to modulate pain response to capsaicin. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of DLPFC activation (through rTMS) on nociceptive control in a model of capsaicin-induced pain. The study was performed on healthy subjects that underwent capsaicin application on right or left hand. Subjects judged the pain induced by capsaicin through a 0–100 VAS scale before and after 5 Hz rTMS over left and right DLPFC at 10 or 20 min after capsaicin application in two separate gr…
Does habituation depend on cortical inhibition? Results of a rTMS study in healthy subjects
2010
Habituation, i.e. the decremental response to repeated sensorial stimulation, is studied in humans through evoked potential stimulation. Mechanisms underlying habituation are not yet cleared, even if inhibitory circuits are supposed to play an important role. Light deprivation (LD) increases visual cortical excitability likely through down-regulation of GABA circuits. We previously found that high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (hf-rTMS) can revert these facilitatory effects likely restoring the activity of inhibitory circuits. Here, we studied the effects of LD and rTMS on habituation of visual evoked potentials (VEPs). The hypothesis was that if the inhibitory circ…
Psychopathological and emotional deficits in myotonic dystrophy
1998
OBJECTIVE—To evaluate psychopathological disturbances in patients with myotonic dystrophy (MD) and compare patients with MD to both patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) and healthy control subjects. METHODS—A semistructured interview was used to determine DSM III-R criteria for major depressive episodes, dysthymic episodes, and generalised anxiety. The Montgomery and Asberg and the Hamilton depressive scales, the Covi and Tyrer anxiety scales, the Abrams and Taylor scale for emotional blunting, and the depressive mood scale were all used in the study. Subjects were also asked to complete questionnaires for physical and social anhedonia. RESULTS—Fifteen patients with MD, 11 pat…
Disturbed structural connectivity is related to inattention and impulsivity in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
2010
Inattention and impulsivity are the most prominent clinical features of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies of subjects with ADHD have demonstrated abnormalities in several brain areas, including fronto-striatal and fronto-cerebellar networks. Mostly, these studies were based on volumetric measurements and have been conducted in children. We investigated white matter (WM) integrity and correlation with measures of attention and impulsivity in adult patients with ADHD adopting diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). N = 37 (21 males) never-medicated adult patients with ADHD combined subtype and N = 34 (16 males) healthy control…
The differing roles of the frontal cortex in fluency tests
2012
Fluency tasks have been widely used to tap the voluntary generation of responses. The anatomical correlates of fluency tasks and their sensitivity and specificity have been hotly debated. However, investigation of the cognitive processes involved in voluntary generation of responses and whether generation is supported by a common, general process (e.g. fluid intelligence) or specific cognitive processes underpinned by particular frontal regions has rarely been addressed. This study investigates a range of verbal and non-verbal fluency tasks in patients with unselected focal frontal ( n = 47) and posterior ( n = 20) lesions. Patients and controls ( n = 35) matched for education, age and s…
The cardiac anxiety syndrome ? a subtype of panic attacks
1985
Cardiac anxiety syndrome and the diagnosis of cardiac neurosis respectively are characterized by panic attacks. Panic attacks are the core syndrome of a validated anxiety disorder (panic disorder). The purpose of this study was to investigate if the cardiac anxiety syndrome represents a separate disorder or if it is only a subtype of panic attacks. In a sample of 122 patients with panic attacks, all patients with a cardiac anxiety syndrome were selected (n = 31). Furthermore, parallel to this group--matched in the variables age and sex--a second group of patients with no cardiac anxiety syndrome was selected. There were no significant differences in course; in clinical phenomenology, patien…
Exploring the role of obsessive-compulsive relevant self-worth contingencies in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.
2011
Abstract This article examines whether self-worth contingencies in the personal domains of cleanliness, morality, hoarding, certainty, accuracy, religion and respect for others have specific associations with obsessive symptoms and cognitions in individuals with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Fifty-seven patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD completed the Obsessional Concerns and Self Questionnaire (OCSQ), designed to assess the extent to which respondents consider OCD content domains relevant to their self-worth, along with a battery of other instruments. Results indicate that the OCSQ is more associated with OCD than with non-OCD anxiety symptoms, and that it is also associated w…
How many parkinsonian patients are suitable candidates for deep brain stimulation of subthalamic nucleus? Results of a questionnaire.
2008
We used a CAPSIT-based questionnaire to estimate the percentage of parkinsonian patients suitable for subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in a movement disorders clinic. We found that out of 641 consecutive PD patients only 1.6% fulfilled strict STN-DBS criteria. When we applied more flexible criteria, the percentage of eligibility increased to 4.5%. Most patients (60%) were ineligible because they did not satisfy multiple questionnaire items. Items related to disease severity were responsible for the largest number of exclusions. This knowledge will help make decisions on resource allocation in centres wishing to start DBS surgery.
What Predicts Outcome, Response, and Drop-out in CBT of Depressive Adults? A Naturalistic Study
2012
Background: The efficacy of CBT for unipolar depressive disorders is well established, yet not all patients improve or tolerate treatment. Aims: To identify factors associated with symptomatic outcome, response, and drop-out in depressive patients under naturalistic CBT. Method: 193 patients with major depression or dysthymia were tested. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were entered as predictors in hierarchical regression analyses. Results: A higher degree of pretreatment depression, early improvement, and completion of therapy were identified as predictors for symptomatic change and response. Drop-out was predicted by concurrent personality disorder, less positive outcome expectan…
Magnitude of relationship between burnout and absenteeism: a preliminary study.
2008
This study examined the influence of guilt related to a negative attitude toward patients and its relation with burnout and absenteeism. The sample consisted of 717 nursing professionals. Depersonalization was evaluated by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Guilt was evaluated by one item. To estimate Absenteeism, participants were asked about the number of workdays they had missed in the past year. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses make it possible to conclude that guilt explains work absenteeism, and the interaction between depersonalization and guilt (Incr. R2 = .008, p<.05) indicates significant differences in the number of work days missed in the last year. Conclusions are l…