PUPILLARY AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC CHANGES DURING AN IMAGERY TASK

This study examined the relationship between muscle activity and the increased pupillary dilation observed during cognitive tasks when S is required to indicate task completion. Pupillary and EMG activity were monitored while Ss generated images to words. In two groups, Ss indicated completion of the task either by pressing a key or by releasing it. In two other groups Ss made a key press response that was unrelated to the cognitive task. No key press was required of a fifth group. Results indicated some apparent effect of muscle activity on pupil size during the imagery task and the findings were discussed in relation to other variables affecting pupillary activity.     

Modern Mind-Brain Reading: Psychophysiology, Physiology, and Cognition

This paper reviews the actual and potential benefits of a marriage between cognitive psychology and psychophysiology. Psychophysiological measures, particularly those of the event-related brain potential, can be used as markers for psychological events and physiological events. Thus, they can serve as "windows" on the mind and as "windows" on the brain. These ideas are illustrated in the context of a series of studies utilizing the lateralized readiness potential, a measure of electrical brain activity that is related to preparation for movement. This measure has been used to illuminate presetting processes that prepare the motor system for action, to demonstrate the presence of the transmission of partial information in the cognitive system, and to identify processes responsible for the inhibition of responses. The lateralized readiness potential appears to reflect activity in motor areas of cortex. Thus, this measure, along with other psychophysiological measures, can be used to understand how the functions of the mind are implemented in the brain.     

Psychophysiological Correlates of Electrodermal Lability

This study of 75 college student subjects investigated the psychophysiological correlates of electrodermal lability. Resting-stabile and resting-labile subjects were defined as those who were respectively below and above the median of all same-sex subjects in frequency of nonspecific skin conductance responses during rest, whereas stimulus-stabile and stimulus-labile subjects were those respectively below and above the median in trials to habituation of the skin conductance orienting response. These two classification systems were found to be highly correlated with one another, but not entirely equivalent. With both lability measures, labiles had higher resting skin conductance levels than stabiles and also exhibited larger skin conductance orienting responses to both signal and nonsignal tones. Labiles produced orienting responses with shorter latencies, rise times, and half recovery-times. Resting-labiles also differed from resting-stabiles in the components of the triphasic heart rate response to the tones, having larger decelerative responses. The data are consistent with the view that labiles are better able than stabiles to allocate attentional capacity to environmental events and to respond to changing demands in an attentional situation.     

Psychophysiological Predictors of Attentional Dysfunction in Children with Congenital Heart Defects

Cardiac responses to non-signal stimuli and to signal stimuli in a vigilance task were examined in children born with congenital heart defects (CHD), and in normal and attention deficit disordered (ADD) subjects. Overall task performance was lower in subjects with heart defects and in the ADD group. Cardiac measures revealed that normal children displayed significantly larger heart rate deceleration to the target stimuli than did either of the clinical groups. Moreover, although no group differences were observed in the cardiac response to non-signal auditory stimuli, exaggerated heart rate deceleration was observed to vibrotactile stimuli in both the clinical groups. Regression analyses revealed that the magnitude of the cardiac response to somatosensory stimuli was predictive of task performance (both within and between subject groups), with larger responses associated with higher error rates and lower perceptual sensitivity. Results were suggestive of a predictive relationship between somatosensory reactivity and neuropsychological maturation.     

认知评价、心理控制源、社会支持与大学生就业压力关系的研究

目的 探讨认知评价、心理控制源、社会支持与大学生就业压力关系.方法 采用问卷法,随机选取某高校400名毕业生为被试,研究认知评价、心理控制源、社会支持与大学生就业压力关系.结果 ①积极认知评价、心理控制源和社会支持与大学生就业压力有显著负相关,而消极认知评价、心理控制源和社会支持与就业压力有显著的正相关.②消极认知评价、心理控制源和社会支持对就业压力有直接影响;而积极的认知评价通过心理控制源和社会支持间接影响大学生就业压力.③通过调查,在社会支持方面,女生对社会支持的寻求显著高于男生,男女生在情感表现上有明显的差异.结论 认知评价、心理控制源、社会支持与大学生就业压力关系呈显著相关.     

奎的平和氯丙嗪对精神分裂症认知功能影响的双盲对照研究

目的 :探讨奎的平和氯丙嗪对精神分裂症患者认知功能的影响。方法 :40例精神分裂症患者随机均分为奎的平组和氯丙嗪组 ,在治疗前、治疗后 4、 6周作知识、算术、数字符号、数字广度 (顺、逆 )、木块拼图、瞬时逻辑记忆、视觉再生即刻和延迟、STROOPC测验、词汇流畅、TOH总分 ,计划时间、延迟逻辑记忆、WCST等神经心理测验 ,整个研究过程采用双盲双模拟法。为观察学习效应 ,12例健康者在相同间隔时间作神经心理测验。所得数据用SPSS10 0进行统计分析。结果 :治疗后 ,奎的平组大部分患者神经心理测验成绩提高而氯丙嗪组的测验结果变化不大 ,尤其在注意、执行功能方面。奎的平对精神分裂症患者认知功能的改善作用优于氯丙嗪 (P <0 0 5 )。结论 :奎的平对精神分裂症患者的注意和执行功能有改善作用而氯丙嗪不明显。     

Group treatment for pain and discomfort

Rheumatic patients very often suffer from chronic pain and impairment and show psychological reactions as a consequence of their physical condition. These reactions may vary from psychophysiological symptoms to anger, anxiety, or depression. We developed a cognitive-behavioral treatment programme in a group setting format with components of relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and the promotion of well-being. Subjects included in the study were given diagnoses of low back pain, tension headache, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Treatment effects in different diagnostic groups were compared to each other, supporting the assumption that pain reduction is greatest in low back pain and least in ankylosing spondylitis. Subjects with inflammatory rheumatic diseases showed some improvement in self-reported physical complaints and in their feelings of well-being.     

脑肿瘤患者认知功能障碍的初步研究

目的 :探索脑肿瘤患者认知功能障碍的特点。方法 :采用CLB测验对 31例左侧大脑肿瘤患者、34例右侧大脑肿瘤患者及正常对照组进行测验。结果 :(1)左侧大脑脑肿瘤组四项语言—序贯能力测验成绩明显低于对照组 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,四项空间认知能力成绩无明显差别 (P >0 .0 5 ) ,病例组CLQ为正值 ,表明右半球信息加工能力无明显损害 ;(2 )右侧大脑脑肿瘤组四项空间认知能力测验成绩明显低于对照组 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,四项语言—序贯能力测验成绩中系列数字、偏旁组字、类别组词与对照组间无明显差异 (P >0 .0 5 ) ,系列声音测验成绩有明显差异 (P <0 .0 5 ) ,病例组CLQ为负值 ,表明左半球信息加工能力基本正常。结论 :CLB可以对脑肿瘤患者认知功能障碍进行量化 ,是一种评估左右侧大脑肿瘤患者认知功能障碍的有效方法。     

贵州农村老年人社会支持与认知功能的关系及焦虑睡眠的中介作用

目的 探讨贵州农村老年人社会支持与认知功能的联系,并分析焦虑和睡眠在其间的中介作用,为认知功能减退及痴呆的行为预防提供科学参考。方法 于2019年7—8月采用多阶段整群随机抽样方法选取贵州农村≥60岁者共1 615人作为调查对象,采用自编一般情况调查表、社会支持评定量表（SSRS）、简易智力状态检测量表（MMSE）、阿森斯失眠量表（AIS）、焦虑状态量表（GAD - 2）进行问卷调查。采用结构方程模型探讨老年人社会支持水平、焦虑、睡眠及认知功能四者间的联系。结果 1 615名老年人认知功能得分为（21.09±5.21）分,女性（t = 16.559,P＜0.001）、少数民族（t = 2.425,P = 0.015）、非在婚（t = 8.954,P＜0.001）、年龄越大（F = 42.638,P＜0.001）、文化程度越低（F = 174.167,P＜0.001）的老年人认知功能相对较差。MMSE得分与GAD - 2、AIS得分均呈负相关,与SSRS得分呈正相关（r = - 0.135、 - 0.135、0.271,P＜0.01）。结构方程模型结果显示,社会支持水平对认知功能的总效应值为0.374,其中社会支持对认知功能的直接效应值0.353（95%CI:0.294～0.411）,睡眠的中介效应值0.010（95%CI:0.002～0.020）及焦虑和睡眠的链式中介效应值0.011（95%CI:0.003～0.020）。结论 老年人社会支持可能直接影响认知功能,也可能通过睡眠质量的中介作用及睡眠和焦虑的链式中介作用间接影响认知功能。     

US Food and Drug Administration Analysis of Patient-Reported Diarrhea and Its Impact on Function and Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Treatment for Breast Cancer

ObjectivesMany trials conclude “no clinically meaningful detriment” to health-related quality of life (HRQL) or function between arms, even when notable differential toxicity is observed. Mean change from baseline analyses of function or HRQL can possibly obscure important change in subgroups experiencing symptomatic toxicity. We evaluate the impact of diarrhea, a key treatment arm toxicity, on patient-reported HRQL and functioning in clinical trials submitted to US Food and Drug Administration.MethodsThis study used 4 randomized, breast cancer trials (adjuvant to late-line metastatic) as case examples. Diarrhea, physical functioning (PF), and global health status and quality of life (GHS/QoL) from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 were analyzed at baseline and approximately 3 and 6 months.ResultsGenerally, patients reporting very much diarrhea at months 3 and 6 had worse PF (9-19 points lower) and GHS/QoL (16-19 points lower) than patients reporting no diarrhea regardless of treatment arm. In the change from baseline analysis, patients reporting very much diarrhea also experienced a greater decrease in PF (6-13 points) and GHS/QoL (6-16 points) versus patients reporting no diarrhea in both arms.ConclusionsIn trials with moderate to large differences in symptomatic toxicity by arm, reporting “no meaningful difference in functioning and HRQL between arms” based on mean change from baseline analysis is insufficient and may obscure important impacts on subgroups experiencing symptomatic adverse events. Additional exploratory analyses with simple data visualizations evaluating functioning or HRQL in patient subgroups experiencing expected symptomatic toxicities can further inform the safety and tolerability of an investigational agent.