A Developmental Event-Related Potential Study of Picture Matching in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: A Replication and Extension

Event-related potentials were recorded in a developmental study of picture matching using an adaptation of Posner's (1978) letter-matching tasks. Subjects ranging in age from 6-39 were asked to decide whether two line drawings, presented sequentially, were the same or different on the basis of physical (physical identity), nominal (name identity), or categorical (category identity) criteria. The amplitude of a negativity at 400 ms (Neg400) increased as the number of dimensions on which the two line drawings differed increased. This effect held for all age groups, and was interpreted as reflecting the degree of semantic and/or physical relationship between the two pictures. However, one finding for Neg400 did suggest a qualitative difference in processing mode between the younger and older subjects. Both Neg400 and P3b latencies showed highly significant linear age trends, decreasing with increasing age. These age-related changes were interpreted as demonstrating quantitative speed of processing differences among age groups. The latencies of both Neg400 and P3b increased as the matching criteria became more complex. Moreover, P3b latency increased as the number of dimensions on which the two pictures differed increased, and this did not interact with age. Although both Neg400 and P3b showed age-related changes in scalp distribution, the fact that each was related to the experimental variables in similar fashion in all age groups suggested that they were homologous components across the age range studied. Taken as a whole, the data support continuity of information processing during these tasks across a wide age range.     

Enhanced zinc consumption causes memory deficits and increased brain levels of zinc

Zinc deficiency has been shown to impair cognitive functioning, but little work has been done on the effects of elevated zinc. This research examined the effect on memory of raising Sprague-Dawley rats on enhanced levels of zinc (10 ppm ZnCO3; 0.153 mM) in the drinking water for periods of 3 or 9 months, both pre- and postnatally. Controls were raised on lab water. Memory was tested in a series of Morris Water Maze (MWM) experiments, and zinc-treated rats were found to have impairments in both reference and working memory. They were significantly slower to find a stationary platform and showed greater thigmotaxicity, a measure of anxiety. On a working memory task, where the platform was moved each day, zinc-treated animals had longer latencies over both trials and days, swam further from the platform, and showed greater thigmotaxicity. On trials using an Atlantis platform, which remained in one place but was lowered on probe trials, the zinc-treated animals had significantly fewer platform crossings, spent less time in the target quadrant, and did not swim as close to the platform position. They had significantly greater latency on nonprobe trials. Microprobe synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (microSXRF) confirmed that brain zinc levels were increased by adding ZnCO3 to the drinking water. These data show that long-term dietary administration of zinc can lead to impairments in cognitive function.     

帕罗西汀合并认知疗法治疗酒依赖伴发抑郁及对戒酒的影响

目的评价帕罗西汀合并认知疗法治疗酒依赖伴发抑郁的疗效及对戒酒的影响。方法将98例酒依赖伴发抑郁的患者随机分为研究组和对照组,分别用认知疗法合并帕罗西汀、单用帕罗西汀治疗4个月。用汉密顿抑郁量表(HAMD)评定疗效;用复饮率评定戒酒效果。结果治疗1个月后,研究组HAMD评分16.79±6.50与对照组相近17.88±6.59(P>0.05)。治疗4个月后HAMD评分10.76±5.32、明显低于对照组14.54±5.12(P<0.01);临床疗效(痊愈率44.44%、显效率22.22%、有效率33.34%)明显高于对照组(21.74%、21.74%、56.52%)(P<0.05);复饮率(24.44%)低于对照对照组(45.56%)(P<0.05)。结论认知疗法合并帕罗西汀治疗酒依赖伴发抑郁疗效较好,戒酒效果较好。     

认知疗法治疗强迫症的对照研究

目的　探讨认知疗法治疗强迫症的疗效。方法　对 6 0例符合 CCMD-2 -R诊断标准 ,且 Y-BOCS量表评分≥ 1 6分的强迫症病人 ,随机分到认知治疗组 ( 30例 )和氯丙咪嗪组 ( 30例 ) ,两组在氯丙咪嗪常规治疗的同时 ,其中一组加用认知治疗 ,共治疗 8周。在治疗前、后两组均进行临床疗效评估和 Y-BOCS量表评分。结果　认知治疗组痊愈 1 1例、显效 1 6例、有效 3例。氯丙咪嗪组痊愈 6例、显效 1 4例、有效 1 0例。两组痊愈和显效比较有显著差异 ( P<0 .0 5 )。 Y-BOCS量表减分率 :认知治疗组 5 4 .90 % ,氯丙咪嗪组 4 2 .33% ,两组比较有显著差异 ( P<0 .0 5 )。结论　认知疗法配合药物治疗强迫症比单用氯丙咪嗪治疗强迫症疗效更好     

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.