Filled versus empty intervals in prospective hypnotic time estimation with a real-simulator design.

While interest in hypnotic time perception dates back to the 19th century (St. Jean, 1989) only recently have researchers focused on hypnosis and time estimation under more controlled conditions. Following the work of Jasinski (1986) and Mozenter and Kurtz (1992) we predicted a 2-way interaction between Group (high hypnotizable, low hypnotizable, and simulator) and Condition (waking, hypnotized) across 3 time intervals (30, 60, and 120 seconds). It was further hypothesized that "filled" intervals (with white noise) would be perceived as longer than "empty" intervals across all conditions. Sixty-two undergraduates were screened on the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C and verbally estimated time intervals of 30, 60, and 120 seconds, 5 times each, both while in a waking and a hypnotic condition. Support was found for the predicted 2-way interaction for women only. High hypnotizable women showed a significant increase in overestimation from the waking to hypnosis condition, men did not. The predicted difference between "filled" versus "empty" intervals was not found.     

Möhre statt Big Mac,Apfel statt Schokoriegel,Vollkornbrot statt Pizza?

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The efficacy of the Waterloo-Stanford Group Scale of hypnotic susceptibility: form C.

This study explored whether the Waterloo-Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility Form: C (WSGC) approximates the predictive power of the individually administered Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form C (SHSS: C). Seventy-one undergraduates were administered the WSGC in a group setting and then tested individually on the SHSS: C. The participants were then hypnotized and tested on four types of targeted hypnotic behaviors sampled from the Revised Stanford Profile Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: I & II (RSPSHS: I & II). The following four factors were chosen: (a) cognitive distortion; (b) positive hallucination; (c) negative hallucination, and (d) dreams and regression. The items from these factors were matched on difficulty level. A series of multiple regression and logistic regression analyses were performed. The Waterloo: C was found to match the SHSS: C on predictive power for only one of the four hypnotic factors: "dreams and regression." On the other three factors, the SHSS: C was clearly superior in predictive efficacy. These results mirror previous research (Kurtz & Strube, 1996) that examined other group scales of hypnotic susceptibility in relation to the individually administered SHSS: C. In general, group scales such as the WSGC are poor substitutes for the SHSS: C.     

Reduced intramembrane charge movement in the dysgenic skeletal muscle cell

Intramembrane charge movement in skeletal muscle cells has been proposed to underlie the process leading to Ca release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. A number of recent studies suggest that the dihydropyridine receptor located in the transverse-tubular membrane is responsible for the generation of intramembrane charge movement. The skeletal muscle cell of the mutant mouse with Muscular Dysgenesis is characterized by absence of excitation-contraction coupling. Here we investigated the charge movement in freshly dissociated skeletal muscle cells from dysgenic mice. In 9 out of 34 dysgenic mouse cells the charge movement was completely absent, in the remaining cells the charge movement was never more than 30 % of control. The amount of maximum charge movement (Q_max) in mutant muscle cells was less than 30 % of Q_max in normal muscle. Nifedipine, a dihydropyridine derivative, reduced the amount of charge movement in normal muscle cells but it was less effective on charge movement in mutant muscle cells. We conclude that there is an alteration of nifedipine-sensitive charge movement in the skeletal muscle cells from the mutant mice.     

Parameters influencing the outcome after total disc replacement at the lumbosacral junction. Part 2: distraction and posterior translation lead to clinical failure after a mean follow-up of 5 years

Purpose

The aim of the second part of the study was to investigate the influence of parameters that lead to increased facet joint contact or capsule tensile forces (disc height, lordosis, and sagittal misalignment) on the clinical outcome after total disc replacement (TDR) at the lumbosacral junction.

Methods

A total of 40 patients of a prospective cohort study who received TDR because of degenerative disc disease or osteochondrosis L5/S1 were invited to an additional follow-up for clinical (ODI and VAS for overall, back, and leg pain) and radiographic analysis (a change in disc height, lordosis, or sagittal vertebral misalignment compared with the preoperative state). Based on the final ODI, patients were retrospectively distributed into groups N (normal: <25 %) or F (failure ≥25 %) for radiographic parameter comparison. A correlation analysis was performed between the clinical and radiological results.

Results

A total of 34 patients were available at a mean follow-up of 59.5 months. Both groups (N = 24; F = 10 patients) presented a significant improvement in overall pain, back pain, and ODI over time. At the final follow-up, higher clinical scores correlated with a larger disc height, increased lordosis, and posterior translation of the superior vertebra, which was also reflected by significant differences in these parameters in the group comparison.

Conclusions

Parameters associated with increased facet joint capsule tensile forces lead to an inferior clinical outcome at mid-term follow-up. When performing TDR, we therefore suggest avoiding iatrogenic posterior translation and overdistraction (and consecutive lordosis).     

Unravelling nonverbal cognitive performance in acquired aphasia

ABSTRACT

Background: Dissociated impairment of noun and verb retrieval has been frequently reported after vascular brain lesions: selective damage of either grammatical class allowed to test models of lexical processing and of its neuroanatomical foundation. However, vascular lesions are often quite large and do not involve brain structures uniformly. Neurosurgical lesions do not undergo such apparent limitation, being usually smaller and better distributed across the cerebral cortex.

Aims: We explored the neuroanatomical correlates of noun–verb naming processing and dissociations by means of the voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) procedure and the subtraction of lesion volume of interests (VOIs) approach in a series of 99 neurosurgical patients.

Methods and Procedures: The VOIs and behavioral data for noun and verb naming were analyzed in a VLSM procedure. The verb (or noun) naming performance was included as a covariate control variable, which allowed testing effects on noun (or verb) naming, controlling for the verb (or noun) naming performance. The total lesion volume was also included as a covariate to avoid spurious effects.

Outcomes and Results: Eighteen patients showed a significant dissociation between noun and verb naming: seven patients showed disproportionate impairment in naming nouns, and eleven patients with disproportionate impairment in naming verbs. In addition, there were 27 undifferentiated patients, i.e. performing abnormally on nouns and/or verbs, but non-dissociating between the two word classes.VLSM in combination with the subtraction of lesion mask analyses revealed that verb naming impairments were related with lesions in the middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, parietal and rolandic operculum, supplementary motor area, and the inferior parietal (supramarginal and angular gyri), whereas noun naming impairments were associated with basal temporo-occipital lesions. Furthermore, data indicate that noun and verb naming deficits also depend on a disconnection phenomenon: at subcortical level, noun naming impairments are related to damage to parts of the sagittal stratum (including the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus), the splenium of the corpus callosum, the posterior thalamic radiations (plus optic radiations), the retrorolandic part of the internal capsule, the tapetum and the fornix. On the contrary, verb naming impairments are related to damage to parts of the superior and posterior corona radiata, and of the anterior and posterior limb of the internal capsule.

Conclusions: Summing up, results point to verb-specific areas in the superior frontal as well as the inferior parietal cortex, and noun-specific basal temporo-occipital and subcortical neural circuitries.