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Biomedical subjects

C D Webster

Publications and source records attributed to C D Webster.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Forensic psychiatric assessment in selected Canadian cities.

Forensic psychiatrists in six Canadian municipalities completed a single-page form following each court-ordered assessment conducted during the month of July 1978. A total of 248 cases accumulated during the study period. During the following 18 months researchers collected court dispositions on the sample. With data from all six cities pooled, 85% of patients were found fit to stand trail. Almost all, 96%, were accorded a diagnosis with 39% classified as psychotic. Overall the examining psychiatrists considered 36% to be dangerous to others in the future. When psychiatrists recommended a custodial setting, in 73% of cases the person was incarcerated. Recommendations for hospitalization were observed in 59% of cases. Although the data would seem to suggest that judges take psychiatrists' recommendations into account, the investigators were nonetheless struck by the general lack of communication between clinic and court. They offer a number a number of suggestions for improvement.

Canada↗
PubMed1981

Responses to methylphenidate and varied doses of caffeine in children with attention deficit disorder.

Six children with the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder were treated as day hospital patients, using different stimulant medication. They were studied in a double-blind crossover experiment in which they received caffeine in low dose or in a high dose. Methylphenidate was added to both dosages, as well as administered alone. Results indicated that caffeine in low dosage when added to methylphenidate was superior to all other treatment conditions. Caffeine in low dosage could not be differentiated from 10 mg of methylphenidate. High dosage caffeine was not different from placebo or no-drug conditions. This study offers evidence to support a curvilinear pattern of dose-response for caffeine, in attenuating the behavioural manifestations of this syndrome.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1978

Condon's multiple-response phenomenon in severely dysfunctional children: an attempt at replication.

The present study was conducted in an attempt to replicate the findings of William Condon on multiple entrainment and dyssynchronous behavioral organization in autistic children. Three autistic and two normal children were filmed while being presented with five discrete auditory stimuli. Microkinesic analyses of the children's motor responses were performed in relation to three hypotheses designed to support the double-response and dyssynchrony effects. No firm evidence of multiple-responding to single sound was found for the autistic or normal children. There was some indication of dyssynchronous, or awkward, response organization for the autistic children, in comparison to the smooth-flowing body movements of the normal children.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1977

Simultaneous communication with autistic and other severely dysfunctional nonverbal children.

Despite its widespread application, the teaching of speech does not appear to be effective with all autistic and other severely dysfunctional, nonverbal children. A body of recent evidence points to the peculiarities in the information processing of these children and to the importance of gestures as aids or alternatives to speech. The present study reports on the use of simultaneous communication (gestures plus speech) with five such children. The fact that four of the five children showed marked gains in their ability to communicate over a 5-week period raises some theoretical and methodological issues pertinent to the treatment of autistic and autistic-like children and to our general understanding of the processes involved in nonverbal communication.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1975

Individual responses to methylphenidate and caffeine in children with minimal brain dysfunction.

Eight children with minimal brain dysfunction were studied for their individual responses to two stimulant medications--methylphenidate hydrochloride and caffeine citrate. Four types of behavioural responses were observed in the double-blind crossover experiment: four children responded favourably to both psychostimulants, one responded to methylphenidate alone and two responded to the placebo. The behaviour of one child deteriorated while he was taking methylphenidate and caffeine. In general, methylphenidate was superior to caffeine in diminishing hyperactive and aggressive behaviour. It is apparent that such stimulant medication exerts its therapeutic effects in these two areas primarily and would therefore be useful as one aspect of a complete treatment program for children with this syndrome.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1975

Methylphenidate and caffeine in the treatment of children with minimal brain dysfunction.

In this double-blind, crossover study of 8 boys with minimal brain dysfunction, 20 mg of methylphenidate daily was significantly better than 160 mg of caffeine in controlling behavior, especially impulsivity and hyperactivity, and methylphenidate alone was superior to decaffeinated coffee and placebo. The tentative results of this study confirm the primary position of sympathomimetics in the pharmacotherapy of minimal brain dysfunction and, in addition, suggest the involvement of dopamine pathways in this disorder. The authors urge further study of this hypothesis.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1972

Amphetamine and conditioned 'anxiety'.

1. Rats pressed a bar for milk reward at a steady rate, but this baseline responding was suppressed in the presence of an auditory stimulus associated with electric shock (conditioned suppression). The effects of (+)-amphetamine sulphate on this conditioned suppression were studied in two experiments.2. (+)-Amphetamine sulphate (0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg) reduced the baseline rate of responding and also reduced the conditioned suppression, i.e. responding in the presence of the auditory stimulus was partially restored. Both these effects were dose related.3. In a further experiment the effects of 1.0 mg/kg on two levels of conditioned suppression were studied. Regardless of its degree, (+)-amphetamine attenuated suppression.4. The results were compared to previous research which found that amphetamine increased baseline responding and exaggerated conditioned suppression. It was concluded that the conditioned suppression procedure should be used with caution as an animal model of anxiety in psychopharmacological investigations.

Amphetamine↗