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Biomedical subjects

C G Watson

Publications and source records attributed to C G Watson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

A test of the Broen-Storms theory of cognitive deficit in schizophrenia.

Broen and Storms have developed a popular behavioristic theory to explain schizophrenic thought disorder. It holds that thought disorder results from schizophrenics' having higher drive levels and lower response-strength ceilings than non-schizophrenics. As a result, the strength of appropriate (usually strong) responses is rivaled by that of inappropriate, ordinarily-weak responses. This, in Broen and Storms' theory, is the cause of disorganized, schizophrenic behavior. We tested several hypotheses derived from Broen and Storms' assumptions that schizophrenics have higher drive and lower response strength ceilings than controls in a paired-associates learning study. We did not find support for our hypotheses that schizophrenics would show better early-trials learning than controls, that a presumably drive-inducing threat of pain would enhance early trials learning in schizophrenics or controls, that either threat of pain or schizophrenia would be associated with a low learning asymptote, or that either the positive or negative effects of pain would be accentuated in schizophrenics. The results did not support the theory.

Attention↗
PubMed1981

Prediction of the WAIS-scores from the 1973 Henmon-Nelson revision.

Administered the 1973 revision of the Henmon-Nelson and the WAIS to 100 psychiatric patients. The correlation of Henmon-Nelson raw scores with WAIS Full Scale scaled score was .83, which compared favorably with correlations run between several other short IQ tests and the WAIS in similar samples drawn from the same setting in earlier studies. However, the Henmon-Nelson did not appear able to estimate the WAIS IQs of low-intelligence Ss or aged persons with consistent accuracy. The validities of short IQ tests and current practices in the selection of WAIS surrogates were discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Human parathyroid adenoma adenylate cyclase: stimulation by histamine that is blocked by cimetidine.

Recent evidence suggests that the histamine receptor blocking agent cimetidine can decrease parathyroid hormone release from human parathyroids. To determine the mechanism for inhibition we examined the ability of histamine 1 X 10(-5) moles/liter to stimulate adenylate cyclase in a particulate membrane preparation from 13 human parathyroid glands. Histamine significantly increased adenylate cyclase activity as compared to control; however, the degree of stimulation was variable among the individual tissue samples. Enzyme stimulation was dose dependent over the concentration range of 1 X 10(-7) to 1 X 10(-4) moles/liter. Cimetidine at 1 X 10(-4) moles/liter completely abolished the histamine mediated increase in activity, but did not block the epinephrine-induced stimulation. The identification of an adenylate cyclase system in certain human parathyroid adenomas that is stimulated by histamine and blocked by cimetidine may offer a basis for the pharmacologic alteration of parathyroid hormone secretion.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1981

The role of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone in the pathogenesis of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia.

Permanent hypocalcemia complicating thyroidectomy is a rare complication, whereas transient post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia occurs frequently. Ten patients were studied in an attempt to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. An early and transient postoperative rise in calcitonin (CT) corresponding to a decline in calcium levels was demonstrated. Though there was no significant depression of parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, the failure of the parathyroids to respond to hypocalcemic stimuli suggests a degree of at least transient parathyroid insufficiency. Transiently elevated CT levels appear to play a significant role in the commonly observed early, transient post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia following subtotal and total thyroidectomy.

Calcitonin↗
PubMed1981

A test of the interference and normal associate bias theories of schizophrenic cognitive deficit.

The performances of schizophrenics, psychiatric controls, and normals on No Distractor, Irrelevant Distractor, and Associate Distractor memory tasks matched for length, reliability, and difficulty were compared to evaluate the interference theory and a variation of the normal associates bias theory of schizophrenic thought disorder. The distractors had greater negative impacts on the performances of the schizophrenics than on those of the normals or psychiatric controls. However, the associate distractors did not interfere with the learning of the schizophrenics more than the irrelevant distractors did. The results offer strong support for interference theories of schizophrenic thought disorder, but the hypotheses we developed from Chapman and Chapman's (Disordered Thought in Schizophrenia, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1973) normal associate bias model did not assist in predicting our results.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1981

Acute gastric dilatation with infarction and perforation. Report of fatal outcome in patient with anorexia nervosa.

This is a report of a 22-year-old woman with treated anorexia nervosa who died of complications of acute gastric dilatation-that is, infarction and perforation with severe and irreversible shock. Binge eating and drinking, precipitated by emotional crises, contributed to her acute gastric dilatation. This complication of anorexia nervosa has been previously reported, but, unlike the others, this case ended fatally. The literature is reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

MMPI basic scales vs. two-point codes in the discrimination of psychopathological groups.

Made comparisons between MMPI basic scales and two-point codes in the discrimination of brain-damaged, schizophrenic, neurotic, and alcoholic patients (N = 380). Although levels of group differentiation were relatively low for both scales and codes, the latter approach was seen to result in a considerable loss of information and a concomitant reduction in criterion-related validity.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Interrelationships and correlates of four measures of pleasure deficit.

Compared the utilities of four measures currently used to assess pathological deficit in the ability to experience pleasure (N = 56). The Watson Anhedonia Interview scale was less reliable than the others, but was correlated as often with measures of pleasure-seeking as they were after correction for attenuation. It was more heavily correlated with measures of psychopathology than the others. The Chapman, Chapman, & Raulin (1976) Social and Physical Anhedonia scales demonstrated superior reliability and more correlations with pleasure-seeking ratings than the other scales, at least before correction for attenuation. However, their relatively modest relationships with measures of psychopathology suggested that the pleasure-deficits they measure best may not be as characteristic of psychiatric conditions as that reflected by the Anhedonia Interview. The Zuckerman General Sensation Seeking scale showed less reliability than the Chapman scales and fewer correlations with both pleasure-seeking and psychopathology than the others.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Multivariate analysis of WAIS-MMPI relationships among brain-damaged, schizophrenic, neurotic, and alcoholic patients.

Subjected WAIS and MMPI profiles of brain-damaged, process schizophrenic, reactive schizophrenic, neurotic, and alcoholic patients (N = 423) to multiple discriminant and canonical correlational analyses. The groups differed significantly in WAIS and MMPI profile patterns, and the combination of both sets of measures resulted in increased group discrimination compared to either set alone. Nonetheless, despite this element of independence in their contributions to group differentiation, WAIS subtests and MMPI scales were correlated with each other along two significant profile dimensions. The results were seen to provide a multivariate description of intelligence and personality as partially overlapping domains that contain both shared and unique components of variance.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Personality patterns among hospitalized vs. incarcerated psychopaths.

Subjected MMPI profiles of 80 hospitalized and 80 incarcerated white, male psychopathic personalities to a formal clustering procedure from which five primary types emerged. These types differed along four dimensions of profile pattern, and patients were distinguished from prisoners by a greater frequency of types in which psychopathic features were combined with nonpsychopathic forms of psychopathology. A higher average profile elevation also was obtained for hospitalized than incarcerated Ss, although frequencies of common two-point codes failed to discriminate significantly between these two groups. The results were seen to highlight the heterogeneity of psychopathy, to illustrate the potential of comparative studies of similarly diagnosed Ss from different clinical populations for clarifying this diversity, and to support the practice of deriving MMPI profile types by empirical methods rather than the currently popular two-point code approach.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Effectiveness of alpha biofeedback therapy: negative results.

Assessed the utility of alpha biofeedback training in the treatment of psychiatric patients (N = 66). Biofeedback and placebo biofeedback groups were given alpha or mock-alpha training sessions, and their improvement on 54 variables was compared to that of no-treatment controls. Only a chance number of significant differential changes appeared among the three groups. A comparison of these negative results with an earlier study from our laboratory that had yielded positive findings suggested that clinical improvement in alpha biofeedback treatment may be the result of the relaxation training or special verbal instructions often incorporated into alpha training.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Staff attitudes and treatment effectiveness.

Previous studies of the impact of staff attitude on outcome among psychiatric hospital patients appear to have yielded conflicting results. These conflicts could be the result of the somewhat imprecise methods generally used in such research. In the present study, the correlations between the mean OMISOS attitude scale scores of those staff members who had the greatest impact on patients and the improvement shown by those patients on six personality scales and two measures of tremulousness during the first 2 weeks of hospitalization were evaluated. Protective Benevolence, a scale that reflects a friendly, laissez-faire approach, was associated with improvement. However, the variables reflected by the Authoritarianism, Accountability and Conventionality scales appeared to impede progress. The relationships between staff attitude and improvement were, in any event, small.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Influence of caffeine on blood creatine phosphokinase levels in swine.

Eight stress-susceptible and eight normal pigs weighing 35 to 50 kg were studied to determine if caffeine administration would trigger the stress syndrome and affect blood CPK levels. The pigs were littermates of Yorkshire descent. One gram of caffeine (dissolved in 10 ml of saline-sodium benzoate solution) was infused into the pigs through a jugular catheter at a rate of 1.0 ml/min. Blood samples were collected through the catheter before caffeine administration and at specific intervals up to 8 hr after the caffeine administration for the determination of blood creatine phosphokinase levels. The pigs were sacrificed approximately 48 hr after caffeine administration, and M. longissimus pH and reflectance values were obtained 45 min and 24 hr postmortem. Caffeine administration stimulated the development of the signs associated with the porcine stress syndrome in seven of the eight pigs genetically classified as stress-susceptible, and only one control pig exhibited an early sign of the stress syndrome, muscle tremors. Blood CPK levels did not differ significantly between the normal and stress-susceptible groups until visual signs of the stress syndrome were no longer observed (approximately 45 min after caffeine administration). Stress-susceptible pigs had significantly higher blood CPK levels than controls 45 min after the initial caffeine administration. Physical stress received by the pigs during transport and the stress from being held in a new environment resulted in a greater elevation of blood CPK than did the stress administered through the caffeine infusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

A note on the pathology of anhedonia.

Tested the hypotheses that anhedonia afflicts only a minority of schizophrenics and is bimodally distributed among them by comparing the Anhedonia scale distributions of schizophrenic and psychiatric control samples (N = 90). Only 45% of the schizophrenics produced scores higher than those characteristic of the controls. While the schizophrenics' distribution appeared to be bimodal, its irregularity precluded a definitive assessment of the bimodality hypothesis. The correlation between age and Anehodina was positive for anhedonics but not for non-anhedonic schizpohrenics or controls; these findings suggest that anhedonia is a mildly progressive disorder among those schizophrenics who experience it.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The pathologic assessment of primary hyperparathyroidism and its impact on therapy. A prospective evaluation of 50 cases with oil-red-O stain.

Normal and abnormal parathyroid glands removed surgically from 50 consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were studied by means of hematoxylin and eosin and oil-red-O stains. This was done to establish the incidence of the different pathological entities in our patient material, and to evaluate the role of the oil-red-O stain in the diagnostic histopathological process. The oil-red-O stain distinctly separates abnormally hyperfunctioning from normal or suppressed parathyroid tissue. Therefore, it is a valuable tool in the pathologic evaluation of patients with hyperparathyroidism. Chief cell adenomas were the most frequent lesions (88%), while diffuse hyperplasia was seen less commonly (10%) and carcinoma infrequently (2%). These findings justify a surgically conservative approach as the most desirable in managing patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

Adenoma↗