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Biomedical subjects

D Spiker

Publications and source records attributed to D Spiker.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Use of megadoses of vitamins with minerals in Down syndrome.

To evaluate the effects of megadoses of vitamins with minerals on the cognitive intelligence of children with Down syndrome, a two-group double-blind clinical trial was carried out with 56 school-aged children with Down syndrome. Children were evaluated at baseline, 4 months, and 8 months with a battery of standard psychologic tests, physical examinations, and blood tests. The two groups, which were well-matched is cognitive intelligence and other important subject characteristics at baseline, were not significantly different in intelligence and other test scores at the 4- or 8-month test periods. The particular megadoses of vitamins with minerals used in the study did not produce increased intelligence in the study population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

EEG sleep evaluation of depression in borderline patients.

In this study the sleep of borderline patients and patients with primary nondelusional depression showed sleep continuity disturbance and greater REM activity and density (particularly during the first REM period) than that of normal control subjects. First-night REM latencies were more variable in the borderline than in the depressed group, but by the second night both groups showed shorter REM latencies than the controls. The similarities in EEG sleep suggest a relationship between borderline disorder and the affective spectrum and cast doubt on the definition of the borderline disorder as a pure character type.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Visual self-recognition in autistic children: developmental relationships.

Employing a mirror procedure, 52 autistic children (CA = 3-7 to 12-8, means = 7-7) were tested for visual self-recognition. Substantial behavioral and psychometric data were collected from school records, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. Of the 52 children, 36 (69%) showed evidence of mirror self-recognition, while 16 (31%) failed to give clear indications of recognizing their mirror images. The 2 groups did not differ on CA. Severity of language impairment appeared to be a major factor differentiating the 2 groups: those who failed to show evidence of visual self-recognition were more likely than those who did show evidence of visual recognition to be mute or lacking in communicative speech (p less than .001). Other indices of impairment indicated that the children who showed the capacity for visual self-recognition had higher levels of functioning. The results are discussed in terms of an organizational perspective. This perspective argues that the study of atypical populations may elucidate the process of development by describing the coordination or sequential organization of different behavioral systems.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1983

Mother-child interactions involving two-year-olds with Down syndrome: a look at individual differences.

Individual differences in mother-child interaction patterns involving 18 2-year-olds with Down syndrome were examined. Ratings of maternal, child, and dyadic qualities observed in semistructured free play interactions were intercorrelated, and also correlated with Bayley MDI scores. Results indicated that social initiative, social responsivity, and play maturity of the children were positively intercorrelated and significantly correlated with MDI. Maternal sensitivity, elaborativeness, stimulation value, and mood were positively intercorrelated, with stimulation value being the major maternal quality found to be positively correlated with child MDI. A dyadic rating of mutuality was also positively correlated with child MDI. Of special interest was the finding that maternal directiveness and sensitivity were separable dimensions of maternal style, with directiveness as an isolated dimension found to be unrelated to MDI or to other maternal qualities. Exploratory analyses of subgroups of mothers, however, suggested that directiveness and sensitivity interrelated in a number of different patterns.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

REM sleep in primary depression: a computerized analysis.

REM sleep in 35 inpatients with primary depression was automatically analyzed for 7 consecutive nights during placebo administration. For the total night of sleep, as well as each individual REM period, the number of REMs, their total voltage integral over time, the sum of their durations and the average REM size were automatically calculated. Validity of these automated REM measures was established by significant correlations with manually scored REM measures. Changes in REM sleep across the night were also investigated. Similar to findings in normal subjects, REM time did not change from REM period to REM period. Average REM size increased significantly from REM period 2-3 and 3-4. Contrary to what is seen in normal subjects, REM frequency was high during the first REM period, significantly decreased from the first to second REM period and then remained constant. Finally, a significant inverse correlation between REM frequency for the first REM period and REM latency was noted. This pattern of REM sleep is interpreted as indicating a high pressure for phasic REM at the beginning of the night which is dissipated by the first REM period.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Underestimating the educability of Down's syndrome children: examination of methodological problems in recent literature.

For many years, the educational capabilities of Down's syndrome persons have been underestimated because a large number of studies purporting to give an accurate picture of Down's syndrome persons' developmental capabilities have had serious methodological flaws. A close examination of that literature, coupled with a look at findings from two current early education projects for Down's syndrome children, revealed that psychometrically defined educability is far more common in Down's syndrome persons than a cursory review of the literature would lead to believe.

Adolescent↗