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E J Aguilar

Publications and source records attributed to E J Aguilar.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Persistent auditory hallucinations.

BACKGROUND: There is still a significant proportion of psychotic patients who suffer from persistent auditory hallucinations (PAH) in spite of treatment. The objective of our study was to analyze those clinical dimensions that characterize persistent hallucinators in comparison with episodic hallucinators. SAMPLING AND METHODS: Ninety-one outpatients with AH were assessed through semistructured interviews. The interviews included the Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales for AH and the Krawiecka scale. They elicited descriptions about the persistence of AH, existence of pleasurable hallucinations and other types of hallucinations. RESULTS: Forty-five patients fulfilled criteria for reported PAH. Persistent hallucinators showed greater scores in frequency and duration of hallucinations, Krawiecka total score and incoherence of speech. Moreover, pleasurable experiences were more frequent in this group of patients. Logistic regression analysis rendered a model with the following variables: duration of voices, degree of control and pleasurable hallucinations. CONCLUSION: Specific dimensions of AH can predict the possibility of treatment resistance.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Pleasurable auditory hallucinations.

OBJECTIVE: The focus in auditory hallucination (AH) research is usually on the negative impact of the experience itself. There are practically no studies on whether voices can be perceived as pleasurable. The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of voices as a pleasurable experience in a psychotic patient population. METHOD: A total of 160 patients with AHs (89 schizophrenia and 17 other psychoses) were assessed with the psychotic symptom rating scale (PSYRATS) for AHs, including an added item on whether the experience was pleasurable. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients (26%) reported the voices as a pleasurable experience and 10 of them did so frequently. Pleasurable hallucinations showed negative associations with amount and intensity of distress, degree of negative content and loudness. Positive associations were apparent with chronicity and perceived control over the voices. CONCLUSION: Pleasurable hallucinations can be detected in a substantial proportion of patients, and cross validated with existing instruments.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Hopelessness and first-episode psychosis: a longitudinal study.

Hopelessness has not been adequately studied in first-episode psychotic patients, although it is already present at the early stages, especially in schizophrenic patients. We have studied 96 neuroleptic-naive psychotic patients (49 schizophrenic patients and 47 other non-affective psychotic patients) over a period of 12 months after their first admission. The total score on the Hopelessness Scale (HS) at first admission was higher in the schizophrenic patients, and correlated with younger age and with negative symptoms. High HS scores at baseline predicted poor short-term outcome in schizophrenic patients, as evidenced by worse global functioning at the 12-month follow-up. These correlations were not observed in the other psychoses group. Our results suggest that young, severely affected schizophrenic patients who experience hopelessness might be at higher risk of poor outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Predictors of acute dystonia in first-episode psychotic patients.

Sixty-two first-episode psychotic patients who were neuroleptic-naive were studied to examine predictors of acute dystonia after treatment with haloperidol. Twenty-three patients developed dystonia, two of them despite being treated with biperiden. Biperiden significantly prevented dystonic reactions. Dystonia development was significantly related to younger age, severity of illness, and negative symptoms at baseline and showed a trend to be related to positive symptoms as well. No significant effect of gender or diagnosis was found. The authors suggest that young, severely ill patients in their first psychotic episode who have never been treated with neuroleptics might be at higher risk to develop dystonia.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Emotional auditory paradigm in neuroimaging: a base for the study of psychosis.

INTRODUCTION: Since the arrival of neuroimaging numerous studies have tried to analyze the differences between emotional and non-emotional response. The majority of these studies use visual approach (faces) and begin with data in normal subjects. The present study introduces a new paradigm for the study of emotional response based on auditory approach and designed specifically for the study of psychoses. METHOD: The most frequent words heard by psychotic patients with auditory hallucinations were analyzed. They were classified according to five categories which were compared with 13 other words with the same structure but with a neutral emotional valency. This paradigm was applied to see the cerebral activation with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 10 right handed healthy males. RESULTS: In the preliminary analysis a clear differentiation is observed depending on the type of stimulus applied (emotional or non-emotional), both in the intensity of activation (right and left temporal cortex) as in the activation of specific areas (right precentral and supramarginal gyrus) only with the emotional stimulus. CONCLUSIONS: The present paradigm allows the observation of a differentiation in the cerebral activation to emotional auditory stimulus and could be of utility in the study of psychotic patients.

Affect↗