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Biomedical subjects

F W Black

Publications and source records attributed to F W Black.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Prospective memory intervention in Alzheimer's disease.

Four individuals with Alzheimer's disease were trained to remember and to implement an intention for future action. The training program utilized the spaced-retrieval method, which involves active attempts to recall information over expanding intervals of time. All participants learned to select a colored coupon from an array of distractors and offer it to the experimenter after a week's delay. Following one-week retention of the initial task, a different coupon became the new training target. All participants were able to shift to this new task requirement, and all learned three successive coupon colors successfully. These results indicate that individuals with Alzheimer's disease can learn a prospective memory task using spaced-retrieval practice and can make adjustments for changing task requirements.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Differential effects of alprazolam and buspirone upon acquisition, retention, and retrieval processes in memory.

A group of 125 healthy young adults was given a memory battery 1 hour after administration of alprazolam (0.5 and 1.0 mg), buspirone (5 and 10 mg), and placebo under single-dose, double-blind conditions. On the wordlist recall battery and a 24-hour retest, alprazolam appeared to impair acquisition and retention in dosages of 1.0 mg; buspirone did not adversely affect test performance at either dosage. On the basis of a 3-stage model of memory, a neuroantomical/neurophysiological model is proposed to explain the selective effects of the benzodiazepines on memory function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

A comparison of the single-dose effects of alprazolam, buspirone, and placebo upon memory function.

The effects of alprazolam and buspirone at varying dosages were compared with placebo in a battery of memory and cognitive tests in a sample of 125 young, healthy medical students by utilizing a single-dose, double-blind design. Although the dosages in this study did not impair visuomotor reaction time in any of the experimental groups, 1.0 mg of alprazolam did result in significantly impaired performance on selective aspects of memory function as assessed by the memory battery.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Neuropsychological profiles of children with learning disabilities and children with documented brain damage.

This study sought to identify clusters or subtypes of children with learning disabilities (LD) and documented brain damage (BD) on the basis of a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Sixty subjects, 24 with LD and 36 with BD, participated in the study. The standard scores for several measures from the Intermediate Battery of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery and other select measures were submitted to Q-Technique factor analysis for the entire sample. Five clusters were determined. No one cluster was composed exclusively of LD or BD subjects, with the proportions of LD and BD varying considerably from one cluster to the next. There were some qualitative differences between the clusters, while quantitative differences also figured prominently.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed1987

Anomalous dominance in sibling stutterers: evidence from CT scan asymmetries, dichotic listening, neuropsychological testing, and handedness.

Two left-handed siblings with developmental stuttering are comprehensively described. The methods of study included speech and language evaluation, neurological and neuropsychological examinations, dichotic listening, auditory evoked responses, electroencephalogram, and CT scan asymmetry measurements. The data from each sibling showed evidence of anomalous cerebral dominance on many of the variables investigated. The CT scan measurements showed atypical asymmetries, especially in the occipital regions. These findings support the theory that stuttering may be related to anomalous cerebral dominance, both on functional as well as structural bases. Implications of anomalous dominance and the resultant effect of hemispheric rivalry on speech fluency are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Memory assessment using the Strub-Black Mental Status Examination and the Wechsler Memory Scale.

A systematic mental status exam often can differentiate accurately patients with organic brain disease from normal persons and those with functional disorders. The present study attempts to validate the memory portion of the Strub-Black Mental Status Exam by comparing it to the Wechsler Memory Scale. Twenty-five brain-damaged and 25 routine medical patients were given Form I of the Wechsler Memory Scale and the memory portion of the Strub-Black Mental Status Exam at their hospital bedside. Results indicate significant differences in almost all scores between the brain-damaged and normal groups on both the Wechsler Memory Scale and Mental Status exam; the Mental Status Exam differentiated between groups at a higher level of significance of ANOVA and ANCOVA comparisons of total memory scores, as well as several subtests. In these samples, age, more than education, was an important factor that affected memory test performance. The Mental Status Examination appears valid for the differentiation of clinical samples and for the documentation of specific aspects of memory dysfunction in individual brain-damaged patients. This study represents a beginning step in providing normative data on components of the Strub-Black mental status examination.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Digit repetition in brain-damaged adults: clinical and theoretical implications.

Digit repetition was investigated in samples of unilaterally (N = 87) and bilaterally (N = 75) brain-damaged adults. The study was designed to investigate the hemispheric and neuropsychological factors that underlie performance on these two dissimilar tasks. Digit repetition was disproportionately depressed in such patients, especially those with left hemisphere lesions. The incidence of individually impaired digit repetition performance, especially of digits backward, was significantly higher than in normals, again particularly within the left hemisphere sample. However, impaired digit repetition was not invariably associated with brain dysfunction. The data suggest, but do not confirm, a differential function hypothesis, as well as a unilateral hemispheric hypothesis that underlies the ability to repeat forward and backward digits; this finding is consistent with some previous literature. Group performance showed considerable overlap, which limited the possibility of demonstrating a double dissociation between digits forward and verbal measures, and digits backward and nonverbal factors. Digit repetition in brain-damaged patients appears to have some theoretical value, but limited clinical utility.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Neuroanatomic and neuropsychologic correlates of digit span performance by brain-damaged adults.

Digit repetition performance was examined in samples of adult brain-injured patients having confirmed unilateral lesions. The primary purposes of the study were to investigate the sensitivity of forward and backward repetition to the effects of lateralized brain lesions and to assess the differential neuroanatomic and neuropsychologic substrates of the two forms of digit repetition. Digit repetition, especially digits backward and particularly by patients with left-hemisphere lesions, was significantly lower than would be predicted on the basis of intelligence. However, impaired repetition was not invariably a consequence of brain damage. Correlational data suggested but could not confirm hypotheses about either the functional or the neuroanatomic substrate in differential performance on digits forward and backward. Problems implicit in using measures having a high intellectual loading in clinical studies are discussed, as are suggestions for further research.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Long-term effects of focal, cortical injuries upon articulation and discrimination performance.

Residual, long-term effects of cortical injuries upon speech production are rarely examined. In this study, we examined the articulation and discrimination abilities in twelve subjects who received focal, cortical injuries in Vietnam during 1968-1971. The subjects were divided into two groups based upon the hemisphere (right or left) of lesion. Data revealed the left-hemisphere injured group produced a greater number of articulation and discrimination errors than the right-hemisphere injured group. Articulation errors occurred more often than discrimination errors in both groups. However, a feature analysis revealed the left-hemisphere injured group made predominantly combination errors and the right-hemisphere injured group made predominantly place errors. Taken overall, the data suggest the left-hemisphere injured group may experience residual difficulties with the encoding of phonological units while the right-hemisphere injured group appears to have residual problems that may be related to the spatial correlates of speech.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

The clinical utility of reproduction drawing tests with low IQ patients.

Bedside mental status testing in low IQ, poorly educated patients is often difficult. These patients, who comprise a significant proportion of the population served by major inner city public hospitals, have a limited ability to perform adequately on many higher cortical function tests. Because of this, it is often difficult to accurately differentiate between an organic brain syndrome and the effect of depressed intelligence in these patients. Copying line drawings and other constructional tasks are a very important element in a complete mental status examination, as they are frequently failed by patients with organic brain disease. The applicability of drawing tasks in the low IQ patient is an important issue; this study demonstrates that selected drawings can be effectively utilized to identify brain dysfunction in this low IQ population.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed1978

A procedure for the rapid computation of WISC-R factor scores.

Presents a table that provides a simplified procedure for obtaining WISC-R factor scores expressed as IQ equivalents. Three factors, based on Kaufman's recent analysis of the 1974 Revised WISC, were included: (1) Verbal Comprehension (Information, Similarities, Vocabulary, and Comprehension); (2) Perceptual Analytic (Picture Completion, Picture Arrangement, Block Design, Object Assembly, and the optional subtest, Mazes); and (3) Attention Concentration (Arithmetic, Digit Span, and Coding). The techniques for deriving the factor score equivalents and the use of the table, both procedurally and clinically, are discussed.

Intelligence Tests↗
PubMed1976

Klinefelter syndrome in a military population. Electroencephalographic, endocrine, and psychiatric status.

In a study of nine Klinefelter syndrome patients obtained from a military population, all were found to have normal electroencephalograms (EEGs), all were clinically euthyroid, and had normal thyroid function test results. All had normal verbal and nonverbal IQs and no evidence of neurologic dysfunction on psychological testing. There was a high incidence of personality maladjustment as indicated by both the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality inventory and individual psychiatric evaluation. No particular personality pattern appeared typical for the group as a whole. Neurologic dysfunction, as manifest by EEG abnormality, mental retardation, or neuropsychological test deficits, and hypothyroidism are not necessarily associated with Klinefelter syndrome. Likewise, although the incidence of personality disorders may be strongly associated with this disorder, no specific personality type appears especially characteristic of the syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Cognitive deficits in patients with unilateral war-related frontal lobe lesions.

The findings of this study may be summarized as follows: (1) No significant general cognitive impairment occurred in S samples with unilateral frontal lobe lesions; (2) Impairment of cognitive performance was greater in Ss with lesions posterior to the Fissure of Rolondo than in well-matched Ss with frontal lobe lesions; (3) Specific cognitive deficits are infrequent in Ss with frontal lobe lesions; (4) No significant differential impairment of cognitive performance was associated with hemispheric lateralization of frontal lesions; and (5) No significant differential impairment of verbal and nonverbal performance was associated with hemispheric lateralization of frontal lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Constructional apraxia in patients with discrete missile wounds of the brain.

Sixty patients with missile wounds confined to one of the four quadrants of the brain were investigated. All patients had neurosurgical verification of the limits of their lesions. The incidence and severity of constructional apraxia was studied using the WAIS Block Design and Object Assembly subtests, and the Bender Gestalt Test. A uniformly significant caudality effect was obtained with more posteriorly localized lesions resulting in more severe constructional apraxia. A significant laterality effect was obtained on two of three criterion measures with uniformly inferior performance by patients with right hemisphere lesions. The magnitude of the laterality effect, however, was less than that of the caudality effect for all criterion variables. The degree of severity of constructional apraxia in patients with right posterior lesions was uniformly greater than that of patients with other quadrant loci. The incidence of constructional apraxia in the four quadrants varied as expected with the left anterior lesion sample showing very little evidence of constructional apraxia, while the right posterior sample showed a high incidence of such deficits. The absolute incidence of significant constructional apraxia in all samples was suprisingly low. This finding might be partially accounted for by the age and general good health of the subjects studied, the relative absence of general cognitive impairment in the majority of subjects, and the discrete nature of the lesions.

Adolescent↗