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Biomedical subjects

J A Moses

Publications and source records attributed to J A Moses.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Deficits of higher cortical functioning in two patients with posterior parietal arteriovenous malformations. Use of the standardized Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery for pre- and postoperative assessment.

The Standardized Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Test Battery was used for pre- and postoperative evaluation of two patients, each of whom had a large posterior parietal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the left cerebral hemisphere. In both cases the AVMs, which were fed by the left anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral arteries, were resected completely. These cortical lesions, which were almost identical in anatomical location and pathophysiology, produced deficits in higher cortical functioning that were remarkably similar in the two patients studied. Disorganization of spatially based complex speech and confusion with arithmetic and writing functions were the most prominent pre- and postoperative problem areas. Other functions that had been mildly abnormal preoperatively had improved at the last testing session 6 months postoperatively. The test battery is easy to administer, has standardized scoring, requires only 2.5 hours of testing time, and produces reliable, reproducible results. Our initial experience with this test battery suggests that it is readily applicable to patients with neurosurgical disease and may be of benefit in planning appropriate rehabilitation and in obtaining knowledge that will increase our understanding of complex brain functions.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Differentiation of chronic schizophrenics with and without ventricular enlargement by the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery.

The present study investigated whether the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery could be used clinically to differentiate schizophrenics with ventricular or sulcal enlargement from schizophrenics with no such enlargement as identified by a CT scan. The study investigated 42 patients, 24 males and 18 females, who were admitted to the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The age range of the sample was from 20 to 39 years with all patients rating the definition of chronic schizophrenia according to DSM-111. Patients were tested in the present study while on antipsychotic medications. All patients were administered both the CT scan, which was analyzed using the methods of Weinberger and his associates (1979) and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery. Using normative data previously published in the literature, each CT scan was classified as normal or abnormal. Using objective rules of interpretation given in the paper, the Battery was 81% accurate in determining the presence of ventricular enlargement. The Battery was also 90% accurate in identifying the presence or absence of sulcal enlargement. The implications of the present results for the use of psychological testing as a possible screening device for CT scans in a psychiatric population is discussed. Also, the limitations of the methods used in this paper are discussed as well as their advantages.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Discrimination between schizophrenic and brain-damaged patients with the Luria Nebraska Neuropsychological Test Battery.

One of the major tests facing psychiatrists and mental health professionals is identifying psychiatric disorders which are caused by structural damage to the brain. Many psychological tests have frequently been used to do this, but extensive research has found most psychological tests to be ineffective in populations consisting of chronic schizophrenic patients. The present study evaluates the ability of a new test, based on the work of the Russian neuropsychologist, A. R. Luria, to discriminate between chronic schizophrenic and neurological patients. Results from earlier studies suggested that the battery is 88% effective in making these discriminations. The present study compared 50 schizophrenic and 50 neurological patients on the test battery. The results found that the Luria Neuropsychological Battery was extremely effective in making this discrimination, achieving an overall accuracy rate of 87%, far higher than the results reported for any psychological tests using a comparable population. Other advantages of the standardized Luria Neuropsychological Examination and its uses in psychiatric practice are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Discrimination learning of delinquent boys as a function of reinforcement contingency and delinquent subtype.

Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of contingency management as a means of behavioral resocialization with delinquent boys on an individual basis. The present study was designed to examine and clarify systematically verbal and token reward and/or punishment. The principal findings of the study were: (1) Neurotic subjects performed at the highest level for punishment, at the lowest level for reward, and at an intermediate level for a combination of reward and punishment, regardless of verbal or token contingency modality. (2) Psychopathic subjects performed best for the joint verbal reward and punishment contingency, but they did not learn over trials for the joint token reward and punishment contingency. Their performance was undifferentiated at asymptote under the separate verbal and token reward or punishment contingencies. (3) Neurotic subjects performed at a significantly higher level than did psychopathic subjects for verbal and token punishment, while psychopathic subjects performed at a significantly higher level than neurotic subjects for verbal and token reward.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1970

The organization of contractile filaments in a mammalian smooth muscle.

Ordered arrays of thin filaments (65 A diameter) along with other apparently random arrangements of thin and thick filaments (100-200 A diameter) are observed in contracted guinea pig taenia coli rapidly fixed in glutaraldehyde. The thin-filament arrays vary from a few to more than 100 filaments in each array. The arrays are scattered among isolated thin and thick filaments. Some arrays are regular such as hexagonal; other arrays tend to be circular. However, few examples of rosettes with regular arrangements of thin filaments surrounding thick filaments are seen. Optical transforms of electron micrographs of thin-filament arrays give a nearest-neighbor spacing of the thin filaments in agreement with the "actin" filament spacing from x-ray diffraction experiments. Many thick filaments are closely associated with thin-filament arrays. Some thick filaments are hollow circles, although triangular shapes are also found. Thin-filament arrays and thick filaments extend into the cell for distances of at least a micron. Partially relaxed taenia coli shows thin-filament arrays but few thick filaments. The suggestion that thick filaments aggregate prior to contraction and disaggregate during relaxation is promoted by these observations. The results suggest that a sliding filament mechanism operates in smooth muscle as well as in striated muscle.

Actins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of cognitive performance in RDC-diagnosed schizoaffective and schizophrenic patients with the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery.

Controversy continues regarding the differential diagnostic distinction between schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, and there are few published studies that examine the neuropsychological performance of schizoaffective patients. We evaluated 52 RDC-diagnosed schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients with equal numbers of medicated and unmedicated patients using the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery and additional cognitive measures. Both groups performed at cognitively impaired levels. The cognitive performance level of schizoaffective patients was indistinguishable from that of the schizophrenic patients. The RDC subtype of schizoaffective disorder (depressed or manic) also was not related to cognitive performance level. Findings are consistent with the notion that cognitive impairment is found in a significant portion of schizophrenic (and possibly schizoaffective) patients and that the presence of this deficit may characterize a specific subgroup of patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Neuroendocrinology and limbic epilepsy: relationships to psychopathology, seizure variables, and neuropsychological function.

Correlations were sought among neuroendocrine, psychopathologic, neuropsychological, and seizure variables in 16 male patients with limbic epilepsy. Plasma prolactin and luteinizing hormone levels were directly correlated with seizure frequency. Plasma prolactin was inversely correlated with thought disorder. Post hoc findings included a strong direct correlation between total plasma testosterone levels and aggression. These relationships may help to elucidate mechanisms related to interictal symptomatology in patients with limbic epilepsy.

Epilepsy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychopathology and limbic epilepsy: relationship to seizure variables and neuropsychological function.

Correlations were sought among psychopathologic, neuropsychological, and seizure variables in 21 patients with limbic epilepsy. Observer-based assessments, such as the Bear-Fedio Inventory, and self-report assessments of psychopathology were used. Self-reported psychotic experiences were associated with increased seizure frequency. Increased religiosity was noted in patients whose epileptic focus included the left side. Increased neuropsychological impairment was associated with several measures of psychopathology, including those related to thought disorder, psychoticism, and affective disturbance.

Epilepsy↗