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Biomedical subjects

J C Negrete

Publications and source records attributed to J C Negrete.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Speech processing ability in alcoholics: a transient impairment and its relation to field dependence.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic subjects received a test of the ability to identify speech presented against competing speech (Synthetic Sentence Identification) and a test of field dependence (Embedded-Figures Test (EFT). Performance on the speech task (which involved auditory figure-ground differentiation) bore no special relationship to performance on the field-dependence test. However, cross-sectional and longitudinal data suggested that recently-drinking alcoholics are temporarily impaired in their speech-processing ability, recovering this ability after several months of alcohol-abstinence. A relationship between chronicity of alcoholism and field dependence was also observed. The latter relationship, along with findings on auditory tests, were discussed in terms of their relevance to the issue of whether field dependence is an antecedent to or a consequence of alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Field dependence in alcoholics: relation to years of drinking, severity of alcohol dependence and emotional distress.

A number of factors were evaluated as predictors of field dependence (Embedded-Figures Test score) in alcoholics. In our sample, duration of excessive drinking and symptomatology of alcohol dependence were significantly related to the level of field dependence. These results fail to corroborate earlier findings and suggest that heightened field dependence in alcoholics is, at least partly, a consequence of alcohol misuse. In addition, a strong relationship was detected between the alcoholics' degree of anxiety and their degree of alcohol dependence. Possible bases for such a relationship are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Effect of cannabis use on health].

Impairment in short-term memory and lingering deficit in psychomotor performance are but two of the acute cannabis intoxication components that may have long-term consequences. The former because it affects learning and the latter because it interferes with proper handling of motor vehicles. The most frequently observed complication of cannabis inebriation, however, is a short-lasting acute psychological disturbance with symptoms of panic, paranoid apprehension and personality disorganization. This type of reaction is often not dose-related, and could appropriately be termed "pathological intoxication". In addition to the acute effects of cannabis on mental performance and behaviour, this paper reviews the psychiatric consequences of chronic use and the accumulated evidence on organic toxicity associated with it: residual cognitive deficit, lethargic symptoms, cannabis psychosis, respiratory, gastro-intestinal and cardiovascular complications, as well as effects on immune response and gonadal functions, are discussed. Also included are reviews on the pharmacology and therapeutic potential of cannabinoids.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Exploring a new type of alcoholism survey.

A new type of method for surveying alcoholism and alcohol-abuse was tested in a way designed to cover about 20% of adults in a town of 50 000. The method proved able to identify types of alcohol-abuser which other survey techniques have difficulty with; it made no undue demands on respondents; and it is much more economical than conventional household surveys. However, more work is still needed on it, and for certain types of information the customary self-report is still going to be required.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[Pharmacological and psychosocial aspects of drug dependence].

Use and abuse of psychotropic drugs start with history, but toxicomania starts much later, with the discovery of morphine, in early XIXth. Century; and increases sharply after the 2nd. World War. The author reviews the general classifications of drug abuse, stressing the many differences among them, as well as the differences in clinical approaches to each one of them, and in criteria for treatment. Abuse of drugs takes many different forms roughly reduced to three: a) "traditional" addicts, with permanent and heavy intake of barbiturates, amphetamines, alcohol and narcotics; b) regular mass consumers of medicines, legally prescripted by doctors on grounds of unwise criteria or sheer complicity; c) members of the "Drug Culture" making of drug abuse a symbol of doctrinary social claims. Addictive drugs are classified, according to Lehmann, into three groups: 1. Expansive drugs: producing intense feeling and elation, according to three classes: a) Thrill drugs, causing an immediate deep pleasure, a jolt in the stomach and warm waves towards the abdomen and genitalia, with orgasmic effects; b) Easiness drugs, increasing energy and self-reliance and decreasing fatigue or ill-feelings; c) self-realization drugs, leading to deep and rich self-awareness, and heighted aesthetic and intellectual potential. 2. Reductive drugs: lowering the intensity of sensations and emotions, in three kinds: a) Releaser drugs, causing removal of inhibitions and production of phantasies; b) Sedation drugs, easing tensions and anxieties; c) Stupefying drugs, blurring all contact with the outer world. The author analyzes the patterns of intake, which include generally two or more different types of drugs, and vary in the same individual according to circumstances. Finally, several factors leading to addiction are considered, among them: biological and genetical endowment or predisposition; psychological conflicts or flaws; and social factors.

Emotions↗