Biomedical subjects

M A Persinger

Publications and source records attributed to M A Persinger.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources

PubMed1992

Neuropsychological profiles of adults who report "sudden remembering" of early childhood memories: implications for claims of sex abuse and alien visitation/abduction experiences.

Six adults, who had recently experienced sudden recall of preschool memories of sex abuse or alien abduction/visitation, were given complete neuropsychological assessments. All experiences "emerged" when hypnosis was utilized within a context of sex abuse or New Age religion and were followed by reduction in anxiety. As a group, these subjects displayed significant (T greater than 70) elevations of childhood imaginings, complex partial epileptic-like signs, and suggestibility. Neuropsychological data indicated right frontotemporal anomalies and reduced access to the right parietal lobe. MMPI profiles were normal. The results support the hypothesis that enhanced imagery due to temporal lobe lability within specific contexts can facilitate the creation of memories; they are strengthened further if there is also reduction in anxiety.

Arousal↗

PubMed1992

Left ear (right temporal lobe) suppressions during dichotic listening, ego-alien intrusion experiences and spiritualistic beliefs in normal women.

Beliefs in spiritualism, a history of a sensed presence, and mental diplopia may share a common source of psychometric variance. We hypothesized that this variance should be specifically associated with right temporal-lobe function. Inferences of temporal lobe signs, hemisphericity (Vingiano's quotient) and self-esteem as well as dichotic listening measures were obtained for 26 university women. As predicted, the numbers of left-ear suppressions (right temporal-lobe function) but not of right-ear suppressions were specifically and moderately (rho = 0.64) correlated with the intensity of Tobacyk's spiritualistic beliefs and a history of sensed presences and ego-alien intrusions. However, the negative association (rhos about -0.45) between indices of left-right hemisphericity and self-esteem was related to a separate factor.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Right hemisphericity, low self-esteem, and unusual experiences: a response to Vingiano.

Vingiano's (1992) challenge concerning the relationship between right hemisphericity, low self-esteem, mystical experiences, and religiosity can be clarified by the concept of vectorial hemisphericity. Ontogenetic intrusions of right-hemispheric processes into the left hemispheric sense of self should be experienced most frequently as an apprehensive "presence" that results in lower self-esteem. Because transient above-normal left-hemispheric activity enhances positive affect and the sense of self, concurrent right-hemispheric intrusions are experienced as mystical experiences. Religiosity would be the consequence of persistent above-normal left-temporofrontal activation that encourages the delusion. Hence, extreme conditions, such as left lateralized temporal-lobe epileptic foci, encourage both mystical and religious experiences.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Experimental stimulation by burst-firing weak magnetic fields over the right temporal lobe may facilitate apprehension in women.

Intermittent bursts of weak magnetic fields whose patterns simulate normal amygdaloidal-hippocampal activity were generated by computer over the right or left temporal regions of men and women during partial sensory deprivation. As predicted, women but not men reported greater apprehension during right-hemispheric but not left-hemispheric stimulation. Intrusions of right-hemispheric processes have been hypothesized to affect self-esteem adversely. These results also support the role of the right parahippocampal region in the production of panic attacks.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Relative right temporal-lobe theta activity correlates with Vingiano's hemispheric quotient and the "sensed presence".

Measures of monopolar alpha and theta rhythm activity over the left and right temporal lobes were correlated with the subjects' hemisphericity (Vingiano) scores, temporal lobe signs, and concurrent subjective experiences during partial sensory deprivation. There was a positive association (rho = .49) between the scores for right hemisphericity and the relative amount of right/left theta rhythm but not right/left alpha rhythm activity. Significant intercorrelations between right hemisphericity, an history of ego-alien intrusions and experiences of a sensed presence, "detachment from the body," and fear during the recordings were noted. These results support the hypothesis that this class of mystical experiences is encouraged by hemispheric mismatch in temporal-lobe theta activity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Right hemisphericity and low self-esteem in high school students: a replication.

A total of 26 Grade 9 and 24 Grade 12 boys and girls were administered the Rosenberg self-esteem questionnaire and Vingiano's hemisphericity questionnaire. Greater right hemisphericity was associated with lower self-esteem. The strength of the effect (r = 0.52) was comparable to previous studies involving university students and supports the hypothesis that persistent input of negative affect from right hemispheric activation adversely influences the affective component of self-concept.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Enhanced incidence of "the sensed presence" in people who have learned to meditate: support for the right hemispheric intrusion hypothesis.

If the "sensed presence" is the transient intrusion of the right hemispheric equivalent of the left hemispheric (and highly linguistic) sense of self, then any process that facilitates interhemispheric electrical coherence should enhance these experiences. As predicted, the "ego-alien intrusion" (sensed presence) factor was specifically and significantly elevated in 221 people who had learned to meditate (65 to 70% were involved in Transcendental Meditation) compared to 860 nonmeditators. Variants of a sensed presence were more frequent in female than in male meditators and were particularly evident in left-handers who had learned to mediate. The effect size suggests that learning a meditation technique is counterindicated for subpopulations, such as borderline, schizotypal, or dissociative personalities, who display very fragile self-concepts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

Infantile stimulation produces mild enhancement in a primary humoral response of adult albino rats.

Rat pups from 12 litters were handled daily, once every three days, or never touched between postnatal Days 5 and 20. At 100 days of age, 20 days after inoculation with human serum albumin, trunk blood was obtained to measure the antigen binding capacity (ABC). Rats handled as infants displayed relative immunofacilitation compared to those that had not been handled; the effect explained 7% of the variance in ABC values. In comparison, sex differences explained 14% of the variance. The results support the hypothesis that early disruptions in mother-infant bonding increase the likelihood of developing allergic responses following exposure to novel antigens during adulthood.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Quantitative increases in temporal lobe symptoms in human males are proportional to postnatal geomagnetic activity: verification by canonical correlation.

Enhanced geomagnetic activity during episodes of biochemical stress has been correlated with inferences of increased liability within deep temporal lobe structures. Because adult limbic epilepsy is frequently associated with perinatal hypoxia or metabolic disruption within this region, a weak positive correlation was expected between possible signs of mesiobasal temporal lobe lability in normal adults and perinatal geomagnetic activity. Canonical correlation demonstrated that young adult males (n = 243) displayed a positive (r = 0.31) relationship between the intensity of geomagnetic disturbance the day after birth only and a history of subjective depersonalization, anomalous visual and olfactory experiences. The effects was very clear when aa values exceeded 30 nT (gamma). Temporal lobe signs for these males were similar to those reported by normal young adult females (n = 313) who did not display any consistent correlation between these measures and perinatal geomagnetic disturbance. The results suggest that interactions between perinatal neurochemistry and the correlates of geomagnetic activity might permanently alter portions of the male limbic system.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Humoral (immunological) responses in female albino rats during rotating magnetic field exposures.

Experiments were designed to evaluate the primary and secondary humoral responses to a rotating magnetic field configuration, which is known to evoke significant biobehavioral changes. Ten days after inoculation with human serum albumin and 10 days before a booster, female rats were exposed to either a 0.5 Hz rotating magnetic field (RMF) or to room conditions (control). The lighting schedule was either continuous or involved a light-dark cycle (LD) of 12:12 h. A third group of rats served as colony room controls. Group differences of low statistical significance were found when females were exposed to continuous lighting rather than the LD 12:12 light-dark cycle. However, the effects were considered trivial and not sufficient to explain the previously reported biobehavioral changes evoked by this field configuration.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Sex differences in primary humoral responses of albino rats to human serum albumin.

Primary humoral responses to human serum albumin, with or without concomitant Freund's adjuvant, were determined for over 300 male and female Wistar albino rats. Groups of female rats always displayed significantly more antibody production than males. Without adjuvant only 70% of the males responded compared to 99% of the females. When the antigen was accompanied by adjuvant, more than 95% of both sexes responded. Whereas without adjuvant the female response was only twice that of the males, adjuvant facilitated the response to a factor of 10 greater than the males. Both the gender and adjuvant effect each accounted for about 16% of the variance in the measurements of antigen binding capacity. Post-weaning castration did not stimulate the gender differences; there were no group differences in ABC at the extremes of estrus-related ambulatory cycles.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed1991

Time distortion--a comparison of hypnotic induction and progressive relaxation procedures: a brief communication.

Hypnotic experiences are frequently associated with alteration in temporal perception. 24 male and 24 female Ss were asked to estimate the interval associated with hypnotic, relaxation, or control procedures. Only the group that received the hypnotic condition displayed significant distortions in time estimations. These were primarily underestimations (temporal constriction or "time loss") compared to the more normal distributions of estimations for the other 2 groups of Ss. The hypnotic treatment explained about 35% of the variance in the absolute distortion of time estimates. The present study demonstrates that subjective distortions of time experience during a hypnotic procedure are more than an artifact of deep relaxation or instruction.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Preadolescent religious experience enhances temporal lobe signs in normal young adults.

The hypothesis was verified that an ontogenetically earlier onset of temporal lobe transients, as defined by a preadolescent religious experience, facilitates more frequent and varied temporal lobe signs in adults. Data were collected for 868 male and female university students in psychology over a 10-year period; the 19% of students who reported this early experience displayed more frequent depersonalization, beliefs in psi phenomena, sensations of presence, sensitivity to odors, widened affect, childhood imaginary playmates, and left (writing) handedness. Early experiments were more likely to display confusion of boundaries between themselves, other people, and cosmic forces.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Subjective pseudocyesis (false pregnancy) and elevated temporal lobe signs: an implication.

Twenty-two percent of 106 undergraduate university women reported symptoms of pseudocyesis: cessation of menstruation, abdominal enlargement, morning sickness, and breast changes. These women also displayed significant elevations in temporal lobe signs with particular involvement of putative right hemispheric processes. Women prone to pseudocyesis displayed more memory blanks, nocturnal akinesia, awareness of abdominal sensations, and exotic beliefs such as alien intelligence; the phenomenon was 10 times more frequent in Roman Catholic women than in Protestant women.

Arousal↗

PubMed1991

Canonical correlation of a temporal lobe signs scale with schizoid and hypomania scales in a normal population: men and women are similar but for different reasons.

The relationships between four relevant Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory variables and temporal lobe signs and symptoms were determined separately for 70 university men and 86 women. Canonical correlations were similar in magnitude (0.55 to 0.60) but indicated sex-specific construction of the roots. For men the significant variables were the schizoid and complex partial epileptic-like signs; for women the significant variables were hypomania and all three temporal lobe clusters: complex partial seizure experiences, interictal-like signs, and religious/psi phenomenology.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Tobacyk's sex differences in the experiences of ego-alien intrusions.

Tobacyk's Revised Paranormal Belief Scale and an inventory that infers temporal lobe signs were administered to 44 men and 54 women who were enrolled in first-year university courses. Women believed more in psi phenomena, witchcraft, and spiritualism than did men, who believed more in extraterrestrial life forms. Although complex partial epileptic-like signs were moderately (0.40) correlated with total beliefs for both sexes, these signs were dominated by experiences of ego-alien intrusions for women only. The results support the concept of greater interhemispheric coherence in women compared to men and emphasize the importance of limbic processes in the formation and maintenance of religious and paranormal beliefs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Greater right hemisphericity is associated with lower self-esteem in adults.

28 men and 32 women were given Vingiano's Hemisphericity Questionnaire and the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory. People who reported the greatest numbers of right hemispheric indicators displayed the lowest self-esteem; the correlations were moderately strong (r greater than 50) for both men and women. These results support the hypothesis that the sense of self is primarily a linguistic, left-hemispheric phenomenon and that a developmental history of frequent intrusion from right-hemispheric processes can infuse the self-concept with negative affect.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Cholinergic rebound after chlorpromazine exacerbates lithium muscarinic-induced limbic seizures in rats: implications for psychiatric treatment.

When lithium serum levels were within the (human) therapeutic range, young and old adult male and female rats (housed singly or in groups) all displayed faster limbic seizure onset times in response to a muscarinic cholinergic agonist (pilocarpine 20 mg/kg) if a single systemic dosage of chlorpromazine was injected 24 hours previously. The effect was comparable to injecting an additional 10 mg/kg of pilocarpine. These results strongly suggest that cholinergic rebound from chlorpromazine administrations during lithium treatment could facilitate subclinical electrical lability and very localized neuronal necrosis within the limbic system of clinical patients, resulting in normalization of psychiatric symptoms.

Animals↗