Biomedical subjects

M R Basso

Publications and source records attributed to M R Basso.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

Effects of immunosuppression and disease severity upon neuropsychological function in HIV infection.

Effects of immunosuppression and illness severity upon neuropsychological function were assessed in a group of homosexual men with AIDS across 6 months. Participants included 62 who were seronegative (HIV-), 74 asymptomatic seropositives (HIV+A), 31 symptomatic seropositives (HIV+S), 23 with AIDS defining illnesses (AIDS-DI), and 10 who were diagnosed with AIDS solely on the basis of CD4+ levels falling below 200 /mm3 (AIDS-CD4). Groups were equivalent in age, education, and IQ. None were drug users, and none experienced a change in disease status across the 6-month inter-test interval. There was little evidence of cognitive decline across time. Nonetheless, after collapsing across time intervals, the AIDS-DI group had worse new-learning than all other groups. Additionally, the AIDS-DI demonstrated a greater number of impaired performances than the other participant groups. The data suggest that cognitive impairment in AIDS is unlikely due to independent contributions of immunosuppression and illness. Rather neurobehavioral deficits are more likely attributable to a combination of the two.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗

PubMed2000

Estimated premorbid intelligence mediates neurobehavioral change in individuals infected with HIV across 12 months.

This study tested whether estimated premorbid intelligence moderates worsening neurobehavioral dysfunction in HIV infection. 155 homosexual men (54 controls, 49 HIV+ asymptomatic, 24 HIV+ symptomatic, 28 AIDS) with stable disease status were tested on measures of executive function at baseline and 12-month follow-up. Premorbid intelligence was estimated on the basis of a demographically-based regression equation (Hamsher, 1984), and participants were classified as average or above-average intelligence. Regardless of disease status, participants with above-average IQ showed no declines on measures of executive function across time. In contrast, among those with average IQ, symptomatic groups showed declines, whereas the asymptomatic group did not. The findings support the hypothesis that estimated premorbid intelligence mediates declines in neuropsychological function in patients with stable HIV status. These findings are consistent with theoretical models of cognitive reserve capacity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2000

PPVT-R as an estimate of premorbid intelligence in older adults.

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) was examined as an estimate of premorbid intelligence in a clinical sample of elderly patients (N = 150) undergoing clinical neuropsychological evaluation. PPVT-R standard scores were compared across grossly cognitively intact, mildly/moderately and severely impaired groups of patients, and compared to a short form of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) and the Barona regression equation. Results indicate that, while the PPVT-R is vulnerable to increasing levels of cognitive impairment among patients with fewer years of education, the PPVT-R is stable across mild to moderate levels of impairment for patients with greater than 12 years of education. In a sub-sample of grossly cognitively intact patients (n = 91), the PPVT-R standard score correlated significantly with estimated WAIS-R FSIQ (r =.61). Compared to the Barona equation, the PPVT-R was less likely to over-estimate WAIS-R FSIQ in the grossly cognitively intact patients. These data suggest the PPVT-R to be a useful estimate of premorbid ability for patients with a greater than high-school education.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Sex differences on the WMS-III: findings concerning verbal paired associates and faces.

Previous research suggests that women have better verbal learning than men, whereas there is little evidence of sex differences in nonverbal learning. The present study examined whether sex differences occur on subtests from the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (Wechsler, 1997). Verbal Paired Associates I & II (VPA) and Faces I & II were administered to 26 male and 26 female undergraduates. A measure of visual-spatial perception, the Judgment of Line Orientation Test, (JLO) was also administered. This was done to place the study within the context of an established literature concerning sex differences in cognition. To rule out potential confounds due to intelligence, WAIS-R FSIQs were estimated and used as covariates in statistical analyses. Women outperformed men on several VPA indices, with men scoring at the 25th percentile and women scoring at the 50th percentile. Although no differences were observed on Faces I & II, men outperformed women on JLO. Implications and recommendations concerning the clinical use of VPA are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Limited accuracy of premorbid intelligence estimators: a demonstration of regression to the mean.

Regression-based premorbid intelligence estimators have been devised by Barona, Reynolds, and Chastain (1984), Barona and Chastain (1986), Hamsher (1984), Krull, Scott, and Sherer (1995; the Oklahoma Premorbid Intelligence Estimate: OPIE), and Vanderploeg, Schinka, and Axelrod (1996; BEST-3 approach), but little is known of their relative accuracy, particularly in outer ranges of intellectual ability (e.g., below-average, superior, etc.). Towards this end, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) was administered to 150 neurologically normal adults, and estimated VIQ, PIQ, and FSIQ scores were computed according to each regression method. Results showed that methods based solely on demographic factors were most susceptible to meanward regression, rendering them poor estimators of IQ scores in outer ranges. Although the OPIE and BEST-3 performed somewhat better, their accuracy remained relatively weak. The findings suggest that regression-based estimates of premorbid IQ are very susceptible to error, particularly in outer ranges of intellectual function.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Neurobehavioural consequences of substance abuse and HIV infection.

Although our understanding of how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related neurobehavioural deficits develop is nascent and preliminary, some clues have emerged which may clarify lingering uncertainties. In particular, HIV seems to yield brain dysfunction by mediating pathological changes upon neuronal function. HIV also compromises immunological integrity, thereby resulting in secondary infections that may further increase brain dysfunction. Notably, many individuals with HIV tend to be current or past abusers of drugs, and, in some cases, their drug use may have actually presented a pathway for initial HIV infection. Similar to HIV, many drugs tend to yield pathological changes upon neuronal function. Further paralleling HIV, some drugs seem to compromise immune function, which in turn may yield secondary detrimental effects upon the brain. Yet, despite the relatively high comorbidity rates of HIV infection and substance abuse, few investigations have addressed the potential interaction between these two factors upon neurobehavioural status. Towards this end, the present paper reviews the existing literature concerning neuropsychological effects of HIV and substance use, and suggests potential mechanisms whereby substance use may potentiate and exacerbate the onset and severity of neurobehavioural abnormalities in HIV infection.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed1999

Effects of experimentally-induced emotional states on frontal lobe cognitive task performance.

A growing body of evidence suggests that dysphoric and euphoric emotional states are associated with reliable patterns of frontal lobe activity. Specifically, dysphoric affect coincides with greater right than left frontal lobe activity, and euphoric affect tends to correspond with a converse pattern of activity. The present study examined whether cognitive outcomes associated with the left and right frontal lobes are differentially influenced by dysphoric and euphoric affect. In a completely between-groups design, 60 dextral women were administered either the positive or negative conditions of the Velten Mood Induction Procedure, and they subsequently completed either a verbal or figural fluency test. Euphoria resulted in better verbal than figural fluency performance, and dysphoria yielded better figural than verbal fluency outcomes. These findings are consistent with electrophysiological data concerning frontal lobe activity during euphoric and dysphoric affect, and they underscore the notion that affective influences upon cognition are more complicated than previously thought.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Neuropsychological deficits in psychotic versus nonpsychotic unipolar depression.

A broad range of neuropsychological function was compared in samples of young adult unipolar depressed inpatients with and without psychotic features. Consistent with expectations, the psychotic depressive group demonstrated a broad range of deficit and had more impaired performances than the nonpsychotic group. Relevance of these data for hypotheses concerning psychotic depression as a unique diagnostic entity is discussed. In the context of previous research, the current findings suggest that accounting for individual differences in depression may clarify discrepancies between earlier studies of neuropsychological function in depression, and our understanding of the mechanisms by which depression influences cognition may be refined.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Relative memory deficits in recurrent versus first-episode major depression on a word-list learning task.

Although memory deficits are associated with major depressive disorder, few studies have identified which patient characteristics predict impairment. Because recurrent depression appears related to more severe cerebral dysfunction, the present study tested whether recurrent depressed individuals have worse memory function than first-episode depressed individuals. Two groups of young-adult, nonpsychotic, depressed inpatients (20 single episode [SE] and 46 recurrent episode [RE]) were administered the California Verbal Learning Test within a broader battery of neuropsychological tests. The groups were equivalent in age, education, estimated IQ, severity of depression, and demographic composition. The RE group demonstrated memory deficits relative to both the SE group and published norms, but no other significant difference was found across the battery. Data indicate that abnormal memory performance is associated with recurrent depression, whereas memory deficits are not prominent in first-episode depressed individuals.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1999

Practice effects on commonly used measures of executive function across twelve months.

Fifty men (age M = 32.50; education M = 14.98 years) were administered the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Ruff Figural Fluency Test (FFT), Verbal Concept Attainment Test (VCAT) Trail Making Test, Parts A and B (TMT), and F-A-S Verbal Fluency at baseline and 12 months later. WCST, FFT, and VCAT scores improved significantly over a 12-month interval. In contrast, TMT and F-A-S scores did not change. Level of intellectual ability failed to moderate the effect of previous testing upon performance. Suggestions concerning the use of these measures in longitudinal research designs and clinical follow-up examinations are offered, and reliable change indices concerning these measures are included.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Neuropsychological correlates of negative, disorganized and psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia.

Recent studies suggest that three dimensions (negative, disorganized and psychotic) categorize schizophrenic symptoms. A developing literature indicates distinct cerebral correlates of each symptom cluster, but few investigations have determined their neuropsychological correlates. In the present study, the Schedules of Negative and Positive Symptoms measured symptom severity in 62 schizophrenics, and a subsequent principal components analysis revealed three symptom dimensions. Factor scores, age and parental socio-economic status were simultaneously entered into regression equations to explain variance across a broad neuropsychological test battery. Negative symptoms were associated with deficits involving intelligence, executive function, memory, sustained-attention and sensory-motor function, whereas disorganized symptoms correlated with decreased intelligence, attention-span and sensory-motor function. Psychotic symptoms were unrelated to deficits. These data are consistent with hypotheses that these three symptom dimensions have distinct neurobehavioral correlates.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Cognitive deficits distinguish patients with adolescent- and adult-onset schizophrenia.

Recent studies have shown that patients with schizophrenia who have an adolescent-symptom onset (before age 21) have a worse clinical course and greater frequency of cerebral abnormalities than those with an adult-onset (after age 25). However, little is known about the neuropsychological functioning of these groups. A comprehensive neuropsychological examination was administered to groups of patients with schizophrenia with either an adolescent- or adult symptom-onset and a healthy control group. The adolescent-onset group performed worse than the adult-onset and control groups, particularly on measures of memory and executive function. The adult-onset group also performed worse than the controls, but to a lesser extent than did the adolescent-onset group. Results are discussed with reference to hypotheses that adolescent-onset schizophrenia represents a distinct neurodevelopmental disease entity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Screening for cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: With the use of comprehensive neuro-psychological assessments, a substantial proportion of patients with multiple sclerosis have been found to have substantial cognitive impairment. Although data generated from comprehensive examinations are useful in making recommendations for treatment interventions and compensatory strategies, the cost of such assessments prohibits their use with all patients. OBJECTIVE: To develop a screening battery to detect cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis that is sensitive, specific, brief, and cost-effective, and could identify patients who might benefit from a more comprehensive neuropsychological examination. DESIGN: On the basis of a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment battery, the presence of significant cognitive impairment was determined in patients with multiple sclerosis. The screening battery consisted of a subset of tests from the comprehensive battery. Performance on the screening battery was then used to predict presence of cognitive impairment on the comprehensive battery in validation and cross-validation samples. Severity of impairment on the screening battery was also regressed on ratings of functional impairment derived from the Expanded Disability Status Scale. RESULTS: In the validation sample, the screening battery had 100% sensitivity, 80% specificity, and 88.1% overall diagnostic accuracy. In the cross-validation sample, the screening battery had 100% sensitivity, 81.8% specificity, and an overall diagnostic accuracy rate of 90.7%. chi 2 tests showed that the accuracy of the screening battery was significantly better than chance in both samples. Performance on the screening battery also predicted the level of disability ratings on the Expanded Disability Status Scale and functional systems scales. CONCLUSIONS: The screening battery had a high degree of sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy, while maintaining a brief administration time and high cost-effectiveness. The screening battery also predicted higher levels of disability and functional impairment as assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale, thereby enhancing its clinical utility. Despite its advantages, the findings do not suggest that the screening battery may be an effective substitute for a more detailed examination.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Mood and global-local visual processing.

Testing hypotheses derived from neuropsychological models of mood, as well as the association of mood states and personality characteristics with global-local visual processing, were examined. Fifty-nine men completed measures associated with depression and positive mood, and were administered a brief perceptual judgment task that assessed global-local visual processing biases. Additionally, 19 of these 59 subjects were administered measures of anxiety and optimism-pessimism and completed an expanded judgment task. Affective and personality variables were then correlated with judgment task performances. Consistent with predictions, positive mood and optimism were directly associated with a global bias and inversely related to a local bias. A converse pattern of findings was obtained with depression and trait anxiety. Implications for research concerning other aspects of visual processing are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Mood-moderating effects of affect intensity on cognition: sometimes euphoria is not beneficial and dysphoria is not detrimental.

Affect intensity (AI) is a characteristic of temperament that has been hypothesized to moderate the influence of mood on cognitive processing. To test predictions concerning this interaction, 132 women were divided into groups of high and low AI and received positive, neutral, or negative mood inductions. They then engaged in either a self-generated or didactic learning task, and the effects of mood and AI on recall and recognition performance were assessed. Consistent with predictions, positive mood led to poorer performance for high AI relative to low AI individuals, and negative mood resulted in a converse pattern of outcomes. The results are discussed with reference to implications for the AI construct and mood-induction research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗