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Biomedical subjects

N Roth

Publications and source records attributed to N Roth.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Smoking deprivation in "early" and "late" smokers and memory functions.

Reports on smoking and nicotine effects upon memory are contradictory: improvement, no change, and impairment have been observed. These inconsistencies may be due at least in part to different types of learning tasks and to experimental designs: in most studies, acute nicotine effects were analysed after previous smoking deprivation. This study compared learning, retention, and retrieval between nonsmoking after previous deprivation and "usual" smoking without previous deprivation. Twenty female smokers (S) participated in two sessions, between 8.00 and 11.00 a.m. The Austin maze and a Word Recognition Task (WRT) were applied. During the WRT, ERP were recorded from Fz and Cz scalp locations. Heart rate, CO, and subjective ratings (dizziness and smoking need) but neither WRT nor maze performance discriminated between deprivation and smoking. However, significant differences were obtained between those Ss who usually start smoking within 1 h after getting up (ES) and those who start later (LS). In maze learning and WRT, LS performed better when deprived than smoking, and ES performed better when smoking than deprived, i.e. when the time of the tests met their usual smoking habits. Results are discussed in terms of a modulation of smoking effects on memory functions by the Ss' internal state.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Coincidence of attention deficit disorder and atopic disorders in children: empirical findings and hypothetical background.

ADDH children are often reported to display signs of allergies to various substances and/or atopic (AT) symptoms (i.e., atopic eczema, hay fever, or asthma). Since, at least for a subgroup of these children, a common biological background for both ADD and atopy may be assumed that may involve brain catecholamines, our hypothesis was that in a group of AT children (mainly atopic eczema) signs of ADD should appear more often than in controls. Parental hyperactivity ratings revealed a significantly higher frequency of ADD symptoms in the AT group, and laboratory tests sensitive to attentional capacity and inhibitory functions showed poorer performance in the AT children, the findings being similar to those reported in hyperactives. Thus, our results add support to the assumption of a common predisposing factor for both AT and ADDH in a subgroup of children.

Arousal↗
PubMed1991

Effects of cigarette smoking upon frequencies of EEG alpha rhythm and finger tapping.

Under the influence of nicotine, an increase in EEG alpha frequency as well as finger tapping speed has been reported from separate experiments, and it has also been shown that tapping and alpha frequencies may correlate in defined experimental settings. The present study aimed at the analysis of smoking effects using parallel recordings of both EEG and finger tapping. Twelve healthy subjects were tested in two sessions (smoking deprivation versus smoking). After smoking, both dominant alpha frequency (P less than 0.05) and tapping performance (P less than 0.001) were higher than during deprivation. In most subjects, the increase of both parameters developed in parallel, and during phases of very stable tapping the ratio of alpha and tapping frequencies was close to 2:1. Both frequencies correlated during the deprived (r = 0.6108, P = 0.035) as well as the smoking (r = 0.7009, P = 0.011) conditions. Results confirm earlier findings regarding the effect of smoking upon EEG and tapping, and the parallel changes of both parameters may be attributed to the pharmacological properties of nicotine. Besides possible peripheral and spinal effects of nicotine, the increase of tapping performance parallels the increased frequency of central nervous pacemakers.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Visual acuity degradation resulting from dispersion in polycarbonate.

Visual acuities (VA) were measured through a series of prisms in order to quantify the blur that results from dispersion in polycarbonate. The mean VA of 40 eyes was reduced from a starting level of 20/13 unaided to 20/31 through 16 prism diopters of polycarbonate. The decline was a linear function of prismatic power. The blurring effect of polycarbonate was significantly greater than that of CR39. The blur from polycarbonate was found to be great enough that it should be taken into account whenever polycarbonate is considered for spectacle lenses. A graphical display is provided which can be used by the clinician to predict the degree of blur from a known polycarbonate lens.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Relations between slow (4 cps) EEG activity, sensorimotor speed, and psychopathology.

Slow rhythmic activity (SRA) in the frequency range from 2.5 to 5.0 cps was studied in 20 subjects (Ss) in order to examine its effect upon sensorimotor reactions and its possible relationship to psychological findings. With monopolar EEG derivations, maximal power density of SRA is found in frontal regions, whereas bipolar leads reveal maximum occurrence of SRA over posterior areas. Reaction times (RT) to visual and auditory stimuli increase significantly during the occurrence of SRA; the amount of this prolongation (ca. 74 ms) is independent of stimulus modality but significantly correlates with SRA frequency: the lower the frequency, the higher the RT increment. In psychological tests, most Ss with SRA displayed disturbances of emotionality as well as 'pathological' values in the subscales hysteria, hypochondria, psychasthenia, and paranoia, but none of our Ss was diagnosed as psychotic. There is a high correlation between the SRA frequency and the extent of psychological deviations: Ss with low SRA frequency values are more likely to reveal psychological disturbances than Ss with high SRA frequency. The possible origin and physiological impact of SRA is discussed and the desirability of further neurophysiological studies is emphasized.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Does neurology inform psychoanalysis? A case report.

In these days of malpractice suits it has become increasingly important that the psychoanalyst make correct diagnoses and institute appropriate treatment. The significance of this statement is enhanced by the fact that the opinion is being increasingly enunciated that there is no such disorder as conversion hysteria. Accordingly the psychoanalyst needs to keep up to date about relevant neurological matters. The present article reports a case of a young women who had been treated psychoanalytically for many years without the organic nature of her disorder being grasped. Appropriate pharmacological therapy produced prolonged remission of her symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A new approach to cerebral asymmetry: RT differences in simultaneous bimanual finger movement during verbal and nonverbal tasks.

This study was aimed at testing a new approach for examination of functional laterality based on hemispheric specialization. The subjects had to perform verbal (words/nonwords) and nonverbal (similar/different patterns) discrimination. The separation of the two hemispheres during information processing was realized by requiring a simultaneous response of both index fingers. The obtained over-all reaction times (RT) were faster for verbal than for pattern tasks. Considering the RTs for solely the particular, faster response of one or the other index finger, the right index finger turned out to be faster on verbal tasks whereas the left one dominated on pattern tasks. According to the hypothesis that the faster hand indicates the more active (contralateral) hemisphere, it can be assumed that words are responded to more quickly when processed in the left hemisphere. On the other hand, patterns are responded to more quickly when the right hemisphere is active. These results suggest that each hemisphere may be capable of processing verbal and nonverbal material; the speed of information processing, however, is faster in the more adept one.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Psychophysiological assessment of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) effects upon orofacial pain.

Fear of pain in dentistry may be one reason why preventive care is avoided by a number of individuals. Therefore, measures which reduce painful experiences may be beneficial for patients' attitudes towards medical interventions. Using conservative dental treatment as a model situation, we studied effects of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) upon acute orofacial pain in three experiments. In the first experiment, pain thresholds (electric tooth stimulation) were found to be increased under TENS. In the second experiment, electric brain potentials (ERP) were evoked by electric tooth stimulation. The ERP amplitude is intensity-dependent and revealed a marked decrease as a consequence of TENS. Finally, TENS was applied during real treatment, and subjective estimates confirm its beneficial effect upon pain and stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Increased locomotor activity of rats by self-stimulation in a running wheel.

A method was developed in which the intracranial self-stimulation of rats was dependent on their locomotor activity. During each rotation of a running wheel (= 0.75 m), six stimulus trains were administered via electrodes in the medial forebrain bundle. Under these conditions, animals increased their locomotor activity 112-fold, compared to a control condition without self-stimulation. This method may be a valuable procedure in various research fields where extreme increases in motor activity of laboratory animals are advantageous.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Disorders of attention in school children: recent results of classification, diagnosis and pedagogic-psychologic perspectives for intervention].

Attention disorders in school children are a frequently occurring phenomenon in the work of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. The new approach (DSM III) emphasizes the role of attention deficit with/without hyperactivity in contrast to the Hyperkinetics syndrome (ICD 9) and offers an alternative interpretation. Based on experimental results and clinical observation, the following characteristic features of this class of disturbances are accentuated. A deficient central activation (probably related to "weakness" of central norepinephrine and the locus for stimulant drug action), an inadequate inhibitory control function, and a (secondary) disturbance of perceptive and logic processing strategies. A method of cognitive-behavioural intervention is offered which may be applied separately of in connection with drug treatment.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1979

[Localization of rhythmic activity around 4/s].

The results of the studies carried out in four carriers of characteristics are presented under localistic aspects proceeding from the different local distribution of rhythmized activity around 4/s with unipopular and bipolar lead technique. A hypothesis of the origin of the activity is presented which would be in agreement with its distribution characteristics and reactivity.

Brain Mapping↗
PubMed1979

[So-called slow posterior activity in the EEG and the sensori-motor reaction time. Results of re-examinations made after 5 years].

Six persons showing what is called slow posterior activity (4/s rhythm) in the electroencephalogram were reexamined after a period of five years. Sensorimotor reaction times were recorded in addition to the electroencephalogram which was analyzed for the frequency of LPA and for the degree of stability of time dependence. The frequency and distinctness of LPA were found to be stable after five years (r = 0.09 and 0.82, respectively; p less than 0.001), whereas the alpha rhythmus of the subjects had undergone considerable changes (r = 0.34; p greater than 0.05). The extension of reaction times to be observed under the influence of LPA was also seen to remain constant (r = 0.79; p less than 0.05). Accordingly, LPA proved an extremely stable characteristic which did not show any substantial variations in the course of five years.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Axial length and the Hirschberg test.

Axial lengths of 30 eyes (15 subjects), measured by ultrasonography, ranged from 20.6--26.3 mm. Using a fixed light source, each eye was photographed as monocular fixation was changed over an 8-deg range in 2-deg steps. Hirschberg ratios obtained from the photographs show a low correlation with axial length (0.07), and the mean value, 24 prism diopters per millimeter (S.D. = 7), further supports recent recommendations that the traditional ratio of 12 or 14/1 be replaced by a more correct ratio of 22/1.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Fear of death in the aging.

Fear of death appears to be universal in the psychopathology of aging, although it is frequently repressed. Judicious pharmacotherapy and insightful psychotherapy are effective in treating the elderly. Two case histories are given in illustration. Despite the difficulties of the problem, it is possible to remove this fear of death-that causes one to waste one's later years-to make of old age a useful and contributory period of life.

Aged↗