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Biomedical subjects

P Satz

Publications and source records attributed to P Satz.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

The differential pattern of memory deficit in normal aging and dementias of different etiology.

The study explored encoding, storage, and retrieval components of memory functioning in four groups of subjects: (1) normal elderly; (2) elderly subjects in the early prestages of DAT; (3) elderly subjects with a more advanced DAT; (4) younger subjects in the early prestages of AIDS dementia. Each group consisted of 26 subjects, who were administered the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. The results suggest impaired encoding and retrieval in the DAT groups. The AIDS group demonstrated deficient storage and retrieval. Their pattern of memory deficits was similar to that seen in normal aging. The results speak in favor of the hypothesis of subcortical nature of neurological changes in normal aging.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1994

The pattern of deficit in different memory components in normal aging and dementia of Alzheimer's type.

The study explored differential patterns of deficits in different memory components as a function of dementia severity. Three groups of 58 subjects each were used: (1) highly functioning elderly who are free of neurological or psychiatric symptoms; (2) individuals with early signs of memory disturbance, whose MMSE scores were > or = 24; and (3) individuals with MMSE scores below 24, who meet criteria for DAT. Performance on the tests that assess different memory components was compared for the three groups. Results suggest pronounced change in acquisition component of memory at the onset of dementia, whereas retrieval from remote memory discriminates well between the mild and the more advanced phases of the disease. Retrieval from recent memory deteriorates more gradually. Based on these results, efficiency of different memory mechanisms was discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Utility of mini-mental state examination in assessing cognition in the elderly.

The present study used a sample of 156 healthy elderly subjects between 57 and 85 years of age to examine concurrent validity of 3 MMSE components: serial seven subtractions, 3-word recall, and copying pentagons, which are most frequently used in clinical practice as indicators of specific cognitive deficits. Correlational analyses and examination of concordance rates were used to explore the relationship of 3 MMSE tasks with scores on neuropsychological tests. The results of this study indicated that performance on MMSE components by elderly individuals should be interpreted with caution due to the effect of education on individual task performance, questionable specificity of the tasks in assessing circumscribed cognitive domains, emphasis on verbal tasks and high misidentification rate.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Electroencephalographic coherence in acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

We studied a quantitative electroencephalographic (EEG) measure, coherence, in 28 patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 56 uninfected volunteers. Compared with uninfected subjects, AIDS patients had increased coherence in the 6- to 10-Hz band. The largest increases in coherence were between frontal and occipital regions and between temporal and frontal regions. Coherence within contiguous regions was less affected. Eight of the 28 AIDS patients (29%) had clinically abnormal EEG findings, compared with four of the 56 uninfected control subjects (7%). Among the AIDS patients, 12 had normal neuropsychological performance, nine had mild impairment, and six had moderate impairment. Coherence was increased in each subgroup of AIDS patients, including those with normal neuropsychologic performance and/or normal clinical EEG results. AIDS patients were then classified by quantitative EEG power in frontal head regions as "abnormal" (the upper third of patients) or "normal" (the remainder). Increased coherence was found among both groups. Because the development of abnormal neuropsychological performance or a clinically abnormal EEG examination indicates relatively advanced central nervous system disease, alterations in specific coherence measures may detect subclinical effects of the human immunodeficiency virus on brain function before other changes are evident.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Preliminary evidence for an association between minor physical anomalies and second trimester neurodevelopment in schizophrenia.

Two types of markers, dermatoglyphics and minor physical anomalies, have been used as indicators of problems with fetal neurodevelopment in schizophrenia. The degree to which these markers overlap is not known. While it is agreed that abnormal dermatoglyphics reflect early second trimester maldevelopment, the timing of the development of minor physical anomalies has not been determined. Forty-six schizophrenic patients received assessments for minor physical anomalies, dermatoglyphics (right-left ridge count asymmetry and total finger ridge count), and information processing. Higher scores for minor physical anomalies were associated with greater dermatoglyphic asymmetry. Patients who had both types of indicators (high minor physical anomalies and dermatoglyphic asymmetry) did not differ on information-processing measures from patients who had neither. On the basis of the timing of dermatoglyphic development (weeks 14-22 of gestation), the association between minor physical anomalies and dermatoglyphic asymmetry suggests that the relatively high rate of minor physical anomalies observed in schizophrenia can be considered to reflect at least second trimester maldevelopment.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Emotional sequelae of stroke: a longitudinal perspective.

This study investigated emotional change following stroke at acute (2-week), 2-month, and 6-month time intervals. Five dimensions of emotional functioning were examined in a sample of 19 stroke subjects: indifference, inappropriateness, depression, mania, and pragnosia (a defect in the pragmatics of social communicative style). Results showed that, at the 2-month point, differential recovery rates become apparent depending on hemispheric side of the stroke lesion. Increased indifference, inappropriateness, and depression appear to account for these results and suggest a slower rate of recovery on these variables in the left hemisphere group (LH n = 9) compared to the right (RH n = 10). Results further indicate that, at the 6-month point, emotional functioning in RH subjects appears to worsen. In contrast, emotional recovery in LH subjects seems to stabilize at this time. Clinical implications of these findings in terms of type and timing of intervention are discussed.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1994

Minor physical anomalies in schizophrenia patients, bipolar patients, and their siblings.

Minor physical anomalies (MPAs) are believed to reflect abnormalities in fetal neurodevelopment. Several studies have shown that schizophrenia patients have more MPAs than normal controls, but little is known about the meaning of this increased rate of MPAs. The current study first attempted to determine whether the increased MPAs are associated with schizophrenia in particular or with psychosis in general. Second, the study tested whether the patients' siblings also show an increased rate of MPAs by assessing MPAs in schizophrenia patients, bipolar manic patients, the siblings from each group of patients, and normal controls. The schizophrenia patients had significantly more MPAs than normal controls and bipolar patients. The rate of MPAs in bipolar patients did not differ from normal controls. This pattern suggests that MPAs have some degree of specificity to schizophrenia. Both sibling groups had fewer MPAs than the patients, and this difference was significant for the comparison between schizophrenia patients and their siblings. When viewed within a vulnerability-stress model, the results are consistent with the theory that MPAs may reflect early, largely extra-genetic, stressful events.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Confounding factors in the measurement of depression in HIV.

Our study investigates the nature of elevated depression scores on the MMPI-168 in human-immunodeficiency-virus- (HIV-)infected individuals. Comparison of MMPI scales, factor scores, and individual depression item endorsement rates were made between three groups of homosexual/bisexual men: asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositives (n = 156), symptomatic HIV-1 seropositives (n = 156), and a comparison group of HIV-1 seronegatives (n = 117). Elevated scores were found on the MMPI depression scale for all three groups, with HIV infection and the presence of symptoms being associated with significant elevations in depression. Analyses of these elevated scores through the use of factor scores and individual item analyses strongly suggest that endorsement of items related to physical symptoms and neuropsychological complaints accounted for much of the difference in overall depression scores between samples. Implications are discussed for measurement and diagnosis of depression in HIV populations.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Frequencies of MMPI-168 code types among asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV-1 seropositive gay men.

Welsh codes of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-168 (MMPI-168) profiles were calculated for 151 HIV-1 seropositive gay men and 27 gay seronegative controls. Although 99% of seropositives' profiles were clinically elevated, the profile configurations among subjects were varied. These data document the presence of considerable emotional distress among HIV-infected individuals, yet the heterogeneity of codes encountered argues against generalizations of seropositive subjects based upon mean MMPI profiles.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Frontal lobe functioning in geriatric and non-geriatric samples: an argument for multimodal analyses.

The present investigation examines specific aspects of frontal functioning across geriatric and nongeriatric cohorts. Subjects included 193 nongeriatric male pilots (mean age: 48.29 (SD = 6.79); mean education: 15.93 years (SD = 1.86)), and 68 geriatric males and females (mean age: 78.38 (SD = 5.07); mean education: 13.68 (SD = 2.53)). The results of a series of general linear model multivariate one-way analyses revealed poorer performance on frontal measures in the geriatric sample, although no differences were noted between the male and female samples. In contrast, variable interrelations, as assessed by a parametric statistic of betweengroup factor similarity, indicated a noteworthy similarity of factors between the geriatric and nongeriatric groups, and dissimilarities between the factor structures for males and geriatric females. These findings not only support the presence of age-related differences in frontal performance for the domains tested, they suggest the need to examine frontal functioning by multiple methods, as differences in frontal functioning may exist between groups that are undetected by analyses based on intergroup score differences or predictor-criterion correlations alone

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

WAIS-R intersubtest scatter in patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type.

This study explored the relationship between three indices of intersubtest scatter and level of cognitive deterioration in a sample of 104 patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type, who ranged in age between 52 and 84 years. Scatter was highly related to education and premorbid level of functioning. Advancement of dementia was shown to be associated with decrease in scatter, which suggests caution in interpretation of high magnitude of inter-subtest scatter as an indication of brain dysfunction. Easy-to-calculate range of scatter proved to be adequate measure of scatter. Calculation of more complex indices, such as PVI, provides only minimal incremental gain.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Left-handedness and old age: do left-handers die earlier?

Data are presented on the prevalence of current left-handedness and prior left-handedness (switched) in 2787 subjects from 21 to 101 years of age. In addition, data on sex differences, familial sinistrality, hand posture when writing, and education were recorded. Two hypotheses were tested. The elimination hypothesis states that reduced frequency of left-handers in old age is due to reduced longevity. The modification hypothesis states that differences in the number of left-handers between older and younger persons are due to changing patterns of social norms. The results showed a decreasing prevalence of left-handedness across the age span, with 15.22% in the youngest group (21-30 years), but only 1.67% in subjects older than 80 years. There was however a corresponding increase in the number of subjects who had switched hand for writing, 2.69% in the youngest group to 6.75% in subjects 80 years and above. This supports the modification hypothesis and questions the elimination hypothesis. However, the mean percent score was still lower in subjects above compared to below age 40 after correction for hand switching. Thus, although changes in social norms towards left-handers seem to be the most likely explanation, we have not empirically disproved the elimination hypothesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Re-examining handedness in schizophrenia: now you see it--now you don't.

The present study was designed to examine patterns of handedness across tasks (i.e., those requiring less vs. greater skill) and over time (initially and 1 month later) in 72 schizophrenic patients and 105 normal controls. Two important methodologic advances were introduced: (1) two handedness tasks, varying in skill level (simple vs. complex); and (2) the addition of a retest on both tasks, 1 month later. Results show a higher incidence (43%) of mixed handedness in the schizophrenic sample than in normal controls (14.3%) on tasks requiring less precision in performance. Similar results were obtained when schizophrenic patients were retested 1 month later, RI = .88. When the more demanding set of tasks was presented, the frequency of mixed handed schizophrenics dropped by 50% at initial testing. Despite these findings, there was no evidence for stability of change over time. For example, each of the most extreme shifters at Time 1 was fully lateralized 1 month later.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Evidence of a perceptual-encoding deficit in narcolepsy?

Body temperature, vigilance, memory, information processing and motor function were examined in 10 unmedicated narcoleptics and 10 matched controls at four different times of day. Time of day and body temperature were not related to performance. Narcoleptics displayed selective cognitive deficits in response latency, word recall, and estimation of frequency. Narcoleptics did not differ from controls in motor speed, vigilance, information processing speed or decision-making accuracy. We propose that a perceptual-encoding deficit may underlie the problems in memory and complex reaction time associated with narcolepsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Cerebral perfusion and neuropsychological consequences of chronic cocaine use.

Research indicates that cocaine significantly constricts the cerebral vasculature and can lead to ischemic brain infarction. Long-term effects of intermittent or casual cocaine use in patients without symptoms of stroke or transient ischemic attack were investigated. Single-photon emission computed tomography with xenon-133 and [99mTc]hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime, magnetic resonance imaging, and selected neuropsychological measures were used to study cerebral perfusion, brain morphology, and cognitive functioning. Patients were drug free for at least 6 months before evaluation. All showed regions of significant cerebral hypoperfusion in the frontal, periventricular, and/or temporal-parietal areas. Deficits in attention, concentration, new learning, visual and verbal memory, word production, and visuomotor integration were observed. This study indicates that long-term cocaine use may produce sustained brain perfusion deficits and persistent neuropsychological compromise in some subgroups of cocaine-abusing patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of two new neuropsychological tests designed to minimize cultural bias in the assessment of HIV-1 seropositive persons: a WHO study.

In the course of the preparatory work for the WHO cross-cultural study on the neuropsychiatric aspects of HIV-I infection, two new neuropsychological tests (the WHO/UCLA Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Color Trails 1 & 2) were developed. The evaluation of these tests was performed at four sites, two in developed and two in developing countries. The data obtained suggest that the tests are more culture fair than others currently used to assess the same functional domains, that they are sensitive to HIV-1-associated cognitive impairment, and that this sensitivity "holds" across different cultures.

Journal Article↗