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Biomedical subjects

R A Hicks

Publications and source records attributed to R A Hicks.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Pyridoxine reduces core body temperature in rats.

A mild hypothermia was produced in female rats during treatment with pyridoxine HCl (Vitamin B6), 100 mg/kg, administered in the drinking water. The hypothermic effect appeared by day 3 and persisted through 15 days of treatment. The reduction in core temperature was greater early in the day, just following the nocturnal period of maximum food and water consumption of the rat. Tail tendon temperatures of control and pyridoxine-treated animals showed no evidence of increased heat loss. Thus the hypothermia appears to reflect decreased heat production. The implications of a reduced metabolic rate for gerontological research are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Multiple birth-risk factors and handedness in elementary school children.

The relationships between a set of birth-risk factors, i.e., sex, parity, and maternal age, and handedness were computed for 600 elementary school children. None of these birth-risk variables (or relevant combinations of them) were significantly related to handedness. These data further question the validity of the hypothesis that left-handedness results from stressful prenatal and birth conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

The handedness distributions of gifted and non-gifted children.

The handedness distribution of a group of 578 gifted elementary school children (I.Q. = 132) was compared to handedness distribution of 391 non-gifted children (I.Q. less than 132), with the result that the gifted group was significantly less right-handed than their non-gifted peers. These data were discussed relative to Bakan's hypothesis that left-handedness results from stressful prenatal and birth conditions. In addition attention was paid to the possibility of a non-linear relationship between intelligence and degree of right-handedness.

Child↗
PubMed1980

Birth complications and the distribution of handedness.

In an attempt to clarify the relationship between self-reported birth complications and handedness, the handedness distributions of 181 college students who reported birth complications and 1320 students who reported no complications were compared. The results suggest a clear but modest shift in the birth complications group away from the dextral end of the continuum. However these data did not validate the hypothesis that left-handedness results from birth complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Reliability of seasonal variation in births of left-handed women.

Recently Leviton and Kilty reported that the birth dates of left-handed girls in elementary school display a seasonal trend which peaks in November. We report here a failure to replicate this finding for 257 male and 323 female college students. Further, we have considered the likelihood that the original finding was due to sampling error rather than speculating that environmental factors associated with the season of birth are implicated in the etiology of left-handedness, as Leviton and Kilty have stated.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed1979

REM sleep deprivation increases preference for novelty in rats.

As a further test of the hypothesis that REM deprivation decreases fear, the behavior of 40 male rats was measured in a Y-maze adapted to test for preference for novelty. Prior to this test, the animals were exposed for 4 days to one of four treatments, i.e., either a dry environment control, a wet environment control, a 2-day REM deprivation period or a 4-day REM deprivation period. During the test both number of grid crossing in the novel and non-novel arms of the Y-maze and three indices of emotionality were recorded. The results were congruent with data we had reported earlier and offered convincing evidence in support of the hypothesis.

Animals↗