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Biomedical subjects

R W Pickens

Publications and source records attributed to R W Pickens.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Reaction time performance as a function of cigarette smoking procedure.

Laboratory studies examining the effects of cigarette smoking on behaviour have routinely employed a variety of standardized smoking procedures. This study examined whether reaction time performance after smoking varied as a function of the cigarette smoking procedure employed. Twelve regular smokers were tested on a reaction time task after smoking on three different occasions. In each session, they smoked by one of the three following procedures: (1) ad libitum smoking of their own cigarette; (2) ad libitum smoking of a standard cigarette; (3) smoking a standard cigarette with a prescribed puff pattern. The results show that reaction time performance was significantly faster after smoking under the latter two conditions relative to the subjects' performance after ad libitum smoking of their own cigarette. These findings illustrate that experimental requirements which are commonly imposed upon subjects may affect the results obtained.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Posttreatment depression in an alcohol and drug abuse population.

The prevalence and extent of relapse and the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms were measured cross-sectionally in a group of alcohol and drug abusers (N = 842) at 1, 6, or 12 months after their discharge from alcohol or drug abuse treatment. The rate and severity of depressive symptoms for subjects who did not relapse were no higher than those found among the general population. However, among subjects who relapsed, the rate and severity of depressive symptoms were higher than those found in the general population. Women were more depressed than men after treatment, but the ratio of depressed women to men was no higher than that found in the general population.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Post-treatment depressive symptoms and relapse to drug use in different age groups of an alcohol and other drug abuse population.

The prevalence of relapse to alcohol or other drug use and prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms were measured cross-sectionally in different age groups of alcohol and drug abusers at one, six, and twelve months post-discharge. Relapse rates increased over time since discharge for all age groups (17 - 29, 30 - 39, 40 - 49, and 50+ years). However, no differential effect of age was found on relapse rates at each of the three post-discharge intervals. Rates of depressive symptoms increased over time since discharge only for the youngest age group. Mean depressive symptom scores increased over time since discharge only for the 17 - 29 and 50+ age groups. There were significant differences between age groups in rates of depressive symptoms at six and twelve months post-discharge and on mean depressive symptom scores at one, six and twelve months post-discharge and on mean depressive symptom scores at one, six and twelve months post-discharge. In addition, for abstinent and for relapsed subjects, there were significant differences between age groups in rates of depressive symptoms and mean depressive symptom scores. Higher rates of depressive symptoms were found in relapsed than abstinent subjects at the younger ages (17 - 29 and 30 - 39 years), with mean depressive symptom scores being higher for relapsed than abstinent subjects in all age groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Personality factors in human drug self-administration.

By comparing MMPI profiles of sedative-dependent subjects during pentobarbital self-administration with comparable subjects during drug abstinence, the present study has found that self-administration tends to increase rather than decrease indicators of personal distress (MMPI scale scores). This finding agrees fully with other studies of drug effects on mood of drug-dependent subjects. (This finding should disturb only those who equate reinforcement with euphoria and other pleasurable states. Those familiar with the concept of reinforcement understand that reinforcement deals only with behavior and implies nothing about corresponding subjective states). Only scores on the Hypomania scale of the MMPI were found to correlate significantly with amount of daily drug intake, and this relationship occurred primarily in females. Scores on the Depression scale were correlated significantly with the daily pattern of drug-taking behavior. However, in neither case is it known whether the relationship reflects influences of personality factors on drug-taking behavior, or influences of drug-taking behavior on the obtained personality measures. Other research will be needed to answer this question. Clinically depressed individuals may constitute a special sub-group of subjects in which scores on many MMPI scales are related to daily amount of drug intake. Studies of human drug self-administration provide an excellent opportunity for more detailed research into these and other clinical research questions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relapse by alcohol abusers.

During the first year after treatment, 44% of a sample of alcohol abusers reported relapse to alcohol use. Relapse rate increased to a peak at 6 months after treatment and then declined. Depressed or anxious mood was the reason most frequently given (31%) for relapse. Of subjects who relapsed, almost half (42%) reported a subsequent return to abstinence which was then maintained for the remainder of the followup period. Of these subjects, half (51%) reported the duration of the drinking period to be less than 2 weeks. Of subjects showing a daily drinking pattern prior to treatment, 20% showed a daily drinking pattern after relapse, 46% showed bouts of drinking and abstinence, and 33% showed abstinence with no further drinking. Of subjects showing bouts of drinking prior to treatment, none showed a daily drinking pattern after relapse, 44% showed bouts of drinking and abstinence, and 56% showed abstinence with no further drinking. There was no significant effect of sex or age on relapse rate, time to relapse, or reasons for relapse.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[AIDS and intravenous drug abuse].

The importance of intravenous drug-abuse as a vehicle of HIV and AIDS is evidenced on the basis of recent epidemiological data gathered in the USA. The rate of seropositivity among intravenous drug-addicts (whose total number i is close to one million) is estimated at more than 20 percent. Besides direct contamination, risks of contamination of sexual partners and their offspring can be evaluated from these figures. The programme developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse against AIDS, aimed at that particular target population, is presented in its various aspects, including basic research, treatment and prevention.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗