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PubMed1980

Overlapping functional systems: a theory for vertebrate central nervous system function in terms of informal systems analysis.

An holistic theory of the functional organization of the central nervous system, a system at the level of the organ, in vertebrate organisms is presented as an alternative to localization of function by using two sets of complementary rules for systems designation derived from systems theory. These rules reveal three types of systems according to levels of operation and the origins of goals. These are: (1) the teleogenic or primary systems (reproductive, food-water intake-use, thermoregulative, immune, oxygen intake-use); (2) the teleozetic or subsystems (internal sensory and motor, external motor, external sensory); (3) the teleonomic systems or echelons (field, local circuit, basic functional unit, basic excitation unit). The systems, subsystems, and echelons are discussed with regard to their hierarchical relationships, the nature of their goals, and the supporting experimental evidence. The theory is discussed as an explicit statement of multileveled relationships for the analysis of the vertebrate CNS and, therefore, as presenting a paradigm for, or a way of thinking about, local and global brain theories, brain dysfunction, and brain evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

From logical neurons to poetic embodiments of mind: Warren S. McCulloch's project in neuroscience.

After more than half a century of eclipse, the mind (in contradistinction to brain and behavior) emerged in the 1950s as a legitimate object of experimental and quantitative research in natural science. This paper argues that the neural nets project of Warren S. McCulloch, in frequent collaboration with Walter Pitts, spearheaded this cognitivist turn in the 1940s. Viewing the project as a spiritual and poetic quest for the transcendental logos, as well as culturally situated epistemology, the paper focuses on McCulloch's and Pitts' efforts of logical modeling of the mind and on the social conditions that shaped that mission. From McCulloch's "experimental epistemology," the mind - purposes that ideas - emerged out of the regularities of neuronal interactions, or nets. That science of mind thus became a science of signals based on binary logic with clearly defined units of perception and precise rules of formation and transformation for representing mental states. Aimed at bridging the gulf between body and mind (matter and form) and the technical gulf between things man-made and things begotten, neural nets also laid the foundation for the field of artificial intelligence. Thus this paper also situates McCulloch;'s work within a larger historical trend, when cybernetics, information theory, systems theories, and electronic computers were coalescing into a new science of communication and control with enormous potential for industrial automation and military power in the Cold War era. McCulloch's modeling the mind as a system of command and control contributed to the actualization of this potential.

Brain↗
PubMed1998

The treatment of violence and victimization in intimate relationships.

This essay presents an analysis of violence in intimate life that draws on multiple theoretical perspectives. These include but are not limited to feminist theory, object relations theory, systems theory, narrative and social constructionist theory, and neurobiology. It is argued that it is possible to be effective in ending violence and abuse through a modified couples treatment format that addresses relationship issues, individual trauma, and biological vulnerability while simultaneously taking a clear, moral position that violence, abuse, and inequality are intolerable in any form.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[P. K. Anokhin--creator of the theory of the functional system].

Memories about scientific activities of P. K. Anokhin cover "Gorbi" period of his work, pre-war work in VIEM in (All-Union Institute of Experimental Medicine) Moscow, renew of researches the war (1944-1952), stress the losses, caused by scientific session, devoted to problems of I. P. Pavlov physiological doctrine in 1950. Indicated roots and ways of forming of functional system theory and system genesis conception. Overview of scientific works, belong to academics, headed by P. K. Anokhin.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed2000

Matricide: primal aggression in search of self-affirmation.

Three major theories of matricide are presented and critiqued using epidemiological data, case studies, and descriptive research. The strengths and weaknesses of psychoanalytic theory, family systems theory, and cognitive behaviorism in explaining matricide are described. The social-interaction theory of violence and, in particular, self-affirmation motive is presented as the most helpful perspective for understanding murder of the mother. This review covers those concepts within psychoanalysis, cognitive behaviorism, and family systems theory that have historically been used to understand matricide and is not a critique of modern psychoanalysis, cognitive behaviorism or family systems theory. Matricide occurs in less than 1% of all homicides. Offenders are heterogeneous in their characteristics with at least three different types. Most prominent characteristics across matricide types are severe mental illness, a domineering mother, a hostile-dependent relationship with the mother, a passive or withdrawn father, and over kill behavior. Self-affirmation motive suggests several interventions to prevent violence against the mother or its equivalents. The author makes several conclusions about the nature of human aggression and family dysfunction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Pavlovian feed-forward mechanisms in the control of social behavior.

The conceptual and investigative tools for the analysis of social behavior can be expanded by integrating biological theory, control systems theory, and Pavlovian conditioning. Biological theory has focused on the costs and benefits of social behavior from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. In contrast, control systems theory is concerned with how machines achieve a particular goal or purpose. The accurate operation of a system often requires feed-forward mechanisms that adjust system performance in anticipation of future inputs. Pavlovian conditioning is ideally suited to subserve this function in behavioral systems. Pavlovian mechanisms have been demonstrated in various aspects of sexual behavior, maternal lactation, and infant suckling. Pavlovian conditioning of agonistic behavior has been also reported, and Pavlovian processes may likewise be involved in social play and social grooming. Several further lines of evidence indicate that Pavlovian conditioning can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of social interactions, thereby improving their cost/benefit ratio. We extend Pavlovian concepts beyond the traditional domain of discrete secretory and other physiological reflexes to complex real-world behavioral interactions and apply abstract laboratory analyses of the mechanisms of associative learning to the daily challenges animals face as they interact with one another in their natural environments.

Aggression↗
PubMed1991

Hidden skills: a dynamic systems analysis of treadmill stepping during the first year.

When prelocomotor infants are supported on a motorized treadmill, they perform well-coordinated, alternating stepping movements that are kinematically similar to upright bipedal locomotion. This behavior appeared to be a component of independent walking that could not be recognized without the facilitating context of the treadmill. To understand the ontogenetic origins of treadmill stepping and its relation to later locomotion, we conducted a longitudinal study using an experimental strategy explicitly derived from dynamic systems theory. Dynamic systems theory postulates that new forms in behavior emerge from the cooperative interactions of multiple components within a task context. This approach focuses on the transitions, often nonlinear, where one preferred mode of behavior is replaced by a new form. Specific predictions about these transitions help uncover the processes by which development proceeds. Chapters II, III, and IV introduce dynamic principles of pattern formation and their application to development. In our application of these principles, we tested nine normal infants twice each month beginning from month 1 in a task where the treadmill speed was gradually scaled up and in an additional condition where each leg was driven by the treadmill at a different speed. Kinematic variables were derived from computerized movement analysis equipment and videotaped records. We also collected a number of anthropometric measurements, Bayley motor scores, and a behavioral mood scale for each month. Several infants stepped on the treadmill in their first month, but in all infants performance showed a rapidly rising slope from month 3 to month 6. Infants also showed corresponding improvement in adjustments to speed and relative coordination between the legs. In dynamic terminology, we found evidence that alternating stepping on the treadmill became an increasingly stable attractor during the middle months of the first year. Dynamic predictions that transitions would be characterized by increased variability and sensitivity to perturbation were borne out. Identifying the transitions enabled us to suggest a control parameter or variable moving the system into the stable response to the treadmill. This appeared to be the waning of flexor dominance in the legs during posture and movement that allowed the leg to be stretched back on the treadmill and so elicited the bilaterally alternating response. Further studies are needed to test this hypothesis. This dynamic analysis confirmed earlier suggestions that skill in general, and locomotion in particular, develops from the confluence of many participating elements and showed how emergent forms may result from changes in nonspecific components. A dynamic approach may be useful for understanding ontogenetic processes in other domains as well.

Exercise Test↗
PubMed1982

[Theory of systems generation at its present stage].

Anokhin's theory of systems genesis describes the selective development and maturation of morphofunctional associations of cells in response to ecological factors. This theory is corroborated by data obtained as a result of studying the embryonal and early postnatal development of man and animals. Further progress of this theory is based on a more detailed studying of the cellular mechanisms and the selectivity of establishment of intercellular contacts. In the postnatal period the formation of the complicate functional system of behaviour is studied. The discrete, "quantum" character of the behaviour formation is investigated in detail. A particular attention is paid to the psychic functional systems on which man's abstract thinking is based. Studying of the maturation sequence of functional systems (intersystem heterochronism) allows one to substantiate a concept on system-character periodization of development. The importance of interrelations within a population for formation of the body's functional systems can be seen on the examples of the interrelations "mother--foetus", and "mother--child", as well as the interrelations between individuals in a group. It is possible, that the systems genesis theory will be used in the nearest future in pediatric practice more extensively.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Genogram: a useful tool for nurse practitioners.

This paper presents the genogram, originated by family therapists and utilized in the psychosocial field, as a valuable tool to be used by the nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner from any area of practice, primary care, women's health, paediatrics, geriatrics, psychiatry, in any setting (hospital, clinic, school, industry, community and home), requires a tool that provides a comprehensive assessment of the client and the factors that affect their health. The theoretical background of Bowen's family system theory and of systems theory is reviewed as the genogram evolved from the theories. Two hypothetical case illustrations utilizing the genogram are presented, one presenting only medical problems, the other presenting medical, psychiatric and family relationships. The usefulness of the genogram is not new, but it is reviewed here for its value to the nurse practitioner. Evidence leads to the conclusion that the genogram is an assessment tool that enhances intervention strategy and communication in the client's record. It augments treatment planning, care provision, health promotion and prevention, as well as cost management.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

[Rheologic properties of viscoelastic materials--identification of models and estimation of parameters].

The methodology of description and quantification of mechanical properties of visco-elastic materials is particularly important for drug production as well as for pharmaceutical applications. Of similar importance is this methodology for biomechanics and other biological disciplines, as many biological materials belong to the category of visco-elastic bodies. Methods derived from the theory of elastic bodies or hydrodynamics are not adequate for the quantification of mechanical properties of these materials. Application of more general rheological methods is necessary in these cases. In rheology, the so-called creep curves are most frequently used as a source of information on the mechanical behavior of visco-elastic materials. Further, for more exact analysis, rheological models are often derived from the creep curves. Classical methods of identification and parameter estimation of rheological models are not sufficiently general and do not derive all information involved in creep curves. A significant contribution is the application of the general theory of systems, theory of system identification, and mathematical methodology of Laplace transformation to this field. Practical application of these methods is often relatively simple. The paper presents the necessary theoretical background and a practical guide for utilization of this methodology.

Elasticity↗
PubMed2005

The dynamic systems approach to control and regulation of intracellular networks.

Systems theory and cell biology have enjoyed a long relationship that has received renewed interest in recent years in the context of systems biology. The term 'systems' in systems biology comes from systems theory or dynamic systems theory: systems biology is defined through the application of systems- and signal-oriented approaches for an understanding of inter- and intra-cellular dynamic processes. The aim of the present text is to review the systems and control perspective of dynamic systems. The biologist's conceptual framework for representing the variables of a biochemical reaction network, and for describing their relationships, are pathway maps. A principal goal of systems biology is to turn these static maps into dynamic models, which can provide insight into the temporal evolution of biochemical reaction networks. Towards this end, we review the case for differential equation models as a 'natural' representation of causal entailment in pathways. Block-diagrams, commonly used in the engineering sciences, are introduced and compared to pathway maps. The stimulus-response representation of a molecular system is a necessary condition for an understanding of dynamic interactions among the components that make up a pathway. Using simple examples, we show how biochemical reactions are modelled in the dynamic systems framework and visualized using block-diagrams.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

[Family psychiatry, transactional systems, and the frontiers of child psychiatry].

Family therapists, seen as emphasizing interventions leading to change in family structure and in sequences of behaviour, have been searching for an integrated concept which transactional systems theory seems to offer. It takes into account small group theory, social role theory, communications theory, and general system theory, which are linked to psychic, somatic, socio-cultural, politico-economic, and ecological factors. This idea of interlinked, open systems which influence each other is used as a viewpoint for examining the frontiers of child psychiatry. Adult patients often have children who are affected by their parents' treatment, and child psychiatrists often intervene with adults. Similarly, the boundaries between psychiatry and the para-medical professions have grown less distinct as we have become aware of more elements to assess in each case, and as the number of therapeutic techniques and possible interventions increase. The problem of defining child psychiatry is discussed, as is psychiatric training, in terms of the difficulty in integrating the many theoretical and practical levels.

Child Psychiatry↗
PubMed1981

A review of systems approaches to consultation-liaison psychiatry. The need for synthesis.

Five applications of systems theories to liaison psychiatry are reviewed. "Systems" is noted to have three distinct meanings as applied to consultation-liaison psychiatry: as a metatheoretical construct, as a decision-making process, and as an organizing construct for social variables. It is proposed that the time is ripe for synthesis of the social systems theories, reduction to the most parsimonious use of variables, and empirical testing of their importance. General systems theories are seen as needing further development before they will be routinely useful in consultation-liaison psychiatry.

Humans↗