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PubMed2004

Dissociation in undergraduate students: disruptions in executive functioning.

The concept of dissociation refers to disruptions in attentional control. Attentional control is an executive function. Few studies have addressed the link between dissociation and executive functioning. Our study investigated this relationship in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 185) who completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Random Number Generation Task. We found that minor disruptions in executive functioning were related to a subclass of dissociative experiences, notably dissociative amnesia and the Dissociative Experiences Scale Taxon. However, the two other subscales of the Dissociative Experiences Scale, measuring depersonalization and absorption, were unrelated to executive functioning. Our findings suggest that a failure to inhibit previous responses might contribute to the pathological memory manifestations of dissociation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The relationship between psychological and somatoform dissociation in the general population.

We assessed psychological and somatoform dissociation and their relationships in the general population. The study questionnaires included the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and background characteristics. Four study groups were formed: subjects with low dissociation scores (N = 1334), with high psychological dissociation (N = 93), with high somatoform dissociation (N = 93), and with high psychological and somatoform dissociation (N = 65). Those with high psychological and somatoform dissociation differed clearly from the other groups. They had depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, a reduced working ability, a poor financial situation, poor general health, and inadequate social support more frequently than subjects in the other groups. Thus, a considerable amount of ill health was recorded in this group.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Dissociative and conversion disorders: defining boundaries.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although dissociative disorders have been described and diagnosed for some time, their aetiology, pathogenesis, phenomenology and management continues to arouse debate. It is only in recent times that researchers have made some progress by integrating trauma related theories with more contemporary cognitive theories and neurobiology. RECENT FINDINGS: Dissociation as a phenomenon is reported to occur in a variety of disorders. This widespread occurrence has contributed to a better understanding of dissociation. An expansion of this concept may have contributed to the loss of its original significance. Recent studies in the field of dissociation that pertain to its aetiology, pathophysiology, neurobiology and management are critically reviewed. SUMMARY: Dissociative disorder is conceptually a difficult disorder to study. Apart from exposure to trauma, certain primary personality attributes may contribute to the propensity to develop dissociative disorder. Recent advances in functional neuroimaging facilitated by enhanced knowledge in the neural representation of body state have helped to improve our understanding of dissociation. There is confusion over the use of various terms such as sexual abuse and physical abuse in explaining causality. Current classificatory systems have not been found suitable when applied across cultures. In spite of all of these limitations, there has been recent progress toward a better understanding of dissociative disorders.

Conversion Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between dimensions of alexithymia and dissociation.

BACKGROUND: The study investigated the following hypotheses: (1) Alexithymia is significantly associated with dissociation. (2) Pathological versus nonpathological dissociation is associated with alexithymic traits. METHODS: Psychiatric in- and outpatients (n = 173) and nonclinical subjects (n = 38) were investigated with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the FDS (German version of Dissociation Experience Scale) and the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R; GSI). Correlation analyses followed by MANOVA and logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Significant correlations and partial correlations, controlling for GSI, were observed between dissociation and alexithymia. The MANOVA demonstrated significantly higher scores for the two TAS-20 dimensions 'difficulty identifying feelings' and 'difficulty expressing feelings' in the group with pathological dissociation. On the basis of the TAS-20 subscores, logistic regression analysis correctly classified 72.5% of the cases into the pathological and the nonpathological dissociation group. CONCLUSIONS: These results support our hypothesis that pathological traits of dissociation are highly associated with alexithymia. A model is discussed in which alexithymic characteristics may contribute to the development of pathological dissociation and stress-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in dissociation. A dimensional approach.

Considering that epidemiological research on dissociative disorders has suggested a 9 to 1 predominance of female cases, this study investigated the relationship between gender and dissociation using a dimensional approach. A total of 2,153 participants from different diagnostic groups completed the Dissociative Experience Scale. In order to control for the confounding effect of current psychopathology a subgroup 790 subjects additionally completed the SCL-90. We did not find any differences in the general or pathological dissociation scores. Hypothetical gender differences in dissociative psychopathology were not a function of diagnostic categories. There were no significant sex differences in the distribution of high dissociators. Our findings suggest that men and women do not generally differ in dissociative psychopathology. The implications for future investigations on the epidemiology, etiology, and psychobiology of dissociative symptoms are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Dissociative symptoms in schizophrenia: a comparative analysis of patients with borderline personality disorder and healthy controls.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of dissociative symptoms in patients with a schizophrenic disorder. The pattern of dissociative experiences was examined in a group of patients with a diagnosis of the schizophrenia spectrum disorder (n = 26; mean age 27.9 years), and a group of patients with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (n = 26; mean age 24.0 years) was compared with normal controls of the general population (n = 1,056; mean age 18.7 years). The degree of self-reported dissociative symptoms was measured using the German version of the Dissociative Experiences Scales. The dissociation scores were significantly higher among patients with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder compared to the group of schizophrenic patients and to the control group. There was no difference in the degree of reported dissociative experiences between the group of schizophrenic patients and the normal volunteers. An analysis of the subdimensions (dissociative amnesia, absorption/imaginative involvement, depersonalization/derealization) of the scale revealed the same strong distinctions between the investigated groups. There was no evidence that dissociative symptoms reflect a specific vulnerability in young schizophrenic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Somatization in patients with dissociative disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study attempted to determine the prevalence of somatic symptoms, somatization disorder, and medical interventions in patients with dissociative disorders. METHOD: Fourteen psychiatric inpatients with a DSM-III dissociative disorder were matched for age and gender with a comparison group of inpatients who reported few dissociative symptoms. All subjects were interviewed in a blind manner with the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (this semistructured interview schedule includes a section on somatization disorder), and their hospital charts were reviewed to determine somatic symptoms and medical histories. RESULTS: Sixty-four percent of the patients with dissociative disorders met DSM-III criteria for somatization disorder and reported an average of 12.4 somatic symptoms. None of the comparison patients met DSM-III criteria for somatization disorder, and these patients reported an average of 3.1 somatic symptoms. These differences between the two groups were significant. Significant differences were also found in the number of medical hospitalizations and consultations between the two groups. A significant correlation was found between the degree of dissociation and degree of somatization in patients with dissociative disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that somatization disorder is a frequent and serious comorbid disorder among patients with dissociative disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Psychological risk factors for dissociation and self-mutilation in female patients with borderline personality disorder.

The purposes of this study were to determine whether or not dissociation in female patients suffering from personality disorder is related to sexual and physical abuse or to abuse parameters and whether or not self-mutilation in the personality disorders is related to psychological risk factors or to dissociation. The sample was divided into 78 borderline and 72 nonborderline personality disorders. Psychological risk factors were measured through histories of childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse and separation or loss as well as scores on the Parental Bonding Index. Dissociation was measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale. On the diagnostic interview, 48 subjects scored positive for self-mutilation. Dissociative Experiences Scale scores were associated with a borderline diagnosis but not with childhood sexual abuse or physical abuse. The parameters of abuse were not related to dissociation. Subjects who mutilated themselves had higher rates of both childhood sexual abuse and dissociation in univariate analyses. However, in multivariate analyses only diagnosis was significant. None of the other psychological risk factors were significantly linked to self-mutilation. The findings do not support theories that dissociation and self-mutilation in borderline personality disorder are associated with childhood trauma.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Dissociation and violence: a review of the literature.

Violent acts are sometimes committed by people who do not normally appear violent or aggressive. This simple observation and others have led some to speculate about a relationship between dissociation and violence. However, no systematic review of the literature has so far been published. To address this gap, studies assessing the prevalence of dissociation among violent individuals, and violence among highly dissociative persons, are reviewed. Possible links between dissociation and violent behavior are explored. It is concluded that dissociation predicts violence in a wide range of populations and may be crucial to an understanding of violent behavior. There is a clear need, however, for large scale, well-designed studies using reliable structured instruments in a number of areas reviewed. Recommendations for clinical applications include the routine screening of offenders for dissociative disorders and adequate consideration of dissociation and dissociative disorders in the development and implementation of violence treatment and prevention programs.

Aggression↗
PubMed2006

A model of dissociation based on attachment theory and research.

The article offers an historical review of studies on the role played by attachment processes in dissociative psychopathology. The treatise proceeds from Bowlby's first insights, through Main and her collaborators' empirical studies on attachment disorganization, to the first formulation of the hypothesis linking disorganized early attachment to pathological dissociation. Recent research supporting the hypothesis is then reviewed. It is concluded that infant attachment disorganization is in itself a dissociative process, and predisposes the individual to respond with pathological dissociation to later traumas and life stressors. Four implications of this theory are interspersed in the review and are discussed in the final section: (1) pathological dissociation should be viewed as a primarily intersubjective reality hindering the integrative processes of consciousness, rather than as an intrapsychic defense against mental pain; (2) early defenses against attachment-related dissociation are based on interpersonal controlling strategies that inhibit the attachment system; (3) dissociative symptoms emerge as a consequence of the collapse of these defensive strategies in the face of events that powerfully activate the attachment system; (4) psychotherapy of pathological dissociation should be a phase-oriented process focused primarily on achieving attachment security, and only secondarily on trauma work. Research studies on the psychotherapy process could test some predictions of this model.

Dissociative Disorders↗
PubMed1990

The concept of dissociation.

The concept of dissociation has been reviewed and redefined. It was also compared with other mental mechanisms. In the past, the process of dissociation and the content of the dissociation have often been lumped together although they are separate frames of reference. Moreover, very different psychic elements may be dissociated including memories, affects, and psychic structure. Dissociation is an important mental mechanism that plays a very significant role in people's adaptational efforts. In addition, dissociation is the underlying mechanism in a number of defense mechanisms. Repression, intellectualization, splitting, and other defense mechanisms rely upon dissociation to accomplish their specific tasks. Dissociation is thus believed to be the underlying and basic mechanism of many aspects of mental functioning.

Awareness↗
PubMed2006

Axis I dissociative disorder comorbidity in borderline personality disorder and reports of childhood trauma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the dissociative disorder comorbidity of borderline personality disorder and its relation to childhood trauma reports in a nonclinical population. METHOD: In April 2003, 1301 college students were screened for borderline personality disorder using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Steinberg's dissociation questionnaires were also administered. During May and June 2003, 80 students with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and 111 nonborderline students were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Dissociative Disorders by an interviewer blind to the diagnosis and scores obtained during the first phase. RESULTS: The prevalence of borderline personality disorder was 8.5%. A significant majority (72.5%; 58/80) of the borderline personality disorder group had a dissociative disorder, whereas this rate was only 18.0% (20/111) for the comparison group (p < .001). Childhood emotional and sexual abuse, physical neglect, and total childhood trauma scores had significant effect for borderline personality disorder (p < .001, p = .038, p = .044, and p = .003, respectively), whereas emotional neglect and diminished minimization of childhood trauma had significant effect for dissociative disorder (p = .020 and p = .007, respectively). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of subjects with borderline personality disorder have a comorbid dissociative disorder. Lack of interaction between dissociative disorder and borderline personality disorder diagnoses for any type of childhood trauma contradicts the opinion that both disorders together might be a single disorder. Recognizing highly prevalent but usually neglected Axis I dissociative disorder comorbidity in patients with borderline personality disorder may contribute to conceptual clarification of this spectrum of psychopathology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Depression, traumatic dissociation and epileptic-like phenomena.

OBJECTIVES: According to recent findings trauma and stress are important etiological factors in pathogenesis of depression. As characteristic features of depressive cognition have been reported intrusive thoughts and memory disturbances similar to posttraumatic symptoms known in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder or dissociative disorders. Hypothetically is also suggested a close relationship of traumatic dissociation and epileptic-like phenomena. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: In the clinical study were assessed 70 adult people with a diagnosis of depression and 50 healthy controls. In the assessment were used 6 measures for symptoms of dissociation, depression, traumatic stress and psychosenzoric symptoms of epileptic origin (the so-called complex partial seizure-like symptoms). RESULTS: Reported data show that a great number of depressive patients who met the cut-off score for dissociative disorders (34.2%, N=24) had significantly higher traumatization, depression, subjectively experienced stress and complex partial seizure-like symptoms than the whole group of patients and the controls. Most significant traumatization has been found in patients who met the cut-off score of psychosenzoric epileptic-like symptoms which is characteristic for the epilepsy spectrum disorder (5.7%, N=4). MAIN FINDINGS: Significant correlations of these assessed symptoms suggest close relationship between traumatic stress and dissociation in depression. This close relationship of dissociative symptomatology and traumatic stress also implicates an important role of dissociative processes in depression as a typical manifestation of depressive cognition. Assessed relationship between traumatic distress and complex partial seizure-like symptoms suggests a possible role of epileptic-like phenomena in dissociative states related to depression. CONCLUSIONS: Assessed relationship between traumatization, depression and epileptic-like phenomena in the patients who met cut-off score for epilepsy spectrum disorder can contribute to the problem of indication of several depressive patients to anticonvulsant therapy because of reported evidence that a clear majority of patients with epilepsy spectrum disorder respond well to anticonvulsant treatment. Careful assessment of this test battery thus may be useful also for anticonvulsant treatment strategy.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Dissociation mechanisms of neutral methyl stearate and its hydrogen atom adduct formed from the respective positive ions by electron transfer.

The mechanism of dissociation of neutral methyl stearate and its hydrogen atom adduct was investigated by charge inversion mass spectrometry using an alkali metal target. Migrations of functional groups in fatty acid ester ions are often observed during the dissociation of the cations in collisionally activated dissociation (CAD). In the charge inversion spectrum, the main dissociation channels of methyl stearate molecule are the loss of a CH3 radical or a H atom. To identify the source of the CH3 radical and the H atom, the charge inversion spectra of partially deuterated methyl stearate (C17H35COOCD3) were measured. The loss of CH3 occurred through elimination from the methoxy methyl group and that of H occurred through elimination from the hydrocarbon chain of the fatty acid group. In the protonated ester, a simultaneous loss of CH3 (from the methoxy methyl group) and a H atom or a H2 molecule was observed. The charge inversion process gave the dissociation fragments with almost no migration of atoms. Only a few peaks that were structure sensitive were observed in the higher mass region in the charge inversion spectra; these peaks were associated with dissociations of energy-selected neutral species, unlike the case of CAD spectra in which they result from dissociation of ions. Charge inversion mass spectrometry with alkali metal targets provided direct information on the dissociation mechanism of methyl stearate and its hydrogen atom adduct without any migration of functional groups.

Electrons↗
PubMed2002

Isomerization and dissociation of C2X5+ and C2X4+* ions (X = Cl, F) from chlorofluoroethanes in an ion trap mass spectrometer.

The collision-induced dissociation of C(2)X(5)(+) (C(2)Cl(2)F(3)(+), C(2)Cl(3)F(2)(+) and C(2)Cl(4)F(+)) and C(2)X(4)(+.) ions (C(2)ClF(3)(+*), C(2)Cl(2)F(2)(+*), and C(2)ClF(3)(+*)) derived from three chlorofluoroethanes (the isomeric 1,1,1- and 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrachlorodifluoroethane) was investigated by means of multi-stage mass spectrometric (MS(n)) experiments in an ion trap mass spectrometer. The observation of a common dissociation pattern for ions of any given elemental composition suggests that the experiments could not differentiate isomeric C(2)X(5)(+) ions formed from different neutral precursors and originally having different structures. For any given elemental composition, a common dissociation pattern was observed, suggesting that energy barriers for isomer interconversion are lower than for dissociation. For ions containing two or more fluorine atoms, the major (in some cases unique) dissociation involves C-C cleavage to form CX(3)(+) and CF(2). Energetically, CF(2) loss is always the most favorable reaction; mechanistically it implies, at least in some cases, rearrangement via halogen transfer from one carbon to the other (for example, in the case of the C(2)Cl(2)F(3)(+) species derived from 1,1,1-trichlorotrifluoroethane, which should have initially the Cl(2)C(+)-CF(3) structure). Similar behavior was observed with C(2)X(4)(+*) ions produced both from the three chlorofluoroethanes and from model alkenes (trifluorochloroethene and tetrachloroethene). The dissociation behavior of these C(2)X(4)(+*) species is characteristic of the ion composition, with no memory of the original neutral precursor structure. Specifically, C(2)Cl(2)F(2)(+*) ions dissociate uniquely via loss of CF(2), C(2)ClF(3)(+*) ions eliminate preferentially CF, with CF(2) loss being only a minor reaction, whereas C(2)Cl(3)F(+*) and C(2)Cl(4)(+*) dissociate exclusively via Cl elimination.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1989

X-Y chromosome dissociation in mouse strains differing in efficiency of spermatogenesis: elevated frequency of univalents in pubertal males.

Dissociation of the X-Y chromosome bivalent in diakinesis-metaphase I spermatocytes of adult mice was significantly more frequent in the CBA strain (29%) than in C57, KP, or KE strains (7-11%). Autosome dissociation (1-5%) involved only the smallest chromosome pairs. Elevated frequency of X-Y dissociation in the CBA strain correlates with significantly lower testes weight and lower yield of spermatogenesis, which suggests that sex bivalent dissociation may be responsible for some loss of spermatogenic cells. However, sperm quality is not affected, the percentage of normal spermatozoa and their fertilizing capacity being higher in CBA than in the remaining strains. Two congenic strains, KE and KE.CBA (the latter with the Y chromosome introduced from CBA), had the same level of X-Y dissociation, suggesting that the Y chromosome plays no role in the determination of this character. In comparison with adult males, pubertal (27-29 day-old) males had twice as high a frequency of X-Y dissociation in KE and KP strains, and combined frequencies of dissociated sex and autosome bivalents were significantly higher in pubertal males of all tested strains. Although the level of chromosome dissociation is not sufficient to explain increased mortality of germ cells observed in pubertal males, it could be one of the contributing factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Mechanism of prolactin action on the dissociation of prolactin from rabbit mammary gland receptor.

In order to elucidate the action of prolactin (PRL) on the dissociation of PRL from the receptor, Triton-solubilized and concanavalin A-purified rabbit mammary gland PRL receptor was immobilized onto a nitrocellulose membrane, and the dissociation of PRL was determined in the presence of PRL. PRL accelerated the dissociation of PRL in a concentration dependent manner for the first 3 h of incubation. The effects of PRL on dissociation were independent of the occupancy of PRL at the zero-time dissociation. In particular, PRL-dependency was influenced by the PRL-binding capacity of the membrane. The dissociation reaction was PRL-independent in the low-binding capacity membrane, indicating that PRL itself had no accelerating actions. With greater binding capacity, the dissociation reaction was seen to become PRL-dependent. It was concluded that PRL accelerated the dissociation of PRL through the formation of PRL-receptor complex when the receptor was located closely to the neighboring receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Reversible pressure dissociation of R17 bacteriophage. The physical individuality of virus particles.

In the absence of urea, pressures up to 2.5 kbar promote only 10% dissociation of the whole particles of R17 bacteriophage. In the presence of concentrations of urea between 1.0 and 5.0 M, pressure promotes complete, reversible dissociation of the virus particles. At the lower urea concentrations reversible dissociation of R17 virus particles shows no dependence on protein concentration indicating a high degree of heterogeneity of the particles, but higher urea concentrations, 2.5 to 5.0 M, result in progressive restoration of the protein concentration dependence of the pressure dissociation. At still higher urea concentrations, 5.0 to 8.0 M, irreversible dissociation of virus takes place at atmospheric pressure. In contrast, the dissociation of the isolated dimers of the capsid protein was dependent on protein concentration to the extent predicted for a stochastic equilibrium, and dimers were much less stable than the whole virus both to dissociation by pressure or urea. In contradistinction, the reversible whole-virus dissociation observed at urea concentrations below 2.5 M appears to be a typical deterministic equilibrium, without appreciable dynamic exchange between whole particle and subunits during the lengthy experiments. The experiments demonstrate that the "thermodynamic individuality" of the virus particles arises in conformational differences in the assembled viruses, and that there is a direct relation between the stability of the particles and their heterogeneity.

Capsid↗