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PubMedDate not supplied

Personal power imagery and relaxation techniques used in smoking cessation programs.

BACKGROUND: Theoretically-based interventions are necessary for enhancing the power of self-control behaviors in smokers attempting to quit smoking cigarettes. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of guided imagery and relaxation techniques as interventions for smoking cessation. The relationship of imagery and self-control was also examined. METHODS: A convenience sample of 84 adult smokers participated in one of three treatment conditions: power imagery (n = 28), relaxation imagery (n = 29), and "placebo" control (n = 27). Treatment group members were taught imagery during a six-session smoking cessation program, and the control group was provided imagery training upon study completion. RESULTS: Smoking quit rates were 67% for the power imagery group, 69% for the relaxation group, and 27% for the control group. At a three-month follow-up, the power imagery group had a continued abstinence rate of 52% (relapse rate = 48%), the relaxation group had an abstinence rate of 55% (relapse rate = 45%), and the control group cessation rate remained at 27% (relapse rate = 73%). One-way and repeated measures MANOVAs demonstrated significant differences among the three groups at posttreatment, F (8, 158) = 13.92, p less than .05, and revealed that the practice of imagery treatments over time produced changes in power test scores and smoking rates, F (3, 127) = 24.67, p less than .05. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that power and relaxation imagery treatments were equally effective in reducing smoking rates. Further investigations into the therapeutic uses of imagery are recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Predicting physician guideline compliance: an assessment of motivators and perceived barriers.

BACKGROUND: Although clinical practice guidelines are widely accepted as "best practices," provider compliance remains low. OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between providers' behavioral intentions and their compliance with practice guidelines; to assess the impact of perceived barriers that were most inhibiting to compliance; and to examine the ability of factors in the Physician Guideline Compliance Model to predict intention to comply and compliance with guidelines implemented at specific practice sites. METHODS: Survey research methods were used to assess effects of antecedents (attitudes, subjective norms, past behavior, and perceived behavioral control) on providers' intentions to comply and compliance with clinical practice guidelines. Provider survey I was conducted at the time of guideline introduction and survey II 4 months after implementation. RESULTS: Scores for the antecedents to behavior and behavioral intention reflected favorable responses toward the use of guidelines. The mean self-reported compliance behavior was 65%, whereas compliance as assessed by chart review was 54%. Approximately 68% of the variance in the physicians' behavioral intentions was accounted for by variables included in the Physician Guideline Compliance Model. A significant negative correlation was found between perceived barriers and self-reported behavior but not between perceived barriers and chart-review-assessed behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Some variables, particularly perceived barriers to guideline implementation, predicted a provider's practice intentions and self-reported behavior. Future guideline intervention efforts should identify and reduce these barriers to guideline compliance prior to implementation.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1997

Zonisamide as a neuroprotective agent in an adult gerbil model of global forebrain ischemia: a histological, in vivo microdialysis and behavioral study.

Brief periods of global cerebral ischemia are known to produce characteristic patterns of neuronal injury both in human studies and in experimental animal models. Ischemic damage to vulnerable areas such as the CA1 sector of the hippocampus is thought to result from excitotoxic amino acid neurotransmission. The objective of this study was to determine the ability of a novel sodium channel blocking compound, zonisamide, to reduce neuronal damage by preventing the ischemia-associated accumulation of extracellular glutamate. Using a gerbil model, animals were subjected to 5 min ischemic insults. Both pre- and post-ischemic drug administration (zonisamide 150 mg/kg) were studied. Histological brain sections were prepared using a silver stain at 7 and 28 days post ischemia. The animals sacrificed at 28 days also underwent behavioral testing using a modified Morris water maze. In vivo microdialysis was performed on a separate group of animals in order to determine the patterns of ischemia-induced glutamate accumulation in the CA1 sector of the hippocampus. Pyramidal cell damage scores in the CA1 region of the hippocampus were significantly reduced in animals pre-treated with zonisamide compared to saline-treated controls, both at 7 days (drug pre-treated: 0.812 +/- 0.28, n = 8; controls: 1.625 +/- 0.24, n = 8; *P < 0.05) and 28 (drug pre-treated: 0.833 +/- 0.22, n = 12; controls: 1.955 +/- 0.26, n = 11; **P < 0.01) days post ischemia. However, animals receiving zonisamide post-treatment did not display significant differences from controls. Behavioral studies also showed significant preservation of function in drug-treated animals. Microdialysis studies confirmed a reduction in glutamate release in drug-treated animals compared to saline-treated controls. Our data suggest that zonisamide is effective in reducing neuronal damage by a mechanism involving decreased ischemia-induced extracellular glutamate accumulation and interruption of excitotoxic pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

An alternative experimental procedure for studying predator-related defensive responses.

In the present study, we introduce an experimental procedure to study, in rats, a wide range of natural defensive reactions. Animals were tested in an experimental apparatus that consisted of a home cage (25 x 25 x 25 cm) connected to another chamber (25 x 25 x 25 cm-the food compartment) by a hallway (12.5 cm wide and 100 cm long, with 25-cm high walls). During 10 days before the testing procedures, each animal was isolated in the home cage, and, at the beginning of the dark phase, allowed to explore the rest of the apparatus and obtain food pellets stored in the food compartment. The testing consisted of three phases: exploring a familiar and safe environment (phase 1, on the 10th day), cat exposure (phase 2, on the 11th day), and, on the following day, exposure to the environment where the predator had been previously encountered (phase 3). These three conditions thus provided a low-defense baseline; a high level of freezing during cat exposure; and a high level of risk assessment to the hostile environment condition. An important feature of the present experimental procedure was that the behavioral responses were very stable among the animals tested within each individual phase of the testing schedule. In each phase of the testing schedule, we have also examined the Fos immunoreactivity in pontine periventricular sites related to controlling behavioral activation (i.e. the nucleus incertus) or attentional status (i.e. the locus coeruleus). Animals actively exploring a safe and familiar environment presented an increased activation of the nucleus incertus; the locus coeruleus, in turn, was particularly activated during cat exposure, and also, to lesser degree, during exposure to the hostile environment. These results give further support to the view that the animals present quite distinct behavioral states during each one of the testing situations. Taken together, the evidence suggests the present experimental procedure as particularly suitable for analyzing the neural basis of a number of specific defensive responses.

Aggression↗
PubMed2005

Social capital in settings with a high concentration of road traffic injuries. The case of Cuernavaca, Mexico.

There exists a differential ability within local communities to maintain effective social controls to prevent road traffic injuries (RTIs) in high risks areas. In 2002 we conducted a cross-sectional study in Cuernavaca, Mexico which incorporated 339 adults living in three areas which were characterized by high RTI concentrations. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that even when participants perceived RTIs as a local problem, they expressed no expectations that community members would exert social control through their involvement in local issues and law adherence. The study revealed four key conclusions regarding the association between the low levels of social capital and RTIs: (a) public roads are used solely for transportation, are not viewed as a communal space, and consequently reciprocity is not viewed as a relevant way of controlling behaviors in public places; (b) "strong immediate personal networks" bring about a lack of reciprocity between those sharing the public space which generates uncooperative behavior; (c) high levels of residential instability hinders the identification of common problems; (d) when there exists a low level of civic commitment and a scarcity of social resources directed towards the problem, the possibilities of social control over RTIs are low.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2004

Decisions and outcomes of genetic testing for inherited breast cancer risk.

Since the discovery of breast cancer susceptibility genes and the availability of genetic testing, a substantial amount of research has been conducted to evaluate rates of genetic test acceptance and to understand the psychological and behavioral impact of BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) genetic test results. This article explores findings related to genetic test acceptance for inherited breast cancer risk and the impact of genetic test results on psychological functioning, cancer prevention and control behaviors, and family communication about genetic testing. Overall, rates of genetic test acceptance were lower than anticipated based on interest in genetic testing reported in early research. While there is limited evidence that genetic testing generates adverse psychological effects, receiving positive BRCA1/2 test results may cause emotional reactions and concerns that are specific to such results. Although early reports suggested that receiving positive BRCA1/2 test results may have a limited impact on cancer screening or prevention behaviors, recent studies have shown that genetic testing for inherited breast cancer risk may increase screening behaviors among mutation carriers. However, utilization of some screening tests remains low among mutation carriers. Additional studies are needed to identify subgroups of participants in genetic testing who may be vulnerable to experiencing testing-specific concerns, and to evaluate the effects of interventions designed to promote behavioral change and address other concerns that may be generated by receiving positive BRCA1/2 test results.

BRCA1 Protein↗
PubMed1991

The prevalence of bulimia nervosa in a Hungarian college and secondary school population.

A two-stage survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of bulimia and bulimic behavior in 2 Hungarian nonclinical samples. In the college sample 1.3% of females and 0.8% of males met DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa. In the adolescent sample no bulimic subjects were found, weight control behaviors are infrequent, but the attitudinal antecedents of bulimia are present in females.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Determinants of physical activity in middle school children.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the theory of reasoned action (TRA) and planned behavior (TPB) in predicting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in sixth-grade youth. METHODS: One hundred ninety-eight students completed a questionnaire measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to be active. MVPA was measured using the CSA 7,164 accelerometer. RESULTS: Although demonstrating an acceptable fit, the TRA and TPB accounted for only a small percentage of the variance in MVPA. In support of the TPB, the addition of control perceptions to the reasoned action model added to the prediction of intentions and MVPA. CONCLUSION: Within our sample of sixth graders, the utility of the TRA or TPB as a framework for activity interventions appears to be limited.

Child↗
PubMed1975

Relationship of rats' spatial preferences to effects of d-amphetamine on timing behavior.

Rats were trained to bar-press on a differential reinforcement of low rate 16 sec (DRL 16) schedule for water reinforcement. On alternate days, rats were tested in the presence or absence of a light which signaled the availability of reinforcement. Rats were allowed to bar-press on either of two levers (left and right). All rats show consistent side preferences. Doses (0.5-2.0 mg/kg) of damphetamine differentially affected performance under signaled and nonsignaled conditions. Performance during the nonsignaled condition was much more sensitive to a drug-induced rate increment and timing impairment than performance during the signaled condition. With increasing drug dosage, under both conditions, side preferences reliably increased, decreased or remained unchanged depending upon the particular pattern of paw usage and the relationship between paw and side preferences. For the nonsignaled condition but not for the signaled condition, baseline rates were related to the strength of side preferences; lower rates and better timing performance wwere significantly correlated with greater preferences. Observations of bar-pressing behavior suggested that stereotyped motor patterns associated with side preferences might be related to mechanisms involved in timing behavior and perhaps, in behavior controlled by internal stimuli generally.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A classical genetic analysis of two apomorphine-induced behaviors in the mouse.

Apomorphine (3 mg/kg) produced in C57BL/6 (C57) mice a clear-cut increase in locomotor activity and climbing behavior in comparison with saline, while in DBA/2 (DBA) mice it produced a clear-cut decrease in locomotion and a small reduction in climbing behavior. Genetic analysis involving F1 and F2 hybrids and the backcross populations (F1 X C57; F1 X DBA) indicated that apomorphine-induced locomotion and climbing are inherited through different modes of inheritance. With regard to climbing behavior the mean analysis of apomorphine parameters showed that the additive-dominance model fitted adequately, while this single model did not fit the locomotor activity data for which the best fitting model involved epistatic parameter. Moreover, a zero correlation between the two behaviors in the F2 generation resulted, indicating that no relationship exists between these apomorphine-induced behaviors under our experimental conditions. These results suggest that the horizontal locomotion and climbing are distinct behaviors controlled, at least in part, by different genetic factors related to different dopaminergic mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Attributions and expressed emotion: a review.

This review examines the contribution of an attribution-based framework to our understanding of both expressed emotion (EE) and the process of patient relapse. It considers all published studies that have assessed the attributions of high- and low-EE relatives and carers. Across these studies, a great deal of consistency is apparent. Critical relatives are more likely to hold patients responsible for their difficulties. On the other hand, attributions made by emotionally overinvolved relatives are similar to the attributions made by those who are low EE. In reviewing the association between attributions and patient relapse, it is concluded that carers' beliefs may play a role in the relapse process in a variety of ways. These include mediating controlling behavior, which may serve to increase patient stress or decrease patients' sense of self-worth. A major limitation of research in this area is the cross-sectional and correlational nature of the data. This makes it impossible to draw conclusions about directions of effect in the association of EE and attributions. Nonetheless, an argument can be made for the development and evaluation of interventions designed to help relatives adopt less blaming and more flexible beliefs about the nature of patients' problems. Particularly helpful in this regard may be interventions that use verbal and behavioral reattribution techniques similar to those described in the cognitive behavioral treatment of emotional disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Neuropsychodynamics of alcoholism and addiction: personality, psychopathology, and cognitive style.

The literature on the neuropsychology, personality, and psychopathology of alcoholism and addiction is reviewed. Neuropsychological studies of substance abusers have found deficits in abstract concept formation, set-maintenance, set-shifting, behavioral control, and cognitive flexibility. However, the evidence that these deficits are the result of direct substance effects on the brain is slim. Both alcoholics and as-yet nondrinking offspring of alcoholics have been found to be deficient in verbal skills and language functioning. Personality studies of alcoholics and addicts have emphasized such characteristics as field dependency, external locus of control, attenuated time extension, poor ego strength, and disturbed object relations. The psychopathology of alcoholics and opiate abusers seems to be dominated by impulsive character disorder, although there may also be a subgroup of anxious, depressed substance abusers. The present review integrates brain-behavioral perspectives with the data on personality and psychopathology, focusing on the relevance of a multidimensional neuropsychological model to psychodynamic concepts of ego functioning and the substance abusers' problems in the regulation of affect and behavior. It is argued that the concept of cognitive style is useful for understanding the relationship of neuropsychological functioning to personality dynamics, and that this approach can be especially productive in understanding the addictions.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2006

Parenting and adolescent problem behavior: an integrated model with adolescent self-disclosure and perceived parental knowledge as intervening variables.

Parental monitoring, assessed as (perceived) parental knowledge of the child's behavior, has been established as a consistent predictor of problem behavior. However, recent research indicates that parental knowledge has more to do with adolescents' self-disclosure than with parents' active monitoring. Although these findings may suggest that parents exert little influence on adolescents' problem behavior, the authors argue that this conclusion is premature, because self-disclosure may in itself be influenced by parents' rearing style. This study (a) examined relations between parenting dimensions and self-disclosure and (b) compared 3 models describing the relations among parenting, self-disclosure, perceived parental knowledge, and problem behavior. Results in a sample of 10th- to 12th-grade students, their parents, and their peers demonstrated that high responsiveness, high behavioral control, and low psychological control are independent predictors of self-disclosure. In addition, structural equation modeling analyses demonstrated that parenting is both indirectly (through self-disclosure) and directly associated with perceived parental knowledge but is not directly related to problem behavior or affiliation with peers engaging in problem behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the neuroendocrine regulation of food intake and obesity: the role of corticotropin releasing hormone.

The aim of this paper is to review the present knowledge on the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the control of food intake and the pathogenesis of obesity and to discuss, on the basis of available literature, the interactions between other neurosystems and this hormonal axis. Food intake is influenced by a system of physiologic signals and behavioral controls consisting of positive and negative sensory feedback mechanisms. It is regulated by a complex neuroendocrine system consisting of peripheral signals (cortisol, leptin) in constant interplay with central neurosystems such as the cocaine-amfetamine-regulated transcript system. In these neurosystems, corticotropin-releasing hormone, pro-opiomelanocortin, melanin-concentrating hormone and neuropeptide Y are actively involved. The corticotropin-releasing hormone system is widely distributed throughout the brain, but it is particularly abundant in the medial parvocellular division of the paraventricular nucleus. Within the brain corticotropin-releasing hormone with its two receptor types, its binding protein and its closely related peptide urocortin forms a network of neuronal pathways capable of interacting with other circuitries controlling food intake and sympathetically-mediated thermogenesis. A defect in the synthesis and release of corticotropin-releasing hormone has been implicated in the development of obesity in laboratory animals. This condition is alleviated by exogenous corticotropin-releasing hormone treatment. The relationship between the neuropeptide Y system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is complex and seems to include positive feedback between neuropeptide Y and corticosteroids and negative feedback between corticotropin-releasing hormone and neuropeptide Y. Leptin is involved in the regulation of energy balance by interacting with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In the past, we have shown by cross-correlation analysis, that under physiological conditions cortisol and plasma leptin levels are related to each other in a time-related negative and positive fashion over 24h.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed2006

Proteomic analysis of the eyespot of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii provides novel insights into its components and tactic movements.

Flagellate green algae have developed a visual system, the eyespot apparatus, which allows the cell to phototax. To further understand the molecular organization of the eyespot apparatus and the phototactic movement that is controlled by light and the circadian clock, a detailed understanding of all components of the eyespot apparatus is needed. We developed a procedure to purify the eyespot apparatus from the green model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Its proteomic analysis resulted in the identification of 202 different proteins with at least two different peptides (984 in total). These data provide new insights into structural components of the eyespot apparatus, photoreceptors, retina(l)-related proteins, members of putative signaling pathways for phototaxis and chemotaxis, and metabolic pathways within an algal visual system. In addition, we have performed a functional analysis of one of the identified putative components of the phototactic signaling pathway, casein kinase 1 (CK1). CK1 is also present in the flagella and thus is a promising candidate for controlling behavioral responses to light. We demonstrate that silencing CK1 by RNA interference reduces its level in both flagella and eyespot. In addition, we show that silencing of CK1 results in severe disturbances in hatching, flagellum formation, and circadian control of phototaxis.

Algal Proteins↗
PubMed2005

Pre- and post-hatching effects of corticosterone treatment on behavior of the domestic chick.

We investigated the effect of 60 ìg of corticosterone administered to domestic chicks either before or after hatching on the behavioral response to isolation in a novel arena and performance in a task involving the simultaneous identification of food and detection of a predator (overhead silhouette of a hawk moving overhead). Following release into a novel arena, chicks treated with corticosterone at 18 days of incubation emitted more distress vocalizations. In contrast, no difference in the number of vocalizations was found between chicks treated with corticosterone at day 1 post-hatching and controls. Behavior in the home cages was generally similar across treatments, though chicks treated with corticosterone at 18 days of incubation slept more than control chicks. While searching for grain against a background of pebbles, chicks treated with corticosterone at embryonic day 18, but not chicks treated on day 1 post-hatching, took longer to detect the overhead image of a predator than did controls. Corticosterone treatment at both ages increased the rate of pecking at grains and pebbles. Our findings support work on other birds indicating that corticosterone treatment during incubation influences stress reactivity. The impairment in predator detection in chicks treated with corticosterone on day 18 of incubation appears to be caused by the known effects of corticosterone treatment at this age in preventing the development of lateralization of the thalamofugal visual projections. This further supports the hypothesis that brain lateralization provides an advantage in performing more than one task simultaneously.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The emergence of behavioral pharmacology.

Beginning over five decades ago, a pioneering series of studies was conducted that had a profound impact on the field of pharmacology. The impact of those studies was so forceful and sweeping that the discipline of pharmacology was modified in scope and practice by the emergence of a new discipline-behavioral pharmacology. The studies initiating this cascade of events stemmed from the Psychobiology Laboratory at Harvard Medical School and were associated with research conducted by Peter B. Dews, Roger T. Kelleher, and William H. Morse. These individuals shaped the conceptual framework, the experimental direction, as well as the principal focus, that defined and dominated the field of behavioral pharmacology for decades following their initial work in the 1950s. This article will highlight some of the main themes and implications of the work initiated by Dews, Kelleher, and Morse. In particular, I will focus on: i) schedule-controlled behavior and response rate; ii) schedules using noxious stimuli; and iii) the use of second-order schedules.

Animals↗