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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Psychophysiological outcome of cognitive, behavioral and psychophysiologically-based treatments of agoraphobia.

Psychophysiological process and outcome phenomena were analyzed to examine differential temporal patterns within and across cognitive, behavioral and physiologically-based treatments of agoraphobia. Eighty-eight severe and chronic agoraphobics with panic attacks (DSM-III) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: Paradoxical Intention, Graduated Exposure or Progressive Deep Muscle Relaxation Training. Protocol therapists, whose treatment integrity was objectively monitored, conducted 12 two-hour weekly sessions. All subjects received programmed practice instructions concurrent with their primary treatment. Analyses revealed numerous significant reductions on in vivo psychophysiological measures for the relaxation condition, a few improvements for the exposure treatment and no effects for the paradoxical intention modality. The mediating role of pretreatment physiological reactivity in treatment outcome and follow-up status was examined and revealed no significant associations. Synchrony-desynchrony patterns were found to vary widely according to both treatment phase and the time interval between assessments. No between-group differences were observed on the proportion of synchronizers. However, synchronizers exhibited superior outcome and follow-up compared to desynchronizers on all domains except the physiological measures. Conceptual, methodological and clinical implications of these findings are discussed with recommendations for future research.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Psychophysiological predictors of drug treatment response.

Few of the psychophysiologic findings reviewed above are diagnostically specific. Not all persons given the same psychiatric diagnosis are likely to share the biological characteristic while others with different diagnoses do. The first and most simple explanation commonly offered is to refer to inadequacies in clinical diagnostic procedures or in the particular diagnostic system that was used in the study. It is true that the reliability of psychiatric ratings are typically lower than the reliability of psychophysiologic measures, but the situation appears to be more complex. In considering the issue of the relationship between psychiatric diagnosis and psychophysiological data, it is important to realize that psychiatric diagnosis may have several purposes only one of which is predicting drug treatment response. In addition, the degree to which a biological characteristic is present before the illness and between episodes, or in relatives or normal subjects having traits suggestive of vulnerability to the disorder, are important aspects of psychophysiological investigations. The state vs trait nature of the measure is of frequent concern, and changes in a psychophysiologic measure as a function of drug treatment are considered a part of this broader issue. Furthermore, psychophysiologic measures seem to be tapping underlying dimensions which cross-cut current diagnostic boundaries to a greater or lesser degree depending upon the measure and the subject samples. Candidates for such underlying dimensions include illness severity, anxiety, arousal, attention, cognitive impairment, neuronal loss, intelligence and mood, to mention a few. Scores on these dimensions may predict drug response to a higher degree than diagnosis. The use of drug treatment response itself to validate subgroups of individuals identified by diagnosis is a common assumption in psychophysiology. Thus, patients who are responsive to a drug are assumed to have a different underlying illness than patients who are resistant. In clinical nosology, this assumption is not usually taken for granted. However, Brown and Hertz have recently argued for the need to pay more attention to identification and classification of patients along a neuroleptic response dimension. Diagnostic systems based on psychophysiological measures have been developed. One such system is "neurometrics" which involves comparing individuals on electrophysiological measurements, such as EEG power spectra, against a data base of normative values previously obtained from normal subjects. John et al. have shown that classifications based on neurometrics corroborate clinical diagnostic categories to a high degree, and can be used to independently validate current psychiatric nosology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Arousal↗
PubMed1992

T-wave amplitude utility revisited: some physiological and psychophysiological considerations.

The last decade has seen some quite polemicized discussions concerning the utility of T-wave amplitude as a psychophysiological measure, but more recent reports indicate that we are now moving into a more empirically oriented and analytic examination of this topic. Such a report is one by Contrada et al. (1989), who manipulated sympathetic (beta-adrenergic) influences both pharmacologically and behaviorally, and whose main conclusion was that their results "support the hypothesis that T-wave is significantly affected by beta-sympathetic influence on the heart". However, we question their other conclusion that "a nonspecific effect of heart rate change on T-wave amplitude would also account for these results", and also suggest that their discussion of the "implications for the utility of T-wave amplitude in psychophysiological research" bears further consideration. In particular, for psychophysiologists, of fundamental importance is the distinction between T-wave amplitude's utility as a physiological index and its utility as a psychophysiological index. Concerning the former issue, we consider: (a) the alpha/beta adrenergic distinction, (b) inappropriate T-wave amplitude augmentation effects to sympathomimetic stimulation, (c) the nonspecific-response-to-tachycardia argument, and (d) the view of pulse transit time as a criterial standard, rather than as a candidate index. Regarding the issue of psychophysiological index utility, we consider: (a) dependent-variable sensitivity, drawing a further distinction between reactive and specific sensitivity, and (b) independent-variable-manipulation effectiveness.

Autonomic Nervous System↗
PubMed1992

Pharmacodynamics of venlafaxine evaluated by EEG brain mapping, psychometry and psychophysiology.

1. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study the effects of venlafaxine--a novel nontricyclic compound inhibiting neuronal uptake of serotonin, noradrenaline and to a lesser extent dopamine--were investigated utilizing EEG brain mapping, psychometric and psychophysiological measures. 2. Sixteen healthy volunteers (eight males, eight females) aged 21-36 years received randomized and at weekly intervals single oral doses of placebo, 12.5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg venlafaxine. EEG recordings, psychometric and psychophysiological tests, and evaluation of pulse, blood pressure and side-effects were carried out at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h. 3. EEG brain mapping demonstrated that venlafaxine exerted a significant action on human brain function as compared with placebo at all three doses, characterized mostly by attenuation of absolute power, increase of relative delta/theta and beta, and decrease of alpha power, as well as by an acceleration of the total centroid fronto-temporally and by its slowing centrally and parietally. These findings are similar to antidepressants such as imipramine. Topographically, drug-induced alterations were most pronounced over both fronto-temporal and the right temporal to temporo-occipital regions. 4. Psychometric and psychophysiological investigations demonstrated significant dose-dependent psychotropic properties of the drug. Multivariate statistics exhibited an improvement of both the noopsyche (e.g. attention, concentration, attention variability, memory, fine motor activity, reaction time performance) and thymopsyche (e.g. drive, wakefulness)) but also significant psychophysiological activation (e.g. in c.f.f., pupillary and skin conductance measures). 5. Time-efficiency calculations showed significant central effects from the 2nd hour onwards, with increasing differences between placebo and treatment up to the 8th hour. Nausea was the most frequent complaint and appeared dose dependent.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Psychophysiological parameters of migraine and muscle-contraction headaches.

Previous headache studies have been unable to verify the presumed presence of headache. Attempting to correct this design fault, the present study assessed four psychophysiological measures (frontalis EMG, temporal BVP, temporal and finger skin temperature) and salient subjective measures in 13 migraineurs, eight muscle-contraction headache sufferers, and 13 age-matched normals. All subjects submitted to two 30-minute sessions of quiet monitoring, and for the headache subjects, one of the sessions was headache active. A bogus, but convincing preliminary "assessment" revealed insufficient headache activity in the headache active session, forcing subjects to reschedule that session in the future when a strong headache was present. A parallel manipulation was employed with the normal subjects. A MANOVA failed to discriminate within- or between-group differences on the psychophysiological measures. Self-reported pain was uncorrelated with the psychophysiological indices. These results cast further doubt on the validity of the psychophysiological measures employed in this study, the same ones routinely endorsed by headache researchers and therapists. We discuss problems of recruitment, compliance, and attrition in basic headache research.

Electromyography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychophysiological assessment in chronic orofacial pain.

Psychophysiological models of chronic pain conditions have emerged in recent years due, in part, to the inadequacy of structural models to explain the etiology, maintenance, exacerbation, and/or remediation of these conditions. Psychophysiological theories of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and related research evidence are reviewed. It is concluded that a number of methodological problems in previous psychophysiological studies of TMD preclude reaching firm conclusions that psychological stress causes masticatory hypermuscle arousal in TMD patients. Recommendations and guidelines for future psychophysiological research in TMD are presented.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1990

[Psychophysiologic abnormalities in schizophrenia: some implications for therapy].

On the basis of several studies, some psychophysiological activation abnormalities in schizophrenia are explained. These abnormalities give rise to at least three therapeutic aims: (1) As some psychophysiological systems may be under- and others overaroused in schizophrenic patients compared to normal controls, therapeutic interventions should approach the systems selectively. (2) The ability to modulate the psychophysiological activation, which is diminished in schizophrenic patients, should be improved. (3) Schizophrenic patients need a more differentiated perception of their own state of activation. These aims contrast somewhat with past therapeutic studies, which tried to change activation for the purpose of tension reduction. It seems advisable to link basic psychophysiological research more closely to the development of therapies.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Dementia and depression in old age: psychophysiological aspects.

This study describes the psychophysiological results of a larger investigation of the clinical, morphological, psychometric and psychophysiological aspects of dementia of the Alzheimer type and depression in elderly patients. Healthy volunteers provided a further measure of control. It was found that widely used clinical rating scales delineated the 3 groups of subjects to a significant degree. The average frequency of the electroencephalogram (EEG), the P2-N2 peak-to-peak amplitude and P3 latency of the auditory evoked potential and a characteristic downward shift of the EEG power spectrum differed significantly between demented patients, depressive patients and normal controls. The higher total power in the EEG of the dementia group did not prove statistically significant, probably because of the small numbers. Other psychophysiological measures such as skin conductance level (SCL) and skin temperature (ST) did not reveal statistically significant differences between the groups. Thus, certain psychophysiological measurements may become valuable in the differential diagnosis of these disorders.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Two studies of the occurrence of psychophysiological symptoms in chronic headache patients.

Two separate, but related, studies are described in which psychophysiological symptoms associated with chronic headache were examined. In the first study, the Psychosomatic Symptom Checklist (PSC) was administered to evaluate the presence of 15 different psychophysiological symptoms in 3 types of chronic headache patients (migraine, tension, and combined migraine and tension). Over 97% of these 438 patients reported at least one other symptom occurring at least monthly and 75% reported another intense symptom occurring at least once a week. The tension and combined headache groups reported significantly higher overall symptomatic distress than the migraine headache patients. The tension patients reported significantly higher scores on the backache and weakness items, while the migraine and combined headache patients reported significantly more nausea. The differences between the diagnostic groups is more a function of the intensity of the symptoms than the presence of the symptoms, since, for many individual symptoms, the percentage of patients reporting is nearly equal. In the second study, 150 patients from the original sample (50 from each diagnostic group) were reassessed using the PSC after psychological treatment of headache. There were significant decreases in total scores for all 3 groups with no significant differences between groups seen at post treatment. Different treatment effects were seen on the individual symptoms with 7 of the 15 showing significant reduction. Chronic headache does not occur in isolation and headache diagnostic groups do not differentiate well on other individual psychophysiological symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Psychophysiologic disorders: a critical appraisal of concept and theory illustrated with reference to the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The concept of psychophysiologic disorders and the major theories invented to account for such disorders are critically reviewed. The Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) serves to illustrate the application of each theory and provides a vehicle for their appraisal. The tendency to think of 'physical' and 'psychological' as separate entities rather than separate languages has led to attempts to make a categorical distinction between disorders caused by 'psychological' factors and those caused by 'physical' factors. Some of the theories developed to account for psychophysiologic disorders are unscientific and none can adequately account for all the features of IBS. It is concluded that the concept of psychophysiologic or psychosomatic disorder is outmoded.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1979

Recent studies of psychophysiology in schizophrenia.

A general introduction is given and followed by a review of recent literature under the following subheadings: electrodermal activity, cardiovascular activity, smooth pursuit eye movement, electroencephalogram, and evoked potentials. An attempt is made to assess the clinical significance of the findings reported in each area and to indicate directions for future investigation. The feasibility of defining homogeneous subgroups in schizophrenia using psychophysiological parameters is also considered. The review concludes with the recommendation that peripheral psychophysiological studies entailing (1) comprehensive recording of brain electrical activity and (2) behavioral experimentation on variables thought to be influenced by schizophrenia (e.g., sustained attentional ability) are promising directions for future research. Relationships between behavioral and psychophysiological variables determined by such studies (and possibly subgroupings) may then become the basis for neurophysiological-neurochemical investigations of specific abnormalities underlying such relationships and subgroups.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1976

Psychophysiologic infertility: an overview.

It has been recognized for centuries that commotion in the mind very often is reflected in the functions of the body. A few years ago 50% of cases of infertility were classified as emotionally determined. Today only about 5% are so classified because the identification of defects in chemistry or physiology rules out the diagnosis. Many infertile women with physical defects have significant emotional disorders, and many infertile women with no demonstrable physical defect have no significant emotional disorders. The diagnosis of psychophysiologic infertility can be made only after identification of intrapsychic conflicts arising from cultural, environmental, or experiential factors that have modified function, chemistry, or structure. The gradual elucidation of the functions of the limbic system and more understanding of the roles of the neurotransmitter amines have led to the present understanding of the psychophysiology of infertility. It has been shown that the neurotransmitter amines influence the production of reproductive hormones and hormone-releasing factors. Many types of stress change the concentration, production, and modification of these transmitter compounds. Investigators have tried without success to identify specific emotional problems that eventually produce infertility. Infertile women do have more emotional disorders, however, and some seem to be cause-effect related. Infertility protects some women against significant psychic conflicts and becomes a defensive process. Removal of this defensive process without quieting the internal commotion can have deleterious effects. When one or both members of a marriage desire children, the identification of one as infertile puts a significant stress on the relationship. Interpersonal and intrapsychic turmoil results, which may require professional help to quiet. The treatment of psychophysiologic infertility should include identifying specific areas of conflict and then attempting to modify responses, attitudes, and affects that cause or intensify the conflicts. Through a learning experience, anxious and insecure patients can be helped to tolerate the anticipation of pregnancy and parenthood. Even those who do not achieve pregnancy can be helped to maintain their feelings of self-worth and self-esteem.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1990

Behavioral and psychophysiological effects of the physical work environment. Research strategies and measurement methods.

An international course on the behavioral and psychophysiological effects of the physical work environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in April 1988 by the Nordic Institute of Advanced Training in Occupational Health and the Swedish National Institute of Occupational Health. It dealt primarily with the behavioral and psychophysiological responses to aspects of the physical work environment and was devoted to neural and behavioral functions. The increasing interest in these functions is mainly motivated by the involvement of the central nervous system in the adverse effects induced by unfavorable environmental conditions of the workplace and by the need for more sensitive indicators than those based solely on recognized occupational disease and pathology. By describing the main aspects of the research strategies and the measurement methods used in this field of research, this paper provides a background for the assessment and evaluation of the early behavioral and psychophysiological indices of potential occupational hazards.

Affect↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[MEDILAB and the problems of psychophysiological support of manned space flights].

This paper discusses current problems of psychophysiological support of manned space missions and presents the concept of a psychophysiological complex of the orbital biomedical laboratory Medilab and other advanced space vehicles based on new methodological approaches. The paper describes principles of selection of psychophysiological methods to be used in Medilab programs as well as their instrumental, mathematical, hardware and software structures.

Aerospace Medicine↗