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Previous research using violation-of-expectation paradigms suggests that very young infants have a good understanding of unobserved physical events. Yet toddlers appear to lack this knowledge when confronted with the door task, a visuospatial reasoning task which parallels ones used in the habituation/looking time studies. Many studies have been conducted in an effort to determine why toddlers perform poorly on the door task yet the answer remains unclear. The current study used a correlational approach to investigate door task performance from both psychological (executive function), and neuroscience (prefrontal cortex) perspectives. Children between the ages of 2½–3 years were tested on the standard door task as well as four other tasks. Three of the tasks were believed to activate prefrontal cortex: the three boxes-stationary, a spatial working memory task; the three boxes-scrambled, a non-spatial working memory task; and the three pegs task, an inhibitory control task. The fourth task was a recognition memory task which had been previously linked to the medial temporal lobe. Only a single task, the three pegs task, was found to correlate with door task performance (r = .510, p<.01). Even with age, sex, and performance on the other tasks controlled for, this correlation remained significant (r = .459, p<.05). Furthermore, in a logistic regression the three pegs task was found to be the only significant predictor of door task performance (z = 2.87, p<.01). An examination of the errors children made on the door task revealed that over half (58%) could be classified as inhibitory control errors (children returned to the previously rewarded location or repeatedly searched a favorite door). Taken together these data suggest a possible relationship between inhibitory control ability and successful completion of the door task.

No description available.

A descriptive study, using a retrospective chart review, investigated the mortality rates for 77 elderly nursing home residents who at the time of the study had been relocated between 10.5 and 13.5 months. Variables identified were age, sex, diagnosis, frequency of acute hospital admissions, nursing home placement, time interval between relocation and date of death, and number of years spent in a nursing home. Findings showed that 31 (40%) of the relocated subjects died within the 13.5 month post-relocation period. Sixteen (52%) of those deaths occurred within six weeks of relocation. Data revealed that mortality increased with age, from 14% for 60 years olds to 73% for those in their nineties. Age was the only variable found to be statistically significant between those who lived or died. The study's findings demonstrated the need for nursing assessment and surveillance of relocated nursing home residents.

The present study investigated anomalous hemispheric processing for language and its impact on spatial task performance. Mental rotation and dichotic listening tasks were administered to three groups of children: control (C), learning disabled (LD), and Down syndrome (DS). Significant differences were found in reaction time and accuracy measures in mental rotation. Although the DS group lacked a systematic reaction time function, all three groups produced similar accuracy functions: each group appeared to demonstrate difficulty at equivalent angular disorientations. Dichotic listening resulted in performance differences only when the DS group was compared to the C and LD groups: discrepant language processing was not demonstrated between the C and LD groups. Conclusions could not be reached regarding the impact of language lateralization on spatial task performance. Inconsistencies of neuropsychological measurements are discussed; the topic of mental rotation is explored in depth. Generalizations regarding performance outcomes are limited to a behavioral level.

This study assessed the involvement of serotonergic systems in the locomotor-stimulating effects of cocaine, phencyclidine (PCP), and the PCP analog, N- (1-(2-benzo(b)thiophenyl)cyclohexyl) piperidine (BTCP). Central serotonin (5-HT) activity was disrupted in rats with para-chloroamphetamine (p-CA), or ritanserin pretreatment, and by lesioning of the medial raphe (MR) and dorsal raphe (DR) nuclei. P-CA potentiated cocaine- and PCP- but not BTCP-induced hyperactivity. Ritanserin enhanced PCP hyperlocomotion and attenuated caffeine hyperactivity, but failed to alter cocaine and BTCP hyperlocomotion. MR lesions, but not DR lesions, dramatically increased spontaneous activity and potentiated the hyperlocomotion of cocaine, BTCP, and caffeine but not of PCP. This differential sensitivity to 5-HT disruption may reflect the relative importance of 5-HT systems in mediating the dopamine-dependent actions of these drugs. These results are discussed in relation to the neurochemical bases of drug reinforcement and schizophrenia.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between stress and perimenstrual symptoms. Stress was studied in terms of major life events, self-reported anxiety, and blood cortisol levels. Fifteen women who demonstrated negative affect perimenstrual symptoms and seventeen women who were identified as asymptomatic charted their symptoms daily for three menstrual cycles. During this time, state anxiety and blood cortisol levels were measured twice a week. The results of this study support a positive relationship between stressful life events, trait anxiety, state anxiety, and perimenstrual symptoms. However, cortisol levels were not correlated with either perimenstrual symptoms or state anxiety. There was a difference between the symptomatic and the asymptomatic groups in terms of stressful life events and trait anxiety. There was also a significant difference in state anxiety between the two groups when measured during the perimenstrual phase, however, not during the postmenstrual phase. There were no significant changes in cortisol levels between groups or cycle phases.

<p> This qualitative phenomenological study explored the research question: What is the lived experience of hearing adults of Deaf parents who acted as language and cultural conduits for their parents during their formative years? Interviews captured recollections of 12 hearing adults, of culturally Deaf parents, where American Sign Language was the primary language in their home of origin, and who experienced interpreting for their parent(s). Recollections of lived experiences and perceptions of influence on personal development served as the research data. Open-ended questions stimulated self-directed responses of interviewee perceptions of desirable and challenging experiences. Interview data examined through Moustakas&rsquo; phenomenological analysis schema, provided a sense of the whole, ascertained meaningful units for psychological concept application, captured distinct descriptions, and composite essence of findings. Giorgi&rsquo;s three-stage analysis via bracketing, description, and essence articulation through the use of intentional journaling, secondary researcher scrutiny/agreement, along with manual and electronic analysis, supported objectivity. Nuance appreciation emerged using Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s bio-ecological Process-Person-Context-Time model. Composite themes included: being a Child of Deaf Adults (Coda) is a privilege; parental interpreting expectations/preferences were influenced by era, sibling chronology, gender, personality, fluency, and technology; language brokering dynamics beyond the child&rsquo;s level of comfort or understanding; transient resistance to signing during one&rsquo;s tween/teen years; influence on one&rsquo;s own parenting style; personal identity development within the Deaf and Hearing cultural milieu; pride and appreciation for their parents&rsquo; achievements; and overt certainty that personal career choices directly stemmed from being a Coda.</p>

Four electrophysiological studies characterized responses of single neurons in the gracile (NG) and solitary (NTS) nuclei to cutaneous and pelvic visceral stimuli in 65 anesthetized female rats in estrus. The stimuli were brushing and gently pinching skin, distending uterus and vagina, gently probing vagina and cervix before and after various spinal lesions or vagotomy. / Study #1. Of 116 NG neurons examined, almost all were excited by brushing ipsilateral hindquarters or tail. Many (48%) also responded to pelvic visceral stimuli. / Study #2. Ten additional viscerally-responsive NG neurons were tested (10 rats). Lesions restricted to dorsal columns of the spinal cord eliminated responses to stimulation of skin and uterus and altered responses to cervix and vaginal stimulation. Larger lesions that included the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF) eliminated responses to cervix and vagina. / Study #3. Of 90 NTS neurons examined, none responded to cutaneous stimuli whereas 30% responded to pelvic visceral stimuli. / Study #4. Twelve additional viscerally-responsive NTS neurons were tested (12 rats). Bilateral vagotomies eliminated responses to uterine distension and altered responses to cervix and vaginal stimulation. Spinal cord transections eliminated responses to all pelvic organ stimuli. / Together, these results expand the growing list of central regions involved in processing sensory information from pelvic organs to include NG and NTS. The results demonstrate that dorsal column and vagal inputs can modulate responses to stimulation of both the cervix and vagina in NG and NTS, respectively, and implicate the DLF as the route by which their input is conveyed to both regions. The results also demonstrate that the dorsal columns and vagus either convey information from the uterus to NG and NTS, respectively, or facilitate neuronal responses to uterine distension conveyed to NG and NTS via the DLF. Taken together, the findings make it apparent that NG and NTS are important components of neural systems significant for coordinating somatosensory and visceral processes, respectively, during various reproductive behaviors. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-04, Section: B, page: 1705. / Major Professor: Karen J. Berkley. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.