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Ce mémoire débute avec deux chapitres portant sur les problèmes des conduites et la régulation du stress, notamment sur l’axe hypothalamique-pituitaire-surrénal (HPS). Ensuite, la littérature est résumée et nous voyons que les études qui cherchent à établir un lien entre les problèmes des conduites et l’axe HPS ont trouvé des résultats différents et parfois contradictoires. Le chapitre suivant illustre les problèmes méthodologiques qui pourraient expliquer ces résultats différents. Vient ensuite l’étude présentée dans ce mémoire qui cherche à établir un lien entre la réponse cortisolaire à l’éveil (RCE), considérée comme un bon indice du fonctionnent de l’axe HPS, et les problèmes de conduites chez l’enfant. De plus, les émotions négatives ont été associées avec les problèmes des conduites ainsi qu’aux dysfonctions de l’axe HPS, notamment le RCE. L’étude présentée dans ce mémoire cherche aussi à établir si les émotions négatives pourrait être une variable médiatrice dans la relation potentielle entre la RCE et les problèmes des conduites. L’étude révèle que pour les garçons mais pas pour les filles, une RCE réduite est associée avec les émotions négatives, ce qui est successivement associé avec les problèmes des conduites. Le dernier chapitre du mémoire examine les implications théoriques de cette médiatisation et propose également des pistes psychobiologiques pour expliquer les différences sexuelles observées. / This thesis begins with two chapters which discuss conduct problems and stress regulation, with a focus on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Subsequently, the literature is reviewed and we see that with regards to the relationship between conduct problems and HPA axis activity, the findings are inconsistent. It is possible that methodological considerations underlie the inconsistency found in the literature and the following chapter is concerned with methodology. This is followed by the featured study presented in this thesis which examines the link between the cortisol awakening response (CAR), which is considered a good indicator of HPA axis functioning, and conduct problems in children. Further, negative affect has been linked to both conduct problems and the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). Thus it was hypothesized that negative affect acts as a mediator in the cortisol-conduct problems relationship. The featured study found that a reduced CAR was associated with both negative affect and conduct problems, however only in boys and not in girls. Further, the mediation hypothesis was supported in boys. The last chapter in this thesis discusses the implications of this mediation finding for theories of conduct problems as well as proposing some psychobiological mechanisms to explain the sex differences found.

L’objectif principal de la présente thèse est d’étudier la nature multifactorielle des difficultés attentionnelles que présentent les personnes ayant subi un traumatisme craniocérébral léger (TCCL). Plus spécifiquement, nous avons voulu cerner l’impact des symptômes de douleur, ainsi que de facteurs émotifs et de personnalité, sur le fonctionnement attentionnel de personnes ayant eu un TCCL. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif, cette thèse présente trois articles. Dans le premier article, l’impact cognitif/neuropsychologique de la douleur chronique (DC) et de ses variables psychologiques concomitantes a été examiné par le biais d’une recension des écrits. Le deuxième article présente une étude expérimentale portant sur les relations entre des variables liées à la douleur et à l’affectivité, et le fonctionnement attentionnel de personnes ayant subi un TCCL étant à différents stades de récupération, comparativement à un groupe témoin normal. Enfin, un troisième article décrit une étude expérimentale qui a été menée afin d’explorer les associations entre certains facteurs de personnalité (neuroticisme, extraversion) et l’efficacité attentionnelle chez des participants normaux, ainsi que chez des personnes ayant subi un TCCL. Les résultats des articles présentés dans cette thèse démontrent que le TCCL en soi peut nuire au fonctionnement attentionnel, puisque des déficits de l’attention peuvent être observés sur des tâches neuropsychologiques qui mesurent les temps de réaction avec précision. Des variables concomitantes au TCCL peuvent aussi avoir un impact négatif sur l’attention sélective; la présence de symptômes de douleur nuit à la performance sur des tâches d’attention et certains traits de personnalité sont associés à l’efficacité attentionnelle ou aux symptômes post-commotionnels. Cette thèse montre donc que divers facteurs peuvent contribuer aux difficultés d’attention des personnes ayant subi un TCCL. Le neuropsychologue devrait utiliser des tâches sensibles aux atteintes, parfois plus subtiles, que présentent les personnes ayant eu un TCCL lorsqu’il tente de comprendre les difficultés attentionnelles de cette clientèle. De plus, les variables associées à la douleur et certains traits de personnalité devraient être systématiquement évalués lors de l’examen neuropsychologique post-TCCL. / The main goal of this thesis is to study the multifactorial nature of attentional difficulties presented by individuals having sustained a mild traumatic brain injury. Specifically, we sought to determine how pain symptoms, emotional factors, and personality variables impact attentional functioning following mild traumatic brain injury. To achieve this, the present thesis describes the findings of three articles. In the first article we reviewed studies that had investigated the cognitive/neuropsychological impact of pain symptoms, and of psychological variables related to chronic pain. The second article presents the findings of an experimental study in which we explored the relationships between symptoms of pain, emotional factors, and attentional functioning in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury in different phases of recovery. A third article describes the results of another experimental study exploring the associations between personality variables, and attentional efficacy in both normal individuals and in those having sustained a mild traumatic brain injury. Findings of the studies described in this thesis demonstrate that mild traumatic brain injury can decrease attentional efficacy, as attentional deficits can be observed on certain neuropsychological tasks that precisely measure reaction times. Variables concomitant to mild traumatic brain injury can also negatively impact attention; the presence of pain symptoms is associated with decreased performance on attention tasks, and certain personality traits are associated with attentional efficacy or with post-concussion symptoms. This thesis thus demonstrates that various factors contribute to the attentional difficulties presented by persons with mild traumatic brain injury. The neuropsychologist should opt to use cognitive tasks sensitive to mild brain injury when exploring the attentional complaints of these individuals. As well, a thorough evaluation of variables related to pain, and of personality traits should be systematically conducted in the context of a post-MTBI neuropsychological examination.

Les ondes lentes (OL) sur l’électroencéphalogramme caractérisent le sommeil dit lent. Leur production dépend de la synchronisation de l’activité neuronale dans un large réseau néocortical. Les OL présentent d’importants changements au cours du vieillissement, et ce, dès le milieu de l’âge adulte. L’objectif de ce mémoire est d’évaluer la contribution de l’amincissement cortical dans les modifications des caractéristiques des OL durant l’âge adulte. Notre étude montre que la densité (nb/min) et l’amplitude (µV) des OL est liée à l’épaisseur de plusieurs régions du cortex chez des sujets jeunes et âgés. Toutefois, la pente des OL (µV/s) n’a pas semblé en relation avec la neuroanatomie. Des analyses de médiation montrent que la diminution de la densité des OL chez les personnes âgés s’explique par l’amincissement de gyri frontaux et temporaux, alors que les effets de l’âge sur l’amplitude des OL s’expliquent par l’amincissement d’un ensemble plus grand de régions corticales. / Sleep slow waves (SW) on the electroencephalogram (EEG) reflect synchronous alternance between depolarization and hyperpolarisation states in many cortical neurons. As soon as in the middle-years of life (around 45-50 years old), sleep SW change considerably. In this master’s thesis, we investigated the role of cortical thinning in normal age-related changes in characteristics of sleep SW. Our results show that SW amplitude (µV) and density(nb/min) are linked to cortical thickness in many cerebral regions in young and older subjects. However, SW slope did not present significant associations with cortical thickness. Mediation analysis showed that specific thinning in right middle frontal and middle temporal gyri explained age-related changes in SW density, whereas thinning in a large-scale network of regions explained age-related changes in SW amplitude. As a whole, our results shows that thinning in cortical regions involved in SW generation and propagation are associated with age-related changes in sleep SW.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Otavio Barretto Prado.pdf: 2458555 bytes, checksum: 716a7b8919997d32dae998594e16854b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-09-01 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Empirical evidence indicates the importance of the Rolfing Method of Structural Integration for the field of Psychology. Ida P. Rolf s work is a holistic approach of organizing the human body structure in the gravitational field by rebalancing the myofascia (connective tissue) through special touch and movement education. The objective of the study described herein is to provide a systematic and consistent method for investigating the psychobiological nature of Rolfing and its intersection with the domain of psychosomatics. The author studied the power of questionnaires that had been developed for clinical research at NAPER (Brazilian Rolfing Association s Center for Clinical Practice, Research and Studies on Rolfing) and at Rolfing schools in Brazil and the United States, where the author had participated in the simultaneous elaboration, application and evaluation of the questionnaires. The questionnaires were used in connection with the Rolfing processes of 874 clients in three groups: 714 at NAPER and 160 in the Rolfing schools (55 in Brazil and 105 in the US). The questionnaire responses were evaluated both within each and among all of these three groups. The responses to closed questions were subjected to an SPSS quantitative analysis, applying statistical tests appropriate to the metrics of the questions and responses themselves. The responses to open questions were qualitatively analyzed with an SPAD.T method: for particular words, the frequencies and contexts of their uses were tabulated; then, words were grouped by conceptual affinity, and the contexts in which they appeared were analyzed. The themes that emerged from the responses, as well as their frequencies, were noted. These analyses of the data gathered in response to the questionnaires demonstrated the presence of a psychobiological dimension of Rolfing and, what s more, demonstrated to be an efficient tool for practitioners and students alike, regardless of cultural milieu. At the schools, clients perceptions concerning their quality of life before and after the Rolfing process were evaluated through the WHO-QOL questionnaire. The results were significant, and corroborated the indications of the NAPER results. The questionnaires also addressed the pre- and post-process intensity and frequency of reported pain; and indicated a significant decrease of both intensity and frequency of pain after the process. This was the case for both recent-onset and chronic pain, regardless of the location of the pain. The author posits that use of the questionnaires is, in and of itself, a mental reflexive activity an activity that makes salient the psychobiological dimension of Rolfing and it s value as a psychosomatic method. What s more, because the questionnaires further clinical, educational and research objectives simultaneously, their use highlights the relationship among those objectives. Based on his review of the evidence, the author sets forth a proposal for a revised questionnaire that comprises two levels, which could be explored independently or jointly. The first level consists of closed questions, which facilitates the collection of data for investigation. The second consists of open questions, which elicits reflection upon the psychobiological dimension of the work. Taken as a whole, this proposed questionnaire is an instrument of both research and teaching / Evidências empíricas apontam o valor do Método Rolfing de Integração Estrutural no Campo da psicologia. O trabalho de Ida P. Rolf é uma proposta holística, de organização da estrutura humana no campo gravitacional, pela reorganização do tecido miofascial, por toques especializados e educação pelo movimento. O objetivo deste trabalho é dar continuidade à investigação da natureza psicobiológica do método Rolfing e sua intersecção com o domínio da psicossomática. Estudou-se o alcance de questionários desenvolvidos em pesquisa-ação no NAPER (Núcleo de Atendimento, Pesquisa e Estudo em Rolfing, São Paulo, Brasil) e nas Escolas de Rolfing, no Brasil e nos Estados Unidos, onde o autor participou de um programa em que a elaboração, aplicação e avaliação dos questionários ocorriam simultaneamente. Os questionários foram usados nos processos de Rolfing de 874 clientes, sendo 714 do serviço de atendimento do NAPER e 160 clientes de classe das Escolas de Rolfing e, destes, 55, no Brasil e, 105, nos Estados Unidos. Foram avaliadas as respostas aos questionários das três amostras, isolada e comparativamente, tendo sido feita uma análise quantitativa das perguntas fechadas, utilizando-se o SPSS, e tendo aplicados testes estatísticos de acordo com o nível de mensuração das amostras. Realizou-se uma análise qualitativa das respostas às perguntas abertas em que se utilizou o SPAD.T, fazendo-se um levantamento das freqüências das palavras utilizadas nas respostas, agrupamentos das palavras por afinidade conceitual, além da busca e da análise do contexto em que foram utilizadas. Também foi feito o levantamento dos temas emergentes nas respostas e suas freqüências. Verificou-se que os questionários trouxeram dados que apresentam a dimensão psicobiológica do método Rolfing em todas as amostras, revelando-se eficientes no uso com profissionais formados, com alunos nas escolas e em diferentes culturas. Foram comparadas a localização, a intensidade e a periodicidade de dores relatadas, e notou-se tendência significativa para a diminuição da intensidade das dores antes e depois do processo, e diminuição na periodicidade tanto de dores recentes como crônicas em todas as localizações descritas. Nas Escolas, foi avaliada a percepção dos clientes quanto à sua Qualidade de Vida pelo WHOQOL-BREF, antes e depois do processo de Rolfing, com resultados significativos, corroborando os resultados apontados pelos questionários. O autor considera que o utilizar questionários representa atividade mental reflexiva, e que o emprego deles serve simultaneamente a propósitos de atendimento, de pesquisa e de educação, sendo o elo metodológico entre estas dimensões do trabalho, permitindo-se, assim, alavancar a percepção da dimensão psicobiológica do Rolfing e seu valor como metodologia em psicossomática. Foi feita uma revisão e uma proposta de uma bateria de questionários que possuem dois níveis: um, de perguntas fechadas e, outro, de perguntas abertas, que podem ser usados independentemente ou acoplados, e que atuam concomitantemente na investigação dos dados e eliciam a reflexão sobre a dimensão psicobiológica: um instrumento ao mesmo tempo de pesquisa e pedagógicos