Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2001. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-01, Section: B, page: 0543. Chair: Christopher A. Capuano. Available also in print.

Seven boys between the ages of 7 and 12 with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), some also with Specific Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or elevated aggression scales on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), were involved in this study of the effectiveness of EEG Biofeedback for the remediation of ADHD. A multiple-baseline design with an embedded ABAB component was used to compare baseline, 12-15 Hz Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) EEG Biofeedback (“active”) and single-blind sham feedback (“placebo”) conditions. Seven dependent variables including the ADHD Rating Scale, Child Attention Profile, Children's Checking Task, Controlled Oral Word Fluency Test, paired associate learning and continuous performance tasks were combined as z-scores into a single composite repeated measure. Visual and multiple baseline analyses were inconclusive. The primary analysis was by randomisation test with statistical control for overall trend. Randomisation test results were combined across five subjects (two subjects having failed to complete the study) using techniques for combining independent probabilities; for the combined group the placebo vs. active contrast was significant (p < 0.02) with the active conditions displaying the more improved scores. An examination of effect sizes by subject and condition showed that the placebo vs. active contrast was significant (p < 0.05, based on the confidence intervals for effect estimates) with a large effect size if trend was ignored and the two “drop-outs” were excluded but non-significant with a small effect size if overall trend was controlled, and the two drop-outs included. Effect sizes calculated pre-post were medium on average, and Reliable Change Indices for CBCL parent rated attention were significant for five subjects (p < 0.001). There was no improvement in academic performance as assessed by pre-post Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised. There was no significant effect of condition on EEG Theta/SMR ratio, although there were some significant correlations with individual dependent variables. Four of six children continued to improve on the composite score from the end of the study to six-month follow-up. Results were discussed in light of non-specific treatment effects such as tacit behavioural training, Fried's respiration hypothesis, the cognitive energetic model of attention and confounds due to trend and subject mortality. It was concluded that EEG biofeedback appears to have beneficial effects on ADHD symptoms but these are due largely to non-specific treatment factors and confounds such as regression to the mean. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

Antipsychotic drugs have been previously shown to affect the level and mRNA of specific neuropeptides. The effects of these drugs on the activity and function of peptide-degrading enzymes, or neuropeptidases, have not been systematically characterized. In the present studies, the effects of antipsychotics and other dopaminergic drugs on the degradation of neuropeptides that regulate dopamine neurons, activity of specific neuropeptidases and levels of neuropeptidase mRNA in rat brain regions were determined. Subchronic (7 day) administration of the antipsychotic and dopamine receptor antagonists, haloperidol (1 mg/kg) and chlorpromazine (20 mg/kg) regionally decreased whereas the dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine (5 mg/kg, every 12 hr), increased the degradation of substance P and met-enkephalin on intact, rat brain slices. Cholecystokinin degradation was not affected by any drug treatment studied. Studies performed with specific neuropeptidase inhibitors provided evidence that neutral endopeptidase 24.11, aminopeptidase N, metalloendopeptidase 24.15 and angiotensin converting enzyme degrade substance P and/or met-enkephalin and may be affected in vivo by dopaminergic drug treatment. Therefore, the activity of these neuropeptidases was determined using specific enzyme assays on regional, P2 membranes after drug administration. Subchronic administration of haloperidol and apomorphine differentially affected the activity of aminopeptidase N and neutral endopeptidase 24.11. The activity of metalloendopeptidase 24.15 and angiotensin converting enzyme was largely unaffected by experimental treatments. Determination of the molecular mechanism of the drug-induced alterations in aminopeptidase N and neutral endopeptidase 24.11 activity was attempted by analyzing neuropeptidase mRNA levels. RNase protection assays showed only an increase in aminopeptidase N mRNA in the caudate-putamen after apomorphine administration, where the largest drug-induced alteration in neuropeptidase activity was also observed. Therefore, changes in neuropeptidase gene transcription may play a role in altered neuropeptidase activity. However, it is likely that alterations in post-transcriptional events have a larger role in the effects observed during the present studies. The present work demonstrates further alterations in neuropeptide systems induced by drugs that interact with dopaminergic receptors. In view of the regulatory actions of neuropeptides on dopamine neurons, alterations in the activity and function of neuropeptidases, and thus neuropeptide degradation can, in turn, play a role in modulating brain dopaminergic activity.

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Indoor group cycling (IGC) is a popular type of aerobic activity performed on a stationary bike, combining both mental and physical aspects of training through the use of imagery (Johnny G. Spinning Instructor Manual, 1999). Thompson, Durand-Bush, & O'Sullivan, (2003) investigated the different types of imagery cues provided by instructors and their effects on the overall IGC experience. However, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of imagery cues provided by IGC instructors, as perceived by class participants. The sample included four certified IGC instructors and 15 class participants. The instructors were videotaped while teaching their IGC class, after which class participants completed a questionnaire, took part in a stimulated recall session (Calderhead, 1981), and participated in a semi-structured interview to assess the effectiveness of the imagery cues provided by the instructors. Nine categories and three sub-categories of cues were provided in varying frequencies by the instructors however, the class participants found only certain types to be effective. They preferred simple cues that were given following a logical progression and were synchronized with the music. Several practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to examine the mutual effects of the concurrent performance of a spatial memory task (spatial span forward and backward of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III) and postural balance task (standing on a compliant surface) in seniors with good and poor balance. Furthermore, the purpose is to determine if these interference effects are similar if using a verbal memory task (letter number sequencing of the Wechsler Memory Scale-III) rather than a spatial memory task, or a finger tapping task rather than a postural balance task. Sixty-one participants were recruited from seniors' residences and the community. Twenty-nine were assigned to the poor balance group (mean age 72.93) and 32 were assigned to the good balance group (mean age 80.78) based on their scores on the Berg Balance Scale. Subjects were asked to conduct the spatial and verbal memory tasks while sitting, standing, and finger tapping. Four measures of balance were computer from Kistler force plate data: range of center of pressure in the anteriorposterior (Range A-P) and the mediolateral (Range M-L) directions; and root means square of center of pressure in the anteriorposterior (RMS A-P) and mediolateral (RMS M-L) directions. Finger tapping rate was measured with an electronic counter. Interference effects differed for the verbal and the spatial memory tasks. Specifically, postural balance was spared interference when paired with the spatial memory task, but not when paired with the verbal memory task. This pattern of interference was different when a finger tapping task was substituted for a balance task, and could not be explained by a unitary model of attentional resources or a multiple resources model. A new model of attentional resources was presented which better explains the results of the current study as well as the results of previous studies.

Breast cancer has changed in recent years from a terminal condition to a chronic disease, which can significantly impact a couple's relationship and overall adjustment. The first objective was to survey the shared and reciprocally determined adjustment processes which unfold within couples who face breast cancer. Attachment theory was then used as the grounding framework to both understand interpersonal dynamics and to provide a rationale for offering empirically-supported Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) to couples experiencing unremitting psychological and relational distress following diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. The second objective involved evaluating the clinical efficacy of EFT on couples' psychological adjustment and patients' Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity (NKCC)---an important immune parameter implicated in control of metastatic disease. Twelve couples were randomized to receive either twenty sessions of EFT or Psycho-education (PE). A multiple baseline experimental design across couples was used. Results indicated that, compared to couples randomized to PE, those who received EFT evidenced more variation on outcome variables following EFT. Specifically, more than 50% of couples who received EFT evidenced clinically significant improvement in dyadic adjustment, and quality of life, as well as attenuation in mood disturbance and trauma symptoms. Women randomized to EFT evidenced more variation in response to treatment, with half of the sample experiencing small, but clinically irrelevant up regulation, in NKCC, while the other half showed clinically significant down-regulation in NKCC. Women receiving PE showed no changes in NKCC. More importantly, shifts in NKCC were in keeping with trajectories in dyadic adjustment and clinical events unfolding during the course of treatment. Findings provided initial support for offering EFT to couples experiencing emotional and relational following diagnosis and treatment of early breast cancer. Changes observed in NKCC, though in keeping with established relationships with psychological distress, were more tentative in nature.