Thesis (Ph.D.)--Aberdeen University, 2009. / Title from web page (viewed on July 23, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Little is understood about the origins of atypical scanpath formation in schizophrenia.  This thesis presents a series of novel investigations which aimed to characterise the viewing abnormality and its correlate in schizophrenia and to investigate a range of putative causal mechanisms. Individuals with schizophrenia and non-clinical comparison participants completed smooth pursuit and ocular fixation tasks, mood assessment scales and free-viewing of novel visual stimuli.  Patients also completed detailed clinical and neurophysical assessment. Results replicated findings of a ‘restricted’ style of visual scanning schizophrenia, characterised by reduced fixation and saccade frequency, increased fixation durations and reduced scanpath length.  Patients also demonstrated increases in medial saccade amplitude, duration and peak velocity relative to non-clinical viewers.  Viewing abnormalities were only minimally associated with clinical and demographic variables, occurred irrespective of the nature of the stimulus and conveyed high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing cases from controls. Two studies manipulated attention to the viewing task in non-clinical viewers and patients respectively and suggested atypical scanning is not entirely attributable to diminished task engagement.   Restricted scanning was associated with both heightened anxiety and increased interference by irrelevant visual features during fixation.  A possible causal role of anxiety on distractibility and thus scanpath formation is tentatively proposed.  Restricted scanpaths were associated with dimensions of neurocognitive functioning including working memory, short term verbal memory and verbal fluency.  These patterns are argued to be consistent with a role of dysfunction of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in atypical scanpath formation.  Finally, scanpath dysfunction was found to occur independently of impairments in smooth pursuit performance, suggesting the independence of neuroanatomical bases for these deficits.

by Wong Fu Keung. / Thesis (M.S.W.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references. / Acknowledgement / Abstract / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1-3 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Circumstances Leading to Problems and Stress Experienced by Caregivers of Mentally Ill --- p.4 -15 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Literature Review of the Concepts of this Study --- p.16 -45 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Literature Review of the Interrelationships of Variables Under Study --- p.46 -53 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Research Methodology --- p.54-57 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Results --- p.68 -149 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Discussions --- p.150-155 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Recommendations --- p.167 -171 / References / Chapter Appendix A --- Questionnaire (Chinese Version) / Chapter Appendix B --- Questionnaire (English Version)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-139).

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Neurology & Neurosurgery. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2009/06/09). Includes bibliographical references.

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While most people with schizophrenia face the functional consequences of a lifelong disorder, very few studies have investigated the specific domain of daily living activities performance. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationships between daily activity performance, cognitive deficits, and community functioning in people with schizophrenia. More specifically, the objectives were: 1) to describe functional limitations during daily task performance, 2) to explore the existence of subgroups of participants with similar functional limitations profiles, 3) to explore the relationships between daily task performance and cognitive functions as well as 4) with community functioning. This thesis tested the hypothesis that limitations in task performance negatively influence community functioning. / A sample of 82 individuals with schizophrenia and 28 healthy controls participated in this study and were assessed during a meal preparation task with the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis and on cognitive tests of visuospatial memory, spatial working memory, visuomotor coordination, planning and selective attention. Community functioning was assessed with the Independent living Skills Survey and the Multnomah Community Ability Scale. Limitations in the Perceive, Recall and Plan quadrants of the PRPP System, were found in participants with schizophrenia when compared to a control group (n = 28), as well as in the complete sample (n = 82). Participants in the high-efficiency subgroup ( n =36) were more independent in daily living and performed better on the visuospatial associative learning task than the low-efficiency subgroup (n = 46). At the specific level of individual profiles, participants were distributed along a continuum of low- to high-functioning on the PRPP System factors and on functional, cognitive, and clinical characteristics. / The associative learning task was most associated with task performance, along with working memory and planning. Finally, less efficient planning skills were associated with a lower level of community functioning, confirming the hypothesis. These results emphasize the relationship of associative visual memory to daily task performance, as well as that of efficiency in daily activities for residential status. Integrating these findings into the rehabilitation process will contribute to better meeting the needs of people with schizophrenia.

Background: There is currently very little research on recovery from the perspective ofindividuals with recent-onset of psychotic disorders. Forming a better understanding ofthesubjective meaning ofrecovery and recovery experiences during this early phase ofrecovery caninform effective and meaningful service design and practices.Method: Thirty individuals recovering from psychosis and receiving specialized earlyinterventiontreatment were interviewed regarding the meaning and experience of recovery frompsychosis during the early phase (2-5 years) ofthe illness course.Results: Recovery was described as a multidimensional experience that included aspects of"illness recovery," "psychological recovery," and "social recovery." Seven common earlyrecovery experiences were identified. Individual variations in the magnitude ofdescribeddisruption of self and social functioning, duration ofthe illness-acceptance process and theprocess treatment negotiation greatly influenced the experience ofrecovery.Conclusion: Differences in illness acceptance and social recovery trajectories have importantimplications for understanding individual responses to the experience ofpsychosis, its diagnosisand treatment. These differences emphasize the importance of assisting individuals with theconstruction of meaning and the reengagement in social roles following the initial illnessexperience. / Contexte: Il y a actuellement peu de recherche sur la rétablissement du point de vue d'individusaprès un premier épisode de psychose. La formation d'une meilleure compréhension de senssubjectif des expériences de rétablissement pendant cette première phase de rétablissement peutinformer le design efficace et expressif des services et des pratiques.Méthode: Trente individus se rétablissement de la psychose et recevant un traitement depremière intervention spécialisé ont été interviewés à propos du sens et de l'expérience derétablissement de la psychose pendant la première phase (2-5 ans) du cours de maladie.Résultats: La rétablissement a été décrite comme une expérience multidimensionnelle qui ainclus des aspects de "la rétablissement de maladie," "la rétablissement psychologique," et "larétablissement sociale." Identifiées ont été sept premières expériences de rétablissementcommunes. Les variations individuelles dans l'étendue de perturbation décrite de soi et defonctionnement social, la durée du processus d'acceptation de maladie et de la négociation duprocessus de traitement ont beaucoup influencé l'expérience de rétablissement.Conclusions : Les différences dans les trajectoires d'acceptation de maladie et de rétablissementsociale ont des implications importantes pour comprendre les réponses individuelles àl'expérience de psychose, sa diagnose et traitement. Ces différences accentuent l'importanced'assister les individus avec la construction de sens et avec le réengagement dans les rôlessociaux après l'expérience de maladie initiale.

Licentiatavhandling (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2006. / Härtill 2 uppsatser.

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