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Doctor of Clinical Psychology / Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms occur in a variety of clinical conditions, but the underlying pathogenesis of these symptoms remains elusive. Few neuropsychological investigations have compared idiopathic Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with patient groups where OC symptoms are acquired. The present study investigated the neuropsychological correlates of OC symptoms in OCD and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a neurodegenerative illness in which OC symptoms are often acquired. Neuroimaging in OCD has consistently implicated the frontal-striatal-thalamic circuit, particularly the orbitofrontal cortex and basal ganglia. These areas overlap considerably with the sites of cerebral pathology found in FTD. OCD has been associated with a number of neuropsychological deficits, with most consistent findings pointing towards impaired executive function (EF), and less commonly reported deficits in visual memory and visuospatial ability. The neuropsychological hallmark of FTD is deficits in EF. However in both OCD and FTD, the relationship between cognitive deficits and OC symptoms remains unclear. Further, the extent to which OC symptoms are comparable between the groups is ambiguous. Part I of the present study compared 19 OCD subjects to 20 age, education and IQ-matched healthy controls on a battery of neuropsychological tests of all major cognitive domains with emphasis on EF. A measure of Theory of Mind (ToM) thought to be sensitive to orbitofrontal function was also administered. OCD subjects performed worse than controls on a measure of visual memory, visuospatial reasoning and on only one measure of EF. OCD symptom subtypes, as measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI), were not correlated with any cognitive deficits. No group differences in ToM were found. It is suggested that prior research has overestimated the severity and significance of EF deficits in OCD. Part II of the study compared 9 FTD participants with 10 matched healthy controls on the same neuropsychological test battery and OC symptom measures. In addition, a measure of compulsive behaviours used in neurological populations was administered to carers. While the incidence of OC symptoms was comparable to reports in previous studies (78%), the OCI was not sensitive in the detection of OC symptoms in FTD. The similarities and differences in OC symptoms between the two patient groups are discussed.

Previous research has shown a relationship between prenatal teratogenic exposure and impaired cognitive functioning. However, data regarding the long-term outcome of prenatal teratogenic exposure are minimal. The present study investigated the long-term neuropsychological functioning (specifically attention and memory) of adults prenatally exposed to alcohol or phenylalanine, and examined whether there was evidence to suggest that there are effects specific to individual teratogens. Using a battery of attention and memory measures the performance of 17 adults diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and 13 adults with Maternal Phenylketonuria Syndrome (MPKUS) was assessed. In order to identify the pattern of deficits associated with prenatal teratogenic exposure, an age and CA and IQ matched control group was assessed. Attention was broadly assessed using Mirsky et al.'s (1991) neuropsychological model of attention. The memory and learning tests administered included a number of well standardized measures of verbal learning, verbal and visual recall, delayed recall, and recognition. Paired comparisons between the FAS group and age and CA and IQ matched controls indicated a unique pattern of attention and memory deficits consistent with previous research with children and adolescents. Specifically, adult individuals with FAS appear to have deficits in acquisition of new material, delayed recall of verbal material and in response inhibition. Paired comparisons between the MPKUS group and CA and IQ matched controls indicated that the pattern of attention and memory deficits seen in adults with MPKUS is difficult to distinguish when the effect of IQ is removed. A randomized block design using IQ as the blocking variable and group (FAS, MPKUS, or Controls) as the treatment variable was utilized to examine the question of whether the two prenatal teratogen groups differ from one another and from Controls in terms of attention and memory ability. Ten blocks of three participants (FAS, MPKUS and Control) matched on IQ were formed. The randomized block analyses revealed few differences between the groups and failed to reveal a number of the differences found in the paired comparisons between the prenatal teratogen groups and the CA and IQ matched Control group. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.

Doctor of Clinical Psychology / Obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms occur in a variety of clinical conditions, but the underlying pathogenesis of these symptoms remains elusive. Few neuropsychological investigations have compared idiopathic Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) with patient groups where OC symptoms are acquired. The present study investigated the neuropsychological correlates of OC symptoms in OCD and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a neurodegenerative illness in which OC symptoms are often acquired. Neuroimaging in OCD has consistently implicated the frontal-striatal-thalamic circuit, particularly the orbitofrontal cortex and basal ganglia. These areas overlap considerably with the sites of cerebral pathology found in FTD. OCD has been associated with a number of neuropsychological deficits, with most consistent findings pointing towards impaired executive function (EF), and less commonly reported deficits in visual memory and visuospatial ability. The neuropsychological hallmark of FTD is deficits in EF. However in both OCD and FTD, the relationship between cognitive deficits and OC symptoms remains unclear. Further, the extent to which OC symptoms are comparable between the groups is ambiguous. Part I of the present study compared 19 OCD subjects to 20 age, education and IQ-matched healthy controls on a battery of neuropsychological tests of all major cognitive domains with emphasis on EF. A measure of Theory of Mind (ToM) thought to be sensitive to orbitofrontal function was also administered. OCD subjects performed worse than controls on a measure of visual memory, visuospatial reasoning and on only one measure of EF. OCD symptom subtypes, as measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI), were not correlated with any cognitive deficits. No group differences in ToM were found. It is suggested that prior research has overestimated the severity and significance of EF deficits in OCD. Part II of the study compared 9 FTD participants with 10 matched healthy controls on the same neuropsychological test battery and OC symptom measures. In addition, a measure of compulsive behaviours used in neurological populations was administered to carers. While the incidence of OC symptoms was comparable to reports in previous studies (78%), the OCI was not sensitive in the detection of OC symptoms in FTD. The similarities and differences in OC symptoms between the two patient groups are discussed.

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disease. It belongs to the most common type of dementia and worldwide it is statistically the fifth cause of mortality. The most common morphological markers are insoluble β amyloid plaques, hyperphosforylated tau proteins and formation of neurofibrilar tangles. Among the manifestations of the disease is amyloid angiopathy, synaptic transmission disorders and subsequent apoptosis, deterioration of cognitive functions and brain atrophy. Studies have shown that administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) has an immunomodulatory effects and it can reduce the production and storage of β amyloid and thus improve cognitive functions. In preclinical studies, which are conducted in transgenic mice and often use xenografts, administration of immunosuppresion may lead to variety of positive or negative effects which can affect the results of the experiment. The subject of the master's thesis was to determine the effect of immunosuppression on experimental therapy with MSC in various time windows of AD progression (model 3xTg). At which scale and combination of immunosupression will influence the cell therapy's effects, the length of graft survival, mortality of experimental animals and changes at the cellular level. We have also assessed...