The object of this study was to investigate the adequacy of a test battery for the differential diagnosis of early schizophrenia. A test battery consisting of a physiological test of autonomic nervous system reactivity, psychological tests of abstract-concrete attitude and the Sc (schizophrenia) scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory was administered to an experimental group of 50 early schizophrenics and a control group of 50 patients suffering a functional disorder other than schizophrenia. Each subject of both groups was on his (her) first admission to a psychiatric institution. The groups were matched on the basis of age, sex and IQ. The test battery was found to statistically differentiate the two groups at the 2 per cent level and beyond, indicating that the test battery is adequate for differential diagnosis of early schizophrenia. No relationship was established for the expected correlation between autonomic nervous system hyporeactivity, impairment on tests of abstract-concrete attitude and an abnormal trend in the schizoid direction as measured by the Sc scale of the MMPI. It had been suggested that associative and affective functions in schizophrenia are impaired in a related fashion. The hypothesis that combination of loss of abstraction ability, schizoid personality trend and physiological phenomenon interpreted as "release" of the autonomic nervous system from higher (cortical) control was not confirmed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / From an analysis of the research and clinical literature certain expectations were derived for differentiating between process and reactive patients and a normal group in emotional and cognitive response than the normal to the conflictual situations. It was further hypothesized that the process schizophrenic would evidence greater "cognitive interference" effects in stories told to conflictual stimuli than either the reactive schizophrenic or the normal and that the patterns of these conflict areas would differentiate the three groups. [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-01

Introduction: Schizophrenia (SCZ) and methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder (MPD), are psychotic disorders characterized by positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations and delusions), negative symptoms (e.g., social withdrawal, apathy), and impaired cognitive function. Despite the overlap in the clinical presentation of SCZ and MPD, no studies have compared electroencephalography (EEG) and inflammation across these two conditions. This study aimed to investigate key differences in brain electrical activity on EEG between SCZ and MPD by investigating; (1) relative frequency (alpha, theta, beta and delta) at rest; (2) cognitive performance and relative frequency activity during the continuous performance task (CPT) and cued target detection task (CTD); (3) differences in the P300 event-related potential waveform (ERP), a measure of attention, during the CPT and CTD; (4) cognitive performance and relative frequency and ERP (N170, P300) during the STROOP task, a measure of working memory and executive function; (5) the associations of (neuro) inflammatory markers with relative frequency and the P300 ERP waveform. Methods: 104 South African individuals, between the ages of 20 and 45 years, participated in this study: 69 outpatients (38 with SCZ (8 females/30 males), 31 with MPD (7 females/24 males)), and 35 healthy controls (CON: 15 females/20 males). All participants underwent a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic Systematic Manual-IV (SCID-DSM-IV), with modifications to include changes made in DSM-5. EEG band frequency oscillations were recorded during baseline conditions: resting eyes open and resting eyes closed, and cognitive tasks (CPT, CTD and the Stroop task). Blood was drawn via venepuncture and serum was used for the analysis of cytokines (interleukin (IL) -1β IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)) concentrations. Statistical analysis included assessment of normality using the Shapiro- Wilk test, with univariate one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of parametric data, and multiple independent Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA for non-parametric data (p)

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

No description available.

This study examines the relationship between attitude and outcome of 30 schizophrenic outpatients. Attitude is measured using the modes of response to psychosis proposed by MayerGross in 1920 and operationalised into questionnaire form by Soskis and Bowers (1969) and McGlashan and Carpenter (1981). The outcome is defined by the number ofrehospitalizations since the first diagnosis of schizophrenia. Results show a significant relationship between attitude and outcome. Positive attitude toward the illness and positive attitude toward the future were both significantly correlated with a positive outcome (lower rate of rehospitalization). Similarly, both negative attitudes toward the illness and negative attitude toward the future were significantly correlated with a negative outcome (higher rate of rehospitalization). There was a stronger correlation between positive attitudes and positive outcome than between negative attitudes and negative outcome. The relationship between attitude and outcome in schizophrenia is used to suggest alternative ways of conceptualizing and managing the condition. The findings of this study are also used to develop recommendations for further research. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

The present study employed the Rust Inventory of Schizotypal Cognitions (RISC) to identify an experimental group of schizotypics (as well as an appropriate control group). It was hypothesized that these individuals would show patterns on a battery of neuropsychological tests (e.g., Category Test, Tactual Performance Test, and Trails B from the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery; Expressive Speech, Memory, and Intellectual Processes Scales from the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Batter; and the Rey Complex Figure Test) similar to those exhibited by actual schizophrenics. Findings indicated that schizotypes do show a pattern of deficits on neuropsychological tests similar to those observed in diagnosed schizophrenics. These results lend validity to the RISC as an instrument for use in selecting those at-risk for schizophrenia. They also illustrate a possible neuropsychological vulnerability marker for schizophrenia. / Department of Psychological Science