Search results

title: basal forebrain projection system and its relationship to medial dorsal thalamus and prefrontal cortex
Date Issued: 1990
Abstract: The present study investigated the basal forebrain cholinergic projection system. A double labeling retrograde transport technique was used to assess the nature of basal forebrain projections to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the mediodorsal thalamus. Rhodamine labeled latex microspheres and fluorogold, injected into MD and PFC respectively, were the tracers used for the detection of single and double labeled cells. Immunoreactivity for choline acetyl transferase (ChAT), an indicator of cholinergic cells, was performed on adjacent tissue sections. Single labeled neurons, cells which project to the MD injection site and retrogradely transport tracer material, were found in cortical regions (e.g., prefrontal, prepiriform, and insular cortex) and subcortical regions (e.g., claustrum and hypothalamus). Single labeled cells in the basal forebrain with projections to the MD were found in the substantia innominata, ventral and horizontal diagonal bands of broca, and the medial septum. Neurons single labeled from projections to PFC injection sites were thalamic nuclei, e.g., mediodorsal (dorsal, medial, and lateral sectors), centromedian, laterodorsal, and centrolateral, and BF nuclei (substantia innominata (SI), horizontal and vertical diagonal bands of broca, and medial septum). Cells in the lateral and dorsal hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area of the brainstem were also single labeled from projections to the PFC. Double labeled neurons, cells with branching axons which project both tracer materials, were not found in the basal forebrain. These results suggest that individual basal forebrain cells control either cortical or thalamic neurons and do not influence both areas at the same time. Such projection patterns allow for the possibility of very specific control of these regions for different functions. The experiment for ChAT immunoreactivity revealed no double labeled neurons, cells which contain both fluorescent tracer material and ChAT positive reaction product.

title: antidepressant properties of Tyr-MIF-1 in the water-wheel model of depression
Date Issued: 1990
Abstract: The antidepressant effects of the neuropeptide Tyr-MIF-l (Tyr-Pro-LeU-Gly-NH2) were investigated with the Nomura model of depression in mice. The findings indicate that the peptide was active in this model in spite of the variability in the data. As predicted, the results were comparable to those obtained from animals treated with naloxone, suggesting an opiate basis for the action. To improve the Nomura model's sensitivity and accuracy in predicting the effectiveness of the peptide's antidepressant action, modifications borrowed from the Porsolt model of depression were made in the procedure. These modifications involved additional stress given to the animal to facilitate the development of depression. As in the Porsolt paradigm, the animal was first exposed to one kind of stressful situation, which seemed to change the way it dealt with another form of stress in subsequent trials. The changed format led to reduced variability in the data, greater statistical significance, and improved external validity. Accordingly, future work in this area should focus on the role of pre-. experimental stress in the etiology of depression.

title: Using spaced-retrieval to improve prospective memory in Alzheimer's disease
Date Issued: 1990
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to teach a 76-year old woman with Alzheimer's disease (AD) how to use an external memory device in order to aid prospective remembering. The memory intervention used was a technique called spaced-retrieval, which involves repeated recall of a specific verbal association at increasingly longer intervals. The sUbject was to learn to look at her calendar (an external memory device) whenever she wanted to know what she had to do for the day (a prospective memory task). The goal was to achieve a seven-day retention of the verbal association. Once obtained, it was expected that the sUbject would be able to spontaneously put the verbal association into action. The subject never reached this goal. Several possible explanations are given for the obtained results, with the most probable factor being interference by psychotropic drugs used to control the symptoms of AD.

title: Anosognosia for memory deficit in Alzheimer's disease : a longitudinal approac
Date Issued: 1995
Abstract: Change in level of awareness with increasing dementia severity was studied longitudinally in 15 (6 male, 9 female) Alzheimer's disease patients. Dementia severity was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination and awareness was measured by comparing discrepancies between patient and caregiver responses on the Everyday Memory Questionnaire and the General Questionnaire. Dependent t-tests were performed, and results indicated that patients view their behavioral and mood problems but not their memory impairments as less severe than do caregivers, and that caregivers are a reliable source of information about the patient. Significant differences were not found for dementia severity between testings or for insight into memory impairment. Although the hypothesis was not disproven, this study lends, at best, weak support to the theory that anosognosia (unawareness of deficit) increases with dementia severity in Alzheimer's disease. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed for more statistically significant findings.

title: Effects of MIF-1 on consolidation and retention of an active avoidance task in aged rats
Date Issued: 1990
Abstract: MIF-1 (prolyl-Ieucyl-glycinamide), a tripeptide that has been used to modulate several forms of behavior, influences the role that the endogenous opiate system might play in the modulation of learning and memory. The results have been inconsistent, since they are strongly influenced by the specific parameters being investigated, including task, peptide, dose, organism, and age. In passive avoidance paradigms studying retention, agonist activity has been shown to interfere with performance of the task, and antagonist activity has been shown to facilitate performance (1). MIF-1 has been shown to act like an antagonist in some situations but not in others (2). Of interest in this study are the effects of MIF-1 on the consolidation and retention of an active avoidance task. Also of interest are any differential effects of MIF-1 due to the age of the organism, since age as a variable has been shown to significantly affect learning and memory (3). Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, MIF-1 was shown to impair retention when administered before the retention test, but not when given immediately after training. In Experiment 2, MIF-1 failed to show any significant effect on retention for either young or old rats. The main effect for age, however, was significant, with the aged rats showing superior performance in both learning and retention.

title: effects of an after-school computer-based intervention on perceived control
Date Issued: 1992
Abstract: The effects of an after-school computer-based intervention on children's perceived control were examined. The experimental group (n = 11) engaged in a twelve week intervention, with two ninety minute sessions each week, while a control group (n = 10) was part of the regular after-school program. The aim of the intervention was to establish an environment in which subjects would have maximal opportunities to succeed. Perceived control was measured by the Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Scale (Nowicki & Strickland, 1973), the Students' Perceptions of Control Questionnaire (Wellborn, Connell, & Skinner, 1989), and a modified version of the Students' Perceptions of Control Questionnaire, specific to the intervention domain. The scores on these measures were examined to determine if any correlation among the scales exists. Lastly, an attempt was made to compare children's attributions while engaged in activities with their scores on these measures, but too few informal, verbal attributions were made. The differences between the scores on the scales were non-significant. The children's scores on these scales were moderately correlated. Problems with methodology and suggestions for improving the intervention are discussed.

title: Effect of prior exposure to morphine in the presence or absence of pain on morphine reinforcement
Date Issued: 1995
Abstract: The addictive properties of opiates have been studied extensively using various animal models. Drugs that are abused are usually drugs that act as reinforcers. Measures of drug reinforcement in animals, therefore, may be an excellent predictor of the abuse potential in humans. Repeated exposure to opiates have been shown to alter their reinforcing efficiency, which may be related to its abuse potential. The present study used the conditioned place preference paradigm to examine whether rats that receive morphine in the presence or absence of pain show differences in morphine's subsequent efficiency to act as a reinforcer. The conditioned place preference apparatus was made of wood, with a Plexiglas lid. It consisted of a start box and two conditioning compartments, which were identical in size. One compartment was painted white with wood chips scattered on a smooth floor. The other compartment was painted black with a wire mesh floor. A grey start box allowed access to the two conditioning compartments. Rats showed no initial bias towards either compartment (39 rats preferred the black compartment and 38 rats preferred the white compartment). Starting the day following initial preference trials, morphine (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or saline was administered for four consecutive days ten minutes after a subcutaneous injection of 50 ul of 2.5% formalin or saline into the hind paw. This was followed by eight days of conditioning in which the rats were injected with morphine (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or saline and placed in the non-preferred or preferred side respectively. A separate group of rats received conditioning trials seven days after the last tolerance day to examine the effects of time delay in conditioned place preference. Conditioned place preference yielded no significant difference within each group, or between the two groups (immediate vs. delayed). However, there was a trend towards tolerance to morphine reinforcement in the rats pre-exposed to morphine in the absence of pain.

title: Child custody and visitation : the case of him verses her
Date Issued: 2000
Abstract: Child custody and parental visitation have presented difficult issues for both families and judges for many years. Many studies have been done with judges to determine how judges decide custody cases. These studies have revealed the existence of maternal preference by judges in custody cases. I wanted to determine the opinions of college students about these issues. A questionnaire was administered to 200 University of New Orleans students. The responses of men versus women were compared. The two genders differed significantly on several issues, however they did agree on a few issues. Both the differences and the similarities of the responses of the males and females have real world applications.

title: Emotional regulation and the presence of conduct problems in a sample of delinquent adolescent males
Date Issued: 2007
Abstract: This study tests several predictions related to the role of emotional regulation in identifying a subgroup of adolescents with childhood-onset conduct problems. The study examines the effect of facilitation to distress on differences in both internal reactivity (physiological responses) and external reactivity (behavioral manifestations) for individuals with childhood-onset conduct problems. In most research dealing with subtypes of conduct problems the theories have largely focused on the role of callous-unemotional traits in determining severity of conduct problems, but failed to address the highly aggressive subgroup with low levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Eighty-eight incarcerated, adolescent (ages 13-18) boys in a moderately-urban area detention facility were tested in the current study. The sample was ethnically diverse with a majority African American (68%) participation. The sample was divided into two groups based on level of physiological reactivity to distressing stimuli during a dot-probe task. The low and high reactivity groups were divided by a mean split. The high reactivity group (n = 45) did not show significant differences from the low reactivity group (n = 41) on the majority of test variables. However, contrary to predictions, it was the low physiological reactivity group that showed highest rates of behavioral reactivity during a provocation task. Also inconsistent with past research, there were no significant differences between the two reactivity groups on callous-unemotional traits and levels of proactive aggression. Post-hoc analyses dividing the groups according to the level of CU traits helped to explain these unexpected findings. Specifically, there appeared to be two groups of youth with CU traits, one low on reactivity to distressing stimuli and another high on reactivity to distressing stimuli. The first group was low on reactivity to distressing stimuli and high on CU traits and demonstrated expected results to those found in past studies for youth high on CU traits. This group reported high rates of aggression on a computer task and had histories with high rates of aggression, violence and past arrests. The second group that was high on reactivity to distress stimuli and high for CU traits had the highest rates of self-reported aggression but showed less aggressive responding to provocation during the computer task and had the second lowest rate of arrests. The importance of these results for future research defining subtypes of youth with conduct problems is discussed.

title: Relational aggression and social skills : do they predict peer status?
Date Issued: 2004
Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between relational aggression. peer status, and social skills. Predictions were: girls would be more relationally aggression than boys, social skills and relational aggression would be related to sociometric status. and social skills would contribute to whether children with relational aggression are nominated controversial or rejected. Participants (N=79) consisted of boys and girls aged 8-12 from a local elementary school. Assessment of relational aggression, social skills. and sociometric status were obtained through self-and teacher-reports, and peer nominations. No gender differences were found for relational aggression, regardless of informant. However, relational aggression differences were found for all sociometric groups except rejected, and relational aggression was related to social skills. In addition, poor-social-skill/controversial children had the highest levels of relational aggression, good-social-skill/controversial had moderate levels of relational aggression, and non-controversial had the lowest levels of relational aggression, regardless of social skills. Areas for further research are discussed.

title: Memory problems in traumatic brain injury while controlling for effort on the Weschler Memory Scale-III
Date Issued: 2006
Abstract: The present study consists of sixty traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients placed into one of three groups: good effort mild TBI, poor effort mild TBI, and good effort moderate/severe TBI. Memory performance on the Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) was examined among the groups while controlling for effort. Results showed that mild TBI patients who had demonstrated good effort did not perform significantly differently from what would be expected of a normal control group. Good effort moderate/severe TBI patients scored significantly lower than normal on only one index of the WMS-III while the poor effort mild TBI patients performed significantly worse on all eight indices.

title: Coping with being bullied : how the responses that children generate relate to how they actually cope when victimized
Date Issued: 2005
Abstract: Recently, there has been a growing interest in the role that the targets of bullies play in bullying. One area currently being studied is how victims respond to victimization experiences and how these responses can be altered. An important step in altering how potential victims respond to victimization is changing how they think about responding. Consequently, research focuses on examining the relations between the responses children think about enacting and their actual behaviors. Additionally, this study looks at the number of responses that different groups of children generate and if different groups of children generate different types of potential responses to victimization experiences. Previous studies have not looked at these associations. Correlations revealed that the cognitive generation of externalizing coping response options is significantly associated with externalizing coping behaviors, r = .15; p > .05. Contrary to expectations, there is no significant difference between the types of responses cognitively generated by bullies, victims, bully-victims, and control children when bullied. However, bully-victims are more likely than their non-aggressive peers to generate an externalizing response as the first coping behavior on a list of potential responses.

title: Is the presence of twins in a home a contributor to stress?
Date Issued: 1993
Abstract: Approximately 700 mothers of twins and singletons were surveyed to gather information on whether the presence of twins in the home is a contributor to stress. Subjects were members of the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs, Inc., and volunteer mothers of singletons whom each mother of twins had solicited for the study. A four-part questionnaire was self-administered in counter-balanced order to gather information such as demographic background, specific stress factors, coping strategies, and the mothers' relationships with their children. The data showed that the most frequent daily hassles and coping strategies were the same for both groups. They each appeared to have the same levels of stress, and both groups indicated both positive and negative responses to relationships. A review of the literature and results of this survey indicated more research is needed on the effects of the presence of twins in the home. Particular stressors should be identified, appropriate coping mechanisms developed, and key terms operationally defined.

title: Religiosity as a moderator of the violent media effect on aggression, aggressive cognition, and prosocial behavior
Date Issued: 2006
Abstract: Considerable research has examined the relation between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior. The majority of this research has shown that the consumption of violent media can lead to aggressive behavior. One of the proposed mechanisms for why this causal connection occurs is that violent media primes aggressive "scripts" or thought patterns and these cognitions subsequently contribute to aggressive behavior in the media observer (Anderson et al., 2003). This research is in accord with cognitive research, which has demonstrated that cognitive beliefs guide behavior (Huesmann & Guerra, 1997). In addition, research suggests that religious ideas or cognitive schemas may also have an impact on behavior. For example, research has shown a link between religious self-understanding and prosocial personality (Furrow, King & White, 2004). However, religious beliefs have not been considered with respect to how they might affect the link between violent media consumption and aggressive behavior. Prosocial religious beliefs might influence how violent media are interpreted and therefore lessen the detrimental effects of such media. For this honors thesis project, a survey was constructed using a variety of scales measuring exposure to violent media; social behavior (aggressive and altruistic); religious beliefs, identity, and frequency of religious practice; and hostile worldviews. This questionnaire was developed to examine associations among media violence exposure, aggressive behavior, religiosity, and prosocial behavior, and to explore whether religiosity modifies relations between media violence exposure and social behavior. Specifically, analysis focused on whether individuals with high religiosity scores were less likely to exhibit aggressive behavior in the context of high media violence exposure than were individuals with low religiosity scores. This interaction would lend support to the idea that religious beliefs might buffer the negative influence of violent media on religious observers. Such findings would suggest that the prosocial guidelines that many religious faiths offer could act as a "shield" against the violent and antisocial messages of many types of media. This study might therefore have implications for reducing the adverse effects of violent media consumption among children by illuminating the importance of holding prosocial religious beliefs.

title: Attributions and strategy training in mildly and moderately mentally retarded students
Date Issued: 1993
Abstract: The relationship between attributions and strategy use in mentally retarded students was examined. Eight moderately and twelve mildly retarded students from a New Orleans special school participated in the study. These students were given attribution questionnaires at pretest (prior to strategy training) and again at posttest (after strategy training). It was predicted that students having greater effort attributions would show more strategy use. It was also predicted that these students would show more non-effort attributions prior to strategy training and that they would give more effort attribution after strategy training. Only the first hypothesis was supported by the data. Possible methodological problems and suggestions for future research are discussed.

title: personality and neuropsychological comparison of premeditated- and impulsive-aggressive psychiatric outpatients
Date Issued: 1999
Abstract: Aggression has been a major concern of human societies throughout history. Although widely studied, there is no one accepted definition of aggression. Leonard Berkowitz has stated that aggression is most frequently defined as "the intentional injury of another" (Berkowitz, 1974). As his and others' works demonstrate, aggression does not necessarily have to be intentional, and thus this common understanding of aggression is invalid. More recent definitions represent attempts at being more precise, but are actually quite vague. Gerda Siarm states that aggression "involves the intention to hurt or emerge superior to others, does not necessarily involve physical injury, may or may not be underpinned by different kinds of motives and is not always negatively sanctioned" (Siann, 1985). This definition, along with similar definitions, clearly demonstrates the dire need for further research on aggression.

title: development of a mental status examination for children
Date Issued: 1993
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to develop a mental Status Examination (DSE) for children. The DSE was specifically designed to assess aspects of early childhood development that are not assessed by standardized tests such as I.Q. tests or adaptive behavior scales. Norms were collected for first, third, and fifth graders, and the-validity of the DSE was assessed through teacher ratings, parent ratings on the Achenbach, and expert ratings. The results indicate that the DSE can accurately distinguish the developmental status of first graders from that of third graders and fifth graders. However, the DSE appears to be inappropriate for use with fifth graders, who performed at ceiling level on the DSE. The validity assessments indicate good construct, convergent, and divergent validity. The major benefit of the DSE, in contrast to standard Mental Status Examinations, is that it allows a clinician to assess objectively a child's developmental status.

title: Adult relational aggression, parental psychological control, and children's adjustment
Date Issued: 2004
Abstract: Extant research of relational aggression has focused on behavior of children and adolescents, with very few studies conducted to examine this construct in adults. Self report questionnaires were used to assess adult relational aggression and parental psychological control (N=52). Teachers reported on children's externalizing behavior, internalizing symptoms, and relational aggression (N=43). Correlational analyses showed that parents who are relationally aggressive with peers are more likely to be psychologically controlling with their children. In agreement with previous research, analyses showed that children's relational aggression is related to their externalizing problem behavior and internalizing symptoms as reported by their teachers.

title: Rewarding affective properties of testosterone in nucleus accumbens
Date Issued: 1995
Abstract: The present study examined the hypothesis that intra-accumbens injections of testosterone produce rewarding effects using a conditioned place preference paradigm. Male rats underwent 4 days each of saline or testosterone (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 ug) pairings, and were assigned and confined to a compartment for 30 minutes post injection. On the test day no hormones were injected and rats were allowed access to the entire apparatus for 20 minutes. The amount of time spent in the compartments was recorded. Rats displayed a preference for an environment paired with intraaccumbens injections of testosterone. The findings indicate that the nucleus accumbens mediates the rewarding affective properties of testosterone. These effects may mediate the role of the hormone in enhancing sexual motivation and mood and may underlie the addictive properties of steroid hormones.

title: Conduct disorder and anxiety : differences among childhood-onset, adolescent-onset and delayed-onset youth
Date Issued: 2001
Abstract: Research examining conduct disorder and antisocial behavior has provided valuable insight into juvenile delinquency. Although classification due to age-of-onset is most accepted, other classifications of conduct disorder have been proposed. When children with conduct disorder are separated into the two dimensions of psychopathy, namely callous and unemotional traits and impulsive conduct problems, different relationships among variables are present, especially when conduct disorder co-occurs with another disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among callous and unemotional traits, impulsive conduct problems and anxiety. The main prediction was that callous and unemotional traits would be negatively correlated with anxiety and impulsive conduct problems would be positively correlated with anxiety. It was also hypothesized that a suppression effect would exist when both callous and unemotional and impulsive conduct problems were present. Results indicate that callous and unemotional traits were negatively correlated with anxiety for boys with both childhood-onset and adolescent-onset of conduct problems, whereas impulsive conduct problems were positively correlated with anxiety only for childhood-onset boys. There does not appear to be a relationship between psychopathic traits and anxiety for girls. Importantly, no suppression effect was apparent for any group of children. These results indicate that it is adequate to predict levels of anxiety from psychopathic traits in childhood-onset boys only. In addition, results indicate that there is a complex relationship between psychopathic traits and anxiety that may differ by gender and age-of-onset. vi

Louisiana Digital Library

Islandora advanced search

Islandora sort

Pages

Pages

Islandora Collection Search

Contact the Louisiana Digital Library

Permissions/rights/reproduction and information requests:

Technical assistant/site support

About the Louisiana Digital Library (LDL)

LDC Board Meetings

LDC Membership Meetings

LDL Advisory Committee Meetings