Relationship between automatically analyzed quantitative EEG data and psychological performance parameters in patients with epilepsy

A report is given on results of comprehensive studies in which significant positive correlations between automatically analysed parameters reflecting the frequency behaviour of the EEG background activity and psychometrically recorded relatively complex psychic and psychomotoric tempo performances as well as some partial aspects of the re-adjustment capability in epileptics were found. EEG indicator values could be ascertained which point to psychic performance disturbances in epileptics.     

Some psychological correlates of generalized and focal epilepsy in children

School-aged children with two types of epilepsy, generalized and focal, were compared with normal children of the same age, sex, and IQ on measures of cognitive style, attention, motor control, and behavioral pathology. Epileptic children were found to employ less efficient cognitive strategies and to have longer reaction times and poorer control of fine motor movements than have normal children. Children with generalized epilepsy were more impaired than were normal children when sustained motor performance was required. Mothers of children with generalized epilepsy reported more behavior problems than did control mothers on an objective checklist. These results suggest special educational methods for the treatment and education of epileptic children.The research reported in this paper was supported by Grant No. MA-45O5 from the Medical Research Council of Canada. Grateful thanks are extended to Dr. Katherine Metrakos, Director of the Convulsive Disorder Clinic, Montreal Children's Hospital, who screened epileptic subjects and gave us her enthusiastic support. The Diagnostic Test Center was most helpful in providing blood serum levels on the clinical sample. We wish to thank the Notre Dame de Grace and Westmount branches of the Y.M.C.A. for access to control subjects.     

Extent of psychological differentiation and creativity.

Among the extensive array of studies relating Witkin's construct of psychological differentiation to many psychological functions and variables, none seem to have adequately tested its relationship to creativity, although these two variables have personality traits and development characteristics in common and require similar skills for effective performance. Eighty-five male high school students were separated according to Embedded Figures Test, and the extreme groups tested for creativity by eight factorially pure tests developed by Guilford, and by Schaefer and Anastasi's Biographical Inventory. Statistical procedures included analysis of covariance, analysis of variance, and a matrix of intercorrelations. With intelligence controlled, field-independent persons performed significantly better than field-dependent persons on measures of visualization, spontaneous flexibility, adaptive flexibility, and creativity in mathematics and science but not significantly better on the other six creativity tests.     

Specific aspects of psychological disorders of performance in children with epilepsy

We examined 49 normal intelligent epileptic and parallelised in sex, age and intelligence just as much healthy and 14 minimal cerebral damaged children without seizures. Using a psychological test battery psychic/psychomotor speed, flexibility/preservation proneness, memory span and memory and concentration were registrated. Besides reduced memory performances we found a deceleration of psychic/psychomotor speed as primary basic disorder within the performance structure of epileptic children analogous to our previous examined adults. The tridimensional comparison suggests remarkable psychopathological differences among the two groups of patients.     

Interictal and postictal performances on dichotic listening test in children with focal epilepsy

Dichotic listening test (DL) is an important tool to disclose speech dominance in healthy subjects and in clinical cases. The aim of this study was to probe if focal epilepsy in children reveals a corresponding suppression of the ear reports contralateral to seizure onset site. Thus, 15 children and adolescents with clinically and electroencephalographically diagnosed focal epilepsy selected for left-hemisphere speech dominance without mental retardation were compared to matched controls according to age, gender, IQ and handedness. All children were assessed with DL for three times: Interictally (t(0)), postictally 5' (t(1)) and 1h (t(2)). At t(0), all groups revealed a right ear advantage (REA), indicating a left-hemisphere speech dominance. There was a continuous increase in right correct score (REC) over the trials for normal controls. Five minutes postictally, there was an abrupt decrease in REC with a sustained left ear correct score (LEC) for children with epilepsy, independent of which side suffered from seizures. This effect was maintained even after 1h. Thus, in children with left-hemisphere speech dominance the epileptic discharges caused a suppression of REC regardless of origin. The seizures may have a prolonged impact on attention and auditory perception for a considerable time after consciousness has been regained.     

Clinical and psychological test studies of the psychopathology of epilepsy

46 patients with generalised epilepsy and 67 patients with partial epilepsy were examined in respect of basic psychopathological symptoms in the stricter sense: rate reduction, viscosity, and perseveration. Comparison of the groups of patients classified pathologically with 34 healthy control subjects enabled psychopathological calibration of the battery of tests involved. This is turn resulted in differentiated the presentation of the influence on the basic psychic symptoms of epilepsy as such and the nature and frequency of attacks. The concept of different pathogenesis for the phenomenologically different symptoms viscosity and perseveration is discussed.     

Structural and functional imaging in children with partial epilepsy

Imaging plays an increasingly important role in the evaluation of children with complex partial seizures. Most partial epilepsy, especially of temporal lobe origin, begins during childhood. Structural imaging with high-resolution MRI can help identify the etiology of partial seizure disorders in many children. MRI studies also show the more widespread effect of seizures on brain structure. Progressive volume loss of the hippocampal formation in some patients with temporal lobe epilepsy provides evidence that continued seizures may be associated with progressive neuronal injury. FDG-PET studies show regional decreases in glucose consumption in the cortical zone from which seizures arise. Functional abnormalities often are more extensive than the seizure focus. Studies in children with recent-onset epilepsy show that metabolic abnormalities are considerably less common than in adults with partial epilepsy, supporting the notion that in some patients there may be progressive metabolic changes that occur with continued seizures. Functional MRI may be used to identify language areas in children with partial epilepsy. fMRI language tasks reliably identify the dominant hemisphere for language dominance when compared to the intracarotid amytal procedure. Tests of verbal fluency and semantic decision identify frontal lobe language areas, while reading text paradigms and auditory passage paradigms are better for identifying temporal language areas. A panel of paradigms is best used to identify language areas in children being considered for epilepsy surgery. fMRI is a valuable tool for elucidating the impact of chronic neurologic disease states on the functional organization of language networks during development.     

A cross-cultural examination of psychological differentiation in males and females1

A review of cross-cultural studies of sex differences in field dependence-independence reveals that ecological, social-conformity, and possibly biological pressures account for such differences in performance as are found between the sexes. The ecological model (pertaining particularly to non-westernized, subsistence-economy groups) is seen as the most parsimonious of the three models put forth, as it includes the other two models within it by implication. Mechanisms by which each of these factors may operate and suggestions for further research in each of these areas are advanced.     

Change in self-concept differentiation after psychotherapy and its relation to psychological maladjustment

The research was carried out with a group of 105 psychotherapy participants, diagnosed with neurosis or personality disorders, and 36 controls. Analysis supported the hypotheses that self-concept differentiation (SCD) decreases after psychotherapeutic interventions and that the reduction in SCD is positively correlated with an improvement in neurotic symptoms and neurotic personality traits.     

The relationship between Holland's SDS differentiation scale and psychological adjustment

The study examined the relationship between Holland's SDS differentiation scales and indices of psychological adjustment on the MMPI. The independent variables were: degree of differentiation as calculated with an Iachan Index, and level of differentiation derived from averaging the six SDS summary profile scores. Two indices of the dependent variable, psychological adjustment, were used: the ego-strength score and the average elevation of eight clinical scales on the MMPI. Fifty-one subjects were recruited. Two multiple regression. analyses revealed a nonsignificant R² of 0.01. The results indicated that the SDS career interest differentiation scales were not related to the MMPI indices, and do not appear useful in predicting degree of psychological adjustment. This finding challenges Holland's theoretical contention that individuals who are undifferentiated may be in need of personal counseling. A second finding was the successful use of the SDS with residential psychiatric patients.     

Attentional control in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Across different studies, patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) demonstrate impairments on numerous measures of attentional control that are classically associated with frontal lobe functioning. One aspect of attentional control that has not been examined in TLE is the ability to execute two modality‐specific tasks concurrently. We sought to examine the status of dual‐task coordination in TLE. We further examined the cohorts' performance on a range of traditional measures of attentional control. Eighteen TLE patients and 22 healthy controls participated in the study. Dual‐task performance involved comparing the capacity to execute a tracking and a digit recall task simultaneously with the capacity to execute the tasks separately. We also administered measures of: set shifting (odd‐man‐out test), sustained attention (elevator counting), selective attention (elevator counting with distraction), and divided attention (trail making test). We found that the proportional decrement in dual‐task performance relative to single‐task performance did not vary between the groups (TLE = 92.48%; controls = 93.70%), nor was there a significant difference in sustained attention (p > .10). Patients with TLE did demonstrate marked deficits in selective attention (p < .0001), divided attention (p < .01), and set shifting (p < .01). These findings add to the knowledge about cognitive dysfunction in TLE, indicating that impairments in attentional control in TLE tend to be selective. The greatest deficits appear to be on tasks that invoke a high level of processing resources. In contrast, sustained attention is less compromised and the capacity to allocate cognitive resources appears to be normal in patients with TLE.     

Peculiar aspects of reading and writing performances in patients with olivopontocerebellar atrophy

Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) is a still debated condition, of which motor disruption is the most common feature. A high incidence of associated mood disorders may exist, but there are few studies on concomitant cognitive impairment. Our aim was to assess whether there is reading and writing disruption in olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA). 6 patients were administered different reading and writing tasks. Scores were then compared to those obtained by healthy volunteers. There was an evident impairment in reading and writing execution in our patients compared to those of the control group. On the contrary, no difference could be found in abstraction, problem-solving, and memory tasks. We discuss the results, debating the role of the cerebellum in the conscious process of cognition or in ocular movement control (necessary for reading and writing fluidity and effective execution) and in the dynamic activation of all the cerebral cortex mediated by the diffuse projection to the reticular system.     

Retention of orienting reaction habituation in patients with postmeningoencephalitic epilepsy

A polygraphic study on habituation of the somatic, autonomic, and EEG components of the orienting reaction elicited by a repetitive auditory stimulus during successive (weekly) sessions was performed in 29 patients with postmeningoencephalic epilepsy (PME) and in 116 control subjects. The study evidenced significant retention disturbances of orienting reaction habituation (i.e., of learning), the “saving” of stimulation, achieved from one session to another to obtain the habituation criterion, being lesser in PME patients than in control subjects. The severity of habituation retention disturbances depended on seizure frequency, electroclinical form, and history, as well as on features of EEG tracings.