Genetics of neuronal migration in the cerebral cortex

The development of the cerebral cortex requires large-scale movement of neurons from areas of proliferation to areas of differentiation and adult function in the cortex proper, and the patterns of this neuronal migration are surprisingly complex. The migration of neurons is affected by several naturally occurring genetic defects in humans and mice; identification of the genes responsible for some of these conditions has recently yielded new insights into the mechanisms that regulate migration. Other key genes have been identified via the creation of induced mutations that can also cause dramatic disorders of neuronal migration. However, our understanding of the physiological and biochemical links between these genes is still relatively spotty. A number of molecules have also been studied in mice (Reelin, mDab1, and the VLDL and ApoE2 receptors) that appear to represent part of a coherent signaling pathway that regulates migration, because multiple genes cause an indistinguishable phenotype when mutated. On the other hand, two human genes that cause lissencephaly (LIS1, DCX) encode proteins that have recently been implicated as regulators or microtubule dynamics. This article reviews some of the mutant phenotypes in light of the mechanisms of neuronal migration. MRDD Research Reviews 6:34-40, 2000.     

Severity of Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Poor and Typical Readers

The purpose of this study was to examine the severity of behavioral and emotional problems among adolescents with poor and typical single word reading ability (N = 188) recruited from public schools and followed for a median of 2.4 years. Youth and parents were repeatedly assessed to obtain information regarding the severity and course of symptoms (depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, aggression, delinquent behaviors, inattention), controlling for demographic variables and diagnosis of ADHD. After adjustment for demographic variables and ADHD, poor readers reported higher levels of depression, trait anxiety, and somatic complaints than typical readers, but there were no differences in reported self-reported delinquent or aggressive behaviors. Parent reports indicated no differences in depression, anxiety or aggression between the two groups but indicated more inattention, somatic complaints, and delinquent behaviors for the poor readers. School and health professionals should carefully assess youth with poor reading for behavioral and emotional symptoms and provide services when indicated.     

Systemic training for healthcare professionals: the Chicago Center For Family Health approach

There has been increasing interest in family-centered, collaborative, biopsychosocial models of care by health and mental health professionals and consumers. This trend has led to growing demand and development of specialized training in family systems approaches to health care. This article describes the Families, Illness, and Collaborative Healthcare programs developed at the University of Chicago affiliate, the Chicago Center for Family Health. The program philosophy is guided by the following principles: a systems orientation focused on the family, a Family Systems Illness Model, a family resilience framework, a family-centered collaborative model of health care, and a social justice and advocacy orientation. Specific training components that implement these principles are described, including intensive certificate and fellowships; workshops, conferences, and institutes; and consultation and training services for community-based organizations. Discussion includes professional networking opportunities, funding challenges, and policy recommendations.     

An analysis of response,direction, and place learning in an open field and T maze

Rats were trained to locate food in a response, direction, or place problem on an open field located at 2 positions. In Experiment 1, both the response and direction groups solved the problem. The place group failed to solve the task in approximately 300 trials. Experiment 2 demonstrated that rats need distinguishable start points to solve a place problem when neither a response nor a direction solution is available. Findings from Experiment 3 suggest that a combination of path traveled and distinct cues help to differentiate start points. Experiment 4 replicated the findings using a T maze. These results suggest "place" solutions are difficult for rats. The data are discussed with respect to conditional learning and modern spatial mapping theory.     

Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression and Psychological Weil-Being Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Their Spouses1

Associations between ambivalence over emotional expression and psychological well-being among rheumatoid arthritis patients and their spouses were investigated. Sixty-nine couples completed questionnaires assessing ambivalence over emotional expression, emotional expressiveness, psychological well-being, and strategies used in coping with arthritis. Associations between the patient's ambivalence and psychological well-being were stronger for those married to a highly ambivalent spouse, although this pattern of results was not found for spouses. Lower psychological well-being among more ambivalent spouses, and to a lesser extent patients, could be partially explained by their greater use of passive and distancing coping strategies. Results emphasize the importance of taking a dyadic approach to the study of psychological functioning among chronically ill patients and their spouses.     

Evidence for the Continuity of Early Problem Behaviors: Application of a Developmental Model

Evidence of the continuity of early problem behaviors in young girls and boys was examined developmentally. Data were gathered on 104 mother-child dyads from low-income families when children were between 1 and 5 years of age. Difficult temperament, aggression, and noncompliance from 12 to 24 months, and externalizing and internalizing problems at 36 and 60 months, were assessed. The results provide evidence for the continuity of early behavioral and emotional problems and support for the early differentiation between internalizing and externalizing problems. Implications of the current findings for prevention efforts are presented.     

Vocational behavior and career development, 1978: A review

In sum, the research in 1978 was diverse and of good quality and quantity. However, there continues to be a clear need for longitudinal research of all kinds (in particular on the career development process) and a need for additional research with the employed adult population, although the past few years demonstrate improvement in the latter area.In 1978 the most productive research area as suggested by this review was associated with the women's movement and manifested by research primarily on sex stereotyping and women's careers. Ranking second was the topic of theoretical developments in vocational behavior led by the research on Holland's constructs. These two research trends accounted for about 50 studies; 26 and 24, respectively. Job satisfaction assumed the third position with some concentration on satisfaction and work motivation. Next and very much clustered were life-span aspects, assessment, and job performance. Each of these research themes stimulated about 17 studies that were reviewed here. Vocational interventions and race differences received moderate attention while job interview variables and occupational environments sparked very limited work in the more psychologically oriented journals.The major contributor to the 1978 review was of course the Journal of Vocational Behavior (62 studies), followed by the Journal of Applied Psychology (25 studies). Five other journals contributed an average of about 10 studies. These were the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Measurement and Evaluation in Guidance, the Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, Personnel Psychology, and the Vocational Guidance Quarterly. These appear to be the major journals publishing work on vocational behavior and career development.Finally, the volume of research on vocational psychology continued on an upward trend in 1978. This review and the previous reviews (Betz, 1977; Osipow, 1976; Zytowski, 1978) clearly document this trend.     

Concurrent validity of Holland's theory for non-college-degreed working women

This study, using the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and the Self-Directed Search (SDS), explored the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for employed non-college-degreed women. The VPI and SDS were administered to 114 women workers in occupational environments consistent with Holland's vocational environments. The results revealed that three scales of the VPI and five scales of the SDS successfully differentiated the occupational groups consistent with Holland's theoretical notions. In general, the findings lend some support to the concurrent validity of Holland's theory for employed non-college-degreed women.