Time-dependent impairment of inhibitory avoidance retention in rats by posttraining infusion of a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor into cortical and limbic structures

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is abundantly expressed in postmitotic neurons of the developed nervous system. MAPK is activated and required for induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, which is blocked by the specific inhibitor of the MAPK kinase, PD 098059. Recently it was demonstrated that MAPK is activated in the hippocampus after training and is necessary for contextual fear conditioning learning. The present work tests the role of the MAPK cascade in step-down inhibitory avoidance (IA) retention. PD 098059 (50 microM) was bilaterally injected (0.5 microl/side) into the CA1 region of the dorsal hippocampus or entorhinal cortex at 0, 90, 180, or 360 min, or into the amygdala or parietal cortex at 0, 180, or 360 min after IA training in rats using a 0.4-mA foot shock. Retention testing was carried out 24 h after training. PD 098059 impaired retention when injected into the dorsal hippocampus at 180 min, but not 0, 90, and 360 min after training. When infused into the entorhinal cortex, PD 098059 was amnestic at 0 and 180 min, but not at 90 and 360 min after training. The MAPKK inhibitor also impairs IA retention when infused into the parietal cortex immediately after training, but not at 180 or 360 min. Infusions performed into amygdala were amnestic at 180 min, but not at 0 and 360 min after training. Our results suggest a time-dependent involvement of the MAPK cascade in the posttraining memory processing of IA; the time dependency is different in the hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, or parietal cortex of rats.     

Relations Among and Between Career Values and Christian Religious Values

Empirical research and vocational theory indicate that values are important in career counseling and vocational choice. Development of these values is influenced by environmental factors, such as religion. However, there are few empirical investigations of the relation between religious values and career values. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of career values to Christian religious values as they might be assessed in career counseling. Results indicate that there was some overlap between religious and career values, although only for specific extrinsic values.     

White Racial Identity and White Racial Consciousness: Similarities,Differences, and Recommendations

To dispel apparent confusion, White racial identity and White racial consciousness are described and contrasted in terms of theoretical conceptualization and measures used. It is recommended that priority be given to the validation of existing or new measurement instruments to provide a sound basis for future findings. Para disipar la confusión aparente, la identidad racial Bianca, y el conocimiento racial Blanco, se describen y son contrastados en términos de sus conceptos teóricos y las medidas empleadas. Se recomienda dar prioridad a la validación de instrumentos existentes o nuevos para proporcionar una base sólida para los deseubrimientos futuros.     

Die systemische Beratung interpersoneller Konflikte in Familienunternehmen

The unique relationship of two social systems – the family and the enterprise – is the outstanding feature of family enterprises. It has advantages, but at the same time holds some risks. Problems of family enterprises which call for counselling have been often described in the literature, but hardly any tailor-made concepts for specific counselling. After reviewing the literature about counselling for family enterprises and about their specific organisation a counselling concept adapted to their special situation is presented. We describe a systemic counselling method operating resource- and solution-oriented and offering access to various levels with regard to the individual, the family system and the organisation. A case report explains how to proceed.     

Kunsttherapie in der Behandlung chronifizierter Schmerzpatienten

Integrated in the evaluation of an innovative concept of art therapy a questionnaire for the measurement of effects and progression of art therapy (FB-KT) was developed and evaluated. The study was performed as part of a multidisciplinary pain therapy on patients with somatization disorders at the day-care pain clinic of the University of Münster. It was a twelve month lasting study, which started in November 1998 and finished in November 1999. The dimensions of the questionnaire were defined by a sample testing of 108 people. To validate the scales of the FB-KT four relevant standardised instruments in pain therapy were used. The results show, that the quality criteria of the questionnaire can be described as satisfactory to excellent. The results further demonstrate that the FB-KT shows therapeutic effects in the dimensions of emotional experience just as clearly as other standardised instruments do. In addition, FB-KT gives informations about experiences during the therapy sessions.     

Lorenz Curves: A New Model for the Distribution of Psychiatric Services

The growth of child and adolescent psychiatric services based on the wraparound philosophy raises new questions for medical directors, investigators, and clinicians interested in improving quality of care and outcomes. Typically, quality improvement studies have focused on standardizing care and decreasing variation while community based services following a wraparound model are by definition individualized. To date, little information on how to evaluate such services in a managed care environment has been available. We present one option for evaluating the distribution of medical services and the extent to which providers individualize services for children with severe emotional disorders. Specifically, we (a) review the philosophy and goals of wraparound services, (b) introduce the Lorenz curve as a tool for determining the degree of inequality in service distribution at a given institution, and (c) present a case study on the use of Lorenz curves by a Medicaid Behavioral Health Organization in profiling behavioral providers.     

Assessment Instruments Used by Addictions Counselors

The Association for Assessment in Counseling's Committee on Assessment and Training in Addictions Counseling conducted a survey of Master Addictions Counselors (MACs) certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. The intent of the survey was to identify which standardized assessment instruments were most frequently used by MACs and perceived to be most important in their substance abuse practices. This article describes survey results and provides training and practice recommendations.     

Presurgical Coping, Depression, and Quality of Life in Persons with Parkinson's Disease

This study describes utilization of coping strategies and evaluates the interaction between coping strategies, depression, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who are being considered for neurosurgical intervention. Eighty patients (mean age 61.7 years) with PD being evaluated for possible deep brain stimulation completed self-report instruments of coping strategies (Coping Responses Inventory), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), and disease-specific QOL (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39). Analyses showed that patients with PD cope with the acute stressor of approaching neurosurgery through a variety of strategies, but particularly avoidant and behavioral strategies. When the correlated but apparently opposing effects of cognitive and behavioral strategies were teased apart, greater use of cognitive strategies was associated with more severe depressive symptomatology (and poorer QOL), while greater use of behavioral strategies appeared to be associated with less depression. Depressive symptomatology, in turn, was associated with poorer QOL. However, coping had minimal direct association with QOL. From this it was concluded that patients with advanced PD generate a variety of coping responses to an acute stressor such as surgery, and the use of behavioral strategies, in particular seeking of alternative enjoyable activities, may be associated with better mood if salutary effects are not overwhelmed by less helpful cognitive coping techniques. The minimization of depressive symptomatology, in turn, is associated with better QOL.