Automatic detection of transient potentials in the EEG

A classifier based on the linear regression model was developed to automatically detect sharp transients in EEG, matching the definition of spikes and sharp waves accepted by IFSECN. Practical applications proved the accuracy of the method which succeeded in detecting 84% of sharp transients previously found by an experienced electronencephalographer. Computerized search for sharp transients in EEG records will be particularly useful in long term EEG records obtained from epileptic patients.     

Status of perfusion scintigraphy in the diagnostic strategy in cerebrovascular disorders and space-occupying lesions

The results of an evaluation of the perfusion scintigraphy findings of 350 hospitalised neurological patients and 55 more strictly selected neurosurgical patients with cerebrovascular complaints, revealed an accuraty of 83%, a sensitivity of 89%, and a specificity of 83%. The selection of the patients had no influence on the results as a whole. Compared with contrast-medium angiography, incorrect diagnosis must be expected in 17% of the cases. This includes erroneous negative findings in 10% of the cases. Grounds for misinterpretations are suggested, and the biological and methodological limitations of the method are set forth.     

The two-woman phenomenon

A distinct type of phenomenon that has not been previously noted as such is named and described. Men who present a two-woman phenomenon retain a commitment to wife and marriage while loving another woman. Conflict arises only when one of the women has to be relinquished. It is postulated that many men with this pattern of loving have experienced a traumatic childhood and an oedipal conflict which defensively involved two maternal objects in fantasy or reality. One mother was hated, the other loved. This dynamic is one possible determinant leading to the two-woman phenomenon.     

Structural differentiation of psychological performances in epilepsy patients

Investigating the specific of psychic performance disorders in epileptics structural aspects in addition to quantitative performance differences are considerable. We compared psychometrically obtained performance structures of epileptic children and adults and of parallelised healthy control persons. It became evident, that the performance differentiation hypothesis is to corroborate also in epileptic patients. The psychic performance structure of epileptics is characterized by a lower differentiation level of the basis functions underlining the performances. Our factor analytic investigations emphasize the importance of deceleration of psychic/psychomotoric speed in epileptics as primary basic disorder.     

Psychometric detection of depressive mood conditions

An investigation into the diagnostic value of psychometric methods for the diagnosis of depressive states involved five psychometric questionnaires, one concentration test procedure, and one problem-solving approach to register cognitive processes. The data obtained for 80 depressive patients of varied aetiology were compared with those of sample of 80 neurotics without depressive aberration. Even univariate comparisons revealed statistically significant differences between the two samples. Multivariate methods (factor analysis, discriminative analysis) yielded more differentiated information. The "Scale for depression depth measurements" was found to be of particular diagnostic relevance; it was standardized for the time being.     

Recipient's mood, relationship type, and helping

We conducted two studies to examine how a potential helper is affected by having a communal orientation toward a relationship with a potential recipient and by the potential recipient's sadness. We hypothesized that (a) having a communal orientation would increase helping and that (b) people high in communal orientation, but not others, would respond to a potential recipient's sadness by increasing helping. These hypotheses were tested in two studies. In Study 1, individual differences in communal orientation toward relationships were measured by using a new communal orientation scale reported for the first time in this article. In Study 2, manipulations were used to lead subjects to desire either a communal or an exchange relationship with another person. In both studies, subjects were exposed to a sad person or to a person in a neutral mood whom they were given a chance to help. As hypothesized, in both studies communally oriented subjects helped the other significantly more than did others. Also as hypothesized, in both studies communally oriented subjects but not others, increased helping in response to the other person's sadness although this effect reached statistical significance only in the second study.     

A short-form measure of loneliness

The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-20) and a four-item short form (ULS-4) are widely used in personality research (Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980). In an exploratory factor analysis of the ULS-20, we identified eight items that loaded substantially on the first factor. These items were combined to form an alternative short-form measure, the ULS-8. The results of this study indicate that the ULS-8 is reliable, valid, and a better substitute for the ULS-20 than is the ULS-4. Consistent with the previous research, the loneliness measures (ULS-20, ULS-8, ULS-4) were strongly related to socially undesirable personality characteristics, but loneliness was uncorrelated with the six different health-related behaviors (exercise, meal regularity, alcohol use, hard drug use, smoking, and hours of sleep) assessed in this study.     

Role of structure in disordered thinking in borderline and schizophrenic disorders

Qualitative studies have noted that individuals with "borderline" psychopathology exhibit extreme thought disorder on unstructured tests, yet manifest relatively normal performance on more structured tests of cognitive performance. The present study provides empirical support for this clinical observation. Borderline syndrome patients, defined by DSM-III criteria for borderline personality disorder and/or schizotypal personality disorder, demonstrated significantly greater thought disorder on the Rorschach, as measured by Johnston and Holzman's (1979) Thought Disorder Index (TDI), than did nonpsychiatric controls and were indistinguishable from patients with schizophrenic disorder of relatively recent onset. Borderline patients did not differ from controls on a structured test of cognitive slippage. Further examination of the role of structure in the assessment and treatment of borderline syndrome disorders seems warranted.