Neurocognitive Manifestations of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Is human immunodeficiency virus still a terminal condition? Recent advances in treatment have significantly reduced both mortality and morbidity associated with HIV, but these treatments have not been successful in eradicating the virus itself. As such, HIV has evolved into a chronic condition that is complicated by neurocognitive factors. Cognitive difficulties associated with HIV are characterized by a subcortical pattern with primary deficits in information processing speed and psychomotor speed. These deficits interfere with the ability of patients to complete important instrumental activities of daily living even in the absence of dementia. Treatment of HIV improves neurocognitive functioning, but the regimens are complex and patient adherence is critical. Cognitive factors can negatively impact treatment adherence, which in turn results in poorer immunological, cognitive, and psychiatric outcome. This cycle emphasizes the important interrelationships between symptom expression and treatment outcome in patients with HIV. The nature of these relationships will change with further developments in treatment regimens such as once-daily dosing. Less complex treatment approaches should improve health outcome as well as provide additional opportunities to further understand the impact of HIV on brain function.     

Metaphor and minimalism

This paper argues first that, contrary to what one would expect, metaphorical interpretations of utterances pass two of Cappelan and Lepore’s Minimalist tests for semantic context-sensitivity. I then propose how, in light of that result, one might analyze metaphors on the model of indexicals and demonstratives, expressions that (even) Minimalists agree are semantically context-dependent. This analysis builds on David Kaplan’s semantics for demonstratives and refines an earlier proposal in (Stern, Metaphor in context, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2000). In the course of this argument, I also discuss some new examples of linguistic phenomena that motivate a semantic structure underlying metaphorical interpretation, phenomena I argue that neither Minimalists nor Contextualists can explain.     

A review of theories of human amnesia

Six theories of human amnesia are examined. Each is categorized according to the processing ability that is conceived to underlie the amnesic deficit. The theories fall into one of four categories: consolidation, retrieval, semantic encoding, and context encoding deficit theories. The recently proposed context encoding deficit theories are found to offer the most satisfactory account of the human amnesic syndrome. It is suggested that the other theoretical approaches are best viewed as special cases of these context encoding deficit theories.     

Depressed fathers' stereotyping of infants labeled “depressed”

This study investigated whether depressed and nondepressed fathers stereotyped infants labeled “depressed” and how they viewed their own infants. Twenty-five fathers (12 nondepressed, 13 depressed) of 4-month old infants rated their infants' psychological, social and physical attributes on the Infant Stereotyping Scale (ISS). They then rated videotaped infants, labeled “normal” or “depressed”, on the ISS. Fathers rated depressed versus normal infants lower on sociability, social behavior, and cognitive competence. Depressed versus nondepressed fathers, rated depressed infants lower on social behavior, potency, and sociability. Depressed fathers rated their own infants lower on social behavior, potency, and cognitive competence as well as being more vulnerable. Implications of parental depression on stereotyping effects and possible risks for infants are discussed. © 1997 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health     

Narrative Writing and Soulful Metaphors Commentary on Paper by Barbara Pizer

The author posits that Pizer's use of both narrative and lyrical style is not typical in psychoanalysis, whose scholarly tradition tends to favor a denser, more academic style of writing. The ways in which psychoanalysts read these two forms of writing are mirrors of one another. Both kinds of reading are forms of discipline; both forms of writing are necessary in psychoanalysis. The author also writes that Pizer's “nonanalytic third” does not have to be a “good” thing like a poem; it can be almost anything important to the analyst. The nonanalytic third is a soulful metaphor that can be used to create alternatives to rigid experience. Because rigidity in psychoanalytic relatedness is usually the result of problematic unconscious involvements between analyst and patient, the nonanalytic third can be significant in the negotiation of enactments.