Structural brain variation,age, and response time

Response time (RT) generally slows with aging, but the contribution of structural brain changes to this slowing is unknown. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to determine gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) brain volumes in 9 middle-aged adults (38–58 years old) and 9 seniors (66–82 years old). We correlated brain volumes with RT assessed in both a simple visual stimulus-response task and a visual continuous recognition memory task. No GM correlations with simple RT were significant; there was one WM correlation in the right fusiform gyrus. In the memory task, faster RT was correlated (p<.05, corrected) with less GM in the globus pallidus, the parahippocampus, and the thalamus for both groups. Several Brodmann areas (BA) differed between the groups such that in each area, less GM was correlated with slower RTs in the middle-aged group but with faster RTs in the senior group (BAs 19, 37, 46, 9, 8, 6, 13, 10, 41, and 7). The results suggest that individual differences in specific brain structure volumes should be considered as potential moderating factors in cognitive brain imaging studies.     

Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment and Counseling: Recommendations of the National Society of Genetic Counselors

These cancer genetic counseling recommendations describe the medical, psychosocial, and ethical ramifications of identifying at-risk individuals through cancer risk assessment with or without genetic testing. They were developed by members of the Practice Issues Subcommittee of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Cancer Genetic Counseling Special Interest Group. The information contained in this document is derived from extensive review of the current literature on cancer genetic risk assessment and counseling as well as the personal expertise of genetic counselors specializing in cancer genetics. The recommendations are intended to provide information about the process of genetic counseling and risk assessment for hereditary cancer disorders rather than specific information about individual syndromes. Key components include the intake (medical and family histories), psychosocial assessment (assessment of risk perception), cancer risk assessment (determination and communication of risk), molecular testing for hereditary cancer syndromes (regulations, informed consent, and counseling process), and follow-up considerations. These recommendations should not be construed as dictating an exclusive course of management, nor does use of such recommendations guarantee a particular outcome. These recommendations do not displace a health care provider's professional judgment based on the clinical circumstances of a client.     

Predicting who benefits from psychoeducation and self help for panic attacks

Self-help and psychoeducation have been identified as effective methods for delivering treatment, yet not everyone benefits from these brief interventions. Therefore it is clinically and economically useful to identify who is likely to require more intensive assistance. This paper develops a prognostic scale which predicts who will recover from panic attacks and who will require more assistance. Method: Random regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between predictive variables, baseline severity, and the rate of improvement in 117 people with DSMIV panic attacks who participated in a trial of a psycho-educational booklet, a self-help workbook, and brief group CBT over a 9-month period. ROC analysis was used to choose cut-off points on a scale made up of significant predictors. Results: Panic disorder and agoraphobia symptom measures were predicted by baseline social anxiety, and general mental health. There was no significant effect on the outcome for baseline depression or anxiety sensitivity. While general mental health (SF12 Mental Component scores) was predicted by the age at first panic attack, neuroticism, panic disorder and/or agoraphobia symptoms and a positive screen for alcohol use disorders. A prognostic scale based on simple additive scoring was equivalent to standard scores and significantly better than chance at predicting who would recover and who required face-to-face therapy. Conclusions: The prognostic scale may be used to guide the choice of psychoeducation, self-help or face-to-face therapy as the first step in stepped care.     

Effects of the periodic administration of odor or vibration on a 3-hr. vigilance task

The present study examined performance during 3 hr. of simulated sentry duty with and without the intermittent administration of low-level sensory stimuli (odor or vibration). For odor and control conditions, target-detection latency increased steadily over the course of the 3-hr. session. Administration of a tactile stimulus reduced the increase in detection latency compared to that found in odor and control conditions. For all conditions, there were no significant differences in target-detection frequency, shot accuracy, or friend-foe discrimination. Across all conditions, restlessness (motor activity) increased significantly the first hour and remained elevated for the rest of the session. Subjective measures of workload (NASA-TLX) indicated that the 3-hr. task rated high on physical demand, mental demand, frustration, and overall workload. These findings suggest that the intermittent delivery of a clearly detectable tactile stimulus can reduce reaction-time decrements that occur as time on task increases.     

Familial handedness and spatial ability: a study with Chinese students aged 14-24

This study tested Annett's right-shift theory on spatial ability with two samples from China. The Vandenberg Mental Rotation Test (MRT), Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, and Family Handedness Questionnaire were administered to 266 high school students and 297 undergraduates. We found very few r++ or r-- among Chinese students. Most Chinese are either moderately right-handed or ambidextrous. Consistent with Casey's finding, we found using different methods to classify handedness leads to different conclusions. However, we did not find the effect of familial handedness that Casey found. Visual strategy is related to success on the MRT but handedness is not.     

Emotional risk factors and postconcussional disorder

Emotional risk factors were examined in 129 litigant and nonlitigant patients diagnosed with Postconcussional Disorder (PCD) following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI). According to Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) criteria, four subgroups emerged: (a) 14.7% met criteria for an Axis I disorder, (b) 24.8% for an Axis II disorder, (c) 24.0% for bout Axis I and II disorders, and (d) 36.4% fell below threshold for psychopathology. Thus, 63.5% endorsed emotional pathology. Of the four groups, those with both Axis I and II psychopathology presented the greatest number of emotional complaints in a clinical interview and manifested the lowest neurocognitive test scores. Motor skills, verbal abilities, memory functioning, and IQ were primarily affected. With the exception of post-morbid emotional complaints, no significant differences were identified between litigants and nonlitigants. Our analysis suggests that the combination of both Axis I and II psychopathology is associated with greater impairment following MTBI.     

Next Steps in Research on Children Exposed to Community Violence or War/Terrorism

The articles in this special issue of Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review provide an overview of what is known about children's exposure to community violence and war/ terrorism, and indicate significant gaps in extant research. These gaps and research needs are summarized in this conclusion.     

Is Therapeutic Alliance Influenced by a Feminist Approach to Therapy?

Although the feminist critique of marriage and family therapy has been a significant part of the literature for many years, its impact has been blunted by two criticisms. The first suggests that the feminist critique lacks empirical support. The second suggests that the feminist critique promotes an alliance with women clients at the expense of men. The first criticism has been addressed in recent years. The present study examined the relationship between feminist principles and therapeutic alliance. Results suggest that feminist principles actually enhance therapeutic relationship for men clients but has no effect on therapeutic relationship for women clients.of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program     

The Effects of a Self-Management Program in Reducing Off-Task Behavior

Two adolescents with learning disabilities were taught to use a self-management program to decrease off-task behavior in two general education classes and a study hall class. The self-management program included three components—a checklist, a behavior rating scale, and a self-monitoring form. A multiple baseline design was implemented across settings for each participant. The findings indicated that the self-management program was successful in all three settings in decreasing off-task behaviors. Additionally, the teacher ratings of student behavior were found to increase during self-monitoring, suggesting the overall behavior of the students improved during the self-management program. The results are discussed in terms of the novelty of using teacher ratings of student behavior to demonstrate a relationship between the implementation of the self-management program and teacher reports of changes in other classroom behaviors.     

The Reduction of Adverse Impact in an Employment Setting Using a Short-Term Memory Test

Research suggests that less adverse impact should result from the use of employment tests assessing memory abilities than is obtained from tests assessing cognitive abilities. To test the application of this principle, a Short-Term Memory test and a Reading Comprehension test were administered as part of a selection battery for entry level police. Subjects were 1423 police officer applicants for a Midwestern city in the U.S. The results for the overall sample showed a smaller standardized difference between the scores of Blacks and Whites on the Short-Term Memory test than on the Reading Comprehension test, a difference which was further reduced when a subsample of Blacks and Whites was created which had been matched on gender, years of education and age.