Neuroradiologic evaluation of craniocerebral trauma

Modern imaging techniques have greatly aided our ability to diagnose the effects of craniocerebral trauma. Computed tomography (CT), introduced in 1973, revolutionized the evaluation of changes related to trauma, allowing accurate diagnosis of intracerebral and extracerebral areas of blood accumulation. It became readily apparent that in most cases CT was the only exam necessary prior to surgical treatment. CT also accurately evaluates facial bone trauma. Magnetic resonance (MR), widely introduced in 1983, has also aided in diagnosis and is most accurate in cases of subacute and chronic injury, particularly cases involving shearing injuries. Skull films continue to be useful for linear skull fractures.     

Social Involvement as a Mediator of Disaster-Induced Stress1

This study examined individuals either personally or indirectly exposed to disaster and hypothesized that social involvement would differentially mediate the effect of exposure on the mental health of male and female victims. The study reinterviewed individuals previously interviewed just prior to disastrous floods and the discovery of unsafe levels of dioxin. Results indicated that males and females differ in their response to disaster exposure. Males showed increased symptoms of alcohol abuse and depression as a result of either personal, or both personal and indirect, exposure to disaster. In contrast, females' s]ymptomatology was not directly elevated by personal disaster exposure. Both sexes were sensitive to demands for support as a mediator of disaster effects. That is, victims both personally exposed to disaster and heavily relied upon by network members were far more likely to somatize (females) or abuse alcohol (males) than personally exposed individuals subject to more moderate network demands. Although excellent spouse support attenuated male symptomatology, its presence was associated with an exacerbation of symptoms in personally exposed females. Results suggest the importance of considering both the positive and negative consequences of social involvement because, for women in particular, very strong social ties may be more burdensome than supportive in times of extreme stress.     

EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE ON CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR,SUSTAINED ATTENTION,AND A MEMORY TASK IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

The effects of caffeine on the behavior of young children is an important issue, as children in our society consume considerable amounts of caffeine, primarily in soft drinks. This study investigated the effects of normative amounts of caffeine on the behavior of 6 normal children in a kindergarten setting. Using a reversal design, counterbalanced for order of conditions, children's behavior was examined during a baseline condition, a caffeinated beverage condition, and a noncaffeinated beverage condition. Measures included direct observation of off-task and gross motor activity, actometer readings of movement, a Continuous Performance Test, a Paired Associates Learning Test, and teacher ratings of classroom behavior. Results suggest that caffeine exerts only small and inconsistent effects on the classroom behavior of kindergarten children. These results cast doubt on the importance of caffeine as a variable controlling the classroom behavior of normal kindergartners.     

Adding sound to lipread lists: The effects on serial recall of adding an auditory pulse train and a pure tone to silently lipread lists

These investigations examined subjects’ serial recall of lipread digit lists accompanied by an auditory pulse train. The pulse train indicated the pitch of voiced speech (buzz-speech) of the seen speaker as she was speaking. As a purely auditory signal, it could not support item identification. Such buzz-speech recall was compared with silent lipread list recall and with the recall of buzz-speech lists to which a pure tone had been added (buzz-and-beep lists). No significant difference in overall accuracy of recall emerged for the three types of lipread list; however, there were significant differences in the shape of the serial recall function for the three list types. Recency characterized the silent and the buzz-speech lists, and these lists differed in their varying susceptibilities to a range of speechlike suffixes. By contrast, adding a pure tone to a buzz-speech list (buzz-and-beep) produced little recency and no further recall loss as a function of suffix type. We discuss these effects with reference to the contrast betweensensory-similarity and speechlikeness accounts of auditory recency and suffix effects. Sensory similarity accounts cannot capture the effects reported here, but processing in a speech mode (buzz-and-beep) need not always lead to recency effects like those resulting from clearly heard or lipread lists.     

Differential effects of congenital left and right brain injury on intelligence

IQ performance was compared in 28 prepubertal children with unilateral left vs. right hemisphere preperinatal injury. Results indicated statistically superior FSIQ and VIQ in the left-lesioned group. Findings were interpreted as consistent with the hypothesis of a left-right maturational gradient, whereby early right hemisphere damage has a more severe effect on overall intellectual functioning than early left injury. Findings also lend support for a greater crowding effect, as seen in the sparing of verbal skills, after early left hemisphere injury.     

The Sacred Dance of the Sexes

Problems inherent in the patriarchal system have led to the universal problem of the so-called battle of the sexes. The last two hundred years of liberation movements lead to the conclusion that for any such movement finally to succeed, the patriarchal system must be outgrown. Six methods of dealing with the problem are reviewed and all are found variously wanting, though some offer promise. A solution is offered. The differences between men and women must be honored and true partnership developed. A method by which this can be achieved is described.     

A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF SOMATIC AND EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY

Using a prospective design, this study examined somatic and emotional symptoms of planned pregnancy in a sample of 162 healthy women. All women participated in a baseline (prepregnancy) interview. Seventy women became pregnant and were assessed at each trimester; the 92 nonpregnant controls were interviewed 3, 6, and 9 months after their baseline interview. All participants also completed the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Symptom Checklist–Revised (SCL 90-R). No significant group differences were found at baseline. As expected, however, pregnant women reported significantly more instances of digestive symptoms (nausea, vomiting, heartburn), fatigue, and moodiness than nonpregnant controls. Discriminant-function analyses found that in the context of all symptom variables, nausea and fatigue were the primary distinguishing features of the first trimester. In the second and third trimester, fatigue and heartburn contributed to the distinction of pregnant and nonpregnant women. Although pregnancy precipitates many physical and psychological changes in this sample of women who had planned pregnancies, our results did not support the notion that pregnancy is either a time of significant emotional turmoil or of heightened emotional well-being.     

The relationship between comprehension and metacomprehension ability

We investigated the relationship between the ability to comprehend text and the ability to predict future performance and to assess past performance on text. Subjects were poor at predicting performance, which may be why prediction accuracy did not relate to measures of comprehension ability. Measures of comprehension ability did relate to the accuracy with which subjects assessed their performance on tests. Better and faster comprehenders judged their relative levels of test performance over sections of text more accurately than did poorer and slower comprehenders.