Verbal and Nonverbal Emotional Memory Following Unilateral Amygdala Damage

The amygdala is involved in the normal facilitation of memory by emotion, but the separate contributions of the left and right amygdala to memory for verbal or nonverbal emotional material have not been investigated. Fourteen patients with damage to the medial temporal lobe including the amygdala (seven left, seven right), 18 brain-damaged, and 36 normal controls were exposed to emotional and neutral pictures accompanied by verbal narratives. Memory for both narratives and pictures was assessed with a free recall test 24 h later. Subjects with left amygdala damage failed to show the normally robust enhancement of memory for verbal and nonverbal emotional stimuli. The group with right amygdala damage showed the normal pattern of facilitation of memory by emotion for both verbal and nonverbal stimuli despite an overall reduction in memory performance. Furthermore, subjects with left amygdala damage were disproportionately impaired on memory for emotional narratives as compared with memory for emotional pictures. The latter finding offers partial support for a lateralized and material-specific pattern of the amygdala's contribution to emotional memory.     

Reporting the Spiritual in Primary Schools

This paper is concerned with the Office for Standards in Education's (OFSTED's) reporting of the way in which primary schools promote pupils' spiritual development. A sample of reports on primary schools, written in 1999, was scrutinized for evidence of links between inspectors' judgements on each school's provision for pupils' spiritual development and their judgements on its provision for religious education, collective worship and the subjects of the National Curriculum. The analysis raises serious questions about the adherence of inspection teams to OFSTED's (1995) 'Guidance on the Inspection of Nursery and Primary Schools', the internal consistency of individual reports, and ultimately about the reliability of the evidence-base used by HMCI for his Annual Report. This paper is part of a doctoral study, being developed at King's College, London, into the conflict between the government's aims for primary education, as expressed through the curricular requirements of the 1988 Education Reform Act, and the way in which the implementation of those requirements is monitored.     

Recommendations from Multi-disciplinary Focus Groups on Cascade Testing and Genetic Counseling for Fragile X-associated Disorders

The purpose of this paper is to report the outcome of a collaborative project between the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center at the Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (M.I.N.D.) Institute at the University of California at Davis, the National Fragile X Foundation (NFXF), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The objective of this collaboration was to develop and disseminate protocols for genetic counseling and cascade testing for the multiple disorders associated with the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) mutation. Over the last several years, there has been increasing insight into the phenotypic range associated with both the premutation and the full mutation of the FMR1 gene. To help develop recommendations related to screening for fragile X-associated disorders, four, two day advisory focus group meetings were conducted, each with a different theme. The four themes were: (1) fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS); (2) premature ovarian failure (POF) and reproductive endocrinology; (3) psychiatric, behavioral and psychological issues; and (4) population screening and related ethical issues.     

Monocular deprivation in adult mice alters visual acuity and single-unit activity

It has been discovered recently that monocular deprivation in young adult mice induces ocular dominance plasticity (ODP). This contradicts the traditional belief that ODP is restricted to a juvenile critical period. However, questions remain. ODP of young adults has been observed only using methods that are indirectly related to vision, and the plasticity of young adults appears diminished in comparison with juveniles. Therefore, we asked whether the newly discovered adult ODP broadly reflects plasticity of visual cortical function and whether it persists into full maturity. Single-unit activity is the standard physiological marker of visual cortical function. Using a more optimized protocol for recording single-units, we find evidence of adult ODP of single-units and show that it is most pronounced in deep cortical layers. Furthermore, using visual evoked potentials (VEP), we find that ODP is equally robust in young adults and mature adults and is observable after just one day of monocular deprivation. Finally, we find that monocular deprivation in adults changes spatial frequency thresholds of the VEP, decreasing the acuity of the deprived pathway and improving the acuity of the non-deprived pathway. Thus, in mice, the primary visual cortex is capable of remarkable adaptation throughout life.     

The impact of The Way Ahead on headteachers of Anglican voluntary‐aided secondary schools

In 2001 the Church of England published The Way Ahead, a confident report on its role in education, boldly asserting that its schools are ‘at the centre of the Church’s mission to the nation’ and recommending the establishment of another 100 church secondary schools. In an empirical investigation into the distinctiveness of Anglican voluntary‐aided secondary schools, 10 headteachers were interviewed as to the impact of The Way Ahead upon their policy and practice. Analysis of the interviews suggests that the report has had little or no impact. It would appear that the Church sees the distinctiveness of its schools in essentially pragmatic terms and there is no sustained debate as to the development of a distinctively Christian paradigm for church schools. This article outlines some reasons for the lack of impact of the report and suggests it is time for a sustained and comprehensive debate within the Church as to what constitutes a distinctive rationale for its schools.     

Does the Treatment of Cognitive Distortions Improve Clinical Outcomes for Problem Gambling?

Although dysfunctional beliefs about gambling outcomes among problem gamblers have been well-established, there is less known about whether specifically treating such beliefs is necessarily more effective than other therapeutic approaches. In the present study, brief, homogenous treatments for problem gambling (i.e., cognitive, behavioral, motivational, minimal intervention) were compared to each other. Each intervention was based on approaches empirically demonstrated to be clinically effective. The treatment sample consisted primarily of middle-aged, non-partnered, underemployed men recruited from the community via newspaper advertisements. The results showed that a cognitive approach did not yield superior outcomes than did treatments that did not explicitly address cognitive distortions. It is likely that there are several pathways to therapeutic change that may not necessarily require the modification of gambling-related psychopathology.     

Catechol-O-methyltransferase polymorphism modulates cognitive control in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Dopamine plays a critical role in regulating neural activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and modulates cognition via a hypothesized inverse U function. We investigated PFC function in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) in which one copy of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is deleted, thereby shifting them toward the lower end of dopamine turnover on the nonlinear function. A common polymorphism with valine to methionine substitution alters COMT activity that results in higher enzyme activity in the valine variant. Twenty-seven children with 22q11.2DS between 7 and 14 years old, and 21 age-matched typically developing children, performed a modified version of the Attention Network Test. Children with a single valine allele showed a reduction in response times when trials with incongruent flankers were repeated, whereas those who were hemizygous for the methionine allele did not show the same context-based response facilitation. Our results support that a single gene, COMT, could modulate PFC-dependent cognition.     

Examining Relationships Between Ethnic Identity, Family Environment, and Psychological Outcomes for African American Adolescents

Ethnic identity has been linked to a number of healthy psychological outcomes for African American adolescents. The levels of conflict and cohesion in the family environment have also been found to be predictive of adolescent mental health. This study examined whether the ethnic identity and levels of conflict and cohesion in the family environments were related to adolescents’ psychological adjustment. Participants included 61 African American adolescents, ages 10–14 years old, and their parents. Hierarchical regression models were used to determine the cumulative effects of ethnic identity and family functioning on adolescent mental health, specifically adolescent levels of depression, self-esteem, and interpersonal functioning. Results indicated that having a positive ethnic identity and a cohesive family environment were most strongly associated with psychological adjustment. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of family interventions.     

Can Anything Good Come Out of Premillennialism? A Response to Robert O. Smith

Abstract :  This review expresses great concern with so-called Christian Zionism. The author explains the confusing push-pull relation of Pentecostalism to Christian Zionism's underlying apocalyptic eschatology, premillennial dispensationalism. He agrees with the thrust of Smith's discussion from a Lutheran perspective of the complex historical, theological, and political dynamics involved in Christian Zionism's formation and development, but accents distinctions between a generally harmless conventional form and a particularly virile fundamentalist form that can be aggressive and possibly even dangerous. Of special concern is articulation of an erudite political ethic informed by the theology of a Christian pneumatic apocalyptic eschatology, faithful to the incoming reign of God taking seriously predictive prophecy. In conversation with Smith, this appreciative response suggests a possible paradigm for positive involvement in political and social aspects of the present world congruent with apocalyptic hope expressed in premillennialist terms.