Carl Westphal--a progressive university teacher of neurology and psychiatry in the 19th century

Carl Westphal (1833-1890) is described on the basis of his theoretical considerations concerning the teaching of psychiatry and neurology and his influence on the contents and organization of teaching in these fields at the then Charité as a university teacher with progressive pedagogic and didactic aims and methods. His other scientific work shows that C. Westphal was a worthy heir and like-minded successor to W. Griesinger (1817-1868).     

Influence of LSD and 5-methyoxy-N,N,-dimethyltryptamine on the RNA synthesis in the cell nuclei of rat's brain]

The influence of LSD and 5-methyoxy-N.N.-dimethyltryptamine (MeODMT) on the RNA synthesis was verified in cell nuclei from rat's brain. LSD and 5-MeODMT inhibited the RNA synthesis within the test period of 30 minutes. This inhibition possibly participates in adaptive neuronal processes occurring in the course of psychoses.     

不同注意对视觉工作记忆外部特征绑定的影响

采用变化觉察范式,在工作记忆保持阶段插入客体特征辨别或视觉搜索次任务,探讨基于客体的注意和基于空间的注意对视觉工作记忆外部特征绑定表征的影响。结果发现,与单特征相比,两类次任务均对外部特征绑定的记忆成绩损耗更大。这表明视觉工作记忆中外部特征绑定的表征比单特征消耗更多基于客体的注意和更多基于空间的注意。     

Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Validation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires for use in Georgia

Low- and middle-income countries need simple, technically sound developmental screening tools. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires, 3rd edition (ASQ-3) is widely accepted as a scientifically reliable and valid, user-friendly, and easy-to-learn and administer tool. This study documents the cultural adaptation, validation, and standardization of the Georgian ASQ-3 for children 1–66 months. The parents of 2974 children from one to 66 months completed the Georgian ASQ-3. We compared mean domain scores to the US normative sample, and performed multivariate analyses to detect variables associated with ASQ-3 cutoff scores. Cronbach's alpha values for all age groups varied from 0.643 to 0.824 across areas. We found significant differences in cutoff points between the Georgian ASQ-3 and US reference population in most domains across age groups. Child gender was associated with Communication (B, 0.453; p?=?0.01), Fine Motor (B, 0.457; p?=?0.01) and Personal–Social (B, 0.576; p?=?0.001) with scores for girls more frequently distributed above the cutoff. We found administration of the Georgian ASQ-3 was easy after adaptation. We recommend additional research to investigate sensitivity and specificity and gender differences.     

Cognitive Functioning,Behavior, and Quality of Life After Stroke in Childhood

Rationale: To provide a better understanding of cognitive functioning, motor outcome, behavior and quality of life after childhood stroke and to study the relationship between variables expected to influence rehabilitation and outcome (age at stroke, time elapsed since stroke, lateralization, location and size of lesion).

Methods: Children who suffered from stroke between birth and their eighteenth year of life underwent an assessment consisting of cognitive tests (WISC-III, WAIS-R, K-ABC, TAP, Rey-Figure, German Version of the CVLT) and questionnaires (Conner's Scales, KIDSCREEN).

Results: Twenty-one patients after stroke in childhood (15 males, mean 11;11 years, SD 4;3, range 6;10–21;2) participated in the study. Mean Intelligence Quotients (IQ) were situated within the normal range (mean Full Scale IQ 96.5, range IQ 79–129). However, significantly more patients showed deficits in various cognitive domains than expected from a healthy population (Performance IQ p?=?.000; Digit Span p?=?.000, Arithmetic's p?=?.007, Divided Attention p?=?.028, Alertness p?=?.002). Verbal IQ was significantly better than Performance IQ in 13 of 17 patients, independent of the hemispheric side of lesion. Symptoms of ADHD occurred more often in the patients' sample than in a healthy population (learning difficulties/inattention p?=?.000; impulsivity/hyperactivity p?=?.006; psychosomatics p?=?.006). Certain aspects of quality of life were reduced (autonomy p?=?.003; parents' relation p?=?.003; social acceptance p?=?.037). Three patients had a right-sided hemiparesis, mean values of motor functions of the other patients were slightly impaired (sequential finger movements p?=?.000, hand alternation p?=?.001, foot tapping p?=?.043). In patients without hemiparesis, there was no relation between the lateralization of lesion and motor outcome. Lesion that occurred in the midst of childhood (5–10 years) led to better cognitive outcome than lesion in the very early (0–5 years) or late childhood (10–18 years). Other variables such as presence of seizure, elapsed time since stroke and size of lesion had a small to no impact on prognosis.

Conclusion: Moderate cognitive and motor deficits, behavioral problems, and impairment in some aspects of quality of life frequently remain after stroke in childhood. Visuospatial functions are more often reduced than verbal functions, independent of the hemispheric side of lesion. This indicates a functional superiority of verbal skills compared to visuospatial skills in the process of recovery after brain injury. Compared to the cognitive outcome following stroke in adults, cognitive sequelae after childhood stroke do indicate neither the lateralization nor the location of the lesion focus. Age at stroke seems to be the only determining factor influencing cognitive outcome.     

Applicability of two violence risk assessment tools in a psychiatric prison hospital population

The risk of violent behavior is known to be higher for patients who suffer from a severe mental disorder. However, specific prediction tools for clinical work in prison psychiatry are lacking. In this single-center study, two violence risk assessment tools (Forensic Psychiatry and Violence Tool, “FoVOx,” and Mental Illness and Violence Tool, “OxMIV”) were applied to a prison hospital population with a primary psychotic or bipolar disorder and subsequently compared. The required information on all items of both tools was obtained retrospectively for a total of 339 patients by evaluation of available patient files. We obtained the median and inter-quartile range for both FoVOx and OxMIV, and their rank correlation coefficient along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)—for the full cohort, as well as for cohort subgroups. The two risk assessment tools were strongly positively correlated (Spearman correlation = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.80–0.86). Such a high correlation was independent of nationality, country of origin, type of detention, schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, previous violent crime and alcohol use disorder, where correlations were above 0.8. A lower correlation was seen with patients who were 30 years old or more, married, with affective disorder and with self-harm behavior, and also in patients without aggressive behavior and without drug use disorder. Both risk assessment tools are applicable as an adjunct to clinical decision making in prison psychiatry.     

Skilled German Migrants and Their Motives for Migration Within Europe

German migration within Europe has so far received little attention from researchers. This is especially true of migrants with intermediate qualifications (vocational training, technical school, master craftsman’s certificate). The present contribution is devoted to this phenomenon and examines the reasons why people belonging to this particular group migrate. To do this we pick up on central theoretical arguments in migration research, on the basis of which we examine the relevance of economic and social factors for Germans who migrate within Europe. It emerges that, empirically, for Germans with intermediate qualifications, economic factors are crucial. In particular, unemployment, low or falling wages, as well as poor working conditions in Germany constitute important push factors, while job offers, higher wages and better working conditions in the destination countries constitute the main pull factors. In comparison, social networks are less important factors in migration, since only in a few cases did the interviewees have solid contacts abroad. The empirical results of the study are based on the analysis of available population statistics and 40 problem-centred, biographical interviews carried out between October 2006 and April 2007 in various regions of Germany (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Berlin).     

The relative importance of needs among traumatized and non-traumatized samples

Typically, people rate enhancement needs as more important than security needs to their well-being. Two studies tested whether event valence and prior trauma moderate relative need importance. Traumatized (hurricane survivors) and non-traumatized (control) participants recalled the most “distressing” (security-relevant) or “satisfying” (enhancement-relevant) event they had recently experienced and rated the importance of 10 needs in defining the event. In both studies, event valence moderated relative need importance on explicit (salience) and implicit (affect) measures as enhancement needs were more important for enhancement-relevant (satisfying) events whereas security needs were more important for security-relevant (distressing) events. However, results also suggest that differences in traumatic experience across samples moderated the effect of event valence on relative need importance. Unlike non-traumatized (control) participants, traumatized (hurricane survivors) participants did not reassign greater importance to enhancement over security needs when event valence shifted to enhancement-relevant (satisfying) memories. We close by discussing implications for human motivation.     

Evidence of difficulties in sustained attention in children with ADDH

It has been suggested that children with ADDH have specific difficulties in sustained attention. Despite some early studies supporting this position, many recent reports using continuous peformance tests (CPTs) have failed to confirm this hypothesis. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are outlined and an attempt to corroborate and extend an earlier study (Sykes, Douglas, & Morgenstern, 1973) was undertaken. CPT results in normal children indicated that changes in performance over time, although not affected by gender, were influenced by age. Data from ADDH subjects indicated that they performed significantly more poorly with time on task than did controls. These results suggest that the ability to sustain attention increases with age and does not vary by gender. Furthermore, difficultues in the ability to sustain attention can be demonstrated in children with ADDH. Finally, it is suggested that within-age-level comparisons between groups of ADDH and controls would be more clinically sensitive than across-age-group comparisons.This research was supported in part by a Sara Spencer Research Fellowship granted to the first author. Portions of this research were presented at the 17th annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Vancouver.