Psychiatry and Psychology Commons^™

Is Modafinil (Provigil®) Effective In Improving Cognitive Function In Adults With Narcolepsy?, Stephanie V. Bui

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not modafinil (Provigil®) is effective in improving cognitive function in adults with narcolepsy.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of all English language primary randomized controlled trials from 1996 to 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Double-blind, randomized controlled trials that compared modafinil (Provigil®) to a visually matched placebo were found using OVID, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Databases.

OUTCOME(S) MEASURED: Each of the three trials assessed the effect of modafinil on cognitive and executive function by Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA), and the following assessment tools: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Multiple Sleep …

Is Horticultural Therapy A Safe And Effective Treatment In Reducing Agitation For Dementia Patients In Nursing Homes?, Renee J. Chiodo

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not horticultural therapy is a safe and effective treatment in reducing agitation for dementia patients in nursing homes.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published between 2008 and 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Two randomized control trials and a case series, which compare horticultural therapy to the use of traditional therapy methods.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The primary outcome measured in all three studies focus on the level of agitation in dementia patients. Secondary outcomes also included efficacy of sleep as well as level of cognition. …

Is Yoga An Effective Management Strategy For Disordered Eating?, Patricia G. Byrne

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether yoga is an effective management strategy for disordered eating.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published in 2007, 2009, and 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized control trials that evaluated yoga as a treatment intervention for disordered eating found using Medline@OVID and PubMed.

OUTCOME MEASURED: Outcomes were interpreted by eating disorder severity as measured on the Eating Disorder Examination, Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale, and Binge Eating Scale. Secondarily, there was an assessment of associated attitudes and behaviors towards eating, including body satisfaction, physical activity level, …

Does Yoga Aid In The Reduction Of Short-Term Anxiety In Adult Female Breast Cancer Patients?, Lora K. Brown

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not yoga aids in the reduction of short-term anxiety in adult female breast cancer patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies, published between 2007 and 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one before and after comparison study were found using PubMed, Medline, and OVID. These studies analyzed yoga intervention in adult female breast cancer patients suffering from anxiolytic effects.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The main outcomes measured were anxiety state level and symptom severity and distress experienced by patients through use of the …

Is Hypnotherapy An Effective Treatment For Depression?, Simone Youssef

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this EBM paper is to determine whether or not hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for depression.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of two English language randomized controlled trials and one case study published in 2007, 2009, and 2010.

DATA SOURCES: Two randomized controlled trials and one case study reviewing the effectiveness of hypnotherapy on depression were found using PubMed, Medline, and CINAHL.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Depression was measured through the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI- II), which is a 21-question multiple choice self-report inventory based on scores of 0-63, with higher scores signifying more severe depressive …

Is Reduction Of Caffeine Intake Effective In Reducing The Symptoms Of Panic Attack In Panic Disorder Patients?, Elizabeth Wasson

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective for this selective EMB review is to determine whether or not the reduction of caffeine intake is effective in reducing the symptoms of panic attack in panic disorder patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language randomized control trials published in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

DATA SOURCES: The double-blind placebo-controlled randomized control trials were obtained via PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: The prevalence of a clinical panic attack. Pre and post caffeine/placebo administration questionnaires were given to the participants. These surveys included the Subjective Units of Disturbance Scale (SUDS) and the Diagnostic Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ). …

Does N-Acetylcysteine Supplementation Alleviate Compulsive Behavior In Adults With Impulse Control Disorders?, Tova Diamond

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not “Does N-acetylcysteine supplementation alleviate compulsive behavior in adults with impulse control disorders?”

STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English primary studies published between 2007 and 2009.

DATA SOURCES: One double-blind RCT, one open label trial followed by double-blind RCT, one case study. Studies were found using PubMed, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, OVID and Ebsco databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Primary outcomes measured include severity of trichotillomania symptoms measured by MGHHPS, reduction of pathological gambling symptoms measured by YBOCS-PG, and reduction of compulsive grooming urges measured by patient reports.

RESULTS: In …

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Containing Α6 Subunits Contribute To Alcohol Reward-Related Behaviors, Matthew S. Powers, H. J. Broderick, Ryan M. Drenan, Julia Chester

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Evidence is emerging that neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system are involved in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. Midbrain DA neurons express high levels of α6 subunit-containing nAChRs that modulate DA transmission, implicating their involvement in reward-related behaviors. The present study assessed the role of α6-containing nAChRs in modulating alcohol reward using transgenic mice expressing mutant, hypersensitive α6 nAChR subunits (α6L9′S mice). α6L9′S mice and littermate controls were tested in three well-established models of alcohol reward: 24-hr two-bottle choice drinking, drinking in the dark (DID), and conditioned place preference (CPP). Confocal microscopy and patch-clamp …

Relation Between Corticosterone And Fear-Related Behavior In Mice Selectively Bred For High Or Low Alcohol Preference, Julia Chester, Aaron M. Kirchhoff, Gustavo D. Barrenha

Department of Psychological Sciences Faculty Publications

Blunted cortisol responses to stress or trauma have been linked with genetic (familial) risk for both alcoholism and post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD). Mouse lines selectively bred for high (HAP) or low (LAP) alcohol preference may be a relevant model of genetic risk for co-morbid alcoholism and PTSD in humans. HAP mice show greater fear-potentiated startle (FPS), a model used to study PTSD, than LAP mice. The relation between corticosterone (CORT) and FPS behavior was explored in four experiments. Naïve male and female HAP2 and LAP2 mice received fear-conditioning or control treatments and CORT levels were measured before and immediately after fear-conditioning …

The Curious Case Of Transformative Dispute Resolution: An Unfortunate Marriage Of Intransigence, Exclusivity, And Hype, Robert J. Condlin

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Why do proponents of Transformative Dispute Resolution ("TDR") defend the Theory in such intransigent, exclusivist, and grandiose terms? TDR is a mature theory, and a relatively sophisticated one, and qualities of this sort usually go hand in hand with a balanced, refined, and well-modulated sense of self, but TDR proponents will have none of that. They make ambitious (some would say outlandish) assertions about the Theory's capacity to develop moral and political character, reform deliberative government, and resolve ethno-political conflict, while simultaneously rejecting overtures from sympathetic outsiders to rein in the overstated aspects of these claims, and craft a more …

Processing Of Affective Faces Varying In Valence And Intensity In Shy Adults: An Event-Related Fmri Study, Erica Tatham, Louis A. Schmidt, Elliott A. Beaton, Jay Schulkin, Geoffrey B. Hall

Psychology Faculty Publications

Recent behavioral and electrocortical studies have found that shy and socially anxious adults are hypersensitive to the processing of negative and ambiguous facial emotions. We attempted to extend these findings by examining the neural correlates of affective face processing in shy adults using an event-related fMRI design. We presented pairs of faces that varied in affective valence and intensity. The faces were morphed to alter the degree of intensity of the emotional expressive faces. Twenty-four (12 shy and 12 non-shy) young adult participants then made same/different judgments to these faces while in an MR scanner. We found that shy adults …

The Sensory Processing Patterns And Activity Choices Of A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Valerie Miller

Online Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that up to 95% of children with autism spectrum disorder experience sensory processing problems. Minimal research is available on the relationship between specific sensory processing patterns, activity preference and behavior patterns in children. It is hypothesized that if children participate in play activities that support their sensory needs, they will experience less behavioral problems, more self-regulating behavior and a higher quality of life. This mixed-methods case study examines how a child with autism spectrum disorder participates in activities and looks at if those activities support sensory needs, thus reinforcing self-regulatory behaviors.

Psychiatric Nursing Care For Patients With Cardiac Disease, Gail Stern Msn, Donna Petruccelli Msn, Crnp, Np-C, Jeanne Manavizadeh Bsn, Rn, Pccn

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Lamotrigine Augmentation Of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors In Severe And Long-Term Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Manuel Arrojo-Romero, María Tajes Alonso, Jose De Leon

Psychiatry Faculty Publications

The treatment recommendations in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) after lack of response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) include augmentation with other drugs, particularly clomipramine, a more potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI), or antipsychotics. We present two cases of response to lamotrigine augmentation in treatment-refractory OCD; each received multiple SRI trials over a >10-year period. The first patient had eleven years of treatment with multiple combinations including clomipramine and SSRIs. She had a >50% decrease of Y-BOCS (from 29 to 14) by augmenting paroxetine (60 mg/day) with lamotrigine (100 mg/day). The second patient had 22 years of treatment with multiple combinations, …

Rats Acquire Stronger Preference For Flavors Consumed Towards The End Of A High-Fat Meal, Kevin P. Myers

Faculty Journal Articles

Rats learn to prefer flavors associated with postingestive effects of nutrients. The physiological signals underlying this postingestive reward are unknown. We have previously shown that rats readily learn to prefer a flavor that was consumed early in a multi-flavored meal when glucose is infused intragastrically (IG), suggesting rapid postingestive reward onset. The present experiments investigate the timing of postingestive fat reward, by providing distinctive flavors in the first and second halves of meals accompanied by IG fat infusion. Learning stronger preference for the earlier or later flavor would indicate when the rewarding postingestive effects are sensed. Rats consumed sweetened, calorically-dilute …

Effects Of Chemotherapy On Sensory Inhibition And Sensory Memory In Breast Cancer Survivor, Raquel Bibi

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Motor Sequence Learning In Adults With Adhd, Karin Fisher

Dissertations and Theses

"A healthy motor system is able to switch and adapt to different environmental contexts and select the most suitable strategy, thus maximizing the efficiency of the movements and save time or energy. Motor hyperactivity in individuals with ADHD is clinically well recognized and can be understood as abnormal motor inhibition. Individuals with ADHD often have problems with responding effectively to a situation that requires a mobilization of complex motor programs. This deficient flexibility of the motor system in ADHD suggests hypofunctioning of the nigral-striatal dopaminergic system. This study used the motor sequence learning paradigm to examine the selection of movement …

The Psychology Of Competition: A Social Comparison Perspective, Stephen M. Garcia, Avishalom Tor, Tyrone M. Schiff

Journal Articles

Social comparison—the tendency to self-evaluate by comparing ourselves to others—is an important source of competitive behavior. We propose a new model that distinguishes between individual and situational factors that increase social comparison and thus lead to a range of competitive attitudes and behavior. Individual factors are those that vary from person to person: the relevance of the performance dimension, the similarity of rivals, and their relationship closeness to the individual, as well as the various individual differences variables relating to social comparison more generally. Situational factors, conversely, are those factors on the social comparison landscape that affect similarly situated individuals: …

It Doesn't Pass The Sell Test: Focusing On "The Facts Of The Individual Case" In Involuntary Medication Inquiries, Susan A. Mcmahon

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Criminal defendants who are incompetent to stand trial have a significant liberty interest in refusing the antipsychotic medication that could restore their competency. The Supreme Court cautioned that instances of intrusion upon that right “may be rare,” and, in Sell v. United States, it laid out what it believed to be stringent criteria for when a defendant could be medicated against his will. Yet, since Sell, trial courts have ordered over sixty-three percent of defendants involuntarily medicated. These individuals did not pose a danger to themselves or others, and they were rarely accused of crimes that involved damage …

Relation Between Optimism And Lipids In Midlife, Julia K. Boehm, David R. Williams, Eric B. Rimm, Carol Ryff, Laura D. Kubzansky

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This research examined optimism’s relationship with total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. The hypothesis that optimism is associated with a healthier lipid profile was tested. Participants were 990 mostly white men and women from the Midlife in the United States study who were on average 55.1 years old. Optimism was assessed by self-report with the Life Orientation Test. A fasting blood sample was used to assess serum lipid levels. Linear and logistic regression models examined the cross-sectional association between optimism and lipids accounting for covariates such as demographic characteristics (e.g., education) and …