4,123 research outputs found
Social attribution in children with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome: An exploratory study in the Chinese setting
No full textThe present study aimed to examine social attribution in children with high-functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger's syndrome (AS). A sample of 20 boys (9 with HFA and 11 with AS) and 20 age-matched controls were recruited for this study. All participated in two tasks measuring social attribution ability, the conventional Social Attribution Task (SAT) and a modified version with animals rather than shapes (mSAT). They also completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. Compared to typically developing controls, children with autism spectrum disorders were impaired on some measures in both SATs. However, group differences in 'theory-of-mind' indices were only significant in the mSAT, with the ASD group performing more poorly than controls. In addition, the scores in person index of both versions of the SAT correlated with executive function in children with HFA/AS. The current study found the mSAT paradigm was especially sensitive to ToM difficulties in young Chinese children with HFA/AS. Social attribution in children with HFA/AS, unlike neurotypical children, was related to executive function ability, suggesting these psychological domains are not distinct in children with autism spectrum disorders. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</p
Dexterous movement complexity and cerebellar activation: A meta-analysis
No full textThe importance of the cerebellum in coordinates of movement has been established by lesion studies. However, there is no clear understanding of whether there is consistent activation in cerebellum across various motor task complexities or how different parts of the cerebellum contribute to finger coordinates in dexterous manipulation. This article reviews imaging studies with data from healthy subjects. A mini meta-analysis using label-based and activation likelihood estimation (ALE) methods reveals that ipsilateral anterior and vermis regions of the cerebellum were consistently activated across various dexterous movement complexities and were associated with finger and hand movement.The importance of the cerebellum in coordinates of movement has been established by lesion studies. However, there is no clear understanding of whether there is consistent activation in cerebellum across various motor task complexities or how different parts of the cerebellum contribute to finger coordinates in dexterous manipulation. This article reviews imaging studies with data from healthy subjects. A mini meta-analysis using label-based and activation likelihood estimation (ALE) methods reveals that ipsilateral anterior and vermis regions of the cerebellum were consistently activated across various dexterous movement complexities and were associated with finger and hand movement. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
HERITABILITY OF NEUROLOGICAL SOFT SIGNS IN CHINESE HEALTHY ADOLESCENT TWINS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
No full textBEHAVIOURAL AND IMAGING MODELING OF NEUROLOGICAL SOFT SIGNS: EVIDENCE FROM BOTH HEALTHY COHORTS AND SCHIZOPHRENIA
No full textChanSupplementalMaterial_rev – Supplemental material for Inheritance of Neural Substrates for Motivation and Pleasure
No full textSupplemental material, ChanSupplementalMaterial_rev for Inheritance of Neural Substrates for Motivation and Pleasure by Zhi Li, Yi Wang, Chao Yan, Eric F. C. Cheung, Anna R. Docherty, Pak C. Sham, Raquel E. Gur, Ruben C. Gur and Raymond C. K. Chan in Psychological Science</p
Latent structure of the Test of Everyday Attention in a non-clinical Chinese sample
No full textThe validity and clinical viability of Posner and Petersen's (1999) 3-factor model of attention was tested through a confirmatory factor analysis of attentional performance (Test of Everyday Attention [Robertson, I. H., Ward, T., Ridgeway, V., & Nimmo-Smith, I. (1996). The structure of normal human attention: The Test of Everyday Attention. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2, 525-534]) in a sample of 133 Chinese participants. This study served both as a cross-cultural replication of the clinical implementation of this leading theoretical model of attention, and as a more stringent test of the validity of the hypothesized attentional processes underlying human cognitive control. The results support the validity of a 3-factor model of attention consistent with that proposed by Posner and Petersen (selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional switching/control), and demonstrate that clinical assessment of neuroanatomically-distinct attentional processes using simulated real life activities is possible.The validity and clinical viability of Posner and Petersen's (1999) 3-factor model of attention was tested through a confirmatory factor analysis of attentional performance (Test of Everyday Attention [Robertson, I. H., Ward, T., Ridgeway, V., & Nimmo-Smith, I. (1996). The structure of normal human attention: The Test of Everyday Attention. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2, 525-534]) in a sample of 133 Chinese participants. This study served both as a cross-cultural replication of the clinical implementation of this leading theoretical model of attention, and as a more stringent test of the validity of the hypothesized attentional processes underlying human cognitive control. The results support the validity of a 3-factor model of attention consistent with that proposed by Posner and Petersen (selective attention, sustained attention, and attentional switching/control), and demonstrate that clinical assessment of neuroanatomically-distinct attentional processes using simulated real life activities is possible. (c) 2006 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Neurological abnormalities in Chinese schizophrenic patients
No full textBackground: This study attempted to examine the prevalence and type of neurological signs in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. Methods: A cross-sectional design was adopted with the use of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory (CNI). The CNI is comprised of 7 subscales, including motor coordination, sensory integration, disinhibition, extrapyramidal signs, dyskinesia, catatonia, and pyramidal signs. The former 3 subscales were classified as soft signs, whereas the latter 4 subscales were classified as hard signs. A total of 250 Chinese schizophrenic patients and 90 normal controls were recruited. Results: Patients exhibited significantly more signs than normal controls in all subscales but pyramidal signs (p < 0.00005). Significant differences were also found in total soft signs, total hard signs as well as total neurological signs (p < 0.0005). The three subscales of soft signs showed a relatively better sensitivity and specificity as compared with the four subscales of hard signs. Improvement in sensitivity and specificity was demonstrated when the subscales were collapsed into total soft signs, total hard signs and total neurological signs. A cut-off of 4 in total soft signs yields a sensitivity of 0:63 and specificity of 0.71; whereas a cut-off of I in total hard signs yields a sensitivity of 0.78 and specificity of 0.89. A global cut-off of 5 in total neurological signs results in a sensitivity of 0.81 and specificity of 0.73 for detecting schizophrenia versus normal. Conclusions: High levels of neurological abnormality characterize schizophrenic patients. An extended assessment battery of CNI provides even better discrimination of patients from normal controls, and soft signs are more strongly associated with schizophrenia than are hard signs in the Chinese sample.Background: This study attempted to examine the prevalence and type of neurological signs in Chinese patients with schizophrenia
Neurological Soft Signs in Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Neurological soft signs (NSS) are hypothesized as candidate endophenotypes for schizophrenia, but their prevalence and relations with clinical and demographic data are unknown. The authors undertook a quantification (meta-analysis) of the published literature on NSS in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. A systematic search was conducted for published articles reporting NSS and related data using standard measures in schizophrenia and healthy comparison groups. Method: A systematic search was conducted for published articles reporting data on the prevalence of NSS in schizophrenia using standard clinical rating scales and healthy comparison groups. Meta-analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-analysis software package. Effect sizes (Cohen d) indexing the difference between schizophrenic patients and the healthy controls were calculated on the basis of reported statistics. Potential moderator variables evaluated included age of patient samples, level of education, sample sex proportions, medication doses, and negative and positive symptoms. Results: A total of 33 articles met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. A large and reliable group difference (Cohen d) indicated that, on average, a majority of patients (73%) perform outside the range of healthy subjects on aggregate NSS measures. Cognitive performance and positive and negative symptoms share 2%-10% of their variance with NSS. Conclusions: NSS occur in a majority of the schizophrenia patient population and are largely distinct from symptomatic and cognitive features of the illness.PsychiatrySCI(E)SSCI38ARTICLE61089-11043
Examination of postconcussion-like symptoms in healthy university students: Relationships to subjective and objective neuropsychological function performance
No full textThis study examined postconcussion-like symptoms in a group of university students and explored their relationships to neuropsychological function performance. A sample of 124 students was recruited. All of the participants received the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) and completed a comprehensive set of neuropsychological tests. They reported a relatively high base rate of postconcussion-like symptoms. The most frequently endorsed items were "fatigue" (76.9%), "longer time to think" (60.3%), "poor concentration" (58.7%), "sleep disturbance" (50.4%), and "frustration" (46.3%). There were no significant differences between low symptom reporters and high symptom reporters, except for self-reported dysexecutive problems. A comparison of the healthy high symptom reporters and a convenient sample of traumatic brain injury patients revealed that the patients performed significantly worse on neuropsychological functions than the high symptom reporters, despite non-significant differences between symptom endorsement. Our findings demonstrate that: (a) the base rate of postconcussion-like symptoms in a group of healthy university students is relatively high and (b) postconcussion symptom (PCS) is not related to neuropsychological functions in normal people.This study examined postconcussion-like symptoms in a group of university students and explored their relationships to neuropsychological function performance. A sample of 124 students was recruited. All of the participants received the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPQ) and completed a comprehensive set of neuropsychological tests. They reported a relatively high base rate of postconcussion-like symptoms. The most frequently endorsed items were "fatigue" (76.9%), "longer time to think" (60.3%), "poor concentration" (58.7%), "sleep disturbance" (50.4%), and "frustration" (46.3%). There were no significant differences between low symptom reporters and high symptom reporters, except for self-reported dysexecutive problems. A comparison of the healthy high symptom reporters and a convenient sample of traumatic brain injury patients revealed that the patients performed significantly worse on neuropsychological functions than the high symptom reporters, despite non-significant differences between symptom endorsement. Our findings demonstrate that: (a) the base rate of postconcussion-like symptoms in a group of healthy university students is relatively high and (b) postconcussion symptom (PCS) is not related to neuropsychological functions in normal people. (c) 2006 National Academy of Neuropsychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
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