Early neuropsychological change in HIV infection.

The neuropsychological and psychosocial functioning of 15 Ss infected with HIV+ was examined. Performance by the HIV+ Ss was compared with that of 15 at-risk HIV– Ss. Relative to the HIV– Ss, the HIV+ Ss were impaired on measures of attention, verbal fluency, and visual memory. The pattern of deficit exhibited by the HIV+ Ss was suggestive of a subcortical dysfunction. Despite this, the HIV+ Ss did not exhibit greater levels of psychosocial impairment. There was no relationship between depression and neuropsychological test performance for the HIV+ Ss. The development of specific criteria for defining impairment when assessing the neuropsychological consequences of HIV infection is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological findings in relapsing-remitting and chronic-progressive multiple sclerosis.

Administered the WAIS and an expanded Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery (HRB) to 100 (mean age 37.38 yrs) patients with relapsing-remitting (n?=?57) or chronic-progressive (n?=?43) courses of multiple sclerosis (MS) and to 100 normal controls to assess neuropsychological functioning in MS Ss. Both MS groups were clinically stable at the times of testing. Results indicate that both MS groups showed significant neuropsychological impairment, relative to controls, but chronic-progressive MS was associated with greater impairment in each major ability domain (cognitive, sensory, and motor) than was relapsing-remitting MS. In particular, only minimal cognitive impairment was noted in relapsing-remitting MS Ss, whereas chronic-progressive Ss showed impairment on the majority of cognitive test measures from the expanded HRB. Degree of neuropsychological impairment was significantly correlated with MS duration but was unrelated to medication status. MS subgroup differences on the test battery could not be attributed to duration of illness, indicating that disease course is an important independent determinant of neuropsychological impairment in MS. Disability ratings from clinical neurological examinations were highly correlated with motor and sensory performances on neuropsychologial testing, but clinical exams were inadequate in predicting Ss' cognitive status. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive complaints, depression, medical symptoms, and their association with neuropsychological functioning in HIV infection: A structural equation model analysis.

The main objective of this study was to use structural equation modeling (SEM) to clarify the relationship between subjective cognitive complaints and neuropsychological functioning in 160 adults with HIV infection. Participants completed questionnaires assessing cognitive complaints, symptoms of depression, and HIV-related medical symptoms. Neuropsychological tests included measures of attention, verbal fluency, psychomotor skills, learning, memory, and executive skills. SEM was used to test models of the relationships among cognitive complaints, mood, and medical symptoms with neuropsychological functioning. The model indicated that although depressed mood (β = 0.32, p     

Early detection of cognitive decline in higher cognitively functioning older adults: Sensitivity and specificity of a neuropsychological screening battery.

The sensitivity and specificity of a neuropsychological screening battery designed to determine early cognitive decline in the high functioning elderly are presented. The battery is composed of 4 standard neuropsychological tests assessing cognitive domains commonly effected in early stages of CNS disease. Initial validation data were gathered by applying cutoff scores derived from published or submitted normative data to test data on 2 groups of elderly, higher cognitively functioning individuals: a sample of 45 elderly individuals diagnosed with 1 of 5 target disorders, and a sample of 61 independent elderly. Cutoff scores were identified that produce high rates of correct classification and a range of sensitivity and specificity. The suggested neuropsychological test battery classifies Ss as having a high, moderate, or low probability of cognitive impairment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological impairment, depression, and Parkinson's disease.

Examined the nature of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its relation to depression in 89 nondemented (mean age 69.35 yrs) and 19 demented (mean age 79.94 yrs) PD patients and 64 control Ss (mean age 66.44 yrs). PD Ss were significantly more depressed than controls on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). There were significant, negative associations between scores on the GDS and performance on 8 neuropsychological test variables. Both PD groups were significantly impaired on 7 neuropsychologial test variables, including measures of visuomotor, memory, and executive functions. The demented PD group was more impaired than the nondemented PD and control groups on 9 neuropsychological test variables. Cognitive impairments in the nondemented PD group were relatively subtle and not apparent on the Mini-Mental State Examination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-devaluation and depressed mood.

E. Velten's (1968) mood induction procedure (VMIP) has been used in a variety of studies to induce depressed moods. Its effectiveness has been attributed to the self-devaluative nature of its statements, and it has been used as support for cognitive self-evaluation theories of depression. An alternative hypothesis is that suggestions of somatic states characteristic of depression, which are found in nearly half of the VMIP depression statements, account for the effectiveness of the procedure. 60 female college students were randomly assigned to 5 groups: VMIP depression, VMIP elation, VMIP neutral, somatic suggestion, and self-devaluation. The VMIP depression statements were divided into those that suggest somatic states characteristic of depression, (e.g., fatigue and exhaustion) and those that are self-devaluative, (e.g., statements of low self-worth) to form the somatic suggestion and self-devaluation conditions. Somatic suggestion Ss reported more depressed mood than neutral Ss. Somatic suggestion Ss also reported more depressed mood than self-devaluation Ss on several measures. Results support a somatic suggestion hypothesis and offer no support for self-devaluative interpretations of VMIP effects. This limits the support VMIP studies offer to cognitive self-evaluation theories of depression. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship of distress to mood disturbance in primary care and psychiatric populations.

Disagreement remains as how to interpret elevated scores on measures of self-reported distress. This study compared elevated scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) in 2 samples to mood disturbance as assessed in an interview. In a primary medical care sample, most distressed patients did not have a mood disturbance, and distress without mood disturbance was associated with little impairment. Primary care patients with elevated scores on the CES-D were less distressed and less likely to have mood disturbance, major depression, or impairment than distressed psychiatric patients. Few patients with mood disturbance in either sample failed to meet criteria for major depression. Implications are discussed for research on depression using self-report measures, for generalizations across clinical and nonclinical populations, and for screening for preventive interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective memory deficits are associated with unemployment in persons living with HIV infection.

Objective: To determine whether deficits in prospective memory (i.e., “remembering to remember”) confer an increased risk of unemployment in individuals living with chronic HIV infection. Methods: Fifty-nine Unemployed and 49 Employed individuals with HIV infection underwent comprehensive neuropsychological and medical evaluations, including measures of prospective memory. Results: The Unemployed participants demonstrated significantly lower performance on time- and event-based prospective memory, which was primarily characterized by errors of omission. Importantly, prospective memory impairment was an independent predictor of unemployment when considered alongside other neurocognitive abilities, mood disturbance, and HIV disease severity. Conclusions: Prospective memory impairment is a salient predictor of unemployment in persons living with HIV infection and might be considered in screening for unemployment risk and developing vocational rehabilitation plans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological functioning in HIV-positive African-American women with a history of drug use

This preliminary investigation examined neuropsychological performance in a sample of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative African-American women with a history of drug use. The study population was comprised of 10 HIV-negative, 9 asymptomatic HIV-positive, 13 symptomatic HIV-positive, and 10 acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) patients. A neuropsychological battery designed to assess attention, psychomotor processing, verbal memory, and visual memory was administered to participants. No evidence of HIV-related cognitive impairment was found in patients in the early stages of HIV infection. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed significant deficits in psychomotor processing and verbal recall in persons with AIDS. These individuals showed greater difficulty in tasks requiring maintained attention and performed poorly on measures of immediate and delayed verbal recall. In contrast, HIV status was not related to visual memory, verbal recognition, or the number of errors made during a verbal recall task. The pattern of cognitive deficits observed in persons with AIDS resembles that commonly associated with subcortical pathology. The cognitive deficits observed were not related to depression or recentness of drug use.     

Memory complaint and memory performance in the depressed elderly.

Compared depressed and nondepressed elderly Ss recruited in the context of a large epidemiological study of health on measures of self-reported memory disturbance and an objective index of memory performance (free recall). Three groups were studied: (a) 26 Ss (mean age 71.56 yrs) meeting Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for major depression, (b) 25 Ss (mean age 72.16 yrs) with high levels of self-reported depressive symptoms who did not meet RDC for major depression, and (c) 26 Ss (mean age 71.81 yrs) with low levels of self-reported depressive symptoms. Ss with high depression symptom levels reported significantly higher levels of memory complaint than did Ss with low symptom levels, but there were no differences in self-reported memory disturbance as a function of depression diagnosis. There were no significant differences between groups on the free-recall measure, either as a function of symptom level or diagnosis. It is argued that symptom severity rather than diagnosis of depression is important in determining impairment in depressed elderly people. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reversal of cognitive and affective deficits associated with depression and learned helplessness by mood elevation in patients

Therapeutic implications of the learned helplessness model of depression were tested in a clinical population (48 male medical and psychiatric patients of a VA hospital). In pretreatment, 2 groups of nondepressed medical patients waited, 2 groups of nondepressed medical patients received helplessness training, and 2 groups of psychiatric patients (diagnosed as primary affective disorder) waited. In treatment, Ss received either E. Velten's (1968) mood-elation procedure as "therapy" or Velten's (1968) mood-neutral procedure as placebo. Performance on cognitive and mood tasks was assessed. Three separate administrations of the Depression Adjective Check List indicated that helplessness training induced depressive affect, and the mood elation procedure decreased depressive affect for both helpless and depressed Ss. The mood neutral procedure and the waiting periods were associated with no affective changes. On the cognitive (anagrams) task, performance deficits were associated with helplessness and depression but were reversed by mood elation. Results are interpreted as consistent with the learned helplessness model of depression. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of neurocognitive status and personality functioning on length of stay in residential substance abuse treatment: An integrative study.

Administered a battery of neuropsychological tests and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) to 246 patients (aged 17–53 yrs) admitted to a long-term residential substance abuse treatment facility. Ss who displayed general cognitive impairment scored higher on the Avoidant, Antisocial, Paranoid, and Thought Disorder scales than those who did not have such impairment. Cognitive status and personality functioning, particularly an antisocial personality style, were independently and interactively related to program participation. Ss with elevations on the MCMI-II scale measuring antisocial personality style and who had cognitive impairment stayed in the program a shorter amount of time, were rated as less positively participatory by clinical staff, and were removed more frequently from treatment for rule violations than other residents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manipulation of thought content as a determinant of mood and corrugator electromyographic activity in depressed patients.

In 5 single-S experiments, depressed mood and corrugator EMG were measured while 5 female depressed psychiatric hospital day-clinic patients thought happy and unhappy thoughts. Results show that mood was significantly more depressed after unhappy thoughts for all Ss. During the 2nd half of the thought periods, corrugator EMG was higher in the unhappy condition than in the happy condition for all Ss, significantly so for all but one. Significant positive correlations between depressed mood and corrugator EMG were obtained in all Ss. Findings are discussed in relation to cognitive theories of depression and to the usefulness of corrugator EMG as an index of depressed mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term psychosocial adjustment following very severe closed head injury.

Examined the cognitive, psychological, and social functioning of 18 community-dwelling male patients who had experienced a severe closed head injury (CHI) at least 18 mo previously and still required contact with rehabilitation services. Results from Ss with CHI were compared with those from 27 normal control Ss. Information on Ss' behavior was also obtained from their significant others. Results show that Ss with CHI exhibited deficits in their cognitive and social functioning but showed no signs of emotional or psychiatric disturbance. Attempts to find a relationship between the cognitive impairment and social functioning of Ss with CHI were partially successful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for neuropsychological impairment in alcoholics.

A short self-report instrument that could predict neuropsychological impairment in at-risk patients would be advantageous to clinicians treating alcoholics. Seventy-three Veterans Administration alcoholics and 36 control subjects were administered a 50-item self-report symptom checklist, the Neuropsychological Impairment Scale (NIS); psychological measures of anxiety and depression; and a battery of neuropsychological tests known to be sensitive to brain dysfunction. Alcoholics differed from control subjects on the neuropsychological tests and in their NIS profiles. Multiple regression analyses revealed that select NIS subscales could predict neuropsychological impairment in alcoholic subjects. These subscales, however, were found to be more strongly correlated with standard measures of anxiety and depression than with cognitive performance. The confounding role of affect in predicting neuropsychological impairment from self-report questionnaires is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects of induced mood on retrieval of pleasant and unpleasant events from episodic memory.

Examined the effect of depressed mood on the accessibility of memories of past real-life experiences of a pleasant or unpleasant nature. By means of a mood induction procedure, 30 students (mean age 19.2 yrs) were made happy on one occasion and depressed on another. The 2 mood states differed significantly on self-report, speech-rate, and recall-latency measures. Stimulus words to which Ss had to associate past pleasant or unpleasant experiences were presented in each mood condition, and latency of retrieval was measured. Time to retrieve pleasant memories, relative to time to retrieve unpleasant memories, was significantly longer when Ss were depressed than when they were happy, suggesting a differential effect of mood on the accessibility of these 2 types of memory. Results are considered in relation to state-dependent learning and activation of memories, and their implications for models and treatment of depression are discussed. It is suggested that cognitive models of depression need to be extended to include a reciprocal relation between thought content and depressed mood. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of behavioral problems in dementia: The Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist.

The Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist (RMBPC), a 24-item, caregiver-report measure of observable behavioral problems in dementia patients, provides 1 total score and 3 subscale scores for S problems (memory-related, depression, and disruptive behaviors) and parallel scores for caregiver reaction. Data were obtained from 201 geriatric Ss and their caregivers. Factor analysis confirmed 3 1st-order factors, consistent with subscales just named, and 1 general factor of behavioral disturbance. Overall scale reliability was good, with alphas of .84 for S behavior and .90 for caregiver reaction. Subscale alphas ranged from .67 to .89. Validity was confirmed through comparison of RMBPC scores with well-established indexes of depression, cognitive impairment, and caregiver burden. The RMBPC is recommended as a reliable and valid tool for the clinical and empirical assessment of behavior problems in dementia Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of depression in the spouses of stroke patients.

Examined the prevalence and correlates of depression in the spouses (SPs [mean age 61.8 yrs]) of 41 stroke patients (SPTs [mean age 65.6 yrs]). SPs reported their own mood on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and rated their partners' (the SPTs') mood using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). A clinician evaluated the SPTs' mood using the HRSD and their cognitive/language and physical impairments using a battery of neuropsychological tests. Results indicated that 44% of the SPs were depressed. SP depression was not correlated with the severity of the SPTs' physical, cognitive, or language impairments. However, the SPs' perception of the SPTs' mood was a better predictor of the SPs' mood than was the clinicians' evaluation of the SPTs' mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of minor head injury on neuropsychological performance in asymptomatic HIV–2 infection.

The performance of 24 asymptomatic Ss who were seropositive for HIV–2 and who had a history of minor closed head injury (CHI) was compared with the performance of age- and education-matched HIV–2+ and HIV–2– controls on a battery of neuropsychological tasks. Ss were volunteers for a longitudinal study of HIV–2 infection and were not selected because of neurobehavioral symptoms. No differences were found for measures of intellectual ability, frontal and executive function, memory, attention and concentration, psychomotor speed, auditory reaction time (RT), or the Hamilton depression and anxiety rating scales. Differences were observed between the 2 HIV–2+ groups on a visual RT measure, but these effects failed to reach significance after Bonferroni's correction. The failure to find group differences may be due to the short duration of unconsciousness experienced by the CHI group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)