"On the relationship between lateralized brain function and orienting asymmetries": Correction to Teufel et al. (2010).

Reports an error in "On the relationship between lateralized brain function and orienting asymmetries" by Christoph Teufel, Asif A. Ghazanfar and Julia Fischer (Behavioral Neuroscience, 2010[Aug], Vol 124[4], 437-445). In the article, we wrote that “the likelihood of obtaining at least one significant result at p n. The probability of obtaining at least one significant result is therefore 1 — (1— α)n. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-16138-001.) Hemispheric specializations for language perception constitute one of the classic topic in cognitive neuroscience. Evidence has accumulated to suggest that lateralized acoustic processing is not restricted to humans but is also found in numerous animal species. One of the methods used to track such lateralization is the orienting-asymmetry paradigm, a simple, noninvasive means to study lateralization that has been applied to a range of different species ranging from harpy eagles to humans. Here we summarize and compare the results of studies employing the orienting-asymmetry paradigm, showing that these studies yield largely inconsistent results. We critically discuss the methodology's implicit assumptions and conclude that the empirical inconsistencies produced by the orienting-asymmetry paradigm, and the lack of sufficient evidence supporting the paradigm's underlying assumptions, warrant serious caution when interpreting results obtained by the method. Nontrivial interpretations of orienting-asymmetry results will require a much better understanding of how lateralized brain functions interact with overt behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

One-sided limb preference is linked to alternating-limb locomotion in anuran amphibians.

Amphibians provide a unique opportunity for identifying possible links between lateralized behaviors, locomotion, and phylogeny and for addressing the origin of lateralized behaviors of higher vertebrates. Five anuran species with different locomotive habits were tested for forelimb and hind limb preferences during 2 stereotyped behavior sequences-wiping a foreign object off their snout and righting themselves from the overturned position. The experiments were analyzed in a broader context of previous findings on anuran lateralization involving 11 anuran species that were studied within the same experimental paradigms. This analysis shows that one-sided forelimb and hind limb motor lateralization in anurans is strongly associated with alternating-limb locomotion and other unilateral limb activity. Conclusions reached for anuran amphibians may be applicable to other vertebrates possessing paired appendages-the degree of lateralization in motor response depends on the mode of locomotion used by a species. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lateralized agonistic responses and hindlimb use in toads

The recent discovery of forepaw preferences (handedness) in toad species has provided some insight into the evolution of brain lateralization. We tested the prediction that, as in higher vertebrates, visual lateralization and other motor preferences (footedness) also exists in toad species. During feeding periods, South American cane toads, Bufo marinus, showed a population bias to strike with the tongue at other toads occupying their left visual field. This is the first demonstration of lateralized visual behaviour in an amphibian species. Tongue striking at an individual's eyes or head may sometimes delay its approach to prey already seen by the attacker, or may dislodge prey from its mouth. In addition, we report hindlimb preferences (footedness) for contact righting in three species of toad (B. marinus, the European green toad, B. viridis, and the European common toad, B. bufo). After being fully overturned on to their back on a horizontal surface, toads initiated and completed righting using the hindlimbs and with only perfunctory use of the forepaws. Together, the findings of visual lateralization and footedness demonstrate that in toads, as in higher vertebrates, behavioural lateralization is not restricted to handedness. The hypothesis that lateralized brain functions in birds and mammals might have arisen from a common lateralized ancestor is therefore supported. Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.     

Pseudoneglect and embryonic light stimulation in the avian brain.

A bias to allocate attention to the left hemispace, similar to the well-known pseudoneglect phenomenon shown by humans, has been recently reported in domestic chicks and other species of birds. Asymmetrical light exposure of the embryo of the domestic chick in a critical period before hatching is known to be responsible for a structural asymmetry in the visual ascending projections of the thalamofugal pathway and for lateralization of some visual behaviors. Thus the animal model provided by the chick makes possible investigation of the prenatal factors that may influence asymmetry in spatial attention. Here chicks coming from eggs exposed to light (light incubated, Li-chicks) and chicks incubated in darkness (dark incubated, Di-chicks) were tested in a task in which they were required to explore an area in front of them and to sample grains of food. The results showed that Li-chicks attended more to target stimuli located in the left hemispace, whereas no asymmetry was shown by Di-chicks. When grains of food were presented with small novel pebbles as distractors, both Li- and Di-chicks tended to allocate attention toward the left hemispace. When, however, chicks were tested after familiarization with pebbles, no bias was shown by either Li- and Di-chicks. Hence it seems that cerebral lateralization associated with right hemispheric involvement in response to novelty, interacts with the modulatory effect of asymmetric embryonic light stimulation on preferential allocation of spatial attention in the left hemispace (right hemisphere) and right eye (left hemisphere) control of visual discrimination during feeding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigating models of affect: Relationships among EEG alpha asymmetry, depression, and anxiety.

The approach-withdrawal and valence-arousal models both predict that depressive and anxious profiles will be associated with relatively reduced left frontal and increased right frontal activity respectively, while the valence-arousal model also proposes a dissociation by lower and higher right parietotemporal activity, respectively. Recent work further suggests that subtypes of anxiety disorders may be characterized by distinctive patterns of activity depending on their type of arousal (anxious arousal/apprehension). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among nonclinical depression/anxiety and lateralized frontal/parietotemporal activity by categorizing participants (N = 428) on the basis of both negative mood and alpha EEG. Key findings include: (i) greater right frontal lateralization in anxious participants, symmetrical frontal activity in depressed/comorbid, and left frontal lateralization in healthy controls; (ii) right frontal lateralization in anxious arousal participants, left frontal and right parietotemporal lateralization in anxious apprehension; (iii) bilateral increase in frontal and increased right parietotemporal activity in depressed/comorbid participants. Findings support predictions for frontal but not posterior regions. Grouping on the basis of EEG may not be reciprocally predictive of negative mood groupings, suggesting involvement of additional factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the relationship between degree of handedness and degree of cerebral lateralization for processing facial emotion.

This paper examines the relationship between degree of handedness and degree of cerebral lateralization on a task of processing positive facial emotion in right-handed individuals. Three hundred and thirteen right-handed participants (157 women) were given two behavioral tests of lateralization: a handedness questionnaire and a chimeric faces test. Two further handedness measures were taken: familial lefthandedness and writing posture. Regression analysis showed that both degree of handedness and sex were predictive of degree of lateralization. Individuals who were strongly right-handed were also more strongly lateralized to the right hemisphere for the task. Men were more strongly lateralized than women. Data were reanalyzed for men and women separately. The relationship between handedness and lateralization remained for men only. Neither familial left-handedness nor writing posture were associated with cerebral lateralization for men or women. The results suggest a positive relationship between degree of handedness and degree of cerebral lateralization, and further that there is a sex difference in this relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postural effect on manual laterality in different tasks in captive grey-cheeked mangabey (Lophocebus albigena).

The authors examined the effects of task complexity and posture on laterality and compared lateralization during different tasks in 9 captive grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) during spontaneous food processing and 3 experimental tasks. Comparisons with data of red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus torquatus; semiterrestrial species) were used. Less than half the monkeys were lateralized for simple everyday activities, but 6 were lateralized for complex daily activities. Moreover, all the monkeys were lateralized when performing experimental tasks. Laterality at the group level was found for the bipedal task: Mangabeys were right-handed. Complexity of tasks increases laterality at the individual level. Significant differences between the 2 species of mangabeys were found, allowing us to confirm that postural constraints are a major factor in the emergence of group handedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the BASC–2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Student Form.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 23(2) of Psychological Assessment (see record 2011-09524-001). There was an omission in the author note. The author note should have included a disclosure as follows, “Randy W. Kamphaus wishes to disclose a potential conflict of interest in that he receives a portion of royalties on net sales of BESS.”] The BASC–2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) Student Form (Kamphaus & Reynolds, 2007) is a recently developed youth self-report rating scale designed to identify students at risk for behavioral and emotional problems. The BESS Student Form was derived from the Behavior Assessment System for Children—Second Edition Self-Report of Personality (BASC–2 SRP; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) using principal component analytic procedures and theoretical considerations. Using 3 samples, the authors conducted exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) to understand the underlying factor structure of the BESS Student Form. The results of the EFA suggested that the SRP contained a 4-factor (i.e., Personal Adjustment, Inattention/Hyperactivity, Internalizing, School Problems) emergent structure, which was supported by CFA in 2 additional samples. Practical and research implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Socially mediated reduction of isolation distress in rat pups is blocked by naltrexone but not by Ro 15-1788.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 104(4) of Behavioral Neuroscience (see record 2008-10515-001). On page 462, the last paragraph of the first column was incorrect. The corrected paragraph is provided in the erratum.] The presence of a single anesthetized littermate significantly reduced the rate of ultrasonic vocalization by 10-day-old pups isolated in a novel environment. Naltrexone (1.0 mg/kg) returned the vocalization rate to the level of pups tested alone and disrupted the maintenance of body contact between the test pup and a companion. This suggests that the companion exerts comforting effects through endogenous opioid mechanisms. Although chlordiazepoxide is as effective as morphine in the quieting of isolation distress, the benzodiazepine (BDZ) antagonist Ro 15-1788 (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg) was ineffective in blocking the comfort effect and facilitated quiet contact with the companion. In isolated pups, Ro 15-1788 caused a significant, but not a dose-related, decrease in vocalization, a possible indication of the displacement of an endogenous anxiogenic ligand at the BDZ receptor complex. [An erratum for this article will appear in Behavioral Neuroscience, 1990 (Aug), Vol 104:4. The erratum concerns an error in the last paragraph of the first column on page 462.] (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unilateral conditioning of an odor aversion in 6-day-old rat pups.

In young rats, several forms of olfactory memory can be functionally localized to one side of the brain by restricting training stimuli to one naris and corresponding olfactory bulb. In this experiment, the analysis of lateralized olfactory learning in 6-day-old rat pups was extended by an evaluation of the consequences of aversive reinforcers in a unilateral olfactory conditioning paradigm. An olfactory aversion was conditioned by delivering a mild footshock to animals in the presence of a novel odor. Olfactory stimulation was confined to one naris and corresponding olfactory bulb by inserting a soft rubber plug into the opposite naris. This lateralization in processing resulted in unilateral memory for the odor aversion that was only expressed when the trained naris was open during an odor preference test. The hypothesis that the hedonic value (or valence) component of conditioning is represented in structures that are unilaterally accessed during training and testing is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recovery of spatial alternation deficits following selective hippocampal destruction with kainic acid.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 101(5) of Behavioral Neuroscience (see record 2008-10704-001). In the aforementioned article, the degrees of freedom reported in the Results section are incorrect. In the sixth paragraph on page 281, the second sentence should read as follows: Results of the ANOVA indicated a significant effect for surgical treatments. F(2, 25)=25.44, p     

Learning of physiological responses: I. Habituation, sensitization, and classical conditioning.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 104(4) of Behavioral Neuroscience (see record 2008-10516-001). In the article, on page 310, the denotations for paired (CS+) and unpaired (CS-) stimuli within Table 2 were missing. The corrected table is included in the erratum.] Rats with chronic neuromuscular block (NMB) maintained by continuous infusion of α-bungarotoxin were classically conditioned. All rats showed reliable discriminative-conditioned tibial nerve firing, hind limb vasoconstriction, hypertension, bradycardia, and electroencephalographic (EEG) desynchronization. A regression analysis indicated that the conditioned vasoconstriction was neither centrally mediated by, nor inextricably linked to, skeletal (tibial) nerve firing. Throughout the experiment there were normal blood gases, pH, Na, serum protein, hematocrit, blood pressure, heart rate, vasomotor tone, and tibial nerve activity. The vital signs, EEG spectra, and cortical evoked potentials reflected regular sleep–wakefulness cycles and responsiveness to mild stimuli. The NMB rat preparation with its stable physiological state and fully intact central nervous system (CNS) may be a useful model for a variety of physiological, medical, and neurobehavioral studies. [An erratum concerning missing data in Table 2 of this article will appear in Behavioral Neuroscience, 1990, Vol 104(4)]. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of long-term aerosol pentamidine for Pneumocystis carinii prophylaxis on pulmonary function

OBJECTIVE: To compare the reliability of clinical seizure lateralization in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with unitemporal and bitemporal independent interictal spikes and unilateral hippocampal atrophy or sclerosis (HA/HS) on MRI scan. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 11 patients with unitemporal and 10 patients with bitemporal interictal spikes. We calculated a spike ratio by dividing the number of spikes ipsilateral to the side of HA/HS by those occurring contralaterally. RESULTS: Clinical seizure lateralization was correct, i.e., ipsilateral to the side of HA/HS, significantly more often in the unitemporal group. Spike ratios were significantly higher in seizures that were lateralized correctly as compared with both incorrectly and nonlateralized seizures. Within the individual patients, a significant positive correlation between spike ratios and the proportion of correctly lateralized seizures was found. We identified three categories of symptoms according to lateralization accuracy. Category 1 symptoms (version, postictal paresis, and early ictal vomiting/retching) lateralized to the side of HA/HS in 100% of patients in the uni- and bitemporal groups. Category 2 symptoms (dystonic posturing, mouth deviation, postictal dysnomia/dysphasia, and ictal speech) provided a 100% correct lateralization in the unitemporal but not in the bitemporal patients. Category 3 symptoms (nonversive early head turning and unilateral upper extremity automatisms) yielded erroneous lateralization in both patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that reliable clinical seizure lateralization in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy can only be achieved in patients with unitemporal interictal spikes, whereas clinical lateralization in patients with bitemporal spikes must be viewed cautiously.     

Effects of central and basolateral amygdala lesions on conditioned taste aversion and latent inhibition.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 121(6) of Behavioral Neuroscience (see record 2007-18058-034). Figure 4 on p. 96 (Results and Discussion, Experiment 2: Behavioral section) was incorrect. The correct figure is provided in the erratum.] The present study examined the effects of neurotoxic lesions of the central nucleus (CNA) and basolateral complex (BLA) of the amygdala on conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in a latent inhibition design. In Experiment 1, lesions of the CNA were found to have no affect on CTA acquisition regardless of whether the taste conditioned stimulus (CS) was novel or familiar. Lesions of the BLA, although having no influence on performance when the CS was familiar, retarded CTA acquisition when the CS was novel in Experiment 2. The pattern of results suggests that the CTA deficit in rats with BLA lesions may be a secondary consequence of a disruption of perceived stimulus novelty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lateralization of human temporal lobe epilepsy by 31P NMR spectroscopic imaging at 4.1 T

OBJECTIVE: To compare the phosphorous metabolite ratios in the mesial temporal lobe of healthy volunteers (n = 20) with the corresponding ratios in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 30) using 31P NMR spectroscopic imaging and to lateralize the seizure focus in temporal lobe epilepsy patients using various phosphorous metabolite ratios-phosphocreatine to inorganic phosphate (PCr/Pi), PCr to adenosine triphosphate (PCr/gamma-ATP), and (gamma-ATP/Pi)--and to compare with clinical lateralization results. METHODS: All 31P NMR spectroscopic imaging studies were performed on a high-field, 4.1 T, whole-body NMR spectroscopic imaging system using a 31P/1H double-tuned volume coil. RESULTS: We found an average reduction of 15% in the PCr/Pi and gamma-ATP/Pi ratios compared with the corresponding ratios in healthy volunteers in the entire mesial temporal lobe, and more than a 30% reduction in these two ratios in the anterior region of the epileptogenic mesial temporal lobe. These ratios were also reduced significantly in the ipsilateral lobe when compared with their corresponding values in the contralateral lobe. In patients we lateralized the seizure focus, based on these 31P NMR data, and compared the results with the clinical lateralization. The lateralization based on either the PCr/Pi or the gamma-ATP/Pi ratio yielded a correspondence of 70 to 73% with the final clinical lateralization. In the subgroup of patients (n = 9) that needed intracranial EEG for the presurgical lateralization because of inconclusive results from the noninvasive methods, a 78% correspondence was found with the 31P NMR-based lateralization, whereas MRI provided a correspondence of only 33%, and scalp EEG provided a correspondence of only 56%. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the utility of adding the 31P NMR method to the group of noninvasive modalities used for presurgical decision making in temporal lobe epilepsy patients.     

How planful is routine behavior? A selective-attention model of performance in the Tower of Hanoi.

Routine human behavior has often been attributed to plans—mental representations of sequences goals and actions—but can also be attributed to more opportunistic interactions of mind and a structured environment. This study asks whether performance on a task traditionally analyzed in terms of plans can be better understood from a “situated” (or “embodied”) perspective. A saccade-contingent display-updating paradigm is used to change the environment by adding, deleting, and moving task-relevant objects without participants’ direct awareness. Response latencies, action patterns, and eye movements all indicate that performance is guided not by plans stored in memory but by a control routine bound to objects as needed by perception and selective attention. The results have implications for interpreting everyday task performance and particular neuropsychological deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

What does it take to demonstrate memory erasure? Theoretical comment on Norrholm et al. (2008).

An issue of increasing interest in Pavlovian conditioning is to identify ways to facilitate the development and persistence of extinction. Both behavioral and molecular lines of evidence demonstrate that learning during extinction can be enhanced. Similar evidence has been offered to support the idea that extinction causes the original association to be unlearned, or erased. Differentiating between extinction and erasure accounts is extremely difficult and requires many assumptions about the fundamental nature of how memory storage maps into memory expression. In this issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, Norrholm et al. (see record 2008-13280-002) describe a study of extinction with humans that has the potential to serve as a translational bridge between rodent work and clinical applications. They find less recovery of a conditioned fear response when extinction occurs 10 min compared with 72 hr after conditioning; however, the recovery of subjects' expectancies of the fearful stimulus is independent of when extinction occurred. These findings and others discussed in this article demonstrate some of the challenges in making inferences about memory erasure during extinction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Progrès récents dans le traitement des troubles anxieux.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 52(3) of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne (see record 2011-18506-009). In the CPA President’s Address article that appeared in the February issue of Canadian Psychology, “Recent advances in the treatment of anxiety disorders” by Martin M. Antony (Canadian Psychology, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 10–19), the heading for the article incorrectly printed as “Honourary President’s Address—2010.” It should have read “President’s Address—2010.” The publisher apologizes for this unfortunate production error. The online version has been corrected.] Over the past several decades, evidence-based treatments have emerged for each major anxiety disorder. These include primarily behavioural, cognitive, and pharmacological approaches. In addition, researchers continue to develop new ways of treating anxiety disorders and to improve on existing treatments. This article discusses several new and emerging treatments for anxiety disorders, including attentional training, virtual reality-based treatments, mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies, enhancement of exposure using d-cycloserine, and the application of motivational interviewing strategies in anxiety disorders. For each of these treatments, the current status and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction à l'article de M. Antony (2011).

Reports an error in "Progrès récents dans le traitement des troubles anxieux" by Martin M. Antony (Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 2011[Feb], Vol 52[1], 10-19). In the CPA President’s Address article that appeared in the February issue of Canadian Psychology, “Recent advances in the treatment of anxiety disorders” by Martin M. Antony (Canadian Psychology, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 10–19), the heading for the article incorrectly printed as “Honourary President’s Address—2010.” It should have read “President’s Address—2010.” The publisher apologizes for this unfortunate production error. The online version has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-04299-014.) Over the past several decades, evidence-based treatments have emerged for each major anxiety disorder. These include primarily behavioural, cognitive, and pharmacological approaches. In addition, researchers continue to develop new ways of treating anxiety disorders and to improve on existing treatments. This article discusses several new and emerging treatments for anxiety disorders, including attentional training, virtual reality-based treatments, mindfulness and acceptance-based strategies, enhancement of exposure using d-cycloserine, and the application of motivational interviewing strategies in anxiety disorders. For each of these treatments, the current status and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)