Depressive deficits in memory: Processing initiative and resource allocation.

P. T. Hertel and T. S. Hardin (see record 1990-27496-001) investigated the effects of depressed mood states on recognition memory in three experiments. They report that mood effects on memory depend on the subjects' awareness of the task. Four issues are considered in this article: natural and induced moods, processing initiative, initiative versus resource allocation, and strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processing deficits and the mediation of positive affect in persuasion.

Motivational and cognitive mediators of the reduced processing of persuasive messages shown by recipients in a positive mood were tested. Ss in positive or neutral moods read strong or weak counterattitudinal advocacies for either a limited time or for as long as they wanted. Under limited exposure conditions, neutral mood Ss showed attitude change indicative of systematic processing, whereas positive mood Ss showed no differentiation of strong and weak versions of the message. When message exposure was unlimited, positive mood Ss viewed the message longer than did neutral mood Ss and sytematically processed it rather than relying on persuasion heuristics. These findings replicated with 2 manipulations of mood and 2 different attitude issues. We interpret the results as providing evidence that reduced cognitive capacity to process the message contributes to the decrements shown by positive mood Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autoimmune hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in patients with Turner's syndrome

A high prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) has been described in Turner's syndrome (TS) but the extent of this association is controversial for the prevalence of thyroid autoantibody and the clinical impact of thyroid dysfunction. In this study we searched for thyroid disease and thyroid autoantibodies in patients with TS. Seventy-five unselected TS patients (age range 3-30 years) were studied. Sera were tested for thyroid hormones, thyrotropin (TSH), thyroglobulin (TG-ab) and thyroperoxidase (TPO-ab) antibodies. The TSH-receptor antibodies with thyroid-stimulating (TS-ab) or TSH-blocking activity (TSHB-ab) were measured in the IgG fraction using a bioassay. Ten out of 75 (13.3%) TS patients had AITD: eight had autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) (six with subclinical and two with overt hypothyroidism and one with euthyroidism) and one had Graves' disease. The prevalence of AITD increased significantly (p < 0.05) from the first (15%) to the third (30%) decade of life. The prevalence of TPO-ab and/or TG-ab (20%) was higher (p < 0.05) in TS than in age-matched female controls and increased from the first (15%) to the third (30%) decade of life. Clinical AITD was diagnosed in 46% of TS patients with TPO-ab and/or TG-ab. Thyroid-stimulating antibody was detected in the hyperthyroid patient, and TSHB-ab was found in one of eight patients with hypothyroid AT. It was concluded that: TS patients are at higher than average risk of developing AITD not only in adolescence and adult age but also in childhood; hypothyroidism, mainly subclinical, is the most frequent thyroid dysfunction; elevated TPO-ab and/or TG-ab alone do not imply thyroid dysfunction; TS-ab or TSHB-ab are always associated with thyroid dysfunction although most cases of autoimmune hypothyroidism are not due to the latter antibody.     

Clinical trials of GH treatment in patients with Turner's syndrome in Japan--a consideration of final height. The Committee for the Treatment of Turner's Syndrome

Clinical trials of human GH (hGH) therapy in Turner's syndrome were started in 1986. Between 1986 and 1990. 362 patients were enrolled; 115 were treated for more than 6 years. The age at the start of treatment ranged from 5 to 18 years (mean 10 years). Fifty-one patients received hGH at a weekly dosage of 0.5 IU/kg and 64 received 1.0 IU/kg by daily s.c. injection. Both treatment groups showed a statistically significant growth increase during the initial 4 years of treatment. The rate of increase in height was significantly greater for the initial 2 years with the high dose than with the low dose. The increases in height over 6 years of treatment (expressed by S.D. score for chronological age) were 1.48 +/- 0.8 with 0.5 IU/kg per week and 1.80 +/- 1.0 with 1.0 IU/kg per week. To date, 260 patients have stopped GH therapy. In 32% of them, the height attained was above the -2 S.D. value for normal girls. In 27%, the growth rate was not sufficient when they stopped treatment. The mean final height (growth rate < or = 1.0 cm/year) of patients treated for more than 6 years was 142.2 +/- 6.5 cm (n = 15) with 0.5 IU/kg per week, and 144.3 +/- 3.9 cm (n = 15) with 1.0 IU/kg per week. The adult height was improved by GH treatment, although final height did not differ statistically between the two dose regimens. No remarkable adverse events occurred during the treatment. These results indicate that hGH treatment improves the final height in patients with Turner's syndrome.     

Neuroticism and extraversion in Turner's Syndrome.

Administered the Maudsley Personality Inventory to 5 groups of female Ss: (a) 13 Turner Syndrome Ss (mean age 19 yrs 2 mo) with karyotype 45X, (b) 18 Turner Syndrome (TS) Ss (mean age 26 yrs 11 mo) with other types of sex chromosomal abnormalities, (c) 16 sisters of Ss (mean age 24 yrs 2 mo), (d) 9 Ss with growth retardation and primary amenorrhea (mean age 22 yrs 4 mo), and (e) 19 nurses (mean age 22 yrs 8 mo). The results are compared to English and American normative values. The total group of TS Ss obtained a low Neuroticism (N) score compared to the control groups. When the total group was divided on the basis of their karyotypes, the low N score could be referred solely to Ss with karyotype 45X, who scored significantly lower than any other group tested so far with the MPI. TS Ss with chromosomal abnormalities other than 45X scored within normal limits. No variables other than karyotype 45X were related to an extremely low N score. It is concluded that exceptional emotional stability, as reflected in a very low N score on the MPI, is concomitant with the total absence of one sex chromosome, which is probably due to a developmental abnormality of the CNS. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parietal lobe syndrome and schizophrenia: Comparison of neuropsychological deficits.

Investigated reported communalities in the perceptual impairments and body image distortions found after parietal lobe lesions and in schizophrenia. To compare these 2 syndromes, 15 patients with lesions of the parietal lobe and 15 patients with schizophrenia were tested on a neuropsychological battery designed to assess deficits in proprioception, tactile functions, and body image experience. Control groups consisted of 15 normal persons and of a series of 15 brain-injured cases in which the parietal lobe had been spared. Results indicate that both schizophrenic and parietally damaged Ss showed significant impairments in weight-discrimination measures of proprioceptive acuity when compared to the control brain-injured and normal Ss. No significant differences among groups were found on a comparable tactile size-estimation task, but the group with parietal injury exhibited a significant deficit in tactile sensory perception on the Finger Agnosia Test. Only the schizophrenic group showed evidence of disturbed body image when reality factors of body dysfunction were taken into account in the brain-injured patients. It is concluded that persons with schizophrenia and parietal lobe damage share a deficit in proprioception that may be based on different neurological substrates leading to (a) tactile impairments in cases with parietal damage, and (b) body-image disturbance in schizophrenia. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Turner's syndrome with XO/XXp- karyotype: a case report

An unusual case of Turner's syndrome is presented. The case highlights the importance of chromosome analysis in patients presenting with primary amenorrhoea. This patient demonstrates the effects of mosaicism and the importance of the long and short arms of the X chromosome. Deletion of the short arm has only been reported in 2 previous cases of Turner's syndrome. The absence of the short arm is believed to be responsible for the shortness in stature in these patients.     

Congenital heart disease in patients with Turner's syndrome. Italian Study Group for Turner Syndrome (ISGTS)

OBJECTIVE: There is a high prevalence of congenital heart defects in patients with Turner's syndrome. Few studies have reported echocardiographic data in unselected patients according to the different chromosomal patterns. The aim of our study was to evaluate a large series of patients with Turner's syndrome, comparing these data with those of the general population. METHODS: Five hundred ninety-four patients with Turner's syndrome, aged 1 month to 24 years, in the Italian Study Group for Turner Syndrome underwent full cardiologic evaluation. Karyotype distribution was: 45,X (54%), X-mosaicism (13%), and X-structural abnormalities (33%). RESULTS: The prevalence of cardiac malformations was 23%. Bicuspid aortic valve (12.5%), aortic coarctation (6.9%), and aortic valve disease (3.2%) were the most prevalent malformations. In comparison with the general population, partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage had the highest relative risk. A correlation was found between type of congenital heart defect and karyotype. The patients with 45,X karyotype had the greatest prevalence of partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and aortic coarctation, whereas bicuspid aortic valve and aortic valve disease were more common in the patients with X-structural abnormalities. The patients with severe dysmorphic signs showed a significantly higher relative risk of cardiac malformations. CONCLUSION: X-linked factors may be involved in determining cardiac defects in Turner's syndrome.     

Generalized infantile myofibromatosis in a patient with Turner's syndrome: a trial of interferon-alpha

A patient with Turner's syndrome was found to have generalized infantile myofibromatosis with visceral involvement at birth. The infant was treated with interferon-alpha because of the size of the lesions. Two months after treatment, the lesions appeared to have decreased in size and showed evidence of maturation with decreased apoptosis on histologic examination. Interferon-alpha treatment might induce regression of myofibromatosis.     

Functional psychomotor deficits associated with carpal tunnel syndrome

A reliable task was developed for investigating functional deficits associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). A rapid pinch and release psychomotor task utilizing muscles of the hand innervated by the median nerve was administered using a strain gauge dynamometer and providing limited force feedback. The motor performance characteristics studied were speed and force control. An experiment was conducted for studying the effects of force level, hand dominance, test-retest reliability, learning, and inter-subject variability using 13 subjects free from any hand disabilities or symptoms. A companion study was also conducted using 17 normal subjects and ten subjects diagnosed having CTS to investigate differences between CTS and control subjects. Dominant hands performed 4% to 8% better than the non-dominant hands by having a greater pinch rate, a smaller overshoot force, and less time above the upper force level and below the lower force level. Control subjects performed 25% to 82% better than CTS subjects. Age contributed 6% of the total variance for pinch rate and 7% of the total variance for the time below the lower force level. The results suggest that people suffering from CTS may experience similar functional psychomotor deficits in daily living and manual work activities.     

Olfactory identification deficits in Down's syndrome and idiopathic mental retardation

We investigated olfactory identification in children and adults with Down's syndrome (DS) and idiopathic mental retardation (IMR) and in age-matched normal controls (NC). Identification was assessed with a four alternative-forced-choice task modified from the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (M-UPSIT) and a yes/no task yielding measures of discrimination and response bias for the same stimulus material. Control tactile identification tasks were also administered. Results were that odor identification performance on both tasks was specifically impaired in DS compared to IMR and NC. Accuracy of identification on the M-UPSIT correlated inversely with age in DS only. When uncertain, DS and IMR subjects guessed "yes" more often than "no" on the Yes/No task (liberal decision bias) and guessed the last response alternative on the M-UPSIT (recent position bias), whereas the normal subjects had neutral decision bias on the Yes/No task and matched the objective position presentation probabilities on the M-UPSIT. Decision bias correlated with accuracy of identification in both tasks for the DS subjects only.     

Patients with Turner's syndrome may have an inherent endometrial abnormality affecting receptivity in oocyte donation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether endometrial receptivity is compromised in patients with premature ovarian failure (POF) due to Turner's syndrome who undergo oocyte donation. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: In vitro fertilization-ET units, anonymous oocyte donation program. PATIENTS: The study included 53 patients with POF who underwent oocyte donation. These included 7 patients with Turner's syndrome (45,X) who underwent 22 ET cycles, 15 women with Turner variants (mosaics, deletions, or isochromosomes) who underwent 36 ET cycles, and 31 other patients with POF and a normal karyotype who underwent 69 oocyte donation cycles. INTERVENTION: All patients on standby for donation were treated with E2 valerate 6 mg/d until oocytes became available; then P 100 mg/d was added. Oocyte donors were healthy women < 34 years who underwent IVF themselves. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical pregnancy rates (PRs), biochemical pregnancies, early abortions, and delivery rates were evaluated. RESULTS: Turner's syndrome patients had a significantly higher rate of biochemical pregnancies (22.7% versus 4.3%), a lower clinical PR (22.7% versus 33.3%), a significantly higher rate of early abortions (60% versus 8.7%), and a significantly lower rate of deliveries per pregnancy (20.0% versus 73.1%) compared with non-Turner patients. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a complete or partial deficiency of an X chromosome have reduced PRs and an increase in early implantation failure after oocyte donation. This may indicate an inherent endometrial abnormality, possibly associated with a deficiency of X-linked genes regulating endometrial receptivity.     

Effects of estrogen on nonverbal processing speed and motor function in girls with Turner's syndrome

The Turner syndrome (TS) phenotype is characterized by a specific neurocognitive profile of normal verbal skills, impaired visual-spatial and/or visual-perceptual abilities, and difficulty with motor function. In the current study, we investigated motor function and nonverbal processing speed in estrogen- and placebo-treated girls (aged 10-12 years) with TS and in age-matched female controls. The goal of this study was to examine whether estrogen replacement therapy would reverse deficits in motor function and in nonverbal processing speed, a measure of the time required to perform certain disparate nonverbal tasks, in adolescent girls with TS. Children received either estrogen (ethinyl estradiol, 12.5-50 ng/kg.day), or placebo for durations of 1-7 yr (mean, 4.0 +/- 2.1 yr) in this randomized, double blind study. Cognitive and motor tasks administered included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised; nonspatial, repetitive motor tasks (tapping and three tasks from the Paness); and spatially mediated motor tasks [nongrooved pegboard (Lafayette), pursuit rotor, visual-motor integration, and money street map]. Questionnaires administered included the Self-Concept Scale. The major result of this study was the positive estrogen treatment effect on nonverbal processing speed and speeded motor performance in 12-yr-old TS girls. That motor performance would be slower in estrogen-deficient TS females is consistent with previous studies of the influence of estrogen on motor function. Estrogen replacement is thus the most likely explanation for the improved motor speed and nonverbal processing time in the estrogen-treated TS girls compared to that in the placebo-treated TS girls. Whether these findings will influence the psychoeducational outcome or quality of life of females with TS is not yet known.     

Language skills of children and adolescents with Down syndrome: II. Production deficits

Hypotheses that children and adolescents with Down syndrome show (a) a specific expressive language impairment, (b) a "critical period" for language acquisition, (c) a "simple sentence syntactic ceiling" in production, and (d) deficit in grammatical morphology were investigated cross-sectionally. Conversational and narrative language samples from 47 children and adolescents with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), aged 5 to 20 years, were compared to those from 47 control children aged 2 to 6 years matched statistically for nonverbal mental age. Children with Down syndrome appear to have a specific language impairment, compared to control children, in number of different words and total words (in the first 50 utterances) and in mean length of utterance (MLU). Total utterance attempts per minute were more frequent in the Down syndrome group. Narrative samples contained more word tokens, more word types, and longer MLU than conversation samples, for both groups. Intelligibility of narratives was significantly poorer for the Down syndrome group than controls. Analyses of narrative language sample by age sub-group showed no evidence of a critical period for language development ending at adolescence, nor of a "syntactic ceiling" at MLUs corresponding to simple sentences for the Down syndrome group. Omissions of word tokens and types were more frequent in the older Down syndrome than the younger control sample, matched on MLU.