Development of a psychopathology rating scale for children with mental retardation.

A total of 583 children and adolescents with mental retardation were rated on a new psychometric instrument designed to screen for dual diagnosis (psychopathology in individuals with mental retardation). Two psychiatrists and 2 clinical psychologists judged the items to have face validity as expressions of psychopathology in children and adolescents with mental retardation. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .91 for the total score and varied between .57 and .86 for 10 psychometric scales. Children and adolescents who had a dual diagnosis obtained total scores approximately 1 standard deviation higher than those who did not have a dual diagnosis. Each of 4 diagnostic groupings had test profiles in accordance with expectation. The results suggest that the instrument is particularly well suited for use in screening and for help in the analysis of the relationships between certain behavior problems and psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Axis I psychopathology in individuals with traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVES: To assess the incidence, comorbidity, and patterns of resolution of DSM-IV mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Diagnoses (SCID) was utilized. Diagnoses were determined for three onset points relative to TBI onset: pre-TBI, post-TBI, and current diagnosis. Contrasts of prevalence rates with community-based samples, as well as chi-square analysis and analysis of variance were used. Demographics considered in analyses included gender, marital status, severity of injury, and years since TBI onset. SETTING: Urban, suburban, and rural New York state. PARTICIPANTS: 100 adults with TBI who were between the ages of 18 and 65 years and who were, on average, 8 years post onset at time of interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: SCID Axis I mood diagnoses of major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder; anxiety diagnoses of panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and phobia; and substance use disorders. RESULTS: Prior to TBI, a significant percentage of individuals presented with substance use disorders. After TBI, the most frequent Axis I diagnoses were major depression and select anxiety disorders (ie, PTSD, OCD, and panic disorder). Comorbidity was high, with 44% of individuals presenting with two or more Axis I diagnoses post TBI. Individuals without a pre-TBI Axis I disorder were more likely to develop post-TBI major depression and substance use disorders. Rates of resolution were similar for individuals regardless of previous psychiatric histories. Major depression and substance use disorders were more likely than were anxiety disorders to remit. CONCLUSION: TBI is a risk factor for subsequent psychiatric disabilities. The need for proactive psychiatric assessment and timely interventions in individuals post TBI is indicated.     

Epidemiology and prevalence of psychopathology in people with mental retardation.

There is a general consensus that, for several reasons, people with mental retardation are at an increased risk of developing emotional disorders. Numerous research studies have examined the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among people with mental retardation, and a wide range of rates have been reported. Reasons for the variability in these results are discussed, including definitional and identification issues, and sampling issues. A summary of representative studies is presented and discussed in light of the above-mentioned issues. The need for updated epidemiological studies in this area is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Incidence of excessive/impacted cerumen in individuals with mental retardation: a longitudinal investigation

A major sequelae of impacted cerumen (earwax) is conductive hearing loss, which can be deleterious to linguistic, social, and intellectual development, particularly for individuals with mental retardation. The longitudinal incidence (12-year period) of excessive/impacted cerumen and related conductive hearing loss of 117 adults with mental retardation was examined. Results indicated a considerably higher incidence of excessive cerumen and cerumen impaction with associated conductive hearing loss in adults with mental retardation (28%) than in the general adult population (2% to 6%). Moreover, a strong propensity for recurrent cerumen impaction in the mentally retarded population was found. These findings were discussed in view of the management of cerumen impaction among individuals with mental retardation.     

Aggression and psychopathology in persons with severe or profound mental retardation

In order to determine key competences required of occupational medicine specialists, common throughout Europe, a questionnaire has been developed and distributed among several European countries. The questionnaire contained 115 subjects related to 8 fields of activities carried out by occupational medicine physicians (occupational hazards to health, assessment of disability and fitness for work, communications, research methods, management, environmental medicine, occupational health law and ethics, and health promotion). In each of these fields, competences were classified into three following categories: knowledge, experience and skills. Respondents were asked to allocate a score from 0 to 5 for each subject, where 0 = not necessary; 1 = of minimum importance, and 5 = most important or essential. In Poland the questionnaire was distributed among two groups of specialists: group I--experienced specialists in occupational medicine (leading representatives of occupational health care management), and group II--relatively younger and less experienced occupational medicine physicians, participating in the specialist training, organised by The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine. A comprehensive analysis of the completed questionnaires was carried out in two dimensions: substantive (the importance of individual competences as perceived by Polish specialists in occupational medicine), and comparative (evaluation and interpretation of similarities and differences between two groups of respondents). A hierarchy of requirements, occupational medicine training in Poland is to satisfy, was reconstructed with two sets of competences, one recognised by respondents as needless and the other recognised as useful with different grades of importance. Some characteristic differences in opinions between two groups studies were highlighted.     

Implicit and explicit memory in individuals with mental retardation

Students with and without mental retardation from three age groups were compared on implicit and explicit memory tasks. Consistent with previous research on intelligence-related differences in controlled and automatic processes, students without mental retardation performed better than those with mental retardation on the explicit memory task, but there was no difference between groups on the implicit memory task. For both groups implicit and explicit memory increased from age 6 to 8 to age 10 to 12, but did not significantly increase to age 15 to 17. Because implicit memory appears to be a relative strength for students with mental retardation, we suggest further exploration into broader types of implicit processes that may be useful in training situations.     

Use of hot wire anemometry to measure velocity of the limb during human movement

Hot film anemometry, x-configuration probes were used in two experiments to evaluate their effectiveness at measurement of limb velocity. Data from tests with a probe attached to the end of a pendulum establish that the hot films measure velocity in the swing phase within 0.098 ms-1. The kinetic energy per unit mass of the pendulum was predicted within +/- 0.005 m2 s-2, from the measured velocity. In gait experiments with one human subject at speeds greater than 0.25 ms-1, the hot film anemometer and a video system predicted speeds within 0.083 ms-1. The hot film data are electronic signals that are easily stored and processed. The results from these experiments demonstrate that hot film anemometry is an effective and efficient method for direct measurement and analysis of the limb velocity.     

Dual diagnosis: prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a large state residential facility for individuals with mental retardation

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a large residential population (N = 1,273) of individuals with mental retardation was examined. We found that the point prevalence rate for dual diagnoses based on DSM-III-R criteria was 15.55% (n = 198). Rates for specific psychiatric disorders were also provided by level of retardation and sex. Results were compared to similar epidemiological studies and discussed in light of factors hypothesized to affect diagnosis of psychiatric disorders among individuals with mental retardation.     

Meta-analyses comparing theory of mind abilities of individuals with autism, individuals with mental retardation, and normally developing individuals

A deficit in theory of mind (ToM) abilities has been described as the core deficit in autism. The authors performed 3 meta-analyses, comparing ToM abilities of individuals with autism, individuals with mental retardation (MR), and normally developing individuals. Results indicated that individuals with autism and MR have impaired ToM abilities. The etiology associated with MR (i.e., Down syndrome, undifferentiated etiology) was found to be an important moderator variable. Chronological age (CA) and verbal mental age (VMA) of the normally developing children and CA, VMA, and performance mental age of individuals with MR, and type of matching between the groups were also found to be moderator variables. Discussion focuses on the implication of the findings and emphasizes the need to consider the specific etiology of comparison groups when studying abilities and impairments of individuals with autism and MR.     

Motor subcircuits mediating the control of movement velocity: a PET study

The influence of changes in the mean velocity of movement on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was studied using positron emission tomography (PET) in nine healthy right-handed adults while they performed a smooth pursuit visuomanual tracking task. Images of relative rCBF were obtained while subjects moved a hand-held joystick to track the movement of a target at three different rates of a sinusoidal displacement (0.1, 0.4, and 0.7 Hz). Significant changes in rCBF between task conditions were detected using analysis of variance and weighted linear contrasts. The kinematics of arm and eye movements indicated that subjects performed tasks in a similar manner, particularly during the faster two tracking conditions. Significant increases in rCBF during arm movement (relative to an eye tracking only control condition) were detected in a widespread network of areas known for their involvement in motor control. The activated areas included primary sensorimotor (M1S1), dorsal and mesial premotor, and dorsal parietal cortices in the left hemisphere and to a lesser extent the sensorimotor and superior parietal cortices in the right hemisphere. Subcortically, activations were found in the left putamen, globus pallidus (GP), and thalamus, in the right basal ganglia, and in the right anterior cerebellum. Within the cerebral volume activated with movement, three areas had changes in rCBF that correlated positively with the rate of movement: left M1S1, left GP, and right anterior cerebellum. No movement-related sites had rCBF that correlated negatively with the rate of movement. Regressions of mean percent change (MPC) in rCBF onto mean hand velocity yielded two nonoverlapping subpopulations of movement-related loci, the three sites with significant rate effects and regression slopes steeper than 0.17 MPC.cm-1.s-1 and all other sites with nonsignificant rate effects and regression slopes below 0.1 MPC.cm-1. s-1. Moreover, the effects of movement per se and of movement velocity varied in magnitude independently. These results confirm previous reports that movement-related activations of M1S1 and cerebellum are sensitive to movement frequency or some covarying parameter of movement. The activation of GP with increasing movement velocity, not described in previous functional-imaging studies, supports the hypothesis that the basal ganglia motor circuit may be involved preferentially in controlling or monitoring the scale and/or dynamics of arm movements. The remaining areas that were activated equally for all movement rates may be involved in controlling higher level aspects of motor control that are independent of movement dynamics.     

Fetal growth velocity in the prediction of intrauterine growth retardation in a low risk population

Assignment of HLA-B types can be hampered by ambiguous reactivity of the typing sera resulting in inaccurate HLA-B assignments. In this study, 19 Korean samples exhibiting ambiguous serologic reactivities were characterized by DNA sequencing. Alleles identified from 7 samples were previously undetected in this population (B*1517, B*4101, B*4701, B*5001, and B*5106) and from 9 samples were common alleles in this population (B*4002, B*4003, B*4006, B*1501, B*1401, B*67012, and B*5401). Three samples were putative HLA-B homozygotes. Three major factors causing serologic ambiguity were identified: weak or false negative reactivity of typing sera (52.4%); cross or false positive reactivity of the sera (38.1%); and absence of information on the reaction patterns due to the lack of appropriate sera in the typing kit (e.g. B*4101 encoded molecule) or to the presence of recently characterized molecules (e.g. B*5106 encoded molecule) (9.5%). Overall, sequencing was helpful in clarifying ambiguous serologic reaction patterns improving the HLA typing for the Korean population.     

Clomipramine treatment for stereotype and related repetitive movement disorders associated with mental retardation

The efficacy of the serotonin uptake inhibitor clomipramine in the treatment of stereotyped and related repetitive behavior disorders was tested in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation. A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of clomipramine was associated with significant reductions in the frequency and intensity of stereotyped behavior and teacher ratings of stereotypy, hyperactivity, and irritability as well as increased adaptive engagement and decreased staff intervention for nontargeted behavior problems. Adverse effects occurred in 3 of the 10 subjects. Of the 7 subjects who tolerated the drug, 6 exhibited a clinically significant improvement in one or more repetitive behaviors. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that clomipramine is effective in treating stereotyped and related behaviors associated with mental retardation.     

Relative efficacy of differential response latencies for detecting faking on a self-report measure of psychopathology.

Investigated whether differential response latencies for items on a structured self-report test of psychopathology could be used to detect faking in a sample of maximum security prison inmates. Test item response times were statistically adjusted to reflect item latencies in relation both to the person and to the item; discriminant function analysis indicated that such times could significantly differentiate among standard responding, faking good responses, and faking bad responses. Furthermore, classification hit rates with differential response latencies compared favorably with those rates found with more traditional response dissimulation scales. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Causal Dimension Scale: A measure of how individuals perceive causes.

A shortcoming of previous attribution research has been the assumption that researchers can accurately translate causal attributions into causal dimensions. Attributional statements are often ambiguous and even when clearly stated may be perceived quite differently by the attributor and the researcher. The studies reported describe the development of the Causal Dimension Scale, a measure designed to assess how the attributor perceives the causes he or she has stated for an event. This scale assesses causal perceptions in terms of the locus of causality, stability, and controllability dimensions described by B. Weiner (1979). Two studies (288 undergraduates) tested the reliability and validity of the Causal Dimension Scale. All 3 subscales were found to be reliable and valid, and a 3-mode factor analysis confirmed the 3-dimensional structure of the scale. Results also indicate differences in the perception of causes of success and failure, with attributions for success being perceived as more internal, stable, and controllable than attributions for failure. The relationship between the Causal Dimension Scale and other attribution measures (such as locus of control or "attributional style" measures) is discussed. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between velocity and curvature in movement: Equivalence and divergence between a power law and a minimum-jerk model.

Unconstrained hand movements typically display a decrease in hand speed around highly curved sections of a trajectory. It has been suggested that this relation between tangential velocity and radius of curvature conforms to a one-third power law. We demonstrate that a one-third power law can be explained by models taking account of trajectory costs such as a minimum-jerk model. Data were analyzed from 6 subjects performing elliptical drawing movements of varying eccentricities. Conformity to the one-third power law in the average was obtained but is shown to be artifactual. It is demonstrated that asymmetric velocity profiles may result in consistent departures from a one-third power law but that such differences may be masked by inappropriate analysis procedures. We introduce a modification to the original minimum-jerk model by replacing the assumption of a Newtonian point-mass with a visco-elastic body. Simulations with the modified model identify a basis for asymmetry of velocity profiles and thereby predict departures from a one-third law commensurate with the empirical findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia with mental retardation and syndactyly in boys: a new X-linked mental retardation syndrome

Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia (BPNH) is a recently recognized malformation of neuronal migration, and perhaps proliferation, in which nodular masses of gray matter line the walls of the lateral ventricles. Most affected individuals have epilepsy and normal intelligence with no other congenital anomalies. A striking skew of the sex ratio has been observed because 31 of 38 probands have been female, and one gene associated with BPNH was recently mapped to chromosome Xq28. We report three unrelated boys with a new multiple congenital anomaly-mental retardation syndrome that consists of BPNH, cerebellar hypoplasia, severe mental retardation, epilepsy, and syndactyly. Variable abnormalities included focal or regional cortical dysplasia, cataracts, and hypospadius. We hypothesize that this syndrome involves the same Xq28 locus as isolated BPNH, and we review the expanding number of syndromes associated with BPNH.