Emetic and electric shock alcohol aversion therapy: Assessment of conditioning.

20 male alcoholic volunteers (mean age 42 yrs) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: emetic aversion conditioning, shock aversion conditioning, or a no-treatment control group. All Ss participated in psychophysiological assessment sessions and taste-test sessions before and after conditioning. Dependent measures all indicated that only emetic Ss acquired aversions to alcohol. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human classical aversion conditioning: nausea versus electric shock in the reduction of target beverage consumption

The effects of epinephrine on the electrophysiologic properties of human right atrail tissue, obtained at cardiac surgery, were evaluated utilizing standard microelectrode techniques. In studies of electrophysiology, epinephrine had little effect on the resting membrane potential and transmembrane action potentials of normal atrial fibers. Epinephrine enhanced phase-4 depolarization and increased automaticity in normal fibers but hyperpolarized partially depolarized atrial fibers and decreased automaticity. The hyperpolarizing action of epinephrine resulted in an increase in action potential amplitude and dV/dt and enhanced conduction. Active force increased 40-230% in depressed tissues when exposed to epinephrine. Epinephrine-induced hyperpolarization of depressed atrail fibers may have a beneficial effect on atrial arrhythmias and depressed contractility encountered clinically.     

Alcohol-aversion therapy: Relation between strength of aversion and abstinence.

Assessed the degree of alcohol aversion in 60 alcoholics (aged 21–60 yrs) who received emetic alcohol-aversion therapy. Based on prior aversion-therapy research, it was predicted that aversion therapy would result in the following changes in response to alcoholic, but not to nonalcoholic, flavors: (1) decreased consumption in taste tests, (2) more negative flavor ratings, (3) overt behavioral indicants of aversion (e.g., grimacing), and (4) increased tachycardic response. A positive correlation between posttreatment tachycardic response to alcohol and number of days to the first drink was also predicted. Results support these predictions. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictable and unpredictable shock: Behavioral measures of aversion and physiological measures of stress.

Reviews the literature on predictable and unpredictable shock conditions relative to physiological measures of stressfulness and considers the possible role of stress-induced analgesia in both physiological and behavioral effects. Findings suggest that unpredictable conditions are physiologically more stressful than predictable conditions when Ss are exposed to them for one or a few sessions and when parameters of stress are relatively severe. However, predictable conditions may be more stressful than unpredictable conditions when sessions are long and extend over days and when parameters of stress are less severe. The effect of extended stress appears to depend on the physiological measure used. These findings are discussed in terms of the phasic vs chronic nature of predictable vs unpredictable stress and the organism's ability to adapt physiologically to these conditions. Data on stress-induced analgesia are also reviewed. It is concluded that stress-induced analgesia does not significantly contribute to either preference for predictable over unpredictable stress or to their differential physiological effects. (88 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Blood nicotine and carboxyhemoglobin levels after rapid-smoking aversion therapy.

Studied blood nicotine and carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels after rapid smoking in 5 male and 10 female smokers. Male Ss were under 40 yrs of age and females were under 50. Blood nicotine averaged 48.1 ng/mg after rapid smoking compared to 32.4 ng/ml after normal smoking, and COHb levels averaged 12.1% and 8.9%, respectively. Both differences were significant. Normal smoking levels of 92 smokers in other studies averaged around 30 ng/ml nicotine and 8.2–8.5% COHb. There was no evidence that the degree of nicotine and carbon monoxide intoxication produced during raid smoking had any relation to the reduction in the desire to smoke immediately after the session or the decrese in cigarette consumption on the following day. The potential risks of rapid smoking are discussed. It is suggested that these risks might be reduced by using a beta-adrenergic blocker and that the procedure could be made completely safe, possibly without loss of treatment effect, if Ss were instructed not to inhale. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective associations in one-day-old rats: Taste–toxicosis and texture–shock aversion learning.

Three experiments investigated cue-consequence specificity and long-delay learning in 187 1-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats and determined whether selective associations are accompanied by long-delay learning early in life. Ss learned aversions to a novel taste paired with Li-induced distress and to a tactile stimulus paired with brief electric shocks. However, aversions did not develop when taste was paired with shock or when the tactile stimulus was paired with Li treatment. The aversions occurred only when Li treatment immediately followed taste exposure and when shock was concurrent with exposure to the tactile stimulus. Findings indicate that selective associations in aversion learning are mediated by innate mechanisms that govern conditioning in the absence of extensive ontogenetic experience and show that selective associations are not sufficient for the occurrence of long-delay learning. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implosive therapy and desensitization therapy with inpatients: A five-year follow-up.

P. A. Boudewyns and A. E. Wilson (see record 1973-02805-001) treated 32 male psychiatric inpatients with either implosive therapy or a desensitization therapy using free association. Immediately following therapy and again at 6- and 12-mo follow-ups, the implosive group had improved more than controls treated with the regular hospital milieu. The present investigation with 28 of the Ss found the implosive group had maintained this improvement even after 5 yrs when compared with controls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment outcome and patient characteristics in an aversion therapy program for alcoholism.

Conducted 1- and 3-yr follow-ups of 685 alcoholic patients treated with aversive conditioning during a 2-wk inpatient program followed by periodic single-day reinforcement sessions. 63% of the Ss reported continuous abstinence for 1 yr, and 31% were still abstinent after 3 yrs. Results indicate that Ss were at highest risk for relapse 3–4 mo after treatment and that continued aftercare was an important component of successful treatment. Outcomes were better for older than younger males and for married than unmarried males. Few significant differences in outcomes for males and females were apparent, and outcome was also unrelated to prior treatment history, education, or occupation. Findings support the use of aversive techniques in the treatment of alcoholism. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in physiological and verbal responses of child molesters during aversion therapy.

10 19-33 yr old child molesters were each given 20 classical conditioning type aversion therapy sessions and 3 assessment (generalization) test sessions (before, after 10, and after 20 treatment sessions). Shock was the UCS. Larger skin conductance responses were made to child slides than to adult slides in all sessions. Penile circumference responses indicated a small positive shift in sexual preference in the assessment tests when averaged over Ss. Pre- and posttreatment semantic differential and slide-ranking sexual preference measures also showed increases in sexual preferences for adults relative to sexual preferences for children. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aversion therapy for sexual deviation: Contingent shock and covert sensitization.

Studied 2 different aversion therapy approaches to the treatment of sexual deviation (e.g., homosexuality) in 6 clinical referrals. Covert sensitization, which provides an imagined aversive event following imagined sexual behavior, was compared with contingent shock, which provides a physical aversive event following erection to slides depicting sexually deviant material. Replicated, counterbalanced within-S presentations of each technique were used. Treatment effects were monitored by measurement of penile circumference changes during slides presented prior to treatment sessions, and by daily subjective recording of sexual urges and fantasies as well as masturbation and sexual acts. No clear difference was found between the treatments on the penile circumference measure. On suppression of subjective measures of sexual arousal, however, covert sensitization appeared to be more effective than contingent shock. Follow-up of 4-18 mo. is reported for the individual cases. (37 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

False feedback and longevity of the conditioned GSR during extinction: Some implications for aversion therapy.

Investigated the effects of 2 cognitive variables on GSR extinction rates. Exp. I replicated findings that Ss made aware of the onset of nonshocked trials exhibited extinction of a conditioned emotional response more rapidly than Ss not made aware. Exp. I and II (80 and 20 Ss, respectively) further demonstrated that extinction, even under conditions of awareness, can be significantly retarded when false feedback concerning the S's current emotional responsivity is supplied during extinction trials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short- and long-term follow-up of clients receiving insight-oriented therapy and behavior therapy.

15 clients (aged 18–55) received short-term, insight-oriented therapy, and 15 received short-term behavior therapy over a 3-mo course of treatment. Pre- and posttreatment measures included the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Truax Current Adjustment Rating Scale. Follow-up was subsequently undertaken (4 mo and 1 yr later) with the same multiple-outcome criteria. Process as well as outcome measurement was conducted. Results show positive change for both therapy types over the treatment program, and follow-up testing indicates that improvement was sustained up to the 1-yr posttest. Process measurement suggested that relational factors may be more influential in determining client change than factors such as type of technique or procedure administered. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term effects of behavior therapy: A 12-month follow-up.

19 female undergraduates who underwent various behavioral treatments designed to reduce a specific fear were paid to return for follow-up 1 yr. later. In general, treated Ss' rat fears were less intense 1 yr. after treatment than they had been prior to treatment, with those treated by systematic desensitization slightly less fearful than those treated with "rational therapy." Subsequently, the desensitized Ss eliminated a snake fear by themselves, but the effects of this self-administered desensitization were not maintained. Additionally, 6 children treated by operant conditioning techniques for various problems were reevaluated 1 yr. later. All behavior change was maintained, but only those who had graduated to social reinforcement showed additional improvement. No evidence for symptom substitution was obtained from either group of Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Herpes zoster: follow-up, complications and therapy

Liver involvement was retrospectively evaluated in 137 patients with murine typhus. Fifteen (10.9%) were jaundiced. One patient had been subjected to cholecystectomy after misdiagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Serum aminotransferase levels were abnormal in 48/52 measurements, and there were elevations of > 5-fold in 14 patients. Liver biopsies and/or necropsies from four jaundiced patients showed portal tract and sinusoidal infiltrates, cloudy swelling/and necrosis of the hepatocytes and occasional pseudogranuloma formation. There were striking mitoses even in the early stage, suggesting rapid hepatocellular regeneration. Haemolytic diseases (G6PD deficiency or haemoglobinopathies), alcoholism, and a second infection probably also contributed to the pathogenesis of jaundice in murine typhus. This rickettsiosis should be included among differential diagnoses of acute hepatitis in patients exposed to areas endemic for Rickettsia typhi.     

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Treatment outcome and long-term follow-up.

A recently developed cognitive-behavioral treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) targets intolerance of uncertainty by the reevaluation of positive beliefs about worry, problem-solving training, and cognitive exposure. As previous studies have established the treatment's efficacy when delivered individually, the present study tests the treatment in a group format as a way to enhance its cost-benefit ratio. A total of 52 GAD patients received 14 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy in small groups of 4 to 6 participants. A wait-list control design was used, and standardized clinician ratings and self-report questionnaires assessed GAD symptoms, intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, depression, and social adjustment. Results show that the treatment group, relative to the wait-list group, had greater posttest improvement on all dependent variables and that treated participants made further gains over the 2-year follow-up phase of the study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conditioned antisickness: Heat as an internal stimulus in conditioning taste aversion and aversion failure in rats.

Heat was found to be effective as a conditional stimulus in the aversion failure procedure (S. Revusky et al; see record 1980-27581-001) and was also found to be effective as an unconditional stimulus using a taste aversion procedure in which rats exposed to high ambient temperature following saccharin consumption showed robust saccharin aversions relative to unpaired and unheated controls. The antisickness and taste aversion conditioning evidence force reexamination of the view that toxic heat effects are referred to the external environment. Together with other recent evidence from this laboratory, these data support the hypothetical antisickness mechanism of aversion failure, which requires that toxic heat serve as an internal stimulus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of a partner on tolerance for a self-administered electric shock.

Ss were tested alone in setting the maximum electric shock they could tolerate and in another situation in which a partner apparently shared the shock. It was found that shock tolerance was significantly higher in the situation involving a partner and it was concluded that "the perceived sharing of stress contributes importantly to stress tolerance." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of punishment (electric shock) on perceptual learning.

3 experiments were conducted to explore the consequences of the association of punishment with percepts and to trace its residual effects. Electric shock was associated with tactual profiles of faces. Voltage, temporal contiguity, and ability to escape shock were varied. The results showed that there was more reporting of the non-shocked profile as intensity of shock increased, that escape conditions lead to more reporting of the shocked profiles, the shocked profile is recalled more vividly, and as the delay between exposure and recall increases there is more reporting of the nonshocked profile. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral responsiveness of adrenalectomized, hypophysectomized, and intact rats to electric shock.

Tested whether the altered rates of acquisition and extinction of avoidance behavior in adrenalectomized and hypophysectomized rats are associated with abnormal responsiveness to electric shock. The electrical threshold for flinch, jump, and vocalization behaviors in adrenalectomized and hypophysectomized Ss (N = 95) was measured in 2 experiments. Adrenalectomized Ss had higher thresholds for flinch and jump responses than hypophysectomized Ss, and also a higher flinch threshold than weight-matched controls. Hypophysectomized Ss had normal thresholds for all 3 behaviors. The difference in threshold for the flinch response between adrenalectomized and hypophysectomized or normal Ss was not explained by differences in body weight, although heavy Ss responded less to electric shock than light Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)