Processing of preconsciously acquired information measured by hemispheric asymmetry and selection accuracy.

Two groups of 14 right-handed female undergraduates saw a series of slides for 1 msec. Subsequently, these slides were paired with similar but novel slides. One group was asked to view the pairs analytically and to select the one they thought they had seen before. The other group was asked to view the pairs holistically and indicate which of the 2 they preferred. Results support the hypothesis that analytically instructed Ss would be more likley to engage the parietal region of their left hemisphere and holistically instructed Ss would favor relative activation of the right parietal region. An inverse relation was also detected between parietal laterality and selection accuracy. It is suggested that differential hemispheric involvement may account for the observation that affective discrimination can be performed in the absence of conscious awareness. Findings are discussed in terms of a memory model of information processing. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissociation of long-term analgesia and the shuttle box escape deficit caused by inescapable shock.

Previous studies indicate that inescapably shocked rats perform poorly on a 2-way shuttlebox escape task 24 hrs after shock. Because inescapably shocked rats become analgesic upon reexposure to a small amount of shock 24 hrs after inescapable shock (IS), they are likely to be analgesic during the shuttlebox escape task. Ss receiving an equivalent amount of escapable shock display neither the escape deficit nor the analgesia. Both the analgesia and the escape deficit respond in a similar fashion to the manipulation of a variety of other variables. These findings have led to the suggestion that the analgesia (long-term analgesia) may cause the IS-produced escape deficit. However, the present 2 experiments with 72 male albino rats demonstrated that 2 pituitary manipulations that completely eliminate the analgesia have no effect on the escape deficit. Both hypophysectomy and dexamethasone administration blocked the analgesic consequences of IS but did not reduce the magnitude of the escape deficit. Therefore, the long-term analgesia produced by IS does not cause the deficit in shuttlebox escape performance displayed by inescapably shocked rats. Results indicate that the pituitary is not essential in the production of this escape deficit. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Catecholamine secretion as a function of perceived coping self-efficacy.

Hypothesized that perceived coping self-efficacy mediates the effects of environmental events on catecholamine secretion. Differential levels of perceived self-efficacy were induced in 12 female phobic Ss, aged 19–40 yrs, through modeling. Their level of catecholamine secretion was then measured as they were presented with coping tasks in their high, medium, and low ranges of perceived self-efficacy. High perceived self-efficacy was accompanied by low levels of plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine during interaction with a phobic object, whereas moderate perceived self-inefficacy gave rise to substantial increases in plasma catecholamines. Both catecholamines dropped sharply when Ss declined tasks for which they judged themselves completely inefficacious. In contrast, dihydroxyphenyl-acetic acid was released maximally by mere apperception of task demands that Ss regarded as overwhelming their coping capabilities. After perceived self-efficacy was strengthened to the maximal level by S modeling, all of the tasks were performed without any differential catecholamine responses. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Opiate antagonists and long-term analgesic reaction induced by inescapable shock in rats.

Five experiments with 240 male albino rats examined the influence of opiate antagonists (naltrexone; 1–24 mg/kg, ip) on both the short-term analgesic reaction resulting 30 min after exposure to inescapable shock and the long-term analgesic reaction resulting after reexposure to shock 24 hrs after inescapable shock exposure. Exp I showed that the long-term analgesic reaction could be reduced by administration of naltrexone prior to exposure to inescapable tail shock. Exp II showed that the reduction in the long-term analgesic reaction produced by naltrexone was dose-dependent. Exp III showed that the long-term analgesic reaction could also be reduced by administration of naltrexone prior to reexposure to shock. Exp IV showed that the long-term analgesic reaction could be reduced by administration of a large dose of naloxone prior to reexposure to shock. Exp V showed that the short-term analgesic reaction was reduced by naltrexone administered prior to inescapable shock. Implications for the biochemical substrates of both learned helplessness and stress-induced analgesia are discussed. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social environment and brain biogenic amine metabolism in rats.

Investigated the effects of living alone or in groups of 3 or 4 wks on brain biogenic amine metabolism in 50 male Long-Evans rats. Living alone produced an increase in brain norepinephrine turnover relative to the grouped Ss. In addition, reserpine and para-chlorophenylalanine treatment affected brain norepinephrine levels more after individual housing than after group housing. Brain serotonin metabolism showed minimal changes in differentially housed Ss. These findings are in direct contrast to results from studies on psychosocial determinants of brain amine metabolism in mice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on the contribution of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy research to national mental health care.

This special section represents a coordinated publication of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and the Archives of General Psychiatry. These 2 journals have typically focused on somewhat different areas of research and have been read by different audiences. In an effort to achieve cross-fertilization of the disciplines of psychiatry and clinical psychology, this coordinated publication provides a current view of research both in psychopharmacology and psychotherapy as applied to major depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse. To further the aims of informing the diverse readership in areas to which they are often not exposed in the separate journals, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology is publishing, in this section, articles that address biomedical and psychopharmacological research, and the Archives of General Psychiatry is publishing a coordinated set of articles on psychotherapy and behavior therapy. Collectively, the series contained in these 2 journals is designed both to foster knowledge and to enhance communication among psychiatrists and psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of maternal proximity on behavioral and physiological responses to separation in infant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

The effects of maternal proximity on the behavioral and physiological responses of infant rhesus macaques during 4 days of total or adjacent separations from the mother were studied. The 6 infants tested showed behavioral responses that differentiated the two separation conditions. Major differences were found in the quantity and quality of vocalizations, the occurrence of cage-biting and cage-shaking behavior, object exploration, and hunched and freezing postures. In particular, the structure of coo vocalizations clearly discriminated between the presence or the absence of the mother during separation. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of dopamine and serotonin metabolites did not discriminate between the two separation conditions but showed a transient elevation at 24 hr after separation and were not different from baseline by 96 hr after separation. In contrast, both the plasma cortisol and the CSF norepinephrine metabolite responses tended to be greater and to persist for a longer period of time when infants were totally isolated. The results are discussed within the context of attachment and coping theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)