The role of neuropsychology in the assessment and treatment of persons with epilepsy.

Several areas of current interest in the neuropsychology of epilepsy are briefly reviewed in this article. These include variables pertaining to seizures, seizure history, antiepileptic drugs, and methods of neuropsychological evaluation. It is apparent that epilepsy is a multifaceted area: Psychologists not only can be of great assistance to patients with this condition, but may also learn a great deal from this complex disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do Management Actions to Restore Rare Habitat Benefit Native Fish Conservation? Distribution of Juvenile Native Fish Among Shoreline Habitats of the Colorado River

Many management actions in aquatic ecosystems are directed at restoring or improving specific habitats to benefit fish populations. In the Grand Canyon reach of the Colorado River, experimental flow operations as part of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program have been designed to restore sandbars and associated backwater habitats. Backwaters can have warmer water temperatures than other habitats, and native fish, including the federally endangered humpback chub Gila cypha, are frequently observed in backwaters, leading to a common perception that this habitat is critical for juvenile native fish conservation. However, it is unknown how fish densities in backwaters compare with that in other habitats or what proportion of juvenile fish populations reside in backwaters. Here, we develop and fit multi‐species hierarchical models to estimate habitat‐specific abundances and densities of juvenile humpback chub, bluehead sucker Catostomus discobolus, flannelmouth sucker Catostomus latipinnis and speckled dace Rhinichthys osculus in a portion of the Colorado River. Densities of all four native fish were greatest in backwater habitats in 2009 and 2010. However, backwaters are rare and ephemeral habitats, so they contain only a small portion of the overall population. For example, the total abundance of juvenile humpback chub in this study was much higher in talus than in backwater habitats. Moreover, when we extrapolated relative densities based on estimates of backwater prevalence directly after a controlled flood, the majority of juvenile humpback chub were still found outside of backwaters. This suggests that the role of controlled floods in influencing native fish population trends may be limited in this section of the Colorado River. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calcium modulation of activation and desensitization of nicotinic receptors from mouse brain

The effects of extracellular calcium on functional properties of nicotinic receptors from mouse thalamus were investigated. Previous studies have reported that calcium modulates the function of several neuronal nicotinic receptors. A 86Rb+ ion efflux assay was developed to measure nicotinic receptor function from brain tissue, and data indicate that alpha4beta2 receptors may mediate this response. Using the 86Rb+ efflux assay, calcium effects on receptor activation, desensitization induced by high, activating and low, subactivating concentrations of agonist, and recovery from desensitization were examined. Effects of calcium on the kinetics of ligand binding were also investigated. Calcium modulated receptor activation by increasing the maximal response to nicotine in a concentration-dependent manner, without affecting the EC50 of nicotine. Barium, but not magnesium, mimicked the effects of calcium on receptor activation. The increase in receptor activation could not be explained by changes in the ratio of activatable to desensitized receptors as assessed by the kinetics of ligand binding. Desensitization following activation was unaffected by calcium. Calcium, barium, and magnesium, however, increased the potency of nicotine for desensitization induced by exposure to low, subactivating concentrations of nicotine. Recovery from desensitization was not modulated by calcium. These data suggest that calcium modulates various functional aspects of nicotinic receptors from mouse brain and may do so via different mechanisms.     

Use of neuropsychological tests to identify high school students with epilepsy who later demonstrate inadequate performances in life.

Rated vocational adjustment, independence in living, and overall adjustment of 39 young adults with epilepsy who had been evaluated 3–11 yrs previously when they were 16–29 yrs old. Tests administered earlier included the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery, the WAIS, and the MMPI. MANOVA showed that abilities were more related to final adjustment than were variables pertaining to emotional adjustment. Neuropsychological tests were the best predictors of later adjustment, but the WAIS was also related to later adjustment. Tests showing the strongest relationship to later adjustment emphasized language skills. Neuropsychological tests were better in predicting whether or not there would be deficiencies in life functioning at a later date than the type or extent of such deficiencies. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of sulthiame upon intellectual, neuropsychological, and social functioning abilities among adult epileptics: comparison with diphenylhydantoin

This report presented results of psychological studies done during a double-blind study which compared sulthiame with diphenylhydantoin as primary agents in the treatment of uncontrolled epileptics. Assessments of intellectual, neuropsychological, and social functioning abilities were made with 22 adult epileptic patients. The results showed significantly less impairment with treatment by diphenylhydantoin than by sulthiame, and substantial differences were revealed on intellectual tasks, on tasks calling for sustained concentration and attention, and on psychomotor problem-solving tasks. The results could not be explained on the basis of increased tonic-clonic seizures while on sulthiame. However, an increase in other types of seizures was noted, as was an increase in EEG epileptiform discharges. Possible mechanisms for the decrement in performance were discussed, and the value of an objective assessment of the psychological effects of anticonvulsant agents was noted.     

Is partial epilepsy progressive? Ten-year follow-up of EEG and neuropsychological changes in adults with partial seizures

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine what changes, if any, occur in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and in neuropsychological test findings of adults with medically intractable complex partial epilepsy over a 10-year period. METHODS: We studied 35 adults, with a mean age of 32 years (range, 16-59 years) at time of initial testing. We compared the distribution of epileptiform patterns documented on the initial pair of waking and sleeping EEGs to those observed on another pair obtained 10 years later. During this same 10-year period, we also examined changes in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and on the tests from the Neuropsychological Battery for Epilepsy. RESULTS: The EEGs of 28 (80%) of patients at the tenth year were identical to those seen initially. Five (14%) of patients demonstrated EEGs after 10 years with either no discharges or only unilateral discharges, where bilateral discharges were seen a decade earlier. Only two (6%) of patients had EEGs at the tenth year that showed bilateral discharges where only unilateral discharges were seen originally. We found no general change in intelligence or neuropsychological functioning after 10 years, although a few subtle losses were noted on several neuropsychological measures. CONCLUSIONS: For most adults with medically intractable complex partial epilepsy, the EEG and neuropsychological test scores remain reasonably stable over a decade.     

Effects of intrauterine rubella infection and its consequent physical symptoms on intellectual abilities.

Performed a psychometric test of the common assumption that rubella infection produces mental retardation, using an instrument independent of the frequently deficient hearing and speech abilities of individuals so affected. 88 testable children with evidence of rubella infection earned a mean IQ score of 100.01 on the Arthur adaptation of the Leiter International Performance Scale. It was discovered that the number of physical symptoms found was mildly related to intellectual level (r = -.20, p     

An economical method for the evaluation of general intelligence in adults.

Evaluated the ability of the Wonderlic Personnel Test to replicate the WAIS using 120 persons divided into principal and cross-validation groups. The correlations between Wonderlic IQs and WAIS Full Scale IQs were .93 for the main group and .91 for the cross-validation group. The Wonderlic IQ scores were within 10 points of the WAIS Full Scale scores in 90% of the cases. Differences in age, sex, years of education, level of intelligence, and emotional adjustment did not adversely impact on the reproduction of WAIS Full Scale IQs by the Wonderlic. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The hand dynamometer as a neuropsychological measure.

The sensitivity of the hand dynamometer to the presence of brain damage and to its lateralization was evaluated and compared with that of the Tapping Test and the Tactual Performance Test. Four groups of 25 Ss each (average age 41 yrs) were studied (control, right-hemisphere damage, left-hemisphere damage, and bilateral damage). All Ss were right-handed and were controlled for race, sex, and education. Measures of performance included those of each hand taken separately as well as their sum. To identify the lateralization of brain lesions, the control group was used as a basis for comparison, the relative performances of each hand on each task were simultaneously considered. All test variables discriminate between the control and brain-damaged groups at high levels of statistical significance. Furthermore, the dynamometer discriminated between these groups as well as did the Tapping Test and Tactual Performance Test. Finally, the dynamometer correctly identified the lateralization of brain lesions in more instances than either of the other tests. It is concluded that the hand dynamometer is a neuropsychological measure of considerable promise. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)