ADVANCES IN COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Year:2006 | Volume:8 | Issue:1|Papers Count:12

Objective: Experimental studies on animals show that nicotine agonists have a significant effect on the enhancement of attention and memory. However, opioid agonists have an impairing effect on memory and the pre-training administration of these drugs decreases the memory. In the present study, the effects of nicotine pretreatment on state-dependent learning by morphine and its interaction with dopamine and cholinergic receptors in mice were investigated. Method: This was an experimental study that was carried out on mice. To study and assess the animals’ memory, the step down latency from a platform was measured in a passive avoidance task. Results: Pre-training administration of morphine led to memory impairment. This amnesia was not observed in mice that had received nicotine on the day of the test and nicotine-pretreated mice (mice that had received different doses of nicotine for three successive days followed by 14 days of no drug treatment). Daily injection of atropine 10 minutes prior to the injection of nicotine for three successive days prevented morphine-induced amnesia, whereas the injection of dopamine receptor antagonists did not have the same effect as atropine. Conclusion: nicotine pretreatment affects memory through the cholinergic system and not through the dopaminergic system.

Objective: In the present study interaction of glucose and ATP sensitive potassium channels on the consolidation of morphine induced place preference in male mice has been investigated.Material and Methods: Conditioned place preference method was used to assess morphine reward and effects of glucose ,glibenclamide and diazoxide on it.  Results: Intraperitoneal administration of different doses of morphine sulphate (0.5-7.5 mg/kg IP) produced a dose-dependent conditioned place preference (cpp). However, the isolated administration of different doses of glibenclamide (3,6 AND12mg/kg IP), diazoxide (15, 30 and 60mg/kg IP) and glucose (100, 200, 500, 2000 mg/kg) did not produce such an effect. The injection of glucose (2000 mg/kg IP) and glibenclamide (6 mg/kg IP) produced significant morphine (0.5 mg/kg IP) induced cpp. Also, the response of glibenclamide (6mg/kg IP) was attenuated by diazoxide (60 mg /kg IP). However, this dose of diazoxide alone had no effect on morphine (0.5 mg/kg IP) induced cpp .Injection of different doses of diazoxide (15, 30 and 60mg/kg IP), glibenclamide (3, 6 and 12mg/kg IP) and morphine (0.5-7.5 mg/kg) did not effect blood glucose level. Conclusion: It is concluded that glucose may be involved in morphine induced conditioned place preference through KATP channels.

Objective: The present study was aimed at assessing the relation between cultural factors and cognitive and learning styles.  Method: 398 Iranian and 277 American students from different fields of study in the universities of Tehran and Boston entered the experiment. The Knowing Styles Inventory (KSI) and the Individualism-Collectivism Scale (ICS) were used to assess knowing styles and the level of individualism-collectivism respectively. Results: In both samples, separate knowing style was significantly correlated with individualism and connected knowing was significantly correlated with collectivism. Mean score of separate knowing style and vertical individualism was significantly higher in male students than in female students and in Iranian students than in American students. Conclusion: In line with previous findings the results of the present study confirm the effect of cultural constructs on cognitive approach and interpersonal interactions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relation between emotional intelligence, attachment styles, and homesickness. Method: In a cross-sectional study, 280 non-local students from Razi University were chosen using the relative stratified sampling. Hazan and Shaver Attachment Scale, Cyberia Shrink Emotional Intelligence Scale, and Archer et al Homesickness Questionnaire were used in this study. Data were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis, t-test for independent groups, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Students with secure attachment felt less homesickness in comparison with students with non-secure attachment students. There was a negative relationship between emotional intelligence and homesickness, and students with secure attachment had a higher emotional intelligence. No association was observed between age and homesickness. Conclusion: Attachment styles and emotional intelligence can affect the experience of homesickness in different ways.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and attachment styles. Method: 232 Ferdowsi University undergraduate students were chosen using stratified random sampling method. The subjects completed the Bar-on Emotional Intelligence, Hazan and Shaver Adult Attachment Styles and Collins and Read Revised Adult Attachment Style questionnaires. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, t-test for independent groups, and multiple regression statistical methods. Results: There was a significant and positive correlation between secure attachment style and emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligent had a significant negative correlation with anxious-ambivalent and avoidance attachment styles. Also, there was no significant difference between males and females with regard to emotional intelligence. Multiple regression analysis indicated that attachment styles can be good predictors of total emotional intelligence and its subsets. Conclusion: Child-parent relationships are important and effective bases for the development of children’s capabilities enabling them to learn about oneself, others, and social interactions.

Objective: Despite nearly half a century of research on the effects of daycare on children, the fundamental question of whether non-parental daycare adversely affects young children has not been answered conclusively. The present study was carried out with the aim of identifying day care children’s attachment styles. Method: To assess the attachment pattern of children, in a cross-sectional study, the Separation Anxiety Test (SAT) of Slough et al. was administered to 36 children from day care centers in Tehran. Descriptive statistical methods and one way analysis of variance with repeated measures and Tukey's post hoc were used for data analysis. Results: Almost half the children had "insecure attachment styles". Contrary to what was expected, subjects in picture 4 (where parents went on a trip for two weeks), showed attachments at the same level as other pictures, and had more self-reliance in comparison with picture 1. Conclusion: Rather than generalizing the effects of day care, and implicit or explicit condemnations of maternal employment, researchers ought to carry out research on the effect of mediating factors. Responses of children to picture 4 can be counted as a kind of avoidance as two weeks is a long time for children to be separated from their parents, and they avoid talking about it and rather talk about the gifts they receive from their parents.

Objective: To recognize and rank stressful life events and the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among individuals residing in the region of Population Research Center of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Aboozar area). Method: 18 to 65 year old subjects residing in the region of Population Research Center were selected through a two stage random sampling method. The assessment instruments included the symptom checklist – 90- revised (SCL-90-R) for psychiatric symptoms, and Paykel's interview for recent life events. Results: In this study a total of 2158 subjects in the age range of 18-65 residing in the region of Population Research Center were examined. The results showed that each person had experienced an average of 4.2 stressful life events, and that the most prevalent stressful life problems were those related to financial problems (55.3%). Also, the most stressful events were those related to family problems (e.g. death of spouse). Multivariate analysis indicated that factors such as female sex, history of psychiatric illness, and the severity of stressful factors have a statistically significant relationship with the severity of psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: With regard to the psychological problems of the studied population there is a need to design community-based interventional studies to decrease the stress burden of the covered people of the Population Research Center.

Objective: To review the behavioral and cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations and treatments of obsessive-compulsive disorder and to introduce the recent progresses in the field. Method: Medline and PsycINFO databases (2000 to 2006) were searched for relevant original and review articles. This was followed by a hand searching of reference lists from previously retrieved articles to identify studies not included in the electronic search. In this article, the behavioral and cognitive-behavioral conceptualizations of obsessive-compulsive disorder are reviewed. There is also a brief overview of the behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatment methods. Results and Conclusion: Although behavioral therapy (exposure and response prevention) has been shown to be effective for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, some of this therapy’s specific limitations encouraged clinical researchers to augment behavioral therapy with direct cognitive interventions. Cognitive conceptualizations and their related processes and concepts have led to the development of appropriate treatment models for each cognitive conceptualization. Each of these conceptualizations might partly contribute to the explanation of the formation and persistence of obsessions. Consideration of these concepts might also improve the treatment process and efficacy. However, exposure and response prevention has remained the central ingredient in the contemporary cognitive-behavioral therapy of obsessive-compulsive disorder.