Advances in Cognitive Sciences
Year:2006 | Volume:8 | Issue:3|Papers Count:10

Objective: To survey the interaction of morphine and histamine and the involvement of dopaminergic system on histamine state-dependent learning in step-down passive avoidance test. Method: First, with the administration of 3 different doses of morphine for three days and a subsequent five days of no drug treatment, mice were sensitized to morphine. Then, the necessary memory tests were carried out and the effect of histamine on the memories of morphine-sensitized mice and non-sensitized mice was compared. Step-down passive avoidance test was used to assess memory. Results: Sensitization with morphine and apomorphine prevented histamine-induced memory impairment and memory was retrieved. However, the co-administration of apomorphine and sulpride as a D2 receptor antagonist decreased the effect of memory retrieval; but the administration of SCH 23390 as a dopamine 1 receptor antagonist had no such effect. Also, the co-administration of naloxone, SCH 23390, and sulpride, plus morphine significantly decreased the effect of memory retrieval. Conclusion: Apomorphine activates the histaminergic neural system through stimulation of D2 receptors and the improvement of memory in morphine sensitized mice through the stimulation of opioid and D1 and D2 receptors.

Objective: To explain the higher comorbidity rate of schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder, some recent studies have suggested a new diagnostic entity called "schizo-obsessive disorder". One of research lines of the field is identifying the profile of specific neuropsychology deficits of this subgroup. The current study has tried to answer whether the pattern of executive dysfunctions in schizo-obsessive patients is different from the original disorders and whether cognitive dysfunctions of the two disorders are added together. Method: In a cross-sectional study, 20 patients from each groups of schizo-obsessive disorder, schizophrenia, and nondepressed obsessive compulsive disorder were compared with normal subjects on the basis of executive functions. Results: Patients with schizophrenia and schizo-obsessive disorder showed deficits in executive functioning; however, non depressed obsessive-compulsive patients were not different form normal subjects. Schizo-obsessive patients had more deficits in executive functioning than schizophrenia patients. Conclusion: The difference seems to be more due to different pattern of neuropsychology deficits, than a "pathophysiological double jeopardy" model.

Objective: The purpose of the current research was to study implicit memory bias for negative emotional information in patients with general anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and normal individuals. Method: this was a cross-sectional study including 20 patients with generalized anxiety disorder, 20 with major depressive disorder and 20 normal subjects between 18 to 52 years old. The groups were matched on the bases of sex, age and education. Word Stem Completion Task (implicit memory bias) was used to assess the subjects. Word stems were related to ambiguous words that could be completed to neutral and negative words. Results: Analysis of variance showed that the patients with major depression and generalized anxiety completed the stems with more negative words then the control subjects. It suggests an implicit memory bias in the two disordered groups. Conclusion: The results are in line with the literature, showing congruence with Bower's approach on major depressive disorder (1987) and with the model proposed by Eysenck and Keana (2000) and Bower (1987) on generalized anxiety disorder.

Objective: Regarding the inadequate knowledge about the course and prognosis of bipolar disorders and the lack of a longitudinal assessment of the course of this disorder in Iran, this preliminary study was carried out on patients with first-episode mania. Method: In a longitudinal prospective study, 23 patients with first-episode mania who were admitted to Iran medical and educational psychiatric center with a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder (BID) were evaluated. First, DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) were used. The three latter questionnaires were used every two to four months, and a diagnostic reassessment was carried out every six months. Patients were followed for 8 to 24 months (17±5.3). The history of psychiatric disorders in the patients' first degree relatives was obtained by interview and history taking. Results: The diagnosis of only one of the patients (4.3%) changed to schizophrenia. The other patients included 11 men and 11 women with the mean age of 28.4±10.4. Most patients were single and held a pre-high school degree. 31.8% had a history of depressive disorder. Substance abuse (except for nicotine) was present in only two patients. 9.1% had a comorbidity of anxiety disorders. 22.7% had relatives with BID and 13.6% had relatives with major depressive disorder. 40.9% of patients underwent a recurrence of mood episode. Two thirds of the recurrences took place in the first year and one third took place in the second year. 13.6% and 40.9% of patients experienced recurrence in the first six months and the first year (after improvement of first-episode mania) respectively. No mixed episodes or rapid cycling happened. Chi square test showed a significant statistical difference of a history of mood episodes before the first phase of mania, between patients with mania recurrence (71.4%) and patients without this recurrence (20.0%). Conclusion: The recurrence rate is significant in the early course of BID, and regarding the higher rate of recurrence in patients with history of depressive episodes, a serious prophylactic intervention, especially in this group of patients, is recommended.

Objective: Craving forms the core of drug dependence. Craving is the cause of persistence in drug abuse and relapse after a period of abstinence. Therefore, studying the causes of craving induction to avoid or weaken their effects is one of the most important domains in drug related research. Among methods of craving induction, confronting visual cues related to drug abuse is considered to be one of the most important and effective ways. The detection and evaluation of these visual signs and cues, which are highly related to the culture of the society and specific local methods of drug abuse, are particularly important. In this study we try to determine and assess the effectiveness of these factors on Iranian intravenous heroin addicts. Method: First, ten main visual conditions supposedly inducing drug craving were identified. Then, five pictures were prepared for each condition. These 50 pictures were numbered and randomly presented to the subjects who were asked to score each picture from 0 to 9 according to their craving inducing effects. The subjects were also asked about the overall effectiveness of the pictures after the completion of the slide show. In this study 32 male IV abusers with the mean age of 34 years and a mean history of IV drug abuse 6 years prior to enrolling in treatment periods, participated with personal consent. Results: Data analysis indicated the highest effect to be related to heroin itself (packed or prepared), needle for injection, and the act of injection. Also, statistical analysis showed that the amount of general or specific effect of pictures is not related to period of addition. The assessment of results of general effectiveness of pictures indicated high level of craving induction, but the same cues were weak in inducing physical symptoms such as cramps or sweating. Conclusion: The results of this study show a high effectiveness of pictures in craving induction. According to the results of the study, it could be claimed that the more semantic and temporal relation the pictures have with peaks of euphoria during heroin injection, the more effective they are in inducing craving. One thousand toman notes as means of heroin purchase also showed significant craving induction effects in this study.

Objective: The purpose of the current research was to study the relation of speech rate of mothers of stuttering children – as a first modeler of speech- with the severity of stuttering in children between ages 5 and 12 years. Method: In a field research, 35 mother-stutterer child pairs were selected by convenience sampling from speech therapy clinics in the city of Tehran. 15 minutes of verbal interaction between child and mother was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using the Riley index, children were categorized to three groups of mild, moderate and severe stuttering. ANOVA test was used to analyze data. Results: There was a significant correlation between the mean scores of maternal speech rate and children's stuttering severity. In addition, there was a significant correlation between mean scores of mother and child speech rate, as well as the mean scores of children's speaking rate and their stuttering severity. Conclusion: Results demonstrated that an increase in the maternal speech rate has a positive correlation with stuttering severity and speech rate of children. Also, there is a strong and positive relation between speech rate of children and their stuttering severity.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of full and partial posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their symptoms in a sample of city survivers of Bam earthquake. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 786 people in randomized selective households 8 months after the earthquake. Subjects were evaluated by CIDI (Composite International Diagnostic Interview). Results: 98 percent of the respondent was exposed to one or more traumatic life experiences. The most severe traumatic experience in 87.2 percent of the subjects was witnessing others injuries or corpses. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 59.1 percent. Partial PTSD (having some PTSD symptoms without fulfilling the minimum criteria) and current PTSD had prevalences egnal to 20.2 and 51.9 percent respectively. There was not a meaningful difference between men and women. "Numbness and avoidance" was the least prevalence and "reexperience" the most prevalent symptom group. Conclusion: PTSD is highly prevalent in Bam earthquake survivors that warrant implementing community-based interventions for the disturbed population.

This is the second section of the review article on cognitive-behavioral couple therapy. In the first part some new aspects of the therapy, case conceptionalization based on cognitive model, and assessment of the couple were explained. The present article (second section) deals with making clinical changes and the underlying mechanism, as well as homework methods and potential challenges. Finally, the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy and the possibility of combining it with other treatment modalities is discussed.