Nearly two centuries ago, Parkinson (1817) first observed that a particular pattern of speech changes occur in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Numerous studies have documented these changes using a wide variety of acoustic measures, and yet few studies have attempted to quantify any such changes longitudinally, through the early…

The realization of delayed intentions (i.e., prospective memory) is a highly complex process composed of four phases: intention formation, retention, re-instantiation, and execution. The aim of this study was to investigate if executive functioning impairments are related to problems in the formation, re-instantiation, and execution of a delayed…

Objective: To investigate abnormalities in the structural integrity of brain white matter as suggested by diffusion tensor imaging in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia (onset of psychosis by age 18). Method: Twenty-six patients with schizophrenia and 34 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers received diffusion tensor imaging and…

Neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against interferon-[Beta] (IFN-Beta) develop in about a third of treated multiple sclerosis patients and are believed to reduce therapeutic efficacy of IFN-[Beta] on clinical and MRI measures. The expression of the interferon acute-response protein, myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) is a sensitive measure of the…

We have used multiple sources to identify a population-representative cohort of newly diagnosed patients with parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease in the UK over a 2-year period. All patients have been invited to participate in a detailed clinical assessment either at home or in an outpatient clinic. These assessments have been used to refine…

This study investigates the role of the temporal lobes in levels-of-processing tasks (phonetic and semantic encoding) according to the nature of recall tasks (free and cued recall). These tasks were administered to 48 patients with unilateral temporal epilepsy (right ''RTLE''=24; left ''LTLE''=24) and a normal group (n=24). The results indicated…

This study examined relations between suicidal behavior history (i.e., no suicidality, suicidal ideation, single attempters, and multiple attempters) and psychiatric functioning. Adolescents, aged 12-17, admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit, were categorized by suicidal behavior history based on self- and clinician-report data. Groups were…

Recent work suggests that predictors of violence are similar for individuals with and without mental illness. Although psychopathy is among the most potent of such predictors, the nature of its relation to violence is unclear. On the basis of a sample of 769 civil psychiatric patients, the authors explore the possibility that measures of…

This study examined the efficacy of a couple-focused group intervention on psychological adaptation of women with early stage breast cancer and evaluated whether perceived partner unsupportive behavior or patient functional impairment moderated intervention effects. Two hundred thirty-eight women were randomly assigned to receive either 6 sessions…

Questionnaires for measuring patients' feelings or beliefs are commonly used in clinical settings for diagnostic purposes, clinical decision making, or treatment evaluation. Raw scores of a patient can be evaluated by comparing them with norms based on a reference population. Using the Pain Cognition List (PCL-2003) as an example, this article…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the issue of age-limited learning effects on visual lexical decision in normal and pathological aging, by using words with different frequency trajectories and cumulative frequencies. We selected words that objectively changed in frequency trajectory from an early word count (Thorndike, 1921, 1932;…

This paper provides the results of two studies designed to evaluate a newly constructed self-report instrument, the Sexual Abuse Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ was designed as a brief screening device to aid in the identification of a childhood sexual abuse history. A "unique" feature of the SAQ is the inclusion of a number of non-face…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on resource use of providing case managers with information on the potential for patients to benefit from home care services. Design and Methods: Twenty-four case managers working in the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) were randomized into treatment and control groups. Members of…

Objective: Psychosomatic medicine, also known as consultation-liaison psychiatry, received approval as a subspecialty field of psychiatry by the American Board of Medical Specialties in the spring of 2003. This represents a crucial step in the development of the field of psychosomatic medicine and recognition by leaders in the fields of medicine…

Objective: This report describes an educational intervention designed to improve psychiatry residents' inpatient charting skills. Methods: The residency training committee formed a multidisciplinary team to study the problem by using quality improvement principles. The team hypothesized that residents' charting would improve with education about…