Sensory Deprivation and Schizophrenia

1959 ◽  
Vol 105 (438) ◽  
pp. 235-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Harris

Much interest has been displayed in the past few years in the effect on human subjects of reduction, or as far as possible, abolition of sensory stimulation, so that virtual isolation from the environment is produced. Recent comprehensive reviews have appeared, dealing with experimental work (Solomon et al. 1957) and conditions arising incidentally in the course of various therapeutic procedures (Grünthal 1957), and it is therefore unnecessary to deal with the topic at length here.

1961 ◽  
Vol 107 (451) ◽  
pp. 1047-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Thorpe

Exploratory experimental work into the effects of sensory deprivation on human subjects has developed rapidly during the past decade and many reports have been published. It would appear to be necessary, however, to pause for a moment and to review the work which has so far been executed with a view to facilitating the systematic investigation of this phenomenon.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 761
Author(s):  
Gert Dehnen ◽  
Marcel S. Kehl ◽  
Alana Darcher ◽  
Tamara T. Müller ◽  
Jakob H. Macke ◽  
...  

Single-unit recordings in the brain of behaving human subjects provide a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of neural mechanisms of cognition. These recordings are exclusively performed in medical centers during diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. The presence of medical instruments along with other aspects of the hospital environment limit the control of electrical noise compared to animal laboratory environments. Here, we highlight the problem of an increased occurrence of simultaneous spike events on different recording channels in human single-unit recordings. Most of these simultaneous events were detected in clusters previously labeled as artifacts and showed similar waveforms. These events may result from common external noise sources or from different micro-electrodes recording activity from the same neuron. To address the problem of duplicate recorded events, we introduce an open-source algorithm to identify these artificial spike events based on their synchronicity and waveform similarity. Applying our method to a comprehensive dataset of human single-unit recordings, we demonstrate that our algorithm can substantially increase the data quality of these recordings. Given our findings, we argue that future studies of single-unit activity recorded under noisy conditions should employ algorithms of this kind to improve data quality.


1951 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Whitfield

Trial-and-error problems are described in terms of “stimulus” difficulty, which is a measure of the number of possible modes of response left to the individual when all the information given is taken into account; and “phenomenal” difficulty, which is a measure derived from the individual's performance. An experiment is described in which three types of problem were presented to human subjects. In all three problems the stimulus difficulty was calculable, stage by stage, in the solution. The problems differed in this stimulus difficulty and also in the qualitative nature of the information provided—from unequivocal to conditional. It is shown that the qualitative difference of the nature of the information bears most relationship to phenomenal difficulty. Some observations are made on the modes of solution adopted, and further experimental work is suggested.


2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1688) ◽  
pp. 20150106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret M. McCarthy

Studies of sex differences in the brain range from reductionistic cell and molecular analyses in animal models to functional imaging in awake human subjects, with many other levels in between. Interpretations and conclusions about the importance of particular differences often vary with differing levels of analyses and can lead to discord and dissent. In the past two decades, the range of neurobiological, psychological and psychiatric endpoints found to differ between males and females has expanded beyond reproduction into every aspect of the healthy and diseased brain, and thereby demands our attention. A greater understanding of all aspects of neural functioning will only be achieved by incorporating sex as a biological variable. The goal of this review is to highlight the current state of the art of the discipline of sex differences research with an emphasis on the brain and to contextualize the articles appearing in the accompanying special issue.


1972 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry B. Adams ◽  
G. David Cooper ◽  
Richard N. Carrera

30 hospitalized psychiatric in-patients exposed to a few hours of partial sensory deprivation (SD) showed a wide range of individual differences in their reactions. Reduced symptoms and improved intellectual functioning after SD were the predominant group trends, but some individuals showed substantial changes in opposite directions. Individual differences in behavioral reactions during and after SD were significantly related to MMPI personality characteristics. Symptom reduction after SD was a function of characteristics quite different from those usually associated with prognosis for conventional verbal psychotherapy. The results suggested that many persons unlikely to benefit from traditional therapeutic procedures might show improved personality and intellectual functioning after a brief exposure to SD. There were many other complex relationships between personality variables and reactions to SD.


2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy J. Nelson ◽  
Souhad Chbeir

Life on earth has evolved during the past several billion years under relatively bright days and dark night conditions. The wide-spread adoption of electric lights during the past century exposed animals, both human and non-human, to significant light at night for the first time in their evolutionary history. Endogenous circadian clocks depend on light to entrain to the external daily environment and seasonal rhythms depend on clear nightly melatonin signals to assess time of year. Thus, light at night can derange temporal adaptations. Indeed, disruption of naturally evolved light–dark cycles results in several physiological and behavioural changes with potentially serious implications for physiology, behaviour and mood. In this review, data from night-shift workers on their elevated risk for metabolic disorders, as well as data from animal studies will be discussed. Night-shift workers are predisposed to obesity and dysregulated metabolism that may result from disrupted circadian rhythms. Although studies in human subjects are correlative, animal studies have revealed several mechanisms through which light at night may exert its effects on metabolism by disrupting circadian rhythms that are associated with inflammation, both in the brain and in the periphery. Disruption of the typical timing of food intake is a key effect of light at night and subsequent metabolic dysregulation. Strategies to avoid the effects of light at night on body mass dysregulation should be pursued.


Author(s):  
T Jordan Walter ◽  
Montserrat Navarro ◽  
Todd E Thiele ◽  
Cort Pedersen ◽  
Alexey Kampov-Polevoy ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims The combination of bupropion and naltrexone has shown efficacy in reducing binge drinking in animal models. This study assessed the tolerability and potential utility of combined naltrexone and bupropion in reducing binge drinking in human subjects. Methods This preliminary study employed an open-label, single-arm, 12-week, prospective design. Twelve men and women who exhibited a minimum of five (men) or three (women) binge drinking episodes per month over the past 3 months were recruited. All subjects received both bupropion-extended release 300 mg/day and naltrexone 50 mg/day and were monitored throughout the 3-month treatment period. Binge drinking was assessed using the timeline follow-back method. Results Treatment with combined naltrexone and bupropion reduced the average number of drinks per binge drinking day from 7.8 drinks to 6.4 drinks and reduced the average percentage of binge drinking days per month from 19% (5.7 days/month) to 5% (1.5 days/month). Naltrexone and bupropion were generally well tolerated, with insomnia, headache and nausea/diarrhea being the most common side effects. Six subjects elected to stay on medication after the trial. Conclusions This study suggests that combined naltrexone and bupropion therapy should be further investigated for tolerability and efficacy in reducing binge drinking in humans.


1973 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 119-126

To develop properly, it is necessary for the infant, and particularly the infant who is blind, to be provided with a rich environment of sensory stimulation. When such stimulation is absent, as evidenced by the findings of researchers in sensory deprivation, a variety of undesirable behaviors can result. Parents can be helped in a variety of ways to provide their child with adequate stimulation. The concept of an infant curriculum, as developed by Barsch, is suggested as a particularly useful means of insuring that appropriate kinds and amounts of sensory stimulation are provided at each developmental stage.


1957 ◽  
Vol 35 (10) ◽  
pp. 777-783
Author(s):  
F. Girling ◽  
F. A. Sunahara

Several groups of investigators have noted in the past that exposure to a reduced barometric pressure results in a decrease in peripheral blood flow.In the present study human subjects were exposed to a pressure of 225 mm. Hg with maintenace of arterial oxygen saturation, and forearm and hand blood flows were measured plethysmographically. Forearm blood flow was not affected by the exposure whereas hand blood flow was reduced in all subjects. Blood pressure and heart rate were also measured and showed no change during the experiment.


1947 ◽  
Vol 51 (433) ◽  
pp. 54-64
Author(s):  
L. G. Whitehead

During the past few years a new series of low drag aerofoils has been developed which represents a radical departure from earlier practice. The changes envisaged are much greater than those which accompanied the general change-over from the biplane to the monoplane, and give rise to many problems whose solution requires considerable theoretical and experimental work. An important feature of the new sections is the precision in design and manufacture which is essential for their success. This has given renewed interest to the investigation of many of the detailed problems of air flow and calls for parallel improvements in manufacturing technique so as to achieve the high standard of surface finish required.The purpose of this paper is to give a brief account of the theoretical basis of the design and application of the modified profiles as aircraft wing sections. It deals with the design of aerofoils for the subsonic range only, or, to be more precise, for flight at speeds below the critical Mach Number at which shock waves are first formed. The critical value usually lies in the range 0.6 to 0.8, depending on the wing shape and incidence, as will be described in more detail later.


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