Biomedical subjects

D Busenbark

Publications and source records attributed to D Busenbark.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

Chronic pain is associated with deficits in information processing.

Beginning with the theoretical premise that pain stimuli are liable to perturb the ordinary dynamical state of the brain, we hypothesized that individuals in pain may experience impaired information processing. A sample of 19 persons complaining of chronic pain and a comparison sample of 25 persons having sustained head trauma were obtained by retrospective chart review. The chronic-pain group consisted of 19 persons whose primary complaint was significant chronic pain, with no known history of head trauma or neurologic disorder. The comparison group consisted of 25 persons who had sustained mild to moderate head traumas. All subjects were administered information processing and motor subtests of the Human Performance Measurement System, a computerized set of measures. Both groups obtained mean z scores below the normative mean on all measures except visual digit span. There were no differences between groups on motor measures, visual digit span, and visual-spatial memory. On 2 of 6 information-processing tests, pain patients performed more poorly than head-trauma patients. The results suggest that pain may disrupt cognitive performances which depend on intact speed and capacity of information processing.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Working memory impairment among persons with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis.

We examined short-term memory (STM) among a group of 23 definite, chronic progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, all of whom had experienced recent significant disease activity, and a control group matched closely on age and education. MS patients were impaired, relative to controls, on the majority of the measures used. Although there were no significant differences between groups on the Mini Mental State Examination, patients performed more poorly on digits forward and backward, the Brown-Peterson test, and the logical memory scale of the Revised Wechsler Memory Scale (both immediate and delayed). Performance on tests sensitive to central processing capacity was significantly correlated with measures of STM. Working memory was significantly impaired in this sample of chronic progressive MS patients. In conjunction with previous research showing deficient information processing and prefrontal dysfunction among this population, the findings suggest that an impairment of central information processing may be a fundamental aspect of the mnestic and cognitive decline observed in many chronic progressive MS patients.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Alphanumeric sequencing: a report on a brief measure of information processing used among persons with multiple sclerosis.

Alphanumeric Sequencing involves the alternating recitation of counting and the alphabet. We report data on the use of this measure with two clinical samples of persons with multiple sclerosis, having either the chronic progressive (n = 23) or relapsing-remitting form (n = 52) of the disease. Patients were administered Alphanumeric Sequencing and several other tests of information-processing speed/capacity and short-term memory. Chronic progressive MS patients performed worse than 23 healthy controls on both the speed and error components of the test, while relapsing-remitting patients were worse than 35 controls only on the total time to complete the task. The time score was correlated with several measures of information processing and short-term memory.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Prediction of deficits in behavioral self-regulation among persons with multiple sclerosis.

There is evidence that the lesions characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS) may isolate prefrontal cortex from other regions of the brain. These findings are consistent with neuropsychological data that show many persons with MS to perform poorly on tests thought to assess the executive functions presumably mediated by the prefrontal area. Furthermore, prefrontal lesions have long been associated with the occurrence of various kinds of behavior pathology. These data prompted us to test the hypothesis that deficits in behavioral regulation typical of frontal lobe dysfunction might play a significant role in the occurrence of behavioral disturbances among persons with multiple sclerosis hospitalized for treatment with methylprednisolone and rehabilitation therapies. Twenty-three chronic progressive MS patients were compared with 23 healthy controls matched on age and education. Both groups were administered the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale (BDS), a test based on Luria's studies of frontal lobe dysfunction that measures the capacity for regulation of purposeful activity. The MS patients performed more poorly than comparison subjects on the BDS, but not on the MMSE. The MS sample was then divided into two groups according to whether patients obtained low (n = 8) or high scores (n = 16) on the BDS. Compared with high-scoring patients, low-scoring patients showed greater behavioral inertia and greater disruption of the ability to regulate purposeful activity in the performance of activities of daily living. Behavioral disturbances in these individuals thus require careful assessment. Among those who show deficient capacity for behavioral control, the most efficacious interventions may involve the use of cueing, provision of structure, supervision, and environmental modifications.

Activities of Daily Living↗