Teaching caring attitudes.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D Litzelman.
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Sex differences in the amplitudes and latencies of the auditory brain stem potential (BAEP) were investigated using 3 levels of intensity and 3 stimulus presentation rates. The females displayed consistently larger BAEPs for waves IV, V, VI, VII than the males. The only latency differences which reached significance over all the intensities and rates occurred for wave V. The females showed significantly shorter wave V latencies than the males. Since hearing losses and individually determined click thresholds were comparable between the two groups tested, the exact sources of the uneven distribution of amplitude and latency effects are in question. Differences in the relative distances of the anatomical generators are considered in accounting for the sex differences. Because the precise origin of the sex differences cannot be stated with certainty at this time, attempts to develop normative data for the BAEP should consider the possible influences of sex differences.
The effects of distraction on the contingent negative variation (CNV) were investigated in a group of 11 elderly (mean = 72.2 years) and a group of 12 young (mean = 23.3 years) subjects. Scalp electrical activity was recorded from midline sites at frontal, central, and parietal locations. Three experimental conditions included Recall, No Recall, and Control situations. In the Recall, or distraction condition, spoken consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) letters were presented concurrently with the CNV signal interval and were recalled by the subjects after each trial. The No Recall condition was similar to the Recall task except that subjects were not required to repeat the CVSs. The Control condition presented a standard S1 - S2 CNV situation without CVCs. Amplitudes of the CNV, reaction times (RTs), and heart rate (HR) served as indices of distraction. The effects of distraction for both age groups indicated reduced CNVs, lengthened RTs, and elevated HRs. However, a significant age by electrode interaction revealed that while CNV amplitudes at central and parietal sites were comparable between age groups, amplitudes at the frontal placement were consistently reduced in the elderly compared to the young in all conditions. The finding of diminished frontal activity, as measured by the CNV, suggests a process of selective cortical aging and possible cellular loss which may be linked to performance deficits.