PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Püschel

Publications and source records attributed to J Püschel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Spatial working memory deficits and clinical symptoms in schizophrenia: a 4-month follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: Our goal was to examine spatial working memory function in relation to clinical symptoms of schizophrenia over a period of 4 months. METHODS: We assessed spatial working memory, spatial detection and clinical symptoms in 34 acutely psychotic schizophrenia patients within the first 2 weeks of hospitalization, and 4 months later. Spatial working memory was assessed by a delayed response task. A spatial control task was included to rule out simple sensorimotor deficits. Positive and negative symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Thirty-nine matched normal control subjects were also examined on the same tasks over the same period. RESULTS: Patients showed deficits in working memory, but they performed well on the spatial control task. Both positive and negative symptoms improved at the 4-month follow up. Spatial working memory also improved over time but there was still a significant deficit at the follow-up session. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that both symptoms and spatial working memory improved 4 months after the initial hospitalization but spatial working memory, hypothesized to be mediated by the dorsolateral prefrontal system, did not normalize. Thus, spatial working memory deficit may be a stable marker for schizophrenia.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

The Benton-Van Allen faces: a lateralized tachistoscopic study.

The Benton-Van Allen Facial Recognition Test (FRT) was adapted to a lateralized same-different task. The lateralized same targets were either physically identical to the central upright faces or had the same face identity but were transformed (3/4-views or shadowed faces). Faces were also modified to include or exclude external features. There was a left hemifield (right hemisphere) advantage only for the most difficult, shadowed faces. The absence of a left hemifield advantage for the matching of upright faces to identical or 3/4-view faces shows bilateral competence for face processing, both by physical and by face identity, and confirms previous observations that the FRT does not discriminate left from right hemisphere-damaged patients. Removal of external features affected performance in the right but not the left visual field, suggesting that the left hemisphere uses a less feature-dependent mechanism than the right hemisphere. This effect was only present in females, who were more lateralized than males.

Dominance, Cerebral↗
PubMed1983

[Hepatitis and imported infectious diseases. A. Hepatitis. 1. Virologic findings in acute hepatitis].

The properties of the hepatitis-A-virus and the hepatitis-B-virus are described. The authors refer to the fact that despite the far-reaching development, particularly in the field of the hepatitis-B-infection up to a usable active immunoprophylaxis many questions concerning the natural history, pathogenesis and epidemiology are still unclarified. The development of demonstration methods of the 3rd generation and their use in the diagnostics of hepatitis rendered possible the gain of new realizations. The authors contributed to the introduction of these methods essentially by own developments, as for instance of ELISA for the demonstration of HBeAg and anti-HBe. The solution of some still open questions can be expected only by the successful establishment of a suitable virus-host-cell system.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1977

[Serum enzymes and HBsAg in families with viral hepatitis].

Examinations of all families affected with viral hepatitis confirmed by enzyme screening tests by means of incubation and also by the test for HBAgs were carried out in a town district in the course of 7 years. 1. After triple biochemical examinations repeated always after 14 days, changes in the serum enzymes (SGPT, ALD, LDH) were stated in 15% cases from the total of 4328 persons from 1332 families. In the control group no changes were found. 2. From the number of 2215 persons from 726 families 32% were HBAgs-positive in CFT. Simultaneous evidence of HBAgs and enzymes changes were stated in 162 persons (7,4%). 3. Changes in the enzymes as well as simultaneous evidence of HBAgs were especially stated in children. Findings of HBAgs alone prevailed in the adults (P greater than 0,001).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Speaking behavior and voice sound characteristics associated with negative schizophrenia.

Based on a sample of 42 chronic schizophrenic patients and 42 carefully matched controls, we investigated potential relationships between acoustic variables on the one hand, and negative syndromes, positive syndromes and affective disturbances, on the other. A set of 12 acoustic variables automatically assessed in a standardized experimental setting allowed an almost perfect discrimination between schizophrenic patients and normal subjects. Acute side-effects of medication did not explain this finding. However, the question of whether the observed changes in speaking behavior and voice sound characteristics were caused by long-term neuroleptic treatment, for example, as a consequence of tardive dyskinesia, could not be answered by our investigation. In view of a biological validation of the negative-positive model of schizophrenia, the reliability of various psychopathological subscales was tested through repeated assessments at 14 day intervals. We found most psychopathology scores to be sufficiently stable and reproducible over time, thus representing a suitable basis for the estimation of severity with respect to the negative and positive component of schizophrenia. Using the first measurements as training samples and the second measurements of 14 days later as test samples, discriminant analysis yielded conclusive proof of a close relationship between acoustic variables and the severity of the negative and positive component of schizophrenia. In particular, by means of "objective" acoustic variables and under the constraint of reproducibility, 75.9% of patients were correctly classified as low or high scorers with respect to the negative syndrome, 71.9% of patients with respect to the positive syndrome, and 79.4% of patients with respect to their depressive symptomatology.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Speaking behavior and speech sound characteristics in acute schizophrenia.

Based on a sample of 45 hospitalized, acute-schizophrenic patients and 45 carefully matched controls, we investigated the non-verbal characteristics of schizophrenic speech by means of an 'acoustic' speech analysis and determined the extent to which speaking behavior and speech sound characteristics had adjusted toward normal values at the time of hospital release. Using a multivariate discriminant function derived from a previous study of chronic schizophrenics, totally 77 (85.6%) individuals of our patient and control sample could be correctly classified by a set of 12 acoustic variables at entry into study. At hospital release, the majority of patients (64.4%) still exhibited speech impairment although acute psychopathology had significantly improved. A configuration of 6 acoustic variables, assessed at the time point of entry into study, predicted at high reliability the severity of the negative syndrome at hospital release. Acute medication effects did not explain these findings, thus underlining the potential diagnostic relevance of the speech analysis method. With respect to the relationship between speech characteristics and acute psychopathology throughout the time course of recovery, our results suggest that changes in speaking behavior and speech sound characteristics may be distinct aspects of schizophrenia that can persist in a subgroup of patients over a long period, mostly beyond the time point of hospital release. Accordingly, the speech analysis method might become very useful in detailing the nature and severity of deficits in patients after remission of positive symptoms.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Corrective surgery for kyphosis in bekhterev's disease - indication, technique, results (author's transl)].

14 patients suffering from Bechterew's disease with a marked kyphotic deformity of their spine have been subject to extension osteotomy. Follow-up of 12 patients ranges from 7 to 33 months. Results have been good in 10 and satisfactory in 2 cases. Increase in body length has been between 2 to maximally 26 cm. Surgical procedure, results and complications have been demonstrated. Possibility of early spondylodesis in Bechterew's disease for elimination of pain and avoidance of progressing deformity is discussed.

Adult↗