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Biomedical subjects

K Bättig

Publications and source records attributed to K Bättig.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Psychophysiological reactivity in type A and B women during a rapid information processing task.

Type A and Type B women assessed by a newly developed German questionnaire 'need for control' (NC) were compared with respect to time-pressured information processing performance and to simultaneously recorded psychophysiological reactivity. The task was computer controlled, monetarily reinforced and subject paced. The physiological measurements included the cardiovascular parameters, ECG and finger plethysmographic amplitudes and the noncardiovascular parameters, EMG (frontal muscle), skin conductance reactivity, and respiration. NC-Type A and Type B women did not differ in performance, but the Type As showed stronger vasoconstrictive responses to the task than did the Type Bs. Other physiological intergroup differences were not seen. In addition, the Type As scored significantly higher in nervousness and irritability and marginally higher in depression, reactive aggressivity and neuroticism than did the Type Bs. This particular pattern of NC-Type A/B differences is discussed with regard to relevant differences observed by other studies between SI and JAS Type As and Bs.

Adult↗

[Psychophysiological reactivity in relation to type A behavior].

This relationship was examined in 77 healthy men. Stress reactivity in the 26 Type A was not more increased than in the 12 Type B men for the cardiovascular variables (heart rate, pulse transit time, finger vasoconstriction and blood pressure), but for body movement, EMG, respiration frequency. Body movement and EMG were the best predictable physiological variables for the Type A behavior pattern, and this mainly in the two speech tests.

Adult↗

Behavioral effects of experimental portacaval anastomosis measured in Dashiell and radial tunnel maze configurations.

Male rats which had received either a surgically constructed end-to-side portacaval shunt or sham surgery were maintained on a normal diet of laboratory chow or on chow plus a low tryptophan, low protein supplement. In 6-min long daily tests carried out in both a Dashiell and a radial tunnel maze configuration for 6-day blocks, numerous behavioral parameters were automatically registered via a computer-interfaced maze system. The dietary condition failed to affect the activity level of the two surgical groups. After collapsing the behavioral data across dietary condition, discriminant analysis yielded two significant factors which were subsequently found to differentiate the two surgical groups: the intrasession habituation of locomotion and the total activity within a session. The rate of intrasession activity decline was significantly more rapid for portacaval-shunted rats than their surgical controls, but only in the Dashiell configuration. The control rats exhibited significantly greater total activity during evaluation in the radial maze; whereas in the Dashiell configuration the total activity of the portacaval-shunted rats was higher than controls only during the first few days but lower during the final few days of testing. These results indicate that, depending upon the maze configuration, spontaneous locomotor activity and the decline of activity within a test session were altered in the rat with portal-systemic shunting of the circulation, which has been proposed as an animal model of chronic liver dysfunction.

Animals↗

Effects of different cigarette smoke yields on puffing and inhalation: is the measurement of inhalation volumes relevant for smoke absorption?

Puffing patterns (number of puffs, puff volume, puff duration, puff interval, peak pressure, peak flow, peak latency), respiratory smoke inhalation (postpuff inspiratory latency, volume and time and postpuff expiratory volume and time), and the pre- to postsmoking boost of tidal air CO concentration were analyzed in 117 regular smokers. They smoked both a cigarette of the habitual brand and a second cigarette of a brand with about 40 to 50% lower machine standard smoke yields and the most similar taste quality. The pre- to postsmoking CO boost remained unrelated to the smoke deliveries of the cigarettes in both comparisons (interindividual and switching). Estimated mouth intake of nicotine was strongly dependent on the smoke yield variables of the cigarettes but remained uncorrelated with CO absorption. The discrepancy between mouth smoke intake and alveolar smoke absorption could not be explained by the volumes or durations of the postpuff respiratory cycle. Multiple regression analyses suggested differential modes of control for the daily number of cigarettes smoked, for the patterns of puffing, for respiratory inhalation, and finally for alveolar CO absorption. The results are discussed in relation to the dynamics of puffing and inhalation and their possible relevance for tobacco-related diseases.

Absorption↗

Smoking behaviour and personality patterns of smokers with low and high CO absorption.

The present experiment describes an attempt to select differentially nicotine dependent smokers by means of an objective and non-invasive measure of cigarette smoke CO absorption. Toward this goal the differences in expiratory tidal air CO concentration before and after smoking a single cigarette (tidal CO boost) were measured in three experimental sessions. The selection criteria were tidal CO boosts greater than 3.5 p.p.m. and less than 1 p.p.m. According to these criteria 19 out of 171 subjects were consistently found to be high CO absorbers and 20 were found to be low CO absorbers. Puffing behaviour was measured throughout all three test sessions by the flowmeter method and respiratory inhalation by thorax impedance plethysmography. In addition, heart rate was continuously measured during smoking. These data were used to assess for specific differences between the two extremes of inhalation behaviour. High CO absorbers differed from low CO absorbers by more intensive patterns of puffing and respiratory inhalation, by higher daily cigarette and coffee consumption, by lower alcohol consumption, by shorter latencies to the first cigarette in the morning, by greater subjective need for smoking and by lower scores for healthy eating habits. No intergroup differences were observed for smoking induced heart rate acceleration. The high CO absorbers were significantly older than the low CO absorbers; however, no evidence was found that any of the differences in smoking style between the two extremes might be related to their difference in age. No differences were seen in cigarette strengths, in personality or in coronary prone behaviour as assessed by means of standardized questionnaires in all subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absorption↗

Effect of coffee on the speed of subject-paced information processing.

A continuously subject-paced and monetarily reinforced information-processing task was used to test whether caffeine might stimulate performance beyond the ceiling imposed by fatigue. A 3 X 2 design was adopted with the three doses 0, 150, and 450 mg caffeine and with decaffeinated coffee and fruit juice as vehicles. Two groups of 10 subjects selected to represent extremes on the extraversion-introversion scale participated in the experiment. The results revealed no differences between the two groups nor between the two drug vehicles, but caffeine at both dose levels improved performance significantly. Fatigue-induced performance decrements across the sessions reached significance, but no interaction was obtained between fatigue and drug action, supporting the view that caffeine can improve performance beyond a mere restoration of fatigue.

Caffeine↗

Development of puffing behavior along burning time of a cigarette--no relation to alveolar inhalation or nicotine delivery of the cigarettes?

The curves of the cumulative smoke volumes (CSV), as determined by the number of puffs, the puff intervals, the single puff durations, and puff volumes, of 108 nondeprived smokers who smoked two personal brand cigarettes revealed statistically distinct clusters. Pronounced nonlinear increases in the puff intervals and modest decreases in the puff volumes were seen generally, but they varied in extent between clusters as did the number of puffs and estimated mouth intake of nicotine. Most clusters (representing 80% of the smokers) did not deviate significantly from a linear development of the CSV curves, and those that did were characterized by particularly short puff intervals. Most of the subjects moved from the first to the second cigarette into clusters of similar shapes. However, none of these conclusions showed any relation either to the nicotine yield of the cigarettes or to the pre-to postsmoking delta tidal CO. It was therefore concluded that the sensory consequences of the physicochemical changes in smoke composition between the first and last puff or other as yet unknown psychological factors are more likely candidates than nicotine satiation for explaining the typical changes in puffing behavior along burning time of a cigarette.

Adolescent↗

Effects of tunnel maze complexity on caffeinic hyperactivity in the rat.

The study investigated effects of caffeine on spontaneous tunnel locomotion without consummatory reward. The stimulant effects consisted in delayed intrasession habituation, and they differed in magnitude according to dosage and the complexity of the tunnel arrangements. In a simple hexagonal tunnel without choice points, 16 mg/kg BW produced greater stimulation than other doses, and this most efficient dose became less effective if tunnels were arranged according to the radial maze paradigm. No stimulation was obtained if an open field was incorporated into the maze. Caffeine also had no effect on open field behavior, but it tended to improve the efficiency of radial arm maze patrolling, and its significantly depressed exploration of short tunnel arms branching from the radial arms in favor of exploration of the more distant radial tunnel ends.

Animals↗

Reduction of nicotine-induced hyperactivity by pCPA.

Spontaneous locomotion of female Wistar rats was measured in six to ten minute sessions in an automated tunnel maze consisting of a central arena and six radially symmetrical angled arms. Nicotine (0.2 mg/kg subcutaneous, 20-30 minutes pretest) increased total arm visit frequency, but intrasession habituation and number of repetitive arm visits in the first six choices were not affected. pCPA (300 mg/kg IP three days pretest) reduced arm-visit frequency in nicotine-, but not in saline-treated rats; it had no effect on intrasession habituation or number of repetitions in either treatment group. 5-HTP (50 mg/kg IP 90 minutes pretest) reduced arm entry frequency in saline-, nicotine-, and pCPA-treated groups. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗

The effects of caffeine on physiological functions and mental performance.

Polygraphic monitoring of several physiological variables was done throughout an experiment investigating the effects of caffeine on mental performance. The experiment started with a mental maze learning task. Then the subjects were given the test beverages according to the group design (CC group (N = 16): 300 mg caffeine in decaffeinated coffee, DC group (N = 16): decaffeinated coffee, WW group (N = 8): warm water, and NB group (N = 8): no beverage). The experiment continued with a letter cancellation task which was followed by a second mental maze learning task. The caffeine treated subjects differed from the other groups by increased regularity of letter cancellation performance, as indicated by decreases in intraindividual variance. They also differed from the other groups by a slight but significant acrodermal vasoconstriction. No intergroup differences were obtained for mental maze learning, heart rate, respiration, muscle tension, and skin conductance. The results suggest therefore that the drug at this dose level improves behavioral routine and speed rather than cognitive functions and that the vegetative side effects are minimal.

Adult↗

Effects of single doses of alcohol and caffeine on cigarette smoke puffing behavior.

Puffing behavior (number of puffs, puff duration, puff volume, peak pressure, peak flow, peak latency, and puff interval) and pre- to postsmoking delta tidal CO difference were measured in female subjects in order to assess separate and combined effects of ethanol and caffeine. The subjects smoked two cigarettes of their habitual brand in a preliminary familiarizing session and in each of the subsequent four test sessions. The treatments administered after smoking the first cigarette in the test sessions were: alcohol placebo and caffeine placebo; alcohol placebo and caffeine; alcohol and caffeine placebo; alcohol and caffeine. Test-retest reliability across the first cigarette of each session (which was not smoked under the influence of the treatments) was remarkably high for all the puffing parameters. Ethanol in the dose of 0.7 g/kg intensified cigarette smoking of the second cigarette by increasing delta tidal CO, average puff volume, and total puff volume per cigarette, whereas 0.5 g/kg ethanol and 5 mg/kg caffeine given alone or combined with ethanol failed to influence puffing behavior consistently.

Adolescent↗

Cardiovascular effects of smoking cigarettes with different nicotine deliveries. A study using multilead plethysmography.

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the impact of smoking cigarettes with different nicotine deliveries on the subcutaneous blood vessels at different sites of the body. Individual puffing behavior, estimated mouth intake of nicotine, and some personality traits were taken into account. Each of 15 female smokers was presented with four different smoking conditions in order to vary the nicotine uptake. Heart rate and five photoplethysmographic recordings were taken simultaneously and continuously. The heart rate increases were dependent on the individual mouth intake of nicotine. The smoking-induced decreases in the pulse amplitudes failed to show a significant dependency on the nicotine dose. However, the vasoconstrictive response to nicotine was considerable with the finger recordings, modest with the foot recordings, and absent with the forehead and the ear recordings. Furthermore, the magnitude of this vascular response at the finger correlated positively with personality traits of neuroticism, suggesting an explanation for the poor correlations with the dose of nicotine.

Adult↗

Psychophysiological correlates of conflict solving and cigarette smoking.

Twenty-eight subjects participated in three sessions which involved three successive rows of STROOP stimuli presented in a spaced trial technique. The first session was a training session, and in the second and third sessions the subjects had to smoke in balanced sequence a 0.2 mg and a 1.2 mg nicotine cigarette between the second and third rows of STROOP stimuli. For these two smoking sessions these experimental subjects were compared with a yoked-control group which attended the task passively without responding to the stimuli but also had to smoke a 1.2 mg nicotine cigarette. Continuous psychophysiological recording showed: (a) Before smoking the heart rates were lower in the yoked than in the experimental subjects. (b) A gradual but modest habituation of intrasession heart rate and EEG measures developed in all experimental groups. (c) Pronounced skin conductance and vasoconstrictive responses to the STROOP stimuli persisted in the experimental groups without any tendency to habituate and without modification by smoking. (d) Significant smoking-induced tachycardia and cutaneous vasoconstriction were seen in the yoked subjects only. Behaviorally, puffing style of smoking was intensified in the experimental group as opposed to the yoked group, and smoking neither impaired nor improved STROOP performance.

Adult↗

Smoke yield of cigarettes and puffing behavior in men and women.

Puffing behavior (number of puffs, puff interval, puff duration, peak pressure, latency to peak pressure, average and total puff volume) was measured in 67 dependent male and 43 dependent female smokers when they smoked two cigarettes of their habitual brand under laboratory conditions. Test-retest reliability for the two cigarettes was high, and factor analysis showed that puff shape, puff volume, and puff frequency accounted for about 50% of variation obtained with the different puffing variables. Expiratory tidal CO levels increased with the number of cigarettes smoked before the tests and with the intensity of the smoking habit, but pre- to postsmoking delta tidal CO differences were similar for smokers of all types of cigarettes (0.1 - 1.7 mg standard machine smoking nicotine yield). Volume compensation for differences of smoke yield of the cigarettes was generally more pronounced in women than in men and, additionally, it was more pronounced for cigarettes with standard smoke nicotine yield below 0.9 mg than for cigarettes with standard smoke nicotine yield above 0.9 mg for both sexes. Only for women, partial correlation procedures suggested that nicotine might be more important in determining puffing behavior than CO and condensate yield, but there were also no women smoking the strongest cigarettes (1.3 - 1.7 mg nicotine yield). For both sexes, no compensation by adjusting the number of cigarettes smoked daily was obtained. Personality ratings, pulmonary functions, and cardiovascular functions were not, or only inconsistently, correlated with puffing behavior or type of cigarette.

Adolescent↗

Effects of chlordiazepoxide and imipramine on maze patrolling within two different maze configurations by psychogenetically selected lines of rats.

Male rats of two lines of rats psychogenetically selected and bred for extremes in performance in shuttle box avoidance received an acute IP injection of chlordiazepoxide (CDP; 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg), imipramine HCl (IMI: 0.33, 1.0, or 3.0 mg/kg), or vehicle. The rats were placed, 35 min after injection, in an enclosed maze with either a simple configuration with an unilluminated central arena or a complex configuration with a brightly illuminated central arena, and spontaneous maze patrolling was evaluated. Total locomotor activity during the 6-min maze test was significantly reduced by 5--10 mg/kg CDP for both RHA/Verh and RLA/Verh lines of rats in both the simple and the complex maze configurations. Treatment with 10 mg/kg CDP reduced the total explored area for both rat lines in both maze configurations. In addition, the maze area explored by RHA/Verh rats was also reduced by 5.0 mg/kg CDP for the simple configuration and by 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg CDP for the complex configuration. Entry into the unilluminated central field of the simple maze was reduced by 5--10 mg/kg CDP only in RHA/Verh rats. In contrast, 2.5 mg/kg CDP significantly increased entry into the brightly illuminated central arena of the complex maze for the RLA/Verh rats. The doses of IMI used were without effect on the parameters of maze patrolling behavior evaluated, with the single exception that the locomotor activity of RHA/Verh rats tested in the simple maze configuration was decreased by 3.0 mg/kg IMI. The results indicate that, although the effects of CDP were generally similar for total activity and the area explored in the two psychogenetic lines investigated, there was a qualitative difference in its effect on entry into an illuminated arena.

Animals↗