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Biomedical subjects

M Zuckerman

Publications and source records attributed to M Zuckerman.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Nocturnal penile tumescence and penile responses in the waking state in diabetic and nondiabetic sexual dysfunctionals.

This study compared diabetics with sexual dysfunction, nondiabetics with sexual dysfunction, and a group of controls on nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) during three nights in a sleep laboratory, and penile response to erotic stimulation in the waking state on one of the nights. Both diabetic and nondiabetic dysfunctionals showed less erectile response to erotic films and tape than controls but did not differ from each other. In contrast, the diabetic dysfunctionals showed significantly weaker NPT response than both the nondiabetic dysfunctionals and the controls, and 58% of them (contrasted with 23% of nondiabetic dysfunctionals and 0% of controls) would be classified as organic using minimal NPT (less than 11.5 mm maximal increase in penile circumference during any nocturnal erection) as the sole criterion. There was a significant relationship between NPT and waking erections in response to erotic stimuli, especially in the diabetic dysfunctionals and the controls.

Adult↗

Sensation seeking, mania, and monoamines.

Mania is a clinical state that could be described as sensation seeking behavior out of control. This article describes the biochemical correlates of the sensation seeking trait in normals including: gonadal hormones, monoamine oxidase, CSF norepinephrine, plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and serotonin. The findings on monoamines and their neuroregulators in manic and depressed states of bipolar affective disorders are also discussed. Some hypotheses are suggested that link the personality disposition with the variations in the clinical state, and make some high sensation seekers 'at risk' for the affective disorder.

Age Factors↗

Sensation seeking in homosexual and heterosexual males.

The study was designed to test the relationship between the personality trait of sensation seeking and homosexuality. Previous studies had shown a relationship between the trait and variety of heterosexual activity but had not shown a relationship to homosexual behavior. This study compared 19 male homosexuals associated with a gay club in a university, 16 control students belonging to a social club at the same university, 13 members of a gay church group, and 19 members of a nongay church group on conservative vs. liberal attitudes toward religion and politics, attitudes toward homosexuality, heterosexual and homosexual experience scales, and the sensation seeking scales. The control (nongay) church group had more conservative attitudes, less heterosexual experience, and lower sensation scores than the other groups. But the control university group did not differ from the gay university group on any of the sensation seeking scales and differed from the gay church group on only one of the subscales. However, the gay university group was also higher than the gay church group on this subscale, so the difference was probably a function of the younger ages of the university groups than the gay church group. It is concluded that male homosexuals, as a general group, do not differ from heterosexuals on the sensation seeking trait, although the trait might be related to variety of homosexual behavior and partners, just as it is to variety of heterosexual experience.

Adolescent↗

A test of the optimal level of arousal theory of sensation seeking.

The study was designed to test the theoretical predictions that high-sensation seekers feel and function better than low-sensation seekers under conditions of heightened arousal, whereas lows perform better than highs when central nervous system arousal levels are dampened. Thirty-two male medical students scoring in either the top or bottom deciles of their class on the total score of the Sensation Seeking Scale, Form V, were administered placebo, stimulant, and depressant drug treatments (each substance in a different session). Results did not support an optimal level of arousal model of sensation seeking, in that affective, cognitive, and motoric responses to drugs that increased or decreased tonic levels of arousal generally failed to differentiate high- and low-sensation seekers.

Adult↗

Facial, autonomic, and subjective components of emotion: the facial feedback hypothesis versus externalizer-internalizer distinction.

Two different models have been advanced concerning the role of facial expression in the experience of emotion. The facial feedback hypothesis states that facial expressions regulate affective experience. This position has been supported by findings that experimentally induced changes in facial expressiveness produced corresponding changes in autonomic responses and self-reports of emotion. A second model posits that expressive behavior and autonomic responses are negatively related. Evidence supporting this view consists of correlational analyses showing that facially expressive people (externalizers) exhibit less autonomic arousal than do those who are not facially expressive (internalizers). In the present study, the facial feedback hypothesis and the externalizer-internalizer distinction were evaluated by manipulating facial expressiveness and measuring subsequent autonomic responses and self-reports of emotion. Results showed that higher levels of facial expressiveness were accompanied by higher levels of autonomic activity and subjective reports of affective experience. This relationship was obtained in comparisons among experimental conditions as well as correlational analyses within conditions.

Autonomic Nervous System↗

The contribution of electrostatic factors to the stabilization of the conformation of cytochrome c. Studies on the maleylated protein.

All the lysines of horse heart cytochrome c were maleylated yielding a low spin product. At room temperature and low salt concentration, this product lacked the 695 nm absorption band and showed tryptophan fluorescence and circular dichroic spectra typical of denatured cytochrome c. The 695 nm band and the native tryptophan fluorescence and circular dichroic spectra were restored by addition of salts, their effectiveness being dependent on the charge of the cation. On low salt concentration, the 695 nm band was also restored by lowering the temperature. Studies of the temperature dependence of the 695 nm band indicate that the thermal denaturation of maleylated cytochrome c occurs at temperatures 60-70 degrees C lower than in the native protein. This implies a destabilization of the native conformation by 5.6 kcal/mol; a similar value is evidenced by comparative urea denaturation studies on the native and modified proteins. The results confirm the assumption that the native conformation of cytochrome c is mostly determined by interactions involving internal residues.

Animals↗

Sensation seeking and psychopathology.

A sample of 2,115 persons responded to an article in a popular magazine by taking the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and supplying personal information by mail, including data about past treatment, hospitalization, and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. Subjects falling into certain diagnostic categories were closely matched with controls from the same sample who reported no history, treatment, or diagnosis of disorder. SSS scores were not related to general psychopathology, unipolar depression, schizophrenia, or neurosis, but were found to be elevated in persons reporting a history of manic-depressive or sociopathic spectrum (including alcoholism and drug abuse) disorder.

Adult↗