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O A Parsons

Publications and source records attributed to O A Parsons.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Clinical neuropsychology 1970-1990: a personal view.

In 1970, I assessed the status of a "new discipline", clinical neuropsychology, and optimistically predicted growth and expansion over the next decades. A current assessment in 1990 indicates that the dramatic increase in the number of clinical neuropsychologists and in the scope and magnitude of their professional functioning far exceeds my expectations of two decades ago. Further, there is every indication that clinical neuropsychology will continue to be a challenging, vital, and expanding profession.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Blood pressure dysregulation associated with alcohol withdrawal.

Alcoholics' blood pressures (BP) are typically elevated during withdrawal. Do such elevations predict future blood pressure dysregulation or are they simply a transitory effect of alcohol toxicity? Thirty-two patients admitted to the hospital for alcohol detoxification were tested to examine the relationship between admission BP and response to isometric handgrip administered 4 to 5 days (session 1) and 3 to 4 weeks (session 2) postdetoxification. Alcoholics were divided into three groups based on admission BPs: Hypertensive (HT, greater than or equal to 160/95 mmHg), Borderline Hypertensive (BHT, 140/90-159/94 mmHg), and Normotensive (NT, less than 140/90 mmHg). In sessions 1 and 2, the groups no longer differed on resting BP or heart rate (HR) but did differ on BP and HR response to handgrip: Compared with the NT group, the HT and BHT groups had greater rises in systolic and diastolic BP and HR. There was a trend for HT alcoholics to report a positive parental history of hypertension (91%) compared to BHT and NT alcoholics (64% and 60%, respectively), suggesting the existence of premorbid factors to this exaggerated cardiovascular response. Further, alcohol consumption, based on a quantity-frequency index, was significantly higher in the HT group than in the NT group. The results suggest that transitory elevations in blood pressure observed during alcohol withdrawal may predict future BP abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Alcohol-related efficiency deficits using an ecologically valid test.

This study investigated whether male and female alcoholics and controls differed in their ability to solve an ecologically valid measure of abstraction. Ninety-one alcoholics (39 females, 52 males) and 61 community controls (36 females, 26 males) completed a battery of abstraction tasks including a Piagetian-type task, the Plant Task. The Plant Task demands that subjects predict the outcome of an unseen plant given a specific treatment regime. No group differences in the ability to correctly predict the unseen plant's outcome were obtained. Alcoholics were significantly poorer than controls in isolating the relevant variable (chi 2 (1) = 8.24, p = 0.004). There were no sex differences in the ability to isolate the relevant variable. However, there was a sex effect in the number of irrelevant explanations (chi 2 (3) = 15.58, p = 0.001) with females producing more than males and female alcoholics more than any of the other three cells. These data suggest that (1) alcoholics may exhibit subtle abstraction deficits most readily observed in tasks examining process as opposed to final performance, (2) males and females differ in their response patterns regarding irrelevant material, and (3) further empirical study of the Plant Task may support its use in experimental and clinical settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effects of alcoholism and instructional conditions on speed/accuracy tradeoffs.

The speed and accuracy of neuropsychological performance in alcoholics and nonalcoholics were assessed for each item within a four-test computerized battery. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three instructional conditions: Speed-emphasis instructions, Accuracy-emphasis instructions, or Typical instructions emphasizing speed and accuracy equally. Across conditions, alcoholics were less accurate and took longer to perform than controls. Examining speed and accuracy components separately within each condition, as predicted, the greatest differences in accuracy scores between alcoholics and controls appeared in the Speed-emphasis condition, while the greatest group differences in speed scores appeared in the Accuracy-emphasis condition. The results indicate that the relationships between speed and accuracy are dissimilar between alcoholics and controls; alcoholics exhibit speed/accuracy tradeoffs in that they are unable to adjust performance to meet speed or accuracy demand without suffering substantial compromise in the other aspect of performance. These results have implications for future studies concerning methodological approaches to speed and accuracy assessment and provide support for an information-processing deficit associated with chronic alcohol abuse.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1991

Differences between essential and reactive alcoholics on tests of neuropsychological functioning and affect.

This study tested the hypothesis that Essential Alcoholics (n = 15) develop a more severe form of alcoholism than Reactive Alcoholics (n = 12). VA alcoholic patients were classified as Essential or Reactive Alcoholics, using the Rudie-McGaughran questionnaire, and tested on four neuropsychological tests, the Neuropsychological Impairment Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, Tarter's Hyperactivity/Minimal Brain Dysfunction questionnaire, and Latcham's Measure of Antisocial Behavior. While the two groups did not differ in age, education, or Family History of alcoholism. Essential Alcoholics had an earlier age of onset and a longer chronicity of alcoholism. After analysis of covariance was used to control for group differences in age of onset and chronicity, Essential Alcoholics were still significantly higher on depression and significantly more impaired on five subtests of the Neuropsychological Impairment Scale: global measure, total items, general, learning-verbal, and frustration. Nonsignificant group differences, in the expected direction, were found for the Shipley Mental Age and Tarter's questionnaire. These results suggest that Essential Alcoholics have higher depression scores and greater impairments in neuropsychological functioning than Reactive Alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Prediction of resumption of drinking in posttreatment alcoholics.

The ability of five factors (depressive symptomatology, neuropsychological performance, psychosocial maladjustment, previous treatment history, and childhood attention deficit disorder symptomatology) to predict relapse was examined in a follow-up experimental design. Fifty-eight male and 45 female alcoholics were interviewed immediately following release from inpatient treatment units. Fourteen months later, 41 subjects (41%) were classified as resumers; 62 (59%) were abstainers. Resumers showed significantly poorer scores than abstainers on all five of the predictor variables. Discriminant function analysis resulted in 75% correct classification of resumers and abstainers (chi 2 = 22.1, p less than .001). Stepwise multiple regression resulted in isolation of depressive symptomatology as the best single predictor of relapse.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Does neuropsychological test performance predict resumption of drinking in posttreatment alcoholics?

The prediction of resumption of drinking in posttreatment alcoholics was investigated as a function of five possible confounding variables: depression, anxiety, childhood symptoms of attention deficit and conduct disorders and family history of alcoholism. Male and female detoxified alcoholics (n = 103) in inpatient treatment programs were administered a neuropsychological battery and retested as outpatients 14 months later; peer nonalcoholics (n = 73), given the same battery, had a similar interest interval. Alcoholics who resumed drinking (N = 41) performed significantly poorer on an overall neuropsychological performance index than abstainers (N = 62) who performed significantly poorer than nonalcoholics. Stepwise multiple regression equations using the variables noted above revealed that depressive symptoms, ADD and the performance index were the only variables to enter the prediction (R2 = .26, p less than .001); depression accounted for most of the variance. At retest all three groups improved significantly, but not differentially, and were as significantly different at retest as at initial testing. Implications of these results are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Application of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire to a population of alcoholics and other substance abusers.

To assess its construct validity and application, Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) was administered to 267 inpatient substance abusers. One hundred seventy-two of the patients were alcoholic, 47 abused stimulants, and 48 abused other drugs, primarily benzodiazepines, marijuana, or were polysubstance abusers. Of the sample 33.8% were female. Analyses were conducted to (1) determine whether TPQ scores could be used to classify alcoholics as either Cloninger Type I or Type II; (2) examine the intercorrelations of TPQ scales and identify differences in these patterns due to drug of choice; (3) replicate previously obtained gender differences on the TPQ. The results indicate that (1) TPQ scores did not classify the alcoholics into the expected frequencies for Type I and Type II; (2) the scales were not independent and did not give rise to any differences among drug user groups, but (3) did confirm previously reported gender differences. These results indicate that Cloninger's model and the TPQ must be subjected to careful empirical study prior to their widespread acceptance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Relationships between neuropsychological test performance and event-related potentials in alcoholic and nonalcoholic samples.

Are event-related potentials and nonconcurrently measured neuropsychological test performance correlated? Sober male and female middle-aged alcoholics and peer controls were administered an "oddball" event-related potential (ERP) task and several hours later, a battery of neuropsychological (NP) tests. Alcoholics performed significantly poorer than controls on NP tests. Male alcoholics had significantly altered ERP responses (N1, NdA, and P3 amplitudes) but female alcoholics did not differ on any ERP variables from controls. A number of significant correlations between ERP and NP measures were present. The most consistent findings were positive correlations between perceptual-motor (PM) tests and the P3 amplitude at Pz in both male and female alcoholics and in male alcoholics, a negative correlation between PM tests and P3 latency at Pz, findings similar to those seen in Parkinson patients. Significant correlations were most numerous in family history positive alcoholics. The results lead to two conclusions: first, Grant's postulation that sober alcoholics may manifest an intermediate duration organic mental disorder is supported; second, given the lack of ERP differences in the females, ERP measures should not be considered as being causally related to NP performance.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Locus of control and drinking behavior in American Indian alcoholics and non-alcoholics.

Many investigators have attempted to determine whether alcoholics differ from non-alcoholics in their perceived locus of control. The present study examined the responses of alcoholic and non-alcoholic American Indian males and females on Levenson's Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale. Subjects were 80 American Indian males and 40 American Indian females. All subjects were members of either an eastern (Cherokee) or western (Cheyenne) Oklahoma tribe. Results indicate no significant differences between the Cherokee male alcoholic and non-alcoholic group. Cheyenne male alcoholics reported significantly lower internal control scores than did Cheyenne male non-alcoholics. Within the female sample, alcohol use and tribal membership showed a significant interaction with locus of control. These findings suggest that locus of control may be a potentially useful clinical construct in the development of treatment plans and therapeutic issues for American Indian patients who are alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Pretest expectancies and cognitive impairment in alcoholics.

Alcoholics' neurological deficits have been attributed to cognitive impairment associated with brain dysfunction. Because alcoholics perceive themselves as impaired in higher cognitive functions, we investigated the alternative hypothesis that their deficits are predicted by lowered expectancies for successful performance. Ss were 48 male, middle-aged Veterans Administration inpatient alcoholics and 36 community controls. Subjects completed a standard series of neuropsychological tests. Before taking each test, Ss were asked how well they expected to do on that test in relation to members of their community. As predicted, means for the overall measures of expectancies and performance were significantly lower for alcoholics than for control Ss. Although expectancies were significantly correlated with performance, regression analyses indicated they could not account for the obtained performance differences.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Effects of alcohol abuse and familial alcoholism on physical health in men and women.

Detoxified alcoholic men (n = 76) and women (n = 72) and nonalcoholic control men (n = 50) and women (n = 51) were given a structured interview that assessed five categories of physical health: medical history, alcohol-related disorders, trauma history, drug use history, and, for females, female-related disorders. Approximately half the subjects in each group were family history positive for alcoholism. Significant differences between alcoholics and controls were found for all five categories; family history effects were significant for four of the five categories, and sex differences were present in two categories. The results indicate that (a) alcoholics suffer pervasive physical health difficulties, (b) a family history of alcoholism is predictive of health problems in both alcoholics and controls, (c) the effects of alcohol abuse and family history of alcoholism on health appear to be independent and additive, and (d) women may be more "illness prone" than men and exhibit an increased vulnerability to the adverse effects of alcoholism.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A response to Mapou.

Mapou (1988) has suggested that detection of brain damage has become an irrelevant task for neuropsychology, and that neuropsychological assessment should be used to generate profiles of cognitive function useful for sophisticated diagnosis and rehabilitation. While agreeing the latter considerations are important and germane, we affirm that the detection of brain damage remains an important task for neuropsychology. This affirmation is based on considerations of the nature of brain damage, the development and validation of neuropsychological tests, the utilization of neuropsychological assessment in current practice and the appropriate professional practice of clinical neuropsychology.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Alcohol abuse and familial alcoholism: psychosocial correlates in men and women.

Multivariate and univariate analyses were conducted to investigate specific hypotheses concerning the effects of alcohol abuse, family history of alcoholism and gender on items in five categories: (1) family of origin; (2) childhood attention deficit, conduct and learning disorders; (3) intraindividual (psychological) variables; (4) peers and family of procreation; and (5) sociocultural and community variables. The sample consisted of 76 male and 72 female detoxified alcoholics and 50 male and 51 female community controls. By selection procedures, groups had an approximately 50% incidence of familial alcoholism; all were given detailed structured interviews covering the above areas. Significant differences between alcoholics and controls were found for all five categories, and four of the five categories showed significant family history effects. Gender differences were present on only one category. There were no significant Alcoholism X FH interactions. We conclude that (1) alcoholism and family history of alcoholism are distinct, separate factors that have additive and not interactional effects; and (2) these separate effects seem to operate in similar fashion in both male and female populations. The findings have relevance for methodological considerations and the identification of problem areas of functioning in the adult alcoholic and nonalcoholic offspring of alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The relationship between neuropsychological and late component evoked potential measures in chronic alcoholics.

The relationships between event-related potential (ERP) measures and neuropsychological measures were investigated in a group of 39 male alcoholics and 22 age-matched male controls. Late component ERP measures such as N1, Nd, and P3 components and neuropsychological measures of perceptual-motor function, semantic and figural memory and verbal abstracting functions were included in a correlational analysis. No significant correlations between N1 amplitude or latency and neuropsychological tests were obtained. However, visual Nd amplitude correlated significantly with perceptual-motor tests and figural memory scores in the alcoholics. Significant correlations were found in alcoholics for visual P3 amplitude at PZ and delayed figural memory scores and two of the perceptual-motor tests. No significant correlations were obtained among the controls. These data indicate that significant relationships exist between some neuropsychological and ERP measures but that these relationships are restricted to measures of perceptual-motor functioning and to delayed figural memory.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Hemispheric asymmetry in the processing of tactual-spatial material of low verbal codability in normal subjects.

Two experiments were carried out using a modified Tactual Performance Test (TPT) to investigate patterns of tactual-spatial performance and memory in normal individuals. Right-handed mates were tested using either a right-left-both hands or left-right-both hands order. The left-hand-first group had better tactual-spatial memory than the right-hand-first group. In a second experiment, right-handed males performed the TPT with either the left hand or the right hand on all trials while simultaneously palpating a non-task-related nonsense figure with the opposite hand. The left-hand group had better time scores and memory for TPT figures than did the right hand group. The findings, consistent with previous studies, indicate a saliency of the right hemisphere in tactual-spatial performance and memory and suggest that dichhaptic stimulation may be the preferred method for revealing hemispheric asymmetries in tactual-spatial functioning.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1989

Performance deficits on tests of problem solving in alcoholics: cognitive or motivational impairment?

This study tests the hypothesis that the performance deficits of alcoholics on tests of problem-solving abilities are due to impairment in motivation. The Conceptual Level Analogy Test and the Levine Hypothesis Test were administered to 40 sober middle-aged male alcoholic and 30 nonalcoholic individuals in a 2 x 2 [Group (alcoholic, nonalcoholic) by Monetary Incentive (incentive, no incentive)] between-subjects covariance design. The motivational manipulation was a performance-contingent monetary incentive. On the Levine test alcoholics performed less well than nonalcoholics but there were no incentive effects. On the analogy test, surprisingly, alcoholics did not differ from nonalcoholics in performance (probably due to the feedback necessitated by use of a performance-contingent incentive) although incentive effects were found across groups. However, there were no significant Group by Incentive interactions on either test or on self-report questionnaires of subjective states (e.g., effort expended) experienced during the tests. Thus, no evidence was found to support the impaired motivation hypothesis. The cognitive hypothesis remains as the most credible hypothesis to account for the performance deficits of alcoholics on tests of problem-solving ability.

Adult↗