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P Bonheim

Publications and source records attributed to P Bonheim.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Habituation of the galvanic skin response to tone as a function of age.

Habituation of the galvanic skin response (GSR) to tone in male college students varying in age from 18-39 years old was examined. Older subjects habituated more slowly to tone than did younger ones. This confirmed our past work on habituation of the GSR to electric shock. The GSR is shown to be a sensitive and reliable measure of small differences in age as it affects learning. The clinical usefulness of this quantitative and sensitive measure in detecting small and early changes in learning and memory deficits associated with age and dementia is discussed.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1991

Initial habituation or sensitization of the GSR depends on magnitude of first response.

Habituation and sensitization of the galvanic skin response (GSR) to shock were studied in college males. One would expect that at any given time individuals vary on a continuum in the degree of their initial GSR responsiveness to a stimulus. Here it is shown that those on the higher end of the continuum are more likely to show a response decrement between trials 1 and 2 when this stimulus is presented intermittently (i.e., habituate), while subjects at the lower end of the continuum are more likely to show a response increment between trials 1 and 2 (i.e., sensitize) to the same intermittent stimulus. Following these initial and opposite changes on the first two trials, which bring all subjects to approximately the same level of responsiveness, they all now behave similarly and continue to show habituation. Previous work on subhuman species showed that habituation and sensitization curves had certain characteristic similarities across species. The present work shows that some of these similarities also occur in humans. One may speculate, that as with other characteristics that are similar across species, they have survival value.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Habituation of the galvanic skin response in adult males as a function of age.

Habituation of the galvanic skin response (GSR) to electric shock was studied in 28 male college students, 18-39 years old. A 60-Hz shock of 244.0-msec duration was presented every 1-3 min above the right ankle in a preprogrammed sequence. The GSR, measured as a change in palmar skin conductance to the shock, was examined over the first 17 shock trials. The habituation curve showed the typical large decrement over the first few trials followed by a smaller one over several more trials. The initial rate of habituation (percent decrement between shock trials 1 and 3) was shown to be age related even though none of the subjects would be considered old (18-39 years old). The younger the subject, the faster the initial habituation or, conversely, the older the subject the slower the rate (rs = -.50, N = 28, p less than 0.005). The asymptote did not vary with age. That such dramatic changes occur in the CNS of young males over a relatively few years is not unknown. PET studies of the caudate nucleus in normal males showed an exponential decrease in dopamine receptors with about half of the decrease occurring rapidly between the ages of 20 and 30 (Wagner, H.N., Jr. Diag. Imaging Nov.: 138-145; 1985). The usefulness of the GSR in detecting age effects in other kinds of learning, such as Pavlovian conditioning, is being explored, as well as its usefulness in detecting early learning/memory loss in aging and the dementias.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Diverticulosis of the vermiform appendix.

Vermiform appendix is an unusual site of diverticulosis. We present 3 examples of this entity and briefly review its pathogenesis and clinical significance. As a general rule, appendiceal diverticula are multiple, acquired naturally, and rarely associated with complications.

Aged↗