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Biomedical subjects

P Halligan

Publications and source records attributed to P Halligan.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Functional anatomy of the therapeutic effects of prism adaptation on left neglect.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the anatomic substrates underlying the beneficial effect of prism adaptation in five patients with persistent left neglect following right stroke. METHODS: In a functional imaging PET study, we used a covariation analysis to examine linear changes of regional cerebral blood flow over sessions as a function of left neglect improvement. RESULTS: The network of significant brain regions associated with improvement of left neglect performance produced by prism adaptation involved the right cerebellum, the left thalamus, the left temporo-occipital cortex, the left medial temporal cortex, and the right posterior parietal cortex. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the realignment of visuomotor coordinates is processed by the cerebellum and that low level sensorimotor adaptation actively modulates cerebral areas, albeit now relying on intact cerebellocerebral connections. Hence, our data support the hypothesis that the beneficial effect of prism adaptation on the clinical presentation of left neglect derives from modulation of cortical regions implicated in spatial cognition.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

The impact of patient suicide on rural general practitioners.

This survey of 152 rural general practitioners (GPs) studied the impact of patient suicide on their professional and personal lives. The response rate was 79%, with the average GP encountering a patient suicide every three years. The reactions of GPs to patient suicide were similar to those expressed by other health care workers. Factors that lessened the effects of patient suicide were identified and most GPs indicated their preference for a support system to be established to facilitate GPs in dealing with the aftermath of practice suicide.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Development of a behavioral test of visuospatial neglect.

The Rivermead Behavioral Inattention Test (RBIT), consisting of nine items sampling activities of daily living, was administered to 28 patients after unilateral right (20) or left (8) cerebrovascular accidents, and to 14 non-brain-damaged controls. All patients were tested on two parallel forms of the RBIT with order of presentation balanced and on at least two of six conventional tests of visual neglect. Control subjects were tested on either form 1 or form 2 of the RBIT. Interrater reliability of scoring was tested on seven subjects chosen at random. Using control scores to determine the cutoff point between visual inattention and noninattention, 14 patients (50%) showed evidence of visuospatial neglect on the RBIT. Correlation between the two forms of the test was 0.83. The RBIT also correlated well with five of the conventional tests. Interrater reliability was 100%. The RBIT appears to be a valid and reliable test of visuospatial neglect and one which is likely to provide more information about everyday problems than existing measures of neglect.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Substance dependence and eating disorders: impact of sequence on comorbidity.

There is a high comorbidity between eating disorders and substance dependence. The sequence of illness may indicate differences in the underlying pathology and could reflect different etiologies and treatment. The present study subjects were 218 inpatients and outpatients with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa binge-purge type (AN-BP), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorder NOS (ED-NOS). Of these 218 patients, 38 had substance dependence predating the eating disorder (SDED), 71 had an eating disorder predating the substance dependence (EDSD), and 109 had only an eating disorder (ED-only). All subjects were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, Patient Edition With Psychotic Screen (SCID-P). EDSD patients had an earlier onset of the eating disorder than SDED patients and had the greatest prevalence of comorbid pathology. SDED patients were dependent on more substances. We conclude that the sequence of development of the eating disorder and substance dependence in eating disorder patients influences the amount of comorbid psychopathology. Clinical implications and future research are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A short screening test for visual neglect in stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE: to extend a preliminary study of the internal structure of six measures comprising the 'conventional' subtests of the Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT) in order to develop a short screening test for visual neglect. DESIGN: discriminant function analysis of the 15 tests constituting BIT. SETTING: rehabilitation centre. PATIENTS: 59 selected from consecutive stroke patients entering the centre. SELECTION CRITERIA: absent prior history of major CNS disorder, at least 1 week post-stroke, right-handed for writing, absent significant visual impairment other than visual field deficit, no psychiatric overlay or generalized intellectual deterioration, and ability to comprehend and respond to the visuomotor tasks administered. COMPARISON GROUP: 50 non-brain-damaged subjects (hospital employees, members of University subject panel, and local community volunteers). ASSESSMENTS: the 15 tests constituting the BIT. RESULTS: two subtests, letter cancellation and star cancellation, were the most sensitive measure, identifying 74% of neglect patients with no false positives. CONCLUSIONS: letter and star cancellation offer an adequate yet brief screening test for determining which patients might benefit from administration of the complete neglect test battery.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗