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Biomedical subjects

S A Moss

Publications and source records attributed to S A Moss.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

A deficit in shifting attention present in high-functioning autism but not Asperger's disorder.

The aim of this study was to examine executive functioning, in particular, attentional set-shifting deficits in high-functioning autism (n = 12) and Asperger's disorder (n = 12). A large or global digit composed of smaller or local digits was presented during each trial. The participants indicated the presence of 1s or 2s by pressing the appropriate button. These targets could appear globally or locally Relative to IQ, sex and age matched controls, reaction time to global targets in individuals with autism was retarded when the previous target appeared locally. This deficiency in shifting from local to global processing, however, was not observed in individuals with Asperger's disorder. The theoretical and neurobiological significance of this dissociation in executive functioning in these clinically related disorders was explored.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Atypical interference of local detail on global processing in high-functioning autism and Asperger's disorder.

This study explored the claim that individuals with autism and Asperger's disorder tend to process locally rather than holistically. Participants observed a large or "global" number composed of smaller or "local" numbers. The response was contingent upon the identification of either the large stimulus or the small stimuli. Relative to age, sex, and IQ matched controls, global processing in children and adolescents with autism (N = 12) and Asperger's disorder (N = 12) was more vulnerable when the local stimuli were incongruent. The autism group made more global errors than their matched control group, regardless of whether there was local incongruence. In contrast, the Asperger's disorder group made a similar number of global errors as their respective control group. These results were discussed in relation to an "absence of global precedence" notion, "weak central coherence" theory, and right-hemisphere dysfunction. The neurobiological significance of these findings were discussed in the context of a fronto-striatal model of dysfunction.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Aging and time to instability in posture.

Two experiments are reported that were set up to examine the spatial-temporal boundaries of postural instability in upright stance as a function of age (60-96 years) and postural conditions. Subjects stood on a force platform under different experimental conditions (vision/no vision and arms up/down) so that the effect of age on key dynamic properties of postural stability could be determined. The findings showed that the ratio of the area of the motion of the center of pressure to the area within the stability boundary increased with age. Also, the virtual time-to-contact with the postural stability boundary decreased with age. Collectively, the findings show that the margins to the spatial-temporal boundaries of postural stability decrease with advancing age in the elderly. These reduced margins of dynamic stability may be a factor contributing to the progressive instability of posture with aging in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1967

Internal behavior in fish schools.

Structural changes within fish schools correlate with declines in environmental oxygen. The changes may result from the responses of individual fish to the environmental consequences of group metabolism. Individual behaviors are adaptive to the school in that they tend to maintain stability between school members and their environment.

Adaptation, Physiological↗