Biomedical subjects

S Sembi

Publications and source records attributed to S Sembi.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Does post-traumatic stress disorder occur after stroke: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Psychological reactions after stroke have been recognized for some time. The present study examined whether psychological symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could occur after stroke as a consequence of the sudden and unpredictable occurrence of a life-threatening internal stressor. METHODS: Sixty-one patients who had experienced a first-ever stroke or transient ischaemic attack were assessed using standard self-report clinical measures for anxiety, depression and PTSD. Those patients who fulfilled criteria on at least one PTSD self-report measure were subsequently assessed using a structured clinical interview for PTSD. RESULTS: Six (9.8%) patients fulfilled criteria for PTSD. No significant differences were found between the post-stroke PTSD group and the non-PTSD group in terms of premorbid health and lifestyle, or experiences of adverse life events. Significant differences were noted with respect to self-reported post-stroke mental health and premorbid neuroticism. The post-stroke PTSD group also scored consistently higher on measures of anxiety, depression and psychiatric caseness. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate a number of close similarities between post-stroke PTSD and classical PTSD. We therefore conclude that PTSD or a PTSD-like syndrome can occur after stroke.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Lesions of the fornix but not the amygdala impair the acquisition of concurrent discriminations by rats.

Rats with lesions in either the fornix, the amygdala, or both were compared with control animals on the acquisition of three different concurrent object discrimination tasks. In the first task the animals received one trial per day on each of six pairs of stimulus objects ('spaced' condition). In the second task the animals received four trials per day on each of six stimulus pairs ('standard' condition), and in the last task the animals received 36 trials on each of two stimulus pairs in just a single day ('massed' condition). Animals with fornical lesions were impaired on all three conditions. In contrast, the amygdala lesions only affected the 'massed' condition and then only when the animals had to select the 'non-preferred' stimulus. Although animals with combined amygdala and fornical lesions were impaired on all three conditions there was no evidence that their deficit was greater than that in the animals with lesions restricted to just the fornix. In view of the evidence that concurrent discrimination learning offers an appropriate test for anterograde amnesia these findings are seen as consistent with the notion that the hippocampus, but not the amygdala, is critically involved in the mnemonic processes disrupted by amnesia.

Amygdala↗

PubMed1992

Hyperactivity and delay aversion--I. The effect of delay on choice.

Two experiments are reported in which hyperactive and control children repeatedly chose between small immediate and large delayed rewards. In experiment 1, the best choice option was manipulated by varying levels of delay after reward delivery. In experiment 2 it was manipulated by changing the economic constraint (10 minutes or 20 trials). Both groups were equally efficient at earning points under most conditions, but hyperactive children exhibited a maladaptive preference for the small reward under the trials constraint. The results suggest that hyperactive children were more concerned to reduce overall delay levels than either to maximize reward amount or immediacy.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗