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S Sutton

Publications and source records attributed to S Sutton.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Understanding the effects of fear-arousing communications: the role of cognitive factors and amount of fear aroused.

This paper reports an experimental study investigating the role of cognitive factors and fear in mediating the effects of "fear-arousing" health threat communications. Seventy-seven cigarette smokers were shown either a videotape about smoking or a control videotape on a different health topic before completing a questionnaire assessing their intentions to try to quit, the level of fear aroused, and three cognitive factors: (a) probability difference (perceived reduction in risk of health damage that follows from successful cessation), (b) utility of health damage, and (c) confidence. The smoking videotape influenced probability difference, utility, intentions, and follow-up reports of attempts at cessation. As predicted, both probability difference and utility influenced intention, which in turn influenced behavior. Neither confidence nor the amount of fear aroused by the videotape had significant effects on intention.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Smoking intervention in the workplace using videotapes and nicotine chewing gum.

This article reports a series of randomized controlled studies in four companies in the United Kingdom which were designed to evaluate minimal smoking intervention programs based on the use of motivational videotapes or nicotine chewing gum. In the videotape studies, groups of smokers (N = 603) were randomly assigned to watch one of several different videotapes. They were followed-up, along with nonparticipants (N = 1,015), at 3 months and again at 1 year, and a biochemical validation of abstinence was performed. There were significant differences between the videotape conditions with regard to attitudes assessed immediately after exposure (intention and fear) and the proportion of smokers who tried to stop, but there were no significant differences in cessation, even in the short term. Using a strict definition of abstinence, long-term abstinence rates were under 10% in all four studies. In one company, we also investigated the effect of offering brief individual treatment based on nicotine chewing gum to a randomly chosen 50% sample of the videotape group (N = 161) still smoking at the 3-month follow-up. The treatment course was administered by occupational health nurses and consisted of four short consultations over a 12-week period. The results were encouraging: 16% of those who took the offer stopped during treatment and were still abstinent 1 year after the start of treatment compared with only 2% of the randomized no-intervention control group and 0% of those who were invited but did not attend.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Neurotransmitter modulation of corticotropin releasing factor secretion into the hypophysial-portal circulation.

Secretion of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) from the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei into the hypophysial-portal circulation is modulated by a variety of neuronal afferents. Effects of intracerebroventricular acetylcholine (ACH), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and epinephrine (EPI) on immunoreactive (ir) CRF concentration in portal plasma were directly evaluated in urethanized male rats. ACH (0.1-10 nmole) administration was associated with a dose-dependent elevation of portal irCRF which was attenuated by pretreatment with either muscarinic or nicotinic receptor antagonists. GABA (0.1-10 nmole) also caused inhibition of irCRF concentration in the portal plasma which was prevented by bicuculline pretreatment. Finally, EPI (0.1-10 nmole) facilitated irCRF secretion via alpha 1- and beta-adrenergic mechanisms. These observations provide the first direct information on possible neurotransmitter actions on hypothalamic CRF secretion.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1987

Corticotropin-releasing factor decreases plasma luteinizing hormone levels in female rats by inhibiting gonadotropin-releasing hormone release into hypophysial-portal circulation.

To evaluate whether the hypothalamus is the site of action of CRF in inhibiting LH levels in female rats, we measured hypophysial-portal blood concentrations of immunoreactive GnRH (irGnRH) after the central injection of CRF. Ovine CRF (0.1, 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 nmol) was injected intracerebroventricularly to intact rats on the afternoon of proestrus and in long term ovariectomized (OVX) rats in the presence or in absence of estradiol benzoate (OVX + EB). CRF injection decreased the amplitude of the proestrous irGnRH surge without affecting presurge levels. CRF (0.1 nmol) attenuated the afternoon irGnRH surge in OVX + EB rats; higher doses of CRF blocked this surge and decreased nonsurge irGnRH levels. No dose-related alterations of irGnRH levels were observed in OVX rats; only the highest dose of CRF was active. For comparison, plasma LH concentrations were measured after a single dose of CRF (2 nmol) in rats under the same experimental conditions. While CRF decreased LH concentrations in anesthetized proestrous and OVX + EB rats, it was inactive in OVX rats. In contrast, CRF injection in awake rats did decrease LH concentrations in all experimental conditions, suggesting that in OVX rats, the anesthetic (Saffan) used during portal blood collection affected CRF action on LH secretion. Indeed, the observation that the LH response to opiate receptor blockade with naloxone (2.5 mg/kg) in anesthetized OVX rats was different compared to that in awake rats suggested that the ineffectiveness of CRF to decrease irGnRH and LH in OVX anesthetized rats was related to the action of the anesthetic on the opioid system. The existence of a putative CRF-opioid interaction in the inhibitory control of LH secretion was supported by the effectiveness of naloxone to reverse the CRF-induced decrease in LH levels in EB-treated and untreated OVX rats. These results indicate that CRF attenuates LH secretion by a central action to inhibit irGnRH release into the hypophysial-portal circulation and that this action is independent of basal concentrations of irGnRH and/or LH. Moreover, the present results support the involvement of endogenous opioids in mediating the effect of CRF on LH secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Randomized trial of brief individual treatment for smoking using nicotine chewing gum in a workplace setting.

In a controlled trial of brief treatment for smoking using nicotine chewing gum in a workplace setting, 270 of 334 cigarette smokers who expressed interest were invited to take part in the program, which consisted of two individual consultations; 172 attended. The remaining 64 smokers constituted a no-intervention control group. Using a criterion of sustained one-year abstinence with biochemical validation, success rates were 12 per cent among participants, 1 per cent among those who were invited but did not attend, and 2 per cent in the control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Terminal CNV in the absence of motor response.

We addressed the question of whether the terminal CNV, or E-wave, can be obtained in the absence of a motor response. In our design, the stimuli served only to reduce uncertainty with respect to a prior prediction, so that no response to S2 was required. In one experiment, the location of uncertainty reducing information was manipulated: in S1 alone or in S2 alone. When S2 reduced uncertainty, the pre-S2 E-wave was larger than when S2 did not reduce uncertainty. Similarly, when S1 reduced uncertainty, a pre-S1 negativity (whose topography did not differ from that of the pre-S2 E-wave) was larger than when S1 did not reduce uncertainty. The pre-S1 results also indicated that a prior experimenter-generated warning signal is not necessary for a non-motoric negativity to be obtained. In another experiment, the S1-S2 interval was manipulated (1 sec versus 3 sec). For the pre-S2 E-wave, onset was later and duration was longer for the longer S1-S2 interval. Peak amplitude and time of termination after S2 did not differ for short and long duration E-waves. Apparently, the timing of the E-wave is related to when in time the process it reflects is 'needed.' The dependence of the amplitude and timing of the pre-stimulus negativity on the temporal location of information, in conjunction with its independence of motor response requirement, suggests that the pre-stimulus negativity reflects some operation in the domain of expectancy, anticipation or 'mental preparation' for the informational stimulus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Visual flicker in depression: response criteria, confidence ratings and response times.

Differences in response criterion and sensory sensitivity to visual flicker among major depressive patients, dysthymic patients, and normal controls were investigated. Also, signal detection confidence ratings and response times were compared. The results indicated that major depressive patients responded more conservatively (i.e. were less willing to respond 'flicker') than either of the other groups. The groups did not differ significantly on a criterion free measure of flicker sensitivity. The major conclusions are: previously reported visual flicker differences between depressed patients and normal controls were probably due to the more conservative response criterion of the patients and not to flicker sensitivity differences between groups; and confidence ratings and response times yield similar conclusions with respect to visual flicker sensitivity and response criterion. Therefore, interpretations concerning a sensory or perceptual deficit in depression must take into account the differences in response criterion between depressed patients and normal controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Possible risk of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis with marijuana use during chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer.

Bacterial and fungal contaminants have been identified in marijuana samples and thus are a potential risk factor in the immunocompromised patient using it as an antiemetic. We describe the development of an invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a patient using illicitly obtained marijuana as an antiemetic during combination antitumor therapy for small cell lung cancer. Although this patient had multiple risk factors implicated in the development of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, the infectious potential of inhaled marijuana must be recognized. Further study of this potential health risk in needed.

Antiemetics↗
PubMed1984

The relation of P3b to prior events and future behavior.

A prediction paradigm was used to explore the relationship of the amplitude of the scalp-recorded event-related potential to the sequence of preceding signals and to preceding and subsequent behavior. P3b was found to be the only component which related systematically to prior sequence of signals. The CNV, P300E and Slow Wave were not affected by signal sequence. The P3b findings were the same for the emitted and evoked P3b, thus ruling out a sensory interpretation of the effect of signal sequence on P3b amplitude. Furthermore, it was found that signal sequence interacts with the subject's predictions in determining P3b amplitude. For signal discontinuations, P3b was large in amplitude regardless of what had been predicted. However, for signal continuations, P3b was small when continuations had been predicted, but large when discontinuations had been predicted. Finally, we found that for both correctly and incorrectly predicted signal continuations, larger P3bs were more likely than smaller P3bs to be followed by a prediction that the signal for the next trial would be different.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The late positive complex. Advances and new problems.

In summary, what we have tried to do in this paper is to present our view of the ways in which the ERP field has become more complex in recent years. It is not an overstatement to say that, in a certain sense, we know less now than we thought we knew five to ten years ago. New advances have brought with them new problems. But they also point, though not yet with complete clarity, to directions for new solutions. Possibly, as we make further progress toward the definition of various generators for different components, our problems may be simplified. But even this prediction cannot be made with certainty. It should be noted that we have tended in this chapter to emphasize the problems. There has also been a positive side to the recent developments. Because we are more aware of the overlap problem, we now work with methods that attempt to deal with it. We now know, for example, that P3b and SW can relate quite differently to behavioral variables. Decision time, which we had thought occurred at P3 latency, can now be assumed on the basis of recent findings to occur earlier, at the N2 component. The separation of the formerly unitary CNV into several components makes it more possible to develop unique functional roles for each of the components. A similar development has occurred with the separation of the poststimulus negativities into several components. Our constructs for various components are still on the fuzzy side, but the field has better tools at its disposal for making them more precise. Finally, the multiplicity of components, which appears overwhelming initially, provides us with more degrees of freedom in attempting to relate electrophysiological activity to behavior. A number of investigators have commented that the complexity of factors that enter into behavior could not be reflected in the relatively few ERP components we were dealing with. Now that more components are coming to be distinguished, the likelihood increases that we may be able to obtain ERP correlates of more of the dimensions involved in behavior.

Arousal↗
PubMed1984

The modality shift effect in schizophrenia: fact or artifact?

We investigated whether the disproportionate slowing of schizophrenic patients on cross-modal relative to ipsimodal sequences in a reaction time task ("modality shift effect") could be attributed to a psychometric artifact, as implied by Chapman and Chapman. Fifteen schizophrenic patients (Research Diagnostic Criteria) and 50 normal controls with no current or past history of psychiatric disorder were tested. Subjects made an identical finger-lift response to brief duration light and sound stimuli of different intensities presented in quasi-random order. The major finding was that psychometric artifact could not account for the disproportionate slowing of the reaction time of schizophrenic patients since the reliabilities and variances of the cross-modal and ipsimodal conditions did not differ in normal controls. Furthermore, the modality shift effect was highly significant for reaction times to both sound and light and for all intensities. Findings were the same when the schizophrenic patients were compared to a matched subgroup of slow-responding normal controls.

Cues↗