PubMed · 13623916
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A MITSCHERLICH. 1958. [Aggression & adjustment. II].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13623916/
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NMDA receptor antagonists impair learning and memory in animal models, presumably by inhibiting long-term potentiation in the motor cortex. Human studies are limited and restricted by the paucity of safe NMDA antagonists. Here, we investigated the contribution of glutamatergic neurotransmission to the capacity of acquiring motor-adaptation learning in humans. In a double-blind design, 200 mg of amantadine (a low-affinity NMDA receptor channel blocker) or a matching placebo were given orally to groups of 14 and 13 human healthy young volunteers, respectively. Blood samples were collected 3 h after treatment to assay plasma concentrations, and the subjects were then tested using a motor-adaptation paradigm consisting of an eight-target-pointing task. To rule out drug-related generalized impairments such sedation, tests measuring motor dexterity and attention were also administered pre- and post-treatment. Comparison of the mean performance levels on the motor-adaptation task revealed that subjects in the amantadine group performed at a lower level than those in the placebo group, but this difference did not reach significance. Interestingly, however, despite plasma amantadine concentrations being relatively low, ranging from 2.09 to 4.74 microM (mean=3.3 microM), they nevertheless correlated negatively with motor learning. Furthermore, when the amantadine group was divided into low-performance and high-performance subgroups, subjects in the former subgroup displayed mean amantadine concentrations 36% higher than the latter subgroup, and performed significantly worser than the placebo group. No change in performance was found on the motor-dexterity and attention tests. Altogether, our results lend support to the hypothesis that normal NMDA receptor function is necessary for the acquisition of motor adaptation.
OBJECTIVES: The number of new HIV infections in Russia has doubled annually since 1996. A total of 232 424 HIV infections have been officially recorded but the actual number probably exceeds one million. Very little is known about the social, psychological, behavioral, and health care service access of persons living with HIV in Russia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional sample of 470 persons with HIV/AIDS recruited in 2002 using a representative sampling plan in major St. Petersburg HIV care and service agencies. METHODS: Participants completed anonymous self-administered questionnaires that elicited detailed information about social and psychological characteristics, HIV serostatus disclosure and discrimination experiences, and risk practices since learning of their HIV positive status. RESULTS: Most participants were young (mean age, 25.3 years), knew of their HIV positive status for about 2 years, and had histories of injecting drug use as well as sexual risk behavior. A large proportion reported encountering discrimination including being forced to sign documents acknowledging their HIV status (47.9%), refusal of general health care (29.6%), being fired from their jobs (9.9%), and being forced from their family homes (9.0%). Over one-third had probable clinical depression. Most remained sexually active since learning of their HIV positive serostatus, approximately half engaged in unprotected sex with HIV negative partners, and condoms were not used one-third of the time with discordant partners. A majority of injecting drug users in the sample still shared needles. CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected persons in Russia experience a wide range of social, psychological, and care access problems. Improved services are urgently needed for persons living with HIV/AIDS in Russia.
The study evaluated the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale, designed to measure the subjective experience of stigma, with subscales measuring Alienation, Stereotype Endorsement, Perceived Discrimination, Social Withdrawal and Stigma Resistance. The ISMI was developed in collaboration with people with mental illnesses and contains 29 Likert items. The validation sample included 127 mental health outpatients. Results showed that the ISMI had high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Construct validity was supported by comparisons against scales measuring related constructs with the same methodology. As expected, the ISMI had positive correlations with measures of stigma beliefs and depressive symptoms, and it had negative correlations with measures of self-esteem, empowerment and recovery orientation. Factor analyses of the joint set of items from the ISMI and each scale supported the distinction between constructs. Having a validated measure of internalized stigma may encourage clinicians to include stigma reduction as a verifiable treatment goal in addition to symptom reduction.