Lacrimal punctum occlusion in the treatment of severe keratoconjunctivitis Sicca caused by Sjögren syndrome: a uniocular evaluation.

Purpose: A controlled uniocular study to evaluate the short-term efficacy of lacrimal punctum occlusion in the treatment of severe dry eye caused by Sjögren syndrome.

Methods: Uniocular punctum occlusion by punctum plug in the upper and lower puncta in 1 eye was performed in 20 patients with severe keratoconjunctivitis Sicca caused by Sjögren syndrome. To overcome possible interindividual variability between patients, the other eye, in the same patient, was not occluded and served as a control eye.

Acute cortisol administration modulates EEG alpha asymmetry in volunteers: relevance to depression.

The acute effects of cortisol (35mg) administration in 11 healthy male volunteers on resting frontal EEG asymmetry measured in the alpha band were investigated, using a within-subjects double-blind design. Results were indicative of a relative increase of right frontal activity with cortisol. This pattern of activity is similar to the deviant pattern that has been reported in patients suffering from depression, a condition often accompanied by elevated plasma cortisol levels.

The influence of artificial scotomas on eye movements during visual search.

Purpose: Fixation durations are normally adapted to the difficulty of the foveal analysis task. We examine to what extent artificial central and peripheral visual field defects interfere with this adaptation process.

Methods: Subjects performed a visual search task while their eye movements were registered.