The relationship between neural processing efficiency during inter-hemispheric transfer, alcohol consumption, and sleep quality in college students: an ERP study.

: To examine relationships between sleep, alcohol consumption, and a physiological and behavioral marker of cognitive function in college students. College students are in a high risk category for high alcohol consumption and poor sleep quality, two unhealthful behaviors which can lead to poor mental health outcomes and compromised academic performance. : Thirty college students from a large midwestern institution.

EEG alpha activity is moderated by the serial order effect during divergent thinking.

Prior work has demonstrated that the serial order effect is commonly observed during the Alternative Uses Task, where generated uses become more creative over time while fluency decreases. Yet the neural correlates of the serial order effect are still relatively unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological correlates underlying this effect.

Underlying neural alpha frequency patterns associated with intra-hemispheric inhibition during an interhemispheric transfer task.

Interhemispheric transfer measured via differences in right- or left-handed motoric responses to lateralized visual stimuli, known as the crossed-uncrossed difference (CUD), is one way of identifying patterns of processing that are vital for understanding the transfer of neural signals. Examination of interhemispheric transfer by means of the CUD is not entirely explained by simple measures of response time. Multiple processes contribute to wide variability observed in CUD reaction times.

Alpha band frequency differences between low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals.

Trait anxiety has been shown to cause significant impairments on attentional tasks. Current research has identified alpha band frequency differences between low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals. Here, we further investigated the underlying alpha band frequency differences between low-trait and high-trait anxious individuals during their resting state and the completion of an inhibition executive functioning task.

Resting EEG and behavioural correlates of interhemispheric transfer times.

Correlations between the relative speeds of left-to-right and right-to-left interhemispheric transfer times and resting quantitative electroencephalography activity were examined in order to determine if variability in interhemispheric transfer was related to individual variability in resting neural firing patterns. Resting electroencephalograph frequencies for 32 participants were regressed for 4 frequency bands at 8 different locations calculated for asymmetrical activation through subtracting the left from right average spectral power of each. Participants also completed a series of behavioural tasks that are typically localized to the right hemisphere (RH).

Prenatal and Perinatal Factors Related to Autism, IQ, and Adaptive Functioning.

This study focused on prenatal and perinatal factors related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The authors hypothesized that mothers who exposed their infants to intrauterine toxicity or who had complications with labor or delivery would be more likely to give birth to individuals with lower IQ scores, higher scores on a measure of ASD, and lower scores on a measure of adaptive functioning. This clinical sample consisted of 33 children who presented for neuropsychological assessment with symptoms of ASD.

Left hemispheric contributions to temporal perception: a resting electroencephalographic study.

Beta brain wave frequencies, theta brain wave frequencies, and interhemispheric transfer rates were investigated in individuals to explore components of time perception. Research suggests that the left hemisphere is highly involved in attention and language, which are important components of temporal processing mechanisms. Resting state electroencephalography was used to evaluate the relationship between right and left hemispheric brain wave frequencies and performance on a duration-discrimination task and an interhemispheric transfer rate task.

Neurosciences and adult health behaviors: recent findings and implications for counseling psychology.

The current review comprehensively examines recent advances in 2 innovative areas of neuroscience research on healthy adults regarding neuropsychosocial interactions on human cognition and behavior, as well as implications for counseling psychologists conducting research and in practice. Advances in how oxytocin influences prosocial behavior and the mitigation of social stress, and the influence of environmentally mediated gene expressions on the development of attachment disorders are surveyed and discussed in terms of how counseling psychologists might best integrate recent neuroscience research into a framework for therapeutic intervention.

Differential activation of the default mode network in jet lagged individuals.

Long-term exposure to transmeridian flights has been shown to impact cognitive functioning. Nevertheless, the immediate effects of jet lag in the activation of specific brain networks have not been investigated. We analyzed the impact of short-term jet lag on the activation of the default mode network (DMN).

Study Habits, Motives, and Strategies of College Students With Symptoms of ADHD.

Objective: Studies on ADHD in educational settings indicate that a student's motivation for learning is significantly related with the student's grade point average. The present study examined the relationship between ADHD symptoms and student academic achievement by considering the student's approach to and motivation for learning.

Method: Participants completed a questionnaire that breaks down learning strategies into a surface or deep approach.

Effects of empathy and conflict resolution strategies on psychophysiological arousal and satisfaction in romantic relationships.

The present research builds upon the extant literature as it assesses psychophysiological factors in relation to empathy, conflict resolution, and romantic relationship satisfaction. In this study, we examined physiological reactivity of individuals in the context of emotionally laden interactions with their romantic partners. Participants (N = 31) completed self-report measures and attended in-person data collection sessions with their romantic partners.

Resting electroencephalography correlates of pseudoneglect: an individual differences approach.

We conducted an exploratory study to examine the resting electroencephalography (EEG) correlates of pseudoneglect, a phenomenon wherein neurologically intact individuals show greater attentional bias toward the left side compared with the right side of space. We took the resting EEG of 21 college students for 5 min and then had them complete a computerized line perception task, during which we asked them to judge the midpoint of horizontal lines on the screen. We computed EEG asymmetry measures for theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands for each of eight locations (right electrode activity-left electrode activity in the analogous location) and separately regressed these onto the degree of pseudoneglect using stepwise multiple regression analyses.

Factor analysis of five adult ADHD self-report measures: are they all the same?

Objective: To test the assumption in the research and assessment of ADHD symptoms that self-report scales measure the same underlying cognitive construct and that there is convergent validity among the scales. The present study specifically tested this assumption by analyzing the scores of 616 individuals on five ADHD self-rating scales using principal components analysis.

Method: Participants completed five self-report scales widely used in the clinical and research communities: the CSS, the BADDS, the CAARS, the AADDES, and the WURS.

Contextual influences on rapid object categorization in natural scenes.

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of scene context on rapid object recognition using both behavioral and electrophysiological measures. Participants performed an animal/non-animal go/no-go categorization task in which they had to decide whether or not a flashed scene contained an animal. Moreover, the influence of scene context was manipulated either by retaining, deleting, or phase-randomizing the original scene background.

"Touched" by light: event-related potentials (ERPs) to visuo-haptic stimuli in peri-personal space.

Parietal neuronal populations have been found which respond bimodally to visual and somatosensory input regarding one's own limbs or even perceived haptic input of a false limb (Graziano et al., Science 290:1782-1785, 2000). Further, neuronal populations have been observed which respond preferentially to visual stimuli presented in spatial congruence with our hands (Graziano, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96:10418-10421, 1999).

Sex differences in auditory processing in peripersonal space: an event-related potential study.

Further processing of auditory stimuli in the free field is attenuated when participants are in contact with speakers versus not touching them. Studies in the visual domain have found that men and women use different strategies for processing spatial information. In this study, we examined sex-related differences in event-related potentials while men and women performed an auditory discrimination task in peripersonal space when either holding speakers or resting their hands in their laps.

Visual extinction: the effect of temporal and spatial bias.

Unlike patients with neglect, neurological patients with extinction can detect a single event presented at any location. However, when shown two brief near-simultaneous stimuli they only report the ipsilesional item. The question of what inter-stimulus delay leads to maximal extinction has clear clinical and theoretical implications.

Psychophysiology and imaging of visual cortical functions in the blind: a review.

Imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and psychophysiological recordings of the congenitally blind have confirmed functional activation of the visual cortex but have not extensively explained the functional significance of these activation patterns in detail. This review systematically examines research on the role of the visual cortex in processing spatial and non-visual information, highlighting research on individuals with early and late onset blindness. Here, we concentrate on the methods utilized in studying visual cortical activation in early blind participants, including positron emissions tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and electrophysiological data, specifically event-related potentials (ERPs).

Spending of remuneration by subjects in non-treatment drug abuse research studies.

Background: This study examines remuneration spending by drug-using participants in residential drug abuse research.

Methods: Ninety-four adult males who participated in residential, non-treatment drug abuse research studies earned remuneration based on length of stay and specific research procedures. Remuneration could be in cash after discharge or for in-kind purchases and bill payments.

Reaction time of motor responses in two-stimulus paradigms involving deception and congruity with varying levels of difficulty.

Deception research has focused on identifying peripheral nervous system markers while ignoring cognitive mechanisms underlying those markers. Cognitive theorists argue that the process of deception may involve such constructs as attentional capture, working memory load, or perceived incongruity with memory, while psychophysiologists argue for stimulus salience, arousal, and emotion. Three studies were conducted to assess reaction time (RT) in relation to deception, response congruity, and preparedness to deceive.

The effect of ipsilesional cues on line-bisection errors: the importance of predictive value.

Patients with unilateral neglect were tested on a line-bisection task in which vertical lines were added to the ipsilesional or contralesional end. During some blocks, these vertical lines accurately predicted the horizontal length of the line, while on other blocks the vertical lines had little predictive value. We found that much of the improvement for ipsilesional vertical bars can be explained by their ability to predict the extent of the horizontal line.

The color of two alphabets for a multilingual synesthete.

Interviews with a multilingual synesthete (MLS), who experiences colored letters for Roman and Cyrillic alphabets and for digits, revealed stable synesthetic experiences over 2 1/2 - 5 years. Colors of Cyrillic letters were based on Roman letters. Four Stroop tests involving both types of letters showed that MLS was able to name print color faster if the colors matched her synesthetic colors, showing that synesthesia is automatic.