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681 Functional brain asymmetry in tuvinians. Relationships with alcohol consumption
Abstracts
/ZntemationalJoumal
abuse was combined with the significant increase (2-3 times) of PI activity, positively correlated with level of ethanol in serum and disturbances of liver functional tests (ALT, AST). In all the cases of drug abuses the significant decrease of PI activity was observed, especially in group of children, suffering from glue-sniffing, and teenager girls with drug addiction (mainly home made opium derivatives). Conclusion: 1) alcohol abuse in adults led to the pronounced increase of PI activity; 2) polydrug abuse decreased PI activity, predominantly in children and teenagers. The results obtained reflected defence reactions changes in children and teenagers, and PI involvement in drug addictive disorders in these groups.
680 BRAIN ASYMMETRY OF HUMAN VISUOSPATIAL RECOGNITION IN VERBAL REINFORCEMENT M.G. Tsagareli, K.B. Gegeshidze Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Asatiani Institute of Psychiatry, Beritashvili Institute of Physiology, Tbilisi, Georgia Aim of Investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of positive (word “good’) and negative (word “mistake”) verbal reinforcements on the ability of mental construction of six geometric figures from two tachistoscop ically presented fragments under backward masking conditions in healthy subjects and patients with chronic alcoholism. Methods. The number of correct responses (NCR), the reaction time CRT), the latencies and amplitudes of the ERPs N200-P300 were registered. Results. It has been found that unlike a control group, in alcoholics the NCR was much greater and the RT lesser in tests following positive than negative reinforcements. The latter did not promote learning of this task. In healthy persons negative verbal reinforcement induced a reduction in the latency of N200 and augmentation of the amplitude of the N200-P300 components mainly in the right parietal area and vertex. Such changes were not observed in patients. Worse performance of the visuospatial task by the patients may be explained by the general suppression of the brain ERPs and disappearance of interhemispheric asymmetry that is characteristic for healthy subjects and play an important role in human visuospatial recognition. Conclusions. Negative verbal reinforcement, as the word “mistake” produced the negative emotion that worsens performance of this visuospatial task, especially in patients with chronic alcoholism. In the control group negative verbal reinforcement produced an increase of the amplitude of the N200-P300 potentials, especially in the right hemisphere.
681 FUNCTIONAL BRAIN ASYMMETRY ANS. RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALCOHOL TION M.G. Chykhrova, S.G. Krivoschekov
IN TUVINICONSUMP-
of Pvchophysiology30
(1998)
9.5-271
251
Institute of Internal Medicine, Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Siberian Division Tuvinians are one of the Natives in the south of Siberia. The incidence of alcoholism and psychoses are more common among Tuvinians than Russians, living in this region. The purpose of the study was to evaluate functional brain asymmetry in Tuvinians and Russians using a number of tests. Three groups of subjects were examined. The first group comprised 189 Russians, living constantly in Tuva. The second group included 215 Tuvinians. The third group included 168 Tuvinians-alcoholics. The functional sensorimotor asymmetry was assessed by determination of the dominant eye, ear, leg and hand. Our data of the examination of Russians, living in Tuva, were consistent with the findings of others. The right indices of functional sensorimotor asymmetry the majority of subjects, being examined. A significantly greater incidence of ambidexters left indiced of functional sensorimotor asymmetry were found among healthy Tuvinians as compared to Russians due to the decreased number of the subjects showing mixed and right asymmetry indiced. The subjects with the left indiced and ambidexters were more frequently met among those Tuvinians, who had alcohol dependence, also due to a decrease in the number of the subjects with the mixed and right indices. The obtained data suggest that the peculiaries of lateralization can be related to the predisposition to alcohol consumption. It is also possible that chronic alcoholism can affect hemispheric lateralisation. Hemispheric asymmetry characteristic of Tuvinians as compared to Russians can be explained by various reactivity of these individuals to alcohol. This study was conducted under support of the Russian Fund of Basic Research (Grant N 98-04-48666).
682 ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF PARADOXICAL CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM
AND BEHAVIORAL DISTRACTIBILITY IN
M.D. Polo(l)*, E. Yagdl), C. Grau(l), K. Alho(l+ A. Gual(3), J.Ma. Serra(l), C. Escera(1) (1) Neurodynamics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Pg. Vall d’Hebron, 171, E-08035 Barcelona, Spain (2) Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, (3) Alcohological Unit, Generalitat de Catalunya Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded during behavioral performance in fifteen chronic alcoholics (mean age: 42.1-9.2) and seventeen controls (mean age: 39.3-10.91, in a forced-choice reaction-time task. Alcoholic subjects meet DSM-IV criteria of alcoholism and were included in the study after a withdrawal period between 4 and 21 weeks (mean: 10.5-5.7). Control subjects were healthy volunteers with a consumption of alcohol lower than 210 g/week. Subjects were presented to ten blocks of 200 stimulus-pairs presented at a rate of one pair every 1.5 s. Stimulus-pairs consisted in an
/ZntemationalJoumal
abuse was combined with the significant increase (2-3 times) of PI activity, positively correlated with level of ethanol in serum and disturbances of liver functional tests (ALT, AST). In all the cases of drug abuses the significant decrease of PI activity was observed, especially in group of children, suffering from glue-sniffing, and teenager girls with drug addiction (mainly home made opium derivatives). Conclusion: 1) alcohol abuse in adults led to the pronounced increase of PI activity; 2) polydrug abuse decreased PI activity, predominantly in children and teenagers. The results obtained reflected defence reactions changes in children and teenagers, and PI involvement in drug addictive disorders in these groups.
680 BRAIN ASYMMETRY OF HUMAN VISUOSPATIAL RECOGNITION IN VERBAL REINFORCEMENT M.G. Tsagareli, K.B. Gegeshidze Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Asatiani Institute of Psychiatry, Beritashvili Institute of Physiology, Tbilisi, Georgia Aim of Investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of positive (word “good’) and negative (word “mistake”) verbal reinforcements on the ability of mental construction of six geometric figures from two tachistoscop ically presented fragments under backward masking conditions in healthy subjects and patients with chronic alcoholism. Methods. The number of correct responses (NCR), the reaction time CRT), the latencies and amplitudes of the ERPs N200-P300 were registered. Results. It has been found that unlike a control group, in alcoholics the NCR was much greater and the RT lesser in tests following positive than negative reinforcements. The latter did not promote learning of this task. In healthy persons negative verbal reinforcement induced a reduction in the latency of N200 and augmentation of the amplitude of the N200-P300 components mainly in the right parietal area and vertex. Such changes were not observed in patients. Worse performance of the visuospatial task by the patients may be explained by the general suppression of the brain ERPs and disappearance of interhemispheric asymmetry that is characteristic for healthy subjects and play an important role in human visuospatial recognition. Conclusions. Negative verbal reinforcement, as the word “mistake” produced the negative emotion that worsens performance of this visuospatial task, especially in patients with chronic alcoholism. In the control group negative verbal reinforcement produced an increase of the amplitude of the N200-P300 potentials, especially in the right hemisphere.
681 FUNCTIONAL BRAIN ASYMMETRY ANS. RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALCOHOL TION M.G. Chykhrova, S.G. Krivoschekov
IN TUVINICONSUMP-
of Pvchophysiology30
(1998)
9.5-271
251
Institute of Internal Medicine, Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Siberian Division Tuvinians are one of the Natives in the south of Siberia. The incidence of alcoholism and psychoses are more common among Tuvinians than Russians, living in this region. The purpose of the study was to evaluate functional brain asymmetry in Tuvinians and Russians using a number of tests. Three groups of subjects were examined. The first group comprised 189 Russians, living constantly in Tuva. The second group included 215 Tuvinians. The third group included 168 Tuvinians-alcoholics. The functional sensorimotor asymmetry was assessed by determination of the dominant eye, ear, leg and hand. Our data of the examination of Russians, living in Tuva, were consistent with the findings of others. The right indices of functional sensorimotor asymmetry the majority of subjects, being examined. A significantly greater incidence of ambidexters left indiced of functional sensorimotor asymmetry were found among healthy Tuvinians as compared to Russians due to the decreased number of the subjects showing mixed and right asymmetry indiced. The subjects with the left indiced and ambidexters were more frequently met among those Tuvinians, who had alcohol dependence, also due to a decrease in the number of the subjects with the mixed and right indices. The obtained data suggest that the peculiaries of lateralization can be related to the predisposition to alcohol consumption. It is also possible that chronic alcoholism can affect hemispheric lateralisation. Hemispheric asymmetry characteristic of Tuvinians as compared to Russians can be explained by various reactivity of these individuals to alcohol. This study was conducted under support of the Russian Fund of Basic Research (Grant N 98-04-48666).
682 ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF PARADOXICAL CHRONIC ALCOHOLISM
AND BEHAVIORAL DISTRACTIBILITY IN
M.D. Polo(l)*, E. Yagdl), C. Grau(l), K. Alho(l+ A. Gual(3), J.Ma. Serra(l), C. Escera(1) (1) Neurodynamics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Pg. Vall d’Hebron, 171, E-08035 Barcelona, Spain (2) Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, (3) Alcohological Unit, Generalitat de Catalunya Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded during behavioral performance in fifteen chronic alcoholics (mean age: 42.1-9.2) and seventeen controls (mean age: 39.3-10.91, in a forced-choice reaction-time task. Alcoholic subjects meet DSM-IV criteria of alcoholism and were included in the study after a withdrawal period between 4 and 21 weeks (mean: 10.5-5.7). Control subjects were healthy volunteers with a consumption of alcohol lower than 210 g/week. Subjects were presented to ten blocks of 200 stimulus-pairs presented at a rate of one pair every 1.5 s. Stimulus-pairs consisted in an