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Handedness and gender effects on the relative preservation of visuospatial versus verbal function following right hemisphere stroke
Session 2
217
days per week use, spending an average of $320 per week on the drug. Each subject completed a neuropsychological screening evaluation consisting of the following tests: vocabulary and block design subtests from the WAISR, Trail Making Test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Tapping Test, Selective Reminding Test, and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)- trials 1 & 2. Additionally, subjects completed the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) as an object measure of personality functioning. Neuropsychological test scores were compared with normative data. Results suggest that cocaine users display intact motor speed, perceptual-motor speed, visuo-spatial ability, and sustained attention and concentration. Pronounced deficits were evident, however, in verbal learning and memory, particularly on measures of long-term storage and continuous long-term retrieval of verbal information (Selective Reminding Test). These results are suggestive of an association between cocaine use and specific areas of cognitive impairment. Personality test data from the MCMI will also be presented. 17. Rattan, G., Indiana Univ. of PA., Sujansky, R., Hillborough County Schools, FL., & Griffith, R., Lake County Schools, FL. Is the Children’s Version of the Category Test a Good Measure of “G” ? The Category Test (CT) was designed as a measure of concept formation. From factor analytic studies conducted with adult populations, the CT loaded on language, perceptual, and motoric factors (Goldstein et al., 1972; Russell, 1982). Its loading on a variety of cognitive factors suggested that the CT is a good measure of general intelligence. The extent to which the older children’s version of the CT behaves in a like manner is unclear. In the present investigation, a computerized version of the older children’s CT (CCT) (Rattan, 1989) was administered in conjunction with the WISC-R to assess the above relationship. The sample consisted of a heterogenous group of 48 children (M = 11.67 years, SD = 1.67) from various diagnostic groups (e.g., SLD, EH, ADHD, LD, SED) who were referred for a psycho-educational evaluation. Pearson correlations revealed that CCT error scores appear to be a good measure of global intelligence (FSIQ, -.654) followed by perceptual organization (PIQ, -.646) and language based information (VIQ, -.536). When the WISC-R scales were examined individually, the Comprehension subtest (-S19) for the Verbal Scale and Block Design (-S63) for the Performance Scale shared the greatest variability with Category Test performance. Results were discussed in terms of the of “G” factor underlying the older children’s Category Test and its use as a screening measure. 18. Raymond, M. J., & Naugle, R. I. John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Handedness and Gender Effects on the Relative Preservation of Visuospatial versus Verbal Function Following Right Hemisphere Stroke.
218
Abstracts of 10th Annual Meeting
Previous research has suggested that left handed individuals tend to show less hemispheric specialization for language function than right handers and that bilateral representation of language ability may occur at the expense of some visuospatial functions. A difference in this regard between males and females has also been reported, with females tending to show less hemispheric specialization than males. The preservation of visuospatial ability relative to verbal function following right middle cerebral artery stroke was assessed in 24 leftand 25 right handed patients who were group matched on the basis of age, education and gender. While the two groups were not significantly different with regard to Verbal or Performance IQ, they did differ significantly with regard to the difference between Verbal and Performance IQ, with the left handed patients showing less of a discrepancy than the right handers. The two sexes did not differ significantly on this basis. These results provide further evidence suggesting that sinistrality is associated with less hemispheric specialization. Head dominance may be an important variable to consider in determining prognosis following unilateral brain injury. 19. Reidy, T. J. & Bolter, J. F. Private NemoMedical Center, Baton Rouge, LA
Practice,
Salinas,
CA & The
Neuropsychological Toxicology of Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate. Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) is used in a variety of industrial applications and is the key ingredient in spray foam packaging. Exposure to MD1 has been documented to result in occupational asthma, but no studies of neuropsychological changes have been reported in the literature. The objective of this study was to assess neuropsychological functions for five men who were suffering work-related illnesses allegedly caused by acute and chronic MD1 exposure over a two year time span. At the time of evaluation, four of the five men remained symptomatic despite having no contact with MD1 for periods ranging from four to seven months. The remaining subject continued to suffer from chemical exposure and identified a similar pattern of symptoms. All subjects reported experiencing subjective symptoms consisting of respiratory distress, headaches, depression, irritability, forgetfulness, decreased calculating ability, word finding problems, and reduced concentration. One subject was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. Consistent deficits were found on tests requiring sustained attention, complex reasoning, verbal encoding, information retrieval, and rate of new learning. All five workers showed considerable abnormality on the MMPI with depression and anxiety being the most prominent features. Standard MMPI validity scales did not indicate malingering. Neuropsychological test data for these five cases support the presence of behavioral and cognitive correlates of CNS insult following exposure to MDI. 20. Reitz, R. O., House, A. E., Graybill, D. University of Kansas & Illinois State University
217
days per week use, spending an average of $320 per week on the drug. Each subject completed a neuropsychological screening evaluation consisting of the following tests: vocabulary and block design subtests from the WAISR, Trail Making Test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Tapping Test, Selective Reminding Test, and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)- trials 1 & 2. Additionally, subjects completed the Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) as an object measure of personality functioning. Neuropsychological test scores were compared with normative data. Results suggest that cocaine users display intact motor speed, perceptual-motor speed, visuo-spatial ability, and sustained attention and concentration. Pronounced deficits were evident, however, in verbal learning and memory, particularly on measures of long-term storage and continuous long-term retrieval of verbal information (Selective Reminding Test). These results are suggestive of an association between cocaine use and specific areas of cognitive impairment. Personality test data from the MCMI will also be presented. 17. Rattan, G., Indiana Univ. of PA., Sujansky, R., Hillborough County Schools, FL., & Griffith, R., Lake County Schools, FL. Is the Children’s Version of the Category Test a Good Measure of “G” ? The Category Test (CT) was designed as a measure of concept formation. From factor analytic studies conducted with adult populations, the CT loaded on language, perceptual, and motoric factors (Goldstein et al., 1972; Russell, 1982). Its loading on a variety of cognitive factors suggested that the CT is a good measure of general intelligence. The extent to which the older children’s version of the CT behaves in a like manner is unclear. In the present investigation, a computerized version of the older children’s CT (CCT) (Rattan, 1989) was administered in conjunction with the WISC-R to assess the above relationship. The sample consisted of a heterogenous group of 48 children (M = 11.67 years, SD = 1.67) from various diagnostic groups (e.g., SLD, EH, ADHD, LD, SED) who were referred for a psycho-educational evaluation. Pearson correlations revealed that CCT error scores appear to be a good measure of global intelligence (FSIQ, -.654) followed by perceptual organization (PIQ, -.646) and language based information (VIQ, -.536). When the WISC-R scales were examined individually, the Comprehension subtest (-S19) for the Verbal Scale and Block Design (-S63) for the Performance Scale shared the greatest variability with Category Test performance. Results were discussed in terms of the of “G” factor underlying the older children’s Category Test and its use as a screening measure. 18. Raymond, M. J., & Naugle, R. I. John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Handedness and Gender Effects on the Relative Preservation of Visuospatial versus Verbal Function Following Right Hemisphere Stroke.
218
Abstracts of 10th Annual Meeting
Previous research has suggested that left handed individuals tend to show less hemispheric specialization for language function than right handers and that bilateral representation of language ability may occur at the expense of some visuospatial functions. A difference in this regard between males and females has also been reported, with females tending to show less hemispheric specialization than males. The preservation of visuospatial ability relative to verbal function following right middle cerebral artery stroke was assessed in 24 leftand 25 right handed patients who were group matched on the basis of age, education and gender. While the two groups were not significantly different with regard to Verbal or Performance IQ, they did differ significantly with regard to the difference between Verbal and Performance IQ, with the left handed patients showing less of a discrepancy than the right handers. The two sexes did not differ significantly on this basis. These results provide further evidence suggesting that sinistrality is associated with less hemispheric specialization. Head dominance may be an important variable to consider in determining prognosis following unilateral brain injury. 19. Reidy, T. J. & Bolter, J. F. Private NemoMedical Center, Baton Rouge, LA
Practice,
Salinas,
CA & The
Neuropsychological Toxicology of Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate. Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) is used in a variety of industrial applications and is the key ingredient in spray foam packaging. Exposure to MD1 has been documented to result in occupational asthma, but no studies of neuropsychological changes have been reported in the literature. The objective of this study was to assess neuropsychological functions for five men who were suffering work-related illnesses allegedly caused by acute and chronic MD1 exposure over a two year time span. At the time of evaluation, four of the five men remained symptomatic despite having no contact with MD1 for periods ranging from four to seven months. The remaining subject continued to suffer from chemical exposure and identified a similar pattern of symptoms. All subjects reported experiencing subjective symptoms consisting of respiratory distress, headaches, depression, irritability, forgetfulness, decreased calculating ability, word finding problems, and reduced concentration. One subject was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. Consistent deficits were found on tests requiring sustained attention, complex reasoning, verbal encoding, information retrieval, and rate of new learning. All five workers showed considerable abnormality on the MMPI with depression and anxiety being the most prominent features. Standard MMPI validity scales did not indicate malingering. Neuropsychological test data for these five cases support the presence of behavioral and cognitive correlates of CNS insult following exposure to MDI. 20. Reitz, R. O., House, A. E., Graybill, D. University of Kansas & Illinois State University