J.W. Lovett Doust

An Ultradian Rhythm of Reaction Time Measurements in Man

Repeated measurements of reaction times were made individually in 53 healthy subjects at 60-sec intervals and continued for 30 min. The subjects visual perceptual task each minute was to determine the momentary cessation of the second hand of a clock and his reaction times were automatically recorded. The results showed that the subjects reaction times followed a free-running cycle ranging in frequency between 4 and 15 min when their reaction times were submitted to spectral analysis and autocorrelograms obtained. Error scores during the procedure showed significant correlations with chronological age but not with gender. The biological implications of these oscillations are discussed.

The pathology of love: some clinical variants of De Clérambault's syndrome.

Abstract Eight additional cases of De Clerambaults syndrome are discussed. One resembled patients described in the literature, the remaining seven follow specific precipitating causes including drugs, brain disease and psychological factors. Various paranoid syndromes were diagnosed, but their course was chronic despite treatment in most cases. Homosexual as well as heterosexual love were determinants.

Sinus Tachycardia and Abnormal Cardiac Rate Variation in Schizophrenia

The sinus rhythm resting heart rates of 138 schizophrenic patients were monitored electrocardiographically each for 30 min and were compared with those of 139 healthy controls. It was found that a sig

Influence of Human Ageing on Aspects of the Cerebral Circulation

Cerebral impedance plethysmography (REG) is a non-traumatic, reproducible method of continuously monitoring aspects y of the cerebral circulation. Its use in more than 200 healthy subjects aged 6–70 y

Acute Effects of ECT on the Cerebral Circulation in Man

The acute cerebral haemodynamic effects of modified ECT were monitored by electrical impedance piethysmography in four patients with schizophrenia and three with depression. A total of 20 recordings were made on these patients; of these, 19 involved the following segments, in sequence: a rest period of 25–115 min, a short period in which Atropine, Brietal, and succinylcholine were given by injection, administration of the ECT, monitoring of post-ECT effects for 10 min, and, finally, a recovery period of up to 120 min was recorded. An identical procedure, save for the omission of ECT in one of the patients, formed the 20th recording. Results were considered significant if they were given by a majority of the 19 ECT recordings. No impedance changes took place during the pre-drug resting period nor following the pre-medication drugs. The acute effects of ECT were shown by electrical impedance changes during the 10 min immediately following it. These implied a surging increase in CBF and persisted during the recovery phase. No such changes occurred when ECT was omitted, and the results suggested that these cerebral circulatory changes formed part of the therapeutic action of ECT.

Comparison between Some Biological Clocks Regulating Sensory and Psychomotor Aspects of Perception in Man

Regular repetition of one monitor of sensory perception and another of psychomotor perception revealed similar frequency and amplitude aspects of spontaneous endogenous free-running cycles of perception and others of vigilance. The ultradian periodicities of these cycles distinguish between persons with intact nervous systems and those with brain damage.

Enduring Effects of Modified ECT on the Cerebral Circulation in Man

The response of the cerebral circulation to modified ECT was monitored by computer programmes in 18 psychotic patients using cerebral impedance plethysmography. Each patient was recorded daily prior to, during and following the course of ECT. Results indicated that ECT was accompanied after 2 h by a marked increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in depressed patients; the schizophrenics showed a decrease in CBF. Patients whose blood flow had improved tended to return to previous levels progressively during the first week.

Periodic homeostatic fluctuations of skin temperature in the sleeping and waking state.

53 healthy persons were monitored for skin temperature by a Hardy dermal radiometer every 60 sec. Readings continued until a spontaneous cycle appeared. 32 subjects were examined awake and 21 while asleep. A spontaneous rhythm with a mean of 4.25 min was found for the awake subjects, and one of 8.33 for the asleep subjects. To confirm these findings longer recordings were made by a thermocouple electronic thermometer in a further 23 subjects. Observations were continued until the awake subject slept. The results were analyzed by autocorrelation. In 13 records the sleeping rhythm was significantly longer than the waking. Another thermocouple probe in 14 subjects was used to measure axillary temperature. In 7 subjects a shorter cycle was seen while awake and a longer one while they slept. The properties of a perceptual clock are reviewed. It is suggested that the relative awareness of the subject be added to them.53 healthly persons were monitored for skin temperature by a Hardy dermal radiometer every 60 sec. Readings continued until a spontaneous cycle appeared. 32 subjects were examined awake and 21 while asleep. A spontaneous rhythm with a mean of 4.25 min was found for the awake subjects, and one of 8.33 for the asleep subjects. To confirm these findings longer recordings were made by a thermocouple electronic thermometer in a further 23 subjects. Observations were continued until the awake subject slept. The results were analyzed by autocorrelation. In 13 records the sleeping rhythm was significantly longer than the waking. Another thermocouple probe in 14 subjects was used to measure axillary temperature. In 7 subjects a shorter cycle was seen while awake and a longer one while they slept. The properties of a perceptual clock are reviewed. It is suggested that the relative awareness of the subject be added to them.

Emergence of a biological rhythm when certain psychological tests are repeated at regular intervals in mentally retarded children

Abstract A heterogenous group of mentally retarded children with I.Q. c. 50 and aged up to 18 years was compared with a group of similarly aged “bright normal” children. Two test procedures were carried out: the Critical Flicker Frequency threshold (CFF) and a maximal speed 15 sec Tapping test. Each test was repeated serially on a minute by minute basis. While significant differences between the groups were found in the maximal speed tapping test average scores, graphing the minute by minute serial test scores against time fore each individual revealed the emergence of a continuously changing series of scores which formed spontaneous cycles of recurrence. The rough graphed plots with their approximately best fit lines were confirmed by auto‐correlation tests, the statistical significance of which was found to be statisfactory. This finding applied equally to the CFF, its deviation about the means and to the tapping test when the combined scores for the right and left hands were considered and the deviatio...

Psychiatric disturbance as a consequence of abnormal periodic cardiac variation

Abstract The relationship between cardiac rate variation, resting sinus rhythm heart rate in beats per minute, and mental state is reviewed. A small series of 12 psychiatric patients in whom these variables were studied both before and after appropriate psychiatric treatment is reported. Comparison with the periodicity of cardiac rate variation in a normal group of subjects showed that the setting of the biological clock governing cardiac rate variation in psychiatric patients is abnormal, and in these cases running at a slower frequency than that of mental health. Appropriate psychiatric therapy re‐sets this clock in patients responding to treatment, but fails to do so in those patients who remain unimproved. Resting mean sinus rhythm heart rate in beats per minute does not show this relationship.