James Allender

Controlled clinical trial of cannabidiol in Huntington's disease

Based on encouraging preliminary findings, cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic constituent of Cannabis, was evaluated for symptomatic efficacy and safety in 15 neuroleptic-free patients with Huntingtons Disease (HD). The effects of oral CBD (10 mg/kg/day for 6 weeks) and placebo (sesame oil for 6 weeks) were ascertained weekly under a double-blind, randomized cross-over design. A comparison of the effects of CBD and placebo on chorea severity and other therapeutic outcome variables, and on a Cannabis side effect inventory, clinical lab tests and other safety outcome variables, indicated no significant (p greater than 0.05) or clinically important differences. Correspondingly, plasma levels of CBD were assayed by GC/MS, and the weekly levels (mean range of 5.9 to 11.2 ng/ml) did not differ significantly over the 6 weeks of CBD administration. In summary, CBD, at an average daily dose of about 700 mg/day for 6 weeks, was neither symptomatically effective nor toxic, relative to placebo, in neuroleptic-free patients with HD.

Processing of Emotional Cues in Patients with Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type

Previous research on patients with dementia of the Alzheimers type (DAT) has focused primarily on intellectual and memory deficits. The present study investigated another aspect of cognitive functioning, that of processing of emotional cues. Subjects included 30 DAT patients and 13 normal controls who were asked to identify emotional expressions in pictured faces and in tone of tape recorded sentences. A battery of neuropsychological tests was also administered. DAT patients were impaired on all tasks as compared to controls of comparable age, education and previous occupation. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that the two emotional tasks were the most highly correlated of all the tasks for the patient sample. This relationship is discussed as validating the emotional tasks as measures of emotional cue processing rather than reflecting deficits based only on other task dimensions.

Overcommitment to sport: Is there a relationship to the eating disorders?

AbstractThis article explores recent research in psychology, physiology, endocrinology, and animal behavior that bears on the relationship between compulsive athleticism and the eating disorders. There are several differences and a number of likenesses between these groups. Both groups are composed of persistent, perfectionistic, high-achieving persons. Compulsive (“addicted”) athletes appear healthier than eating-disordered patients on psychological tests, even though the athletes may do or say things that appear irrational. The relationship between compulsive athleticism and the eating disorders can best be described in terms of a risk-factor model. Perfectionistic persons can be easily caught up in a diet or exercise program and can become even more committed through social reinforcement and the formation of a reciprocal feedback loop. When perfectionistic persons engage in extreme exertion while following a restricted, “healthy” diet, this can increase obsessional behavior by affecting mood and cognition. Eating-disordered patients experience similar changes in personality and behavior secondary to stress and dietary restriction.

Plastic surgery and the bulimic patient

Some bulimic women resort to plastic surgery in an attempt to make their bodies more acceptable. The surgery serves the function of changing the appearance of the body, thus temporarily diminishing the underlying depression. This may precipitate a transient remission of bulimic symptoms.

Depression and cognitive decline in the elderly: A follow-up study

Abstract Thirty-five depressed elderly subjects, who received comprehensive evaluations in a memory disorders clinic, were followed (mean of 24 months) and evaluated with a brief neuropsychological battery. Diagnoses were made by consensus of a board-certified neuropsychologist and neurologist. A deterioration of four points on follow-up Folstein MMSE, compared to initial MMSE (based on calculation of the standard error of difference), defined cognitive decline. Eight patients demonstrated cognitive decline and 27 did not. A MANOVA using initial neuropsychological, depression severity, and demographic variables did not differentiate the two groups. Chi-square analyses on medical and radiological data from the initial examination showed that those depressed subjects with decline had a greater number of abnormal MRIs, CTs, and EKGs. Results from MRI and CT demonstrated the presence of leuko-araiosis in the depressed patients with cognitive decline. Leuko-araiosis in some depressed elderly may contribute to ...

Effectiveness of the intensive group process-retreat model in the treatment of bulimia

The present study examined the effectiveness of a short-term, intensive, group process-retreat treatment model for bulimia. The multicomponent, two-day treatment and follow-up booster session focused primarily on the interpersonal deficits associated with the disorder. A sample of 24 subjects who met the DSM-III criteria for bulimia and who binged-purged at least one time per week participated in the study. Compared to a control group (N=12), the women who received the group treatment (N=12) evidenced significant improvements in self-esteem and severity of binge eating. The frequency of binge-purge episodes and dysfunctional eating attitudes were also significantly reduced. The results of this study suggest that the intensive group-process retreat model is an effective adjunct in the treatment of bulimia.

Attitude Change: Measuring the Effect of an Educational Program

Measurement of attitudes before and after an educational intervention generally reflects both the impact of the session and the fact that the best predictor of attitudes after the session are attitudes before the session. Statistics currently available provide contradictory information; both measures of association and measures of difference are statistically significant. Current tests of the significance of change either have restrictive assumptions or do not take into account people who do not change. A new measure is proposed which incorporates information on amount and direction of change. Delta is calculated from a contingency table of the pre-and postmeasurements. It ranges from + 1, signifying that everyone changed in one direction to -1, that is, everyone changed in the opposite direction, and becomes 0 when there is perfect correlation in scores or equal change in both directions. Delta is useful in assessing which attitudes have been most influenced by the educational intervention.