John B. Murray

Psychophysiological aspects of amphetamine-methamphetamine abuse

Abuse of amphetamines-methamphetamines has increased worldwide. Profiles of abusers, effects of different methods of administration, and research on amphetamine psychosis are reviewed, along with research on psychophysiological mechanisms, addictive potential, and psychotherapeutic strategies.

Review of Research on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator:

Research on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a psychometric instrument and as a reflection of Jungs personality typology was reviewed. Its applications in education, business, the artistic world, and in decision-making processes of business have been extensive and well received.

Review of research on pathological gambling.

The literature including a number of review articles was examined for answers to the questions, have distinctive personality test profiles of pathological gamblers been identified, do pathological gamblers have control over their behavior, have studies of alcoholism and addiction increased understanding of compulsive gambling, and has psychotherapy or Gamblers Anonymous been successful for them? Much more information is needed to build on what research on these questions has yielded.

Grouping Students for Instruction: Effects of Learning Style on Achievement and Attitudes

The present study examined the effects of matching and mismatching American middle-school students with a preference for learning alone or learning with peers with selected instructional treatments in order to determine the impact upon their attitudes and achievement in social studies. Analysis revealed that the learning-alone preference performed significantly better in the learning-alone condition and that the learning-with-peers preference performed significantly better in the learning-with-peers condition. However, no-preference students also performed significantly better in the learning-alone condition than with peers. In addition, data revealed that the learning-alone and the learning-with-peers students had significantly more positive attitudes when matched with their preferred learning style; the nopreference students had more positive attitudes in the learning-alone condition.

Phencyclidine (PCP): A Dangerous Drug, but Useful in Schizophrenia Research

Abstract Phencyclidine (PCP) is a dangerous drug, and the federal government has placed it on Schedule II of the Controlled Substance Act (see http://www.mninter.net/∼publish/csa2.htm#Schedule%20III). Typically, users smoke PCP, and it is often mixed with parsley, marijuana, or cocaine. Most researchers have conducted experiments on animals rather than on people, and a few have been done on persons diagnosed with schizophrenia, so answers to questions about its addictive potential or development of tolerance are not clear. In healthy volunteers, PCP can induce symptoms that mimic those of schizophrenia, lasting from a few days to more than a week. The neurotransmitter glutamate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) appear to play a role in the mechanism by which PCP induces positive and negative schizophrenic symptoms and cognitive defects (D. C. Javitt & S. R. Zukin, 1991; A. Lahti, B. Koffel, D. LaPorte, & C. A. Tarnminga, 1995; T. W. Robbins, 1990). Because PCP can induce symptoms that are almost indistinguishable from those associated with schizophrenia, further research may lead to new medications that could be helpful to people who do not respond to neuroleptics that are currently available.

Relationship of Childhood Sexual Abuse to Borderline Personality Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Multiple Personality Disorder

In this article, I have reviewed recent research into the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and borderline personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and multiple personality disorder. Evidence that such a relationship exists appears convincing.

Effectiveness of Methadone Maintenance for Heroin Addiction

Methadone maintenance programs have effectively reduced heroin dependency and are available in most countries affected by heroin addiction. Methadone, developed in Germany during World War II as a pain killer, does not have the euphoric effects of heroin and the goal of treatment is to substitute methadone for heroin use. Recidivism is probably a life-long risk. Methadone maintenance programs began in the 1960s in the United States in New York City. Once tolerance is developed, it may be used continually without harmful side effects. Dosage is important for effectiveness as are counseling, rehabilitation services, and employment support. Reduction in criminality and AIDS has been associated with methadone maintenance programs.

Marijuana's Effects on Human Cognitive Functions, Psychomotor Functions, and Personality

Marijuana is complex chemically and not yet fully understood, but it is not a narcotic. Like alcohol, marijuana acts as both stimulant and depressant, but it lingers in body organs longer than alcohol. Smoking marijuana can injure mucosal tissue and may have more carcinogenic potential than tobacco. Research has indicated that marijuana intoxication definitely hinders attention, long-term memory storage, and psychomotor skills involved in driving a car or flying a plane. Expectations and past experience with marijuana have often influenced results more than pharmacological aspects have. Marijuana has triggered psychotic episodes in those more vulnerable. Psychological and some instances of physiological dependence on marijuana have been demonstrated. As a psychoactive drug, marijuana surely alters mental functioning. Although it is possible that chronic use of marijuana produces irreversible damage to mind or brain areas, this has not been determined by research.

Cardiac disorders and antidepressant medications.

Abstract Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) have been associated with an increase in cardiovascular disorders, especially in depressed patients who have pre-existing cardiac disease. These disorders are less likely to occur when a therapeutic dosage is administered. Injuries because of falls are more likely in elderly depressed patients, and orthostatic hypotension occurs with the use of TCAs. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants differ structurally and in side effects from TCAs and MAOIs. They appear to be effective for treatment of depression, and their side-effect profiles appear safer than those of earlier approved antidepressants used by depressed patients with cardiovascular disorders.

Depression in Parkinson's Disease

Depression occurs in 40% to 50% of Parkinsons disease (PD) patients. From research over the last decade, this co-occurrence appears to be more than an emotional reaction to disability. Replacement of the neurotransmitter, dopamine, benefits the PD motor functions, and the neurotransmitter, serotonin, in antidepressants, reduces depressive symptoms. However, identification of the physiological linkage between PD and depression continues to evade research efforts.